Reality is not enough
Posted on August 17, 2014 Leave a Comment
My article about virtual reality gadgets at GamesCom is in Jyllands-Posten Indblik today. In this photo, I am fighing an armoured knight with some evil medieval weapons, shortly before being eaten by a dragon.
And this is where I meet the monster in the Virtualizer, wearing Oculus.
You can read all about it in the article online (in Danish) here, if you have access to jyllands-posten.dk:
Virkeligheden er ikke altid nok.
“I en anden verden: Teknologien i Virtual Reality er i hastig udvikling og bruges nu både til fobi-forskning, byplanlægning og hussalg. Indblik har været i nærkontakt med den nyeste VR-teknologi på verdens største spilmesse i Køln.”
Cloud Chamber is released on Steam today
Posted on August 7, 2014 Leave a Comment
The online multiplayer mystery Cloud Chamber was released on Steam today. Here is my review of the first online release on the Danish website Ekko: Review of Cloud Chamber (in Danish).
Is it possible to tell a story by combining the biggest cosmic mysteries with the mechanisms from facebook? The online mystery Cloud Chamber tries to do just that, and the result is engrossing.
Isn’t it odd that aliens haven’t contacted us yet, considering that there are more than 200 billion stars in our galaxy alone, and thus lots of possibility (one would assume) for intelligent life?
There are a lot of interesting explanations for that paradox. And I get to know a lot of those on my way through the Danish online mystery Cloud Chamber, released on October 4th.
One of the more amusing theories is that any civilisation out there sophisticated enough to be able to contact us has probably invented media formats so immensely entertaining and absorbing that they can’t be bothered to travel into space. They are simply too busy having fun online.
Quite an interesting theory, considering that I am doing just that: I am staying indoors, working my way through Cloud Chamber, letting myself get absorbed in discussions about quantum foam and conspiracy theories with a bunch of strangers on the Internet – instead of going out on a Friday night!
My attention is hooked by the mystery in some very efficient ways. I will return to the most effective way of them all a bit later.
Full review in English coming up.
Fun is the reward! – flying, climbing and winning at w00t
Posted on June 3, 2014 1 Comment
“If we live a life that is boring enough, we will be rewarded.” You know some people who seem to live by that assumption? You probably do. But the answer is no! NO! Fun is the reward!
That was the message from the American game guru Bernie Dekoven – the first speaker at the Copenhagen Play Festival w00t, which took place in Copenhagen from 30th of May to 1st of June 2014.
“Everyone has their own playful path”, he says. “Have faith in your playfulness”. And so, I went playing. Here are some of the stuff I caught on camera before my iPhone battery gave up on all that exhausting playfulness and went to sleep.
1. Flying the drones – controlled by the iPhone.
The amazing quadricopters! After downloading a Parrot app, you controlled the drones with your iPhone. Unfortunately, my iPhone battery didn’t enjoy it as much as I did.
With the right technique, it was like taking a flying and slightly out-of-control dog for a walk.
OR, sometimes, a slightly out-of-control gas balloon. With a camera. Yup, in defense of my mysteriously lazy iPhone battery, I discovered (when arriving home) that the drone had filmed everything, leaving fun little clips on my camera roll. Oh, the future possibilities. Fun footage!
And just imagine feeding that fun footage from the quadricopters into the Oculus Rift? This will happen in the near future, of course, and we will all be sitting in our sofas strapped into the oculus and flying across the world with the weightless drone cameras.
2. Climbing the stairs of the Great Gottlieb
But before we get to the future of Virtual Reality with all its inevitable flying, bungee jumping and roller coaster rides, the interactive illustrator and 3D enthusiast Daniel Ernst from Holland has found perfect use of the present capacity of the technology.
He was at w00t with his amazing installation The Great Gottlieb – a virtual diorama, picturing the world of a romantic acrobat positioned on a high tower of chairs under a starry sky. Watching other people experiencing the dioroma was fun, but the inside was pure magic.
Having to climb the installation before entering the oculus world enhanced the feeling of sitting on top of the hiiiigh tower of stacked chairs. Screenshots won’t do the experience any justice, but this gives you an idea of the setup:
And yes, it was for the kids, too.
Daniel Ernst has worked on The Great Gottlieb diorama for two months, and I can’t wait to see more of his work. A bit later in the day, I got a chance to try his first oculus diorama: “Blocked In”. You are in a room, watching a tetris apocalypse (LOL) unfolding through the windows.
I wanted SO BAD to leave the flat and take a walk in the ominous tetris rain, but we will have to wait for the technology to catch up with that dream… Until then: Check out Daniel Ernst’s work here: http://www.theshoeboxdiorama.com/
Back to reality. Time to play Laundry Badminton.
Is was planning to go to w00t all along, but if I hadn’t, reading about this game in the festival program would have convinced me to come. In Laundry Badminton, the net is a laundry line filled with clothing.
When the shuttlecock hits the ground, the losing team must put on one piece of clothing per time the shuttlecock went over the net. PERFECT idea! – brought to w00t by Tom Russotti from The Institute of Aesthletics.
When it comes to sports games, no matter how twisted the rules are, I LIKE WINNING. Oh, the exciting rush of going to the finals! But then my upcoming opponents put nylon stockings over their heads and reminded me that this might not be about winning, but about … well… looking weird.
..and funny. And happy. And just a wee bit retarded.
I would strongly suggest for everyone to try this at home.
Stuck up on more playful ideas (including aquadditch, water pong and triolectic soccer) on the w00t festival website. See you next year.
Why is 10000000 so extremely addictive?
Posted on May 17, 2014 Leave a Comment
Lots of wise things could be said about the reasons why ambitious and reasonable people let themselves get seducted by the chemical rewards of the dopamine rushes that flood your brain when you allow yourself to get hooked on a casual game on the mobile phone.
Here is a first class example: The game 10000000.
Actually I should warn you: Do NOT download this on your smartphone. Or maybe I should just go ahead and recommend it with the reckless enthusiasm that I feel, arms waving above my head, like a cast away on dopamine island. Just know this: I CAN’T STOP PLAYING IT!
The title of the game is 10000000 (ten million), and the idea is simple, but the pace of the game is hectic: Match three (or more) blocks of the same kind while your little hero sprints through a dungeon on the top of the screen. His way is constantly blocked by monsters (from ninjas to dragons), locked doors and treasure chests filled with gold, and your job is to match three keys, three magic wands or three swords JUST when he needs them. And that’s when things get hectic…
I have written a blog post about this in Danish. Read it right here: Hvorfor er 10000000 så ekstremt vanedannende?
Or read a shorter version on the website Elektronista: Tør du downloade 10000000?
Looking forward to playing this: Monochroma
Posted on April 29, 2014 Leave a Comment
This game caught my eye as I was running through the expo floor at Game Developers’ Conference in San Francisco last month. I really had to be somewhere (and fast), but the melancholy of the black and white imagery sucked me in. I didn’t have the time to play. but I had the time to look. The trailer is wonderful, especially the imagery of the city.
The expected release will be the second half of May 2014. Updates will follow!
At first, of course, it reminded me a bit of the Danish masterpiece Limbo, one of my all time favourites. Especially scenery like this:
But there is something else going on. The sprinkles of red. The paranoid city scapes. An awesome 1950s dystopian sadness.
Bonus info: The game is inspired by the developers’ childhood memories of moving from the countryside to urban Istanbul and the violently oppressed “Gezi Protests” of 2013. Looking forward to explore it.
Breaking glass has never felt so good
Posted on April 28, 2014 Leave a Comment
I don’t normally scream at my phone. Really, I don’t. But this game has me screaming at my phone. It’s so incredibly awesome. Play it.
This game falls into the category of Humongous Time Sucks. I mean this in an absolutely positive way, of course. You just have to keep playing and playing and playing. Breaking glass has never felt so good. Or so real.
While flying through landscapes at an increasing speed, you have to break a lot of glass with a limited amount of bullets. You can literally feel the impact when you miss a shot, hit a glass pane and loose some of your precious ammo. Oh, and the ecstatic sound of glass pyramids splintering in a thousand pieces, earning you extra marbles for more flying and more glass breaking.
I have written about it (in Danish) on elektronista.dk here:
Aldrig har det været sjovere at smadre glas på mobiltelefonen
Now, let’s listen to some David Bowie. This would be an appropriate soundtrack:
Ten playful moments at the CounterPlay conference
Posted on April 7, 2014 Leave a Comment
I had to get up very early in the morning to go to the CounterPlay Conference in Århus. It was the 05.50 train from Copenhagen. Early business. Nevertheless, people were already busy testing games. This was called Skrappe Fingre. Good stuff! Plus I learned some useful things about laser cutters and 3D printers on the way.
The opening keynote was appropriately playful, orchestrated by Thomas Vigild. It had slides with horses pretending to be unicorns in it. Ernst The Sock Eating Puppet loved that so much, he almost exploded with excitement.
During a conference like this, it is absolutely ESSENTIAL to find, elect and celebrate The Geekiest T-shirt.
Here is Mikkel Lodahl, representing Grenå, the city with the biggest selection of gaming educations in Denmark, sporting a hipster-esque retro-style piece with a touch of neon. Ooooh yes. Apart from the t-shirt, he taught the conference goers some useful stuff about storytelling at a Twine workshop.
New combatants kept popping up. Things got deep. If you get this one, you are not just a geek, but also a nerd. +1000 points.
The competition was fierce.
And the winner? You must scroll to see. First, let’s have a look at the floor. Games were on display in the library during the two day conference, ranging from Minecraft adventures to fascinating musical matchboxes. This was a colourful favourite, inducing heated footwork battles:
Girls against boys, exploring the Minecraft adventure “Den mystiske ø”. Two hours later, the girls had won. Said the twitter rumours.
After the talks, games were played at Godsbanen. This was a pretty complicated card game about betrayal, ninja assassinations and tea ceremonies.
Facts: The Counterplay Conference was held in Århus on April 3rd and 4th, arranged by Mathias Poulsen. There were 28 talks about Playful Culture, Playful Learning and Playful Business – and several workshops, e.g. improvisation in theatre games and designing board games.
Oh yes, and the winner! (celebrational close-up):
Culture Box turns 9. Time flies. The techno beat goes on.
Posted on January 8, 2014 Leave a Comment
So much has happened on the electronic music scene of Copenhagen since Culture Box opened its doors for the first time – 9 years ago. Many more electronic dance floors have been added to the nightlife cityscape since then – and in the midst of all that, Culture Box is still doin’ its thing – very much in the same way. Steady. Stubborn. Cool. Quality-minded.
The nine years are celebrated on Friday and Saturday. Here’s my Gaffa list of the other goings-on in the city this weekend – including Superhoe, Chainsaw Eaters, Kill J and a love boost in Christiania: Her er weekendens bedste fester.
How to become a rockstar in 60 days
Posted on December 8, 2013 Leave a Comment
What does the guitar game Rocksmith 2014 have in common with GTA V, the most hyped title of the year? And can a zombie teach you to play the guitar? I went to London to test the new Rocksmith game in the Gibson Guitar Studios and wrote an article for Gaffa: Riffs og rampelys: Fra Rocksmith til Rockstar
What would Oscar Wilde do? Go out, of course.
Posted on October 9, 2013 1 Comment
The electronic musician Daedelus describes himself as a “full-time musician, part-time dandy” and, always dressing up for his live shows, personifies Oscar Wilde’s bon-mot that every person should strive to be a piece of art – or dress like one. This article on Gaffa – Energisk enmandsshow – is about why it’s a good idea to go and hear him play at Pumpehuset. Why? Because Oscar Wilde says so:
“But we never get back our youth… The pulse of joy that beats in us at twenty becomes sluggish. Our limbs fail, our senses rot. We degenerate into hideous puppets, haunted by the memory of the passions of which we were too much afraid, and the exquisite temptations that we had not the courage to yield to.”
