"Nintendo have changed the game industry landscape by creating something so different and so successful its now accepted as a standard."

So this is my critique, it's on a game I can't stand but loyaly respect; Wii Sports. Read it here.

Click for larger image.

Actually I think it's Photoshop, I just wanted to use that title. Pretty awesome.

This is the reading list for my dissertation (subject to change):

How the Web Was Born - James Gillies and Robert Cailliau

The Power of Identity: The Information Age - Castells

Dot-Com to Dot-Bomb: Understanding the Dot-Comb Boom, Bust and Resurgence - Tapan Munroe

.CON by John Cassidy

The Wealth of Netoworks - Yochai Benkler

I like to blog every day or so, and I have, but on our games development blog for Wowzerware and my Big Project blog. Which are both hush-hush.

So here's two blurred out pictures of what ive been working on.

Consider these three brand new titles for a moment; Spore, Little Big Planet and Banjo Kazooie Nuts'n'Boltz.

They all fit loosely into some genres. Spore is a sim, LBP is a 2D platformer and Banjo Kazzoie is a 3D platformer. Sort of.

I think they all fit perfectly in to a new style of game I'm calling the Customizables. They have all the traces of Web2 integration and huge amount of control over freedom of design. Here what makes a customizable:

- The games core mechanic is freedom of control over your character or environment.

- Sharing and tagging of all the created levels and character.

- Online collaboration; level playing and fighting.

I think we are witnessing a new genre of game. Repeat after me The Customizables.

So thats how the Jedi's do it.

I was reading Aaron's notebook on their games company Epic, it was along the lines off "Were amazing, look out for us, we will be making a big impact ect." Their clearly strongly branding their company, which brings up the question can you brand both the company and the game?

I'm thinking no. You can only give one or the other that market definition.

Their going to have trouble branding there game if the company already has a carved out image. This isn't a problem, the game can be promoted from the marketing aura of their company, but Wowzerware is taking the reverse approach. Leaving the company unassuming for now and then releasing the game and its image on the world later on. The main reason is our game will be iconic. Far more iconic than our company could be (without a history or a campaign that is) and we want to launch the game without any style interference from Wowzerware.

Also game industry leaders like EA and Nintendo have there brand built out of their biggest franchises; Nintendo is Mario and Zelda. Bungie is Halo. Sega was Sonic. EA is shit. Our company will follow suit and let the game do the talking.

There is no right or wrong decision here, but its a difficult one. Do you brand the game or the company?

Is internet freedom and network neutrality at risk by a corporate authority Web 2.0 built?

Network neutrality is the principle that all information which is sent over the Internet should be treated equally and Internet Service Providers should not influence any of the content or applications users choose. All websites will have the same connection speeds / load times and all sites can be accessed. Net neutrality means a students weblog and Microsoft.com will be handled unbiasedly by ISP's.

Since the big bang of the web, diverse cultures and sub-clutures have emerged in the light anonymity and near total uncensored free speech. Capitalism has been there from the start too, during the first generation of the web (Web1), it was in the form of e-commerce. After the dot-com bubble burst the cultures survived, however the e-commerce took a heavy hit. Out of the wreckage materialized a new type of business, one that deals in personal information and social networking. Web2 users subscribe their soul instead of their wallets, this combined with the walled garden design of social networking sites means a handful of monolithic companies have emerged.

Even though the web is arguably a free and open forum now it's at risk from two directions. Firstly on a subtle level, by the empowered giants of the new web who are manipulating our culture. Secondly on a grander commercial scale, by the telecommunication industry who want to commodify internet usage with the destruction of network neutrality.

A dark and realistic future is one where these risks get into bed with each other. The irony is that the telecoms vision of a tiered internet works best with a few big companies in competition with each other. A few big companies we have created. There is no central democracy controlling the web, by enabling this corporate authority we are jeopardizing the freedom of the web.

This dissertation will explore how we got into this situation, the current state of play and possible outcomes.

Via brianmcguigan.com. Click for larger image.

The games module company has been formed, say hello to Wowzerware. Can't give too much away now, stay tuned, all will become clear in the Week 6 keynote...