Exhibition: The Art of Video Games at Smithsonian Art Museum

The show’s central premise is that, despite Roger Ebert’s protests, videogames constitute an art form, one that—like film, animation, and performance—invites audiences to enter imagined worlds. According to the museum’s press release, the exhibition “focuses on the interplay of graphics, technology, and storytelling,” with 80 videogames created for 20 gaming systems, from the Atari VCS to the PlayStation 3.

via fastcodesign.com

We need more of this design approaches to board games.

When playing Scrabble does it ever bother you, as a designer, that all of the letters are in Monotype News Gothic? And how about all those tacky colors on the board? Ever dreamed of a different font and a more aesthetically-pleasing board?

via core77.com

Playing memory with instagram pictures.

InstaGamer is a free iPhone game using instagram pictures.
We need more of this playful social content usage.

via itunes

How to successfully fund an indie game.

You should follow carefully this project to learn about successful funding. My first impression: It’s all about the story and involvment. 

via kickstarter

Learning from Games

Like all UI design, it can be used for good or evil, to help people or to hurt them.

via ignore the code

Modern Architecture Game Tests Your Knowledge Of The Great Masters

We’re pretty big nerds when it comes to architecture and design, so when we saw this board game over on Archinect this morning, we immediately added it to our wish list. The Modern Architecture Game designed by NEXT Architects pits you head to head against your fellow intellectuals to see who knows the most about architecture and the architects behind their masterpieces. This trivia board game may not help you be a better designer, but at least you’ll be able to prove who has the biggest brain.

via inhabitat.com

What Arcade Games Can Teach Us About UX

Arcade games have always fascinated me. Growing up in the early 1980s, I witnessed an explosive growth in game designers’ creativity and technical abilities. It only took twenty or so years for Pong’s primitive graphics to evolve into the photorealistic 3-D worlds we see today.

via johnnyholland.org

Sims have sex 680,000 times a day in The Sims Social.

via gamesradar.com

augmented reality ceramics by andrew tanner british ceramic designer andrew tanner has developed ‘english hedgerow’, a chintz wall plate for royal winton that is the world’s first to interface with augmented reality to feature an animated world. an application developed by jason jameson and james hall of unanico group lets users of iOS devices watch as birds and field mice scurry among the brambles, flies buzz, and butterflies flutter through the flowers. via designboom.com

augmented reality ceramics by andrew tanner

british ceramic designer andrew tanner has developed ‘english hedgerow’, a chintz wall plate for royal winton that is the world’s first to interface with augmented reality to feature an animated world.

an application developed by jason jameson and james hall of unanico group lets users of iOS devices watch as birds and field mice scurry among the brambles, flies buzz, and butterflies flutter through the flowers.

via designboom.com

Not Angry Birds: An iPad App That Lets You Play With Real Pigs

Humans and pigs aren’t so different; we all like to roll around in the mud once in a while, and we all like to relax with a good game. In the spirit of European laws that require farmers to provide pigs with entertainment (i.e. a ball attached to a chain on the wall) in order to stave off aggression, tail-biting, and boredom, Dutch researchers are working on a game that allows anyone with an iPad to play with real-life pigs.

via fastcoexist.com

The Sketchbook of Susan Kare, the Artist Who Gave Computing a Human Face Inspired by the collaborative intelligence of her fellow software designers, Kare stayed on at Apple to craft the navigational elements for Mac’s GUI. Because an application for designing icons on screen hadn’t been coded yet, she went to the University Art supply store in Palo Alto and picked up a $2.50 sketchbook so she could begin playing around with forms and ideas. In the pages of this sketchbook, which hardly anyone but Kare has seen before now*, she created the casual prototypes of a new, radically user-friendly face of computing - each square of graph paper representing a pixel on the screen. via kottke.org

The Sketchbook of Susan Kare, the Artist Who Gave Computing a Human Face

Inspired by the collaborative intelligence of her fellow software designers, Kare stayed on at Apple to craft the navigational elements for Mac’s GUI. Because an application for designing icons on screen hadn’t been coded yet, she went to the University Art supply store in Palo Alto and picked up a $2.50 sketchbook so she could begin playing around with forms and ideas. In the pages of this sketchbook, which hardly anyone but Kare has seen before now*, she created the casual prototypes of a new, radically user-friendly face of computing - each square of graph paper representing a pixel on the screen.

Play with Renewable Raw Materials

Self promotion.
Games and toys are closely linked with the history of raw materials. And with it you can experience the material specific character. 

The project play with renewable raw materials want’s to develop a small selection of interactive games and toys to experience their qualities on touch devices.

#1 CAOUTCHOUC > RubberBalls

iOS App-Store | Android Market

Gravity Dice Dés Gravité translates from French to English as Gravity Dice and is a project that files beautifully amongst the many gems in French artist Suzy Lelievre’s portfolio. It’s such an accomplished body of work that I’m left with no choice but to enviously mutter “Why didn’t I think of that?” while searching for the necessary 200 Euros to seal the best Christmas present my dad has ever seen. via It’s Nice That

Gravity Dice

Dés Gravité translates from French to English as Gravity Dice and is a project that files beautifully amongst the many gems in French artist Suzy Lelievre’s portfolio. It’s such an accomplished body of work that I’m left with no choice but to enviously mutter “Why didn’t I think of that?” while searching for the necessary 200 Euros to seal the best Christmas present my dad has ever seen.

via It’s Nice That

Don’t swim after lunch

3D animation meet reality meet cool characters meet enthralling sounds.

Animation by UK-based Jens Blank called Don’t swim after lunch. See some of the character design and a bit of behind-the-scenes on his site here. Thanks for the email.

via The Strange Attractor

If Video Games Could Feel Your Pain

What could be the killer app for that feature? Modern Warfare or Sing Star?

Some dreams of the future are borne more of desire than sober analysis, and the dream of having a video game console that adapts to your emotions sure seems like one of these cases.

via Joystick Division