Comments on: Designing games for exhibitions or events http://www.gameslol.com/2007/02/14/designing-games-for-exhibitions-or-events/ Marek Bronstring's game blog Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:40:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: gameslol » Blog Archive » Lazy bullets in lieu of fully-fledged post http://www.gameslol.com/2007/02/14/designing-games-for-exhibitions-or-events/#comment-1984 gameslol » Blog Archive » Lazy bullets in lieu of fully-fledged post Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:38:19 +0000 http://www.gameslol.com/2007/02/14/designing-games-for-exhibitions-or-events/#comment-1984 [...] while ago I wrote about the cinema as a potential gaming environment. Certain US theaters apparently now have a pre-movie break-out style advergame in which the entire [...] […] while ago I wrote about the cinema as a potential gaming environment. Certain US theaters apparently now have a pre-movie break-out style advergame in which the entire […]

]]> By: Marek http://www.gameslol.com/2007/02/14/designing-games-for-exhibitions-or-events/#comment-86 Marek Mon, 26 Feb 2007 19:00:58 +0000 http://www.gameslol.com/2007/02/14/designing-games-for-exhibitions-or-events/#comment-86 That's a great post.  really love your blog by the way (especially your diagrams). I don't know why I didn't add it to my blogroll before but I finally added it yesterday. That’s a great post.  really love your blog by the way (especially your diagrams). I don’t know why I didn’t add it to my blogroll before but I finally added it yesterday.

]]> By: Danc http://www.gameslol.com/2007/02/14/designing-games-for-exhibitions-or-events/#comment-85 Danc Mon, 26 Feb 2007 16:37:06 +0000 http://www.gameslol.com/2007/02/14/designing-games-for-exhibitions-or-events/#comment-85 <a href="http://lostgarden.com/2005/05/movie-theater-games.html" rel="nofollow">http://lostgarden.com/2005/05/movie-theater-games.html</a> Here is a little essay/design on movie games that I posted a while back. It ties in nicely with many of the ideas you are discussing here. take care Danc. http://lostgarden.com/2005/05/movie-theater-games.html

Here is a little essay/design on movie games that I posted a while back. It ties in nicely with many of the ideas you are discussing here.

take care
Danc.

]]> By: Ann http://www.gameslol.com/2007/02/14/designing-games-for-exhibitions-or-events/#comment-77 Ann Tue, 20 Feb 2007 12:58:15 +0000 http://www.gameslol.com/2007/02/14/designing-games-for-exhibitions-or-events/#comment-77 This " once-a-year" cinema expercience sounds awfully familiar.. :) don't leave out the fact that in case you are 2 minutes late for picking up your most desired POTC II tickets, they've probably already sold one of them to the guys standing in front of you in line...and you get stuck with watching 2,5 hours of 'superman' instead. Without a snackbreak in which you could have moved yourself from the theatre to the pub down the street :P. Anyway, a different birthday present this year? ;) ann This ” once-a-year” cinema expercience sounds awfully familiar.. :) don’t leave out the fact that in case you are 2 minutes late for picking up your most desired POTC II tickets, they’ve probably already sold one of them to the guys standing in front of you in line…and you get stuck with watching 2,5 hours of ’superman’ instead. Without a snackbreak in which you could have moved yourself from the theatre to the pub down the street :P.
Anyway, a different birthday present this year? ;)
ann

]]> By: Jake http://www.gameslol.com/2007/02/14/designing-games-for-exhibitions-or-events/#comment-65 Jake Sun, 18 Feb 2007 02:09:24 +0000 http://www.gameslol.com/2007/02/14/designing-games-for-exhibitions-or-events/#comment-65 It's true that most of the indies aren't as bad, and there is a sort of growing classic/retro/traditionalist resurgance in "the theater experience" even at some mainstream cinemas, but there are only a few theaters that I'd really rather go to than stay at home for most films. Also, indies aren't the only theaters that are trying to "fix the problem" by broadening out to include HD broadcasts of big TV events, music concerts, and games - it's a solution that many huge megaplex chains are dabbling with as well. That's all good and well - awesome in fact - but for many theaters, their "killer app," providing a fun and entertaining movie screening experience, is broken... and it's hard to build a second floor when the first floor's on fire. I usually overlook the crappiness of most non-indie theaters only for the benefit of seeing a film projected on film, or going with my friends, but I doubt the former is a big concern of most moviegoers, and opening night / cult film geeok-out festivals aside, my friends and I are increasingly finding it more fun to just stay at home, cook a meal, possibly watch the latest Lost or something and play some Wii Sports. Anyway, also, regarding the actual article... though longer story-based things probably wouldn't work that well, a game like Facade, which is designed to be played multiple times over with wholly different results, might work well with certain audiences. You wouldn't want to use Facade exactly, but the iterative storytelling and (hopefully) relateable characters and situations might make for an engrossing experience that people could participate in from both sides of the screen. It's the sort of thing that an audience could laugh at, comment on to each other, be impressed by, and then get up out of their seat and decide to try their hand at "to do it better than that other guy" all with a very short turnaround-per-player. It’s true that most of the indies aren’t as bad, and there is a sort of growing classic/retro/traditionalist resurgance in “the theater experience” even at some mainstream cinemas, but there are only a few theaters that I’d really rather go to than stay at home for most films. Also, indies aren’t the only theaters that are trying to “fix the problem” by broadening out to include HD broadcasts of big TV events, music concerts, and games - it’s a solution that many huge megaplex chains are dabbling with as well. That’s all good and well - awesome in fact - but for many theaters, their “killer app,” providing a fun and entertaining movie screening experience, is broken… and it’s hard to build a second floor when the first floor’s on fire.

I usually overlook the crappiness of most non-indie theaters only for the benefit of seeing a film projected on film, or going with my friends, but I doubt the former is a big concern of most moviegoers, and opening night / cult film geeok-out festivals aside, my friends and I are increasingly finding it more fun to just stay at home, cook a meal, possibly watch the latest Lost or something and play some Wii Sports.

Anyway, also, regarding the actual article… though longer story-based things probably wouldn’t work that well, a game like Facade, which is designed to be played multiple times over with wholly different results, might work well with certain audiences. You wouldn’t want to use Facade exactly, but the iterative storytelling and (hopefully) relateable characters and situations might make for an engrossing experience that people could participate in from both sides of the screen. It’s the sort of thing that an audience could laugh at, comment on to each other, be impressed by, and then get up out of their seat and decide to try their hand at “to do it better than that other guy” all with a very short turnaround-per-player.

]]> By: Marek http://www.gameslol.com/2007/02/14/designing-games-for-exhibitions-or-events/#comment-64 Marek Sun, 18 Feb 2007 00:14:21 +0000 http://www.gameslol.com/2007/02/14/designing-games-for-exhibitions-or-events/#comment-64 I couldn't agree with you more Jake. I only go to a regular cinema about once a year these days (mainly to hang out with certain friends), but I always get a little depressed by the atmosphere inside the theater, the torrents of ads and the shitty and expensive food and drinks. The alternative arthouse cinemas (Lumiere is one of them) are a lot less terrible though. I don't know about the SF bay area but in Holland they're not overly obscure and they're pretty fun to go to. I should have mentioned that the basic conditions in these cinemas are already pretty good. Whether large mainstream cinemas chains will improve remains to be seen. It's doubtful, at least until they really start losing customers. (Oh and thanks for your comment Sander.) I couldn’t agree with you more Jake. I only go to a regular cinema about once a year these days (mainly to hang out with certain friends), but I always get a little depressed by the atmosphere inside the theater, the torrents of ads and the shitty and expensive food and drinks.

The alternative arthouse cinemas (Lumiere is one of them) are a lot less terrible though. I don’t know about the SF bay area but in Holland they’re not overly obscure and they’re pretty fun to go to.

I should have mentioned that the basic conditions in these cinemas are already pretty good. Whether large mainstream cinemas chains will improve remains to be seen. It’s doubtful, at least until they really start losing customers.

(Oh and thanks for your comment Sander.)

]]> By: Sander http://www.gameslol.com/2007/02/14/designing-games-for-exhibitions-or-events/#comment-63 Sander Sat, 17 Feb 2007 22:03:02 +0000 http://www.gameslol.com/2007/02/14/designing-games-for-exhibitions-or-events/#comment-63 I live right next to film theater Lumière in Maastricht, and it's got nothing to do with the sort of movie theater Jake describes... they don't sell popcorn and they don't annoy you with a pause during films, for example. Really, it's a nice place. The conference must have been pretty interesting... I hope they'll keep your points in mind, Marek! I live right next to film theater Lumière in Maastricht, and it’s got nothing to do with the sort of movie theater Jake describes… they don’t sell popcorn and they don’t annoy you with a pause during films, for example. Really, it’s a nice place.
The conference must have been pretty interesting… I hope they’ll keep your points in mind, Marek!

]]> By: Jake http://www.gameslol.com/2007/02/14/designing-games-for-exhibitions-or-events/#comment-62 Jake Sat, 17 Feb 2007 19:40:14 +0000 http://www.gameslol.com/2007/02/14/designing-games-for-exhibitions-or-events/#comment-62 Sorry for the double post, but, as awesome as I think all the stuff is in your blog, there are some primary features of the movie theater experience that are just crap, and until those get fixed first - and fixed very well and publicly - no matter what other stuff they glom onto the periphery of a theater's offerings, they won't grow their audience or improve their reputation as worthwhile place to go out. Getting people in the door, fed, and happily seated without first wholly ripping them off, and then visually assaulting them with 200 times more marketing and advertising than they would get from a TiVo'd television show or a DVD at home is a far bigger problem than the type of content they actually put up on their theater's screens. Sorry for the double post, but, as awesome as I think all the stuff is in your blog, there are some primary features of the movie theater experience that are just crap, and until those get fixed first - and fixed very well and publicly - no matter what other stuff they glom onto the periphery of a theater’s offerings, they won’t grow their audience or improve their reputation as worthwhile place to go out.

Getting people in the door, fed, and happily seated without first wholly ripping them off, and then visually assaulting them with 200 times more marketing and advertising than they would get from a TiVo’d television show or a DVD at home is a far bigger problem than the type of content they actually put up on their theater’s screens.

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