by Manuel Marino | Games, Technology
Federico Elinger, owner of Pocketsol Games, wrote this exclusive article for us. Pocketsol Games creates high quality mobile games for the mobile phone based java platform (J2ME). The development studio is in Argentina where fun and addictive games are created for most of the actual mobile phones.
Mobile Games and Technologies
Currently, we can forget the keys of our house when we leave, but not the mobile phone. People are everywhere with their phones talking, chatting, the phone has a very important place in our life. Mobile phones are not only a communication device, are computer themselves, with a cpu, ram memory, persistence storage.
Games in this context are very important because you can get full advantages of the capabilities of a modern mobile phone that becomes this way a game console. Today, people of all ages play with their phones. They get fun and share multiplayer games over Bluetooth or Internet.
The technologies that involve games development are: Java (J2ME, Symbian, Windows Mobile, Linux, Brew). Each one has different capabilities depending on which device are installed.
An important issue is about the technological limits of the devices. Each one has different limits of memory, cpu, color depth, resolution. … ...Read the rest.
“Mobile Games and Technologies”
by Manuel Marino | Games, People, Technology
Today we interview Raymond Jacobs, owner of Ethereal Darkness Interactive. Founded in 2002 Ethereal Darkness Interactive is commited to developing quality indie games with high production values. Raymond talks about his latest project, Morning’s Wrath 2, about videogames, Arts and technology.
Raymond Thoughts about Games and Arts
Manuel Marino: You are working on some new features for your next game…
Raymond Jacobs: yes, it is going to be Morning’s Wrath 2, the Sequel to our first game. You would be the first news source to really mention that!! As for the new systems… they are some various forms of internet integration with our new engine (The S3Engine 2.0) (version 2.0 of the engine used to make Malathedra). They will allow players to directly in-game leave comments to the developers about what they think of the game as well as submit any errors encountered via the internet automatically.
This is part of our new ‘internet technologies integration’ initiative as well as trying to know the minds of our target market better so that we can provider better games and faster fixes.
Sounds really innovative! The game reminds me Ultima Online…
Somewhat, though it is a single player game. In MW1 … ...Read the rest.
“Raymond Thoughts about Games and Arts”
by Manuel Marino | Arts, Culture, Games
Michael Marcus (also known as “Jacques Treatment”) is a published author, poet, artist, and game designer; with George McVey, he has been publishing comics Why Comics?
Every time I conduct a personal examination of the good and bad aspects of my life, reading comics consistently emerges as one of the best things that ever happened to me. It's simply an experience I will never regret - a source of joy. And we could all use more of that, couldn't we? The… as “The Hamtramck Idea Men” on the very sensible grounds that they live in Hamtramck, have many ideas, and they are men. Joint work can be found at http://idea-men.us while his earlier work sits at http://www.treatmentlabs.com.
Art, Communication, Connectivity
When first approached by Manuel Marino to write an article, I found myself excited in the extreme — first, because I had been noticed in the vast sea of high-noise/low-signal called the Internet as someone worth approaching, and second, because it would be an opportunity to promote the work that George McVey and I were doing with our comic books, games, t-shirts, and other fine arts, and third, because it would give me an opportunity to vent about the … ...Read the rest.
“Art, Communication, Connectivity”
by Manuel Marino | Arts, Games, Ideas

Dr. Roberto Dillon has written this article about his Music-Emotion Driven Game Engine. I think this idea to really have potential.
Game Engine
In the fast developing world of videogames, sound has traditionally played a less important role than other features, such as graphics. Nonetheless, recently, due to the latest technological advances, both developers and audiences alike have understood how much sound and music can do to enhance gaming experiences and increase the overall realism and emotional impact The Effects Of Listening To Country Music
Country music is a genre that has long been a favorite for many. This style features simple vocals and harmonies, accompanied by string instruments such as banjos, electric and acoustic guitars, fiddles like violins, and harmonicas. It originated in the southern United States and was influenced by cowboy music from the west. The genre often… of virtual worlds.
Today, many music games are being released with great acclaim on different formats but many of these games tend to be in the rhythm/action category where the player is actually “reacting” to music while a real and natural “interaction” with this medium is still lacking.
This aspect is currently being addressed by a team of researchers and … ...Read the rest.
“Game Engine”
by Manuel Marino | Business, Culture, Games
We interview Adrian Grigore, president of Lobstersoft, an independent casual games developer from Fulda, Germany. Their company consists of 2 people, although they have outsourced some parts of the development to freelance Navigating the Freelance Landscape: A Guide to Success on Fiverr
In the digital age, the concept of a traditional 9-to-5 job is rapidly evolving, giving way to the rise of freelance professionals. [Sign up here!] [wpdiscuz-feedback id="ny5522dl1u" question="Are you a freelancer? Please share your experience" opened="0"]These individuals[/wpdiscuz-feedback]harness the power of the internet to offer their unique skills and talents to a global audience. Platforms like… graphics and music artists when creating Gemsweeper. Gemsweeper is their latest title, a PC puzzle game.
Independent Games
MM: Adrian, what can you tell me about the actual situation of independent videogame developers?
AG: Life as an independent game developer has always been a lot of fun. It requires a lot of dedication, but it is hugely rewarding to watch other people happily play your game once it is finished.Being your own boss also has its advantages. I love having the freedom to work whenever I want, as long as I want and wherever I want. I’m not sure if I could take my laptop and work outside in the garden on a beautiful summer day in a “regular” company.
Business-wise things have changed a quite bit during the last 4 years. Casual games have become a huge trend and lots of larger companies have entered the market. There is a lot more competition and both budgets and production values have increased dramatically, making it much … ...Read the rest.
“Independent Games”
by Manuel Marino | Arts, Business, Games, People
Famous Game Dev Vince Desi writes for our Weblog! He will write a series of articles, and this is the Part One of an article about being successful in Independent VideoGame Developer Art! Become a famous Game Dev now!
Game Dev (Part One)
Part 1. The 3 Essential Elements:
I started Running With Scissors in 1996. Desire, Focus, Commitment. I like things to be simple, so I will concentrate on what I believe are the most important Elements to be successful. While you may think these 3 Elements are general factors and would apply to any endeavor, your right. How you apply them is what determines how successful you will be.
Desire is the soul of life. It makes you who you are. It’s what drives you to get up in the morning, to work late into the night, and to do it all over again and again, as long as necessary. Desire is blind to failure. Desire is based in the question “What do you want?” Do you want to be a Video Game Developer? Do you have the skills it takes to make games? Are you creative? Inventive? Can you write, draw, program, build and lead a team, … ...Read the rest.
“Game Dev”
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