Oh my, so many games to play

What’s with the AMAZING game attack on IOS this week?

Talisman Prologue:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/talisman-prologue-hd/id631215960?mt=8

Hunted Hollow (from the Xcom guys):
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/haunted-hollow/id591098046?mt=8

Star Command (kickstarter game):
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/star-command/id632079234?mt=8

Sorcery:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sorcery!/id627879091?mt=8

Eclipse:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/eclipse-new-dawn-for-galaxy/id620439479?mt=8

When am I suppose to play all of them? I’m still in Gemini Rue

A quick look

chessnations:

Chess Nations is not just another Chess game. It’s a way to get new people into the game in a fun and easy way. By creating a new type of chess puzzles, we made the complex system of a chess game into something anyone can dig into. And don’t worry, if you are a seasoned player, we have some very challenging puzzles just for you.

A new game that we are working on.
It’s time to talk about it.

why value based games matter

I wrote seven drafts before I came to this one. I tried to write about games in general, and to build up a story that will explain why I made The Guardians the way it is. You know what? It was stupid of me to do so.
The Guardians (iTunes link) is about discovering you values by playing a choose your own advanture game. One of the value I hold up high is being direct. So why did I try to go round and round instead of just talking to the point? Because it’s hard to live up to your values when the masses are looking. The urge to please is just too big.

the Guardians is the story of the reader. After discovering she or he are part of a special group of world protectors named, well, The Guardians. The reader travels to Thonrasa, a world of talking animals who try to survive the arrival of a Darkness that is slowly destroying their world.

Each choice the reader makes changes the path of the story, there are no wrong choices just choices with different values. The point was to make a fun advanture that can also teach something.
The question you are asking yourself is “why?”
It is a good question.

I have a 5 years old daughter, since she was born I wanted to write a book for her. I wrote two books in the past, but I really wanted to write a children book. I also wanted to write a book in a new format, and also one that can be read again and again in different ways.

About a year ago I was approached by Shosh Maoz Arie. Shosh has a tool: cards that help people learn what values are important to them. It took me about a month of deep thinking before I decides to combine my wishful thinking of this strange book with the cards Shosh created. You see, as the saying goes “action speak louder than words” so what better way to discover what values you hold dear, than by making choices that can reflect on those values.

Building the story world and concept took about two months of work, and then started the hard task of shaping the application, and more importantly: write the story in a way that real values will be reflected in it.

The result? A beautiful book with Art by the talented Ron Nadel (an Israeli artist and a friend) with a fun story that after each read can tell you which values drove you.

I’m fascinated by the power games can have on us. This little book has been played by my daughter and some of her friends and after each time we had such great talks about the choices they made. It opened up a line of communication that I didn’t think exists in their young age. No, scratch that, I knew they probably feel and think in some way about these things, I was amazed that they can articulate their thoughts.

If you are a parent, I hope you download the app and read it with your kids, and I would love to hear about the talks you had after playing and discovering those hidden values.

Thanks,
Ziv

New project

We for an interesting project coming this week. Going to e crazy few days.
This one involves television, games and technology.

Got one of my students on board.
Should be fun.