Article, Interview:
Connecting Real Voices Through Virtual Worlds
ClickableCulture.com (online), April 2006

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Given Second Life's overabundance of objects such as 3D castles, functional cars and "deadly" ray-guns, finding a traditional British phone box inside that virtual world seems unremarkable at first glance. Users logged into Second Life are accustomed to inhabiting castles, driving cars, and firing ray-guns in its game-like environment, even though none of these actions impact the real world in any meaningful way. The phone box, however, contains a secret. Inside is a device capable of making outgoing calls to the real world. Dial it in virtual reality, get a call in actuality. Hear that ringing? It's the future calling.

Read the full article here

Review:
Jade Empire
Mindjack.com (online), May 2005

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"In a galaxy far, far away, you are the most promising of students--the favoured apprentice of a venerable and wise master. You have been trained in the deadly and mystical arts common people only dream about. As your schooling concludes, your master reveals your pivotal role in the future of the Empire."

[full review]

Article:
FP Gamerunner
Exclaim (print, online), December 2004

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Unless you count Dance Dance Revolution's heart-attack inducing aerobics, games and fitness aren't exactly the best of companions. American inventor Charles Van Noland hopes to change all that with the FPGameRunner. This treadmill-gamepad hybrid relies on constant walking to power game movement.

[full story - scroll down]

Article, Review:
Broken Saints (Featurette, DVD Review)
Exclaim (print, online), December 2004

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Featurette excerpt: "The series might be gritty, eerie, and mysterious, but there's nothing flawed about Broken Saints. The 24-chapter epic has beguiled millions of international viewers since its 2001 launch on the internet, scooping a coveted Audience Award at last year's Sundance Online Film Festival. This November, Broken Saints vaulted from a web-exclusive (http://www.brokensaints.com) to jam-packed four-DVD set — an impressive feat for a small, independent coven of Canadian innovators living on ramen noodles and fan donations." [full story]

DVD Review excerpt: "The genre-busting Broken Saints webisodes spanned 24 chapters over three years, scooping up thousands of rabid fans and millions of viewers. Broken Saints’ motion-graphic story spins gritty contemporary fantasy liberally injected with scenes of grim horror and intertwines the lives of four main characters..." [full story]

Review:
Halo 2
Mindjack.com (online), November 2004

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Is Halo 2 a bolder, more exciting game than the first, or has the broadest, most expensive ad campaign in gaming history merely infected us with a bad case of sequelitis?

[full review]

Article:
Banner Ads Invade Gamespace
Mindjack.com (online), September 2004

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What do you get when you cross the world's most measurable medium with the world's most immersive medium? Video games peppered with Internet-style banner-ads.

This new method of marketing allows measurable demographic and exposure data to be collected from the elusive online gaming community, targeting dynamically-downloaded advertisements at specific demographics. The promise of a new revenue stream is obviously attractive to advertisers and game publishers, but will the idea win over gamers?

[full story]

Review:
Doom 3
Mindjack.com (online), August 2004

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Doom 3, which has been bubbling in the id Software cauldron since the turn of the 21st century, rewrites the simple plotline of the original with bleeding-edge cinematic style.

Launched August 2004, Doom 3 represents one of the largest leaps in the first-person shooter genre since the release of its predecessor, sporting the sleekest game engine ever seen--robust, smooth, and sexy enough to cause more than a few gamers to upgrade or replace their computers for the sole purpose of playing the game. Like the original, Doom 3 will change the face of FPS gaming forevermore. Unfortunately, today's gamers are about to discover that looks aren't everything.

[full review]

Article:
Multiplayer Gaming’s Quiet Revolution
Mindjack.com (online), July 2004

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Today's avatars in massively multiplayer environments like Second Life are finally giving their users the gift of free expression.

The bleachers at Stage Four in Dore are always a good place to avatar-watch, particularly during fashion-shows. Dressed as a tree-man, I am sandwiched between a blue, demon-winged lad and an attractive woman sporting a revealing red jump-suit. I take a moment to appreciate her outfit, and realize she's giving me an appraising glance. Her gaze sweeps from my bark-covered feet to leafy noggin. "Hi, Zero," she says. I grin. Her blue eyes lock onto my yellow ones and she blinks a couple of times, the corners of her mouth appearing to turn up slightly. It takes a few heartbeats before I realize I've been staring. With a flick of the mouse, I break eye-contact. I've blushed in real life.

[full story]
[syndication via Featurewell.com]

Article:
My Second Life (Series)
ClickableCulture.com (online), June 2004

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Personal observations, anecdotes, and adventures in the massively-multiuser VR world of Second Life.

A multi-part article series launched in mid-April 2004. Here are excerpts from the first installment:

"Until yesterday, I'd pretty much sidestepped the entire gamut of Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs). The two main reasons for this avoidance have been the potentially addictive factor of games such as Evercrack, and the subscription fees involved. I've followed MMOGs—I've even proposed civil disobedience in The Sims Online—but from the sidelines it's just not as fun...

"Second Life always interested me to a degree. It's a 3D environment where the order of the day is mainly social interaction. Each user takes the form of one or more "shapes" (avatars) which are completely customizable and generally humanoid. Shapes can be switched at will. Second Life is not exactly a game, although users have created some games within the environment."

[list all My Second Life articles]

Review:
Project Gotham Racing 2
Kaboose Network (online), April 2004

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"Project Gotham Racing 2" (PGR2) outdoes the original in many ways...

Racers can now compete online against international opponents, bringing a new angle to the Gotham track.

[full review]

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