interactive

BEYOND FUN: Serious Games and Media focuses on strategies for applying games, simulations and interactive experiences in learning contexts. The contributors orchestrated this collection together, reading and writing as a whole so that concepts resonate across articles. Throughout, the promises and problems of implementing games and media in learning experiences are explored. The articles have been authored by Clark Aldrich, Ian Bogost, Mia Consalvo, William Crosbie, Drew Davidson, Simon Egenfeldt-Nielsen, Melinda Jackson, Donna Leishman, Michael Mateas, Marc Prensky, Scott Rettberg, Kurt Squire, David Thomas, Siobhan Thomas, Jill Walker Rettberg, and Jenny Weight.

Billboards can be an effective medium, but tend to be very low in viewer engagement. Most outdoor advertising is designed to be viewed in a second or less as motorists whiz by. Here’s an example of how one advertiser turned that idea upside-down to create a fully interactive billboard:

by: David Polinchock

Some good coverage of several SXSW sessions about the future of marketing, and, yours truly gets some press! Liked what Pamela had to say was her key takeaway:

by: David Polinchock

by: Jonathan Salem Baskin

In 2008, we're all going to move closer to becoming gamers.

I'm not talking just players of actual games, per se, although those segments of consumers are growing exponentially:

by: Idris Mootee

Ad agencies are cutting people across the board responding to budgets cut from clients. WPP does not expect to see any significant economic recovery before 2010 which is likely be the case. In additional to cost cutting and recruitment freeze across much of the group, they are also announcing plans to relocate the company's tax base to Dublin, a move which the company expects to provide significant tax savings.

by: Jonathan Salem Baskin

A really intriguing new experience called PMOG -- for "passively multiplayer online game" -- has nearly 5,000 people playing as they surf the web. It sits on top of their Internet browsers, and lets players leave messages, traps, games, rewards, and links for one another. Points are accrued and spent on more tools or better protection.

by: Jonathan Salem Baskin

One of the rites of passage in the real world is the summer job, which gives kids a taste of responsibility outside the home, not to mention the fun stuff that can be purchased with paychecks.

Only now that rite has shifted to virtual worlds. It seems that computer-savvy kids are finding work in MMOs and MMORPGs (online games):

by: Gary Hayes

Update article: Networks in crises - from the Australian about the tsunami about to hit Oz shores, a region entrenched in the old advertising model…

by: Gary Hayes

What goes around comes around. Google picks up where many have failed in synchronising TV and web 2.0 - “Google developing social and interactive television applications for "mass personalization” is the ZDNET header.