New World Notes

Iris Rants: According to Apple, Empathy Doesn't Belong in the App Store

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

Dozens of apps are removed from Apple's App Store every week, but the removal of one game in particular has ignited (or rather re-ignited) a massive discussion about Apple's very narrow view of what is and isn't appropriate app content. Sweatshop, a tower defense-style game set in a less-than-ethical factory, is well made and fun. According to Apple however, apps and games just aren't the place to tackle serious or critical topics.

And that's bullshit. Here's why:

gamesGRABR: Like Pinterest for Games, But More Interesting

gamesGRABR is a new service now in Beta that I just heard about at GDC (where I am all this week), and the quick and dirty summary is it's Pinterest for games. So, instead of Pinning various content you find on the web, you Grab it with a button you install on your browser. But while the Pinterest comparison is roughly true, it doesn't quite capture all the cool features gamesGRABR has now, and is expected to have in the coming months. For one thing, a Grabbed game is automatically connected to the site (Amazon, Google Play, etc.) where you can buy it. And since it shows how many people have Grabbed a particular game, and the games your friends like, it goes a long way to solving the discoverability problem -- i.e., how do I find the game I want to play most from the tens of thousands out there?

I also like that you can create customized game collections around a theme of your choice. So for example, I created a World Creators collection and put Second Life, Minecraft, and Cloud Party up in there. Another cool feature: There's a Play It button for web-based games like Cloud Party, and clicking that automatically launches the game.

Top 5 Talks I Would Attend at GDC 2013 (If I Was There Instead of Hamlet)

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

If you hadn't guessed already based on my extra posts Hamlet's attending GDC, the Game Developers Conference, in San Francisco this week--and I am so incredibly jealous of him. The conference is being attended by flocks of people I respect and is packed to the gills with interesting panels and events, I'd be crazy if I didn't want to be there.

While I'm not sure what's on Hamlet's schedule, I know exactly what I'd be attending if I was there myself...

MakieLab Makes Making Makies Even Easier on iOS (Though It's Still a Mouthful to Say!)

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

If you've been waiting to turn your avatar (or even yourself) into a posable and customizable doll, it's now easier than ever. Makies Doll Factory, released earlier this month, is the latest development from MakieLab, the makers of Makies (try saying that ten times fast.) This free iOS app (which you can grab in the App Store) lets users design their own custom 3D printed dolls with even more options than before, and comes with new pricing options for those looking to bring their Makies into reality.

If you're curious about customizing a Makie of your own from the comfort of your iPad, keep reading! (Update: Ridiculously wrong video link fixed, sorry folks! But hey, at least you know how to make Rice-a-Roni now!)

Create Custom Character Animations With Kinect

Project Pinocchio from Autodesk Labs enables you to create customized 3D characters and view them on the web, which is pretty cool; even cooler, you can create facial animations via Kinect -- watch:

Via Reddit /gamedev, where this tech inspired an interesting conversation among some 3D developers.

Want to Make the Most of Cashing Out Your L$? Take Gogo's Advice and Place a Sell Order Instead!

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

Recently Juicybomb's Gogo (one of my all-time SL favorite bloggers) shared a very straightforward informative post about the different options that are available for selling your L$ in Second Life. Many of us who have done business inside of SL are familiar with the process to cash out our L$, but if you want to squeeze a little bit more out of your virtual earnings then you might be better served by placing a sell order instead. Here's why:

Top Five New World Notes Posts from Last Week

• How to Leave Meaningful Marketplace Reviews (Or More Accurately: How to Avoid Looking Like an Ass in One)
• Steep Yourself in the Somber and Haunting World of Indie Adventure Game Kentucky Route Zero
• Second Life Analyst Estimates SL Premium Subscription Accounts Drop to 67,500 -- Down 7,500 Since 2009
• World of Warcraft Now Being Advertised... on Second Life
• PixieViewer Makes OpenSim Grids Accessible Via Browsers

Neva River is an SL Sim You Should Visit This Weekend

Click here to teleport directly to Neva River, a sim by Neva Crystall that is open for about a week or so more (according to Avatars in Motion), and is beautifully wrought and quite the talk of SL's blogosphere and social media circles. Sample: "All the paths," writes Alicia Chenaux, "the landscaping...flawless. The houses with furniture...fantastic. Every little detail that Neva put into this is ridiculously good." A visit begins here.

Upcoming, Cool-Looking Machinima Series Needs Nekos!

This is the moody and stylish trailer to "Nin9", an upcoming, 9-part Second Life machinima thriller series created by Marx Catteneo:

There's a unique SL twist to this: Marx is looking for Neko avatars to appear in the series (9 female Neko strippers, 1 female Neko bartender, 1 male Neko club manager). Call me crazy, but I'm kind of guessing the nine lives of the nine naked cat girls will be in danger. Anyway, SL Neko blogger Stacia Villota has all the details here.

Whiskey Monday Sells Her Great Second Life Art as RL Prints

Click here to buy this Second Life-based work of art as a real life print, created (and now sold) by the acclaimed artist known in SL as Ms. Whiskey Monday. On her blog, she discusses the process of readying this image (a variation on another artwork) for print, and last year she explained the reasoning for putting her SL art up for sale, and the pricing: