Last Sunday, I dedicated a post to negative events in gameplay, and I stated that no negative events occur. Actually, failing to harvest the crops in due time results in letting it wither and, consequently,...
What is the role of negative events in a game? Looking at the massively successful Farmville, there's not much to learn, as negative events are indeed a very marginal part of the experience. It has...
When 67 million users are playing an online game, I can't possibly ignore it. So I signed up for Farmville, despite the negative press. But, as you might imagine, I'd rather go the real thi...
Basic knowledge about online security is a cornerstone of digital citizenship, so I welcome any initiative in this sense. Today I learned about the Get Safe Online Week - an initiative founded by...
Having a dreadful handwriting, up to a certain age, is a curse. Then, when you grow up just a little bit more, it becomes a sign of rebellion against formal authority. It's so common a pattern, that...
Following my considerations around virtual money and social networks (especially Facebook), I've come across an interesting question (is Facebook a virtual world?) and a meaningful thought about a...
...but this is much worse. [via mirumir] For non-Italian readers, here is the reason for my reference to our former Ministry for Cultural Heritage: ...
Besides 3D avatars, one thing that intrigued me about Second Life was virtual money - and the ability to buy it and convert it back to real money. I guess this was one of the main reasons for the success...
Last week, Google announced the launch of their free turn-by-turn navigation system for advanced mobile phones.The Wall Street Journal reported that Garmin and TomTom stocks plunged after the announcement....
I am an enthusiast user of open-source alternatives (i.e. OpenOffice.org) to personal productivity software such as Microsoft's Office suite - but, as of lately, my behavior is changing and I'm...
Last Saturday, the White House announced the launch of Recovery.org, the U.S. government's official website providing access to information on how the Recovery Act money is spent and allowing for...