It's a little late but I'm still recovering from a night of comics, games and tasty beverages. Some of the Zam team attended Sony Online Entertainments block party that they've been holding annually during comic-con for three years now. Ryan "Draknorr" Bohmann and I arrived fashionably late after the first couple of buses of fans had arrived from Comic-con. The SOE band was already playing, the food was hot and tasty and the beer was icy cold and ready to serve - it was a beautiful, cool summer day in San Diego.
We met with the Free Realms team to take a look at the game and let me just say: I was definitely impressed with how far along its come. Free Realms is a casual MMO designed for a very broad range of players. We were shown several different areas that were actually designed for specific demographics. The game looks amazing but will require less system resources than World of Warcraft. While there are things I personally don't like about it because of my affinity for hardcore gaming, this game will have plenty to offer children, families, and casual or new gamers. It was great to see it in action; I look forward to seeing it again at Fanfaire in August.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - July 8, 2008 – Sony Online Entertainment LLC today announced that Julia Brasil of San Francisco has won the 2008 G.I.R.L. Game Design Competition. The competition was the first of its kind and was promoted in conjunction with The Art Institutes system of schools, to encourage students toward career paths in the creative and applied arts, ultimately resulting in the development of games that are more interesting for women to play.