Making Games That Give Me #Hugs
▻http://gamasutra.com/blogs/JennSandercock/20140307/212133/Making_Games_That_Give_Me_Hugs.php
In 2013 I embarked on a year-long project to implement a #game a month, experimented with new gameplay mechanics and created games that gave me hugs.
This may seem a little odd, but when I speak about games giving me “hugs” I’m speaking metaphorically. When I get hugged by someone in the real world, I feel a sense of love and acceptance. I wanted the games I made to help me love myself, love others and feel better about my life in general. I wanted to make games where a woman’s role wasn’t solely to be saved; where being single is the happy ending; where characters conquer the kinds of problems I tackle in my own life; where people work together rather than competing; and where I could be reminded that humans can be surprisingly kind to each other. I wanted to make games that accept me for who I am, not who I would rather be.
The AI with a Broken Heart
▻http://jennsand.com/demos/aiBrokenHeart/AI_broken_heart.html
Dear systems administrator,
The artificial intelligence (AI) I created for your dating and matchmaking website is malfunctioning.
The AI Matchmaker, A.I.M., was getting fantastic reviews until...
Well... A.I.M. seems to have fallen in love... with me.
But A.I.M. doesn’t seem to know any other emotions and refuses to operate normally.
So I’m giving up. Have a go at fixing A.I.M., if you can. I can’t be bothered any more.
Good luck.
Jamie