Subscribe
Authors
Category Archives: Jens Schroeder
BlogCampaigning: Movin’ On Up
Congrats to a few members of the BlogCampaigning crew:
The official notice of Heather Morrison’s new position at Sequentia Environics went out (over the newswire, no less) last week, saying that she’ll “supervise the daily operations and performances of client service teams.” A good move indeed; Sequentia is a digital communications firm that “focuses on the [...]
Also posted in Careers, Et cetera, Marketing, News, Online, Toronto, germany Tagged bratwurst, Heather Morrison, Jens Schroeder, newswire, promotions, Sequentia, thesis Leave a comment
Australia’s contrary Internet tendencies
Australia is a weird country. Given that the country’s broadband is amongst the worst in the developed world, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced a plan to build a national broadband network.
The ambitious project will take up to eight years, cost $43 billion, create tens of thousands of jobs and will see fibre-optic cable laid out [...]
Also posted in Communications, Online, Politics Tagged Australia, Broadband, censorship, Conroy, Net Filter, Rudd 2 Comments
‘Internet Eyes’ put gamers on police patrol
A couple of months ago I wrote about a $2-million citizen surveillance system installed along the Tex-Mex border which allowed to people to catch Mexicans from the comfort of their home.
I was joking about what would be next: Xbox users collecting achievements by helping to catch gang members?
The answer came quicker than I thought: gamers [...]
Left 4 Dead in the Aussie Censorship System
It looks like Left 4 Dead 2 has been banned in Australia. The reason:
[C]lose in attacks cause copious amounts of blood spray and splatter, decapitations and limb dismemberment as well as locational damage where contact is made to the enemy which may reveal skeletal bits and gore.
This was not deemed suitable for 15-year-olds.
Despite the [...]
Also posted in Et cetera, Video Games Tagged Atkinson, censorship, Left4Dead 2, OFLC, videogames 4 Comments
Could game play at work actually improve engagement?
“Button” is a nice example of how games can be used to mentally stimulate people in order to keep them engaged in their mundane jobs.
The game is as simple as it gets: there is a button on the screen and when it lights you push it.
Explains Techcrunch:
Blank Software will choose random times to light [...]
Also posted in Mobile Phones, Video Games, casual games Tagged button, engagement, iphone Leave a comment
How I Met the Inventor of the Videogame
Ralph Baer, inventor of the videogame console, recently came to Berlin to celebrate the online launch of the “History of Video Games Timeline” by the Berlin Computer Game Museum.
Quite an exciting moment for me, and probably the last chance to have a chat with the man behind the craze that touched our lives and [...]
Also posted in Technology, Video Games Tagged Atari, Brown Box, Magnavox Odyssey, Nintendo, Nolan Bushnell, Pong, Ralph Baer, Technology, Videogame history, videogames, Wii 4 Comments
Community-based video game funding – could it work?
Gabe Newell recently suggested letting gamers fund a title, and in the process cutting out the middle-man that is the publisher.
“One of the areas that I am super interested in right now is how we can do financing from the community. So right now, what typically happens is you have this budget — it [...]
Also posted in Video Games Tagged angelica express, gabe newell, game funding, valve, videogames 2 Comments
Off the Couch, On the Couch: Consoles’ Future
There’re two trends in video-gaming I’ve noticed lately: First, a shift towards more peripherals and consoles taking over more functions of computers—a development confirmed by the latest E3.
One of the first companies to successfully introduce accessory-enhanced games into the mainstream was Sony with its Singstar and Buzz franchises.
Then there was the final breakthrough: Guitar Hero, [...]
Also posted in Video Games Tagged Apple, cloud, Game culture, microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, Technology, webtv 1 Comment
Alice and Kev
Alice and Kev is one of the most fascinating blogs I’ve read in a while. Robin Burkinshaw, a student of games design/development at Anglia Ruskin University, is playing the Sims 3 with two homeless characters. He moved them in to a place made to look like an abandoned park, removed all of their remaining money, [...]

Fanboys: These Days’ Mods and Rockers