X-Git-Url: https://codewiz.org/gitweb?p=wiki.git;a=blobdiff_plain;f=blog%2F2010%2F03;h=0f6b344b5a280e0d17352c7eff4ef44f2a05f45c;hp=c6ea1a6e0880d2a281d235ed64d80a21c4f346b0;hb=fc535026d93243314f8fd7ff9ca0be91a84804d0;hpb=8ff8f50ef7f92e9e5d835029fda26a3fa80fe086 diff --git a/blog/2010/03 b/blog/2010/03 index c6ea1a6..0f6b344 100644 --- a/blog/2010/03 +++ b/blog/2010/03 @@ -6,12 +6,12 @@ using Sugar 0.82 for about one year. Perhaps the most interesting and controversial finding was which activities are the most popular among them: - # [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doom_(video_game) | Doom II]] +{{podium.jpg|maxwidth=640|class=thumbright|The most popular Sugar activities}} + + # [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doom_(video_game) | Doom]] # [[http://www.pixelprospector.com/indev/2009/12/super-vampire-ninja-zero/ | Super Vampire Ninja Zero]] # [[http://activities.sugarlabs.org/en-US/sugar/addon/4024 | Navegar]] (Browse) -{{podium.jpg|maxwidth=640|class=thumbright|What are kids doing with Sugar?}} - Heh, at least Browse made the third place, I thought. But when I asked what websites they were visiting, the answer was invariably "videos". @@ -25,10 +25,12 @@ vast majority would rather spend their free time playing. === Those inappropriate games === -It's no wonder kids would like a game which is "//widely regarded as one of -the most important titles in gaming history//", according to the Wikipedia. -The first 7 hits for the common word "[[http://www.google.com/search?q=doom|doom]]" -are about the game itself. Then come the film adaptation and various fan sites. +{{http://diablobasher.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/doom01.jpg|class=thumbleft|The Ultimate Doom title artwork}} + +It's no wonder kids like the game which, according to the Wikipedia, is "//widely regarded as one of +the most important titles in gaming history//". This is no exaggeration: the first 7 hits for the +common word "[[http://www.google.com/search?q=doom|doom]]" are about the game itself. Then come +the film adaptation and various fan sites. Anyway, how can we blame kids for playing games? After all, many of us played Doom and many other types of "inappropriate" video games throughout our childhood. @@ -38,20 +40,30 @@ positive sides: it shows social behavior and encourages kids to find technical solutions to transfer activities directly (their old version of Sugar does not allow direct sharing from the journal). -So, what we going to do about it? Do we lock the system down so kids could -only install signed applications? So much for the "child ownership" principle. +So, what to do now? Do we lock the entire system down so that kids could +only install applications that we approve? So much for the "child ownership" +principle. + +Do we develop a couple of boring educational games, in the hope they will keep +our kids from playing the "//#1 game of all time//"? I'm sure that will work :-) + +How about admitting defeat and giving them the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doom_WAD|level editor]] +too? It could redirect some of the existing passion towards learning about advanced concepts +of 3D graphics and game deisgn. Don't underestimate the latent creativity of gamers: over 13,000 original maps +were created for Doom by young artits of any age and nationality. Later games from ID Software included +a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QuakeC | programming language]] which enabled users to create entire +new games with relative ease. -Do we develop a couple boring educational games, in the hope they will keep -our kids from playing the "//#1 game of all time//"? I'm sure it will work :-) + **Update**: [[http://selfdotblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/selfpresentation.html | Marten Abente]], + my Paraguay Educa colleague who added 3G broadband support to Sugar, noted that he had been creating + [[http://selfdotblog.blogspot.com/ | many game maps]] when he was just 16. At the university, he worked + with a friend to creat an entire 3D game engine from scratch using [[http://www.libsdl.org/ | SDL]] + and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenGL | OpenGL]]. -No, we give them the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doom_WAD|level editor]] too, -channelling some of this passion to learn the concepts of 3D graphics and game -deisgn. Over 13,000 maps were created for Doom by young artits of any age and -nationality. Newer games from ID Software enabled users to create entire new games -through an embedded [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QuakeC | programming language]]. +=== Those inappropriate cartoons === +{{http://www.shoemoney.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/blame-canada.jpg|class=thumbright|Still from South Park}} -=== Those inappropriate videos === What about the videos? The most popular video websites are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Flash | Flash]] based.