Games in Education Symposium kicking off next week

A two day conference comprised of workshops and presentations revolving around education, computers, video games, teaching techniques using software and video game development is going to kick off next week at the Hudson Valley Community College campus in the Bulmer Telecommunications Center. In its third year, the conference is called Games in Education Symposium and runs August 5th and 6th.

The event is free to educators from early childhood to post secondary education interested in the use of games and technology to promote better ways of learning in the 21st century. This year’s it will explore the practical application of interactive technologies like video games, social networks, blogs and other media to inspire and promote learning.

This year’s topics include the exploration of virtual worlds like Second Life and World of Warcraft and how teachers are using the games successfully in schools, to Social Robotics experimentation aimed at getting kids interested in Computer Science, to analyzing the real world pressures teacher’s face.

The 2009 Games in Education Symposium is presented by 1st Playable Productions, WMHT public television (an Albany, NY PBS station), the Teacher Preparation Department at Hudson Valley Community College, the Schenectady Museum & Suits-Bueche Planetarium, and the College of Computing and Information at The University at Albany.

The event will run 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 5 and 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Thursday, August 6. For more information or to register, visit www.gamesineducation.org. Hudson Valley Community College is located at 80 Vandenburgh Ave, Troy NY 12180. Lunch and door prizes will be provided. More information on key sponsor 1ST Playable, can be found at www.1stplayable.com.

Second Skin coming to select theaters, DVD

Liberation Entertainment and Pure West bring the first feature length documentary about virtual worlds and the gamers who live in them, Second Skin, to DVD August 25  and select theaters around the U.S. Second Skin takes an in-depth look at how virtual worlds such as World of Warcraft, EverQuest and Second Life have affected a group of gamers - for better or worse. The subjects of the film include a couple whose lives have changed since meeting online, a player whose life spins out of control due to his addiction and disabled players who find a voice and mobility in the virtual world.

The film also looks at the controversial world of Chinese gold farming and presents astonishing facts about online gaming related to what many consider sweatshops dedicated to this exploitation of people and virtual currencies.

A DVD release is planned for shortly after a limited theatrical run in select cities. Second Skin will be screening in NYC, LA, Austin and Boston in mid-August, then coming to DVDs on August 25th. You can check out a clip right here.

Real Life Divorce Blamed on Second Life Affair

It’s nice to know that, just as in real life, love born in an online world can sour just as easily. According to CNN, a UK couple who got married in the MMO game Second Life and in real life, are now set to get a divorce after the husband allegedly got caught in a virtual affair in the game.

Amy Taylor, 28, said she had caught her husband, David Pollard, 40, having sex with another woman (a “virtual prostitute” to boot) in the game. The couple, who first met in an Internet chatroom back in 2003, are now separated and awaiting finalization of the divorce process.

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Tom Hale Joins Linden Lab

Second Life creator Linden Lab today announced that former Adobe executive Tom Hale has joined the company as Chief Product Officer. Hale brings with him over 15 years of experience in product development, marketing and management, having most recently served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Knowledge Worker Business Unit at Adobe Systems.

He’ll report directly to Linden Lab CEO, Mark Kingdon and will be responsible for driving the product strategy and business for Second Life.

When Worlds Collide: The Great Avatar Transfer

Linden Lab and IBM said this morning that they have successfully demonstrated virtual world interoperability by teleporting avatars between the Second Life Preview Grid and an OpenSim virtual world server. The joint development project represents an industry first of a quantifiable milestone for virtual world interconnectivity.

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Happy Birthday, Second Life

Second Life, the MMO game that isn’t quite a game, but serious business to some, has turned five years old today, announced Linden Lab. A lot has happened to the virtual world created by Linden Lab and launched on June 23, 2003.

To celebrate one million registered users and the five years of being alive, Linden Lab will launch a two-week long Virtual World Fair - complete with virtual fairgrounds, roundtable discussions, parties and exhibits the show off the creativity of residents. The event will be held in various regions in Second Life and will take place from June 23 - July 7, 2008.

Good Griefing, Charlie Brown!

People don”t like griefers.I It’’s as simple as that, but the truth is many secretly find some of their antics amusing and the motivations for their actions fascinating. Griefing pisses a lot of people off too, which is why a new article on the subject over at Wired is an absolute page-turner. The article, Mutilated Furries, Flying Phalluses: Put the Blame on Griefers is an in-depth look at one of the more prolific griefer groups out there: the Goon Squad. Beyond detailing their extra mischievous behavior in games like EVE Online and Second Life (there’’s some pretty rough stuff about their antics in that game), the article examines real life intersecting with virtual life. It’’s a good read no matter what you think of the subject matter.