Browser Pong

Found via Hello Bauldoff.  Lately I’ve been seeing some exciting new twists on classic arcade games pop up on the internet.  Two months ago, I posted about First-Person Tetris, a dizzying rendition of the well-known puzzle game.  Today I discovered Browser Pong, created by Stewart Smith, and I think it’s one of the coolest browser-based games I’ve ever seen.  Smith’s other work is also really interesting, so play the game and then make sure to check out the rest of his website.

Monk’s Mind Game

Monk’s Mind Game, based on USA’s television show Monk, is the perfect online game for people like me who enjoy straightening crooked picture frames, keeping writing utensils organized, avoiding germs, and other such tasks.  Now I feel like cleaning my desk.

First Person Tetris

First Person Tetris is not for the feint of heart nor for those with a history of motion sickness.  But for everyone else, it might just be one of the most addictive and dizzying games you’ve played all year.  It reminds me of one of Scotty’s lines from Star Trek: “It never occurred to me to think of space as the thing that was moving.”

Regency Dress-Up Dolls

My admiration for all things Jane Austen led me to stumble upon these Regency dress-up dolls by Savivi (Sarah Vaughn).  Make your own Darcy and Lizzy, or create a Regency version of yourself.  Quite fun and impeccably illustrated.

Papercraft Self Portrait

Found via today and tomorrow.  Eric Testroete, a 3D game artist, dressed up as himself for Halloween, except with a 3D big-head like the ones you might see on video game avatars.  Pretty cool!

originally uploaded by dutchct.

Deadline Post-It Stop Motion

Found via Sillycone Inc’s blog. You know how much I love stop-motion…

Tetris Dress

Lexicographer Erin McKean created a Tetris Dress out of print she got from Chronically Uncool.  You can see more of this dress and others at McKean’s blog, A Dress A Day.  And while you’re in a Tetris mood, check out this other geeky, creative, awesome ode to Tetris by Brotherhood 2.0‘s Hank Green.

NBC New York

I love the article rating system on the NBC New York website.  Readers can respond to articles by filling in the “I am…” drop-down box with one of the following: bored, furious, intrigued, laughing, sad, thrilled.  You can see the breakdown of everyone’s responses on the individual article pages, or use these responses as search criteria in the “New York Is…” section.

As a side note, I am mildly furious that so many people think NYU’s Guitar Hero class is a joke/something to be furious about.  If anyone actually reads the article, they’ll see that the course is not just about playing Guitar Hero, but about how video games are related to cognition.  I took a course on video games last semester and yes, we did play some video games and even make a few, but we mostly explored the idea of “meaningful play” and analyzed the role these games play in self-perception, real-life violence, education, and culture in general.  Video game studies is an important new field, and I fail to see how a class on video games and cognition could be considered any less relevant and scholarly than, for example, any class offered by a college English department.

Free Rice

You’ve probably already seen Free Rice, which started two years ago as a creative way for people to help end hunger simply by playing vocabulary games.  But if you haven’t visited the site since its initial popularity in 2007, you probably haven’t seen that the multiple-choice game has been expanded to include a variety of other subjects. Why not review art history, Spanish, geography, and more while donating rice?

Kudos 2

Kudos 2 is a strategy game by Positech.  It’s a little like the Sims 2 (both games are life-simulators), a little like a comic book, and a little like the real life of a 20-something.  The website features a free demo download for Mac and PC.