Official Session Name: (9am)
Platforms: options and decisions

Summary:
round table discussion of the platforms for software development. (not that useful a session, really).

Ecampus Takeaway:
Instead of listening too closely to industry analysts (thbbt), I think we need to start thinking about: how to communicate across ALL platforms, How to record useful stats from each platform, And security.

Raw Notes:
Each speaker introduces themselves in turn

Metcalf’s assistant starts off
talking about Orlando. There is a new food pyramid -They made a game called supernutritiongame.com.
Used the “moving knowledge” platform [?] to make a virtual family medical game. Your student Id is assigned a family, and you get text messages and voicemail from them (actors). Mentions curriculum for learning with google, using gmail accounts. gives an email to request a demo, and notes Mixed Emerging Technology Integration Lab: metillab.com

Sam Adkins. [pre show interview]
“Target the audience and the platform will follow.”
Students to PC ratio is 3 to 1. Students to mobile device is 63 to 1. All roads lead to mobile, but the PC isn’t going anywhere. There’s a rumor that tablet sales are eating netbook sales, but that is nonsense. [!? I disagree!]
All roads lead to html5, but Flash isn’t going anywhere. There is an army of flash developers in the eLearning field. Mobile packaged edugames are already outselling other platforms.
Very few tools market themselves as edugames tools. Many at conference use Unity3d [based on quick informal poll of hands raised]. “rapid learning” tools are dominating the industry. He is impressed by Ogmento’s put a spell, which is ARG card that pops out a panda to tutor you. … Ended by talking about “point of care” being revolutionized by tablets.

Laure Casalini, France.
84% of serious games are developed on the PC.
Feels the next major innovation in serious games will be multiplayer – letting the students to speak to one another. And cross platform. We need to think about our strategy (or have tech gurus think on it) for this. … Mobile platforms are huge emerging platform for third world countries. … Claims the next big platform for serious games cold be the connected tv. [?!]

Nick berry,
had no slides. Charming quick rant about being from Microsoft and focusing on Facebook analytics.

Q&A
Q:…
Nick: When people eat a sausage, they don’t care about how it was made.
Sam: Custom developers are still making all their money in non mobile games. Because you can’t charge much for mobile.

Q: Unity3D – why so popular?
Laure – says Unity3D is for non programmers. And is easily delivered cross platform.
Sam: affordable.
Nick: performance. Only way to go 3D.

…Confused questions about schools being afraid of xbox and iPad… Point is made that kids will use them regardless. … [I tuned out a bit here]

I’m really left thinking that everyone is wrong to try and pick “the one true platform,” and instead we (Ecampus) needs to start thinking about: how to communicate across ALL platforms, How to record the most meaningul stats on each platform, And security. I’m bothered that I know nothing about security (especially with regard to network programming).

Q: Dude asks about designing game for [knowledge] transfer between school and home.
Sam answers by talking about how very few make money on mobile. [?!]

Check Back Later For:
… probably no need to check back