Researchers at the Universities of Bristol and Geneva have discovered a link between quantum mechanics and game theory. According to a paper published by Nicolas Brunner and Noah Linden in Nature Communication, players’ use of entangled quantum particles in Bayesian games “will lead to novel joint strategies, impossible to achieve classically.”

According to classical physics, location limits the performance of players. Brunner and Linder, however, show that the non-local features of quantum mechanics—that is, the ability of entangled particles to communicate when separated—are also reflected in games. According to Dr. Brunner:

Such an advantage could, for instance, be useful in auctions which are well described by the type of games that we considered.  Therefore, our work not only opens a bridge between two remote scientific communities, but also opens novel possible applications for quantum technologies.

[via ScienceDaily]

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The Toy Industry Foundation is once again offering $10,000 grants to charitable organizations that “bring joy, comfort, and learning to children in need through play.” Organizations must be nominated by a Toy Industry Association member company. Nominations for the Play Connects grants are due by June 14th.

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At the recent Dublin GameCraft III game design jam, the winner of the Most Valuable Game prize was Blood Banker, a Facebook application that gamifies blood donations. The system awards users points for registering their blood type, identifying local donation centers, and inviting friends to participate. It also shows users which of their friends have compatible blood types and how much blood of their type is currently in-stock in Ireland. The hope is that this information will incentivise participants to donate more.

[via Jane McGonigal]

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Overwhelmed by demand for its live gamification certification course, Gamification Corp. has begun offering certification online. The course, available through Udemy as part of a TechCrunch collection, is a “practical, non-academic overview about how gamification techniques can transform business.”

Through May 18th, register at a 50% discount with coupon code “CRUNCHU50”.

Participants who complete Designing Gamification will receive a Level 1 certification. My family already thinks I’m certifiable when it comes to games.

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At the recent GSummit in San Francisco, awards were handed out for the best use of engagement techniques in seven categories:

• Consumer Facing Applications — BBVA Game — a Spanish banking website that distributes badges, points, and rankings, but with a virtual economy around the points
• Education — The MMO-School Project — uses World of Warcraft to teach a variety of skills in a school setting.
• Enterprise — Jive Gamification — gamification applied to intra-office collaboration.
• Health & Wellness — Nike+ FuelBand — competitive exercise program using a wristband tracking device.
• Human Resources — MindTickle — a “social learning platform” for new employee orientation and training on policies and procedures.
• Social Good — Tilt World — a mobile app game, where achievements are rewarded with the planting of trees in the real world.
• Travel & Hospitality — Caesars Total Rewards — a rewards program for casino and resort properties.

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The New York University Game Center is opening four of its courses to the public in two sessions this summer. Participation is free and open to anyone with a high school diploma, though registration as a visiting student is required.

The four courses are:

• Games 101 (game history and literacy)
• Introduction to Game Design
• Thinking About Games
• Game Development: Project Studio

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Think you’ve got a solid strategy for Puerto Rico? Think again. A pair of professors from the University of Manchester and University of Oxford claim that, other than the simplest games, most games are just too complex for the human mind to fully comprehend. After simulating thousands of two-player games, Drs. Galla and Farmer concluded that with games such as Chess and Go, human behavior is irrational and players will have a difficult time finding optimal strategies.

Their paper, “Complex Dynamics in Learning Complicated Games“, is published in the January 7th issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Qwirkle is available from Amazon for 52% off MSRP. Descent (2nd edition) is available for 56% off.

Like Patch Products on Facebook for a chance to win Don’t Rock the Boat.

In celebration of an upgrade to the iOS version of A Fistful of Penguins, Crooked Smiles (the developer) is giving away a copy of Wattsalpoag’s tabletop version. To qualify, subscribe to Crooked Smiles’s email list (I don’t see any note about it there but they did email me directly to let me know).

Mommy Kat and Kids is giving away Volcano Island Countdown from Spin Master.

GSummit is giving away free tickets to its April gamification conference in San Francisco.

Skirmisher Publishing’s Christmas in December Sale includes all electronic products at significant discount.

Download StoryWeaver Games’ Blind Threat for free. It’s an introductory adventure for the company’s upcoming High-Space RPG.

Each day for 12 days, Eagle and Gryphon Games is listing a new game at 50% off.

For 15% off Tudor Games’ Electric Football or Electric Soccer, use coupon code “tudor2012”.

Goodman Games products are 25% off at RPG Now.

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Friday night at Syracuse University in New York will begin meeting a new Game Designers’ Guild. The group, which is being launched by veteran game reviewer, designer, and Professor of Information Studies, Scott Nicholson, will focus on developing game prototypes for community organizations. At the first meeting, a representative of Fort Stanwix National Monument will make a pitch for a game to educate the public on the historical importance of the fort.

Of course, the guild is also meant to be a vehicle for professional and amateur game designers to discuss their craft and to playtest each other’s projects.

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Sixty-five students entering 6th grade this year at the New Roads Middle School in Santa Monica, California are experiencing a gamified education program sponsored by GameDesk. With funding from AT&T, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Motorola, Samsung, and others, PlayMaker is a program that not only uses games as instructional tools, it also gamifies the greater school experience.

In essence, PlayMaker is a ‘choose your own adventure’ story brought to life.  Our  6^th graders will be presented with their own Adventure Maps, featuring multiple pathways to learning objectives.  Each student will chart their individual journeys.  From the Emerald Forest of Media Arts to the Cave of Physics, rich and fully realized educational gaming opportunities await each student as they discover their own interests at their own pace.

Students in PlayMaker are also supplied with personalized character sheets, a self-assessment tool on which they track knowledge and skills gained each day.

[Source: edudemic]

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