Show Notes – 10/19/2010

Part one of a conversation with Daniel Solis that is so casual, we completely disregard the idea of an intro and just talk creativity and gaming.

Download MP3

Mark Salzwedel of Strategic Space games just twitter-linked to this article on torontoist.com.

The article is about a new Toronto cafe and boardgame lending library called Snakes & Lattes that “will emphatically not have free Wi-Fi,” as they choose instead to focus on the social and interactive aspects of sitting down with a game and spending real time with friends or other cafe-goers.

I find that I have mixed feelings about this cafe. While I really appreciate the idea — I am personally taking on the challenge of not pulling out my iphone every few minutes to look at something (twitter, time, email, etc., etc., ad nauseum) — I have recently had the experience of going to a cafe that normally has wifi and people with their laptops, but it turned out that Friday and Saturday evenings they have a “No Laptops” rule. And since my friend and I had specifically been planning to do some work together, we left.

I get that since it’s a cafe + chocolate + wine + dinner, they’re trying to attract a little bit more of a date night crowd on the weekends, but that feels like a double-standard to me. I suppose since there’s a hard line drawn at Snakes & Lattes, it’s reasonable. They are clearly setting the stage for what they want their shop to be and not to be.

I guess it’s time to go to Toronto and investigate the environment for myself!

My goal for 2010 has been to contribute awesomeness to the world. So far, I’m podcasting about creativity, designing board games, and being a patron for projects that I think are worthwhile. This is about one of those projects. See the following blurb from the kickstarter page:

As a planet, we spend 3 billion hours a week playing computer and videogames. That’s a LOT of time — enough to change our lives, and probably save the world (the real world) while we’re at it.

That’s why we want to create a secret HQ for people who are making games that are making us:

- happier
- smarter
- stronger
- healthier
- more collaborative
- more creative
- better connected to our friends and family
- and better at WHATEVER we love to do when we’re not playing games

This is a project that will be contributing awesomeness to the world, and to the gaming community in particular. I’m a major supporter of this project, and I’d like to invite you to join me in helping GAMEFUL change the world for the better: The initial financial goal has been met and exceeded by leaps and bounds, and now the goal is to have 500 “founding members” at launch when the kickstarter campaign closes. It’s a $12 donation, and supports gaming, creativity, and making the world a more awesome place. I hope you’ll join me.

You can find the project at http://kck.st/aUx0Hf.