Re: [kidsgames] first_math

[Kidsgames Project Coordinator - Jeff Waddell <jeff@smluc.org>]

Hello Steve,

On Thu, 17 Feb 2000, Steve Baker wrote:

-->Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 01:34:17 -0600
-->From: Steve Baker <sjbaker1@airmail.net>
-->Reply-To: kidsgames@smluc.org
-->To: kidsgames@smluc.org
-->Subject: Re: [kidsgames] first_math
-->
-->jeff@smluc.org wrote:
-->
-->> Would you like this to become one of the first kidsgames projects or
-->> maintain it separately?
-->> 
-->> We have much to hash out on exactly how kidsgames will be related to
-->> existing projects, and even projects that are spawned from the kidsgames
-->> project.
-->> 
-->> I think it is perfectly acceptable to have both projects maintained
-->> directly in the kidsgames cvs and those that are only linked to from
-->> kidsgames.  Any comments on this from anybody?
-->
-->We should really decide whether the KidsGames site is to hold
-->actual games, pointers to games or just resources for games
-->writers.  (Or some combination of the above).
-->

Sounds like a good thing to decide.

-->* I think there was ONCE a case for being a place where the
-->  actual games are stored because some games writers would
-->  benefit from the support of a CVS server, mailing lists,
-->  free web access, etc.
-->

yep.

-->  However, anyone can create a brand new site on SourceForge
-->  that has all those good things in about 10 minutes flat -
-->  and it'll be up and running within 24 hours. That being
-->  the case, I don't see that tying them all together into
-->  one huge mega-site really buys us much.  You'd also create
-->  a huge number of developers with the need for write-access
-->  to the site - which can easily lead to security problems.
-->

I would expect to do cvs tree linking such that developer's on one of the
games would not necessarily be developer's on other games.  This is what
places like sourceforge and seul.org are for.  The thing I could see is
for authors of smaller applications that either don't want to maintain
them or simply don't know how to use sourceforge we could handle their
code for them.  I think I would still make a case (unless it's a trivially
small program) to create a separate sourceforge project for whatever that
application was and just have one of the kidsgames people adopt the
continuance of that appliacation.  Separate projects makes sense to me.

-->  I'll be creating individual sites for each of my games
-->  from now on - I wouldn't see any benefit to putting my
-->  game on the kidsgames site rather than just having the
-->  kidsgames site link to mine.
-->

Understood and agreed with.

-->* We could be a site containing pointers to games (with
-->  reviews, advice to parents and such like) would be a useful
-->  service (something akin to http://happypenguin.org - but
-->  with a focus on kids games).

I see that as what linuxforkids is trying to do.  Correct me if I'm wrong.
That of course doesn't mean kidsgames could not do that, but I think it
would be unnecessary.

-->  HappyPenguin is a GREAT
-->  service - and I'd love to see a clone of that with
-->  age-ratings and catagories for Edutainment, Kid-friendly
-->  Games, Parenting Software (like my Bank of Daddy program),
-->  School-appropriate software, etc.
-->

Have to check out this happy penguin some time.

-->* Being a site with resources for games developers (like
-->  the mega-word-list database) would be useful too.
-->

I think that's where I want kidsgames to go, what does everyone else want.

But not just for developer's, I want to bring the artist's to, so that
they can contribute the artwork, whether aural or visual that are
developer's can incorporate into the games that are our future.  And the
educator's to bring the artwork and the applications together.

-->Those are very different kinds of services - possibly
-->having contradictory goals.
-->

I agree.  And I think it is important of kidsgames to fulfill a role or to
cease to exist.  I started the project because I thought it was necessary
to get the snowball going, I still think that it is necessary.

-->If you are claiming to help authors of games, then
-->publishing very negative reviews of an unsuitable game
-->thats being written by one of our members would be
-->hard to do objectively.
-->

constructive critism is always welcome but I don't really want to spend
*my* time writing "reviews", I want to get more games out the door.

-->Would you write a really negative review of a game
-->written by someone who posts to this list regularly?
-->

Would I personally, it's certainly possible, but I doubt it.  I'm not
generally negative to begin with.  Is it possible that someone from this
list might write a hostile and negative review of kidsgames work or the
work of it's individual members?  Certainly.  We hope that something like
that will never happen, and we continue on with our work...

-->Developers and reviewers should be different people, 
-->so kidsgames needs to be EITHER a collect-and-review
-->site OR a developers resource/forum.  It can't be
-->both IMHO.
-->

That seems like a reasonable split.  Which do we want to be?  As a
developer :) I vote for the latter....

-->Perhaps this is where the split should be between
-->kidsgames and SEUL/edu?
-->
-->

I think the split between kidsgames and seul/edu is more subtle and they
should perhaps be merged....

It seems that seul/edu is based on more "formal" educational ideas then
what kidsgames is based on, from what I know at this time.

-- 
Jeff Waddell
jeff@smluc.org

Kids Games Project Coordinator
main website at http://smluc.org/SIA/kidsgames/


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