Play Games And Do Science

Game visionaries like Jane McGonigal have an ambition to make games that make the world better. I have an ambition to make games that the make the world better. Normally these games centre on social awareness, which is important, but the results are hard to measure. 

Jane McGonigal - doing some future envisioning, by the looks of it...

However, a crowd sourced, video game derived solution has now been found to the structure of a molecule, the form of which has been eluding scientists for longer than they would have liked. Further work through this approach to the problem could lead to a cure for AIDS. 

Ask not what science can do for you, but what you can do for science. Let's all go play Fold It.

Help Required to Help Others

Ok, so I'm working on a game that's so simple I'm probably never going to write a design doc. I've roped in a coder and an artist, who will do most of the work on the actual game, because, like I say, the design is so simple. 

However this doesn't leave me with nothing to do, just nothing to do that I have the faintest idea about. 

You see, the intention of the game is to raise money for the ongoing disaster that is the Christchurch earthquake, and its exorbitant number of aftershocks. 

Game development - we can't stop earthquakes, but we can help out in the aftermath...

It's also scalable, so new 'levels' can be added and bought with micro transactions to raise money for other unfortunate earthquakes around the world when they happen.

The game design is good, we're proud of the business model, but how the hell do we structure the business entity? The organisation we need to form won’t be a charity itself, but we do plan on giving away all the money we make (above operating costs) to different charities that are on the ground, doing the hard work of saving lives, cleaning up and rebuilding. 

New Zealand business law isn't area of expertise, and this is way outside of my business experience, so if anyone out there can give any advice (for free, of course) then please, please, please drop me a line at jon@twotailedtiger.com – thanks in advance!