We’ve all been there. After entering a restaurant, the waiter takes you to your table, and hands over a glass of water with the menu. The water is usually free of charge. (In Taiwan, we are served boiled water, while in the US, they provide drinkable tap water).   Tap water is something we take for granted, something accessible just by turning on the faucet. Amazingly, one out of five children around the world cannot have clean water to drink on a daily basis. As a result, 6,000 precious lives are lost each day.   Information like that are

How do you associate “Coke” with “staying fit”? We all know that Diet Coke might a better choice than regular Coke for one’s guilty pleasure. But did you know that the brand of Diet Coke now stands for slimness?  Diet Coke’s latest publicity stunt in Paris is the “Slender Vendor,” a vending machine that’s only 7 inches wide to show how “famously fit and elegant” Diet Coke is. Get it? Not only does it fit nicely in narrow spaces, it is now everywhere: in the middle of sidewalks, in bowling allies, between treadmills in fitness centers... etc. In short,

About the film: You might say this is the puppy love version of adult movies! One that no man can resist! How do everyday common people try to make way for fame and fortune stuck in the most boring little town ever? Andy, a middle-aged divorcé that just recently lost his job, seeks different ways to quickly make himself a rich man. A brilliant idea came across his mind one day watching a stroll into an adult video shop: That’s it! What makes better money than porn? Andy’s outrageous plan surprisingly won over his friends’ support, and everyone pitched

Bring out the Courage within You! ! The students of the Gamania Summer School believe that, the minute they put on their Courage T-shirts, they are ready to stand up for what they believe in. This is a program that welcomes you bring out your potentials through various trainings and fun activities. Join the 2013 Gamania Summer School project now! About the Gamania Summer School: In 2009, The Gamania Cheer Up Foundation started the first “Gamania Summer School” project with the central motif of Courage. We encourage young adults to pursue their dreams by owning up to them, and

The Gamania Cheer Up Foundation launches a new series this year known as the “Dreaming of a White Picnic” event. It offers a platform for young adults to exchange ideas and learn from one another in a casual, stress-free setting. The very first “White Picnic” event was held in Gama Island on Apr. 27th. It was a rare sight to see Gama Island crowded with people on a Saturday. The head of the foundation, Newgo Chen, and Summer School participant WuShin take the lead and share their experience of how they made their dreams come true. In addition, the

SPACE 17 has always been a platform for Gamanians to know about unique brands and designs. This is not just a exhibition space; its where we express and understand more about the culture of our members. Today, as a means to encourage more community interaction through SPACE 17, we introduce the GAMA 360° Gallery! Explore the artisan world of Gamania through the 360° Gallery today!   From a business angle, we have a 90° heart full of innovation and adventurous spirit. From a gamer’s angle, we have a 180° passion that urges us to seek out fun in any

  G! VOICE Introduces:    “Imagine two completely different systems constantly contradicting each other, yet aiming for a single conclusion.    System 1 is fast, automatic, frequent, emotional, stereotypic, subconscious. However, it is prone to take one aspect and generalize it as the whole, subsequently leading to misjudgment.    On the other hand, System 2 is slow, effortful, infrequent, logical, calculating, conscious. It seeks shortcut solutions and often leads to quick, direct yet lazy conclusions.    Both systems exist in the human brain! Explore how they work along and against each other on every choice that you make in

Teenage beauties taking on killer zombies! Thrill Rush + Sexy Girls: What more can you ask for!  [Gama News] From Resident Evil to The Walking Dead, the zombie trend had always been “alive”. The game industry has a soft spot for this genre, too. Gamania’s own development team introduces the browser game Armageddon Girls on Apr. 12th. This game combines two of the favorite game elements, beauties and zombies, and sets out to win over the hearts of gamers that enjoy a good ride!  ▲Gamania productions presents Armageddon Girls: Experience what it feels like to fight off zombies with teenage

What expectations did the past have for the future? Why did our world today turn out the way it is? Have you ever wondered about these questions? 100 years again, 19th century artist Jean-Marc Côté illustrated a series of images titled “Visions of the Year 2000”. Let’s see how well his predictions fit with our modern society nowadays!      The future in the eyes of the past   How we imagined the future 100 years ago  Present day  Super cleaning robots Autonomous vacuum cleaners  Achievement: 130% Even though the robot is doing all the work, it is still

Doraemon was introduced in 1970 by Fujiko Fujio, and immediately became a household favorite to children and adults alike. The artist, Fujiko Fujio, designed Doraemon with a magic pocket that could pull out any gadget to solve any problems that occur in daily life. Because of its relativeness with the common people, Doraemon’s “inventions” are things we really hope to have in real life. According to Wikipedia, Doraemon has presented 1,963 items (2,000 including gadgets in animated versions) to date.   2012 is exactly 100 years before Doraemon’s birth date. The “100 years before the birth of DORAEMON” exhibition

Do you remember? On Oct 6th, 2012, over 9,000 fans packed into Taipei World Trade Center Hall 2 (Taipei Show Hall 2) just to get a glimpse of their favorite “singer”, Hatsune Miku.   Miku is a singing synthesizer developed by Crypton Future Media. When the software was first presented in 2007, there was no humanoid person to go with it. It was literally just an synthesizer application. Not even Crypton expected Miku to become the legacy it is now.   The Japanese website Nico Nico Douga, played a fundamental role in the popularity Hatsune Miku, as users starting

Does innovation and creativity bring us science fiction, or technological breakthroughs? On Jan. 9th, 2007, Steve Jobs used his iPhone to make the first call outside the company. It was made to a local Starbucks in San Francisco, in which the worker answered: “Good morning, how may I help you?” “I would like to take out 4,000 lattes, thank you.” Jobs laughs at his own joke, and adds, “No no, I was just kidding. Wrong number. Bye!” This was when iPhone was introduced to the world for the first time. The other defining moment was when Jobs initiated Google

Albert: “Eighteen. Wow. In human years, that means a company that has reached its ‘adulthood’, and has its own fully developed characteristics. Looking back on these 18 years, we really have come a long way. I wouldn’t say it was easy, but that’s what makes us unique. Gamania grew up as a ‘tough kid in hard times’ (laughs). It’s not uncommon to see international companies find a business model that works, and stick to it for the next 10 or 15 years to come. However, in Taiwan, things change faster than expected. The nature of our industry allows us

G! VOICE started out as the Gamanian magazine! ? ▲ In 2005, 4 volumes of the Gamanian were exclusively issued. ▲ Gamania’s CEO, Albert Liu. Albert’s words on the 1st issue of the Gamanian (2005): “The culture of a company is crucial to its growth and development. When I say ‘culture’, I’m referring to the way people interact and work with each other within a company. It determines things that we value along the way, and defines what we stand for. In 2002, when Gamania started testing the waters of the international market, we came in contact with a

“What is the Gama Iced Tea?”  “Is it available at Gama Island?” Many of our interviewers expressed their curiosity about this mysterious drink that is served in Gama Island. Exactly what is the recipe of this Gamania specialty? And what’s the story behind it? G!Voice calls out the history of this beloved drink now! The Gama Iced Tea is inspired by something 3000 ft. above. The story goes back to when our Creative Director of the Brand Center, Ahbin Chen, noticed that a signature drink was promoted by the attendants during a flight. To think of it: Indeed, almost

About the Gamer: It started out by farming mobs for her brother’s character, yet ended up so enticed by the game that she ended up the most avid gamer in her family. She even got her parents to play, too! Just like that, Shauna embarked on a 10-year, love-hate relationship with Lineage. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Senior Gamer: Shuan First time encountering online games: 2002 Played Lineage for: 11 years (ongoing) Class: Elf Longest consecutive play: 36 hrs Greatest fear: Cheetos ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ▲ Shuan was noted as one of the hottest Lineage gamers of all-time. The magazine Talker contains many interviews with

この文章を読むまで、多くのideaが開発されていないか、開発に協力してくれるチームのリソースがないということはありませんか。　 ひとつ教えましょう。Prototype（原型）はMake things happenを実現するツールです。これはどういうことでしょうか? 有名なAppクリエイター（Instagram、Yipit、Odopod、POPなどを創造した会社）はいずれも低コストでスピーディーなプロトタイプデザインツールを最初に使用してクライアントに提案したり、デザイナーやプログラマーと意思の疎通を行ったり、ユーザーにユーザーエクスペリエンス(User experience, UX)について実際にテストしてもらったり、フィードバックに耳を傾けるなどします。ポイントは製品を徐々にユーザーが期待するものに近づけることにあります。   プロトタイプがこんなにすごいなら、なぜ誰も常に使用しないのでしょうか。実は、プロトタイプを作成する過程では誰もがプロトタイプに対して次にあげるいくつかの思い込みがあり、多くのアイデアを持っているクリエイターが遅々としてプロトタイプを製品の開発に役立てようとしたがらないのです。この文章を通じてビジョンとアイデアを持っている人が簡単に実際に作ってみることを願っています。     思い込み1：プロトタイプは全ての機能がきちんとデザインされているようでなければならない。 正しい思考：全てのインターフェースと機能を完全に考え付いてから作成を始める必要はありません。アイデアがあれば、すぐに作成を始めてかまいません。 Instagramの早期のバージョンでは、友人が加入した時に注意を促すという機能の追加が考慮されていました。Instagramの創始者Kriegerはこの機能を直接作ってテストせず、人手による方法でユーザーに通知を送信したのです。その結果会員の反応はよいものではなかったため、この機能を作ることはありませんでした。「私たちは1行のコードも書いていません。だから1行のコードも削除する必要はありませんでした。」プロトタイプの目的は「デザインの問題の解決」、「デザインのアイデアの評価」、「デザインのアイデアの伝達」であり、限られた時間と行動力、予算の中で構想を形にして良いか悪いかのフィードバックを獲得してから次のステップに進むことを決定するものです。 ▲プロトタイプではデザインプランと仮説を提出し続けて、潜在的ユーザーに実際にテストしてもらうことによってユーザーのフィードバックと経験を聞き取り、開発中の製品をユーザーの仕様体験と期待に合致するよう発展させていく。     思い込み2：デザイナーではないから、素晴らしいプロトタイプは作れない。 正しい思考：デザイナーのテクニックが無くても簡単なデザインツールを利用できる。 プロトタイプは芸術品を生み出すことではありません。プロトタイプ作成の鍵は「ある物から選ぶ」、「使えればOK」です。Instagramのもう一人の創始者Systromは常にiPhoneのデザインボール紙をもってカフェに座りながらどの機能を残し、どれを削除するかを一緒に話し合っていました。プロトタイプを作成するツールにはPost-it、ペーパーモデル、PowerPoint(PPT)やKeynoteプレゼンテーションツール、Googleグラフィックツール、関連アプリケーションからPhotoshop+インタラクティブプログラムなどに至るまで様々な種類があります。どのツールを使用して作成するにせよ、プロトタイプの目的はアイデアを素早く具現化するためのツールなのです。   簡単で操作しやすく、しかも無料のツールを紹介します。 名称 紹介 ダウンロード ワイヤフレーム・テンプレート（Free） iphone, ipad, mac Browserのワイヤーフレームテンプレートがダウンロード可。   http://mrare.ca/blog/iphone-ipad-and-browser-wireframe-templates Prototyper （Free） （PC版） iphone, Androidコンポーネントを内蔵。各ページのリンクを簡単に設定。 http://www.justinmind.com/prototyper/download UIDesigner （Free） （PC版） iphoneコンポーネントを内蔵。Iconコンポーネントを自ら組み立てることが可能。各ページのリンクを簡単に設定。   http://uid.cdc.tencent.com/ POP（Free） for iOS 手描きグラフィックを迅速にiphone内にインポートしてシミュレーションが可能。   https://itunes.apple.com/tw/app/pop-prototyping-on-paper/id555647796？mt=8       思い込み3：Prototypeインタラクティブな効果は表現できない。 正しい思考：ちょっとした工夫でプロトタイプにインタラクティブ効果をもたらすことが可能。   本当のところ、iPhoneやiPadのフリックなどのやり取りをプロトタイプで表現することは難しいのです。例えばズーム、スクロールなどの使用について正確にシミュレートすることは大変難しいことです。しかしほとんどのウェブサイト、ソフトウェアまたはAppの操作とインタラクティブデザインは、まだクリックを主としたアクションです。これらの操作の状況はプロトタイプソフトウェアツールでシミュレートできます。製品のフリックとインタラクティブ効果の感覚をテストしたい時は、ペーパー・プロトタイピングの方法で動態シミュレーションを完成させます。次のビデオでペーパー・プロトタイピングの効果を表現しています。     Video Prototype: Touchscreen Digital Camera       思い込み4：プロトタイプはプロフェッショナルではない感じがする。 正しい思考：ユーザーが使用状況に溶けこんでいる時はプロフェッショナルではない感覚にはならない。   以前プロトタイプを使ってテストをした時、プロトタイプであると聞いたり、見たりしたユーザーの表情にはプロフェッショナルではないという感覚が現れていました。しかし、テストの過程でユーザーはすぐに使用状況に溶けこみ、脳の中には多くの画面やアイデアが起こり始め、多くの経験とデザインのフィードバックを与えてくれるので、プロトタイプはプロフェッショナル的感覚に乏しいと心配する必要はありません。     思い込み5：プロトタイプは会議やテストが終わったら捨ててもよい。 正しい思考：プロトタイプの全てのバージョンはいずれも次のデザインへの道筋。   プロトタイプを上司や開発スタッフに見せたり、ユーザーテストを行うたびに、製品発表会のように会議を終えたらそれでおしまいというのではなく、毎回の議論、フィードバックとアドバイスの記録を続けると、毎回の変更の過程を一目で追跡でき、製品開発スタッフがいつまでも古い問題で堂々巡りすることが少なくなります。 ▲それぞれのプロトタイプのバージョンと毎回のフィードバックの情報は全て記録しておくこと!   最後にPrototype can make things happenのキーポイントをまとめると、プロトタイプは迅速に低コストでアイデアを具現化し、上司やユーザーたちを招いて自ら操作してもらうことによって使用する体験を感じてもらい、開発チームのビジネスニーズと試用ニーズの模索に役立ち、リソースを有効に利用して製品の発展方向を迅速に推進させるものです。最後にひとつ、皆さんがプロトタイプを作成する際は上記の思い込みをしっかり覚えておいてください。         参考資料： （1） Advice I Wish I Could Have Given Myself 5

Have you ever wished that you could just make your drawing walk off the paper and come to life on your table? It dreams is just about to come true, as the “3Doodler” pen acts like a magic wand that can draw shapes in the air right before your eyes! Although the object don’t actually “walk” off the paper, it is already a mind-blowing experience to be able to visualize our imagination in 3-D!  ▲Within minutes, an Eiffel tower created through the 3Doodler stands before you.   The 3Doodler is a 3D printing pen developed by Peter Dilworth and