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iOS has turned out to be a success. Over 120 million iOS devices sold, plenty of happy customers (many a Denuologist counted among them), and plenty of cool stuff on the horizon. But I’m left wanting. There’s just SOMETHING off. There has been since the app store launched, actually. The games are great. There are tons of them. And they’re generally cheap and well made. But I have yet to experience “that iOS game.”

Every game knows “that game.” The game that defines a platform. The game that serves as a centerpiece for a gaming system. The game that just would NOT be possible without that piece of hardware. Wii has Mario. Xbox has Halo. PS3 has Uncharted. iOS has… Angry Birds?

“Life is a game.”

I’d like to think this is true and when it isn’t I must say I’m not that all interested.

While fellow Denuologist, Tim Harris, gave us a great take on the art of gamification last week, I was able to see it first hand this past weekend.

How did I do this? I’m glad you asked.

I participated in an experience called Accomplice. Billed as part game, part theater, and part tour, it was an immersive activity that utilized the streets of Hollywood as the game board and a group of strangers as the actual game pieces. The best part was that it was actually fun, the primary principle behind gamification.

Dan isn’t one to shy away from telling us what to listen to – and now he’s moved on to tell us what to watch. This session of Denuo U features Dan’s lessons in all things Hitchcock.

You’ll find recommendations on what movies to watch, common themes, and some nifty pictures of key scenes from each movie. Enjoy.

“Life is a videogame.”

The electronic voice of Joshua, a rogue AI in the movie classic Wargames, has been echoing in my head for over 25 years.  Even though ol’ Joshy never said that in the movie, it used to amuse me to “hear” it said as I noticed a mechanic in life that paralleled the experiences I was having in front of my computer or console.  I’ve never escaped the feeling (or the voice), and the current excitement over gamification — of products, of marketing, of life — is a welcome addition to the dialogue around innovation.  If you’re one of our clients, you’ve perhaps rolled your eyes while I went on about gamification.  If you’re one of my friends, you definitely have.  Eye-rolling is for spouses and art-school contrarians.

Whether its how many friends our brain can process on Facebook, or pulling a “Being John Malkovich” and living vicariously through someone else’s Twitter feed, this week’s Reflecteur is socially aware of all the nutty things our favorite social networks can do to one’s mind. Also, see how mapping APIs are being used to reflect racial issues in urban environments and The Pool’s latest research results for short-form online video.

All this, plus making fun of hipsters, in this week’s Reflecteur.

Download it here!