In his first contribution to the Express & Star Technology blog, games development lecturer Dr Tom Hartley dicusses iPad gaming and his blogging plans for the coming weeks:

Dr Stuart Slater, a colleague of mine at the University of Wolverhampton, has asked me if I would like to contribute to the Technology blog as we work closely together on games and digital media projects.

Since this is my first post, I thought it best to start by answering the three most important questions about any new blogger – the who, why and what.

Who

I’m a lecturer in games development and Computer Game Co-Coordinator for the Institute of Gaming and Animation.

I recently completed my doctorate and for the past few years I have been teaching games programming to University of Wolverhampton students.

Why

I have taken up this exciting opportunity to share my passion for computer games and keen interest in digital technology and entertainment.

This ranges from gadgets and devices, from iPads and mobile phones to high definition movies and cutting edge technology. I am also interested by how technology affects our lives – in both positive and negative ways.

What

I intend my blog posts to be informal discussions on a diverse assortment of topics ranging from how characters in computer games appear to posses the ability to act intelligently, to reviews of games and the latest gadgets.

Regardless of the topic I intend the blog to be in a language we can all relate to and (hopefully) be informative and entertaining.

Osmos iPad game

I thought that for my first post, I would start by discussing an iPad game that I have found very entertaining over the past few weeks.

The game is called Osmos and is essentially a puzzle type of video game.

Your primary goal is to become the biggest organism (or a ‘Mote’ as you are called in the Osmos universe).

You achieve this by absorbing smaller organisms. The game is challenging because you lose mass as you move, which consequently reduces the potential number of organisms you can absorb.

What I find makes this game particularly interesting is its use of ambient music, pleasing graphics and intuitive controls to create a fun, yet very relaxing, gameplay.

It’s soothing to watch your organism float around the screen at a sedate pace while you listen to the relaxing music.

If you want some faster gameplay, then you can speed up time, but why would you want to when you can take in the amazing graphics?

It’s a great way to de-stress after a long day at work.