The Magic Lantern vision statement:

We believe in the magic of interactive play, both social and solitary. We believe in the creative energy and life-enhancing potency of play, and the value of an interactive experience untainted by the panacea of unnecessary "flash, splash and cash." We believe in the crafting of wondrous, exciting and immersive experiences which invite and challenge the "subversive child" within all our souls.

We craft play experiences, pure and simple. Yet we hold this crafting to be both art and illumination, and a journey for both the player and the creator.

We believe in the strength of shared sensibilities, of taking that path less traveled, of the power of gentle subversion and the nurturing encouragement of a team of fellow travelers. We believe in the value of the journey as well as the value of the destination.

And most of all, we believe in the potent power of fun.

Philosophy of Play:

We believe in games that engage both sides of the brain—both tactical and aesthetic. Games are an intellectual escape, but to make the escape complete, we must offer challenge paired with beauty, pressure blended with poetry, etc. All Playware titles strive to create the most engrossing game environment possible through the use of 3D graphics, immersive sound and interactive music. It is also the goal of these titles to offer a wondrous, immersive and challenging play environment.

At times, we use the term “immediate access” to refer to Playware game—we strive to make our games easy to learn, easy to enter but hard to leave. Playware titles are very “gamey” games in which play is at the center. We believe in games that are quick to learn but nearly impossible to master.

It’s important to note that one of the most significant factors in all of these titles is that the user must feel like he or she is an agent of real change within each particular title. That means that the player must feel that what they do matters, and in fact, in these titles, what they do and how they interact is the entire basis for change in these titles. The player must feel pulled into the worlds of these titles, suspending disbelief and becoming an active participant. Yet, their participation isn’t shallow—they can see, visually, the change they can bring about to the world of the simulation by their actions. It is a very empowering feeling indeed.

You may have noticed that our design philosophy for this series shares some similarity to the Montessori approach of learning and education. This is because we believe in the value of free exploration and in providing a player with a stimulating play environment that provides opportunity for unguided-self play, carefully crafted challenges and the opportunity to interact with other players.

Our commitment to this design and development approach is total, and we have already laid out Playware development plans and designs for the next 5-7 years.

What is a game?:

A game is a play activity comprised of a series of actions, constrained by rules, moving towards an end condition. The rules exist to provide the framework and context for a player's actions. The rules also exist to create interesting situations to challenge and oppose the player. The player's actions, his decisions, choices and chances, really, his journey, all comprise the "soul of play." It is the quality, challenge, excitement and fun of a player's journey, and not simply the attainment of the end condition, that determines the success of the game.