Time: 9.30-14.00 (incl. light lunch)

Location: The Digital Depot, behind 157 Thomas St. Dublin 8.

To attend one has to register. Registration is free. To register mailto:daretobedigital@thedigitalhub.come-mail here.. For general details on the Scottish competition see www.daretobedigital.com

The draft programme for the Irish information day is as follows.

9:30-10:00 Registration

10:00-10:15
Welcome Address – Philip Flynn, CEO Digital Hub Development Agency

10:15-10:45
Keynote Address – Dr. Jim Terkurst, University of Abertay
Jim will provide an overview of the Scottish games sector and where the games sector is going in the future.

10:45-11:45
Dare to be Digital Overview
Jackie McKenzie, University of Abertay and Damian Furlong (Irish student and leader of a team in this year’s competition)

·Background to Dare to be Digital
·Dare to be Digital Format – and Ireland’s participation
·Damian Furlong, A student perspective on participating in the project

11:45-12:00 Coffee Break

12:00-1:00
Panel discussion to be chaired by Dr. Aphra Kerr and will address the following themes:

·Overview of the Irish Games Sector
·Opportunities in the Gaming Sector
·Skill requirements of the Gaming industry

Michael Kenna, EI Representative
Irish Company, TBC
Deirdre Lyons, IDA Representative
International Company: TBC
Michael Hallissy, The Digital Hub

1:00-14:00
Light lunch provided

The Creative Media Enterprise Support Programme will be launched in January 2004 to offer support to startups in the creative/digital media sectors around the border county region and Northern Ireland. This is a scheme developed by the Dundalk Institute of Technology in conjunction with Queen’s University Belfast and Co-operation Ireland.

The programme will offer training, mentoring and networking opportunities for up to 20 businesses as well as a participant grant and office space.

For more information please see www.creativemediaenterprise.com/ or contact the Regional Development Centre at 042 9370453

Time: 9.30-13.30 (incl. light lunch)

Location: The Digital Depot, behind 157 Thomas St. Dublin 8.

If you’re a third level student and are part of an entrepeneurial group with a great idea for a game then this competition might be for you. The Digital Hub Development Agency together with Enterprise Ireland and the University of Abertay in Dundee, Scotland are launching Dare to be Digital Ireland, a competition to develop a new innovative product in the games sector suitable for any platform. The challenge is open to under-grads, post-grads, recent graduates and further education students. Projects must be submitted in teams, with at least one technical expert, one creative expert and one management representative.

The winning project will be developed with financial support from Enterprise Ireland and The Digital Hub over a 10-week period during the 2004 summer break and will contribute to a larger event in Scotland. This is the Irish phase of a scheme run successfully in Scotland by the University of Abertay.

The December 10 event will be hosted by the Digital Hub is an information launch, where you can find out the project details from the organisers.

For more information and registration details:

Time: 9.30-14.00 (incl. light lunch)

Location: The Digital Depot, behind 157 Thomas St. Dublin 8.

To attend one has to register. Registration is free. To register mailto:daretobedigital@thedigitalhub.come-mail here.. For general details on the Scottish competition see www.daretobedigital.com

The draft programme for the Irish information day is as follows.

9:30-10:00 Registration

10:00-10:15
Welcome Address – Philip Flynn, CEO Digital Hub Development Agency

10:15-10:45
Keynote Address – Dr. Jim Terkurst, University of Abertay
Jim will provide an overview of the Scottish games sector and where the games sector is going in the future.

10:45-11:45
Dare to be Digital Overview
Jackie McKenzie, University of Abertay and Damian Furlong (Irish student and leader of a team in this year’s competition)

·Background to Dare to be Digital
·Dare to be Digital Format – and Ireland’s participation
·Damian Furlong, A student perspective on participating in the project

11:45-12:00 Coffee Break

12:00-1:00
Panel discussion to be chaired by Dr. Aphra Kerr and will address the following themes:

·Overview of the Irish Games Sector
·Opportunities in the Gaming Sector
·Skill requirements of the Gaming industry

Michael Kenna, EI Representative
Irish Company, TBC
Deirdre Lyons, IDA Representative
International Company: TBC
Michael Hallissy, The Digital Hub

1:00-14:00
Light lunch provided

The Creative Media Enterprise Support Programme will be launched in January 2004 to offer support to startups in the creative/digital media sectors around the border county region and Northern Ireland. This is a scheme developed by the Dundalk Institute of Technology in conjunction with Queen’s University Belfast and Co-operation Ireland.

The programme will offer training, mentoring and networking opportunities for up to 20 businesses as well as a participant grant and office space.

For more information please see www.creativemediaenterprise.com/ or contact the Regional Development Centre at 042 9370453

What this means is that Upstart Games will work with Konami Online to bring its catalogue of mobile game titles to over 250 million mobile users in North American and other world markets. Konami Online’s portfolio includes classics such as Frogger, Gradius and Castlevania.

Upstart Games will provide development and distribution services, as well as support for the marketing and business development processes.

The first results from this relationship will be the availability of Konami’s classic arcade hit “Frogger” to subscribers of AT&T Wireless’ mModeTM service with compatible handsets.

Note 1: Konami Online, Inc. is a 100% subsidiary of KONAMI CORPORATION of Japan and will focus on the production and distribution of mobile games.

Note 2: Upstart Games Ltd. is headquartered in Dublin, with offices in Tokyo and New York. Upstart Games provides mobile games content and services to operators in European and North American markets.

What this means is that Upstart Games will work with Konami Online to bring its catalogue of mobile game titles to over 250 million mobile users in North American and other world markets. Konami Online’s portfolio includes classics such as Frogger, Gradius and Castlevania.

Upstart Games will provide development and distribution services, as well as support for the marketing and business development processes.

The first results from this relationship will be the availability of Konami’s classic arcade hit “Frogger” to subscribers of AT&T Wireless’ mModeTM service with compatible handsets.

Note 1: Konami Online, Inc. is a 100% subsidiary of KONAMI CORPORATION of Japan and will focus on the production and distribution of mobile games.

Note 2: Upstart Games Ltd. is headquartered in Dublin, with offices in Tokyo and New York. Upstart Games provides mobile games content and services to operators in European and North American markets.

While the mingling of producers and theorists is unheard of in other academic disciplines such as film or literary studies, the young discipline of game studies takes pride in bridging the culture gap. After all, the question “What is a game?” is notoriously tricky to answer, and all help in answering it is welcome.

Accordingly, there was a wealth of sessions focusing on subjects such as “What games are made of”, “Time, repetition and immersion”, “Game environments” and “Game Analysis and Creation”. Due to the number of participants many of the sessions took place at the same time, so there were some tough choices to be made.

But the designer’s side is only one side of the story, of course. As the voluminous Level Up proceedings show, more and more academics focus on the players of games as worthy objects of study. This kind of research could produce insights into the minds of consumers, helping designers to reach new audiences, such as elderly or disabled gamers.
It would not have been a real games conference, had it been all work and no play. On the evening of the second day, researchers and designers alike gathered at a Utrecht club to celebrate and play some games. And while some were content to play the newest PlayStation2 and Nokia NGage titles, others were drawn to the award-winning PainStation by artists Volker Morawe and Tilman Reiff, or the “interactive drama” Façade by GeorgiaTech’s Michael Mateas and Andrew Stern.

The newly formed Digital Games Research Association (www.digra.org) held its first full assembly on the last day of the conference. With Jason Della Rocca of IGDA as one of its members, the association will strive to strengthen the ties between developers and academics further, while at the same time deepening and broadening the field of digital game research.

More information can be found at http://www.gamesconference.orghttp://www.gamesconference.org

The proceedings can be ordered at http://www.gamesconference.org/2003/index.php?Proceedingshttp://www.gamesconference.org/2003/index.php?Proceedings

Another summary can be found at http://www.igda.orgthe igda website.

Where: Mahaffeys pub, on the corner of Pearse st/westland row, about half a minutes walk from Pearse Street Dart station. It currently has scaffolding up around it. There is a little snug over on the left of the pub – look for us there.

Time: from 7.30 pm

The inaugeral IGDA Ireland committee meeting will take place before hand. For more info see http://www.igda.org/dublin/http://www.igda.org/dublin/

Where: Renshaws, University Street at the top of Botanic Avenue.

Time: from 6 pm

Organiser: Malachy Duffin from CanDo

More details on the forums: community/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=123community/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=123

While the mingling of producers and theorists is unheard of in other academic disciplines such as film or literary studies, the young discipline of game studies takes pride in bridging the culture gap. After all, the question "What is a game?" is notoriously tricky to answer, and all help in answering it is welcome.

Accordingly, there was a wealth of sessions focusing on subjects such as "What games are made of", "Time, repetition and immersion", "Game environments" and "Game Analysis and Creation". Due to the number of participants many of the sessions took place at the same time, so there were some tough choices to be made.

But the designer’s side is only one side of the story, of course. As the voluminous Level Up proceedings show, more and more academics focus on the players of games as worthy objects of study. This kind of research could produce insights into the minds of consumers, helping designers to reach new audiences, such as elderly or disabled gamers.
It would not have been a real games conference, had it been all work and no play. On the evening of the second day, researchers and designers alike gathered at a Utrecht club to celebrate and play some games. And while some were content to play the newest PlayStation2 and Nokia NGage titles, others were drawn to the award-winning PainStation by artists Volker Morawe and Tilman Reiff, or the "interactive drama" Façade by GeorgiaTech’s Michael Mateas and Andrew Stern.

The newly formed Digital Games Research Association (www.digra.org) held its first full assembly on the last day of the conference. With Jason Della Rocca of IGDA as one of its members, the association will strive to strengthen the ties between developers and academics further, while at the same time deepening and broadening the field of digital game research.

More information can be found at http://www.gamesconference.orghttp://www.gamesconference.org

The proceedings can be ordered at http://www.gamesconference.org/2003/index.php?Proceedingshttp://www.gamesconference.org/2003/index.php?Proceedings

Another summary can be found at http://www.igda.orgthe igda website.

Nokia received registrations from 500 users with over 100 high-quality games submitted during their N-Gage Challenge. This has been shortlisted to five games which are available for you to play so you can vote for your favourite one.

The prototype demos for the N-Gage Challenge can be downloaded at:http://upstartgames.com/challenge/finalists/ngage.htmlhttp://upstartgames.com/challenge/finalists/ngage.html

Date: 20-23 November 2003

Venue: Melbourne Convention Centre, Cnr Siddeley and Flinders Streets,
Melbourne VIC 8005

Sponsorship Prospectus available at:

.au/sponsors/sponsors_form.php.au/sponsors

Exhibition Prospectus available at:

.au/expo/expo_form.phpttp://www.agdc.com.au/expo

For more information visit:
.au/conference/conf_overview.php.au/conference/conf_overview.php

Title: Applications of 2D and 3D Differential Optical Flow

Speaker: Prof. John Barron, Dept. of Computer Science,
Univ. of Western Ontario, London, Ontario,
Canada (Currently on sabbatical with the
Vision Systems Group, DCU)

Time: 3pm

Venue: Room S209, Research and Engineering Building,
Dublin City University

About the Speaker

John Barron was born in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada. He graduated with Physics and Computer Science degrees from Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland and obtained his MSc and PhD degrees from the University of Toronto in 1988.

He is current a professor in the Computer Science department at the
University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. His research interests
are in Image Processing and Computer Vision, in particular, in the
measurement and interpretation of 2D/3D optical flow.

About 2D/3D Optical Flow

2D optical flow is an approximation to the local image motion in a
sequence of images. When 2D optical flow is introduced, the 2D
Motion Constraint Equation results in what is called the 2D aperture problem. Two common optical flow algorithms are then described to overcome this problem using optical flow computations. Then two applications of 2D optical flow are shown: the recovery of camera motion and scene depth from time-varying optical flow and the measurement of 2D/3D corn seedling motion and growth via optical flow.

3D optical flow is an approximation to the local volumetric motion is a
sequence of volume images. Closely related to it is 3D range flow, which
is an approximation to the local surface motion in a sequence of depth
images. 3D optical flow is first introduced, then there is a demonstration of how 3D Motion Constraint Equation results in the 3D aperture problem. 3D extensions of the 2 algorithms described above overcome this problem. Finally, 3 applications of 3D optical flow are desribed: the use of 3D range flow to measure the motion and growth of plant leaves, the use of 3D optical flow to measure/predict Doppler Radar storm motion and the use of 3D optical flow to measure the motion of a beating heart in gated MRI datasets. The last project is ongoing research with Prof. Paul Whelan at DCU.

This talk is non-technical and equations have been kept to a minimum.

Nokia received registrations from 500 users with over 100 high-quality games submitted during their N-Gage Challenge. This has been shortlisted to five games which are available for you to play so you can vote for your favourite one.

The prototype demos for the N-Gage Challenge can be downloaded at:http://upstartgames.com/challenge/finalists/ngage.htmlhttp://upstartgames.com/challenge/finalists/ngage.html

Computer games are among the newest vehicles for telling stories and creating virtual worlds. This is the focus of an exhibition at Standford CA which looks at computer games and the narrative that propels them. It will be on view in three galleries through March 28, 2004 and is scheduled to coincide with two related exhibitions at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco that open in late January 2004.

‘Fictional Worlds, Virtual Experiences: Storytelling and Computer Games’ lays out the history and cultural importance of interactive simulations, computer games, and video games, proposing that they represent the emerging narrative form and communication medium of the early 21st century. Physical artifacts, a timeline, and video clips will demonstrate how text, graphics, and interactivity have established a narrative framework in computer games. The exhibition will feature the projection of a networked, “massively multiplayer” virtual world, and interactive game stations will immerse visitors in the storytelling aspects of games, while challenging them to contemplate the history and the future of virtual gaming.

The event is sponsored by the Lynn Krywick Gibbons Gallery Exhibition Fund and the Cantor Arts Center members and derives from ‘How They Got Game Project’ at the Stanford Humanities Laboratory, a project establishing a path-finding narrative for the historical and critical appreciation of computer and video games. The guest speakers will be Dr. Henry Lowood, and Casey Alt, respectively Curator for History of Science and Technology Collections, Stanford University Libraries, and graduate student in the Program for History and Philosophy of Science.

A free conference on Friday, February 6, entitled ‘Story Engines: A Public Program on Storytelling and Computer Games,’ presents speakers from the industry and academia, addressing aspects of the role of narrative in computer games. The conference will take place 9 a.m.-5 p.m. in the Cantor Arts Center auditorium. Space is limited, with open seating and no reservations. Call 650-725-6788 for details.

The Cantor Arts Center is open Wednesday Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday until 8 p.m. Admission is free. The Center is located on the Stanford University campus off Palm Drive, at Museum Way. Call 650-723-4177 or visit the web site

http://www.stanford.edu/dept/SUMA//http://www.stanford.edu/dept/SUMA//

Emerging Opportunities and Content Convergence
8.15am – 12.30pm
Breakfast at 7.30am

Media Lab Europe, Crane St, Dublin 8

Themes

Role of Technology in Entertainment
Emerging platforms in Digital Media
Commericalising Technology R&D
Indigenous Irish Development in
Entertainment Software and Services

KEY NOTE SPEAKER
Colum Slevin
Director of Computer Graphics
Industrial Light & Magic

Colum Slevin joined Industrial Light & Magic in 1999 as Project Manager for the Digital Technology Department. He was responsible for managing the software R&D teams and acting as a liaison between R&D and the visual effects production departments. Colum now heads the Computer Graphics Department, which is comprised of artists who create and develop the digital creatures, effects and environments featured in motion pictures such as Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Hulk, Pirates of the Caribbean among others.

For full details:

http://www.enterprise-ireland.com/contentforum/event3.asphttp://www.enterprise-ireland.com/contentforum/event3.asp

November 12, 2003-March 28, 2004, Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, California

This exhibition looks at computer games and the narrative that propels them. Physical artifacts, a timeline, and video clips will demonstrate how text, graphics, and interactivity have established a narrative framework in computer games. The exhibition will feature the projection of a networked, “massively multiplayer” virtual world, and interactive game stations will immerse visitors in the storytelling aspects of games, while challenging them to contemplate the history and the future of virtual gaming.

A free conference on Friday, February 6, entitled ‘Story Engines: A Public Program on Storytelling and Computer Games,’ presents speakers from the industry and academia, addressing aspects of the role of narrative in computer games. The conference will take place 9 a.m.-5 p.m. in the Cantor Arts Center auditorium. Space is limited, with open seating and no reservations. Call 650-725-6788 for details.

The Cantor Arts Center is open Wednesday Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday until 8 p.m. Admission is free. The Center is located on the Stanford University campus off Palm Drive, at Museum Way. Call 650-723-4177 or visit the web site

http://www.stanford.edu/dept/SUMA//http://www.stanford.edu/dept/SUMA//

November 12, 2003-March 28, 2004, Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, California

This exhibition looks at computer games and the narrative that propels them. Physical artifacts, a timeline, and video clips will demonstrate how text, graphics, and interactivity have established a narrative framework in computer games. The exhibition will feature the projection of a networked, “massively multiplayer” virtual world, and interactive game stations will immerse visitors in the storytelling aspects of games, while challenging them to contemplate the history and the future of virtual gaming.

A free conference on Friday, February 6, entitled ‘Story Engines: A Public Program on Storytelling and Computer Games,’ presents speakers from the industry and academia, addressing aspects of the role of narrative in computer games. The conference will take place 9 a.m.-5 p.m. in the Cantor Arts Center auditorium. Space is limited, with open seating and no reservations. Call 650-725-6788 for details.

The Cantor Arts Center is open Wednesday Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday until 8 p.m. Admission is free. The Center is located on the Stanford University campus off Palm Drive, at Museum Way. Call 650-723-4177 or visit the web site
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/SUMA//http://www.stanford.edu/dept

Sony are looking for new digital art!

You just need to upload an image and link of your latest work to www.thirdplacegallery.org to be part of the latest exhibitioned Net Art Show.

You will automatically be put on the short list for a prize of 2000 euro and submitted to their Museum of Modern Art.

DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 15th

Full details:

http://www.thirdplacegallery.org/http://www.thirdplacegallery.org/

Computer games are among the newest vehicles for telling stories and creating virtual worlds. This is the focus of an exhibition at Standford CA which looks at computer games and the narrative that propels them. It will be on view in three galleries through March 28, 2004 and is scheduled to coincide with two related exhibitions at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco that open in late January 2004.

‘Fictional Worlds, Virtual Experiences: Storytelling and Computer Games’ lays out the history and cultural importance of interactive simulations, computer games, and video games, proposing that they represent the emerging narrative form and communication medium of the early 21st century. Physical artifacts, a timeline, and video clips will demonstrate how text, graphics, and interactivity have established a narrative framework in computer games. The exhibition will feature the projection of a networked, “massively multiplayer” virtual world, and interactive game stations will immerse visitors in the storytelling aspects of games, while challenging them to contemplate the history and the future of virtual gaming.

The event is sponsored by the Lynn Krywick Gibbons Gallery Exhibition Fund and the Cantor Arts Center members and derives from ‘How They Got Game Project’ at the Stanford Humanities Laboratory, a project establishing a path-finding narrative for the historical and critical appreciation of computer and video games. The guest speakers will be Dr. Henry Lowood, and Casey Alt, respectively Curator for History of Science and Technology Collections, Stanford University Libraries, and graduate student in the Program for History and Philosophy of Science.

A free conference on Friday, February 6, entitled ‘Story Engines: A Public Program on Storytelling and Computer Games,’ presents speakers from the industry and academia, addressing aspects of the role of narrative in computer games. The conference will take place 9 a.m.-5 p.m. in the Cantor Arts Center auditorium. Space is limited, with open seating and no reservations. Call 650-725-6788 for details.

The Cantor Arts Center is open Wednesday Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday until 8 p.m. Admission is free. The Center is located on the Stanford University campus off Palm Drive, at Museum Way. Call 650-723-4177 or visit the web site

http://www.stanford.edu/dept/SUMA//http://www.stanford.edu/dept/SUMA//

Xbox has announced that Live gaming has hit Ireland, with Xbox Live Starter Kits available at retail from October 30th. The Starter Kits contain an Xbox Voice Communicator headset that allows voice chat during play and from the Xbox Live Dashboard, a one-year subscription to the Xbox Live service, and Live-enabled demoversions of MotoGP and MechAssault.

Xbox Live is a broadband gaming service where gamers can simultaneously play, talk and build their legend across games and around the world. Competitors can connect, play and talk with each other during their game sessions – and with a growing Live community of over 500,000 gamers around the world, there’s a lot of
competition available.

There will be a total of 50 Live-enabled games available by the end of December, including:

Amped 2 (Microsoft Game Studios)
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3 (Ubi Soft)
Top Spin (Microsoft Game Studios)
XIII (Ubi Soft)
CounterStrike (Microsoft Game Studios)
Crimson Skies (Microsoft Game Studios)
Links (Microsoft Games Studio)
Magic: The Gathering (Atari)
Project Gotham Racing 2 (Microsoft Game Studios)
TOCA Race Driver (Codemasters)
Sega GT Online (Sega).
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (Activision)

Xbox Live is now available in 14 European countries. Ireland joins Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

The Official Xbox Live Launch will take place today at 3.30pm in Microsoft, The Atrium, Block B, Carmenhall Road Sandyford, Dublin 18.

Visit:
default.aspwww.xboxemea.com

User name: partner
Password: xb0xr0ck$

Xbox has announced that Live gaming has hit Ireland, with Xbox Live Starter Kits available at retail from October 30th. The Starter Kits contain an Xbox Voice Communicator headset that allows voice chat during play and from the Xbox Live Dashboard, a one-year subscription to the Xbox Live service, and Live-enabled demoversions of MotoGP and MechAssault.

Xbox Live is a broadband gaming service where gamers can simultaneously play, talk and build their legend across games and around the world. Competitors can connect, play and talk with each other during their game sessions – and with a growing Live community of over 500,000 gamers around the world, there’s a lot of
competition available.

There will be a total of 50 Live-enabled games available by the end of December, including:

Amped 2 (Microsoft Game Studios)
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3 (Ubi Soft)
Top Spin (Microsoft Game Studios)
XIII (Ubi Soft)
CounterStrike (Microsoft Game Studios)
Crimson Skies (Microsoft Game Studios)
Links (Microsoft Games Studio)
Magic: The Gathering (Atari)
Project Gotham Racing 2 (Microsoft Game Studios)
TOCA Race Driver (Codemasters)
Sega GT Online (Sega).
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (Activision)

Xbox Live is now available in 14 European countries. Ireland joins Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

The Official Xbox Live Launch will take place today at 3.30pm in Microsoft, The Atrium, Block B, Carmenhall Road Sandyford, Dublin 18.

Visit:
default.aspwww.xboxemea.com

User name: partner
Password: xb0xr0ck$