The job profile states:

‘The successful applicant will be familiar with the use of new technologies in artistic practice. Applicants are expected to demonstrate expertise and innovative thinking in the design, prototyping and development of public exhibitions or musical performances using new technologies in an artistic context.

Areas of expertise must be music-related and can include – robotic art, hacktivism, live-video and Vjing, new media, virtual environments, haptics, interactive spaces, software art, sound installation, immersive technologies, digital architecture, artworks using artificial intelligence or artificial life software. The New Media Academic Fellow will be based at the Sonic Arts Research Centre (SARC) and will develop creatively-led projects in visual/video technologies which compliment the audio-based work already underway at SARC.’

read more in the jobs section of gd.ie

The different units which make up this course were developed by Synergy Learning, a prviate company based in Belfast, in consultation with teachers at the Causeway Institute and in consultation with industry.

Given that the course is a National Diploma in Media the focus of the modules is somewhat different from other courses. There are four core media subjects – Understanding the Media, Research Techniques, Media skills Workshop and Professional Practice; four compulsory modules – Production Management, Professional Brief, Digital Graphics, Game Platforms and Technologies and ten game options which include – Narrative Structure in games, Game design, Sound for games, Video in Multimedia, Object orientated design, HCI, Game engines, 3D modelling, 3D animation and 3D environments. Colleges can pick and choose from a wide of modules and students must complete 18 units for a National Diploma over 2 years or 12 units for a Certificate.

The Causeway Institute has been working closely with Eidos who have helped to train staff. David Brockbank, who teaches on the course, also informed gd.ie that they have a full complement of consoles and PCs for their students. Other links have been made to CanDo.

Entry Requirements are 4GCSEs at Grade C or above and an interview. People who are interested in finding out more should check out the EDXL website for the full list of modules and/or contact David Brockbank on mailto: david.brockbank @ causeway.ac.ukdavid.brockbank@causeway.ac.uk. People can apply direct through the causeway’s own website.

The Causeway Institute is located on two campuses, Coleraine and Ballymoney. The Institute came into being in September 1994 after the merger of two former technical colleges- Coleraine Technical College and Ballymoney’s North Antrim College. Central Administration for the whole Institute is now based at the Coleraine Campus.

More info:

Ed EXCEL
www.edexcel.org.uk/qualifications/QualificationAward.aspx?id=93278 list of modules

Causeway Institute
www.causeway.ac.uk/courses/courses_search_details.asp?fldCourseID=342

The job profile states:

‘The successful applicant will be familiar with the use of new technologies in artistic practice. Applicants are expected to demonstrate expertise and innovative thinking in the design, prototyping and development of public exhibitions or musical performances using new technologies in an artistic context.

Areas of expertise must be music-related and can include – robotic art, hacktivism, live-video and Vjing, new media, virtual environments, haptics, interactive spaces, software art, sound installation, immersive technologies, digital architecture, artworks using artificial intelligence or artificial life software. The New Media Academic Fellow will be based at the Sonic Arts Research Centre (SARC) and will develop creatively-led projects in visual/video technologies which compliment the audio-based work already underway at SARC.’

read more in the jobs section of gd.ie

The different units which make up this course were developed by Synergy Learning, a prviate company based in Belfast, in consultation with teachers at the Causeway Institute and in consultation with industry.

Given that the course is a National Diploma in Media the focus of the modules is somewhat different from other courses. There are four core media subjects – Understanding the Media, Research Techniques, Media skills Workshop and Professional Practice; four compulsory modules – Production Management, Professional Brief, Digital Graphics, Game Platforms and Technologies and ten game options which include – Narrative Structure in games, Game design, Sound for games, Video in Multimedia, Object orientated design, HCI, Game engines, 3D modelling, 3D animation and 3D environments. Colleges can pick and choose from a wide of modules and students must complete 18 units for a National Diploma over 2 years or 12 units for a Certificate.

The Causeway Institute has been working closely with Eidos who have helped to train staff. David Brockbank, who teaches on the course, also informed gd.ie that they have a full complement of consoles and PCs for their students. Other links have been made to CanDo.

Entry Requirements are 4GCSEs at Grade C or above and an interview. People who are interested in finding out more should check out the EDXL website for the full list of modules and/or contact David Brockbank on mailto: david.brockbank @ causeway.ac.ukdavid.brockbank@causeway.ac.uk. People can apply direct through the causeway’s own website.

The Causeway Institute is located on two campuses, Coleraine and Ballymoney. The Institute came into being in September 1994 after the merger of two former technical colleges- Coleraine Technical College and Ballymoney’s North Antrim College. Central Administration for the whole Institute is now based at the Coleraine Campus.

More info:

Ed EXCEL
www.edexcel.org.uk/qualifications/QualificationAward.aspx?id=93278 list of modules

Causeway Institute
www.causeway.ac.uk/courses/courses_search_details.asp?fldCourseID=342

The Women in Games 2005 conference wants to highlight to both the academic and industrial world the most recent, groundbreaking work in computer game research and development.

Conference proposal themes will include, but are not limited to, the following topics and categories:

1. History of women in computing and computer games
2. Issues facing women in the games industry
3. Games and education
4. Games and usability
5. Understanding gameplay
6. Motivation in gaming
7. MMORPGs
8. Games audience
9. Game art
10. Game activism
11. Depiction of females in games
12. Avatars as female role models
13. Design and usability considerations for women/girls
14. Cultural variation in gameplay
15. Advergames

Types of submission:

Submissions can be made within the following categories: full paper, short paper, poster, panel or student forum. All submissions will be anonymously peer-reviewed by the Women in Games steering committee.

Student Forum

Under-graduate and Graduate students are encouraged to present at the student forum to be held during the conference. Electronically submit a cover sheet, which includes the presentation title, the name, address, phone and fax numbers, and email address of each author and a 30 word summary that will be suitable for inclusion in the programme and on the website to introduce the presentation. Submit an abstract no longer than 1000 words summarising the research activity, which will be used as the basis for review. Successful candidates will present their work at the conference.

Important dates:

March 21, 2005 Deadline for submission for all categories
April 19, 2005 Notification of acceptance
May 31, 2005 Camera-ready deadline for FULL papers
June 30, 2005 Camera-ready deadline for SHORT papers
June 30, 2005 Deadline for providing names and affiliations for panel members and chair

More info:

The Women in Games 2005 conference wants to highlight to both the academic and industrial world the most recent, groundbreaking work in computer game research and development.

Conference proposal themes will include, but are not limited to, the following topics and categories:

1. History of women in computing and computer games
2. Issues facing women in the games industry
3. Games and education
4. Games and usability
5. Understanding gameplay
6. Motivation in gaming
7. MMORPGs
8. Games audience
9. Game art
10. Game activism
11. Depiction of females in games
12. Avatars as female role models
13. Design and usability considerations for women/girls
14. Cultural variation in gameplay
15. Advergames

Types of submission:

Submissions can be made within the following categories: full paper, short paper, poster, panel or student forum. All submissions will be anonymously peer-reviewed by the Women in Games steering committee.

Student Forum

Under-graduate and Graduate students are encouraged to present at the student forum to be held during the conference. Electronically submit a cover sheet, which includes the presentation title, the name, address, phone and fax numbers, and email address of each author and a 30 word summary that will be suitable for inclusion in the programme and on the website to introduce the presentation. Submit an abstract no longer than 1000 words summarising the research activity, which will be used as the basis for review. Successful candidates will present their work at the conference.

Important dates:

March 21, 2005 Deadline for submission for all categories
April 19, 2005 Notification of acceptance
May 31, 2005 Camera-ready deadline for FULL papers
June 30, 2005 Camera-ready deadline for SHORT papers
June 30, 2005 Deadline for providing names and affiliations for panel members and chair

More info:

So here we are, one year on, one year older, one year wiser? Hopefully. But what have the Organising Committee and the chapter been up to over the past year?

When Aphra asked me to write this article I thought back over the various things the IGDA Ireland Chapter and its Organising Committee had participated in and accomplished in 2004 – and with a growing sense of wonderment and satisfaction, I realised that my expectations in setting up the chapter had long ago been surpassed. Actually, scratch that – they were blown out of the water!

When I first thought of the idea and started talking about it with the few Irish games developers I knew, we had no idea that Gamedevelopers.ie was already under way and about to make its online debut. The idea lay dormant for another three or four months, as I didn’t think there was a sufficiently large or vibrant enough community to galvanise and support our efforts. As well as this, the development community within Ireland seemed largely to be aspirational – and if that was the case who would benefit from setting up a Chapter and whatever fruits our labours would bear?

Within a few months of Gamedevelopers.ie being launched, it was obvious that the first assumption was completely wrong. The community may be largely aspirational and geographically dispersed, but it was definitely there and vibrant, and now it had a focus. The second assumption had likewise proved erroneous, as having spoken with EI and the IDA, I could see there was sufficient interest – not to mention, more development companies than was first apparent – to merit at least attempting to set up a Chapter. The final straw came one day while browsing the chapter forums on the main IGDA site and coming across the new Ireland thread – where one of the site admins mentioned there were 190 Irish members of the IGDA! I mailed some of the people involved in the industry in Ireland, choosing those I thought would make the most difference (or have the most influence), and the ball was well and truly rolling.

And so the first IGDA Ireland Organising Committee meeting took place in O’Neills in Pearse Street (yes, it’s a pub!) in early November 2004, and we’ve managed to meet almost every month since in a conference room in the Digital Depot courtesy of the Digital Hub.

Most chapters have a strong social element to them and only a secondary lobbying function. Given the regularity of the Gamedevelopers.ie Shindigs, it was decided early on that the Irish chapter would focus more on the lobbying aspect of things, and try to both stimulate and educate the various bodies involved in forming and implementing policy that most affected game makers.

We launched the chapter in January with a talk & workshop from Ernest Adams, followed that up with a Sony evening in April on the PSP and on 3rd party developer relations.

But I personally think our biggest success was organising & hosting Awakenings 2004 – Ireland’s first ever game development conference. The conference which was sponsored by all the main semi-state funding bodies on the island, saw industry legend Graham Devine (Ensemble Studios), Markus Maki (Remedy), Chris Van Der Kuyl (Vis) and Jason Della Rocca (IGDA) travel over to speak at it. The event, hosted in the Northwest Institute of Further & Higher Education in Derry, got widespread national & international media coverage and raised awareness among the wider industry of the nascent indigenous industry. In the end, we saw 233 people take up places at the conference out of a possible 250 – and both Graham Devine and Markus Maki described it as the best organised conference they had ever been at! Not bad when you consider the amount of GDCs, E3s, etc. these guys have been to over the years – and especially so given that it was our first… Much of the credit for the outstanding success of Awakenings goes to my Torc colleague, Wendy Gibbons and to Robbie Hegarty of NWIFHE.

image2
Awakenings 2004 – Photo courtesy of the Derry Journal. Can you name them all?? hint – most of the keynote speakers are present.

This year we are planning a follow up to the 2004 report, ongoing consultation with government, universities and regional funding bodies, and we are currently planning Awakenings for the next three years. We are also expanding the organising committee in an effort to widen our role, so expect an announcement on this soon.

Many thanks are due the members of the organising committee who give generously of their time, contacts and other resources to plan, organise and run these events on top of already ridiculously busy schedules. In no particular order, I would like to thank Dylan Collins (Demonware), Peter Mee (Meedja), Steve Collins (Havok), Wendy Gibbons (Torc Interactive), Aphra Kerr (University of Ulster) and Mike Griffin (Kapooki Games). I would also like to thank Shane Whelan (Ballyfermot College) who had to resign his committee post late in the year due to his other commitments, but who was there at the off and helped provide some of the momentum the IGDA now enjoys in Ireland.

Thanks are of course also due to the many volunteers who helped out throughout the last year, not least of which are, Dave Kearney, Ian Hannigan, Jamie McCormick& the indefatigable Ronny Southwood.

Thanks also to the many sponsors who helped make the various events the successes they were.

The Year in Brief

1.Ernest Adams talk & workshop
2.Sony PSP & Developer Relations talk
3. Contribution to Forfàs electronic games report
4. Ongoing consultation with IDA & EI – including meeting with potential IDA clients (e.g. DC Studios)
5. Member of committee on Dare to be Digital (ROI) 2004 & 2005
6. Member of committee on Dare to be Digital (NI) 2005
7. Member of committee on judging panel of Digital Media Awards 2005
8. Member of committee on Game Developer Choice Awards 2005
9. Member of committee on IGDA Production SIG
10. Consultation on Ireland’s first games programming degree course in Carlow
11. Participation in the Shindigs and in day-to-day activities of Gamedevelopers.ie
12. Ireland’s first ever games conference, Awakenings ‘04
13. Academics round table & Semi-State Funding bodies at Awakenings
14. Resources on IGDA Ireland website (currently being integrated with the revamped GD)
15. Education Brochure (ongoing)
16.Media activity:
•Irish Independent article on Irish games industry in December 2004
•Chapter launch covered in The Irish Times
•Appearance on RTE’s Prime Time on violence in video games
•Silicon Republic articles on games industry in Ireland
•Hollywood Reporter article on government support for the industry
•Participation in Talk Digital in Digital Hub
•Full page ad in Digital Media Directory 2005
•Spoke at Digital Media Conference 2005
• Awakenings coverage on BBC Radio Foyle, BBC Northern Ireland, Derry Journal, Belfast Telegraph, Silicon Republic, Gamasutra.com, Gamesindustry.biz, IGDA.org and Irish Times
• Representative on Prime Time piece on games and violence, Dec. 05

Related Links:

http://www.igda.orghttp://www.igda.org

So here we are, one year on, one year older, one year wiser? Hopefully. But what have the Organising Committee and the chapter been up to over the past year?

When Aphra asked me to write this article I thought back over the various things the IGDA Ireland Chapter and its Organising Committee had participated in and accomplished in 2004 – and with a growing sense of wonderment and satisfaction, I realised that my expectations in setting up the chapter had long ago been surpassed. Actually, scratch that – they were blown out of the water!

When I first thought of the idea and started talking about it with the few Irish games developers I knew, we had no idea that Gamedevelopers.ie was already under way and about to make its online debut. The idea lay dormant for another three or four months, as I didn’t think there was a sufficiently large or vibrant enough community to galvanise and support our efforts. As well as this, the development community within Ireland seemed largely to be aspirational – and if that was the case who would benefit from setting up a Chapter and whatever fruits our labours would bear?

Within a few months of Gamedevelopers.ie being launched, it was obvious that the first assumption was completely wrong. The community may be largely aspirational and geographically dispersed, but it was definitely there and vibrant, and now it had a focus. The second assumption had likewise proved erroneous, as having spoken with EI and the IDA, I could see there was sufficient interest – not to mention, more development companies than was first apparent – to merit at least attempting to set up a Chapter. The final straw came one day while browsing the chapter forums on the main IGDA site and coming across the new Ireland thread – where one of the site admins mentioned there were 190 Irish members of the IGDA! I mailed some of the people involved in the industry in Ireland, choosing those I thought would make the most difference (or have the most influence), and the ball was well and truly rolling.

And so the first IGDA Ireland Organising Committee meeting took place in O’Neills in Pearse Street (yes, it’s a pub!) in early November 2004, and we’ve managed to meet almost every month since in a conference room in the Digital Depot courtesy of the Digital Hub.

Most chapters have a strong social element to them and only a secondary lobbying function. Given the regularity of the Gamedevelopers.ie Shindigs, it was decided early on that the Irish chapter would focus more on the lobbying aspect of things, and try to both stimulate and educate the various bodies involved in forming and implementing policy that most affected game makers.

We launched the chapter in January with a talk & workshop from Ernest Adams, followed that up with a Sony evening in April on the PSP and on 3rd party developer relations.

But I personally think our biggest success was organising & hosting Awakenings 2004 – Ireland’s first ever game development conference. The conference which was sponsored by all the main semi-state funding bodies on the island, saw industry legend Graham Devine (Ensemble Studios), Markus Maki (Remedy), Chris Van Der Kuyl (Vis) and Jason Della Rocca (IGDA) travel over to speak at it. The event, hosted in the Northwest Institute of Further & Higher Education in Derry, got widespread national & international media coverage and raised awareness among the wider industry of the nascent indigenous industry. In the end, we saw 233 people take up places at the conference out of a possible 250 – and both Graham Devine and Markus Maki described it as the best organised conference they had ever been at! Not bad when you consider the amount of GDCs, E3s, etc. these guys have been to over the years – and especially so given that it was our first… Much of the credit for the outstanding success of Awakenings goes to my Torc colleague, Wendy Gibbons and to Robbie Hegarty of NWIFHE.

image2
Awakenings 2004 – Photo courtesy of the Derry Journal. Can you name them all?? hint – most of the keynote speakers are present.

This year we are planning a follow up to the 2004 report, ongoing consultation with government, universities and regional funding bodies, and we are currently planning Awakenings for the next three years. We are also expanding the organising committee in an effort to widen our role, so expect an announcement on this soon.

Many thanks are due the members of the organising committee who give generously of their time, contacts and other resources to plan, organise and run these events on top of already ridiculously busy schedules. In no particular order, I would like to thank Dylan Collins (Demonware), Peter Mee (Meedja), Steve Collins (Havok), Wendy Gibbons (Torc Interactive), Aphra Kerr (University of Ulster) and Mike Griffin (Kapooki Games). I would also like to thank Shane Whelan (Ballyfermot College) who had to resign his committee post late in the year due to his other commitments, but who was there at the off and helped provide some of the momentum the IGDA now enjoys in Ireland.

Thanks are of course also due to the many volunteers who helped out throughout the last year, not least of which are, Dave Kearney, Ian Hannigan, Jamie McCormick& the indefatigable Ronny Southwood.

Thanks also to the many sponsors who helped make the various events the successes they were.

The Year in Brief

1.Ernest Adams talk & workshop
2.Sony PSP & Developer Relations talk
3. Contribution to Forfàs electronic games report
4. Ongoing consultation with IDA & EI – including meeting with potential IDA clients (e.g. DC Studios)
5. Member of committee on Dare to be Digital (ROI) 2004 & 2005
6. Member of committee on Dare to be Digital (NI) 2005
7. Member of committee on judging panel of Digital Media Awards 2005
8. Member of committee on Game Developer Choice Awards 2005
9. Member of committee on IGDA Production SIG
10. Consultation on Ireland’s first games programming degree course in Carlow
11. Participation in the Shindigs and in day-to-day activities of Gamedevelopers.ie
12. Ireland’s first ever games conference, Awakenings ‘04
13. Academics round table & Semi-State Funding bodies at Awakenings
14. Resources on IGDA Ireland website (currently being integrated with the revamped GD)
15. Education Brochure (ongoing)
16.Media activity:
•Irish Independent article on Irish games industry in December 2004
•Chapter launch covered in The Irish Times
•Appearance on RTE’s Prime Time on violence in video games
•Silicon Republic articles on games industry in Ireland
•Hollywood Reporter article on government support for the industry
•Participation in Talk Digital in Digital Hub
•Full page ad in Digital Media Directory 2005
•Spoke at Digital Media Conference 2005
• Awakenings coverage on BBC Radio Foyle, BBC Northern Ireland, Derry Journal, Belfast Telegraph, Silicon Republic, Gamasutra.com, Gamesindustry.biz, IGDA.org and Irish Times
• Representative on Prime Time piece on games and violence, Dec. 05

Related Links:

http://www.igda.orghttp://www.igda.org

The award was given to Nephin for their WKN Kickboxing mobile game which also features back-end database applications for customer relationship marketing.

We sent a few Qs to Alan Duggan of Nephin games to find out some more details…

1. So how did the kickboxing game come about?

We approached the World Kickboxing Network with the concept. Their President, Stefane Cabrera, and World Director, Billy Murray, immediately understood the potential for the game to connect the WKN with young adults and expand the WKN community not only through promotion of their brand but also through the find-a-friend and invite-a-friend features supported in the game.

2. So what is the game all about? How do you kickbox on a mobile phone?

The core concept of the game is having fun with your friends as a Kickboxing fighter. Just like in the real world you train, spar with your buddies, challenge other fighters, and take part in tournaments. You can personalize your fighter by choosing your fighter’s name and colours and associating him or her with your club if you wish.

The game is community based so you can play with your friends playing against their profiles on your phone. This means you get the fun of competitive play without the online head-to-head costs. When you win a challenge or sparring session, your friend gets a message to say you beat them to encourage friendly competition.

The game also includes messaging much like texting so that you can taunt and chat with your friends in the game, and of course we support high scores with some nice features like rising stars and above me which allow you to check on the fighters just above you in the rankings.

3. What mobile phone platforms are the game developed for?

The game launched in December 04 on Series 60 Nokia phones which includes the 3650, 7650, N-Gage, and 6630 among others. We are wrapping up Nokia Series 40 support at the moment which will add phones like the 3510i, 7210, 3200, 6820, 6230 and we will be quickly following that up with support for Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Samsung, and Siemens. All of these devices are Java based but our intention is to also include support for BREW in the near future.

4. How can we get our hands on the game?

The game is still available from our launch partner www.fonearcade.com

5. How does one pay for it?

You pay to download the game to your phone and you will find all the directions on how to buy the game on www.fonearcade.com. Nephin Games does not charge you anything for the game thereafter.

6. What projects are you currently working on?

We have big plans for this year. We have a number of branded titles in various stages of development at the moment so you can expect some announcements in the coming months. In line with that, we will be hiring. Needless to say you will find out about it very soon and first on gd.ie.

9. Where is Nephin games located and how many people do you have working for you at the moment?

Nephin Games is based just outside Galway city on the shores of Lough Corrib. We number four people at present but that will be rising pretty rapidly this year. We have used external expertise in the past as needed and where possible we have sourced that talent locally in Ireland, often through gd.ie.

For more information:

Contact Alan Duggan, tel: +353 91 793 196

See also wkn www.nephingames.com/wkn

1. You have left Ireland and gone back to Finland. Why?

We had a family tragedy that required our full attention. Life has a way of making certain decision for you, and this was one that I’d have rather avoided.

2. Where are you located now and what is the local game development scene like?

I’m back working in Helsinki. The local game development scene is pretty much similar to the one in Ireland. There are a few retail development houses: Remedy (Max Payne), Housemarque (Supreme Snowboarding) and Bugbear (FlatOut). And then we have one technology developer with Hybrid (dPVS for RenderWare). Aside from that there are maybe a handful of smaller retail upstarts and then a few oddities like myself.

3. Are you still running Mistaril? And how is Space-Station Manager doing?

I’m just a few days clear from launching the successor to the Space Station Manager project. It is called ShortHike and it is a space settlement simulation guild.

The idea is to have a membership based system where everything relating to the simulation is included as long as you pay your yearly membership fee. One service, one fee. This is a pretty unique business model in games. If you are into developing simulation games you might be interested in my longer Blog post that gives more background. You can find it at .

4. Are you working on any other projects at the moment?

No. Just focusing exclusively on ShortHike. Seems like I will have my hands full for the next ten years anyway.

5. How long were you in Ireland for and how did you find that experience?

Just about half a year. Wow, how could it be so short? I feel like I know most of you already. I must say it was one of the most enlightening experiences for me. I would recommend being an expat for anyone, and I can honestly say enjoying your hospitality was among the best time I ever had. Thanks and be sure to drop in if you are anywhere near Helsinki!

1. You have left Ireland and gone back to Finland. Why?

We had a family tragedy that required our full attention. Life has a way of making certain decision for you, and this was one that I’d have rather avoided.

2. Where are you located now and what is the local game development scene like?

I’m back working in Helsinki. The local game development scene is pretty much similar to the one in Ireland. There are a few retail development houses: Remedy (Max Payne), Housemarque (Supreme Snowboarding) and Bugbear (FlatOut). And then we have one technology developer with Hybrid (dPVS for RenderWare). Aside from that there are maybe a handful of smaller retail upstarts and then a few oddities like myself.

3. Are you still running Mistaril? And how is Space-Station Manager doing?

I’m just a few days clear from launching the successor to the Space Station Manager project. It is called ShortHike and it is a space settlement simulation guild.

The idea is to have a membership based system where everything relating to the simulation is included as long as you pay your yearly membership fee. One service, one fee. This is a pretty unique business model in games. If you are into developing simulation games you might be interested in my longer Blog post that gives more background. You can find it at .

4. Are you working on any other projects at the moment?

No. Just focusing exclusively on ShortHike. Seems like I will have my hands full for the next ten years anyway.

5. How long were you in Ireland for and how did you find that experience?

Just about half a year. Wow, how could it be so short? I feel like I know most of you already. I must say it was one of the most enlightening experiences for me. I would recommend being an expat for anyone, and I can honestly say enjoying your hospitality was among the best time I ever had. Thanks and be sure to drop in if you are anywhere near Helsinki!

CanDo are working on an app to help students learn how to model in 3D. It can also help to teach basic game logic. The basic concept is based on a GTA style driving app, using Havok physics.

CanDo are looking for testers on all skill levels, from novices to experienced modellers. The only requirement is that you have a 3D modelling application such as Maya or 3DMax installed.

You can download the CanDo application (6 MB), including the .exe and the files required to upload it to your website, from

gamedesign/car/EditCarLevel.ZIP.

For more information, sendd an email to

testers@candointeractive.com

More information can be found

here.

Havok, the developer of the eponymous physics engine, has been nominated in the category ‘Digital Post Production’ for Halo 2 and will compete against Boulder Media, IADT/Vico Films and Screen Scene.

In the category "Digital Games Developer of the Year", the Irish Dare to be Digital winners Red Ruckus from IADT, Dun Laoghaire, have been nominated along with the Image Synthesis Group of Trinity College (28 Pints Later) and Nephin Games, Galway (WKN Kickboxing for Mobile). Nephin Games has also been nominated in the category "Best New Wireless Application."

The Digital Media Awards will take place on the 2nd of February 2005 in the Burlington Hotel in Dublin. Hosted by Dave Fanning, the awards are now in their 3rd year. The objective of the awards is to raise awareness of the emerging digital media sector in Ireland. More importantly it acts as a showcase for the many pieces of dynamic work being created by companies and third level institutions across a broad spectrum of categories. The IIA is represented by CEO Irene Gahan, who acted as a judge for this years awards.

To attend one of the highlights of the year for the Internet industry see or call Helen on – 01 6791750.