As mentioned on the boards, Havok and Intel are sponsoring a game physics competition to see what you can do with their tech in a game demo.

There are two categories and two deadlines; one in November and one in January 08.

In category one, one of the prizes has been ring fenced for an Irish entry — so get coding!!

‘The fourth prize is dedicated to a participant from the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland. Havok just celebrated the 10th anniversary of Havok’s founding in Dublin, Ireland. For that reason we want to encourage entries from current Irish university students with a special prize of US$5,000. Entrants must be currently attending a third level institution within the island of Ireland, and must register using an email address with their school’s domain to qualify.’

See below for further details.

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HavokTM and the Intel(R) Software Network welcome you to the pinnacle of game physics competition. What can you do with the Intel-sponsored versions of Havok Physics and Animation for the PC? We’ve put the world’s best simulation tools in the hands of developers and we’re looking for its most innovative use in a game. Your game demo could earn you cash, a gaming PC and great exposure. $40,000 in cash and prizes are up for grabs!

Give it your Best Shot in two categories:

Category 1: Most Innovative Use of Physics in a Game. Your entry must be a playable PC game demo that includes new or unique uses of Havok technology. We’re looking for new ways for the player to interact with the game through physics, showing different uses of physics than what can be found in PC games today. This can be a FPS, sports game, casual game, or any other type of game.

Category 2: Best Physics Knowledge Base Entry. We’re looking for the best contributions that can benefit the game developer community. This can be a code sample, optimization tip, technical whitepaper, a technical abstract of your demo, or any other technical content that shares your knowledge of game physics with the community.

The PC version of Havoks physics and animation software products is available for download at no charge. See http://tryhavok.intel.com.

Submit your demo / application concepts by November 15, 2008 to be eligible for the finalist round of competition.

Submit your entries to the Best Physics Knowledge Base category by January 16, 2009 to be eligible for the top prizes in this category.

Check out our Official Rules for more details about this contest at http://softwarecommunity.intel.com/articles/eng/3938.htm.

Registration is open for the annual Women in Games conference which this year will take place in Warwick in the UK in a joint initiative between Warwick University and Rare.

For info on speakers etc see http://www.womeningames.com/

Notes

Aims of Women in Games

1. Give a voice to women in the games industry.
2. Analyse and monitor the role of women in the games industry.
3. Provide networking opportunities, especially for women developing and researching games.
4. Support and encourage students, researchers and developers to explore and redress the game industry’s
gender imbalance.
5. Disseminate research into games (past, present and future), especially (but not exclusively) with reference to the experience of women playing, developing and responding to games and game culture.
6. Disseminate information on the latest technologies and the best design and development practices.

The 2nd Brunel University Annual Postgraduate Games Conference, 16th September 2008

Keynote Speakers: Peter Molyneux, Lionhead Studios and Barry Atkins, Univesrity of Wales.

See http://www.geekademic.co.uk/

The Digital Games : Theory & Design postgraduate conference will be held at at Brunel University in Uxbridge, London on 16/09/2008. The aim of the conference is to provide a forum for postgraduate games studies students to present work or work-in-progress to their peers and more experienced games researchers. T

All students or other interested parties are welcome to attend the conferences.

The theme of the conference is “Theory & Design”, and some sample areas of interest are listed below: history of games, game theory, combat systems, socio-cultural issues, community, gaming culture, game genre, design possibilities for the next generation, ethnicity, sound, character, immersion, play, widening markets, sex, casual games, agency, time & space, education, economic and industrial analysis, narrative, game auteurs, graphical styles, empirical analysis, gender, intermediality & transmediality, localisation, violence, political/serious games

EIF 2008 will take place from Sunday 10th to Tuesday 12th August, and will this year move to the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. The Dare finalists will be presenting their work as part of this festival so best of luck to them all, esp. the Irish teams.

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2008 will feature a major two-day conference programme, an array of networking events, an expansion of the EIF Games Screenings programme covering three cinema rooms, a major public area with gaming features, retail and recruitment sites. Dare ProtoPlay, the public showcase event of Dare to be Digital and Games Screenings.

Chris Deering, Chairman of Edinburgh Interactive Festival, said:
“Of course, we are delighted that we have been able to mix this year’s developments with a partnership with the Dare to be Digital programme, originated by Abertay University. It’s a wonderful project and we are a natural fit for each other under the EIF banner.”

“EIF’s focus on the creative culture of games makes it the perfect partner for Dare ProtoPlay and our proximity will create a real win / win for industry delegates and public visitors alike, creating a real festival atmosphere,” said Paul Durrant, Director of Dare to be Digital project.

New to Interactive Festival 2008 will be Features, Exhibition and Recruitment areas specifically tailored to cater for the public – allowing them access to the latest games and job opportunities in games.

As ever, the three-day Interactive Festival wouldn’t be complete without the cornerstones of conferences, keynotes, panel sessions, debates, games screenings and even more people than ever jostling to get through the doors.

For more see http://www.edinburghinteractivefestival.com/