Gareth Lee has just been in contact about this forthcoming master class taking place in BCFE.

There are a small number of places left and you can contact him directly if you are interested in attending at glee [at] bcfe [dot] net

Aphra.

***************

Bruce Block (Hollywood Producer and author of the renowned book ‘The Visual Story’) will visit Ballyfermot College of Further Education from the 23rd to the 25th November next to deliver four master classes on ‘THE VISUAL COMPONENTS OF FILM’.

The master classes, for the college animation staff/students and invited guests, will be delivered in the Anna Brett Hall, Ballyfermot College Media Building on the following dates and times:

Tuesday 23rd November: 9-12pm and 1-4pm
Wednesday 24th November: 10-1pm
Thursday 25th November: 10-1pm

For more information on the master classes and Bruce Block see below:

VISUAL COMPONENTS OF FILM

Just as a writer is concerned with story structure or a musician with musical structure, a picture maker must be concerned with visual structure. The key to using visual structure is an understanding of the basic visual components: space, line, shape, color, tone, movement, and rhythm. It is through the control of these visual components that the picture maker stirs an audience’s emotions, creates new and unique visual styles and controls the critical relationship between story and visual structure.

The principles discussed in the seminar can be used in live-action or animation for any format including theatrical motion pictures, television shows, commercials, computer games or Internet sites. The seminar relates all of the visual concepts to practical production and bridges the gap between theory and practice. The seminar is designed for directors, writers, storyboard artists, concept artists, production designers, cinematographers, lighting designers, game designers and graphic artists.

The Basic Outline:

SESSION 1: SPACE. Discussions begin with an overview of screen space and the basic organization of visual space. Both 2-D and 3-D space are discussed.

SESSION 2: STRUCTURE. The relationship between visual structure, narrative/story structure and structural analysis is discussed. Processes are explained that allow the filmmaker to organize the visual structure as carefully as a writer organizes and structures a story.

SESSION 3: LINE & SHAPE, COLOR. Linear motif is introduced and basic shapes are defined. Color systems, structure and control are discussed to simplify an extremely complex visual component.

SESSION 4: TONE, MOVEMENT, RHYTHM. Tone is defined in relation to art direction and lighting. Movement is discussed for the camera, objects and the audience’s point of attention on the screen. Rhythm is defined in relation to stationary or moving objects and editing. Both 2-D and 3-D movement and rhythm are discussed.

© COPYRIGHT 2010 BRUCE A. BLOCK

Bruce Block has over thirty-five years experience in the production of film and television. His career encompasses live action feature motion pictures, television programs, commercials, documentaries, animation, museum installations, and IMAX films.

He has produced a variety of Hollywood studio films including The Holiday, Something’s Gotta Give, What Women Want and Father Of The Bride. Mr. Block was a creative consultant on Stuart Little, As Good As It Gets and Some Kind Of Wonderful.

Mr. Block teaches visual structure of film, television and digital media at universities, animation studios, advertising agencies, computer game companies, and graphics design studios in America and Europe.

His clients include Pixar Studios, Walt Disney Feature and Television Animation, Dreamworks Studios, Warner Bros. Feature Animation, Hasbro Interactive, Nickelodeon Network, Hewlett-Packard, Troika Design Group, Screen Training Ireland, Binger Film Institute, AFI, UCLA and USC’s School of Cinematic Arts.

Mr. Block is the author of The Visual Story published by Focal Press. His book, dealing with the relationship between story structure and visual structure, is used professionally and educationally all over the world.

Mr. Block is a member of the Director’s Guild of America and the Art
Director’s Guild.

Last year Phil and the gang in Thurles hosted a games jam. Now is the time for others to sign up to do it too.

Companies can do it too!

Full call for hosts below

Aphra

**************

The third installment of the GGJ – Global Game Jam 2011 will take place the last weekend of January 2011 (January 28-30, 2011):

– One Weekend
– World wide game jam
– One theme
– Thousands of game developer enthusiasts
– Hundreds of locations
– Thousand+ newly created games

We are looking for hosts to accommodate and organize local sites of the GGJ 2011. We hope to see a lot of first-timer sites to enhance the experience and bring even more people together, creating innovative games and having a wonderful time.

Please note that everyone, even sites that took part in 2010, will have to sign up again for 2011.

New to Global Game Jam for 2011:
* Board games, as well as digital games
* Cross-site participation

Global Game Jam was founded three years ago by Susan Gold, Foaad Khosmood, Ian Schreiber and Gorm Lai, who is serving as this year’s GGJ chairman. The inaugural GGJ in 2009 had 53 sites in 23 countries participating. About 370 games were produced. In 2010, more than 4,000 game enthusiasts in 139 different locations made over 900 games, many very experimental in nature.

The largest group in 2010 was the Nordic Game Jam in Copenhagen, Denmark with more than 300 participants. Several experimental games developed at Nordic Jam have been shown at IndieCade and other events. Dutch Game Garden also made a second big showing this year. Other big jams included The Israeli Game Developers, METUTECH-ATOM (Turkey), NYU Game Center, Tumbleweed Game Jam (Norway) and Game Jam Sydney.

In the U.S., 55 jam sites in 30 states accounted for 40% of total sites. Canada had 10 sites; the UK 8; Germany 5; Brazil 5 sites; and Finland 4. First-timer sites jammed in Colombia, Russia, Poland, India, Pakistan and Philippines and Malaysia.

“GGJ is a truly global event, which is opened in New Zealand, 23 hours before the last sites on the American West Coast joins. This also means New Zealand is finishing, when Cogswell is only half way through!”

”The 2009 and 2010 events were such smashing successes, we want to do it again, and make it even better,” said Lai. “It’s a chance for anyone and everyone to be a part of experimental game development. We walk the talk!”

To sign up your studio/lab/school, please look over the following specs for what is needed, and then see this page for instructions.

* Physical space to comfortably seat participants
* Internet access (either wired or wireless) for all participants
* Access to common game development tools and/or ability to download and install software
* Local IT support in case of problems with computers or Internet connectivity
* At least one local official organizer to coordinate the event
* Access to all space and computing resources around the clock over the weekend of January 28-30, 2011 (preferably)
* Access to food (such as nearby food stores or restaurants, or you can provide food on-site)
* Presentation space (such as an auditorium) to do a post Jam presentation on Sunday, January 30.

The IGDA prefers locations that can be open for the entire 48 hours but can accommodate those that are not. It just means less time for site participants to make their games.
The organizer must be a part of all email correspondence, participate on Basecamp and meet all due dates.

The GGJ will provide local organizers with tools to help set up your local event, hands on guidance before and during the Global Game Jam, a web page on the GGJ site, local and international promotion of the event.

Not sure if your site can host? Have questions that aren’t answered here? GGJ leadership will host a pair of hour-long online Q&A sessions on Monday, October 25, 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. EST (that’s 3 p.m. on October 25 and 3 a.m. October 26, GMT). Simply go to this URL during those times and get your questions answered: http://globalgamejam.org/irc/

You can also connect to the chat session via your own IRC client using: irc server: irc.us.mibbit.net, channel: #globalgamejam

Look for early location announcements to show up on the new Game Jam website in early October. Jammers will begin registering by mid-November, so for best results, submit your jam site before then.

Hope to have you with us (again) in 2011!,
Foaad, Zuraida, Ian and Gorm

Darklight Transmedia Symposium 2010

Friday 29 October, 9.30am-6pm Filmbase, Dublin.

Official Festival Industry Partner Bord Scannan na hEireann/Irish Film Board, producer Katie Holly and Darklight festival director Nicky Gogan put their heads together to programme a day of information, discussion, workshops and advice open to all aspiring and practicing creative folk.

This is a day-long event that will explore the potential of digital and analogue networks as a creative tool for storytelling, as well as a means to reach audiences and finance and distribute films. Our esteemed international and Irish guests will discuss all aspects of Transmedia production.

Topics on the agenda include fund-raising models, distribution platforms and crowd-sourcing collectives, and we’ll also be looking at what it means to write, direct and produce projects destined for the big screen, the small screen, the internet, apps, graphic novels, live performance and immersive experiences.

Special Guests include Lance Weiler, Salford Film collective Future Artists’s Mark Ashmore and Jenny Inchbald; Tora Young, Head of Development with Production Company Imaginarium; Power to the Pixel founder Liz Rosenthal; South African producer Jeremy Nathan of DV8 films. A number of Irish experts and practitioners will also be invited to give their home grown perspective.

For full information on the Symposium day as well as info on securing your tickets go to www.darklight.ie/festival-2010/2010-festival-programme/29th-october/talks/

Call for Volunteers Deadline This Friday, 15 October

Darklight is currently recruiting enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers to assist with this year’s festival which takes place Halloween weekend, 28-31 October in the IFI, Filmbase and the Grand Social.

Available roles include front of house, ushering and technical support. Volunteers are essential for making the festival run smoothly and are hugely appreciated. So, if you’re interested and want to be involved in Ireland’s premier festival celebrating independent, DIY and artist films, email volunteers at darklight dot ie for more information

Following their presentation at last week’s shindig the NDRC’s Game Brains project is going beta.

If you’re interested in Behavior Trees or video game AI please check out their Beta release.

Game Brains is a behavior treed editor and runtime (in C++). Integrate it into your game engine of choice and start using behavior trees in your games.

Go to: http://www.neatsciences.com and sign up.

for more see http://www.ndrc.ie/portfolio/entertainment/game-brains/

The winners of IndieCade 2010, the international festival of independent games, were announced over the weekend and Terry Cavanagh, from Ireland, won the Fun and Compelling award for VVVVVV.

‘In VVVVVV, you play as the fearless leader of a team of dimension-exploring scientists who are separated after inadvertently crashing their ship. A high energy, cleverly designed platforming experience from Terry Cavanaugh, creator of Don’t Look Back and Self Destruct, VVVVVV deeply explores its central gravity-reversing mechanic through smart, interesting puzzles and a strong world and environment, supported by simple but compelling visual design and awesome music. ‘

See http://www.indiegames.com/blog/2010/10/indiecade_2010_winners_announc.html

and

http://www.indiecade.com/index.php/2010/

and for the game…

http://thelettervsixtim.es/

Well done to Terry.

Not to far away and should be of interest to some

Aphra.

*******************

Following on from its successful launch last year, the one-day Develop in Liverpool Conference returns by popular demand on Thursday 25 November 2010.

Develop in Liverpool is designed to meet the demands of the thriving game community based in the north, with three tracks and multiple networking sessions including a post event drinks reception. The event will take place alongside Software City, which is organised by Merseyside ICT.

Mick Hocking, Senior Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe will give the opening keynote in HD 3D at Odeon Cinema
‘Seeing is Believing: 3D a New Creative Medium for Games – 3D glasses provided!’

This will be the first presentation given to developers by Sony in full HD 3D on the big screen. It’s going happen at the Odeon Liverpool One Cinema, just around the corner from the Hilton Liverpool Hotel where the conference takes place. More..

See http://liverpool.develop-conference.com/

Sorry but this has just come to our attention.

Looks like some interesting events around Dublin. Aphra.

******************

OFFSET2010 is a week long programme of club nights, live performances, gallery shows, in-store events and much more taking place all over the capital.

Showcasing world-class creatives in design, illustration, fashion, photography, publishing, advertising, animation and more, it intends to turn the spotlight on the incredible creative scene thriving around us each day.

OFFSET2010 will culminate in a 3 day conference this weekend 1 – 3 October 2010 in Grand Canal Theatre, featuring presentations, debates and interviews with top Irish and International creative talent. There’ll be plenty of other surprises thrown in too.

As part of OFFSET2010 Darklight will be screening a selection of animations on October 1st @ 14:00-15:00 and Oct 3rd @ 14:00-15:00 Mainstage, Grand Canal Theatre.

For more information on the full line up and tickets visit www.iloveoffset.com today!

Last week the winners of the Your Country Your Call competition were announced.

One of the winners was Neil Leyden, who people here on gd.ie might remember was on the panel with Peter Molyneux for the games event which was hosted as part of the Jameson Dublin International Games Festival.

According to online reports his proposal is to create a ‘Irish Content Industry Association which would then drive the development of a cultural and creative quarter, a Media Park to attract global content industries, and creating the necessary legislative and regulatory environment to make Ireland a leading global centre for the creation and distribution of digital content.’

See http://brendanhughes.ie/2010/09/17/your-country-your-call-winners/ to hear Neil explain his idea.

Neil is already involved in a related business, The Digital Media Forum (see http://www.digitalmediaforum.net/).

It would be great to hear more about the plan and to hear how exactly this goal will be achieved. Details on the winning concepts are difficult to come by and the games industry here in Ireland should be a part of it.

For more on this story see:

Silicon Republic – http://www.siliconrepublic.com/innovation/item/17768-digital-economy-is-the-winn

http://www.yourcountryyourcall.com/index.html

The Game On exhibition will open in Dublin’s Ambassador Theatre from 20 September for a limited run.

The exhibition includes rare memorabilia and the chance to play your way through over 100 playable games from the arcade classics to the latest releases.

Tickets cost from 10 euro including booking fee and are on sale from the following outlets:

In person: From 100 Ticketmaster Outlets Nationwide
24hr hotline Tel: (ROI) 0818 719 300
Buy online: www.ticketmaster.ie

See http://www.gameon-dublin.ie/home/ for family and group discounts plus more details.

**********************

Game On traces the technology behind the incredible pace of development in computer game production over the last 35 years and gives audiences a thrilling hands-on experience to explore how games and gaming has evolved into a massive billion-dollar industry of today.

Neil McConnon, Head of Barbican International Enterprises and producer of the Game On exhibition, says, “Game On and the Barbican Centre are absolutely committed to bringing the very best gaming and moving image experience to Dublin. With the exponential growth in popularity over the last 35 years, videogames have become a major cultural reference point in our society, an integral part of today’s kaleidoscopic, whirlpool of pop culture capable of invoking misty-eyed nostalgia as well feeding off and influencing other creative forms such as movies, music, television. For many people playing Space Invaders or Pac Man in arcades, plugging in their first Atari, or buying a hand held game like Donkey Kong was as significant an experience as buying their first record or seeing Star Wars at the drive in’.

Since being launched at the Barbican Art Gallery in London in 2002, Game On has toured to United States, Europe and Asia and has proven to be a smash hit amongst gaming fans, kids and adults alike. Presented as a totally interactive experience, the exhibition is pure fun for the dedicated gamer and first time novice alike.

Game On traces the development of the video games from the very first – Space Wars (1962), to arcade classics such as Space Invaders, Pong and Asteroids , through to consoles and pc games (dating back to the age of the Commodore 64) and to today’s mega-franchises developed for the Xbox and Playstation as well as future developments such as handless and online platforms.

Originally curated by Conrad Bodman (ACMI’s Head of Exhibitions) and Lucian King for the Barbican Art Gallery, the exhibition draws on game culture, and looks at the influence of computer games in music and film, and the impact of particular film genres such as anime and comic genres such as manga.

The team behind Games Fleadh have announced that Games Fleadh 2011 will honour a classic from the ‘Golden Age of Video Arcade Games’, Frogger © Konami Digital Entertainment.

Frogger was released by Konami in 1981 and is still recognised as one of the iconic games from the past three decades. In fact, Frogger is such an icon that it has featured on TV programmes, cartoons, car bumper-stickers, T-shirts and celebrated its 25th anniversary with the release of a special edition on games consoles such as Xbox 360.

With the approach of the 30th anniversary of Frogger’s original arcade release, students from all over Ireland will be preparing their own interpretations of classic game, under licence from Konami.

James Anderson, Head of Amusement Business in Europe for Konami Digital Entertainment, said “Konami are delighted to endorse this student portfolio event and we look forward to reviewing the best interpretations of Frogger that spring from Games Fleadh. Frogger truly is one of the fore fathers of the games industry and it’s good to see its iconic classic brand status recognised”.

Completed work will be judged by game studio executives during the Games Fleadh finals at Tipperary Institute in March 2011. The annual event is Irelands’ main games design and development student showcase for the hugely influential video games sector.

Students re-interpret classics using the latest technology and are challenged to conceive innovative art, audio and gameplay for highly regarded titles – such as Konami’s Frogger. Games Fleadh 2011 includes two challenges, XNA and DirectX 11, which target platforms such as Xbox 360, Windows 7 and soon to be released Windows Phone 7.

James Greenslade, Head of ICT Department for Tipperary Institute said “the games industry is a highly rewarding and challenging sector. Taking part in Games Fleadh and honouring Frogger will give students first-hand experience of working within the confines of an intellectual property licence. This is a unique opportunity to work on a famous title from a leading developer and publisher such as Konami Digital Entertainment”.

Previous entries, having impressed the professional community, have been exhibited in art galleries” (under licence)”and even more importantly to games industry hiring executives”.

Details for Games Fleadh 2011 are available on GamesFleadh.com.

Games Fleadh finals will take place on March 9th and 10th 2011.

Students can get started by downloading a Starter Kits available for the site.

If your school or college is interested in becoming involved they should contact Philip Bourke, Programme Chair: BSc. Games Design & Development, Tipperary Institute on 0504 28258 or via email at gamesfleadh@tippinst.ie.

Please direct Games Fleadh queries to:

Philip Bourke
Programme Chair: BSc. Games Design & Development
ICT Department
Tipperary Institute
Nenagh Road, Thurles
Co. Tipperary
IRELAND
Direct Dial: +353 – 504 – 28258
email: pbourke@tippinst.ie

Previously available as a facebook game Farmvillian is available from this week as an iphone app.

Below is the press release from our friends in Jolt.

Aphra.

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08/10/10 – Dublin, Ireland

After four submissions to the App Store, including one rejection from Apple on the basis that Chuck Norris wouldn’t like it (we’re really not making this up-check the story here: http://blog.joltonline.com/2010/08/09/us-vs-chuck-norris/ ),

Jolt Online Gaming is very proud to announce that FarmVillain is now available on the iPhone App Store.

Download the FarmVillain app and you can take revenge on all the online farming apps and games out there with its oh-so-amusing stories and borderline offensive jokes.

Trust us here at Jolt, the FarmVillain app will make you far less likely to murder your friends for *once again* asking you to harvest their Dingleberries while they’re on vacation.

FarmVillain. We’re sort of trying to save the world. By selling you funny crap one 99c download at a time.

http://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/farmvillain/id377009471?mt=8

About Jolt

Jolt Online Gaming (a subsidiary of GameStop, NYSE: GME) is one of the leading publishers of free online games in North America and Europe.

Jolt develops, licenses and publishes online games that are free-to-play and can be accessed from any Internet browser in the world.

Every day, millions of players who should really know better play games like Legends of Zork TM ( www.LegendsofZork.com), Gangsta Zombies ( http://apps.facebook.com/gangstazombies/), FarmVillain ( http://apps.facebook.com/farm-villain/) and Utopia Kingdoms ( www.UtopiaKingdoms.com).

In a fit of immense generosity, we recently launched the GameOffers app for iPhone, which provides game recommendations, discounts and cheat codes for all our iPhone-owning gamers ( http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/game-offers/id375964405?mt=8).

It’s completely free so there’s no reason that you don’t already have it.

More information is available at www.JoltOnline.com or you can follow the hilarious daily Jolt commentary at www.twitter.com/JoltOnline.

For more information, incredibly witty interviews and charming pictures of the Jolt team going cow-tipping, please contact David McGovern, Jolt Product Marketing Manager: david@joltonline.com

Those near the capital might be interested in taking a look at the Irish Human Computer Interaction conference which this year takes place in DCU from the 2-3rd of Sept.

Registration for iHCI 2010 is now open and details can be found on the conference website: http://www.clarity-centre.org/iHCI2010/

Friday will showcase a series of peer-reviewed short and full paper presentations throughout the day, as well as a poster and demonstrations session.

Professor Richard Harper of Microsoft Research will deliver the opening keynote address and discuss the question ‘Do we communicate too much?’ See http://www.clarity-centre.org/iHCI2010/program/keynote/

Dare ProtoPlay takes place in Edinburgh in Scotland from 13-15 August between 10am-6pm.

The main aim of Dare ProtoPlay is to showcase the finished prototypes created by the teams who take part in the prestigious Dare to be Digital video games development competition each year.

Other activites are also created every year to educate and interest the public about video games creation.

Dare ProtoPlay 2010: Programme of Activites

15 new Dare games: created by young talent from across Europe, Asia & America. Creativity, market potential & use of technology are the primary objectives for the young developers, which the audience will see all reflected in games produced for iPad, PSP Go, Android Phone, Windows 7 phone, Wii, Xbox and PCs. Visitors can play and vote for their favourite games at Dare ProtoPlay.

Studio games & technology showcase: Members of the public will be able to play for free: Kinect Sports by Microsoft; Adult Swim by Turner Broadcasting; Realtime Worlds’ APB; Blitz 1UP’s indie games, Denki’s new Xbox 360 game Juggle! alongside Quarrel and Denki Blocks! and LittleBigPlanet, WipEout Pulse, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE).

Intel partnered with SCAN will bring TEAM DIGNITAS, a SCAN/Intel sponsored gaming team to Dare ProtoPlay and the public will be able to play against some of the best e-sports champions on the latest 3XS custom gaming PC’s.

Dare /BAFTA Video Games Workshop 13/14/15 August:
For serious young participants, Dare ProtoPlay is offering 12-16 year olds the chance to learn the skills of developing a video game in a mock-up studio. A 2.5 day workshop partnered with BAFTA will see teenagers working as a team, creating their first title.

Dare ProtoPlay Bamboo: The world’s largest graphic developer Wacom will showcase the Finalists work from the Dare with Bamboo competition.

Industry talks: Industry leaders will introduce the audience to the latest technology including Kinect from Microsoft, development tools from Adobe and the most powerful gaming machines from Intel. BAFTA will discuss how to get into the industry and the vital role that education plays through the UK’s first Centre for Excellence in Computer Games Education at Abertay University. Book in advance to avoid disappointment.

How to get into games: Representatives from Abertay are offering assistance through the Support for Business programme, which will provide prototype grant funding to small games development companies. Students and graduates will be employed to undertake part of the grant-funded projects. There will also be a chance to look at some of the games created by the students from UK’s first Centre for Excellence in Computer Games Education in Abertay University.

Scottish Game Jam at Dare ProtoPlay: Scottish Game Jam is the Scottish venue for Global Game Jam – a 48hr competition to develop video-games. Join us at protoplay to experience the best games from this years Jam. Come check out what you could build in 48hrs We are expecting many people from the games industry to be at Dare ProtoPlay, so, asides from having fun, it’s a really good networking opportunity! Hope to see you there.

Date: 13-15 August
Time: 10am-6pm
Venue: Edinburgh International Conference Centre

Except the Video Games Workshop, everything is free!!

Awards Ceremony: 15 August Sunday (5pm) at Dare ProtoPlay

see http://www.daretobedigital.com/protoplay/

This has already been mentioned on the forums but it looks like it might be of interest as it targets early stage tech companies. Starts in Oct. 2010 and funding of €50,000 + space looks enticing. Read below for more.

Aphra.

****************************

Ryan Academy Accelerator Fund Raises €1 million for Start-ups
10 07 2010

Dublin City University’s Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurship is delighted to announce the establishment of a seed venture fund of 1 million for early stage technology start-up companies. The new venture fund is an accelerator fund, which will help fund new companies develop from concept to product. The aim of the venture fund is to jump-start a number of high technology start-ups in Ireland with an emphasis on software and biotechnology hardware ideas such as medical devices and diagnostics.

The successful companies will get approximately 50,000 in direct funding, as well as a three-month programme of support from the Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurship, which will include office space, mentorship and specially-designed networking and educational programmes. The financial support for the venture fund is provided by the One Foundation. In addition any profits generated by the Accelerator Fund will be returned to the Fund for further investment.

The first round of investment will open for applicants in October this year, with the first four successful entrepreneurs being announced before the end of the year. A further eight entrepreneurs will be funded in 2011 and again in 2012.

Each of these entrepreneurial groups will then work with the Ryan Academy to develop their company, building key and lasting business relationships along the way to help them sustain a viable business. The Ryan Academy is aiming to work with other seed funds and individual investors, and will be seeking to increase the fund size over time.

“Raising the money to get through the first year is often difficult for entrepreneurs and our objective is to support twenty early-stage entrepreneurial teams over the next two and half years” said Gordon McConnell, Deputy-CEO of the Ryan Academy and venture manager for the new fund. “We will work with other later-stage angel investors, other funds and the venture capital community to help ensure further funding for these new companies. We want to help nurture innovative technology ideas and act as a launchpad for new entrepreneurs.”

The fund is unique as it is both a university-related venture fund for start-ups across Ireland, as well as offering a programme of support for these startups through the Ryan Academy and its network.

see http://ryanacademy.wordpress.com/ for more

This year Women in Games (UK) will host a session at the Develop Conference in Brighton on Thursday 15th July 2010
from 2pm – 6pm.

Keynote speaker Sheri Graner-Ray is ‘Defending Diversity’

Sheri Graner Ray is a Senior Designer with Schell Games and heads up their satellite studio in Austin, Texas, USA. She has been in the game industry since 1989 and has worked for such companies as Electronic Arts, Origin Systems, Sony Online Entertainment and Cartoon Network. During her career she has worked with such licenses as Star Wars Galaxies, Ultima, FusionFall, and Nancy Drew.

She is author of the book, “Gender Inclusive Game Design-Expanding the Market” and is one of the game industry’s leading experts on gender and computer games. In 2005 she was awarded the IGDA’s Game Developer’s Choice award for her work in gender and games and she is currently serving as the chair of Women In Games International; an organization she co-founded. She was a keynote speaker at the first Women in Games conference in 2004.

There is free entry to the Women in Games event, but you must register to attend this. There are only a limited number of places which are being offered on a first come, first serve basis.

To register email develop2010@womeningames.com to book a place. There are limited places so we will email you back to confirm your place. If all the places have already been booked then we will email and let you know.

Then go to the Develop website and register there: click the blue ‘Register Now’ button at the top right. Then select ‘Expo only – FREE, Weds 14 & Thurs 15 July’, enter your name, email address and so on. If you have already booked for Develop then you do not need to register again.

DIGITAL SPARK – PRACTICAL USE OF IP IN THE DIGITAL CREATIVE INDUSTRIES – CONFERENCE- UNIVERSITY OF ABERTAY DUNDEE – 1-2 SEPTEMBER 2010

The University of Abertay Dundee is internationally recognised for education in the area of computer games development; and is home to Scotland’s first National Centre for Excellence in Computer Games Education and the competition “Dare to be Digital”.

The University is organising the DIGITAL SPARK conference in Abertay on 1-2 September 2010. The conference aims to present a legal and commercial perspective on the practical use of IP in the digital creative industries.

The website for the conference has just gone live. The URL is http://digitalspark.abertay.ac.uk/

The conference aims to provide insights into how best to make money from your IP whilst protecting yourself from IP threats. It will also provide a great opportunity to mix with other developers, publishers, investors, policy makers etc.

The Science Gallery, at Pearse Street and Trinity College Dublin, is the venue for a one day Games Jam on Saturday June the 19th from 9.30am. There is room for 40 people. More details below.

**********************

During the games jam you are invited to make a game of your own in less than 7 hours. This event is open to professional, independent, hobbyist and college game developers with talent who want to express themselves through the medium of games development. We hope that people will take this opportunity to collaborate and mingle with fellow developers in this burgeoning independent scene.

After the early introductions, the “theme” for the day will be announced and participants can start designing, coding or drawing their game ideas. We encourage experimentation, daring and collaboration. You are free to work solo or in a group, you can make use of whatever tools you wish and you should bring your own laptop.

Early tea/coffee will be supplied and the cafeteria is open all day. At the end of the day you can take a well earned break and enjoy a drink of wine while checking out the other amazing gems created on the day.

Tickets 10 euros. Seat, Table, Wireless internet and power supplied. You bring the skills, laptop and ideas. For further info please contact info@theshindig.org and you can get tickets from http://www.sciencegallery.com/events/2010/06/shindig-summer-games-jam

This event is hosted by the Science Gallery and is kindly sponsored by PopCap Games, GameDevelopers.ie and the School Of Computer Science and Statistics, Trinity College Dublin. This event is in association with the Interactive Entertainment Technology MSc at Trinity of which both event organisers Jonathan Ruttle and John O’Kane are graduates.

At the Irish Internet Association annual awards last week Dylan Collins (Jolt Online and formerly Demonware) was awarded the IIA and Enterprise Ireland overall Net Visionary award for 2010.

Read the glowing account at
http://www.iia.ie/news/item/1566/dylan-collins-announced-iia-net-visionary-of-the-year-2010/

This was discussed just recently on the forums and in the last few days we received a press release stating that Dare to be Digital, has announced its 2010 finalists.

This year there were entries from more than 80 universities worldwide and the final shortlist of 15 has been selected by a panel of industry experts and includes a team from Ballyfermot and Carlow IT.

The finalists represent 15 different universities from six countries including the UK, Irish Republic, USA, India, China and Sweden.

The games to be developed for the final stage of the competition cover a wide variety of genres and platforms, including social games, 2.5D adventure, sports party and real-time strategy models designed for PC, Android Phone, Windows 7 Phone and Sony PSP Go platforms.

Teams will be heading over to Abertay in the next week or so to start building out their game. Best of luck to them.

More info at http://www.daretobedigital.com/about/About_Dare2010.php

Discuss it on the forums at http://www.gamedevelopers.ie/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5808&start=20

The fourth Irish Human Computer Interaction (HCI) Conference will take place at Dublin City University on September 2nd & 3rd 2010.

Based on the success of the IxDA Industry session organised last year, IxDA Ireland was invited to organise a similar industry session for iHCI 2010. The industry session will take place in the afternoon of September 2nd 2010.

The organisers are looking for practitioners whose work relates to the fields of HCI and Interaction Design to present their work to this forum, which will attract academics, researchers, practitioners and students from Ireland and from abroad.

This year, the general conference theme is “Crossing Boundaries”, so they are particularly interested in work that explores new realms and crossed boundaries in Interaction Design practice. They are also looking for contributions that address the boundaries between academia and industry, as well as the boundaries between the designer, stakeholders and end users.

submissions related (but not limited to) the following topics are of interest:

* Accessibility & Universal Access
* Case studies
* Collaboration, groupware and social networks
* Context-aware systems
* Ethnographical and field studies
* Evaluation methods and frameworks
* Evaluation and usability
* Group interaction and mobility
* Human-centred design practices, tools and methods
* HCI Theory and Practice
* Information visualization and presentation techniques
* Novel user interfaces, interaction techniques and technologies
* Mobile, Ambient, Augmented or Tangible HCI
* Multimodal interaction and interfaces
* Multi-cultural interaction
* Ubiquitous, pervasive, and mobile interaction
* User-centred design
* Usability investigation and evaluation
* Wearable computing, smart clothes, new devices and sensors

Please submit a 150 word abstract, describing the content of your suggested presentation and how it relates to the conference theme. Abstracts will have to be submitted via email to info@ixd.ie .

The deadline for abstracts submission is the 30th of June 2010. Presenters will be notified by the 16th July 2010. Presentations will take place on the afternoon of the 2nd September 2010.

IxDA Ireland is the Irish chapter of the Interaction Design Association. We are a national network dedicated to the academic and professional practice of Interaction Design. IxDA Ireland is an ongoing collaboration between the Dublin and Limerick local chapters of the IxDA. The two groups host their own regional meetings on a regular basis and, from time to time, join forces to organise national events.

Just to make my industry survey even more out of date it was announced this week that EA is to establish a European office in Galway and the company will create 200 jobs.

Full press release below but more importantly for recruitment opportunities visit : www.bioware.com/bioware_info/jobs

Aphra

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EA TO OPEN CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER IN GALWAY, IRELAND
26/05/10

Geneva, Switzerland, May 26, 2010 — Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS), today announced plans to open a European customer service and operations center for its BioWare™ studio, to be based in Galway, Ireland. The new facility will provide BioWare with greater proximity to European players. This investment is being supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.

The new Irish location for BioWare will help us get closer to our fans in Europe. Galway gives us the right mix of solid technology infrastructure and international recruitment opportunities as we continue to focus on bringing the highest quality gaming experiences to market.

Dr. Ray Muzyka, Senior Vice President, EA and Group General Manager, BioWare.

Welcoming today’s announcement, the Prime Minister of Ireland, Taoiseach Brian Cowen TD said, “EA is the global leader in interactive entertainment and a very important addition to the thriving games industry in Ireland.”

“The new Irish location for BioWare will help us get closer to our fans in Europe,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, Senior Vice President, EA and Group General Manager, BioWare. “Galway gives us the right mix of solid technology infrastructure and international recruitment opportunities as we continue to focus on bringing the highest quality gaming experiences to market.”

Barry O’Leary CEO of IDA Ireland said, “EA joins a vibrant digital media sector and is a key endorsement of the skills and expertise available in Ireland for this sector.”

EA will maintain its existing BioWare studio locations in Edmonton, Montreal, Fairfax, Virginia and Austin, Texas. The new location in Galway is expected to be up and running in 2011, starting with roughly 200 staff.

The new Irish company is a wholly owned EA subsidiary. EA has existing European game teams based in Guildford, UK, Stockholm, Sweden, Ingelheim, Germany, Bucharest, Romania and Madrid, Spain.

Dark Water Studios have just announced that they are releasing ‘DogFighter’ on Steam on June 14th at £12.

The arcade style aerial combat game can be played single player or in multiiplayer mode with up to 7 players. For more on the game see http://www.dogfighter-game.com/

The game has also just been mentioned on the front page of Rock Paper Shotgun – see http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/05/17/counter-terrierists-dogfighter

Well done to all involved and we look forward to hearing more about future plans!

Darkwater Studios are based in London/Derry in Northern Ireland. For more see http://www.dark-water-studios.com/

Darklight @ Belfast Film Festival

As part of the Belfast Film Festival, and run in association with the Digital Arts Studios and Synth Eastwood, Darklight presents a day of screenings and workshops celebrating filmmakers and animators working in Belfast and across Ireland this Sunday 25 April from 2pm. Info below.

Digital Arts Studios and Darklight Present: New Adventures In Animation

Bff Beanbag Cinema, 23 Donegall Street
Sunday 25th April 2 – 5pm
Admission £5.00

Darklight proudly present a screening of the finest in new short animation from across the globe. The animation selction has been curated by the Darklight team and Dublin based art, music & technology group Synth Eastwood for your viewing pleasure. Expect to be educated, entertained and elated.

Synth Eastwood Present: Animators Anonymous
Black Box Cafe, 18 – 22 Hill Street
Sunday 25th April 8pm – 11pm
Admission Free

Complimenting the Darklight animation package, Synth Eastwood will host an open discussion looking at all things animated. The event is free, open to all comers and emphasises audience interactivity, generating an atmosphere more akin to a gig than a presentation.

If you’re working in animation, motion graphics, experimental filmmaking or simply passionate about contemporary visual culture then this is a space made for you.

If you have a particular question for Synth Eastwood, or would like to reserve space for you or your group then please email DAS at events@digitalartsstudios.com prior to the evening. The Symposium will round off with a DJ set from Synth Eastwood.

About Synth Eastwood
Established in 2006 Synth Eastwood is a Dublin based music, art & technology group whose aim is to present creative work from around the world. For more info on Synth Eastwood go to www.syntheastwood.com.

About DAS
The Digital Arts Studios are a not-for-profit resource centre for artists using new media technology. Primarily grounded in the Arts this facility provides a programme of Digital Artists Residencies, innovative training programmes and invaluable open access to resources. For more information go to www.digitalartsstudios.com

For more information on the Belfast Film Festival programme go to www.belfastfilmfestival.org

The deadline for submissions for ‘Best in Show 2010 @ The Digital Hub is getting closer. Students have until the 7th of May to submit their work to win the coveted work placement & €1000 prize fund.

Best in Show 2010 is a competition for final-year digital media students who are being invited to submit examples of their work to The Digital Hub for assessment by a team of industry experts. Students can submit work under any one of seven categories:

1. Animation
2. Film / Video Production
3. Gaming
4. Industrial design
5. Interior design
6. Visual communications
7. Web design

Submissions will be judged by relevant industry leaders, and the winning entry in each category will win a two-week work placement in a high-profile company based in The Digital Hub.

The seven submissions chosen by the judging panel as the outright winners in each category will also be showcased online, where members of the public can vote for their favourite entry. The submission that garners the highest public vote will win the overall ‘Best in Show 2010’ title and will be awarded €1,000, in addition to gaining one of the industry work placements.

All details about the competition as well as the application form can be found at http://www.thedigitalhubexhibit.com/bestinshow

Entries have now closed for the 2010 Dare to be Digital competition, with over 100 teams from nearly 80 universities around the world applying to enter this year’s competition – the highest number of entries in the competition’s 11-year history.



The 2010 call for entries, which opened in January this year, closed on Sunday 28 March. 



Over 100 teams from all over the world have applied. They come from almost 80 universities across the UK, the USA, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, China, India, Egypt and Poland.



The judging panel has now started the online process to determine which teams are invited to the interview stage. The judges come from members of the UK Dare Developer Accord which includes the BBC, Blitz Games Studios, Cohort Studios, Denki, Rare, Realtime Worlds, Rockstar North, SEGA, Sony and Ubisoft.

A maximum of 15 teams will be selected to proceed to the next round of the competition.



Sponsorship from the Scottish Government and partnerships with the Norwegian School of Information Technology, NITH and the British Council will enable Dare to be Digital to hold selection events in India, China and Norway. Judges for these events will be provided by EA DICE (Sweden), Funcom (Norway), IO Interactive (Denmark), Virtual Information & Communications, Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics and Arena Animation.



The teams selected for the main phase will be announced in May.

The main phase of Dare to be Digital 2010 will start on 7 June at Abertay University in Dundee.

Teams selected for the competition will spend 10-weeks in an intensive ‘hot-house’ development environment, building fully-functioning prototypes for assessment by industry judges and a public vote at Dare ProtoPlay, scheduled for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August.

see http://www.daretobedigital.com/

Call 4 Abstracts & Games* 4th Vienna Games Conference Future and Reality of Gaming – F.R.O.G. 2010*

*GAME\PLAY\SOCIETY *
*Vienna City Hall, Austria, Friday 24 to Sunday 26 September 2010; www.bupp.at/frog*

Vienna’s annual Games Conference FROG offers an open and international platform for leading game studies researchers and scholars, game designers, education professionals and gamers from around the world.

The main objective of FROG 10 is to explore the relations between gaming, society and culture and to discuss insights into how to think ahead and beyond common limits of theory and practice of game and play.

FROG 2010 is jointly organized by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth, the City of Vienna, wienXtra, the University of Vienna and the Danube-University Krems.

*First FROG 2010 keynote announcements:*
Katie Salen, Professor in the Design and Technology, Parsons The New School for Design and co-author of “Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals”; Mathias Mertens, Professor in Media Studies at the University Hildesheim and co-author of “Wir waren Space Invaders”.

More to be announced under www.bupp.at/frog

Conference Theme: “GAME\PLAY\SOCIETY”

This year the FROG Conference will focus on questions, challenges
and innovation exploring the relation of games, playing, society and culture. The organizers seek proposals covering all aspects of
cutting-edge research on digital gaming, gaming culture, game studies, therapy and economy within or across academic disciplines.

We encourage participation from a wide range of disciplines including Education, Psychology, Computer Science, Cultural Anthropology, Fine Arts, Human-Computer Interaction, Media and Communication Studies, Philosophy, Social Science, etc. ….

The FROG Conference facilitates the exchange of ideas and current research findings in an engaging and convivial atmosphere.

Submissions are welcome on a wide range of topics,
such as:

… Game Studies & Game Design
· Innovative forms of gaming (e.g. Alternative Reality Games)
· Innovations in game design, development and production
· New forms of interactivity and revolutionary game interfaces

… Learning & Education
· Methodology of exploring learning
· New challenges of media literacy & playing across generations
· Teaching through digital games

… Consumption & Use & Culture
· Game, gaming and gamer cultures (e.g. eSports, Modding, Clans)
· Community building and (self-)regulation
· Games and social change
· Barrier-free playing and learning / Inclusion and exclusion &
Protection of minors & youth policies

… Economy & Industry
· Economical challenges and trends
· The rise of independent games (e.g. casual games, art games)
· Games as Social Software (e.g. XBox Live, Facebook)

… Therapy
· Games as therapeutically tools
· Play as an expression of needs, beliefs and values
· Questions of violence, addiction, etc. …

*Abstract Submission:*
All authors are invited to submit an abstract of research (as an
anonymized doc.file) work relating to the FROG 2010 subject of “Game, Play, Society” in either English or German. Authors are required to submit their abstracts online at:
http://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=frog2010 no later than 15 May 2010.

In the forms of:

/PRESENTATIONS: / In assignment to the FROG topics authors are required to submit profound extended abstract outlining the thesis and methodology of the paper abstracts (1000-1200 words) for their talks (30 min.).

/FROGA KUCHA: /This is the Viennese Version of Pecha Kucha but limited to 10 mini-presentations in a row, in which you show 20 slides, each for 20 seconds. The images forward automatically and you talk along…. and the audience will give immediate Austrian-like feedback: “Muhh or Juhu”!
(6’40” – Abstracts 300-500 words).

/FROG GAME:/ FROG is searching for its own game. Submit a game that can be played by the participants of the FROG 2010. The game can either (a) last for the whole conference or just fill a short session at the FROG Conference Dinner (b). The only limits are: It has to be good; it should not cost more than 1.500(a)/500(b) Euro (for material, equipment, etc.);
it should be technically accomplishable and ethical. (Abstracts
1000-1200 words)

All abstracts will be reviewed and judged on originality, quality and relevance to the Conference. All accepted abstracts will be printed in a book of abstracts, which will be distributed during the Conference.

Authors of accepted abstracts (for regular presentations) will be
invited to prepare a full paper for publication in the printed
proceedings of FROG 2010.

*Important Dates:*
Abstract submission: 15 May 2010
Notification: 07 June 2010
Conference: 24-26 September 2010
Full paper: October 2010

*Registration for the Conference & Conference Fee:*
· Early bird: 07 June – 27 July 2010
· Registration: 28 July – 24 September 2010
· Conference fee: € 120,- / Early bird: € 100,-
· Conference fee for students & staff members of youth organizations:
€ 50,- / Early Bird: € 35,-
· The registration fees includes admission to all sessions, a printed copy of the Book of Abstracts, coffee breaks, lunch on 25 September, the Conference Dinner and the Gamers’ Party.

Conference Programme Co-Chairs:
Jennifer Berger (University of Vienna);
Christoph Klimmt (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz);
Konstantin Mitgutsch (Massachusetts Institute of Technology); Claus Pias (University of Vienna);
Martin Pichlmair (Studio Radiolaris; Vienna University of Technology);
Maja Pivec (University of Applied Sciences FH Joanneum);
Herbert Rosenstingl (Austrian Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth);
Doris Rusch (Massachusetts Institute of Technology);
Christian Swertz (University of Vienna);
Michael Wagner (Danube-University Krems); Jeffrey Wimmer (TU Ilmenau)

For any questions, please contact frog@bupp.at or visit the Conference website www.bupp.at/frog.

The FROG is held in partnership with the 3rd International Games
Conference Cologne “Clash of Realities”, 21-23 April 2010,
http://www.clashofrealities.de/

We have just been informed that this year’s women in games conference has been cancelled due to low delegate numbers.

This is a real shame, especially for all those people who worked very hard to organise it. / Aphra.

**************************

This year the conference will focus on ‘diversity’ and its implications for the games industry. Keynote speakers include Sheri Graner Ray, author of Gender inclusive design, and Lizzie Wilding (Codemasters) alongside Professor Valerie Walkerdine, author of ‘Children, Gender, Video Games’, Helen Kennedy (UWE and current President of DIGra) and my good self!

Full details of speakers etc. available at http://www.womeningames.com/

Next week students will honour the thirtieth anniversary of PAC-MAN during the games programming festival, Games Fleadh, at Tipperary Institute, Thurles, on the 10th & 11th March.

Teams from universities, colleges and schools have created their own versions of the classic game, which will be judged by games industry professionals during the two-day computer games programming celebration.

Micheal Meagher, Academic Engagement Manager, Microsoft Ireland said “Microsoft values academic achievement and Games Fleadh is an occasion where we can see what students are capable of in the games design space”. Mr. Meagher went on to say “we are delighted to support and be associated with Games Fleadh and look forward to reviewing student portfolios”

Games Fleadh includes games programming competitions: XNA Ireland Challenge Colleges and Schools Cup, Robocode Ireland, SchoolBots Challenge and a number of fun gaming tournaments.

Philip Bourke, founder of Games Fleadh and Programme Chair, Degree in Computing Games Design and Development, Tipperary Institute, said, “I feel strongly that students need portfolio development opportunities. This is where their coursework dovetails with Games Fleadh and the Fleadh has created an annual – industry endorsed – portfolio event, on their doorstep”.

Each challenge contestant received a starter kit which is a single player, single level and single life sample of Namco Bandai’s PAC-MAN coded in XNA Game Studio. Contestants then created three newly imagined levels for the game. The teams who devise the most innovative and fun PAC-MAN inspired experiences are in line for the challenge cup.

Barry O’Neill, President, Namco Bandai Networks Europe, said “PAC-MAN has achieved iconic status globally over the past 30 years and has influenced many generations of game developers. We are delighted that so many students will honour this heritage and we look forward to seeing their individual takes on the classic PAC-MAN format”.

Games Fleadh will be attended by representatives from a number of companies based in Ireland including Microsoft Game Studios, PopCap Games International, DemonWare and Jolt Online. These professionals will be sharing their experience with students during GamePro Talks, thus creating another opportunity for students to hear from leading industry professionals.

Gamedevelopers.ie will also be there so look out for us!

for more see http://www.gamesfleadh.ie

On Wednesday 24th February three animation Oscar nominees (Richie Baneham of Weta Digital, Tomm Moore of Cartoon Saloon and Darragh O’Connell of Brown Bag Films) will visit Ballyfermot College. They will also be joined on the night by Andrew Kavanagh (Founder/CEO Kavaleer Productions).

The schedule for the event is as follows:

6pm: Talk by BAFTA award winning visual effects animator and Oscar nominee Richie Baneham (nominated in the category of Visual Effects for ‘Avatar’)

7.15pm: Panel Discussion: Richie Baneham will be joined on stage by fellow Oscar nominee and IFTA Rising Star award winner Tomm Moore (nominated in the category of Animated Feature Film for Cartoon Saloon’s ‘The Secret of Kells’) and Oscar nominee Darragh O’Connell (nominated in the category of Short Film (Animated) for Brown Bag Films ‘Granny O’Grimms Sleeping Beauty’). The panel discussion will be chaired by Andrew Kavanagh (recent IFTA nominee for Kavaleer
Production’s ‘Hasan Everywhere’).

All of the talks and the panel discussion will take place in the Anna
Brett Hall, Media Building, Ballyfermot College of Further Education, Ballyfermot Road, Dublin 10.

This event is open to animation students, graduates, staff and
industry professionals.

Once again the Digital Hub Development Agency, based in Dublin, is supporting the Dare to be Digital competition and will pay the travel expenses of teams from the Republic who are selected for interview. Below is more info.

********************************
The Digital Hub Development Agency, on behalf of the Department of Education and Science, in association with Belfast City Council and the University of Abertay, Dundee, Scotland are inviting Irish students to enter Dare to Be Digital 2010.

Dare to be Digital is an internationally renowned games development competition for talented computer science and art students to develop a prototype video game.

Teams of 5 students, usually a mix of artists, programmers and audio, assemble in a development hothouse in Scotland for 10 weeks (Monday 7th June to Tuesday 17th August 2010), receiving daily support and weekly training sessions from industry specialists.

* 10 weeks based in Dundee
* A project fee of £1,700 is given to each student
* £200 team budget

This unique competition is open to Irish further education and 3rd Level students who are interested in developing a new innovative product in the games sector suitable for any platform.

The Digital Hub Development Agency will pay for travel to the interview.

Dare to be Digital presents a unique opportunity for students. Many of the contestants from previous years have been hired by games companies on completion of the competition.

Deadline for entries is 28th March 2010

Students may apply online at: http://www.daretobedigital.com

Please email any queries to: enquiries@daretobedigital.com

It has just been confirmed that both Peter Molyneux (Lionhead/ Microsoft Game Studios Europe) and Peter Connolly (Executive Producer from Microsoft Game Studios USA) will be present at the games forum which will take place as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival at 18.30pm on Thurs the 25th of March in DIT Aungier street.

For the past 23 years Peter Molyneux has been creating role playing games such as Fable, The Movies, Black and White and Populous. In Dublin he will discuss RPGs and their cinematic nature.

This will be followed by a panel discussion addressing game development, film and cinema which will be chaired by Dr. Aphra Kerr of NUIM and gd.ie. Other panel members TBC.

You can purchase a ticket for this event (spaces are limited) for 5EUR from http://jdiff.ticketsolve.com/shows/23497949/events

Alternatively tickets can be purchased by calling 01 687 7974 or in person at the JDIFF Ticketing Office, Filmbase, Curved St, Dublin 2.

The event is organised by the Jameson International Dublin Film Festival in association with DIT’s Schools of Media and Computer Science and will see the official launch of their new MSc in Digital Games.

If you have not heard of Dare to be Digital then I suggest you take a look at their website and search our own forums for threads on previous years. Teams of Irish students and recent students have participated almost every year since the competition began.

The call for applications has just opened with a closing date of the 28th of March 2010.

The competition is run out of the University of Abertay, Dundee, Scotland.

************************

Dare to be Digital are seeking talented students to get together teams of 5 to apply to this prestigious competition – online applications are www.daretobedigital.com

•Dare to be Digital is a 10 week video game competition (June – August)
•10 weeks based in Dundee – FREE student accommodation
•A project fee of £1700 is given to each student
•£200 team budget
•Showcase your game at Dare ProtoPlay www.daretobedigital.com/protoplay
•Mentors are appointed to help and support during the competition
•Industry exposure presentations, help and advise
•Market your product to industry judges
•Student enhanced employment
•Future career prospects; possible career within the games industry, opportunity to set up own venture/company, sell your IP, networking advantages/contacts
•Winning prizes; Market Potential, Use of Technology and Innovation & Creativity

Complete the online application form with your teams game prototype at www.daretobedigital.com – APPLICATION DEADLINE 28th March ‘10.

If your team’s application is successful the interviews will be held in Dundee or nearest Selection Centre between 12-20th April ‘10.

Industry professionals (Animation and Games) thinking of
returning to education?

The Irish School of Animation, Ballyfermot College of
Further Education are currently accepting applications for their BA (Hons) Animation programme.

This year they are offering direct entry to the final year of their BA
(Hons) Animation programme to candidates with relevant industry
experience in the animation and games areas.

For more information on the BA (Hons) Animation programme see
http://www.isa-bcfe.ie/

To apply for the programme see http://applications.bcfe.ie/

The closing date for applications is Wednesday 3rd March.

As mentioned on the forums already (you are too fast for us!) Gala Networks Europe, located in Dublin’s Digital Hub, have announced the creation of over 100 new jobs.

Speaking at the announcement Hyun Hur, CEO of GNE. said: “As part of GNE’s European expansion a number of new mandates will be added. This will include expansion into new markets, the introduction of three new game title releases and new language versions and the licensing of games from third party game development companies.”

You will remember that they launched www.gPotato.eu last year and we were involved in the distribution of beta codes for their free MMORPG Allods Online. Jamie McCormick, English marketing manager at Gala Networks Europe, is a regular on the forums and at the shindigs.

Jamie has informed us that the company has begun Beta Testing another new game, Canaan Online, at gPotato.eu today in English, French and German. A browser game, and the seventh game of the gPotato.eu portal, it offers players the first open world MMORPG delivered through Flash. Developed by XPEC Entertainment,it is a manga-style game which offers an in-depth pet system and detailed social and chat features. For more information on Canaan, please visit http://canaan.gpotato.eu

About Gala
Gala Incorporated, established in 1993 in Tokyo Japan, is a leader in the growing non-subscription, free-to-play (F2P), Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) market. Gala also develops data mining tools, provides marketing and web design services and operates a number of multi-topic websites.

Gala established its European headquarters, Gala Networks Europe Ltd. (GNE), in 2006 with a focus on localisation, marketing, customer support and revenue collection along with a global mandate for licensing, publishing and hosting. The expansion of this operation comes as a result of growth of the European online games market and the success of the Irish operation to date.

Phil Bourke has sent us on an update of plans for this year’s Games Fleadh in Tipperary Institute, Thurles on the 10th and 11th of March.

If you are interested in becoming involved as a judge, speaker or sponsor please contact Phil directly at pbourke at tippsoc dot ie or PM socksup via the gd.ie forums.

*********************************

XNA Ireland Challenge Colleges Cup, 10th March 2010
=================================================
Tipp Soc and the Games Fleadh team would like to thank Microsoft Ireland for their continued support.

XNA Ireland Challenge StarterKit has been released please see
http://www.gamesfleadh.ie Select XNA || Download

We look forward to reviewing innovative PAC-MAN (c) Namco
Bandai Games Inc. 1980, 2010, gameplay ideas.

Robocode Ireland, 11th March, 2010
=================================================
Eugene Kenny, CC’d above, is coordinator of Robocode Ireland 2010.

Gaming Tournaments, 10th and 11th March 2010
=================================================
Confirmed follow;

= Christian Martin Counter Strike Memorial Cup
= Allods gaming event.

More gaming tournaments to be announce.

GamesPro Talks – 10th March
==================================================
To date one studio and one publisher have agree to send speakers.

Further updates to follow in the coming weeks.

for more see http://www.gamesfleadh.ie