Job Opening: Graphic Designer for Network In Play (Maynooth/remote)

The deadline for applications for this position has now passed.

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Network in Play are looking to hire a graphic designer, part time, to create a document visualizing and communicating the findings from our research project for different audiences.

Role

This job includes working with the researchers to define the project requirements and then creating graphics and layouts. You will shape the visual aspects of the document(s) which will be available in downloadable PDF format from www.gamedevelopers.ie/diversity and the main project website www.refig.ca. The goal is to attract and inform a range of audiences including: educators, researchers, and the general public.

Responsibilities

  • Develop a visual concept based on the research findings and materials in accordance with the project requirements
  • Prepare rough drafts and present ideas
  • Develop illustrations and other designs using software or by hand
  • Use the appropriate colours and layouts for each graphic
  • Work with project co-ordinators to produce final design
  • Amend designs after feedback
  • Ensure final graphics and layouts are visually appealing

Requirements

  • Proven graphic designing experience
  • A strong portfolio of illustrations or other graphics,
  • Familiarity with design software and technologies (such as InDesign, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Photoshop)
  • A keen eye for aesthetics and details
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Ability to meet deadlines
  • Degree in Design, Fine Arts or related field

Desirable:

  • Experience of data visualisation
  • Experience designing educational materials for adults

Dates and duration:

This role is available on a part time basis but the work needs to be completed by mid November 2019. The work can be done remotely although at least one face to face meeting will be required.

Pay:
The role will be paid in line with public sector pay rates and experience. The successful candidate must be tax compliant and will be paid through the university.

How to apply:

If you have excellent visual communication skills, work well in a team, and deliver to a deadline we would like to hear from you.

Please send a letter of application, a CV and links to three previous projects to network-in-play-crafting-diversity-in-games@googlegroups.com by the deadline.

Deadline for application: Friday 11st of Oct, 2019 at 18.00.

Please note: This is a re-advertisement of a position initially advertised in May 2019. 

About ReFig and Network in Play

The goal of the Network In Play project is to create games related events that put equity, inclusion and diversity at the centre.

This is both an academic research project and an engaged community project established by Dr. Aphra Kerr (Maynooth university and gd.ie) and Vicky Twomey-Lee (Coding Grace). Our project is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council in Canada via the ReFiG project. The ReFig project is ‘committed to promoting diversity and equity in the game industry and culture and effecting real change in a space that has been exclusionary to so many’.

The project began in Feb 2016 and we will complete our activities during 2019.  We have designed and run a series of female friendly workshops that explicitly tried to address issues of diversity in games.

More info: https://gamedevelopers.ie/diversity/

3D Character Artist with Emagine

[Update 31st May 2019- This position has now been filled]

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Here at Emagine we’re looking for a 3D Character Artist to help fill out our character lineup on an exciting VR project.

Position is short term remote contract work, starting right away.

Responsibilities to include modelling and texturing of different character outfits. Character setup ability not essential, but would be bonus.

See:  www.emagine.ie

Heathen Engineering Launches Terran

Heathen Engineering has launched their first full featured game: Terran.

Found an empire and expand across the stars, command massive fleets in interstellar conflicts and pilot powerful warships as you battle for victory in Heathen Engineering’s Terran. Terran combines grand strategy on a galactic scale with real time strategy and 3rd person space shooter action in combat. You will develop worlds across thousands of star systems and research advanced technologies to fuel your growing empire as you struggle for galactic domination.

Features

  • Hybrid Genre: Long Term Strategy + Real Time Strategy + 3rd Person Space Shooter.
  • Fleet Combat: Take control of any of your fleet warships in 3rd person space shooter action.
  • Organization Types: Choose from one of 3 organization types, Government, Corporation or Armada and build your empire.
  • Gar Capital Ships: Choose a powerful ornate capital ship with unique abilities to serve as the seat of your empire.
  • Skirmish Battles: Quickly jump into fleet combat with the Skirmish mode.

The game is now available on Steam. To learn more about Terran, check out their website.

Insomnia Gaming Festival – Dublin

Insomnia Gaming Festival Coming to Ireland

International expansion continues of popular gaming festival

Insomnia is coming to the Republic of Ireland this November as part of a multi-year agreement with Irish events company, Omega Events Ltd. Established over 20 years ago, Insomnia now attracts more than 70,000 consumers for each UK event. The first International Insomnia event took place in Cairo in October 2018 and each International Insomnia event will mirror the UK’s proven formula covering all types of gaming from casual Battle Royale titles, to competitive esports events and popular zones such as Retro Gaming, Cosplay, Indie Zones and stage content.

Tickets for Insomnia Gaming Festival Dublin will be available soon but you can pre-register via www.insomniagamingdublin.ie. This unique partnership with Player1 Events will see a truly world class gaming festival coming to the RDS Dublin on the 9th & 10th of November 2019. The website launches soon so keep an eye out on https://insomniagamingdublin.ie/ for more information!

FutureScope 2019

Animation Skillnet and Screen Skills Ireland (in collaboration with Eirmersive, VR Ireland, Animation Ireland and IMIRT) are programming two rooms with sessions and content on the theme of “Creative Technologies” at FutureScope 2019, which takes place at the Convention Centre in Dublin on Thursday 28th March.

Some of the biggest names in the Irish and International industry will be participating on the day, including Limina Immersive, Warducks, 9 Story Media, StoryToys/TouchPress, Artomatix, Pink Kong Studios, Black Shamrock Games, Vela Games and many more…
 
Topics to be explored through panels and presentations on the day include:
 
· Commercialising IP
· VR Storytelling
· Games Development in Ireland
 
There will also be a dedicated VR Room curated by Limina Immersive – https://www.liminaimmersive.com/

See here for more details: https://www.futurescope.ie/2019-programme/creativity-meets-tech

Animation Skillnet have a limited number of passes available for €50 for Animation Skillnet Members (normal price is €115) on a first come first served basis. Registration/Payment here: http://animationskillnet.ie/event-registration/?ee=243

Job Opening: Game Writer at Kybolt

[Update May 2019 – This position has now been filled]

GAME WRITER — PAID / REMOTE

Kybolt Ltd. is looking for a narrative designer/game writer *with college affiliation* to work with us on our upcoming lane-pushing game Rise of Winterchill. We want a writer involved in this project as early as possible to champion the story, script, and writing of the overall product as the narrative vision holder.

The ideal candidate has experience in the game industry in a narrative capacity, is enthusiastic about diversity in characters and setting, and has familiarity with a range of multiplayer online games: their communities, narrative delivery, and business models.

For a full description of this position and instructions on how to apply, please see https://kybolt.com/careers/game-writer

Galway Game Jam 12

Galway Game Jam 12 is coming soon!

Venue     PorterShed, Galway
Date 30 March 2019
Time 9am – 9pm Saturday
Cost Admission Free
 

Reserve your place
https://galwaygamejam12.eventbrite.ie

Facebook event page
https://www.facebook.com/events/265358531027320/

Description

Challenge yourself to make a (tiny) game in a day.

Jam solo or in a team.

Meet people interested in game development and have fun!

This game making event will be a little different to previous jams as we are planning on putting a more strict limitation on the outcome.

Pre-made teams are okay, making teams on the day is assisted by the organisers.

Normally we select a theme that people use as a starting point for their ideas, and as a way to focus their game. In general Galway Game Jam themes are given a lot of room for interpretation and have produced a wide variety of games. We have never before put a harsh limitation on the outcome of a Galway Game Jam game.
This time we are considering a harsh limitation, visual or otherwise, that will create a more unifying identity to the games that are produced, and allow people to focus on core gameplay, as well as give them room to experiment with the harsh limitations in whatever way they wish.

Limitations are excellent for your creativity. They help you move past the ‘blank page’ of infinite possibility, or creative block, by narrowing the options into a possibility space that has clearly defined boundaries, which is easier for us humans to think about, and create within. A harsh limitation also aligns all the games from the jam towards a shared identity unique to the jam. We find this an exciting prospect, and look forward to the discussion that will
take place in the community about which creative limitation to put in place.

Discussions about the jam will take place on our Facebook event page and our discord server over the course of the next few weeks!

This event is 12 hours long. We plan to use the final hour to showcase each others games. There will be some announcements but you will are free to come and go throughout the day and are encouraged to take regular breaks.

Food will not be provided, please arrange food and snacks for yourself. The venue is centrally located, so there are plenty of options available (there is also Galway’s Saturday market, just to remind you it has awesome food!). You are permitted to eat & drink at the gamejam and are responsible for cleaning up after yourself. We know you will, as this has never been an issue, we just have to say it anyway!

You must agree to our Code of Conduct in order to participate in the jam. (see our website for details.)

Schoolism Live 2019

Schoolism Live –Dublin 2019, in collaboration with Animation Skillnetand Screen Skills Ireland, will take place on the 9th and 10th November 2019 in the Paccar Theatre at the Science Gallery, Dublin (https://dublin.sciencegallery.com/)

The Schedule is as follows:

DAY 1: Saturday November 9th

  • CHARACTER DESIGN
    9:00 am – 12:00 pm
    Daniel Arriaga
  • FROM COMIC BOOK TO ANIMATION
    1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
    Robert Valley
  • DRAWING FOR STORY
    3:30 pm – 6:30 pm
    Louis Gonzales

DAY 2: Sunday November 10th

  • TEXTURES SIMPLIFIED
    9:00 am – 12:00 pm
    Jonathan Hardesty
  • STORYBOARDING
    1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
    Louis Gonzales
  • SET DESIGN AND ART DIRECTION FOR FILM
    3:30 pm – 6:30 pm
    Anthony Christov

For more details, visit:
https://workshops.schoolism.com/workshops/6/schoolism-live-dublin

Animation Skillnet have a limited number of tickets at a reduced members rate available on a first come first served basis as follows:

One Day Pass – 115 EuroAll Access Two Day Pass – 165 Euro

Registration/Payment here:http://animationskillnet.ie/event-registration/?ee=237

Animation Skillnet Events

Animation Skillnet Upcoming Master Class (Dingle)

Animation Skillnet are delighted to be teaming up with Animation Dingle to offer the master classes outlined below at Animation Dingle 2019 (with support from Skillnet Ireland, Screen Skills Ireland and the BAI).

Please note that places on each of these master classes are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. To enable the maximum number of people to attend at least one master class please select the one master class from the four advertised that you’d most like to attend when registering. If we can’t register you for your chosen master class we’ll aim to register you for one of the other master classes.

Registration for these master classes is only open to those who have already bought Animation Dingle festival passes.

Please register here: http://animationskillnet.ie/event-registration/?ee=238

The deadline for registrations is Friday 8th March

The classes on offer are:

Master Class Title: Character Development
Masterclass 1 – Wouter Tulp (Character Designer)
Saturday, 23rd March 9.30am-11.30am – Saint James’ Church, Dingle

Biography: Wouter is a freelance character designer from the Netherlands. Starting out as a freelance illustrator, Wouter created many different kinds of illustration, like children’s book illustrations, book covers, newspaper illustration and caricatures. This variety of work made him a versatile artist that eventually led him to becoming a character designer for feature animation, now working for international clients from the movie industry, such as Sony Pictures Animation, Paramount Pictures, Locksmith Animation and many more. Wouter also teaches online at https://www.schoolism.com/. You can see more of Wouter’s work here: http://www.woutertulp.nl/

Master Class Title: The Camera Language of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Masterclass 2 – David Morehead (Head of Layout on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)
Saturday 23rd March 12pm-2pm – Saint James’ Church, Dingle

Biography: David had a camera of some kind in his hand since age 12 and began shooting catalog & fashion photography professionally by age 17.  He “pretended” to go Film School in San Diego just to gain access to equipment to shoot music videos and commercials. David gained fundamental digital production experience at a growing tech company that colorized classic B&W movies. There he helped develop the first commercial digital ink & paint system in 1989 which launched his career in animation. David is also named on multiple patents & contributions for production software and continues to combine his passion for cinematography and computers with 15 animated features to date, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was his 10th as a Camera Supervisor. Studios include; Amblin, Dreamworks, PDI, and Sony Pictures Animation. Credits include; Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Arthur Christmas and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Master Class Title: Imaginary Cities – Creating the worlds of Zootropolis and Ralph Breaks the Internet
Masterclass 3 – Matthias Lechner (Art Director at Disney)
Saturday 23rd March 2.30pm-4.30pm – Saint James’ Church, Dingle

Biography: Matthias worked as Art Director of Environments on Ralph Breaks the Internet, collaborating with others to define the style of the film’s environments and sets, supervising the art department and providing artistic guidance within the design team, environment modeling and the environment look department. He previously served in the same role for Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 2016 Oscar® winner “Zootopia.” Matthias joined Disney in 2012 as a freelance visual development artist from his home in Vancouver, working on a very early version of “Zootopia.” As the project ramped up into full production, he relocated to Los Angeles two years later. Prior to joining Disney, Matthias served as art director and/or production designer on a host of projects, including “Escape from Planet Earth” for Rainmaker Entertainment.

Master Class Title: Cinematic Lighting for Animation
Masterclass 4 – Mark Flanagan (ILM – Industrial Light and Magic)
Saturday 23rd March 5pm-6pm – Saint James’ Church, Dingle

Biography: Originally from Dublin, Mark has literally been around the world chasing his dreams. Starting his career as an Architect in Ireland, he discovered a love for 3D and set up his own architectural visualisation company. Building from this he retrained as an Animator, moving to the UK to work in the games industry. Emigrating to Melbourne, (Australia) he became the Technical Art Manager at Transmission Games with responsibilities including in house mentoring. Education became his primary focus, lecturing in several top Australian universities and industry training with Ford, HTV, Pluralsight and Pixar. In 2017 he moved to Vancouver, (Canada) to work as a trainer with Dneg, on shows such as “Wonder Woman”, “Annihilation” and the Oscar winning “Blade Runner 2049”. In 2018 he completed his circumnavigation, in order to work with Industrial Light and Magic in London as their Technical Trainer!

Animation Skillnet Events

Animation Skillnet Upcoming Courses (Feb/March)

Animation Skillnet (http://animationskillnet.ie/) has the following courses on offer for February and March of 2019:

  1. Texturing and Look Development for Production (5 Monday Evenings) – http://animationskillnet.ie/18-02-19-texturing-and-look-development-for-production-5-monday-evenings/
  2. Online Course – Animating in Toonboom Harmony 16 – http://animationskillnet.ie/25-02-19-online-course-animating-in-toonboom-harmony-16/
  3. Essence of the Pose – Gesture Drawing (5 Tuesday Evenings) – http://animationskillnet.ie/19-02-19-essence-of-the-pose-gesture-drawing-5-tuesday-evenings/
  4. Introduction to TV Paint (5 Wednesday Evenings) – http://animationskillnet.ie/20-02-19-introduction-to-tv-paint-5-wednesday-evenings/

Serious Games Research Survey at University of Bath

A survey is being conducted by researchers at the University of Bath regarding the potential for serious games to develop one’s personal skills. In particular, they are interested in developing a web-based game with the overall goal of improving players’ motivation towards engaging with their own personal development plan. The research team invites your input as they work to discover what aspects of serious games are the most effective in supporting one’s own personal development, which they hope will in turn be useful to the community!

This survey will ask you questions about yourself and personal development plans, and should take less than 5 minutes to complete. Your responses will remain anonymous. The closing date of the survey will be the 11th of February. The research team would be very grateful for your participation in this study, and if you have any questions please feel free to contact a member of their team (see below for contact information).

Link to survey: https://goo.gl/forms/ZdLG7EMvSsOFYsXd2

Research Team:
Patrick Havard (ph471@bath.ac.uk<mailto:ph471@bath.ac.uk>)
Dr Daniel J. Finnegan, Principal Investigator (djf32@bath.ac.uk<mailto:djf32@bath.ac.uk>)

CFP: 9th Irish Conference on Game Based Learning (iGBL 2019)

Call for Participation: 9th Irish Conference on Game-Based Learning* The Irish Conference on Game Based Learning (iGBL), formerly the Irish Symposium on Game-Based Learning, now in its 9th year, will be hosted in Cork (Ireland) on 26th, 27th and 28th June 2019.

This conference provides a forum for all stakeholders interested in exchanging ideas, projects, and best practices on the use of games and game-based approaches to support motivation, learning, and change.

– Researchers will be able to present and share their latest findings.
– Students will have an opportunity to present their research or
showcase their games, and meet specialists in this field  to obtain
constructive feedback.
– Instructors will have the opportunity to discover new game-based
teaching approaches and share new game-based skills that they can integrate
in their teaching.
– Companies will be able to showcase their products and explain how
these can be used in the context of learning and motivation.

Prospective presenters can submit their abstract through the online submission system <http://igbl-conference.com/cfp/>.

We welcome abstracts from a wide range of stakeholders, including researchers, instructors, or students, who will have the opportunity to conduct workshops, present research results, or provide insights on how they managed to design or use games for educational or motivational purposes.

The best seven research presentations will be shortlisted to be published in the International Journal of Game-Based Learning <http://igi-global.com/ijgbl/>.

*Important Dates*

– 25th of January: Early Abstract submission deadline.
– 22nd of February: Final Abstract submission deadline.
– 25th of March: Notification of abstract acceptance.
– 25th of March: Successful abstracts are invited to submit an extended
version to be published in the conference proceedings.
– 12th of April: Registration deadline for presenting authors.
– 12th of April: Submission of extended abstracts.
– 22nd of April: Notification of acceptance of extended papers.

WRAP Fund Information Event in Galway

A funding seminar, entitled Funding for Video Games, will be held in Galway on 9 January 2019 from 9:30am – 11:30am at Cluian Mhuire, Wellpark Road. The goal of this seminar is to provide information to prospective funding applicants for the WRAP Fund (Western Regional AudioVisual Production Fund). The seminar is free but requires registration. To register for the event, please go to https://is.gd/vidgames.

Animation Skillnet Events

Animation Studio Lab Call for Applicants

Animation Skillnet is seeking applicants for its new pilot Animation Studio Lab programme.

The Animation Studio Lab aims to develop the specialist skill set of graduates by teaming them up with an up-and-coming animation director to produce a short film.

Applicants can nominate one of four specialist areas within Animation production when applying.

  • Storyboarding
  • Animation
  • Art & Backgrounds
  • Compositing

Successful participants will receive specialist training in their chosen area and they will be guided through a real world animation production scenario. Participants will work as part of a production team to deliver the short film.

The Animation Studio Lab is not attached to any studio and is designed to deliver specialist training in a real world environment.

The programme will run for 8-12 weeks, Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm.

For more information on the programme and for instructions on how to apply, please see http://animationskillnet.ie/14-01-19-animation-studio-lab-call-for-applications/.

Deadline for applications: Monday 7th January 2019.

Interviews in early January with Final Selection on Friday 11th January 2019.

Ireland Votes PS1 Best Gaming Console

Christmas is prime time for nostalgic memories to warm the hearts of the world-weary adults of Ireland; and little would bring more excitement on Christmas morning than opening the sitting room door to see that Santa, the legend, had left the newest games console under the tree.

With games consoles becoming ever-more advanced, and pre-loaded retro consoles making a comeback, DID Electrical asked 2,000 adults of Ireland to think back to simpler times of eating Coco Pops in their dressing gown on Christmas morning, and vote for their favourite consoles that Santa delivered.

In resounding first place was the PlayStation 1, with 30.7% of the votes. Those opening a PlayStation in the year of its release, 1995, would have spent Christmas morning fighting with their siblings over goes of games like Rayman, FIFA 96, Road Rash, Tekken and Mortal Combat 3; though in later years of course Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft would have made an appearance in the stocking, as well as Crash Bandicoot and even PaRappa the Rapper!

Next up was the Nintendo NES with 18.8% of the votes. Released in 1986, the now-seasoned-gamers, sitting comfortably in the 35+ age bracket, who were playing this on Christmas morning were undoubtedly squashing bad guys in Super Mario Bros.

However, the console claiming the top spot in the hearts of those in the 35-45 age bracket, and coming third overall with 16.1% of votes, was the Sega Megadrive. Everyone will remember the Sega Megadrive for the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog games, blazing the sound of clanging gold rings through the living room.

Next up was the original Xbox in fourth place with 12.5% of the votes. Some of the original games for the Xbox that would spark Christmas morning memories include Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, Halo: Combat Evolved, Tony Hawke Pro Skater 3 and Max Payne.

Following just behind the Xbox, with 12.3% of the votes was the Super Nintendo ‘SNES’, with a long line of absolutely classic family fun games like Super Mario World, Super Mario Kart, Street Fighter II Turbo, Donkey Kong Country, Super Metroid, Final Fantasy and Zelda.

Rounding up Ireland’s favourite games consoles of the 80s to 00s era is the Nintendo 64 with 8.8% of votes. The Nintendo 64 came out with a whole host of classic games with a ‘64’ twist, including Super Mario 64, FIFA 64, Bomberman 64, Duke Nukem 64, Doom 64 and Madden 64 to name a few!

A special mention goes out to the Atari and the Commodore 64, which did get some write-in votes and clearly hold a special place in some hearts, but all-in-all didn’t hold a flame to the more advanced consoles from the era.

  1. PlayStation 1 (30.7%)
  2. Nintendo NES (18.8%)
  3. Sega Megadrive (16.1%)
  4. Xbox (12.5%)
  5. Super Nintendo (SNES) (12.3%)
  6. Nintendo 64 (8.8%)
  7. Atari (0.4%)
  8. Commodore 64 (0.2%)
  9. Other (0.2%)

While the above represents the votes overall, outside of Dublin the Nintendo SNES was a firm favourite, taking the number one spot in the hearts of grown-ups in Meath, Clare, Limerick and Sligo; while the Super Nintendo (SNES) claimed the #1 spot in Wicklow and Waterford.

And though the PlayStation was the clear number one for both genders, female gamers voted the Nintendo NES at #2, while more men voted for the Sega Megadrive in the second spot.

Of course, handheld gaming devices can’t be left out of the equation! To no surprise, the original Gameboy topped the list overall, but the Nintendo DS was the handheld console that resonated most with the younger generation of adults in the 18-24 age bracket.

  1. Gameboy (38%)
  2. Nintendo DS (27%)
  3. PlayStation PSP (13%)
  4. Gameboy Colour (8%)
  5. Gameboy Advance (8%)
  6. Sega Game Gear (7%)

 

GamerFest Returns to Limerick, 2-3 March 2019

GamerFest is returning to Limerick on 2-3 March 2019. This year’s event will include a Fortnite Competition, interviews with some of your favourite Irish Youtubers, 1v1 Gaming challenges, Cosplay competitions, and so much more! The event will be held at Thomand Park. Tickets are on sale now and range in price from €16.60 – €85.50. Book yours now!

For more information on the event: http://gamerfest.ie/

To purchase tickets: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/gamerfest-limerick-tickets-52911428507

DUUG #21: Once Upon a Time in the DUUG

“Once upon a time in the DUUG” took place at the Talent Gardens having no one else but James Brady speaking. For the ones who haven’t heard of him, James is a 3D artist with 4 years experience working on AAA games and large indie projects. You can find out more about himself and his work on this article (https://gamedevelopers.ie/my-pathway-to-being-a-3d-artist-in-games-james-brady/)

Quickly introducing, James has worked at Rockstar Games on the latest release Red Dead Redemption 2, along with the wildly popular multiplayer game Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds. James has also made art for Hitman 2, Halo, Firewall Zero Hour, The Forest, NotMyCar, Insurgency Sandstorm, the sequel to New World Interactive’s classic title ‘Insurgency’ and many more…

The talk was great and run smoothly, the attendees were bombarding Brady with great questions during a Q&A. It’s totally what can be expected from having an incredible and experienced artist in right front of you and willing to answer the most of your questions. What excites me the most from Brady is knowing how much opened for questions and conversations he is and now that he is back home because he wants to help the local industry gives us a great opportunity to be in contact with a great professional.

DUUG #21 happened for the first time at the Talent Garden Dublin, an innovative coworking, events and learning space in Glasnevin. The campus hosts 350 members, offering flexible workspaces, digital skills training and hundreds of events every year. With 23 campuses across 8 countries, Talent Garden also provides its members with access to a unique international network of tech professionals. The structure and staff got me very impressed and confident about further events to be hosted there.

To find out more about Brady’s work, check out his website: bradyart.xyz”

To learn more about the Dublin Unity User Group (DUUG), check out their website: http://duug.github.io/

Author bio: Jairo Lopes is CEO at Nocht Communications, a company based in Dublin and focused on Public Relations and Business Development in the game industry.

 

MCV Awards 2019: Deadline Extended

The 17th Annual MCV Awards have extended their application deadline to 5pm on 21 December 2018. Apply now at: https://www.futureevents.uk/mcvawards2019/begin.
From the MVC Website: Now in their 17th year, the MCV Awards are the UK’s only computer and video games awards that recognise games publishing, retail, distribution, marketing, PR, events and media – all integral parts of this vast industry. Firmly established as the unrivalled badge of excellence, these prestigious awards represent the best in class of the games business.
This year’s awards also mark 20 years of the MCV brand and we’re planning an extra special event to fit the occasion.
Enter the awards to celebrate your team’s best work this year and highlight your company to the games industry. This is your chance to shout about your organisation and get recognition and reward from your peers.
Games Fleadh logo

2019 Games Fleadh Robocode Competition

In 2019 Games Fleadh will be celebrating the Platformer Genre of Games, we will also have our first year undergraduate Robocode Competition.

The competition will take place on Wed March 6th in our Thurles Campus.

For more info visit www.gamesfleadh.ie

GAP logo

Gaming For Peace (GAP) Showcase

The Gaming for Peach (GAP) project is looking for game developers to showcase their games at their upcoming conference on 10th and 11th of January 2019 which will be held at Trinity College Dublin. GAP is looking to showcase ‘serious games’, games for education, and games with peacekeeping and similar themes. This showcase will also provide game developers with networking and outreach opportunities during the conference.

Any interested parties should contact Ciaran Devlin with further information about their games in order to discuss participation in the GAP showcase / games bazaar.

For more information, please see the GAP website.

Creative Europe Media 2019 Calls

Upcoming Deadlines for Creative Europe MEDIA

2019 Calls for all Creative Europe MEDIA Support Schemes have now been published. E-Forms are availble for some Calls and will be available for all schemes shortly. Please note that the deadline for all Support Schemes is 11am Irish time on the relevant date.

CREATIVE EUROPE MEDIA DEADLINES

Please note that there is a new online format for MEDIA Calls which are now presented in one portal with Guidelines divided into two main parts:

  • Part A gives general information about the objectives, priorities, criteria and general rules applicable to all calls for proposals.
  • Part B provides information and criteria per specific call for proposals.

Contact the Creative Europe Desk Ireland MEDIA Offices for more information and for assistance with Applications.

Animation Skillnet Events

Upcoming Courses with Animation Skillnet

Check out our upcoming November/December evening courses, workshops and events in Dublin. See below for more info and on how to book.

Workshops and Events:

  1. Schoolism Live – Dublin 2018
  2. Animation Returners Course: Digital Skills (2 Saturdays & Sundays)

Evening Classes:

  1. Advanced 3D Modelling, Scultping and Rendering in Maya and ZBrush (5 Monday evenings)
  2. The Business and Financing of Animation with Ronan McCabe (5 Monday evenings)
  3. Feature Film Screenwriting with John Dawson (5 Tuesday evenings)
MindCauldron 3D Modelling

3D Modelling with Blender

Learn the fundamentals of 3D modelling in this practical workshop series.

When:

  • Day 1 – Saturday, November 24th
  • Day 2 – Saturday, December 1st

Where:

The PorterShed, Galway

Tickets:

€100 per place, book your place here.
A Certificate of Completion will be presented by Mind Cauldron to each workshop participant on successful completion of the workshop.*

In these workshops we will cover:

  • Interface essentials.
  • Basic box modelling.
  • Basic UV unwrapping.
  • Basic rigging – make a basic 3D game character model with armature/skeleton for animation.

Requirements

Please ensure you have the following at the workshop:

  • A laptop/computer with its cables.
  • A 3-button mouse (left-click, right-click and scroll-wheel)
  • A copy of Blender installed.

You must be aged 18 or over to participate in this workshop.

All participants must agree to MindCauldron’s Code of Conduct to participate in the workshop.

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* Please note this certificate is not accredited by any educational institution or authority, though it may still serve to demonstrate your learning commitments and accomplishments to employers or education institutions.

Sunny Bunnies Launch Official Mobile Game

Sunny Bunnies TV show to include official mobile game developed in Ireland 

Galway based 9th Impact has been selected by Media I.M. Incorporated Ltd, the London-based TV content distribution company to create a mobile game based on the hit preschool animated show, Sunny Bunnies.

“We picked 9th Impact as our game development partner because of their deep understanding of working with TV properties and their track record of making games that fans of the TV show love,” said Gavin Metcalfe, Brand Licensing Director at Media I.M.

The new game will be called ‘Sunny Bunnies: Magic Pop!’ and it is a puzzle where players tap 2 or more adjoining characters of the same colour in order to make them magically “pop” and count toward achievement of the level objective.

“We wanted to create a game that reflected the bright, colourful fun of the Sunny Bunnies comedy but was also challenging for kids and could help develop problem solving and logical thinking skills” said Dr. Finn Krewer, Head of Development at 9th Impact.

The core audience of Sunny Bunnies are 4 to 7 year old kids, so the game has been designed with safety in mind – there is no ability for players to enter any freeform text that could be seen by another player.

With the new tie-in, Media I.M. are aiming for complete integration between the Sunny Bunnies TV show and the mobile game.

“We are breaking down traditional barriers that existed between different media,” said Metcalfe. “An episode of the TV show will feature the Sunny Bunnies unwittingly creating the game and the game will feature lots of clips from the TV show.”

The specially created episode will be titled ‘Magic Pop!’ and will be available on the Sunny Bunnies You Tube Channel on the same day as the game comes out.

The Sunny Bunnies You Tube Channel attracts over 20 million views monthly, so the developers are anticipating that a lot of players will be introduced to the mobile game organically.

Sunny Bunnies: Magic Pop! will launch on Google Play Store and Apple App Store globally on November 16th.

About Sunny Bunnies

The Sunny Bunnies are five beaming balls that can appear anywhere there is a source of light, from sunshine to moonlight. In each episode, the creatures bring their fun and games to a different location, a circus, a sports stadium, a park, embarking on mischievous adventures and spreading laughter and happiness. At the end of every episode, the fun continues with a collection of bloopers.

About Media I.M.

Media I.M. Incorporated Ltd, launched in April 2014 by former Viacom International Media Networks executives Maria Ufland and Irina Nazarenko, is an international content distribution company specialising in the sale of premium family entertainment and animation to both linear and non-linear platforms. The London-based operation has forged exclusive distribution agreements with several of Europe and Russia’s top animation producers, including Bionaut Films, Studio Atria, Da Animation Studio, Studio Nebo and Digital Light Studio.

About 9th Impact

9th Impact are a multi-award winning game development studio based in Galway, Ireland. They specialise in creating games based on TV shows in partnership with the brand owners. Their most recent release was the official game of the Danger Mouse TV show on mobile and Nintendo Switch. The game has won several awards and is shortlisted for ‘Game of the Year’ at the upcoming TIGA Awards.