February
15
New Job Posts
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February
15
Upcoming Events
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February
15
Game Industry Diversity Reports
The IGDA has released three new diversity reports based on the 2021 Developer Satisfaction Survey (DSS) data pertaining to developers’ experiences across gender and ethnicity, LGBTQA2+ identity, and region. These reports extend previous insights and their implications by approaching data with an intersectional lens. As a global community, we must work together to ensure accessible and equitable opportunities exist for everyone to achieve a fulfilling and sustainable career in the industry.
September
8
Video Game Storytelling Summit
Want to make better games? Enhance your ideas for world creation, characters, and level design at The Video Game Storytelling Summit!
The top names in video game writing, development & transmedia will be live to share stories from behind the scenes and answer your questions:
- Flint Dille – Writer, Author, Owner, GZP, Credits: Uncharted, Riddick, Diablo, Ingress, Dead to Rights, Fantastic Four 2, James Bond: Tomorrow Never Dies, and more
- John Zuur Platten – Writer, Author & CEO at Egresser Entertainment, Credits: Jurassic World, Ghostbusters, The Fast and the Furious, Chronicles of Riddick, and more.
- Dan Arey – Game Designer and Director of Creative Development at Niantic, Inc. Credits: Overwatch, Uncharted, Crash Bandicoot.
- Chris Metzen – Former SVP of Story and Franchise Dev at Blizzard Credits: Starcraft, WoW3, Warhammer, Overwatch
- John Nee – Founder of Cryptozoic, Former Head of Publishing & Loyalty at Marvel Entertainment, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Interactive Media & Games. Game credits include Lego Batman; Mortal Kombat vs. DC; Arkham Asylum and DC Universe Online and many more.
September
8
Apprenti and IGDA: Apprenticeships in Gaming
Join us tomorrow at 1pm ET to learn how registered apprenticeships can solve your talent acquisition and DE&I needs.
In partnership with Epic Games, Apprenti has developed Registered Apprenticeships in: Game Developer in Unity/Unreal, QA/Game Tester, Technical Artist, UX/UI Designer, VFX, Game Designer, 3D Animation, 2D Animation, 3D Modeling, Compositor, Realtime Virtual Production.
This event is for IGDA members only!
September
8
2 new technology jobs
Senior Producer
Oxide Games – Maryland
| View Job |
Sr. Cinematic Animator
Tencent America LLC – Irvine, California
| View Job |
January
13
The IGDA Climate Special Interest Group has launched its community website!
Game developers have real power to tackle the climate crisis – and none of us have to do it alone. We are building an inclusive, global community of game developers, climate scientists, researchers, and enthusiasts committed to supporting grassroots climate action throughout the video game industry. Check out the new site to learn more; gain access to resources built for game developers by game developers and climate activists; and find opportunities to help unlock measurable progress towards a more climate resilient future. Visit the Website
January
12
Breakpoint 2: Virtual Game Developer Summit 2022
The m ost exciting virtual game developer summit is back! Join us on February 16, 2022, for Breakpoint 2 and get the opportunity to network and share best practices with other developers and leaders in the gaming industry.
This time, we’re shifting the focus on tools and best practices that developers rely on to ship quality mobile games and apps.
Participate in breakout sessions on game quality, testing tools and techniques, and performance issues troubleshooting. Learn from industry leaders like Google Stadia, Epic Games, AWS, Unity, Respawn, Helpshift and the IGDA.
So, mark your calendars and join us on this one-day-only event, and get a chance to win awesome prizes like a PlayStation 5 or equivalent and much more. You can also win gift cards when you register.
Join our Discord to connect with fellow developers, designers, and programmers to improve your chances.
November
30
Become a Core Student Ambassador
Are you a student with a passion for games? Want to earn up to $2,500 USD and potentially a marketing internship in the games industry by sharing that passion with your friends? You could be a perfect fit for Manticore Games’ new opportunity for students, the Core Student Ambassador Program!
Core is a digital playground with over 40,000 games for you to explore. With an editor powered by Unreal Engine 4, Core makes creating your own games and experiences easy. Core also takes care of multiplayer networking for you, allowing you to publish your creation instantly to be enjoyed by anyone. Best of all, Core is completely FREE and you can even monetize your work through our Perks program. Many Core creators have been able to pay their bills, buy their dream cars and quit their day jobs with the money they have earned.
With the Core Student Ambassador Program, you can earn rewards by organizing events like Core game nights, in-game competitions, or Game Jams. By hosting events and inviting others to join Core through your unique link you’ll earn points. These points translate into payouts and build towards lifetime reward tiers including access to event budgets and handouts that will help your personal Core community grow!
Interested? Learn more at ambassadors.coregames.com
Applications are open now!
November
3
Pocket Gamer Connects
A Pocket Gamer Connects online conference is the perfect way to meet, learn from, and do business with over 1,000 games industry professionals, and over 130 speakers. We’ve run 30 Connects events now since 2014, and we’re excited to continue connecting the global games industry.
As one of the expected 1,000 attendees, you will have access to an innovative online platform for three days in November 2021. You’ll be able to select from a programme of great live video content full of insight and practical advice across 14+ themed conference tracks. You can watch the tracks live or catch up on the recorded videos within your own time, and if you’re online while the speakers are performing you’ll be able to interact with them and the other viewers with questions and comments.
IGDA members save 20% on tickets by using the discount code here.
| re Info |
November
3
DevGAMM Fall 2021
Join DevGAMM Fall 2021 online conference that will take place on 17-19 November! No flights, quarantines or hotel reservations — everything is right on your laptop. These three days include: the best content, game activities and pitches, online meetings and expo.
Moreover, starting from 20 October, each Wednesday, watch Public Pitch live streams with pitches of game developers on DevGAMM YouTube channel. There will be 4 live streams in total. The finalists will join a live stream during the event on 19 November!
The developers will be able to watch streamers playing their games during the Streaming Showcase format, and get inspired by the review sessions in public by experts in the field of game design, art, or marketing. In addition, the best games in 9 nominations of DevGAMM Awards will be named on 19 November. The prize fund is $40,000 from Xsolla, tinyBuild, GEM Capital and Green Gray.
November
3
MEGAMIGS
MEGAMIGS is the unmissable event in Canada dedicated to the video game industry, and has been for over 15 years. The 2021 edition will take place virtually from 9 – 14 November and access to the virtual expo is free for the general public. This year, the event focuses on gameplay and discovery. With more than a hundred exhibitors present, it will be possible to virtually discover their booths and showcases. Game demos, trailers and other exclusive content awaits.
As every year, quality conferences held by passionate speakers are organized and business development returns with a more interactive formula, better adapted to everyone’s needs. MEGAMIGS offers many opportunities to network through creative activities. Investors, developers, and buyers come together in a setting that is designed for business development. Last year, more than 1000 business meetings between entrepreneurs, developers and creators took place. MEGAMIGS is the event in Canada where discovery, exchange and exposure of the video game industry meet.
| Register Today |
November
3
WN Seattle’21
WN Seattle’21 (16-17 November, in Seattle, WA) is a gathering for decision-makers in the video game industry with over 500 publishers, service providers, investors, game platforms and studios representatives on-site.
Game studios and teams can apply for the developer showcase (till 7 November) and get a free booth in the Expo Zone and up to 3 free Premium Passes per team.
The event hosts live lectures from Ed Fries, Dean Takahashi, Phoena Pang, Kate Edwards, Mihai Pohontu, and other leading industry experts.
If you can’t go to Seattle — welcome to the WN North America Online’21 (showcase
November
3
Jobs
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October
6
A Good Resource.
A good Blog, suggested by your fellow student Finley Lewis:
https://www.slynyrd.com/blog/2018/8/19/pixelblog-8-intro-to-animation
While the economy of pixel art makes it a splendid medium to animate in, the limitations present peculiar nuances. The majority of pixel art is animated in a traditional frame by frame manner. Most often you will find pixel art animation in the form of short looping cycles, especially when used in video games. As simple as they may seem, looping animations demand great attention to detail. When repeatedly played over an over again you notice every detail, and a single misplaced pixel can create an eyesore. In other words, you can’t hide poor cluster work with fluid animation. Furthermore, I recommend developing confidence in your basic pixeling skills before getting too carried away with animation. But ultimately, the most effective way to learn is by going through the motions. Best to start with simple small sprites and limited colors. Let’s ease in with some idle cycles.
September
1
Michael Schwalbe and What He Said Voiceovers, LLC
Today we wanted to shine a spotlight on Michael Schwalbe and What He Said Voiceovers, LLC. Michael Schwalbe is a veteran voice actor and director, with more than 10 years of experience bringing hundreds of his clients’ projects to life. You’ve almost certainly heard his voice without realizing it, in titles like Half Life: Alyx, Slay the Spire, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Mafia: Definitive Edition, SMITE, Genshin Impact, Devil May Cry 5, Bugsnax, and many, many more. He’s often referred to as a “vocal chameleon,” performing 60+ roles for a single game on more than one occasion.
We at the IGDA were also pleased to have Michael as the announcer for our upcoming Global Industry Game Awards. Michael noted that he was honored to announce the ceremony, and offered his sincerest congratulations to all the talented nominees and winners. When asked about his support of the IGDA, Michael said, “Because I find myself so often working with small to mid-size indie studios, it just makes sense to be a part of the organization doing the most to support game developers like them. Plus, indies still think voice actors are cool. Who doesn’t like feeling cool?” Read More
September
1
Partner Spotlight: Xsolla
Xsolla Diamond Club is a business and social membership organization welcoming video game developers, publishers, and distributors interested in networking, sharing best practices, and solving mutual challenges. Gaming professionals have opportunities to discuss how to reach more players and earn more revenue at regular meet-ups, speaker sessions, Discord events, and on the Club’s Facebook group. Members have access to special pricing on industry event tickets, subject-matter experts, and many chances to connect with peers facing the same funding, production, distribution, marketing, and monetization challenges.
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September
1
Job Opportunity
Sound Designer
Description
StoryToys are seeking a Sound Designer with experience in kids digital content to work with us on our award wining apps. We make apps & games with the biggest names in kids entertainment – Disney, LEGO, Nickeloden, Sesame Street, Saban, DC Comics, Eric Carle and more.
Learn more about us on storytoys.com.
Requirements
– A demonstrable ability in creative & playful sound creation for kids content
– Music composition with a focus on kids content
– Unity audio integration
– Logic Pro – SFX creation
– Adobe Audition – Asset prep
– Agile development
– Asset management and integration in a deployment pipeline.
This is a remote contract position. Please send your details with the title “Sound Designer” to careers@storytoys.com
Job Information
- Job ID: 58145073
- Location:
Dublin, Ireland - Position Title: Sound Designer
- Company Name: StoryToys
- Job Function: Audio
- Min Experience: 1-2 Years
September
1
Unity for Humanity Summit
The Unity for Humanity Summit presents a call to action to imagine, design, and create a healthier, more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable world for all using real-time 3D (RT3D) technology.
This one day summit will feature inspiring talks from leading changemakers, creator panels, discussion forums and practical workshops, organised around four main areas:
- Education and Inclusive Economic Opportunity
- Environment and Sustainability
- Digital Health and Wellbeing
- Tools for Changemakers
You’ll hear from creators about their journeys to real-time 3D and get tips for your own projects, meet experts 1:1 who can help you with your work, and join roundtable discussions on leading topics like the Metaverse, the future for sustainable development goals, and more. Check out the latest speaker lineup information here.
May
26
Games Showcase: Neko Ghost, Jump!
Neko Ghost, Jump! is a cute but challenging puzzle-platformer where you take control of Nekoman while on a journey to save his friends and bride-to-be from the clutches of the evil Space Dog Pirates that have invaded Nekoworld. By using the abilities to switch between 2D & 3D camera perspectives as well as switching between your physical & ghost forms, you’ll be able to solve puzzles, find hidden loot, combat enemies, and clear levels faster. Nekoman’s journey will take him through several biomes ranging from grassy plains to snowy tundras, to sweltering deserts and beyond. Coming to PC and Consoles this July.
Do you have a game coming out? Submit it for the Game Showcase today!
May
26
Guide for Game Companies: How to Create and Sustain a Positive Work Culture
In partnership with Facebook Gaming, the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) is proud to announce that our newest white paper, “Guide for Game Companies: How to Create and Sustain a Positive Work Culture”, has been published online in the IGDA Resource Library. This white paper dives into the best practices for developing and sustaining a positive and productive team through the use of proactive culture development, support of inclusivity and diversity, and team development resources and tools. These are critical topics for the healthy growth of new and current studios.
We hope that this white paper not only empowers studios to create a healthier and more productive workplace culture, and also leads to the betterment of our industry as a whole. Our industry and our world has seen much adversity recently, particularly in regards to lack of inclusivity. It is the duty of all of us to be welcoming and supportive of everyone we interact with.
Please use this new resource to empower yourself and your company to consider how to best support those around you, and together we can lead our industry forward. Click below to read the full white paper!
| Click To Read |
May
13
Job Board
May
13
Game Showcase – LetterBound
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May
13
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
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February
10
Bytedance
The latest Global Game Developer Competition is here! Gaming studios of all sizes are invited to join Ohayoo’s first developer competition, which runs through Feb. 19. Since launching last month, scores of developers have submitted game demos to Ohayoo for the chance to take home a range of tiered prizes, from $1,500 USD for the top 10 winners scaling up to a grand prize of $100,000 USD plus a publishing contract for first place winner.
Ohayoo provides the tools, services and solutions for global developers to successfully optimize user retention and monetization, successfully enter the Chinese casual gaming universe, and capture the meteoric rise of casual gaming in markets worldwide. Since launching in 2019, Ohayoo has published 150+ games and achieved 500 million total downloads, with 9 games individually bringing in over $15 million USD in revenue each, and 39 games individually driving revenue over $1.5 million USD each.
Don’t miss the opportunity to be discovered by Ohayoo on its mission to empower developers to transform their creativity into chart-topping hits and bring joy to players worldwide! All materials must be submitted by February 19 to Ohayoo’s official email address. Find full details here, and good luck!
February
10
Black History Month Spotlight: Tony Barnes
This week’s Black History Month spotlight is on Tony Barnes.
Tony Barnes is a 35 year industry veteran and a recipient of the Jerry Lawson Lifetime Achievement award. An artist, designer, composer, producer, and engineer, some of his highlights include The Strike Series (Desert, Jngle, Urban, Nuclear), Madden Football, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Medal of Honor, Star Wars EP3, Star Trek DS9, Strider, and more. On what he’s currently working on, here’s what he had to say: “After over 3 decades of creating and maintaining franchises for others, I started my own company, RetroNinja in 2020. A solo dev effort, I have 2 games looking to ship in 2021. One is a first-person platformer, called Run Die Run Again and the other is a co-op top-down shooter, called Chaos Chassis.”
Learn more about him and his work!
January
27
Managing Variable Latency for Multiplayer Online and Cloud Gaming
CableLabs Distinguished Technologists, Greg White and Steve Glennon, do an in-depth look at sources of latency in home and access networks and learn how the Cable industry is providing tools for game developers to improve the game experience. Most applications have different traffic patterns and needs which ultimately require different solutions for reducing and managing latency. This is true even between seemingly related applications like online gaming and game streaming. The good news is that CableLabs has been building and testing latency and congestion management solutions for some time, including one that is well-tailored to emerging game streaming platforms. The suite of features developed by CableLabs and its industry partners, known as Low Latency DOCSIS® technology (LLD), can provide better customer experiences for both current multiplayer online gaming and emerging cloud gaming services. In this session, game developers will learn about the steps to ensure their games are ready to take advantage of these new network capabilities.
January
27
Utility Patents – What Game Developers Should Know
Intellectual property (IP) is critical to the gaming industry. A video game is, at its heart, a collection of intellectual property rights. Whether you work for a pillar of the industry or are just starting out as an independent game developer, everyone should have a basic understanding of what these rights are, how they can impact your business, and how you may lose those rights. Our friends at Finnegan LLP have produced another white paper to cover the basics of intellectual property law, and it’s application to the gaming industry. Download it here.
January
20
Breakpoint
Join us for a FREE 2-day virtual gaming developer summit that will gather thought leaders in the gaming industry to share tools and best practices that programmers depend on to develop and ship games, with a focus on 3 major segment areas: Debugging, Performance, Quality Assurance & Testing.
Breakpoint will take place 24 – 25 February 2021 – to learn more, visit the event website.
January
20
IGDA Elections
 Today’s the day! Elections for the IGDA Board of Directors is open for voting. There are two elected positions available, and IGDA members should have received an email including their voting password. For more information on the elections process and the slate, visit the Elections page. The instructions are sent to the email address associated with your IGDA account – if you are unable to find the email and you have checked your spam folders, please email membership@igda.org for more assistance. |
December
8
Networking during the holidays
Despite social distancing, the end of the year is still a great opportunity to build connections that elevate your career. With so many people working and attending school virtually, people are easier to contact online than ever before. Check out this short video to learn quick tips like these:
- Put together a nice holiday/New Year’s message to touch base with your network, like former instructors, coworkers, and supervisors
- Ask your network for names of people you should know
- Develop your LinkedIn profile (see page 8 in the Career Guide)
- Reach out to professionals doing what interests you for a virtual informational interview or brief chat about their career journey
Want to know more?
- Central Piedmont Career Services Career Guidefeatures information about building connections in the “Introducing You” section beginning on page 5.
- Watch our 3-minute videofor more expert tips!
- Meet with a career counselor in the new year
September
30
IGDA Student Portfolio Spotlight – Now Launched!
 Calling all IGDA Student Members – you can now have your portfolio featured on the IGDA website! Spotlights are kept up for six months, and are open to all student members. If you’d like to have yours added, you can fill out the following form. |
September
28
eSports Opportunity at CPCC
Open to all currently enrolled Central Piedmont students, participating is FREE! Its mission is to create a virtual community through eSports and allow students to connect with one another. Students may sign up for the following leagues:
- Madden NFL 20 (Xbox 1 and PS4) (Play Mondays at 7pm)
- Rocket League (Cross Platform, 2v2) (Play Wednesdays at 8pm) ***Now free to play on all platforms
- Super Smash Bros (Nintendo Switch, 2v2) (Play Tuesdays at 8pm)
- NBA 2K21 (Xbox 1 and PS4) (Play Thursdays at 7pm)
- Mario Kart 8 (Nintendo Switch) (Play Mondays at 8pm)
- FIFA 21 (Xbox 1 and PS4) (Play Thursdays at 8pm)
Students can download the Mission Control app and search for Central Piedmont.
- Go to link
- Download app
- Create your profile
- Join the Central Piedmont organization (you may have to search for it)
- Register for a league
- Invite your friends from CP and play!
Sign ups are active now and run through October 2nd.
Leagues will begin October 5th.
The top 4 teams in each league will make the playoffs, and the winner of each league will win a gift card!
September
25
Amazon Introduces Cloud Gaming Service, Luna
Amazon is getting into the cloud gaming business with Luna, a new service that uses its Amazon Web Services tech as the backbone. Amazon says that at launch, Luna will be playable on PC, Mac, Amazon’s own Fire TV devices, as well as iPhone and iPad through web apps. An Android version is said to be coming soon as well. This is a notable difference between Luna and the cloud gaming services from Microsoft and Google–xCloud and Stadia, respectively–which have run into Apple policies that have prevented the ability to play on iOS devices. Apple recently changed its rules, but Microsoft issued a statement maintaining that it’s still a bad experience for gamers.For the time being, Luna will be available in the mainland US. It is not yet available in Hawaii, Alaska, or US territories.
September
25
Tribeca Film Festival to add Video Games
September
24
Microsoft Buys Zenimax Media Parent Company of Bethesda Software
The deal which was made for $7.5 Billion places eight game studios under the Xbox Games division of Microsoft. Microsoft has stated that future games from the new studios will be available on Game Pass on release days. More details can be found here:
September
24
IGDA Indies Showcase Recap
September
24
The Modern Mobile Gamer
AdColony_DISQO_TheModernMobileGamerReport
AdColony partnered with consumer insights platform DISQO to survey 1,200 verified mobile users about their mobile gaming behaviors, preferences, and sentiments. The Modern Mobile Gamer Report reveals insights into the types of mobile games consumers turn to the most, why they play, and what they are doing at the same time. Download the full report!
September
24
Epic Releases More Free Assets for Developers
https://unrealengine.com/marketplace/en-US/product/factory-environment-collection
Epic Games made waves with their recent Unreal Engine 5 demonstration, but they have also made recent announcements that can boost your projects and game jams today. On August 28th, Epic announced in collaboration with ArtCore Studios that they were releasing a new Factory Environment Collection of free assets for developers.
September
18
Oculus Quest 2
The Quest 2 looks very similar to its predecessor, apart from the new paint job and a slightly smaller frame (which Oculus says is 10% lighter than the original Quest). The headset’s body is made of smooth white plastic, with no geometric patterns or swiss cheese-esque tracking sensors – just four cameras along the front corners. Gone is the rough fabric covering the headset body, resulting in a more unified look that will likely show dirt easier – but will also be easier to clean without the fabric. The strap, however, does use white fabric, which will almost certainly get grimy after some sweaty usage. (It also feels a bit cheaper than the original Quest’s strap, though its less rigid nature makes the Quest 2 way more portable.) Oculus does sell a new Elite Strap separately, which uses a plastic halo design with a twist-to-tighten wheel that clicks the headset to size. It’s a worthy upgrade, if you can spring the extra cash, and there’s even one with a battery pack, for those that spend hours at a time in VR.
Speaking of cash, the Quest 2 costs $299, making room-scale VR more affordable than ever. That price is for the 64GB model, and as a Quest owner, I’ve found 64GB more than adequate for my usage. If you plan on loading up your Quest with heavier games, movies, and other files, you may want to spring for the $399 version, which has a whopping 256GB of storage (twice as much as the higher-tier Quest 1).
The rest of the Quest’s specs have been souped up as well, with a per-eye resolution of 1832×1920 (up from 1600×1440 on the original Quest), a 90Hz refresh rate (up from 72Hz), 6GB of RAM (vs 4GB), and a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2, which Qualcomm claims has twice the CPU and GPU performance of the previous headset’s Snapdragon 835. I wasn’t able to test the 90Hz support, since games haven’t implemented it yet, but we’ll hopefully see developers roll out 90Hz support soon after launch.
The inter-pupillary distance (IPD) adjustment now only has three settings, rather than being able to adjust it millimeter by millimeter. If you wear glasses, the Quest comes with a glasses spacer, and you still have the option of getting prescription lenses for the headset as well, but this is a minor downgrade.
Finally, the controllers have an updated design, with better haptic feedback, four times more battery life (according to Oculus), and a larger size with plenty of room for your thumbs to rest without risking accidental button presses. This is a double-edged sword, though, which I’ll get to in a moment.
Setup and Requirements
The Quest 2 is just as effortless as its predecessor, giving it a big advantage over more complex PC-based VR headsets. Once your headset is charged, you just need to download the Oculus app on your phone and follow the instructions to set everything up. You’ll connect to Wi-Fi, put AA batteries in the controller, and wait a few minutes for the latest firmware – oh, and log into your Facebook account, which is required for the Quest 2. Those that already use Facebook regularly may not have a problem with this, but for those philosophically opposed to Facebook, this is a legitimate dealbreaker for a device that, unfortunately, doesn’t have any real competition.
February
11
2D Jungle Pack for Ferr2D
Watch the viedo: watch?v=5xbkrH-EJd4
2D Jungle Pack
https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/55135
This package is using Ferr2D Terrain Tool . In order to create terrain you NEED to have Ferr2D! Remaining assets are performing correctly regardless of the editor.
Package DOES NOT include Ferr2D terrain, you must create it on your own. Package contains everything you will need in order to do it. This is only art and textures package. Package does not contain demo scenes.
Package includes around 400 hand-painted textures in high resolution. Perfect choice for creating platform games as well as endless runners.
Package contains:
– 39 bushes
– 30 palms
– 99 floral elements
– 70 mushrooms
– 30 addons (lava, water, clouds, etc.)
– 9 backgrounds
– 12 particle systems
Additionally package includes PDF tutorial.
February
4
Feng Zhu’s students’ final projects
Feng Zhu’s students’ final projects:
http://fengzhudesign.blogspot.com/2016/01/fzd-term-3-final-projects-part-1.html
http://fengzhudesign.blogspot.com/2016/01/fzd-term-3-final-projects-part-1.html
February
4
Feng Zhu’s advanced students’ work
Check out Feng Zhu’s advanced students’ work:
http://fengzhudesign.blogspot.sg/2016/02/fzd-advanced-entertainment-yoga.html
January
17
New SGD Course in 3D Data Capture
SGD 210 – 3D Data Capture is one of the new courses that you can expect from the SGD program.
This course introduces students to the tools used to capture data in a 3D environment. Emphasis is placed on capturing data from motion capture and/or 3D scanning devices for use in 3D models and animations. Upon completion, students should be able to capture data from a 3D environment and import for use in 3D models, simulations, and animations.
If you are interested or have any questions, please contact our instructors or advisers. More info here!
January
17
SGD Has Moved!
The CPCC Simulation and Game Development department has moved!
We are still in the Levine Technology Building, but now we are located on the first floor, setup complete with our own lobby so our SGD students have a place to relax and study that is their own. If you are interested in enrolling in our program, please contact any of our instructors or advisers. Marc.tucker@cpcc.edu , Farhad.javidi@cpcc.edu , or Perry.courter@cpcc.edu.
January
17
The Carolina Games Summit is about to commence at Wayne Community College in Goldsboro. This event is a full day summit that holds interest for gamers and developers both, as CGS holds about 10-20 classrooms full of the newest gaming platforms and even those dating back to the Nintendo 64 and Gamecube era(Smash and Mario Kart are still king).
The game developers looking for more career related fun will be happy to know that EA, Redstorm, Funcom, Autodesk and more are always there exhibiting and happy to talk to a budding developer.
This is a great place to attend if you don’t have the budget for East Coast Game Conference or Game Developer’s Conference but you still want to put yourself out there and network with some of the industry’s finest.
On another note, CGS is always looking for student volunteers!
January
17
Game Developers Conference is Looming!
The week long world known conference for game developers is on the horizon. Those who have shelled out the $1500+ or signed up to be volunteers are booking flights and hotels. One of the best AND worst things about GDC is that it has so many lectures and tracks for every facet of game development, it is impossible to go to all of the lectures. Though if you did attend, you can access the GDC vault. A magical repository where they have all the lectures on record so that if you did attend GDC that year, you can log into the vault and watch what you might have missed.
May
7
LoveIT Tv
LoveIT TV
Simulation and Game Development has several series of videos showing off what is going on in the IT department, student videos in SGD, and anything related to the gaming industry. Come check us out!
Latest videos are with Christopher Totten:
Designing Better Levels Through Human Survival Instincts
The experience of users in a space is something that architects have understood for centuries but which has been lost with the Postmodern focus on building forms. In a work that evolved from his Architecture Masters thesis, game design professor Christopher Totten set out to understand how buildings and games make better user experiences. What he learned was how to make better levels. Through case studies and building analysis, this presentation shows how video game environments can learn from architecture in ways that begin with human survival instincts. Shelter, shadow, shade, and vertigo are all explored to discover how levels can be both thrilling and fun.
Christopher Totten:
Chris Totten is a Washington, DC-based professor of game design and 3D animation. He has also participated in several independent game projects as an artist, animator, and project manager. Chris has written articles featured on both Gamasutra and Video Game Writers. He is currently writing a textbook called Game Character Creation in Blender and Unity, which will be released by Wiley Publishing in the summer of 2012. He has a Masters Degree in Architecture with a concentration in digital media from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Chris wants to help shape a new generation of game designers who look deeper into their designs. He works with students and other designers to challenge gaming conventions through cross-disciplinary research.
December
12
Extra Credits
A great set of videos with amazing perspectives on all aspects of game development and the industry today! Extra Credits
October
12
