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Extreme Reality will introduce a new type of gaming technology at GDC 2014 and Game Connection 2014

sirpaul54
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Extreme Reality will introduce a new type of gaming technology at GDC 2014 and Game Connection 2014

GDC San FranciscoGame Connection America 2014In today’s every changing world, companies are introducing new ways for people to enjoy games on PCs, tablets, and smartphones. At Game Connection America 2014 and the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2014, Extreme Reality will offer demonstrations of its motion controlled gaming technology. Extreme Reality is the only company to bring full-body motion analysis and control via a device’s native or peripheral camera.

The launch of a new software development kit (SDK) by Extreme Reality will also be shown at the conferences. These new development tools will enable the fastest integration of human motion control into apps and games. People will be able to play two motion control games on tablets and smartphones. You can find the booth for Extreme Reality in the exposition hall, booth 310 at GDC. Extreme Reality will be in room 310 at the Game Connect America Conference.

If developers want to get their hands on Extreme Reality’s motion control technology, they can visit the Extreme Reality developer zone, http://www.xtr3d.com/developers. There is also the Extreme Android Challenge 2014 where winners can win a grand prize of $8,000 and a meeting with EA founder, and Extreme Reality Board member, Trip Hawkins. Entries for this challenge must have their entries in by May 20, 2014.  Go to this link to apply: http://www.xtr3d.com/android-challenge-2014/.

Follow this link to see a video of this technology by Extreme Reality: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/03/prweb11665835.htm

DevGAMM Moscow 2014 Announced

Mathew Anderson
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DevGAMM Moscow 2014 Announced

The annual international gaming conference DevGAMM arrives at a new level!

This year, the event will last for 2 days – on May 15-16, 2014.
We’ll also have a new venue – Radisson Blu Slavyanskaya.

The organizers are expecting to host around 1,000-1,500 attendants from different countries.

DevGAMM is a conference dedicated to game development and publishing.
The most productive event in gaming industry.

Registration has already opened. Tickets are from 70$.

These are some of this year’s conference speakers: Vlambeer, Rovio, ZeptoLab, Wargaming.net, Unity, AlternativaPlatform, Away3D, Adobe, FDG Entertainment, RJ Games, tinyBuild, Charlie Oscar, indie studios and lots of others.

The majority of lectures will cover topics on game development: game design, programming, art and animations, sounds, producer’s activities.

On top of that, the secrets of promotion, monetization, publishing, and postmortems of successful projects will be shared. And even more…

Traditionally, the conference will include its own exclusive events that make it stand out:

Register right now!

Next-gen is “a better marketplace” – EEDAR

Mathew Anderson
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Next-gen is “a better marketplace” – EEDAR

EEDAR president Geoffrey Zatkin shares observations on how the new consoles compare to the last generation

In a talk on Wednesday of GDC week at 11:00AM (Room 3007, West Hall), EEDAR president and chief product officer Geoffrey Zatkin will provide an overview of his “Awesome Video Game Data” for 2014. While Zatkin will dive into trends and analysis for every sector of the market from mobile to console, he spoke exclusively with GamesIndustry International in advance to discuss how the new consoles stack up with the launch of the last-gen (PS3, 360, Wii). The takeaway? This new generation of consoles is actually catering to a slightly older audience, and there’s more potential to better monetize content than ever before.

Comparing the games released during the first three months of the last generation to this one, it’s clear that there are more mature titles in each system’s respective portfolio. From PS3 to PS4, the portfolio jumped from around eight percent mature-rated games up to 17 percent; on Xbox One it’s up to about 21 percent; even on Wii U mature games are approaching 10 percent.

“E10+ was considered maybe not the kiss of death but only sports games ever got rated E10+. If you look at how it’s shifted from PS3 to PS4 they only have half the number of Everyone games launched. E10+ was boosted and a lot of it has come out of teen. They have also doubled the amount of Mature games that have been coming out. We usually don’t see such radical shifts. They are redefining who their market is when you look at who they’re targeting age wise. They’ve shifted away in some ways from an audience below 10 fairly dramatically. They are going for an older audience skew on this one,” Zatkin commented.

Game Connection America 2014 features collaborations with global industry frontrunners

Mathew Anderson
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Game Connection America 2014 features collaborations with global industry frontrunners

With less than a week to go before the start of Game Connection America 2014, passes are still available and we’re announcing even more partners, who you’ll want to take the time to meet.

San Francisco, USA – 12 March 2014 – Many new names feature amongst those longer-standing this year, to whom we extend a very warm welcome. If you’re looking for an opportunity to meet national, regional and press industry associations and affiliates, to harness their networks and expertise, these are the people you want to keep on your radar.

Game Connection America’s 11th edition, your perfect business partner alongside the evolution of the industry, takes place at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, San Francisco between 17-19 March, 2014.

Regional delegations, digital experts & software providers

TeamSpeak, software for quality voice communications provider, sponsors the first of two cocktail parties on March 17th, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm at the Golden Gate Tap Room, just across the road from the Sir Francis Drake Hotel and will be present in San Francisco to demonstrate the benefits of their dedicated servers.

Brazilian Game Developers, sponsors of the second cocktail networking party on March 18th, from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm also at the Golden Gate Tap Room, will be showcasing everything the colorful country has to offer.

Media Monks and Digital Capital, both in the digital space, are digital development experts and provide partnership opportunities, management and advisory services respectively.

JETRO will showcase a range of Japanese developer talent seeking global connections, SNIP / KOTRA will represent the Korean delegation and TAITRA will introduce us to Taiwan’s top 10 gaming developers (console, online & mobile) and publishers for exploration into the greater China market.

These international associations add themselves to the large list of delegations we will be welcoming from Canada, France, Hungary, Italy, the Nordics, Quebec, Singapore, Spain and the UK.

Media & press partners

We are grateful for support from global press players again this year; [a]listdaily, AFJV, BusinessXP, Develop, DFMO.NET, Events for Gamers, gamesindustry.biz, GamingXP, IGN, IMGMR, M&ETech, Mobile Entertainment, Pearl Research, Pocketgamer.biz, Siliconera and Pockett Videogames.

Event partners

Excitingly and for the first time, Game Connection goes hand in hand with eMerge Americas, to showcase the hottest start-ups, cutting edge innovations and latest trends in technology in Miami Beach on May 2nd – 6th. Additionally we continue to show our support for the mobile entertainment industry by partnering with LOGIN Conference on May 8th and the IMGAs on March 20th.

Find the latest attendee list here, which now boasts over 640 companies, from over 45 countries. Find the latest press list here.

Additional dates for the diary

This edition also brings with it again the Selected Projects program, sponsored by Namco Bandai Games, Microsoft Studios and newly added just last week, SCEA (Sony Computer Entertainment of America), featuring 15 nominations from the substantial competition of over 200 submissions, some of which will go on to be the games of tomorrow. Join your friends and peers at the ceremony on March 17th, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm to hear their innovative and original game pitches and see who walks away with the ultimate accolade of “Overall Best Project”.

Game Connection America 2014 also celebrates the best marketing campaigns in the gaming industry at the Game Connection Marketing Awards on March 17th, 4 – 6pm. A wide array of fantastic campaigns have been submitted by some of the best and brightest teams across the world – come and view those short-listed and celebrate the talented teams returning home, awards in hand.

Lastly, the well-received trade association feature, the Game Industry Support (GIS) Roundtable, will be held within Game Connection America at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel on March 18th. You can still book your place for this here

For more information about Game Connection:
– Visit the website: www.game-connection.com
– Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Game.Connection.Official.Page
– Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/The_GameCo
– Tune into our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/gameconnectionvideos/
– Contact: gpalmieri@game-connection.com

VIDEO GAMES LIVE ANNOUNCES 50+ MORE SHOWS AROUND THE WORLD! (Press Release)

Paul Philleo
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VIDEO GAMES LIVE ANNOUNCES 50+ MORE SHOWS AROUND THE WORLD! (Press Release)

VIDEO GAMES LIVE ANNOUNCES 50+ MORE SHOWS AROUND THE WORLD!

INCLUDES FIRST EVER FULL FLEDGED GAME CONCERT NATIONAL TOURS IN EUROPE, MEXICO, SOUTH AMERICA, CHINA AND MORE!

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE A 25,000 SEAT BASEBALL STADIUM IN MONTERREY, MEXICO!

LOS ANGELES, CA – March 7, 2014 – Coming off its highly successful 3rd album release (VIDEO GAMES LIVE: LEVEL 3), VGL continues its spearheading 13 year history of spreading the art and culture of video games and their music around the world, Video GamesLive is proud to announce 50+ more tour dates kicking off this weekend in Phoenix, Arizona. Some of the highlights of the ongoing groundbreaking 12 year tour include…

  • An unprecedented 10 show national tour of Mexico culminating with a massive performance in a 25,000 seat baseball stadium in Monterrey, Mexico sponsored by Coca-Cola, Monster Energy Drink, Burger King and the Mexican Ministry of Culture.  Special guests include internet sensation Malukah performing for the first time ever her song “Dragonborn Comes” watch over 25 million times on YouTube.  Other special guests include Blizzard Entertainment Audio Director & Composer Russell Brower, Gerard Marino (God of War), Austin Wintory (Journey), Eimear Noone (Blizzard conductor and Zelda concert conductor) and some VERY special guests game composer friends from Japan.
  • First ever game concerts in places such as McAllen, TX – Guadalajara, Mexico – Spokane, WA – Manchester, England – X’ian, China – Madrid, Spain – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Stuttgart, Germany  – Bethlehem, PA – Columbia – Venezuela – Panama AND MORE!
  • Unprecedented 5th return to San Diego Comic Con!  Once again performing with the San Diego Symphony on the shore behind the Convention Center where Comic Con is held.  Show to include MANY special guests from around the world and WORLD PREMIERS from Blizzard Entertainment and others including the independent smash hit CAVE STORY!
  • 3rd return to the Hard Rock Live at Universal CityWalk in Orlando, Florida. Other surrounding shows include the first shows forVideo Games Live in Miami and West Palm Beach.
  • 3+ week multi-city tour of China including 2 of the biggest indoor stadiums in the country which hold over 22,000+ people in Shanghai and Beijing.
  • 3rd year in-a-row returning to the Middle East. Dubai show to take place during massive video game exposition.
  • The 3rd return to Broadway in New York City!
  • Massive South American tour including Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Columbia, Venezuela and MORE!
  • The first ever full-fledged month long European game concert tour visiting England, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden, The Netherlands AND MORE!
  • The 9th year that Video Games Live will be performing in Canada! Including Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton, Vancouver and Calgary.

All information and ticket links for each show can be viewed on the TOUR DATES page at www.videogameslive.com.  Ultimate Gamer V.I.P. Backstage Experience Packages available HERE.  Additional 2014 FALL/WINTER and SPRING 2015 dates will be added.

March 8, 2014 Phoenix, AZ Orpheum Theatre
March 9, 2014 Phoenix, AZ Orpheum Theatre
March 21, 2014 México City, México José Cuervo Salón
March 22, 2014 México City, México José Cuervo Salón
March 24, 2014 Puebla, México Auditorio Siglo XXI
March 26, 2014 Pachuca, México Liezno Charro
March 28, 2014 Querétaro, México Auditorio Josefa Ortiz
March 30, 2014 Guadalajara, México Auditorio TELMEX
April 1, 2014 León, México Poliforum León
April 3, 2014 San Luis Potosí, Méx El Domo San Luis
April 5, 2014 Monterrey, México Estadio de Béisbol
April 7, 2014 McAllen, TX McAllen Convention Center
April 26, 2014 Spokane, WA FOX Theatre
April 27, 2014 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre
May 16, 2014 Miami, FL Adrienne Arsht Center
May 17, 2014 West Palm Beach, FL Kravis Center
May 18, 2014 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Live – Citywalk
June 5, 2014 Raleigh, NC Meymandi Concert Hall
July 24, 2014 San Diego, CA Embarcadero Marina Park
August 2, 2014 Shanghai, China Mercedes-Benz Arena
August 9, 2014 Beijing, China MasterCard Center
August 15, 2014 X’ian, China TBA
August 16, 2014 X’ian, China TBA
September 6, 2014 Salt Lake City, UT Abravanel Hall
September 6, 2014 Salt Lake City, UT Abravanel Hall
Sept. 12, 2014 Dubai, UAE Dubai World Trade Center
October 10, 2014 Atlanta, GA TBA
October 12, 2014 New York City, NY TBA
October, 2014 Milan, Italy TBA
October 30, 2014 Antwerp, Belgium Lotto Arena
November 1, 2014 Manchester, England 02 Apollo Manchester
November 2, 2014 London, England Eventim Apollo
November 5, 2014 Paris, France Palaisdes Congrès
November 7, 2014 Stockholm, Sweden Annexet
November 8, 2014 Madrid, Spain Auditorio Nacional Madrid
November 9, 2014 Madrid, Spain Auditorio Nacional Madrid
November 12, 2014 Amsterdam, NL Heineken Music Hall
November 15, 2014 Stuttgart, Germany Hegel-Saal Stuttgart
November 22, 2014 Bethlehem, PA Sands Events Center
December 2014  Brazil  TBA
December 2014  Chile  TBA
December 2014  Peru  TBA
December 2014  Argentina  TBA
December 2014  Columbia  TBA
December 2014  Venezuela  TBA
December 2014  Panama  TBA
Feb/March 2015  Vancouver, Canada  TBA
Feb/March 2015  Edmonton, Canada  TBA
Feb/March 2015  Calgary, Canada  TBA
Feb/March 2015  Montreal, Canada  TBA
Feb/March 2015  Toronto, Canada  TBA
Feb/March 2015  Ottawa, Canada  TBA

Huawei debuts it’s latest ICT product at CeBit 2014

sirpaul54
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0

CeBITCeBIT 2014 is an event where companies show off digital IT and telecommunications solutions for home and work environments. Huawei, an information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, showed off an ICT product and infrastructure innovations. This ICT product will help to enable ICT as a core of enterprises, and support enterprises to achieve savings in various aspects. Patrick Zhang, president of marketing and solutions at Huawei, stated that CeBIT is the best event for his company to engage with their customers, partners, the media,  and analysts around the world.

Huawei will display its ICT technologies in four key ICT areas: agile networking, cloud computing and data center storage, collaboration and mobility. Among the advanced series agile switches are the Huawei S12700, the Huawei CE12800, and the OceanStor 18800. Huawei will be represented in the vertical industry domain covering,  smart cities, smart education, integrated healthcare solutions, smart girls, media and entertainment industry solutions, and solutions for small to medium enterprises by showcasing a broad portfolio of solutions.

Huawei intends to partner with companies including SAP and iSoftStone to encourage cross-industry innovation among industry stakeholders and provide ICT products and solutions that integrate with the industry ecosystem easily. Huawei will have interactive simulations where customers and visitors can interact with the ICT products and solutions. Some of these interactive simulations include a wireless intelligent stadium and a Huawei desktop cloud virtual 3D car race simulation. Huawei will also host technology seminars; these seminars will feature Huawei experts, partners and customers from different fields of the enterprise industry.

During these technology seminars, visitors will be able to listen to perspectives and experiences on hot industry topics, including agile network, IoT, distributed data centers, videoconferencing, BYOD, eLTE, and smart cities. A simulated wireless intelligent soccer stadium scenario will be performed by soccer players from Borussia Dortmund Gmbh & Co on March 12. During this scenario, the soccer players will introduce ultra-high speed data download enabled by Huawei’s agile WiFi. The Huawei booth will be located at Booth C50, Hall 2.

To see more information about Huawei at CeBIT 2014, follow this link: http://enterprise.huawei.com/topic/2014Cebit/index.html

Game Marketing Summit 2014 Agenda Now Online

Paul Philleo
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Game Marketing Summit 2014 Agenda Now Online

The Game Marketing Summit 2014’s agenda has just been posted online (here). Speakers include executives from Spike TV, EEDAR, 2K Games and more, covering such topics as crafting viral content, creating influence, and analyzing future game industry trends. There are still a few TBAs in the agenda, so there more schedule and speaker details to be ironed out.

The Game Marketing Summit is billed as an event “for marketing professionals in the interactive game business. As the world’s only summit exclusively for interactive game marketers, GMS is attended by the leading executives and brands in the industry”. The 9th Annual Game Marketing Summit takes place on April 23rd, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, CA.

International Games Week Berlin 2014

Mathew Anderson
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The international games community kicks off debate about the industry’s worldwide developments, trends and challenges 

Berlin, March 7, 2014 – Nearly 26 million Germans, that is about a third of the population, play video games regularly. According to the German Trade Association of Interactive Entertainment Software BIU the industry had total revenues of about 752 million Euro in the first half of 2013. This strong industry is on an international growth course with new nextgen consoles, new game titles, with substantial, technical and visual emphatically staged stories and cross platform playing experience. At the INTERNATIONAL GAMES WEEK BERLIN from April 8- 13, 2014, international games developers, publishers, distributors and investors discuss actual trends, new business models, economical developments, political perspectives, and judicial issues, as well as actual challenges the games industry is confronted with. The INTERNATIONAL GAMES WEEK is Germany’s leading communication and networking platform, which merges several key games events under one roof in Berlin.

The INTERNATIONAL GAMES WEEK will be opened on Tuesday morning, the 8th of April (Café Moskau), by Björn Böhning, Head of the Senate Chancellery Berlin, followed by Brigitte Zypries, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economy and Energy, who will give a political keynote at the Opening Summit (invitation only).

The biggest German games meeting QUO VADIS (8-10 April, Café Moskau) is still the heart of the GAMES WEEK. The organizers are looking forward to welcome over 2,000 trade visitors. This year numerous international top speakers will discuss developments, innovations, chances and risks in the international games industry: Matias Myllyrinne, CEO of Finnish Remedy Entertainment, the games studio of the international successful games MAX PAYNE und ALAN WAKE, Robert Tercek, one of the most profiled creators of interactive content, TV-director, game designer, digital artist, new media adviser among other of Anthony Robbins, Oprah Winfrey, Deepak Chopra, founder of the Game Developer Conference Mobile Symposiums, Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, CEO of Icelandic MMO games developer CCP Games (EVE Online, WORLD OF DARKNESS), the games developer and games designer Bob Bates, famous for titles like TIMEQUEST, UNREAL II: THE AWAKENING, SACRED 2, responsible for almost 40 games, former Chief Creative Director of Zynga, Chris Taylor (Wargaming.net), Guido Henkel (G3 Studios) and games developer and pioneer Don Daglow and many more speakers are expected at this year’s QUO VADIS. www.die-entwicklerkonferenz.de.

The A MAZE. / Berlin (9.-11. April 2014, Urban Spree, The WYE) is the third international independent video games festival. Besides the A MAZE. Awards for outstanding indie games, a unique exhibition with 15 nominated games and a selection of games and an interactive installation, musical performances and party, carefully selected speakers will be presented. Actors of the field of independent games development and overlaps of the artistic indie sphere will share their knowledge through inspiring talks and workshops. Already confirmed: Jonathan Blow (USA), Tale of Tales (Belgium), Cara Ellison (UK), Petri Purho (Finnland), Major Bueno (Germany), Pippin Barr (New Zealand), David Calvo (France), Jessica Curry (UK), Christoffer Hedborg (Sweden), Fernando Ramallo (Argentina) and more. Conference + Workshop: http://thewye.de, Games Ausstellung, Play + Party: http://urbanspree.com. For more information visit: http://amaze-berlin.de.

With the beginning of the GAMES WEEK the „Gamefest at Computerspielemuseum“ (8.-13. April, Computerspielemuseum, Karl-Marx-Library), hosted by the Computerspielemuseum in cooperation with Stiftung Digitale Spielekultur, will start. The Gamefest is open for all Berliner fans of gaming and will be opened on Tuesday, April 8 with the exhibition „Let´s Play! Computerspiele from France and Poland“. During the week it offers an interesting and entertaining program with numerous highlights around the digital games culture. http://gamefest.computerspielemuseum.de

Making Games Talents (April 12, 2014) is Germany’s most successful talent market for the games industry. It has already brokered more than 250 jobs. The recruiting event will again take place as a part of the GAMES WEEK on April 12. The concept of Making Games Talents differs from other recruiting events: not only do the talents apply to the companies, but the companies will also apply to the talents.

Other events for the industry during the GAMES WEEK include the Matchmaking Dinner of games.net berlinbrandenburg or the Polish Games Day, which will be hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Berlin together with the Polish Institute Berlin.

The INTERNATIONAL GAMES WEEK BERLIN 2014 is the successor of the Deutsche Gamestage, which were initiated by the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg in 2007 and has been supported ever since. Regardless of the name, the event’s organization structure has also changed. The new team is headed by DGT’s former project leader. Taken as a whole, the die International Games Week Berlin 2014 is a new umbrella brand with a stronger international focus. Furthermore, it has now been extended to last for a week and will have a greater emphasis on public events.

The events are funded by the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg. The INTERNATIONAL GAMES WEEK BERLIN 2014 is hosted and coordinated by Booster Space.

Trade visitors get a combo ticket, valid for Quo Vadis, A MAZE. and the Computerspielemuseum: www.gamesweekberlin.com

Please find the release as pdf here.

Here you find the International Games Week logo.

Press Contact:

Dr. Kathrin Steinbrenner/Kristian Müller, SteinbrennerMüller Kommunikation

T:+49 (0) 30-47372191, E: media@gamesweekberlin.com

About the INTERNATIONAL GAMES WEEK BERLIN 2014

The INTERNATIONAL GAMES WEEK BERLIN 2014 is a leading cross-industry communication and networking platform for games business, development and culture. More than six individual events over six days offer a plethora of information on the topic of games. Participants include German and international game developers, publishers, investors and gamers as well as representatives of public institutions and the media industry. In 2013, more than 6,000 visitors came to the Games Capital of Berlin-Brandenburg. The INTERNATIONAL GAMES WEEK BERLIN 2014 follows in the footsteps of the DGT – Deutsche Gamestage – an event initiated by the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg in Berlin in 2007.

The umbrella brand of the INTERNATIONAL GAMES WEEK BERLIN 2014 from 8-13 April includes the following events:

– Opening Summit: the official opening event, April 8

– Matchmaking Dinner: VIP networking event, April 8

– Quo Vadis. Create. Game. Business: games business and development conference, April 8-10

– A MAZE. / Berlin: Independent video games festival, April 9-11

– Gamefest at the Computerspielemuseum: (Computer Games Museum)

– Making Games Talents: recruitment event, April 12

and many more.

The events are funded by the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg. The INTERNATIONAL GAMES WEEK BERLIN 2014 is hosted and coordinated by Booster Space.

Event Partners: A MAZE., Aruba Events, Computerspielemuseum, games.net berlinbrandenburg, IDG Media, Polnisches Institut Berlin

Institutional Partners: G.A.M.E. Bundesverband der Computerspielindustrie, ACI Games Brazil, Afri GameZone Academy, Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie, Digital Dragons Cracow, EGCA – European Game Conference Alliance, EGDF – European Games Developer Federation, GameIS, Malta Enterprise, media.net berlinbrandenburg, Polska – Botschaft der Republik Polen, Projekt Zukunft Berlin, Stiftung Digitale Spielekultur, TIGA – Representing the Games Industry, UK Trade & Investment, UKIE – The Assocation for UK Interactive Entertainment, WGK – Polish Conference on Computer Games Development

Funding and Sponsor Partners: Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, BIU – Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware, Amazon, Blacklane, PaymentWall

Main and Premium Partners of the Quo Vadis: Goodgame Studios, Bigpoint, Google Cloud Platform, InnoGames, Microsoft, Osborne Clarke

Media Partners: DW-Shift, develop, Der Tagesspiegel, FluxFM, GamesMarkt, golem.de, making games, MediaXP

Inside Look at the First Pan-Latin American Party At GDC

Paul Philleo
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Inside Look at the First Pan-Latin American Party At GDC

These days it’s awfully hard to find examples of international cooperation and unity. You know the stories, because you see them every day on the news. So it’s heartening to see a diverse set of companies and countries to come together, to craft a portrait of unity over drinks and networking at the upcoming GDC.

Representatives from Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Chile and Argentina have come together to organize a first-of-its-kind party at GDC that covers diverse countries and video game ecosystems in Latin America, that also promotes the growing strength of Latin American developers and consumers.

I picked the brains of the four organizers, Humberto Cervera, CEO and Founder with Chaos Industries; Luis Wong, the Executive Director of the Peruvian IGDA Chapter, Production Manager at LEAP Game Studios, CEO of Bit Bit and associate editor of IDG Latin America; María Luján Oulton, owner of Objet a communications and cultural events agency;  and Luis Parra, Co-Founder and CEO at Press Start Studios and President at Global Game Designers Guild (GGDG), to share their thoughts about building this party and what value it will create for them, their respective countries and Latin America in general.

Oulton credits Luis Wong as spark that lit the fuse to create the event. “(He) was the one with the original idea. We started talking and inviting people to join in the coordination of the event. We all agree that lots of developers of Latin America attend GDC and miss the opportunity to contact each other,” she said.

Looking at it from the bigger picture perspective of creating an opportunity to connect with Latin developers, Wong adds, “There are lots of developers in Latin America but they can’t talk in person with each other. It’s difficult for us to travel to other countries for conferences, but many of them go to GDC each year. It’s kind of a paradox…”

GDC is the logical choice to stage this event, because “…GDC is the most important event in the game industry and many Latin developers will be there, as well as publishers and other people that could be interested in the region,” says Wong. But also the location of GDC, and therefore the party, in opportunity-rich Silicon Valley “…offers the event a unique opportunity to connect the industry with investors potential publishing partners, ad networks, etc. As a matter of fact, we already have a few VCs joining the party,”

In addition to VCs, the multinational hosts are hoping to see other game developers from across Latin America while connecting with game publishers, developers, press and executives from outside Latin America as well.

The hosts reiterated the theme of unity, creating connections that cross national borders, and promoting the regional greater good, echoed by Cervera: “We must strive to build not a Mexican Industry, a Chilean Industry, an Argentinian Industry, etc. Our goal is to create a Latin American Industry. This party is an initiative to connect developers from all around Latin America.”

The general message behind their event at GDC, the organizers agree, is to create unity and present a message that projects the potential of their regional marketplace. “Our vision is to unite, educate and (connect) the Latin American gaming industry with the rest of the world, and more importantly, with each other. We have a great potential and by networking between us, we can create business opportunities, job opportunities and partnership opportunities.”

Creating the party for GDC was, according to the hosts, an easy process, born out of common interest and past experience collaborating together. Parra underscored this, saying, “We are all entrepreneurs therefor we make the time to make this possible, even if is working late at night or weekends, passion for what we do, makes this collaboration very easy and productive.”

Once this reception is in the books, though, what about the next steps, especially if the event attracts the right people and creates the right connections? They foresee the potential to build a foundation of greater unity between LatAm devs, publishers and influencers, through other events and receptions. They certainly expect to host another reception at GDC 2015 at the very least. ”

Aside from working on a first-time event, hoping to make a big impact at GDC, the organizers are looking to promote their respective companies and brands, check out the South American booths on the expo floor and the talks intersecting with their region, to network and gain insight on the forward progress of the industry.

The GDC Latin American Party will be hosted at the Local Edition bar in San Francisco on Tuesday night, March 18th. To check out the Eventbrite registration and event information, take a quick visit to this page.

– Paul Philleo, Contributing Editor

A telescope is making its way back to the South by Southwest Expo in Austin

sirpaul54
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0
A telescope is making its way back to the South by Southwest Expo in Austin

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC), NASA, and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) are planning to bring back the James Webb Space Telescope to the South by Southwest (SXSW) Gaming Expo at the Palmer Events Center, running from March 7th to March 9th, 2014. The Web Telescope Exhibit will be free to the public, and will showcase the sheer size of the observatory. This exhibit will also be 100 times more powerful than Hubble.

The scientists and engineers at the exhibit will discuss how the Webb telescope will inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers to push the boundaries of science and technology. Microsoft will feature an 82-inch touch screen display at the exhibit. The display will demonstrate science visualizations and other videos. Tablets with web apps and handouts will be available at the exhibit. NASA hopes that with The Web Telescope scientists can peer even further into the cosmos, and explore the formation of the first stars and galaxies.

An SXSW Interactive panel called “First Signs: Finding Life on Other Planets,” will occur on Sunday, March 9th from 12:30 to 1:30 pm. Both NASA and Northrop Grumman experts will examine the important contributions telescopes like Kepler and Webb will make in the search for life in the universe. This panel will set the stage for how the Webb telescope could find the first signs of life on another planet. Visit the event website for more information on SXSW: http://sxsw.com/interactive/gaming/expo

Game Connection America 2014 Marketing Awards – Nominees Unveiled

Mathew Anderson
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Game Connection America 2014 Marketing Awards – Nominees Unveiled

A wide array of fantastic campaigns have been submitted by some of the best and brightest teams across the world, from a wide range of publishers and agencies, for this, the fourth edition of the Game Connection Marketing Awards.

San Francisco, USA – 4 March 2014 – Game Connection America is set to feature the Marketing Awards ceremony in addition to the long-running Selected Projects Awards Program at its forthcoming event in San Francisco. Designed to recognize and raise the profile of best-in-class marketing campaigns from across the video game industry, the Marketing Awards bring together a host of new and established names from publishers and agencies to compete for prizes in ten separate categories. All nominated campaigns will also compete head-to-head in the eleventh category for the ultimate accolade of ‘Best Marketing Team at Game Connection America 2014’.

The winners of each category will be announced at the special awards ceremony on the afternoon of March 17th, from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm.

The categories and nominees are as follows:

Best Digital Campaign:
– Paradox Interactive – A Call to Arms (Paradox Interactive)
– Armed Mind – Call of Duty: Ghosts – “Who are the Ghosts?” (Activision Blizzard)
– Midnight Oil – Saints Row IV Digital Campaign (Deep Silver)

Best Experiential Campaign:
– iam8bit – “DuckTales Remastered” (Capcom Entertainment)
– Xbox – Forza Motorsport x Bathurst (Xbox)
– iam8bit – The Great MMO Migration (ArenaNet)

Best Gameplay Trailer:
– Artifact – Disney Infinity (Disney Interactive Studios)
– Xbox – Forza Motorsport 5 Launch Trailer (Xbox)
– Paradox Interactive – Leviathan: Warships trailer (Paradox Interactive)

Best CG Trailer
– Axis – Fable Legends (Microsoft Studios)
– Axis – Halo Xbox One (Microsoft Studios)
– RealtimeUK – War Thunder Heroes (Gaijin)

Best Live Action Trailer
– Xbox – Forza Motorsport 5 Filmspeed (Xbox)
– Ubisoft Entertainment – Just Dance E3 Trailer (Ubisoft Entertainment)
– Heat – Madden NFL 25 (EA Sports)

Best Mobile Campaign:
– The Game Agency – Nerf Blaster Challenge (Hasbro)
– Enter the Studio – TRANSFORMERS Construct-Bots (Enter the Studio)
– Gameberry Inc. – Mini Motor Racing for kakao (Selvas)

Best Original Content:
– Armed Mind – Devil’s Breath (Activision Blizzard)
– Armed Mind – Who are the Ghosts? (Activision Blizzard)
– Cosmocover – Dark Souls 2 Forging a Hero (NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe)

Best PR Campaign:
– The Farm 51 – Get Even (The Farm 51)
– Neology and The Redner Group – Seeing is Believing – Best PR Campaign (Oculus VR)
– Image & Form – SteamWorld Dig (Image & Form)

Best Social Media Campaign:
– Deep Silver – Saints Row IV – GATV (Deep Silver)
– Game Insight – Tattoo and Body Art Contest (Game Insight)
– Ayzenberg Group – Xbox One Product Launch (Microsoft/Xbox)

Best Overall Campaign:
– Armed Mind – OUYA Launch (OUYA)
– Midnight Oil – Saints Row IV Overall Campaign (Deep Silver)
– Square Enix – Tomb Raider Overall Campaign (Square Enix)

Game Connection would like to extend a special thanks to the members of the Marketing Awards Advisory Board, who commit their time and expertise in order to make the awards happen. The board this year is comprised of:

– Eric Baesa, President, TAKEOFF Studios WW
– Neill Furmston, Creative Director, Ichi Worldwide
– Dennis Heinert, Head of PR, InnoGames
– Rupert Loman, Managing Director, Gamer Network
– Steve Fowler, Head of Global Marketing, ArenaNet

The Marketing Awards is only one part of the most essential games industry business and networking meet up, Game Connection America – and there’s still time to secure tickets! Hurry to http://ltm.game-connection.com/register to sign up now!

Game Connection America 2014 takes place on 17-19 March at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, San Francisco, USA.

For more information about Game Connection:
– Visit the website: www.game-connection.com
– Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Game.Connection.Official.Page
– Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/The_GameCo
– Tune into our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/gameconnectionvideos/
– Contact: hashworth@connection-events.com

# # #
About Game Connection:
Game Connection is an international conference that gives video game industry professionals the opportunity to interact, network, and promote their products, services and expertise. Since 2001, key players from the games industry have gathered in Europe and in the US —to meet, do business together, connect with new industry professionals and socialize in a lively environment where business gets done. This business-focused setting is largely enabled by the Game Connection Meeting Application, a unique match-making tool allowing attendees to schedule meetings in advance of the event – thereby effectively optimizing time spent onsite. In 2011, Game Connection launched a program of conferences, workshops, and Master Classes. As part of this program, experts in arts, game design, programming, production, communication and marketing present the latest innovation for consoles, handheld, browser games, social media, digital and mobile stores. Next event: Game Connection America 2014, March 17-19, Sir Francis Drake Hotel, San Francisco. For more information, visit www.game-connection.com
About Connection Events:
Connection Events is a creator of opportunities, resources and results in the Games Industry. Connection Events specializes in the production of services and events aimed at games industry professionals, with more than 1600 attendees from over 56 different countries. Core Connection Events services include Game Connection and Game Connection Master Classes. For more information, visit: www.connection-events.com

“Fellowship of Game Parties” App in Beta and Live

Paul Philleo
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“Fellowship of Game Parties” App in Beta and Live

To many regular GDC attendees, the Facebook group “The Fellowship of GDC Parties” is their bible to after-hours events at GDC year over year. In that group, users post up about GDC-focused or game conference-related events and parties they discover, or discuss relevant event-related attendance, planning or ex post facto topics. In fact, some of the members create events of their own to share with the community of like-minded fun-lovers. Now, at over 5,600 members (and rising every day), this diverse group has needed to go back to the trough at Facebook to catch up on the latest updates around Q1, just before GDC.

As a supplement to the Fellowship group, group founder and game developer, Oded Sharon, has created an Android and web-based app (iOS version yet to come) for GDC party check-ins and ratings, suitably entitled with the “Fellowship of Game Parties” moniker. He describes the purpose of the app as “Yelp + foursquare for game developer parties.” Sharon adds, “I want to give game developers attending conferences where there are a lot of parties an opportunity to get an answer to the question I keep asking myself , ‘where’s the best party, like…right now?’ The answer is subjective, as certain folks prefer a quiet mingling atmosphere and some like wild dancing with all sort of entertainment. This app is suppose to help get that answer, in real time, during the conference, using the power of crowd-sourcing.”

“You can add a new party, check in to an existing party. When checking in, you can rate the party with a few characteristics, such as Food, Bar, Noise, Venue, etc,” says Sharon, describing the app’s current functionality.

In the future, Sharon would like to add push notifications and alerts from friends who check in to parties or comment or reply to comments; real-time social interactions, a party map; more collaboration with the party organizers, which might include check-in promotions; and party route planning, down to route-mapping and allocating time to each event and on-the-fly adjustment to the map if an event is at capacity.

The current app is many upgrades from that sort of functionality, which is why Oded Sharon hopes to gain help from the community in developing what has so far been a solo side project. “I am building this in Unity3d + NGUI + Parse. I probably could use better UI and (and would work with) people who know how to do some platform integration.”

Eagle-eyed observers might note that the app’s title, which covers “game parties” is different from the Facebook group’s name, which covers GDC parties from the title onward. This reflects the app developer’s vision that the app might extend beyond just the GDC conference: “This app might be suitable for parties and conferences in general and not just GDC. (It) might be leading to something bigger, “including sponsorship, corporate branding, or even outside investment into the project.

For GDC attendees interested in checking out the current beta iteration of the “Fellowship of Game Parties” app for either Android or web, visit this site as a starting point.

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