SAN FRANCISCO – March 19, 2017 – The 2018 Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest event for professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games, kicks off its 32nd edition today at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. Adding to GDC’s renowned lineup of lectures, tutorials, roundtable discussions and networking events, GDC 2018 will feature the Vision Track, a series of mini-keynotes designed to provoke and inspire, which will be presented by speakers including Supercell’s CEO Ilkka Paananen, Pixar’s Pol Jeremias-Vila and David G Yu, NYU Game Center Director Frank Lantz and Skydance Interactive’s Laralyn McWilliams.
VRDC returns to GDC 2018 for its third consecutive year on March 19-20, giving attendees the opportunity to learn about virtual reality and augmented reality in game development across disciplines including Design, Production, Programming, and Visual Art. The GDC Summits, which also take place March 19-20, offer in-depth insight in focused, full-day Summits and Tutorials covering a comprehensive range of game development disciplines including Artificial Intelligence, Community Management, Education, Game Narrative, Mobile, Independent Games and UX. GDC 2018’s Esports Day, which takes place on the 19th, offer attendees the ability to learn about growing esports ecosystems alongside long-time developers, publishers, and esports community leaders.
Following VRDC and the GDC Summits, the main GDC conference will kick-off on Wednesday, March 21. This year, the GDC conference will feature four Classic Game Postmortem sessions, in which the creators of Sonic the Hedgehog, The Bard’s Tale I and II, NBA Jam and Ultima Online share their unique perspectives on the development process, inspirations and lessons learned creating some of the most innovative games of all time. Some of the most respected companies and developers in the industry will be hosting sessions during the GDC conference, including Nintendo, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Riot Games, Epic Games, Bungie, Naughty Dog, and many more.
The 20th annualIndependent Games Festival (IGF) Awards, which honor the most promising developers and projects from the world of independent video games, and the 18th annualGame Developers Choice Awards (GDCAs), which recognize and celebrate the creativity, artistry and technical ingenuity of the finest developers and games created in the last year, will both take place back-to-back on Wednesday, March 21, starting at 6:30pm PT. The GDCAs will also feature special honors for important industry leaders, including independent developer and Vlambeer co-founder Rami Ismail, who will be awarded the Ambassador Award, and Double Fine and LucasArts veteran Tim Schafer, who will be awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. Both awards ceremonies areavailable to attend for all GDC 2018 pass holders and will be livestreamed on theGDC‘s official Twitch channel.
GDC hosts a variety ofInteractive Spacesthat are open to all attendees throughout the week. The GDC Film Festival debuts this year, marking one of the first-ever documentary and narrative film festival centered on the art and culture of video games. Independent games will be celebrated at the Indie MEGABOOTH Showcase, GDC Play and Day of the Devs by iam8bit and Double Fine. Returning for its fifth year, alt.ctrl.GDC allows attendees to play with imaginative games that use non-traditional controllers like the 2017 Award winner, Fear Sphere, which was a spine-tingling inflatable escape-room that players stepped inside and illuminated with a flashlight that doubled as a portable video projector, while another player stood outside to help guide the sphere-engulfed player to safety.
In total, the GDC consists of more than 750 lectures, panels, tutorials and roundtable discussions. The GDC Expo will feature more than 550 exhibiting companies and a host of Interactive Spaces. To learn more about GDC, follow@Official_GDCor visit:http://www.gdconf.com.
GDC is also introducing XRDC this week, a new event in October 2018 that will focus on augmented, virtual and mixed reality innovation. Following five successful editions of the Virtual Reality Developers Conference (VRDC), XRDC will expand to encompass the rich diversity of immersive experiences across industries including games, entertainment, healthcare, education & training and more. Over the course of two days, attendees will gain access to expert-led sessions, the latest solutions and innovations, and unrivalled networking with top tier companies, developers, artists, technology providers, VCs and business professionals. XRDC will take place October 29-30, 2018 at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, CA and the call for papers will open in early May 2018. For more information about the event and to stay updated as content is announced, please visit: http://www.xrdconf.com
About the UBM Game Network
A core provider of essential information to the professional game and VR/AR industries, the UBM Game Network drives community and business partnerships through market-defining content. Its award-winning lineup of events and digital products and services include the Game Developers Conference®, the Virtual Reality Developers Conference, Gamasutra.com, GameCareerGuide.com, GDC Play, the Independent Games Festival and Summit, and the Game Developers Choice Awards. Visit http://www.ubmgamenetwork.com/for more information. GDC and UBM Americas are committed to producing sustainable events, fueled by insight, innovation, and collaboration. We are proud of our commitment to having a positive environmental and social impact on both the communities and industries we work within. Learn more about sustainability at GDC.
SAN FRANCISCO, California. Monday, March 19 – The Canadian Gaming Expo (CGX), one of Canada’s premiere gaming conferences, is thrilled to announce it will be hosting the biggest-ever Mentor Lounge™ at GDC 2018. Supported and attended by companies such as Intel, Adobe and Microsoft, the upcoming CGX-hosted Mentor Lounge will not only support knowledge sharing between Mentors and Mentees, but it will be done in an environment that supports diversity and inclusivity.
“This initiative was created to help experts and leaders give back and help shape a more positive and successful games industry. The Mentor Lounge event gives both Mentors and Mentees an astonishing amount of knowledge and motivation that provides everyone the tools they need to grow and succeed,” says CGX founder, Jillian Mood.
The CGX Mentor Lounge at GDC 2018 will feature over 125 industry leading professionals (Mentors) sitting down to share their advice, knowledge, and experience across various topics in game development. The event is set up in a speed dating format, pairing up-and-coming developers (Mentees) with multiple professionals who suit their needs, giving them a chance to meet and learn from multiple perspectives on everything from programming, to art direction, to leading a team of diverse individuals to succeed, all within a positive environment.
The CGX Mentor Lounge will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on March 19, 2018 at Lucky Strike followed by a big Canadian Bash. Check out the Mentor line up here.
Creating an event around a conference that attracts tens of thousands of developers and businesspeople, all of whom are managing busy schedules, is no mean feat. It’s even more challenging when it’s built from the grassroots, from the ground up, and aiming to make an impact while staying in the black. But that’s what the Annual Sunday GDC Kickoff Dinner has aimed to do for years. Now in the seventh year, the organizer, Andrew Alcott, and Shirley Lin, the co-host, are hoping to continue to grow the dinner, which has become a tradition for many early arrivals to the Game Developers Conference.
We had the chance to conduct a Q&A by email with Andrew Alcott.
Events for Gamers: Hi Andrew! To start with, what inspired your interest in the business of games? Secondarily, what motivated you toward organizing events, especially around the fields of games and tech?
Andrew Alcott: I’ve always loved the game industry and had dreams of contributing to it since the age of 4 when I got my first computer, loading and playing DOS games. From that point on I knew I wanted to be in the industry making the things I loved. As time went on, my interest went from game design to talent attraction due to my extroverted nature and ability to connect the dots.
When I went to school for game design, I knew right off the bat that early networking would be the key success in a highly competitive, yet small industry. From my freshman year, I took out a loan to go to GDC and started to seek out various events. The conference is great for learning, but the events and parties are where relationships are formed. In an industry where it’s more important about who you know versus what you know when you’re trying to get a foot in the door, getting into events was paramount!
The coalescence of my love of networking and actually my shyness moved me to start organizing events. I used to take a while to warm up to people and figured the easiest way to start networking would be to create a meetup of like-minded individuals. I reached out to one of the forums I was on my very first year of GDC and organized a small dinner of around 10 industry professionals and students. I loved being able to make friends over food so much that it has stuck with me ever since!
As my hunger for events grew, I started doing more and more, leading up to the first GDC Sunday Kickoff Dinner, organized for the Facebook group “The Fellowship of GDC Parties” seven years ago for a few of us active members. It has since blown up!
I knew that while I became a master at networking, tons of others just didn’t know how or were more introverted. I decided to really make my events focused on helping those that need a helping hand with networking in this small (but growing) industry where connections are key. If I had this problem, I’m sure many more do as well!
E4G: How might organizing events for your day job and also for yourself compliment and conflict?
Andrew: I think there’s not a lot of conflict in organizing events for my day job versus personally. All of my events are primarily focused on building the community and providing value to those that attend, with the side effect being additional name recognition and staying top of mind. Whether that’s helping people remember the company I’m with is alive and kicking to just knowing that my name is Andrew and I run cool events, I don’t feel it has any issues in ruining the other aside from time management. I do, however, think that it can complement each other nicely. Especially in San Francisco, attendance is key and SF has a ton of competition for where to spend one’s time. Having name recognition and building a personal brand of events that are worthwhile can help both for the day job as personal use to get quality guests time and time again.
E4G: What do you feel makes the Annual Sunday GDC Kickoff Dinner, which you are co-hosting with Shirley Lin this year, a special tradition for many early arrivals to GDC?
Andrew: I think it’s the fact that it’s non-pretentious and easily accessible to all. The event has kind of morphed into a ‘GDC’s first time’ must attend event due to the fact that there’s no exclusivity in the invite list. Everyone there is there to have a good meal, a good time, and to network. Most other events provide free food/booze, and so the attendees could have ulterior motives for being there, whereas ours don’t have large sponsorships so we have buy-in from all of the guests to meet and mingle. With Shirley helping, we also provide a great landing zone for international guests as well. I can’t help but notice that this year there are several Sunday events, where in the past we’ve mostly stood unchallenged. I’m sure it’s not all because of the Sunday GDC Kickoff Dinner, but I like to think that I’ve had a part to play in unofficially making Sunday the day to start GDC off instead of Monday.
E4G: What’s the biggest challenge (or challenges) in organizing an event to be held during GDC?
Andrew: The sheer budget you’ll have to worry about for one of the most expensive events in one of the most expensive cities. Most venues can cost thousands of dollars for the space alone, not including food and drinks. If you are running an event like mine, you’ll have to be on the line to hit food and drink minimums or risk going deep into the red if you don’t have the proper number of guests. That brings me to my second biggest challenge: guests! GDC is packed with events, so finding your niche and really capitalizing on it is vital to the continued success. As the games industry evolves, so too must our events and even I am already thinking about next year and how to better position ourselves to serve the community.
E4G: What standard/s determines for you whether the Annual Sunday GDC Kickoff Dinner this year is a success?
Andrew: I really care about the feeling of the room when I look around. Is everyone smiling, eating and having a good time? Then I’ve done a job well done. It doesn’t matter if my attendance shrinks or grows, as long as I’ve made a positive impact for those wanting to get into networking with a bit of help instead of being tossed to the wolves.
E4G: Some may feel that making some events paid versus sponsored/free limits the ability to attract attendees. In general, by providing what value can that perception be overcome?
Andrew: I guess if your goal was just being able to brag that you had X number of attendees, then I would agree. However, I feel events, like people, are unique and really vary on what type of ROI you’re looking for. Paid events, I think, encourage those attending to have more skin in the game. Not only will more of them actually show up, but they’ll also be utilizing the event to fullest since they paid money. At a free event, you can roll in, grab your free tickets and chug a few cocktails and then peel out to go to the other seven events on your calendar. Does that provide value to any of the events? Perhaps. Maybe it’s a celebration, maybe the guest will mingle a bit longer with a few more drinks inside them. The budget and guest issues are my biggest challenges with events, and paid events help solve both of those: Less need to acquire money and more accurate forecasting on event attendance.
E4G: What do you think the overarching trends are for the game industry, and how it might affect the events people create and host in the business?
Andrew: Well, the hot topic right now is crypto, with VR/AR still holding some ground. With interesting technology like WaveVR gaining traction I expect in the future we’ll have more live-virtual events as well some very swanky, and heavily funded crypto style events. Inclusion is more of a priority for companies as well, so I would expect a lot of events bringing more minorities into the light and showcasing their skills will show up in the next few years as well.
E4G: What one key bit of advice would you give someone organizing events at the grassroots level for, or around, games industry conferences?
Andrew: It’s never too early to secure a venue.
E4G: What would you like to be doing in the next few years ahead in the game industry — and events space?
Andrew: Ideally, I’d like to have the Annual Sunday GDC Kickoff Dinner have subsidized tickets for existing developers, with a limited batch of student tickets to change the ratio a bit to give those new the industry plenty to talk to and learn from. I also have been dabbling starting this year in holding additional events that are more eccentric and exclusive in addition to the dinner. I want to have unique events that people talk about long after they’ve ended. Like an Asian Videogame Gatsby.
To check out the 7th Annual Sunday GDC Kickoff Dinner, all the information needed is on its Eventbrite page. For a comprehensive list of events going on though GDC week, check out our list here.
We’re gearing up to attend SXSW Gaming in Austin, TX this coming March 15-17! It’s rumored that this year’s show is already the biggest planned, both the convention hall portion for us gamers, as well as nearly every other event category that makes up the entirety of SXSW.
As with any big event, there are the parties surrounding it. We’ve got you a great list below of the key parties you will want to check out during your stay in the city. If you are in the city for a longer period of time around other SXSW festivities, literally hundreds of other parties are happening elsewhere.
If we missed any relevant parties that you know about, please let us know!
The new year is nearly upon us! To help you discover upcoming game industry conferences, conventions, festivals and other events, we post a consolidated list of events for each month. View the complete March event list below.
LONDON, ON – February 26, 2017 – Independent game developer and publisher Digital Extremes plans to celebrate its third annual Warframe® convention this July with more head-turning activities and mind-blowing announcements than ever before. After two years of growth and sold-out success, TennoCon 2018 will take place on Saturday, July 7, at the London Convention Center in downtown London, Ontario, spotlighting an array of new developer-led panels and workshops, entertaining Warframe activities, playable game kiosks, and a gamut of surprises. Eager players (known in-game as ‘Tenno’) can buy tickets from a flexible range of tiers starting Wednesday, February 28, with the knowledge that a portion of the event’s proceeds will be donated to this year’s official partner, Canada Learning Code.
To get a glimpse of the world’s largest gathering of Warframe players, watch this!
TennoCon tickets will be available for purchase starting at 11 am PST/2 pm EST, Wednesday, February 28 at the official TennoCon website, warframe.com/tennocon.
Four tiers of tickets will be available including Full Day, Collector’s, VIP, and Legendary tickets. For players unable to attend TennoCon, an exclusive Digital Pack — chockfull of exclusive in-game items and gear — will be made available Tuesday, April 3.
Full Day Ticket – $30 CAD – includes full-day access to the conference and Swag Bag, plus digital Glyph, Sigil, Cosmetic (Armor Set), 370 Platinum, Digital Art Piece, and exclusive access to Baro Ki’Teer in the TennoCon Relay.
Collector’s Ticket – $75 CAD – includes full-day access to the conference, Swag Bag, and Collectors’ T-shirt, plus digital Glyph, Sigil, Cosmetic (Armor Set), 1,000 Platinum, Digital Art Piece, and exclusive access to Baro Ki’Teer in the TennoCon Relay.
Limited VIP Ticket – $250 CAD – includes full-day access to the conference, Swag Bag, Collectors’ T-shirt, VIP Brunch at Digital Extremes, Early Access to TennoCon, and a Collector’s Statue (choose from Valkyr, Nyx, Rhino, Mag), plus digital Glyph, Sigil, Cosmetic (Armor Set), 1,000 Platinum, Digital Art Piece, and exclusive access to Baro Ki’Teer in the TennoCon Relay.
Limited Legendary Ticket – $1,000 CAD – includes full-day access to the conference, Swag Bag, Collectors’ T-shirt, VIP Brunch at Digital Extremes, Early Access to TennoCon, a Collector’s Statue (choose from Valkyr, Nyx, Rhino, Mag), 4x TennoCon T-shirt mega-pack, NPC Voice Recording Session (Voice a Relay NPC!), DevStream Team Session (Ask your own questions for a 15-minute personal Devstream!), Custom Personal Glyph (We’ll design a Glyph with you that’s yours), plus digital Glyph, Sigil, Cosmetic (Armor Set), 1,000 Platinum, Digital Art Piece, and exclusive access to the Baro Ki’Teer in the TennoCon Relay.
Digital Pack – $20 USD – For players unable to attend TennoCon, this Digital Pack offers a gamut of exclusive goods. On sale Tuesday, April 3, this package includes TennoCon digital Glyph, Sigil, Cosmetic (Armor Set), 370 Platinum, Digital Art Piece, and exclusive access to Baro Ki’Teer in the TennoCon Relay. Digital Packs can be purchased at Warframe.com/tennocon, and at the PlayStation Store and Xbox Games Store.
As a central pillar in its mission to embrace and support community institutes, Digital Extremes this year will officially partner with Canada Learning Code, a vital educational organization that teaches computer programming and other technical skills for the next generation of Canadians. Canada Learning Code sees teaching digital skills to women, girls, people with disabilities, indigenous youth, and newcomers as key to improving society through empowerment, development and success.
“Partnering with Digital Extremes is thrilling to us because it exemplifies the link between excited first-time coders and a fully-fledged, digital product,” said Melissa Sariffodeen, Chief Executive Officer, Canada Learning Code. “More women than ever are learning technical skills at an earlier age, and our programs guide them to build viable skills and techniques with a can-do attitude. Building this partnership with Digital Extremes opens the doors of our students to a world of opportunities right here in London, Ontario. We can’t wait to introduce our students to TennoCon!”
For more information on Canada Learning Code’s education vision and programs, head to www.canadalearningcode.ca/.
With more than 30 million registered users worldwide across PC, PlayStation®4 and Xbox One, Warframe has nurtured a devoted community vital to its growth. Now in its third year, TennoCon is Digital Extremes’ way of thanking its community and celebrating its diversity, support, and citizenship! In this once-a-year event, players will meet with the game’s creators through interactive panels, autograph tables, and workshops.
Following last year’s debut Cosplay contest, this year’s Warframe enthusiasts are in for a huge opportunity: Digital Extremes is offering a grand prize total of $10,000 (CAD) to the best-of-show contestant. Following the day’s rich mix of programs, contests, and panels, Digital Extremes’ core devteam will then conclude the day’s events with its live Twitch show, TennoLive. Last year’s show debuted the open-world Plains of Eidolon. What will conclude TennoLive in 2018? Come to TennoCon and find out! Players unable to attend the event can tune into TennoLive online at twitch.tv/warframe.
For more information about Warframe and to download it for free on PC, Xbox One or PS4, visit the official website at warframe.com.
One of the game industry’s key events, Game Developer Conference 2018, (GDC) is coming up quickly. Among the many important to-do items attendees have to plan for is “what events after hours should I go to for fun or networking or learning?” That’s what this list is all about, a curation of the many (and growing) publicly (not invite-only) posted events attendees have to pick from, between the window of Sunday, March 18th to Friday, March 23rd.
The gravitational pull of GDC also brings in a constellation of day-long summits offsite for different games-related topics, which you can keep track of on the Events for Gamers main calendar on the front page.
Please keep in mind that this list will be periodically updated with new or changing events until GDC kicks off. If you’re a GDC event planner who would like their event on (or off) this list, send us a note through this form.
Walking through San Francisco, near the Moscone Convention Center (photo: CC0 license)
Sunday, March 18th:
Event:Blockchain Game Meet-Up Time: 4:00PM-7:00PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Yes Location: Coin-Op San Francisco, 508 4th St, San Francisco, California 94107 Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/605397596518800/ Description: “For those who are interested in meeting people in the community working on blockchain based games, we’d love to hear about what you are working on, your experiences and share best practices in this new and exciting space. Everyone’s welcome to join!”
Event: 18th Annual Women in Gaming Rally Time: 12:00PM-9:00PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Waitlist Location: Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission St. San Francisco, CA 94103 Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/18th-annual-women-in-gaming-rally-tickets-40950822011 Description: Xbox is expanding their long-running annual series of “women in games” luncheon events at GDC, for women in games to an all-day event. Expect to engage in interactive sessions, workshops and discussions featuring women in the games industry, followed by a keynote and an evening reception in partnership with the Gaming & Disability community event.
Event:Game Education Meet Up Time: 6:00PM-9:00PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Yes Location: Tempest, 431 Natoma St, San Francisco, CA 94103 Link: https://www.eventbrite.nl/e/tickets-game-education-meet-up-43895693200 Description: “Are you at GDC and representing an educational institution? Are you interested in including entrepreneurship in your game development program? Or do you simply need some inspiration? Join us, buy a drink and mingle with others at a casual meet-up of game educators!”
Event:Polycount Meetup GDC 2018 Time: 6:00PM-10:00PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Yes Location: Harlot, 46 Minna St, San Francisco, California 94105 Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/392374264519409/ Description: Bring then fee flyer by phone or in print, to attend and partake in cool artwork, free swag, cocktails and networking conversations with some of the industry’s most talented artists.
Event:GDC2018 Tech Art Gathering Time: 7:30PM-9:30PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Yes Location: Jillian’s, 175 4th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gdc2018-tech-art-gathering-tickets-43956021644 Description: “The Tech Art community is invited once again to Jillian’s Bar and Grill … for an evening of relaxation and networking after a full day of great Bootcamp content. Food and non-alcoholic beverages generously provided by Side Effects Software and The Rigging Dojo”
Event:The Other Party Time: 8:00PM-11:59PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Yes Location: 715 Harrison St.,715 Harrison Street, San Francisco, CA 94107 Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-other-party-tickets-42511328528 Description: “Come grab a drink and play some indie games with us and their creators at our bigger, better, party venue! We’ll have many games on display for game devs to show off their creations in person. Sip specialty indie themed cocktails while grooving to DJ-blended retro tunes.”
Wireless peripherals have historically been perceived as limited or unstable even with expensive hardware. The last few years, however, has seen a major shift in the capabilities of wireless technologies, especially for hardcore gamers.
With that in mind, we will be reviewing the Sound Blaster Tactic3D RAGE Wireless V2.0 Headset. We couldn’t come up with a shorter acronym here, so we’ll be using ‘the Tactic3D’ from this point forward to describe its features. The Tactic3D is available at various online r/etailers for about $85 USD. This is a low to middle ground price when compared to other wireless headsets.
Testing was done with a gaming PC and standard PS4.
The Unwrapping
Unwrapping the Tactic3D revealed to us a basic but sturdy design that actually survived the first accidental (honest) drop from the table. Buttons were easy to identify and press, and everything worked out of the box without any unexpected difficulties.
The adjustment of the cup lengths was overly stiff though, and be careful with handling the metallic bands as they are unnecessarily thin and sharp. They probably won’t cut your fingers, but it’s still an uncomfortable experience when handling them. The ear cups were also somewhat shallow, but the padding was sufficient. While they feel decent for a couple of hours of use, they don’t match up to the soft comfort of some other headsets like the Razer Electra.
We would have liked to see some higher quality metallic style wrapping on some of the critical spots around the cups and headband, but then there goes the price upward from its currently comfortable $85 price point. These are a relatively affordable gamer headset with lots of features, so we expected to sacrifice some comfort and quality of build, though it wasn’t as bad as we expected thankfully.
Features
Battery life lived up to its 16 hour claim in most situations, often coming in just short of that at about 14-15~ when we were in games the entire time. There is a nice red glow on the cups that indicate power on and strength, though we feel this ate into the battery time. There may be a way to turn this feature off, but we couldn’t find it. As with most gamer peripherals, unnecessary flashing lights and indicators are an important feature, or status symbol of coolness.
The mic is completely detachable for easy storage, a nice bonus we don’t see on many other headsets, even some pricier premium units from different OEMs. One helpful thing you’ll want to remember is to hold on to it. We also found it easier to plug back in before you put on the headset. If you take it off while wearing it and then need to plug it back in a hurry, you may as well just take off the headset right away.
Software
One of our greatest gripes about wireless headsets in the past was connectivity issues with communications programs like Discord, Google Hangouts, Zoom, Teamspeak, xSplit, OBS, etc. Previous headsets have randomly disconnected, or simply didn’t work with these programs. Often times you would have to plug the headset in, disabling the wireless option completely in order to use them with these programs. The Tactic3D works as expected for most of these programs, only getting confused when other wireless headsets were plugged in at the same time.
We were surprised by how large the USB dongle was. While it’s not larger than a storage dongle, most devices of this type should have a mini-dongle for use with a laptop. After connecting the device, we recommend downloading the SBX Pro Studio software on Sound Blaster’s driver website for further tuning and compatibility with programs on the PC. There is a ton of options that will let you adjust the headset to your specific needs.
The Tactic3D exhibited only one issue with Discord, and we were able to fix that by downloading the software mentioned above. Otherwise it was simply plug and play without any fuss.
Audio Quality
The need of being able to shout at teammates through a headset is just as important as being able to hear them clearly in return. As gamers often behave, shouting and yelling in excitement (or perhaps despair) is a regular occurence. You want a headset that won’t severely distort your voice, or blow out the ears of those listening in. Fortunately, the extra foam cap on the mic helped to minimize popping that occasionally occurred. Overall, mic quality is sufficient, though I wouldn’t use the mic for anything super important or professional.
Sound output was acceptable enough, though the bass was way too deep. Gamer headsets seem to suffer from this unnecessary overdrive. Many gamers prefer smooth and stable sound like anyone else does. It shouldn’t be a given that excitable gamers need over the top bass that thumps out the mid ranges. In this headset, mid-ranges have their own problem and are a bit muffled at times, but only really keen-of-hearing audiophiles will likely notice the difference here.
Surround sound quality was surprisingly decent. The spatial sound experience naturally doesn’t approach the level of $300+ headsets that focus on this feature, but we felt it wasn’t needed for most of the games we played (FPS and MOBA games mainly). The Tactic3D still puts out an immersive experience, even spooking us at times when we heard sounds in far off corners of The Witcher 3 (a recommended game by Sound Blaster). You definitely want the SBX Pro Studio software here for proper settings support (for the PC).
What we didn’t expect, and were quite disappointed by after ensuring our setup was properly applied, was a constant hum in the background, especially when no audio was being played. Most headsets (the Turtle Beach Stealth series and the Cowin E-7 come to mind) go into an idle mode after detecting no audio present to prevent a radio hum, but these didn’t. The hum is subtle, and will mostly go unnoticed after you get used to it, but it’s there.
Also related to the background noise, the ear cups did little to muffle external noises. While we were obviously not expecting anything approaching actual noise cancelling technology, a good ear cup padding can still go a long way to provide some dampening of external noises, and further cushions your ears too.
Alas, there also didn’t seem to be a wired option, which is a nice feature to have when the wireless part goes out through battery life or compatibility reasons. A wired connection probably would have removed the annoying background hum as well, which is usually the result of poor implementation of wireless broadcasting hardware and software.
Our Verdict
PROS
Battery life lives up to its 16 hours in most situations
Compatible with nearly every relevant program we tested it with
Decent surround sound quality that gets the job done
SBX Pro Studio software was decent with lots of options
Detachable mic is a big win… just don’t lose it.
CONS
Wireless background audio buzz, more obvious when there’s no playback present
Playback quality bass was unnecessarily overdriven
Be careful with the thin metal band when adjusting the headset
No wired option
If all you need a basic headset with solid software compatibility, audio features helpful for surround sound gaming, and are not overly picky about audio quality with the possible exception of the mic, the Sound Blaster Tactic3D Rage Wireless V2.0 Headset does a decent job for the money.
As the 2018 edition of the Game Developers Conference (GDC) closes in, the Double Fine developer folks behind the annual San Francisco-hosted Day of the Devs indie games-focused extravaganza have announced what they will be showing at the Day of the Devs showcase-within-the-GDC-show.
While not as large as the dedicated autumn showcase, this event brings a curated selection of indie games to San Francisco’s Moscone Conventer Center. The convention center is where GDC will be held, and the games wll be shown for the duration of the event, from Mach 19th to the 23rd. Any GDC pass type will have access to these games and their creators, who will be demoing for attendees. This showcase also represents the first time that playable versions of the games Noita, Kids, and Mosaic will be shown in a larger forum.
Check out the list of presenting indie games (and their development teams) taking part in Day of the Devs: GDC Edition. If you are a fan of media besides text, here’s the official trailer to see more about the games ahead of the showcase.
A Way Out from Hazelight Studios
Dead Static Drive from Team Fanclub
Dreams from Media Molecule
Exo One from Exbleative
Harold Halibut from Slow Bros.
Kids from Playables
Knights and Bikes from Foam Sword
Mosaic from Krilbite Studio
Minit from Kitty Calis, Jan Willem Nijman, Jukio Kallio, and Dominik Johann
Noita from Nolla Games
Untitled Goose Game from House House
What The Golf? From Triband
For much more info about the main attraction, GDC 2018, visit the official website for the 411 on all the details.
Vainglory, a fantasy-themed multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) mobile game developed by Super Evil Megacorp, has been in the market for more than three years. Over that time, the game has achieved a higher profile and more and more embraced it’s potential for eSports.
Super Evil Megacorp and a partner in eSports, gaming hardware and accessories giant Razer, recently turned up together in San Francisco. In the heart of the tech hub, the two companies talked about (and as importantly, showed off) Vainglory’s new 5v5 competitive gaming-friendly mode, and to tout their future plans together.
The Event
Held at a popular San Francisco venue for game competitions and showcases, the spacious Folsom Street Foundry, the event featured a peanut butter-and-chocolate’ing of Razer and Vainglory experiences thoughout the venue. Strobes and neon lights lit up the space, as would be appropriate for a festive atmosphere such as this one. But, unlike many parties, this one didn’t seem so loud that you couldn’t hear people in the vicinity or the speakers on stage.
While Razer bags were being handed out near the door, Super Evil Megacorp and Vainglory apparel and other swag was hawked from a pop-up merch corner, for fans now helpfully equipped with bags. A nearby photo booth gsaw a healthy amount of traffic too. At numerous stations, the much-anticipated Razer Phone, a new Android phone aimed at gamers, was shown with Vainglory installed.
Past the demo stations, floor seating and the stage, where presentations and the MOBA’s 5v5 multiplayer experience was live demoed over the course of a few evening hours, the taco and slider station was set up. In the furthest back of the packed venue, was the VIP, staff and press area on the mezzanine level.
Vainglory 5v5 event overview (photo credit: E4G)
The program began with a behind-the-scenes retrospectives at Super Evil Megacorp and the development of Vainglory over the years, then switched to a stream of news and announcements, before the 5v5 pro demo matches began in earnest.
Setting up for Vainglory 5v5 match play (photo credit: E4G)
The News
The reason for the fan extravaganza was to promote the long-awaited 5v5 multiplayer play, with three lanes, in the form of the Sovereign’s Rise map. 5v5 play is generally accepted as the standard number of players and game layout in PC MOBA game matches. Prior to that, Vainglory was a 3v3 game, with one lane, which, while meeting the technological capabilities of smartphones at the time and making the game accessible to more casual gamers, it limited the possibilities for eSports.
Beyond that, the event was meant to showcase Vainglory game updates and Super Evil Megacorp’s partnerships.
ESP Gaming
ESP Gaming is a shiny shiny, newer production entrant to the eSports and competitive gaming space, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Only a few months later, they’ve landed a partner in Super Evil Megacorp, with Vainglory as their flagship production title for mobile eSports.
Pulling from the top league of Vainglory Esports, which has been reintroduced as the Vainglory Premiere League, the new top-tier rank of Vainglory gaming will be based from Las Vegas as well.
Razer
Razer shared the stage with Vainglory, so it’s no surprise the event became a platform to showcase the Razer Phone as a high-level platform to show off the more demanding 5v5 gaming experience. The event was a means to show off the pairing of Vainglory with Razer hardware, with their smartphone at the forefront.
Vainglory 5v5 on the Razer Phone (photo credit: E4G)
As a not-insignificant aside, I had a little time to try out Vainglory 5v5 with the AI on, on a Razer Phone. The smartphone’s brilliant screen made the first and strongest impression. At 5’7″ and sharpened by a 120Hz screen refresh rate, the new map on Vainglory was (pardon the expression) a glory to behold. There was no hiccuping, no screen tearing, no control issues navigating my heroes down their lanes — a testament to the hardware and the game itself. Screen aside, it doesn’t hurt the phone is powered by a current top-of-the-line Qualcomm 835 Snapdragon processor and 8GB RAM. Personally speaking, I’m pleased to say the Razer Phone, based on my brief experience with it, is a large aluminum phone with a pleasant heft that fit very comfortably in the palm of my hand. The phone would likely be easy on the eyes and in the hands over the course of several hours, while playing games, watching video or the like.
I cannot attest to the sound, battery life or other functionalities, but from what I did see, the Razer Phone feels like it could be a solid match for gaming.
Vainglory
Of course, the event would not have happened without the new 5v5 Sovereign’s Rise map, which was what was played by attendees, press and pro gamers alike. Aside from the new 5v5 format and three lanes, features includes line-of-sight fog of war, macro system, freed up camera, new strategies, more accurate controls and more.
Soundwise, Joris de Man, composer behind Horizon Zero Dawn and the Killzone games, composed the track for the 5v5 track.
The anti-harassment “Me Too movement“, since its inception in October 2017, has had multiple high-profile impacts across media, politics, Hollywood and other industries. In its wake, a number of men have lost their careers and reputation as both men and women have stepped forward to confront their alleged harassers. The game industry, for the most part, hasn’t been heavily affected. In fact, only a few days ago, a writer at The Guardian speculated in an op-ed that the game industry was not ready for its #MeToo moment.
Nonetheless, the social media-fueled #MeToo movement has come to the 2018 Game Developers Conference.
Immediately after GDC organizers announced that they were awarding indie developer Rami Ismail with an Ambassador Award, Double Fine Founder Tim Schafer with a Lifetime Achievement Award and Atari Founder Nolan Bushnell with a Pioneer Award, there was an online-driven discussion about Nolan Bushnell’s history in the game industry in light of the #MeToo movement. The Pioneer Award is given to a recipient who was behind a “breakthrough technology, game concept, or gameplay design at a crucial juncture video game history – paving the way for the myriads who followed them”.
Nolan Bushnell (photo credit: Wikipedia)
Nolan Bushnell, 74, has had a well-publicized and storied history as the co-founder of Atari in 1972, before entrenching Atari as an iconic brand in the games industry. Part of Bushnell’s history includes numerous and well-circulated stories of Bushnell’s approach to women and sexual harassment during the heyday of Atari.
In less than a day, a number of voices from within the game industry on Twitter began circulating #NotNolan in their tweets in a push for having the Pioneer Award to Nolan Bushnell rescinded, at least in 2018, or extended to a woman instead. To date, the Pioneer Award has not been awarded to any woman from the game industry.
As a result of the furor, GDC organizers announced their decision to retract the award to any one recipient for 2018. Here is the official GDC statement posted on Twitter:
18th Annual Awards Ceremony to Take Place Wednesday, March 21 at GDC in San Francisco
San Francisco – January 30, 2018 – Organizers of the 18th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), the premier accolades for peer recognition celebrating the industry’s top games, studios and developers, have revealed the recipients of this year’s three special awards. This year’s awards will be presided over by industry veteran Robin Hunicke, co-founder of independent San Francisco-based game studio Funomena. The ceremonies are available to attend for all GDC 2018 pass-holders.
The GDCAs will give the Ambassador Award, which honors individuals who are helping video games advance to a better place through advocacy or action, to independent developer and Vlambeer co-founder Rami Ismail. Atari founder Nolan Bushnell will receive the Pioneer Award, which honors breakthrough business and game design milestones, and the awards will recognize Double Fine and LucasArts veteran Tim Schafer with the award for Lifetime Achievement.
Independent game developer and co-founder of Vlambeer, Rami Ismail, will receive the Ambassador Award, which honors individuals who are helping video games advance to a better place through advocacy or action. As a six-year-old, Ismail first became hooked on game development when he discovered that he could program his own name to appear on the screen of his family’s computer. Ismail went on to co-found Dutch independent game studio, Vlambeer. with Jan Willem Nijman, releasing acclaimed indie titles including Nuclear Throne, Ridiculous Fishing, Super Crate Box and Luftrausers.
Ismail’s role in game development extends beyond the purely technical aspect of programming. He has worked tirelessly as an advocate for the democratization of game development, and has created and released free development tools like presskit(), helping indie game makers to easily distribute information about their upcoming projects. Above all, Ismail’s work helping with incubators, local events, universities, community efforts, and games industry policy around the world is the reason for this honor. In pursuit of his advocacy, Ismail has dedicated the majority of his time each year to traveling to and working with emergent development communities in places like Southern Europe, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
The recipient of the Pioneer Award, which honors breakthrough business, tech and game design milestones, is Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari, Chuck E. Cheese, and over 20 tech and entertainment enterprises across the span of his four decades in the gaming and tech industries. Recognized as one of the fathers of video games, Nolan Bushnell and colleague Ted Dabney founded the Atari Corporation in Sunnyvale, California in 1972. Through the breakthrough success of industry-defining titles like Pong, Breakout and the subsequent 1977 release of the Atari 2600 home console, Nolan Bushnell helped guide Atari to becoming a dominating force in the video game world.
Bushnell was named one of “50 People Who Changed America” by Newsweek, and his contribution to gaming extends to the family entertainment and food services world, with the founding of Chuck E. Cheese’s brand of restaurants, which combined pizza, arcade games, and animatronic entertainment into each of its stores.
His entrepreneurial experience also includes Etak, the first in-car navigation system, and Catalyst Technologies, the first Silicon Valley Incubator, and Bushnell is being given the Pioneer Award for his key role in the genesis of the video game industry as we know it today.
Finally, Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Tim Schafer began his video game career almost 3 decades ago as a programmer and writer at LucasArts, helping create the comedic sensibility that defined LucasArts adventure games for almost a decade.
Schafer’s humor, matched with his imaginative worlds and dedication to gameplay, lent a distinctly charming character to iconic titles like Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle, and Grim Fandango. With his trademark wit, Schafer’s titles emphasized snappy dialog and compelling stories to draw players into worlds filled with talking robots, scallywag pirates, boy psychics and tough-as-nails bikers.
With the formation of Double Fine Productions in 2000, Schafer’s role expanded into company president and creative director, overseeing the production of over 30 titles, including Psychonauts and Brutal Legend, and becoming a pioneer of independently crowdfunded games (Psychonauts 2, Broken Age) in the process. Within the games industry, Schafer and his colleagues at Double Fine have served as advocates for independent games, helping publish and showcase titles through their Double Fine Presents publishing label and their work with iam8bit on the Day of the Devs events.
Schafer joins theroster of previous Lifetime Achievement Award recipients which includes Tim Sweeney, Shigeru Miyamoto, Warren Spector, John Carmack, Hironobu Sakaguchi, Hideo Kojima, Sid Meier, Ken Kutaragi, Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk and Peter Molyneux, among others.
Schafer, Ismail and Bushnell will be honored at the Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony, taking place on Wednesday, March 21st, 2018 at 6:30pm at the San Francisco Moscone Center during the 2018 Game Developers Conference, and in conjunction with the Independent Games Festival (IGF). The ceremonies are available to attend for all GDC 2018 pass-holders.
“Tim, Rami and Nolan have each given so much to the video game industry through their creative passions, advocacy and leadership, it’s only fitting that they are each recognized for their unique contributions to making games and game development accessible, open and fun for everyone,” says Katie Stern, General Manager of the Game Developers Conference. “Each has worked hard to become leaders in their fields, and serve as an example of how developers who pour their passions into their projects can create something really wonderful. This is a model for all GDC attendees to aspire to.”
Recipients of the Lifetime Achievement, Ambassador and Pioneer awards are chosen through a combination of the ICAN (International Choice Awards Network) voters and the Game Developers Choice Awards Advisory Committee, which includes notable game industry leaders such as Doug Lombardi (Valve), Angie Smets (Guerrilla Games), Julien Merceron (Bandai Namco Games) and Kiki Wolfkill (343 Industries).
For more information about the 18th annual Game Developers Choice Awards, visit: http://www.gamechoiceawards.com/. To learn more about GDC 2018, follow@Official_GDC or visit: http://www.gdconf.com/. Both the Game Developers Choice Awards and IGF ceremonies are available to attend for all GDC 2018 pass-holders.
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