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GamesBeat embraces our first love: PC gaming

Mathew Anderson
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GamesBeat embraces our first love: PC gaming

From VentureBeat: PC gaming has never died. It will likely never die. It’s strong. It’s growing. And we at GamesBeat are going to focus more on the original gaming platform.

We’re reinvirogating our PC Gaming Channel. Reporter Jeff Grubb is the speartip of our charge into the world’s most diverse platform. And we’re not going to just cover news about games — we’re going to dive into how people make these works of art: how they come up with ideas and designs, how they figure out mechanics and which tools to use, how they sign with publishers and build communities, how they support their games with postrelease content, and more.

We’ll be talking to designers about how they deal with animation, how they deal with lighting, and how they customize game engines for their unique creations. We’ll talk to analysts about the best ways to monetize, and we’ll see what leading marketers have to say about promoting your game. We’ll talk to social media marvels about spreading word of mouth on Twitter, Twitch, Facebook, and more. And we’ll talk to those who’ve had success on Steam — and how to learn from their lessons.

Read more at VentureBeat.com

PAX Unplugged Badges on Sale May 3 (Press Release)

Mathew Anderson
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PAX Unplugged Badges on Sale May 3 (Press Release)

PHILADELPHIA – April 4, 2017 – Tickets for the inaugural PAX Unplugged, the analog-oriented extension to the international line-up of PAX events, taking place November 17-19, 2017 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, will go on sale Wednesday, May 3, 2017. Single day badges will cost $25, three day passes for will be available for $60 and Sunday Kids badges (for 6-12 year olds) will be $10 each.

PAX Unplugged will provide the same experience that has entertained millions of PAX attendees, but with a focus on tabletop, card and board gaming. Attendees will have the opportunity to witness reveals of upcoming titles, play the most hotly anticipated unreleased games, participate in tournaments and go to panels headed by the industry’s top influencers and creative minds.

While PAX Unplugged will focus on tabletop gaming, videogames featuring board or card game elements will also be at the expo.

“I played my first game of Dungeons & Dragons at six years old, and never looked back,” said Jerry Holkins, co-founder, Penny Arcade. “PAX Unplugged will give us a chance to let the thriving tabletop area of the PAX shows breathe a bit – and take an opportunity to celebrate the incredible, ongoing renaissance of the form.”

Game developers interested in exhibiting at PAX Unplugged 2017 can contact the PAX Unplugged team. Working journalists and content creators on YouTube and Twitch interested in attending PAX Unplugged to produce coverage of the event can apply for a media badge here.

For additional information, sign up for the newsletter, follow PAX via Twitter and like the events on Facebook.

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PAX

PAX or Penny Arcade Expo is a festival for gamers to celebrate gaming culture. First held in Seattle in 2004, PAX has nearly doubled in size each successive year, with PAX Prime 2014 selling out of tickets in a matter of minutes. Connecting the world’s leading game publishers with their most avid and influential fans, PAX expanded with a second show in Boston in 2010 and a third in San Antonio in 2015, making it the three largest gaming shows in North America. The first international PAX was held in Melbourne, Australia in 2013. In 2017, Penny Arcade announced PAX Unplugged, its first tabletop focused show, to be held in Philadelphia.

Penny Arcade

Penny Arcade is a web comic focused on video games and video game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. With over 3.5 million readers, it is the most popular and longest running gaming web comic online. Penny Arcade is also responsible for the Child’s Play Charity, the Penny Arcade gaming expos (PAX) in Seattle, Boston, San Antonio, Philadelphia, and Melbourne, multiple videogames based on the brand, and multiple online video series.

ReedPOP

ReedPOP is a boutique group within Reed Exhibitions exclusively devoted to organizing events, launching and acquiring new shows, and partnering with premium brands in the pop culture world. ReedPOP is dedicated to celebrations of popular culture throughout the globe that transcend ordinary events by providing unique access and dynamic personal experiences. The ReedPOP portfolio includes: New York Comic Con (NYCC), Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) West, East, South, Australia and Unplugged, Emerald City Comicon (ECCC), BookCon, BookExpo, Oz Comic-Con, Comic Con India, Paris Comic Con, Star Wars Celebration, Star Trek: Mission New York, TwitchCon, ComplexCon and more. The staff at ReedPOP is a fan-based group of professionals uniquely qualified to serve those with whom they share a common passion. ReedPOP is focused on bringing its expertise and knowledge to world communities in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, India and Australia.

Media Contact

Kyle MacGregor / Chris Toomey
Stride PR for Penny Arcade
kyle@stridepr.com / chris@stridepr.com

April 2017 Game Industry Events Calendar

Mathew Anderson
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April 2017 Game Industry Events Calendar

To help you plan attendance for this month’s game industry conferences, conventions, festivals and other events, we post a consolidated list of events each month. View the complete April event list below!

Click here for the main calendar view.

April 30-1: EGX Rezzed (London, UK)
31-2: WonderCon (Anaheim, USA)
1: Mars VR Gaming Summit (Olympus Mons Convention Center, Mars)
1-2: Facts (Gent, Belgium)
1-2: CT Gamer Con (Uncasville, USA)
1-2: Capital Gaming Expo (Nepean, Canada)
1-2: QGCon (Los Angeles, USA)
5-6: eSCon Europe (Europe)
6-8: EVE Fanfest (Reykjavik, Iceland)
7: GameDev Day (Tallinn, Estonia)
7-9: PixelFest (Norfolk, USA)
8: Intel Buzz Workshop London (London, UK)
8: Sacramento Indie Arcade (Sacramento, USA)
14-15: Vector (Richmond, USA)
14-15: VRLA Expo (Los Angeles, USA)
14-16: East Africa Gaming Convention (Nairobi, Kenya)
20-22: Reboot Develop (Mlini, Croatia)
20-22: VR Reality Show (London, UK)
22-23: The D8 Summit (Ottawa, Canada)
24-26: Quo Vadis (Berlin, Germany)
26-29: A MAZE Berlin (Berlin, Germany)
28-30: HavenCon (Austin, USA)
29-30: GX Australia (Sydney, Australia)
29-30: Tehran Game Convention (Tehran, Iran)

This list is obtained from the main calendar. Did we miss an event? Let us know!

SVVR 2017 Shines Global Spotlight on Latest in VR Technology and Entertainment (Press Release)

Mathew Anderson
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SVVR 2017 Shines Global Spotlight on Latest in VR Technology and Entertainment (Press Release)

More than 100 Companies to Showcase at SVVR Including Immersion, Oculus, Altar, Atcarta, BioflightVR, Deepoon, Gala360, Noys, Redrock Biometrics, and More; SVVR Announces Expansion into Asia

 

SAN JOSE, Calif. – March 29, 2017 – The fourth annual Silicon Valley Virtual Reality (SVVR) Conference and Expo kicks off today in what has become the premier event for the global virtual reality (VR) industry.  More than 100 companies from North America, Europe and Asia will gather to demonstrate and discuss the latest in VR innovation, from new developments in content creation hardware and software, streaming technology and consumer devices; to breakthrough vertical VR applications in health/science, education/training, real estate, security; new games and entertainment experiences; and more.  SVVR runs today through Friday, March 31 at the San Jose Convention Center.

 

To better meet the needs of the growing international VR industry, SVVR also announced its expansion into Asia with SVVR Japan and SVVR Korea.  More details to be announced soon at www.svvr.com.

 

“SVVR started as the first and continues to be the largest VR meetup community, and today is the event of choice for industry insiders worldwide looking to showcase, discover and discuss the latest advancements and opportunities in all applications of VR,” said Karl Kratz, co-founder of SVVR.  “From content creators to production tools, wearable devices, haptics technology and more, the companies participating in SVVR are at the forefront of driving innovation in VR which is so necessary to ensure industry growth.”

 

Some of the news highlights delivered by companies participating in SVVR included:

 

  • AltspaceVR: AltspaceVR’s new framework for development provides the fastest way to build shared virtual reality (VR) experiences. It includes an expanded library of assets and the ability for VR web applications to access native game engine features. Developers can create content using standard web technologies, host it anywhere on the web, and have it instantly available to people in AltspaceVR.

 

  • Baobab: Animation pioneer, Baobab Studios, is leading the merge between Hollywood and Virtual Reality with their award-winning and Emmy-nominated VR animation INVASION!starring Ethan Hawke and second interactive animation  ASTEROIDS! starring Elizabeth Banks. The producing team of Roth/Kirschenbaum Films is turning the characters and story of INVASION! into a feature film and the studios’ third animation, Rainbow Crow, their most powerful experience to-date with a diverse cast of all-star talent, will premiere at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival next month.
  • ImmerVision: The VR industry faces major challenges to deliver on user mass adoption. ImmerVision is collaborating with product leaders to bring 360° devices that are easy to capture and share vivid, life like VR content across multiple platforms – enabling the vision of mass use of VR.
  • Kenzan Studios: Kenzan Studios launches Kenzan Arena, the first cutting edge VR playground that has profitability in its DNA. Developed in collaboration with Noitom, the free roaming playground combines both physical and virtual objects and will be the biggest of its kind. Kenzan Arena will launch with four Kenzan Studios Original games including a multiplayer shooter and a multiplayer escape room.
  • Noitom: Over the last year, since debuting Project Alice at SVVR 2016, Noitom has made many advances with the system, testing it with many projects and services all over the world. The company has gained critical experience in education, product display and various verticals that have helped it to fine-tune and make it even better. This year, the biggest steps Noitom has taken is to incorporate its Hi5 VR Glove into Project Alice and with the help of its partners, created a very complete software platform that offers a solid VR solution. About Project Alice: http://noitom.com/index.php/solutions/project-alice.
  • SuperData Research: Stephanie Llamas, vice president of research and strategy, and head of VR/AR strategy at SuperData Research, shared findings, including that the rise in consumer adoption of VR devices is expected to drive revenue to $40B by 2020.  As a featured speaker at the SVVR Expo, Stephanie will present more findings from “The Virtual Consumer,” a state of the consumer VR industry analysis from SuperData, that provides detailed data on consumers, their sentiments, and behaviors across the VR landscape.
  • Tequila Works: The Invisible Hours is a complex, murder mystery VR science thriller, which allows players to freely explore an intricate web of interwoven stories within a sprawling old mansion, in order to untangle a dark truth. Developed by Madrid-based Tequila Works in partnership with GameTrust, The Invisible Hours sets the stage for a deeply immersive theater VR experience.

 

SVVR is an industry-focused event for all verticals in VR, bringing together top names in VR research, engineering, development, entertainment and enterprise services to discuss the latest trends, exhibit innovations and showcase the future of VR. This year’s keynotes will be delivered by Nonny de la Peña, CEO of Emblematic Group, Tony Parisi, Head of VR and AR at Unity Technologies, Kent Bye, host of Voices of VR podcast, and Rikard Steiber, SVP of Virtual Reality, HTC.

 

For further information and assets, please visit https://www.zebrapartners.net/svvr2017/.

 

About SVVR

SVVR is the biggest VR industry event of the year where the VR community from around the world and across all verticals, gather in Silicon Valley each Spring to unveil the latest innovations, connect with leaders and build business relationships with top brands looking to grow engagement through VR. SVVR started as the very first VR industry event. Passionate about VR, the SVVR team, including original co-founders Karl Krantz and Nana Usui, have been facilitating a community of VR professionals through Meetups and industry events since 2013.

 

For more information on SVVR, visit www.svvr.com, and follow SVVR on Twitter and Facebook.

AMAZICON Teams Up With Gamer Con to Hold It’s 5th Annual Convention April 7-9TH (Press Release)

Mathew Anderson
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AMAZICON Teams Up With Gamer Con to Hold It’s 5th Annual Convention April 7-9TH (Press Release)

Amazicon, the area’s premier sci-fi, comics and collectibles show, is teaming up with Gamer Con for a three day public event in Wilmington Delaware on April 7th, 8th and 9th 2017

Wilmington, DE – (Today) – The annual Delaware convention Amazicon will be held at The Double Tree by Hilton Hotel in Wilmington on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 7th through 9thand this year will be debuting their collaboration with Gamer Con, bringing those in attendance the benefit of two shows in one weekend. Now in its 5th year, the event will feature vendors, special guests, arcades, TV/Movie cars, industry panels, tournaments, a cosplay costume contest and more.

Attendees will have the chance to see numerous celebrity guests from TV, Movies, Broadway and the comic and pop culture industry who will be on hand all weekend signing autographs and speaking at panels. Several popular Hollywood cars that have been featured in motion pictures and on TV series will be on display as well.

Multiple vendor rooms will be set up on each floor of the convention show with many items available for purchase such as collectibles, games and comics, and photo ops with special guests, star cars, the Easter Bunny and photo booths will be available throughout the event. Magicians, cosplayers and musicians will be providing additional entertainment, and there will be hourly door prizes announced. Attendees can also play video games and arcades, and enter gaming tournaments to win prizes.

An after-party will take place on Saturday night and will feature food, entertainment, a cosplay costume contest and the annual Amazicon charity auction to benefit the Families of SMA, an organization dedicated to raising money for research for the childhood disease spinal muscular atrophy. Many vendors and companies will be providing donated items for the auction which has raised money and awareness for SMA every year.

ABOUT AMAZICON: An annual convention that continues to grow bigger and better every year, Amazicon is an event put on for the fans, by the fans.

ABOUT GAMER CON: A semi-annual event with an exponentially growing following, Gamer Con is the greater Philadelphia region’s top gaming convention.

AMAZICON 5

April 7th-9th 2017

The Doubletree Hotel by Hilton

4727 Concord Pike Wilmington, DE 19803

Friday 4-10pm, Saturday 10am-7pm (After Party 8:30pm-1am), Sunday 11am-5pm

Advanced tickets are $15 @day or $35 for a 3-day pass; $20 and $45 at the door

To purchase tickets or for more information please visit http://amazicon.net/tickets.html or http://njgamercon.com/tickets.html

Game Developers Conference 2017 Concludes After a Week of Networking, Learning and Inspiration in San Francisco (Press Release)

Mathew Anderson
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Game Developers Conference 2017 Concludes After a Week of Networking, Learning and Inspiration in San Francisco (Press Release)

GDC AND VRDC TO RETURN TO MOSCONE CENTER MARCH 19-23, 2018

Event Marked Return of the VRDC, Independent Games Festival, Game Developers Choice Awards and More

SAN FRANCISCO – March 13, 2017 – The 2017 Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest and longest-running event serving professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games, concluded a successful week of networking, learning and inspiration. In total, last week’s conference hosted more than 26,000 professional attendees, 500 lectures, panels, tutorials and roundtable discussions, and 570 companies exhibiting in San Francisco’s Moscone Center. GDC 2017 marked a return of the Virtual Reality Developers Conference, which debuted at GDC 2016. That event, which runs concurrent to GDC, again fostered key learnings and insights into the flourishing field of virtual and augmented reality. GDC and VRDC will be returning to the Moscone Center in San Francisco from Monday, March 19 to Friday, March 23, 2018. Call for submissions for both GDC and VRDC open this summer.

This year, developers of some of the industry’s most acclaimed new titles took to the stage to present an inside look into the making of their games. Pokemon GO’s development team, Niantic, took a rare opportunity to describe turning their landmark augmented reality title into a worldwide phenomenon. Nintendo put their expertly-honed design skills on display with their session, “Change and Constant: Breaking Conventions with ‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’.” In it, they showed off simple 2D prototypes they created to test out the new gameplay mechanics, these experiments ultimately yielded one of the most acclaimed games of all time.

2017 marked a year of transition for an industry adjusting to mid-cycle hardware releases, with the recent release of the portable Nintendo Switch, the PlayStation 4 Pro, and the first year of VR hardware availability to consumers. As always, GDC 2017 featured essential speaking sessions that illuminated the way for developers learning the ins and outs of the new platforms. Among the esteemed roster of speakers were developers from Nintendo, Electronic Arts/DICE, and multiplatform VR developer Owlchemy Labs. GDC 2017 was also an opportunity for legendary game designers to host retrospectives of their influential titles with the Classic Game Postmortems sessions for Seaman presented by creator Yutaka “Yoot” Saito, Oregon Trail presented by co-inventor Don Rawitsch, Sid Meier’s Civilization presented by creators Sid Meier and Bruce Shelley, and Deus Ex, presented by game director Warren Spector.

The annual Independent Games Festival (IGF) Awards and Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) took place on the night of Wednesday, March 1. The 2017 IGF Awards honored some of the best independent games of the year, with Blendo Games’ Quadrilateral Cowboy earning this year’s Seumas McNally Grand Prize and accompanying $30,000 award. The title also earned the Excellence in Design Award and its $3,000 award.

Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch took home the award for Game of the Year at the 17th annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA). The multiplayer shooter also received the award for Best Design.  An archive of the IGF and GDCA ceremonies can be viewed at http://twitch.tv/gdc.

The bustling Expo Floor in Moscone’s South Hall featured a diverse roster of more than 570 companies exhibiting their hottest products, services, technologies and talents. From industry giants like Google, Sony, Microsoft and Amazon, to influential game developers like Epic Games, Insomniac Games, Hi-Rez Studios, Oculus, Valve, Unity Technologies, and hundreds of others. The Moscone North Hall housed the IGF Pavilion which featured all of the finalists for the IGF Awards, and the playable alt.ctrl.GDC demos which showcased games using unconventional controllers and alternative control schemes. Returning this year were the GDC Play Pavilions which are special areas for emerging developers, allowing them display their games to key distributors, publishers, press and investors in attendance.

In addition to the Expo Floors, GDC hosted a variety of Interactive Spaces throughout the week. Independent developers and some of the latest indie games were featured in the GDC Train Jam and Mild Rumpus areas, a special edition of Double Fine’s “Day of the Devs,” and the Indie MEGABOOTH showcase. For fans of tabletop board games, ”Shut Up and Sit Down” hosted a selection of the best board games of the year for all attendees to enjoy. This year also introduced Art Boss from iam8bit, which served as a showcase for all forms of art created during the production of a videogame.

“Every GDC gives us a deeper appreciation of the hard work that goes into every aspect of game production, and every role requires attention and deserves respect. With GDC, we aim to honor the commitment, passion and love that all game creators put into each project, I’d like to think we’ve done that this year,” said Meggan Scavio, general manager of the Game Developers Conference. “Games can be scary, exciting, funny, and above all else, fun. They run the gamut of emotions and themes, and there’s a game out there for everyone. GDC embraces this spirit, and we welcome developers of all backgrounds. The last few months have seen lots of challenges and changes, but also some truly amazing gameplay and VR experiences. If GDC 2017 is any indication, we should be in for a hell of a year for games.”

For additional information about GDC and VRDC@GDC, visit www.gdconf.com. The GDC Vault website –www.gdcvault.com – will offer access to a wide variety of GDC and VRDC@GDC 2017 lectures and sessions in the coming days and weeks, including speaker slides, synchronized video and presentations for select sponsor lectures, as well as a broad range of conference videos. GDC All Access Pass holders and individual Vault subscribers will get access to hundreds of video sessions from this and previous GDC shows. Select content from GDC 2017 will also be posted to the official GDC YouTube channel – http://youtube.com/c/gdconf. Official photos are available via the GDC Flickr account – www.flickr.com/photos/officialgdc/.

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 www.ubmgamenetwork.com for more information.

About UBM
UBM plc is the largest pure-play B2B Events organizer in the world.  In an increasingly digital world, the value of connecting on a meaningful, human level has never been more important.  At UBM, our deep knowledge and passion for the industry sectors we serve allow us to create valuable experiences where people can succeed. At our events people build relationships, close deals and grow their businesses.  Our 3,750+ people, based in more than 20 countries, serve more than 50 different sectors – from fashion to pharmaceutical ingredients.  These global networks, skilled, passionate people and market-leading events provide exciting opportunities for business people to achieve their ambitions. For more information, go to www.ubm.com; for UBM corporate news, follow us on Twitter at @UBM, UBM Plc LinkedIn

International Games Week Berlin From April 24-30, 2017: 10 Events for Fans and Games Industry (Press Release)

Mathew Anderson
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International Games Week Berlin From April 24-30, 2017: 10 Events for Fans and Games Industry (Press Release)

BERLIN, 10 MARCH 2017. Gaming fans and industry professionals are eagerly looking forward to the INTERNATIONAL GAMES WEEK BERLIN 2017. The mega event combines 10 various gatherings under an umbrella brand  (#gamesweekberlin). The booming start-up metropolis of Berlin consequently also becomes the world capital of computer games for a week with an expected 15,000 visitors. The #gamesweekberlin will open on Monday evening, 24 April 2017, with the Opening Summit in the STATION Berlin. The Opening Summit as well as numerous other events during the week are being supported by the Medienboard-Berlin Brandenburg. For press accreditation for the Opening Summit and the other events of the #gamesweekberlin please go to: www.gamesweekberlin.com/2017/press-media

The diversity of events stems from the variety and social relevance of digital, interactive entertainment. Games are business (annual turnover of games software in Germany in 2015: 1,99 bn Euros, source: BIU 2016), a driving force in technology and the means of artistic expression.

The issues being addressed at the #gamesweekberlin have accordingly taken shape: at times concrete (developer trends, job market), and at times creative (interactive art), they range from games knowhow in the manufacturing industry through to the intangible pipedreams of virtual reality. There are business events for exclusive target groups and fun events for core gamers and the whole family.

Highlights for gamers

Game Cinema, 29 April, Babylon Mitte Cinema
A mixture of Saturday night show, eSport and Let’s Play – Game Cinema has gamers competing against one another on the big cinema screen in funny local multiplayer games such asSpeedRunners and Gang Beasts. And every one of the 350 guests in the cinema can take part and win fantastic prizes. And it also includes chats with well-known developers and matches against celebrity guests from the world of eSports. The fun will be moderated and streamed live on Twitch.

The exhibition of A MAZE. / Berlin, 26 – 29 April, RAW Area
Half conference, half exhibition, the third half can’t be expressed in words. A MAZE. / Berlin is the annual highlight for the international indie games scene, those independent games developers whose games are as much art as they are entertainment. In addition: a freely accessible exhibition at Urban Spree in the RAW Area with crazy games design, exciting virtual reality landscapes and interactive art installations.

Womenize! Girls Make Games Workshops, 27 April, Wooga
Womenize! – down to earth virtual reality workshop for women and girls who are still underrepresented in the technical professions.

Making Games Festival, 24 – 26 April, STATION Berlin
Meet the makers of your favourite games, discover brand new games and be one of the first to play over 30 as yet unpublished indie games at the Making Games Festival.

Gamefest, 28 – 30 April, Computer Games Museum & Alte Feuerwache
Exciting, entertaining, stimulating – a programme that covers everything around game culture. With cult classics such as the StayForver! live blog from Gunnar Lott and Christian Schmidt, theNight of the Renarrated Game as well as a join-in exhibition of games for historic consoles and more. The Gamefest is for accomplished gamers from today and yesterday, for families and everyone interested in game culture.

For professional delegates from all over the world

QUO VADIS, 24 – 26 April, STATION Berlin
Europe’s oldest games developer conference QUO VADIS offers its participants an excellent conference programme: the makers of such games as Star Wars Battlefront, Assassin’s Creed,Star Citizen, Worms or Day of the Tentacle Remastered will share their expert knowledge with some 3,000 professional delegates from 24 to 26 April. Tickets for the English-language conference are available from 379€ (plus VAT) at  www.qvconf.com/tickets. With immediate effect, indie developers can apply for a place at the Indie Game Expo: www.qvconf.com/indie-game-expo.

researching games BarCamp, 28 – 29 April, Youth Hostel Berlin Ostkreuz
At the researching games BarCamp games scientists and game developer come together to discuss the scientific research and the practical experience of digital games. All disciplines – from Computer Science to Religious Studies – are most welcome.

APITS DAY, 27 April, HTW Berlin University of Applied Sciences
APITs DAY is the opening conference of the „creative Applied Interactive Technologies (cAPITs)¨ institute: companies can get information about the possibilities of using technologies from the games industry in non-entertainment contexts: AR in the industry 4.0, VR in retail, game engines for architecture etc. Cross cluster technology transfer: information, trial, networking!

Matchmaking Dinner, 25 April, invitation only
The Matchmaking Dinner from games:net berlinbrandenburg unites and promotes networking between the most important decision-makers from the games, information, communications and technology industries as well as politics and institutions.

Here’s where to find all of Gamasutra’s GDC 2017 coverage

Mathew Anderson
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Here’s where to find all of Gamasutra’s GDC 2017 coverage

From Gamasutra, get all of your GDC 2017 coverage here! A sample of what they have recently posted:

Lessons learned by an ‘art-house indie’ who joined a F2P game studio  
by Alex Wawro [03.03.17]
At the end of the day, the work is the work, said game designer Margaret Robertson in her talk at GDC today about what she’s learned in closing her indie game studio and joining Dots dev Playdots.
Console/PC, Indie, GDC
Warren Spector traces Deus Ex‘s development back to a game of D&D  
by Alex Wawro [03.02.17]
“Let me tell you where it began — this is going to get a little embarrassing,” said Spector. “It all began with Dungeons and Dragons.”
Console/PC, Design, Production, GDC
One Life Left x GDC podcast: the cracks begin to show  
by Bryant Francis [03.02.17]
Another day, another podcast—the One Life Left and Gamasutra crews team up for another day of great interviews.
Console/PC, Design, Video, GDC
Reinventing a classic series through Resident Evil VII: Biohazard  
by Simon Parkin [03.02.17]
“The Resident Evil series can be thought of as a series of trilogies,” said RE7 director Koshi Nakanishi. “That meant that, with this the seventh game, we could choose to take a new direction.”
Design, GDC
How Prompto’s AI-driven selfie system in Final Fantasy XVwas built  
by Alex Wawro [03.02.17]
Prasert “Sun” Prasertvithyakarn served as lead designer on Final Fantasy XV‘s buddy system and AI; at GDC this week he took the stage to talk about how the AI-driven snapshot system was built.
Console/PC, Design, GDC
Heaven’s Vault: Inkle’s game about a nebula-riding archaeologist  
by Katherine Cross [03.02.17]
“We started from the idea of an interactive graphic novel and how that would work, bringing together an adventure game sensibility with Inkle’s text flow style.”
Console/PC, Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Art, Design, GDC
Nvidia has a new tool on the way to help measure and analyze VR performance  
by Alissa McAloon [03.02.17]
FCAT VR will capture and visualize performance data for virtual reality games and headsets, effectively making it easier for devs to test and identify performance problems in their VR games.
VR, Console/PC, GDC
It’s not all about Touch: Oculus’ Jason Rubin sees a future for gamepad VR games 2
by Alex Wawro [03.02.17]
“Right now it kind of seems like that’s old-school, but it’s old-school with 40 years of evolution to get the perfect gamepad…And I believe that over the long run, people will go back to that.”
VR, Design, GDC
Overwatch nets Game of the Year at 2017 Game Developers Choice Awards  
by Staff [03.02.17]
Blizzard’s own Overwatch took home top honors at tonight’s Game Developers Choice Awards alongside a slew of other award-winning games.
Console/PC, Indie, GDC, IGF
Becoming a Nintendo Switch indie dev will be tough early on 3
by Kris Graft [03.02.17]
Game developers who want to get their games on the soon-to-launch Nintendo Switch should be prepared for a strict submission process, at least here in the console�s early days.
Console/PC, Indie, Business/Marketing, Video, GDC
Seaman designer Yoot Saito implores game devs to ‘swim against the stream’  
by Simon Parkin [03.02.17]
Game-makers should eschew making sequels to their hits and instead do their best to do something different, says Seaman creator Yoot Saito.
Console/PC, Design, GDC

Blizzard’s ‘Overwatch’ Wins Game of the Year at the 17th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards (Press Release)

Mathew Anderson
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0
Blizzard’s ‘Overwatch’ Wins Game of the Year at the 17th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards (Press Release)

Overwatch Developer Blizzard Entertainment Receives Prizes for Game of the Year and Best Design; Playdead’s Inside and Campo Santo’s Firewatch Earn Two Awards Apiece

SAN FRANCISCO – March 1, 2017 – Blizzard Entertainment’s popular and stylish multiplayer shooter, Overwatch, was honored with the prize for Game of the Year at tonight’s 17th annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) ceremony during the 2017 Game Developers Conference (GDC) at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Overwatch’s carefully calibrated balance and polished gameplay mechanics also earned the game the award for Best Design. An archive of the award ceremony, as well as the full presentation of the Independent Games Festival Awards (IGF Awards), can be viewed at http://twitch.tv/gdc.

Developer Playdead’s beautifully macabre and engrossing platformer, Inside, also earned two awards in total, for Best Audio and Best Visual Art. The awards reflect the strong artistry of the title, which depicts a dark conspiracy using a stark visual motif with foreboding lighting and haunting animation. Developer Campo Santo’s compelling first-person adventure game, Firewatch, was the final double award-winner of the night, earning the team the awards for Best Debut and Best Narrative. The game, which features the voice talent of Mad Men’s Rich Sommer, portrays a deeply engrossing tale that enwraps the player in a branching script filled with mystery, suspense, humor and longing.

The full slate of winners at tonight’s ceremony also includes the augmented reality (AR) game Pokemon Go by Niantic, which became a worldwide sensation and earned the award for Best Mobile/Handheld Game. The massively ambitious, procedurally-generated universe of No Man’s Sky earned developer Hello Games the Innovation Award, while the grandiose production and graphics in Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End earned that title the award for Best Technology. The charmingly off-kilter virtual reality (VR) game, Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives, received the award for Best VR/AR Game. The Audience Award is chosen among the entire selection of GDCA finalists using a public online voting process, and was presented to developer EA DICE for Battlefield 1.

The Game Developers Choice Awards honor the very best games of the year, and was created for and voted on by developers. Winners are selected by the Game Developers Choice Awards-specific International Choice Awards Network (ICAN), which is an invitation-only group comprised of leading game creators from all parts of the industry.

Every year, the Game Developers Choice Awards also recognize developers who have made significant contributions to the art, science and craft of video games with three special awards. This year, the Pioneer Award was given to Jordan Mechner, the game designer, programmer and screenwriter best known for creating the landmark series, Prince of Persia.

The Ambassador Award, which recognizes those whose actions have helped video games to “advance to a better place,” went to Mark DeLoura, for dedicating his life to the education and the productive use of technology within academia, the media and videogames, holding roles that include Senior Advisor for Digital Media during the Obama administration.

The Lifetime Achievement award was given to Tim Sweeney, the founder of Epic Games, and the creator of seminal game/creation tool ZZT and the influential Unreal Engine. Following the 1998 PC game Unreal, which Sweeney co-created, the game’s engine became the underpinning for a slew of acclaimed games, including Epic’s own Gears of War and Unreal franchises, as well as the BioShock series, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, and the Batman: Arkham series of games.

“This year’s amazing slate of winners is a testament to the diversity of experiences in games. Pokemon Go took gaming outdoors using AR, while Job Simulator showed how lo-fi aesthetics could meet cutting edge tech for a winning VR experience. Overwatch once again proved Blizzard’s uncanny ability to make a perfectly balanced multiplayer game, and Inside delved deep into our dark psyches to unearth our scariest nightmares,” said Meggan Scavio, General Manager of the Game Developers Conference. “These nominees speak to the strength of games as a medium, but also show the various textures and possible creative outlets that interactive entertainment can provide. Congrats to all of the winners and nominees for following their visions and thanks to all developers who strive to make amazing games for us day in and day out.”

The Game Developers Choice Awards winners are:

Best Audio

Inside (Playdead)

Best Debut

Campo Santo (Firewatch)

Best Design

Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)

Best Mobile/Handheld Game

Pokemon Go (Niantic)

Innovation Award

No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)

Best Narrative

Firewatch (Campo Santo)

Best Technology

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog)

Best Visual Art

Inside (Playdead)

Best VR/AR Game

Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives (Owlchemy Labs)

Audience Award

Battlefield 1 (EA DICE)

Game of the Year

Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)

Pioneer Award

Jordan Mechner

Ambassador Award

Mark DeLoura

Lifetime Achievement Award

Tim Sweeney

For more information about the 17th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards, please visit the official website at http://www.gamechoiceawards.com. For information about the 2017 Game Developers Conference, please visit the official website at http://www.gdconf.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 www.ubmgamenetwork.com for more information.

About UBM

UBM plc is the largest pure-play B2B Events organizer in the world.  In an increasingly digital world, the value of connecting on a meaningful, human level has never been more important.  At UBM, our deep knowledge and passion for the industry sectors we serve allow us to create valuable experiences where people can succeed. At our events people build relationships, close deals and grow their businesses.  Our 3,750+ people, based in more than 20 countries, serve more than 50 different sectors – from fashion to pharmaceutical ingredients.  These global networks, skilled, passionate people and market-leading events provide exciting opportunities for business people to achieve their ambitions.

For more information, go to www.ubm.com; for UBM corporate news, follow us on Twitter at @UBM, UBM Plc LinkedIn

2017 Game Developers Conference and Virtual Reality Developers Conference Open Today at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center (Press Release)

Mathew Anderson
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0
2017 Game Developers Conference and Virtual Reality Developers Conference Open Today at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center (Press Release)

The World’s Largest Professional Game Industry Event Kicks Off 31st Edition Alongside
Virtual Reality Developers Conference, Showcasing Advancements in VR and AR

SAN FRANCISCO – February 27, 2017 – The 2017 Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest and longest-running event serving professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games, kicks off its 31st edition today at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. Following last year’s successful introduction of the Virtual Reality Developers Conference (VRDC) and the standalone VRDC in November, the event will also be returning to bring together experts from the video game, entertainment, and tech fields to discuss the latest breakthroughs in immersive virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) experiences. GDC and VRDC are held concurrently at the Moscone Center, with VRDC running through Tuesday, February 28 and GDC running through Friday, March 3.

GDC 2017 offers five days of lectures, panels, tutorials, roundtable discussions, and networking events, the Independent Games Festival (IGF) and Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCAs) ceremony, a robust Expo, and the showcase of emerging game developers known as GDC Play.

The conference begins with two days (Monday, February 27 and Tuesday, February 28) of specialized summits on the topics of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Community Management, Game Narrative, Education, Mobile Games, Independent Games, and User Experience (UX). The first two days of the conference will also feature GDC Developer Days, immersive learning experiences led by thought leaders from influential tech companies such as Amazon, Facebook, and Google.

The returning Virtual Reality Developers Conference will provide two days of content showcasing some of the most groundbreaking and respected developers and development teams in the fields of VR and AR discussing topics relating to film, journalism, travel, sports entertainment, and more. VRDC will host more than 30 sessions presented by speakers of celebrated entertainment studios, such as HBO, Legendary Entertainment, Lucasfilm’s ILMxLAB, Oculus, Owlchemy Labs and more. There are more than 50 additional VR sessions in the GDC Summits and Main Conference throughout the week.

Following VRDC and the GDC Summits, the main GDC conference will kick-off on Wednesday, March 1. This year, the main GDC conference will feature four Classic Game Postmortem sessions, in which the creators of Sid Meier’s Civilization, Deus Ex, Oregon Trail and Seaman share their unique development processes, inspirations and lessons learned creating some of the most innovative games of their eras. Huge names from across the video game industry will also be hosting sessions during the main conference, including Blizzard Entertainment, Capcom, Eidos Montreal, Naughty Dog, Nintendo, Respawn Entertainment, Riot Games, Square Enix, and more.

The 19th annual Independent Games Festival (IGF) Awards, which honor the most promising developers and projects from the world of independent video games, and the 17th annual Game 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 1, starting at 6:30pm PT. The ceremonies will also feature special honors for important industry leaders, including a Lifetime Achievement Award for Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney, the The Pioneer Award, which honors breakthrough tech and game design milestones, which will be presented to Jordan Mechner, creator of the Prince of Persia series. Mark DeLoura will be presented with the Ambassador Award for his advocacy of the video game industry, education and the productive use of technology while a Senior Advisor within the Obama White House.

GDC will also host a variety of Interactive Spaces that are open to all attendees throughout the week. Independent games will be celebrated at Double Fine and iam8bit’s “Day of the Devs,” the Indie MEGABOOTH Showcase and the nature-themed lounge known as the Mild Rumpus. iam8bit will present Art Boss, an art gallery of some of the best concept and production art from celebrated video games that launched during the past year. Additional Interactive Spaces include GDC Train Jam, which presents games created by developers on a train ride from Chicago to GDC, alt.ctrl.GDC, which allows attendees to play with imaginative games that use non-traditional controllers, and more.

“GDC has been at the forefront of tectonic industry changes over three decades. In that same way, VRDC is charting the exciting new territory of developments in the virtual reality and augmented reality world. This is more important than ever as developers are coming to terms with the VR and AR platforms that are now out in the wild,” said Meggan Scavio, general manager of the Game Developers Conference. “Beyond AR/VR, GDC is honored to host the global community of developers from all disciplines, walks of life and regions at GDC, we’ve always been a show that has embraced the new, unique and diverse. This year is no different.”

In total, the GDC consists of more than 500 lectures, panels, tutorials and roundtable discussions. The GDC Expo has more than 300 exhibitors and includes the Business Center, the Game Career Seminar, a variety of Interactive Spaces, and more.

To learn more about GDC and VRDC, follow @Official_GDC or visit: www.gdconf.com. Both the Game Developers Choice Awards and IGF ceremonies are available to attend for all GDC 2017 pass-holders and will be livestreamed on the GDC’s official Twitch channel.

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 www.ubmgamenetwork.com for more information.

About UBM
UBM plc is the largest pure-play B2B Events organizer in the world.  In an increasingly digital world, the value of connecting on a meaningful, human level has never been more important.  At UBM, our deep knowledge and passion for the industry sectors we serve allow us to create valuable experiences where people can succeed. At our events people build relationships, close deals and grow their businesses.  Our 3,750+ people, based in more than 20 countries, serve more than 50 different sectors – from fashion to pharmaceutical ingredients.  These global networks, skilled, passionate people and market-leading events provide exciting opportunities for business people to achieve their ambitions.  For more information, go to www.ubm.com; for UBM corporate news, follow us on Twitter at @UBM, UBM Plc LinkedIn

Ablegamers and GDC Send Two Game Developers With Disabilities to Four-day Train Jame and GDC 2017 (Press Release)

Mathew Anderson
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0
Ablegamers and GDC Send Two Game Developers With Disabilities to Four-day Train Jame and GDC 2017 (Press Release)

Harpers Ferry, WV (February 22, 2017) –  AbleGamers — the leading charity and organization wielding the power of gaming to break down the barriers of economic and social isolation for people with disabilities — is thrilled to announce its first life-changing sponsored event of 2017. In partnership with Game Developers Conference (GDC), AbleGamers will provide two talented developers with disabilities an all-expense paid trip on Train Jam – a four-day train ride to San Francisco, during which the best and brightest indie developers gather to create games and learn from each other. This is followed by complimentary All Access attendance to GDC 2017, the world’s biggest annual event for developers.

For the first part of the sponsorship, Veve Jaffa, a talented developer who has chronic pain and motor difficulties, and AJ Ryan, a stupendous developer who has muscular dystrophy, will be fully sponsored by AbleGamers to participate in Train Jam. Founded in 2013 by developer Adriel Wallick, Train Jam is a four-day picturesque journey by train from Chicago to San Francisco, where some of the industry’s best independent developers and promising game design students gather to show off their game development chops. Veve and AJ will receive accessible rooms and the best amenities the train has to offer, airfare, lodging and Train Jam event tickets.

After completing Train Jam, Veve and AJ will embark on a week of networking, learning and adventuring in San Francisco at GDC 2017, the biggest annual event for video game developers. With complimentary All Access passes generously donated by GDC, Veve and AJ will enjoy everything the conference has to offer — from panels, technology showcases to demos of new and unreleased games.

These two young stars bring years of experience and talent designing games that are fun and accessible, delighting those with and without disabilities. Their extensive knowledge of blending accessibility and beautiful game design embodies AbleGamers’ mission to promote inclusivity in games.

“Providing access to the inner workings of the game industry for people with disabilities is something we are particularly thrilled to facilitate,” said Mark Barlet, Founder of AbleGamers. “We can’t wait to see what Veve and AJ cook up while touring across the country, and are eager to hear about their experiences and opportunities encountered while at GDC in San Francisco.”

“We’re extremely grateful to GDC for partnering with us on this sponsorship,” added Steve Spohn, AbleGamers COO. “They truly understand that our vision isn’t limited to granting special game controllers to people with disabilities; we’re changing the industry from within by getting people with disabilities employed as developers.”

“We are thrilled to partner with AbleGamers for this cause,” said Train Jam founder, Adriel Wallick. “Train Jam’s main focus is to foster an adventurous and inspiring environment where developers from diverse backgrounds and cultures can pursue new ideas in a safe, accessible and empowering way. We’re super excited to work with developers to create more accessible games!”

If you would like to arrange an interview with the sponsorship winners, AbleGamers Executive Director Mark Barlet or Chief Operations Officer Steven Spohn via email, telephone or Skype, please contact Mario R. Kroll and CJ Melendez at pr@uberstrategist.com.

About AbleGamers

The AbleGamers Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charity that wields the power of video games to break down the barriers of economic and social isolation for people with disabilities. Through received support and donations, AbleGamers provides disabled gamers with assistive technologies (including their Expansion Pack program) that allow those with limited real-world mobility to experience what it is like to walk, run, climb, drive and even fly – in a virtual world.

Via their Includification initiative, AbleGamers additionally advises developers and publishers on how to best incorporate accessibility options so that their video game titles may reach and appeal to the widest and most diverse audience possible. To read AbleGamers articles, or to find out how your support or donations can help them positively impact an even greater number of individuals with disabilities, please visit www.ablegamers.com.

About Train Jam

Founded in 2013 by independent game developer Adriel Wallick, Train Jam is an annual experience that takes developers beyond their comfort zone and pushes for creative inspiration outside of a regular office environment. Train Jam strives to meet this goal by fostering an adventurous and inspiring environment where developers from diverse backgrounds and cultures can pursue new ideas in a safe, accessible and empowering way.

Train Jam invites the best and brightest game design students and independent developers to travel to Game Developers Conference via train, creating games during the roughly 52-hour journey. Train Jam 2017 begins February 23rd, 2017. For more information about Train Jam, please visit http://trainjam.com.

About GDC

The Game Developers Conference® (GDC) is the world’s largest professional game industry event. The 2017 conference marks the 31st edition of GDC, making it the longest-running event of its kind. Presented every spring in San Francisco, it is the essential forum for learning, inspiration, and networking for the creators of computer, console, handheld, smartphone, tablet, mobile, and online games and creators of virtual and augmented reality for games and entertainment.

GDC attracts over 27,000 attendees, and is the primary forum where programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals, business decision-makers and others involved in the development of interactive games and virtual reality gather to exchange ideas and shape the future of the industry. GDC is produced by UBM Game Network, a division of UBM Americas.

SXSW Gaming Announces Over 100 Panels & Events including Opening Party and Cosplay Contest

Mathew Anderson
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0
SXSW Gaming Announces Over 100 Panels & Events including Opening Party and Cosplay Contest

The 2017 SXSW Gaming Opening Party will take place from 8pm-11pm. at the Hilton in downtown Austin. Featuring the Cosplay Contest, this event is slated to be the largest cosplay event and party in SXSW history.

Whether you want to show off your awesome outfit or compete for an exclusive award, the Cosplay Contest is available for entry to all registrants, with certain eligibility restrictions applied to those who wish to be judged. So don’t wait, join in with thousands of your fellow fans of games, anime, comics, and more!

Attendance of the Opening Party or entry into the Cosplay Contest requires a Thursday or Three-Day Gaming wristband, or any SXSW badge. Enter the Cosplay Contest »

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