Atlanta, GA :: July 10-12

http://www.MGFest.com/09/Atlanta/

The Atlanta Motion Graphics Festival showcases explosive artists and motion picture creators including: Shepard Fairey, Nine Inch Nails, David Byrne, Chuck D of Public Enemy, KRS-One, Addictive TV, Digital Kitchen, The Mill, Passion Pictures, Animal Logic, Post Panic, Dvein, David Lobser, Integrated Visions, The Secret Life, Sensitive Chaos, GalaxC Girl, Quetzatl and more.

The ATL-MGFest will be hosting workshops and lectures about the shift in motion-picture audiences and explores the new technologies that motion designers will need on the video internet frontier. Motion design, sound design and interactivity, are all featured during July 11th and 12th, with daytime workshops at Atlanta’s Adobe Certified Training Facility, Sterling Ledet. Evening screenings and live performances will be hosted at Atlanta’s Internationally-renowned portfolio school, Creative Circus.

This festival in the fast moving field of design technology has opened it’s Art & Entertainment events for only $7. Rather than charging the typical $500-$1500 conference fee, the Motion Graphics Festival encourages participants to stop complaining about the economy, and spend their money on something that will upgrade their tools, technique and aesthetics. Software, DVDs and music will be available at a discount rate throughout the festival week.

MGFest Sponsors include: Maxon, Sterling Ledet, The Creative Circus, SAIC, SXSW, IdN, Ableton, Stash DVD Magazine, Livid Instruments, Lumen Eclipse, UnScene, RE:Vision Effects, Create Digital Motion, All City Technology, Future Media Concepts, DigiEffects, VidVox, Resolume, GarageCUBE, Lift Motion Design, Boris FX, Toolfarm, Wondertouch, Clif Bar, FXAppDeveloper, Grapeseeker and AtlPsy.

Silent Auction for over $18,000 in software, DVDs and training materials.

Bookmark to:

The intent of the GameOn’NA 2009 event is to expose the research qualities of the efforts currently being studied and employed in the gaming community: projects in games research fields, students’ game-related research work, commercial game development and design including tools, etc.. GameOn focuses broadly on the AI and Simulation concepts within computer games, but more specific themes that are encompassed within or related to these two categories are relevant as well. It also aims to enhance research contacts in the field of commercial gaming research between North American and researchers from other parts of the world.

The academic attractions are paper presentations, tutorials, posters, workshops, round table discussions, and possibly some practical training. All submissions are reviewed by the programme committee and will be original research never before published. The core of the conference is the paper presentations where people will have the opportunity to present their research to others from around the world.

http://www.eurosis.org/cms/index.php?q=node/964

Bookmark to:

What: FusionFall Real Kid Campaign

Who: Need boys ages 15 – 17 who play FusionFall

Where / When: Production will take place at Turner Studios in early June. We’ll need a total of 4 boys. Aiming to tape 2 boys on 5/19 and 2 on 5/27. Each boy selected should plan on a full day at Turner.

The Setup: A boy will be stationed in one of our game capture suites. A webcam will be recording him as he plays FusionFall and we will also have his audio recorded. In a separate suite, we’ll have a FusionFall expert playing the same game…the two will communicate with each other while going on missions and getting hints about how best to play the game.

Misc: Please send a recent photo of your child when you respond. We’ll be able to offer a day rate for the boys’ time. Each boy and his guardian will need to sign an on-camera release.

Contact: Chris Hartley via email with any questions chris.hartley@turner.com

Please feel free to send this on to other Turner Parents you may know who might not be on our mailing list. Thanks in advance for your participation.

– The FusionFall Team

Bookmark to:

There’s a new entrant in the rapidly growing market for retail cards and virtual goods for online games today: the Zeevex Virtual Currency Exchange. The coin of the realm is Zeev Tokens, which can be purchased via retail cards sold at thousands of brick-and-mortar stores, redeemed and stored online, where it can be used to buy virtual goods from participating partners’ games.

There are several such card services out there already, but the fairly unique hook here is that gamers can exchange these tokens with each other, on the Zeevex web site and on social networks like Facebook and Twitter. This opens up the possibility of Zeev currency being used not just to purchase game content, but to barter for real-world items.

“The biggest traction is going to be collectible items” like comics and sports cards, predicted Zeevex Chief Marketing Officer Dean Gebert. The Atlanta/Palo Alto-based company has a seed-round valuation of seven figures, he added, and their retail distribution partner is InComm. Sounds like a great idea, if Zeevex can also partner with some popular games. Gebert tells me they plan to announce seven of those in coming weeks, so stay tuned.

Bookmark to:

MARIETTA – The Board of Regents has approved a new bachelor’s degree in computer game design and development for Southern Polytechnic State University, the university announced Tuesday.

SPSU’s school of computing and software engineering has already offered a concentration in game design, but the new degree program is designed to attract more undergraduates to fill a growing need for computer game programmers in the gaming industry.

“This new program will benefit not only Southern Poly in terms of enrollment but the Atlanta metro area as well by creating more careers and expanding the economy,” said Dr. Han Reichgelt, dean of the school of computing and software engineering. “If we start producing those game programmers and keep attracting those gaming companies, then there is the possibility of setting up a very vibrant gaming industry in Atlanta.”

Last summer, SPSU opened a game design and development lab to strengthen the gaming concentrations in software engineering. The lab includes 14 game development stations for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii consoles, though Xbox is the primary platform.

School leaders would like to expand the lab, both in size and in terms of the number of platforms that students can develop for, including portable devices such as the Nintendo DS or Apple’s iPhone.

University spokeswoman Sylvia Carson said the earliest anticipated degree would likely be conferred in spring 2011 or 2012. About 50 students enrolled this year in game-design classes there, she said.

Georgia Trend reported in April that the computer/video game industry had its best year ever in 2008, topping sales of $22 billion. Georgia is home to about 70 video-game companies with about 2,000 workers, according to the magazine.

Bookmark to:

Creatures of the deep can’t escape 12-year-old Daniel Leon.

One by one, sharks, marlin and bass are scooped up by Daniel’s net as he navigates his submarine through the crystal-blue water.

But this is no ordinary ocean expedition. A fifth-grader at the Marietta Center for Advanced Academics, Daniel is testing a demo of an educational video game —- one he helped design.

Daniel is among 11 city of Marietta gifted fourth- and fifth-graders working with students from Southern Polytechnic State University to develop an oceanography computer simulation. It’s the first time students from both schools have worked together.

The pilot project is being created through SPSU’s game design and development program, which obtained degree status Tuesday. The game —- funded by a $5,000 state Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) grant —- has been in the works since October with an expected finish date this summer.

The game’s goal is to enhance MCAA’s oceanography course, but educators say its objective is even more far-reaching.

“The video game will help students gain a better understanding of ocean life and human’s impact on this life,” MCAA principal Karen Smits said.

For instance, in the game students earn points by collecting fish, minerals and plants. However, points are deducted if players nab the same fish species twice. That helps players understand the effects of overfishing, said SPSU associate professor Jon Preston, who’s working with both groups of students.

In addition, MCAA students learn critical-thinking skills while outfitting their submarine, buying equipment to fit the needs of a journey. Players are allotted $100, and each tool has a price. Nets, used for catching fish, run $15. Saws, used for cutting plants, cost $20. And to explore ocean depths, students might require extra oxygen or a boost in hull strength. That’ll run $2 per unit.

And that’s not all the young students have to think about.

In a recent meeting between MCAA students and college representatives, SPSU professors popped the game up on a giant screen and posed questions.

How fast should fish move? Relative to their actual speed.

Why can’t sharks chase other fish? They first need to know that other fish exist.

Why hasn’t a giant squid been created? Takes time —- and math.

“The computer is just a bunch of metal and plastic … you have to tell it what to do,” Preston explained.

And it’s not just the elementary kids who are getting schooled. Because the game is geared to a fifth-grade audience, SPSU’s students are learning how to cater to young customers.

“They literally tell us what they want in the game and we code it,” said Dave Hood, a computer science major.

But the MCAA students aren’t just clients. Some members of the design group, along with more than 40 students in the oceanography course, have researched 30 fish for the game.

MCAA’s Smits hopes the venture will pay off for her students. “I’m hoping that they’ll learn the connection between what they do here in school and what they could do with their life after school, in a career.”

Preston wants SPSU to continue partnering with schools. “The sky’s really the limit. And we’re not limited to Marietta schools.”

Young Daniel is pleased with the game so far, but he said it’s still missing a key component: a great white shark.

“I saw the movie [“Jaws”], and I liked it,” Daniel said. “The great white would be really cool to try to catch. But we’d probably have to get a really huge net.”

New gaming degree

The Georgia Board of Regents on Tuesday approved a bachelor’s degree in computer game design and development for Southern Polytechnic State University, making it the first public institution in the state with such a degree.

Other schools, such as Georgia Tech and the Savannah College of Art and Design, have design-based degrees, but Marietta’s SPSU will be the first and only programming-based program. The major starts in the fall and is expected to have more than 100 students in three years, school officials said.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/printedition/2009/05/13/games0513.html

Bookmark to:

Register at http://www.tagonline.org/tag-entertainment.php

Tax Panelist include:
Clinton Lowe who is CEO of C. Allen Lowe & Associates, LLC, an executive consulting firm specializing in digital entertainment and tax credits.

Don Mandrik who has practiced entertainment and corporate law with Arnall Golden Gregory, and most recently Miller & Martin where he headed up the firm’s entertainment practice group.

Ric Reitz who is a professional actor, writer, composer, director and producer who has been active in show business for more than 30 years.

Bill Thompson, a communications industry veteran with over 30 years of experience in the film, video, music and television arenas, is head of Georgia’s Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office.

We will continue the discussion with some of the top investors in the Atlanta market discussing how the these new laws will impact them. They will also give us an overview of what they will be looking for when entrepreneurs bring them new projects and ideas.

Panelist include:
Sig Mosley: Imlay Investments
Mark Grace: Business Builder and Angel Investor
Greg Foster: Noro-Mosley Partners
Steve Weizenecker is Chairman of the Entertainment Group at Adorno & Yoss.
Alan Urech, Sr. Executive, Stoney River Capital Partners LLC

Register at http://www.tagonline.org/tag-entertainment.php

Bookmark to:

This is very similar to what PlaySpan is up to with its Ultimate Game Card. For more perspective on their product, read about their recent deal with hi5 or their acquisition of Spare Change.

According to the press release, the Zeevex Digital Lockers will include social network plug-ins (for Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Bebo) so users can trade Zeev Tokens with anyone but also provide parental controls and support for micro-transactions as low as 5 cents.

Zeevex recently closed an undisclosed, private round of funding and is led by Ron Williams (CEO), Dean Gebert (CMO) and Robert Sanders (CTO). While the company would not go into detail on the financing round, it did say its seed round valuation was seven figures and that they are considering a VC-backed Series A round this Summer.

Bookmark to:

Minimum Requirements – Bachelor Degree in CIS or related field. MS, MA or PhD in IT/Computer Science field preferred. Game Industry Experience highly desirable.

Preferred Skills – Programming in Python for Gaming.
Job Description – To teach course below under Primary Course Descriptions

PRIMARY COURSE DESCRIPTIONS:
Python Game Programming Provides a study of the Python programming language to solve applications. Topics include: Computing with numbers, computing with strings, Objects and graphics, Defining Functions, Decision Functions, Loop Structures and Booleans, Game Simulations and Design, Defining Classes, Data Collections, Object-Oriented Design, Recursion. Contact hours: Class – 4, Lab – 6. Credit hours: 7.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND SPECIFIC DUTIES UNDER EACH PRIMARY COURSE DESCRIPTION 1. Preparation of lectures and demonstrations of course competencies 1.1 Instruction and evaluation of student competencies 1.2 Use, evaluation, and revision of course materials and competencies 1.3 Development of evaluation criteria 2. Perform other duties as requested.

To Apply
Send resume and cover letter indicating the position by title and number to:
Dr. John Thacher
Gwinnett Technical College
Computer Science Dept.
5150 Sugarloaf Parkway
Lawrenceville , Georgia 30043-5702
jthacher@gwinnetttech.edu
678-226-6679

For more information about the Gwinnett Technical College Simulation/Game Program or this position, contact:
Dr. John Thacher

Regards,

Dr. John Thacher
Computer Science Dept.
Program Director:
Computer Programming
Internet Web Design
Simulation/Gaming
Gwinnett Technical College
5150 Sugarloaf Pkwy
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
678-226-6679
jthacher@gwinnetttech.edu

Bookmark to:

When The MMO Gamer was invited to visit Hi-Rez Studios for a sneak peak at their upcoming game, Global Agenda, I was very interested in the prospect of going.
But, before we get into that, let me tell you a little about the game itself, and the people who are going to bring it to us.
Hi-Rez Studios is a US-based company located in the state of Georgia, just outside of Atlanta.
Founded in 2005, they have grown to become a large-scale operation, drawing away employees from several other MMO studios.
The CEO of Hi-Rez is a man named Erez Goren. His dream was to create his own video games, and now he’s trying to make good on it.
Erez started writing software back in the late 1980s, with one of the first a baseball games for the Atari 400. After college he started a number of successful business ventures, using the proceeds to found Hi-Rez.
Helping make Erez’s dream come true is a group of around fifty people headed by Todd Harris. Todd, whose office is decorated with spy movie posters, is the executive producer for the game.
Enough about Hi-Rez! Let us take a tour of Global Agenda. My very first impression of Global Agenda, from skimming the website and watching some in-game movies, was that it was just another Unreal Tournament clone.
But, having seen it now in person, Global Agenda goes above and beyond what Unreal is. Using their own motion capture studio to do all the animations, Hi-Rez is making a unique game built on the Unreal 3 engine. Michal Adam, the public relations manager, even pitched in and did the animations for the female medic, which is her favorite class.
GA is set in the future of Earth. The current governments of today have faded away, and new powers seek to control the citizens. Technology has progressed leaps and bounds, especially in the field of robotics. Although there are new governments, like the controlling Commonwealth, Global Agenda characters will be working for companies called Agencies. These Agencies are built of people banded together to try and take over the world in epic campaigns.
Built up on four founding layers of gameplay, Global Agenda is trying to provide something for everyone.
The first layer is action. Each class provides a different way to play, and each mission gives you a wide variety of things to do.
The second layer is character development. With the inclusion of the RPG-style elements you can create a wide variety of characters not seen in traditional FPS games. This can branch into fun for the traditional roleplayer, by having to build your character, or frustration for the traditional FPS player, by not having access to all the cool guns.
The third layer is teamwork. With goals in each mission and for each agency you will get to work with friends to accomplish things you wouldn’t be able to by yourself.
The final layer will be the large-scale warfare. With 45-day campaigns, or seasons, Agencies will compete with each other to be the best and bring honor and fame to their members. Something a player who prefers to solo may not get to experience.
Characters are created from four base classes. The weapon-master Assault class, wielding anything from rocket launchers to miniguns is the damage dealer. Engineers are the masters of robotics, they can throw down a shield to protect teammates from fire while deploying deadly turrets. Medics run behind their teammates healing them and engaging in biological warfare against their enemies. And, the last thing you ever see could be the stealthy Recon class; equipped with a sniper rifle and invisibility cloak.
Each class has more than enough skill options to give them a wide variety, leaning towards eight or more unique builds in total. Each character has a family name. This “family” includes your entire, account and ensures all of your characters are in the same Agency, fighting for the same goals.
Each comes with their own jet pack for quick travel on maps, and has their own specialties. But, with only four to choose from you may feel a bit limited when creating a new character.
These agencies set the central theme of the fast action Player vs. Player for the game. You can freelance yourself if you desire, but the most rewarding action comes from the Agency battles. With groups of around 10 you fight for and defend key points on a larger map.
The larger-scale battles are alliance against alliance, or Agency vs. Agency. These larger battles are part of 45 day campaigns that Agencies participate in to win prestige and awards for themselves and their members. Each “season” provides a goal to accomplish for teams and provides bonuses if they dominate.
Even if nobody from your agency or alliance is online for you to fight with, Global Alliance provides players options to freelance for the government and join groups of random players to fight with and against. Even though PvP is the central theme for an FPS-style game, there is a support role for your characters in the Player vs. Environment.
PvE is used for orientation of new members, class missions for learning how to use upgrades, and learning team building skills. With such little PvE, some casual players may find themselves out of the loop.
All this talk about PvP casual players may be thinking, “I’m no twitch gamer there is no way I can compete with all the 13 year old players!” Well, Global Agenda has added a few things to deal with this. Not only is there a rich RPG-style character progression to gain better equipment but high-end characters as well as low-end characters are limited to how much gear can be used in a match.
Leveling in the game gives you access to new weapons and abilities, but you can’t use them all in every battle. With such limits, the long time player may have access to some of the better weapons in game but they will be limited on some of the smaller items like mines or grenades which are also essential to a well rounded game.
GA also has a well implemented melee system that is useful and easy to learn. When the other team deploys a projectile shield you better get in close with your battle-axe and tear them up. When playing with the experienced alpha testers I found melee a nice twist to the traditional FPS game that gives more depth and gameplay to the normal point and shoot of the genre.
Global Agenda does a nice job of blending RPG and FPS to create a game that anyone can jump in casually and play a good game. The depth of character building and agency campaigns will allow you to enjoy the game for a long time to come. Even after playing an hour with the alpha testers I am very excited about the ease one can get into Global Agenda.
Offering aspects of traditional games that allow most gamers, casual to experienced, to have a place to play brings a lot to the table.

Bookmark to: