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March Bristol Games Hub Newsletter OUT NOW!
The March edition of the Bristol Games Hub newsletter is out now for your reading delectation.
We’ve got RICO action, Mars Horizon card game kickstarter success reports, and some news about the upcoming Pitch Event we’ve got coming to Bristol.
Have a read yourself right here!
Fancy signing up to get the latest news from the Bristol Game Dev scene fresh in your inbox every month? Sign up here!
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged bristol, bristol games hub, indiegames, mars horizon, nerd, news, RICO.
Unofficial UK Games Fund Workshop – Monday 11th April, 7pm
Note: this is not an official UK Games Fund event, nor will anyone from the fund be present.
The UK Games Fund is a newly established grant from UK Games Talent and Finance CIC with the aim of helping to develop the UK games development industry, particularly those in the early stages.
Grants of up to £25,000 will be awarded to help new and young development businesses create working prototype games. If you have a project which is further along the development process which needs support, they are also going to be awarding a limited number of grants for up to £50,000 and will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.
For full information and how to apply click here.
To support this, Bristol Games Hub is running a one off workshop for applicants and those interested in applying.
UK Games Fund Workshop – Monday 11th April, 7pm
The UK Games Fund recently held a series of workshops in Edinburgh, London, and Manchester, James Parker of Ground Shatter and the Bristol Games Hub was able to go along and hear in more detail the assessment criteria for applications. With the cooperation of the UK Games Fund itself, he has been able to get hold of the slides from the presentation and will be doing a “bootleg” version of the workshop at the Bristol Games Hub. If you are applying or thinking or applying, then this is an ideal opportunity to ideal more about how best of focus your time and effort when it comes to making your application.
If you are planning to attend, please familiarize yourself with the details of the fund and how to apply the link below first. We will be looking more closely at the assessment criteria and rather than covering the publicly available information here, so an understanding of what is required before attending the presentation is essential:
www.ukgamesfund.com/how-to-apply/
If you have any questions please bring them along with you and James will do his best to answer them.
For more information or to RSVP go to the Meetup Page.
This entry was posted in of interest, Uk Games Fund and tagged bristol, bristol games hub, event, news.
November Newsletter – How to Start a Games Studio…
Special Offer on New Desks! Bristol Games Hub is offering 5 desks to new residents at half-price for the first month ie just £55 (that’s internet, all bills, tea &coffee and of course a desk and chair). Please email Debbie if you’re interested at debbie at aurochdigital dot com
SW Freelancer/Company Dev Directory
If you’re looking for people to help on a project, or you are available for work, just add and update your details. Please only list info you’re happy to have in the public domain: http://bit.ly/bghdirectory
SW Game Dev Jobs Facebook page – Find and post new opportunities here…
Next Games Hub Anti-Social: 27th November, 7.30pm – New Starts! level 1 Begins! Four amazing talks about kicking it all off!
How to Start a Games Studio
Auroch Digital’s Tomas Rawlings will share his top tips for how to start your own games development studio. Whether you’re thinking of taking the leap or already on the road to Indie Stardom, there will be pointers from over 10 years running his own studios to help you along.
Green Capital Digital Challenge – Find out all about it!
Debbie, producer of the Digital Challenge, will talk about this great opportunity to take part in an amazing gamejam/hack event where the best game/app will win £50,000 to develop it. More info here too.
WebStart Bristol
Mike Jackson, Founder and CEO of Bristol based incubator WebStart Bristol will talk about his programme based at the Engine Shed and the challenges and opportunities of getting further investment.
Kickstarter Top Tips
Constance Fleuriot will share her knowledge on using crowdfunding to support your game project, after attending a Kickstarter presentation organised by TIGA in London. Constance is about to launch her own call for funds to develop a game, Lux & The Shadowmaker, as part of Creative England’s Queen Of Code initiative with Crowdfunder UK.
Unity Developer Group – 24th November, 7.30pm
For this month’s talk, Unity meetup members David and Jeremy have stepped up to take you on a whirlwind deconstruction of the development of their kids App: Alpine Train 3D “We are going to whizz through loads of topics from Unity techniques and bespoke tools to monetisation. We want to share with you all that we have learned along the way and hopefully inspire you to get your idea out there too. There will be something for everyone in this talk, as we cover the whole process of development, publishing and marketing all within about an hour” Ambitious!
P.S. If you’d like to give a talk at a Unity meetup, just get in touch.
Dev Scene News
Join Bristol Games Hub!
The Bristol games hub is a non-profit that offers very cheap & flexible dev space – £110 per desk per month. That’s everything – rates, internet, desk itself, tea, coffee, access to meeting rooms, events etc. Plus you’re in a supportive community of fellow devs to chat with and share knowledge. There is no contract and you can expand/contract the number of desks on a per month basis as your project needs change. Contact geoff at aurochdigital dot com for more info or to book a time to visit the space.
Don’t Die, Mr. Robot! for PSVita – made in Weston-super-Mare
The game was released on 29th October for PSVita in the EU, and 4th November for the Americas. It’s an arcade style dodge-em-up with loads of game modes, unlockables and a rather tasty soundtrack made by us too. You can learn more about our game here: http://infinitestategames.com/games/ddmr/Infinite State Games is a two man team based in Weston-super-Mare. We have developed the game and published it entirely by ourselves, and hope to bring it next to iOS platforms while working on our next release for PSVita. If you want any more information or maybe would be interested in a talk from us don’t hesitate to ask. All the best, Team ISG.
Victory at Sea TIGA Win!
Evil Twin Artworks’ WWII Naval battle game – Victory At Sea was nominated in two categories at the 2014 TIGA Awards. The game ended up winning the Best Action/Adventure by a Small Studio Award at the event on London’s Southbank.
Auroch Digital
One of our newsgames, NarcoGuerra, has been nominated for a Media Innovation Award. Fingers crossed! Full info here
We have also announced our latest Games Workshop collaboration – Chainsaw Warrior: Lords of the Night. More info here and a nice article on RPS! We also have other exciting news but that’ll have to wait til next month when we can talk about it publicly 😉 Auroch is thriving and now has a permanent staff team of 13.
Force Of Habit
We’ve released two updates to Friendship Club since the last newsletter, adding a new character and the ability to play in teams. Get your 2 vs 2 or 3 vs 1 (or even 2 vs 1 vs 1) on everyone! We may be hosting a small gathering in our studio for the next Ludum Dare. Shoot me an email if interested as we have limited space: ashley@forceofhab.it
Opposable Games
Opposable Games have had an exciting month, starting with winning 2 awards at the Sparkies: the ‘Good’ Award for Pesky gNATS, which uses game environments to assist adolescents with anxiety issues, and their managing director Ben Trewhella winning the ‘Individual Contribution to Technology‘.
Opposable also announced a partnership with Motion Experiential to create some awesome Virtual Reality experiences, and are in the early stages of organising the SouthWestVR conference that will take place on February 26 2015, showcasing everything that is most awesome with Virtual Reality, and put Bristol and Bath in the center stage of this new exciting technology. They have also begun full production of their multi-screen (and now Virtual Reality based) game Salvaged, and in doing so welcome three new members to the team – Thomas Greener and Rob Brooks as developers, and Mike Parker who is joining the 3d team. Opposable are on the lookout for volunteers / temp staff who are able to help out with virtual reality events, and thinking about hiring for a sales manager if the right person came along, interested people please get in touch via jobs@opposablegames.com
RTS Awards Open for Entries
The Royal Television Society in the West of England is calling for submissions for the 2014/15 RTS WoE Awards. There are interactive/games categories. All entries must have been broadcast or published between 1st December 2013 and 1st December 2014. Submission forms and a list of categories can be downloaded from the RTS website: www.rts.org.uk/bristol DEADLINE for submissions is Monday 1st December 2014. The Awards Gala will be held on Sunday March 8th 2015 at Bristol Old Vic, more details in the New Year.
Jobs & Opportunities
Green Capital Gamejam/Hack Event – £50,000 for best game/app! (Application Deadline 4th December)
Bristol 2015, the company established to facilitate Bristol’s year as European Green Capital, is asking Europe’s brightest minds to identify new ways that software can be used to tackle environmental challenges in cities in the European Green Capital Digital Challenge. This will include a 48-hour Digital Challenge Hack Weekend on the 6-8 February hosted during Digital Bristol Week, produced by the BBC. This two stage challenge will see teams of developers compete for the chance to scoop cash prizes of up to £50,000 to stimulate innovation in the development of software applications and games, addressing five environmental challenge areas: energy, transport, food, resources and nature.
Teams can find out more information and register to take part now at:www.bristol2015.co.uk/digitalchallenge to express your interest in being selected to attend as a team. The deadline for expressions of interest is 1 January 2015 and the selected teams will be notified by 16 January 2015.
For moreinfo see http://www.bristol2015.co.uk/digitalchallenge or emaildebbie@aurochdigital.com
The Writing Platform Bursary 2015
There are two bursaries of £4000, available for writers and technologists to embark on a writing – or writing-related – collaboration over a period of three months. This is a fantastic opportunity for writers and technologists to collaborate, experiment and learn together, and to make work they wouldn’t be able to make on their own. Writers and technologists can apply individually or in pairs. The programme is open to UK residents aged 18 and over. The deadline to apply is Thursday 4th December. More info:http://www.thewritingplatform.com/bursary2015/
Develop.me Training Courses
</develop.me> are providers of web design and development training for businesses and individuals, from beginners through to industry professionals. Founded by industry experts they are funded by Creative Skillset and supported by Creative Skills Hub. They will be running workshops and short courses focusing on the many facets of web development. From introductions to the fundamentals of web development through to specialist tools of the trade for professional developers. Up coming courses/events are:
– Introduction to Web with HTML & CSS
– Getting Started with WordPress: Installing, Theming and Plugins
– Version Management with Git and GitHub
Events
Green Capital Digital Challenge Informal Chat (20th Nov, 6pm)
Bristol 2015 has just launched the Green Capital Digital Challenge. The Challenge is seeking professional teams to develop new software to address 5 environmental themes. More details can be found here. This meetup is for individuals looking to form a team to take part. If you have creative, tech, project management or green skills and experience this should be a great opportunity for you. Come along and meet other interested people over a beer or coffee at the PM Studio. More info here.
TIGA’s Cardiff GameDev Night
It’s on the 20th November. Sign up here!
Quick Links
This entry was posted in Bristol Games Hub News, Game Jam, Newsletter, Unity Meetup and tagged bristol games hub, green capital, news, Unity.
Bristol Games Hub Newsletter October 2014
Below is news from the growing Bristol & South West games development scene. Bristol Games Hub is a non-profit space for games and play. We run this newsletter, host events and also rent amazingly cheap desk space at a cost price with no strings attached so you can get on and create amazing games. Contact geoff ataurochdigital.com for more information or with news items for the next newsletter and let us know any news for the next one by 15th November please!
SW Freelancer/Company Dev Directory
If you’re looking for people to help on a project, or you are available for work – put your details in. Please only list info you’re happy to have in the public domain: http://bit.ly/bghdirectory
SW Game Dev Jobs Facebook page – Find roles and post new openings here…
Bath Digital Festival 27th Oct – 5th Nov
There is no social this month as many of us are taking part in Bath Digital Festival. So please come along and support the two games events at the festival, both on the 29th Oct:
Gaming for Good (29th Oct, 12.30pm-1.30pm @ The Auditorium, City of Bath College)
Games are doing much more now than just fun – they are educating, becoming therapy and helping to tackle serious problems. Non-gamers often only see games in over-hyped tabloid headlines casting them in a bad light. However with around one in three of our fellow citizens now playing games, this session takes a second look at an industry that has grown in scope, subject matter and relevance. Join us to find out how Auroch Digital have been turning news into games, how Knowle West Media Center used games to talk about domestic violence and accessibility expert Ian Hamilton on how technology can be built to open them up to wider audiences.
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/games-for-good-the-panel-tickets-12707294861
Virtual Reality : Oculus Rift (29th Oct, 1.30pm – 5pm @ Roper Reception, City of Bath College)
Virtual reality is a buzzword once more, but this time round the technology is there to back it up. Ever since Oculus VR took to Kickstarter and raised a record-breaking $2 million, interest has been steadily rising in a vast and eclectic range of fields. Psychologists, therapists, games companies, developers, architects, movie studios and some company called Facebook, who paid a modest $2 billion for Oculus VR this year, have been significantly adapting to the incredible advantage offered by VR.
SouthWest VR will be giving you the chance to see for yourself just how powerful and immersive this technology is by demoing games and experiences from a range of developers including Opposable Games.
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/virtual-reality-oculus-rift-tickets-12707349023
Other Hub News
Games Tournament Idea
Who’s the best gamer? We’re looking to try out a games night or two at the hub. We’re also taking suggestions for games people would like to see played at these LANs and tournaments – or even board games. Please email matt@voondaba.com with game suggestions under Subject ‘LAN Game Suggestion’. Ideally with fairly short rounds to easily allow a tournament to occur in one night. Plus let us known when we should run these events! http://strawpoll.me/2786226
22nd October – U, I & Unity: Hands-on the new UI system:
This months Unity meetup will feature super-special guest presenter Alejo, who will be taking us through the in-beta GUI features in Unity. He has this to say When the 4.6 beta was released I jumped on it viciously to try out the new, long awaited, UI system. After some tinkering I’m ready to share some of it’s wonders for those of you that are lazy or busy enough no to try it for yourselves. That’s ok buddies, the new UI system is easy to use and likes lazy and busy people. Also likes beer (so bring some).
I’ll be making a tour more than an extensive explanation. Showing some examples on the shiny new buttons, the event system, input module and other sweet treats it has to offer. Also some things that are not working yet and features that are still changing across the beta sub-releases. If you already have any specific suggestion for a use case or an example you would like to see shown, don’t wait until the show is on. You can do it right now, here in the comments
As usual we will be at the Bristol Games Hub, 77 Stokes Croft BS1 3RD, on 22nd Oct at 7.30pm, where we will talk, laugh, cry, share tall tales of life and love, and then do a meetup about Unity or something….
Dev Scene News
BGH Games Marketing Group
We just had the first meeting of the games marketing group and it was a great success! Lots of great ideas exchanged for marketing our indie games. There is now a discussion list for the group: http://bit.ly/BGHmarketing – which you are welcome to join. Sam has already, very kindly, adapted his thoughts into a document, on building a content strategy. There will be another meet-up soon too: watch this space!
Aardman Animations
Sheep Stack – A new official Shaun the Sheep game from Aardman Animations!
Sheep Stack is the new game from Shaun the Sheep, where flying by the seat of your pants has never been so much fun! Using a pair of massive pants, launch Shaun’s flock into the sky and stack ‘em high to help them reach a plate of doughnuts waiting at the top. But watch out – the slightest wobble and your woolly wonder will crash to the ground!
For the trailer please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fFhPJlaD04 Available at iTunes, Google Play and Amazon
Auroch Digital
We recently celebrated a year since our first Games Workshop & Steam title,Chainsaw Warrior, was released. To celebrate we made a Zombie Gif Party! Plus there is a video of Tom’s keynote at #NewsGamesHack this year.
Twice Circled
Last month I announced my latest game Big Pharma – a game about running your own pharmaceutical empire! Just days later we took it to EGX London and gave punters their first experience of the game. The response so far has been really positive and I’ve been inundated with feedback and suggestions for things people would like to see in the game. For more information, check out Episode 1 of the Official Video Blog. It’s a bit of a slow start so if you’re just interested in pretty graphics then jump to around 15 minutes in.
http://www.twicecircled.com/2c/
Force of Habit
A new release of Timmy Bibble’s Friendship Club is coming this Friday. Character select and other gubbins. We’ll post a blog up when it goes live, and probably take it to the next BVGS Main Quest if you want to try it yourself! Oh, and Ashley has been shortlisted for “Best Coder/Developer” in this year’s SPARKies awards – huzzah!
Sparkies Shortlist Announced!
Huge well done to all the games companies and individuals shortlisted in the Sparkies awards. It’s great to see games so well represented. Also a well done to… US!!! We were shortlised for best service provider.
Bertram Fiddle launching on iOS the 4th December
At Rumpus we are currently busy finishing the first episode of The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle, an episodic point and click game for mobile and desktop. So if you fancy a quirky take on Victorian London inhabited by strange characters with even stranger noses then check out the App Store at the start of December to get your fix of dark humored murder mystery.
Jobs & Opportunities
Greenshoots Round 2 – DEADLINE MONDAY (Oct 20th)
Creative England are still accepting applications for Greenshoots Round 2, giving up to 10 studios the chance to work with Microsoft to get their game off the ground. With a cash injection of up to £25,000 per studio, the fund aims to help studios develop original IP into a money-making reality. In a change to the first iteration of Greenshoots, investors and publishers are now involved from day one which means the supported studios have the potential to receive additional investment from the start of their project. Applicants can now also apply to develop for Xbox One with the programme no longer limited to tablet and mobile development. For more information and to apply click here. For any questions on the application process, contact ella.waving@creativeengland.co.uk
Events
U, I & Unity: Hands-on the new UI system (22nd Oct/7.30pm)
Great guest speaker! See the top of this newsletter or here.
Creative Territories (11th Nov)
The Creative territories project about gamemaker collaborations that has the Bristol Games Hub as a partner is having its final event in November 11th at the Watershed. If you’re interested in coming along to take part in the discussion email Patrick.Crogan@uwe.ac.uk
Full info here: http://creativeterritories.dcrc.org.uk/mapping-the-collective-potentials-of-indie-game-collaborative-dynamics/
Board Games Night (13th Nov 7.30pm)
We’re looking to have another board game night on 13th Nov. Email tom at aurochdigital.com if this date is good for you!
Quick Links
- Schools to focus on ‘game based learning’
- Frozen State hits Steam
- Film – From Bed Rooms to Billions – about games dev launches
- Vote Bertram Fiddle on Steam Greenlight
- Opposites Attract Launches on iOS
Thanks all!
This entry was posted in Newsletter and tagged bristol games hub, desks, events, news, Unity.
Level-up! Bristol Games Hub Sept. Newsletter
Below is news from the growing Bristol & South West games development scene. You find news from the hub, news from Bristol & SW developers then jobs, opportunities & events.
Bristol Games Hub is a non-profit space for games and play. We run this news letter, host events and also rent desk space at a cost price with no strings attached so you can get on and create amazing games. Contact geoff at aurochdigital.com for more information or with news items for the next newsletter and let us news for the next one by 15th October please!
SW Freelancer/Company Dev Directory
If you’re looking for people to help on a project, or you are available for work – put your details in. Please only list info that you’re happy to have in the public domain: http://bit.ly/bghdirectory
SW Game Dev Jobs Facebook page – Find roles and post new openings here…
Next Games Hub Anti-Social: Thursday 25th September, 7.30pm
This month we’ve got: Auroch Digital’s Abhishek Sagi shares the basics of his award winning new technology for making cloth in games!
“Even today in video games, accuracy and level of detail for cloth in-game is mostly coarse due to complex non linear physical properties, and computing power necessary to simulate it real-time. The talk will provide an introduction to developing robust, scalable and parallelized soft body simulation frameworks for real-time and offline rendering.”
So join us on the 25th September at 7.30pm – we’ve got a buzzer now! The entrance is off Thomas Street, just up from the junction of Thomas St/Stokes Croft, above DHS Heating.
Games Hub News:
9th October 6pm – Games Marketing Chat
Making games is one things, selling them another… With around 200+ games PER DAY being released, how do you let players know about your creation? This informal group is going to discuss strategies, ideas and more. Contact tom at aurochdigital dot com for more info or just come to the hub that evening.
OpenCo! Visit the Hub!
The Games Hub is taking part in the OpenCo event where the doors are thrown open and you can come and check us out and what we do! If you’re really desperate for some Opposable action though…catch us at OpenCo at the hub on 2nd October:
http://uk.openco.us/bath-bristol/
Dev Scene News
Queen of Code
Creative England and Crowdfunder.co.uk have joined in order to fund England’s top female game developers and freelancers via an innovative crowdfunding campaign. Female developers are asked to submit their campaigns, and the first 3 to hit their target will each receive a £5k boost from Creative England. More info here:www.crowdfunder.co.uk/queenofcode
GamesLab Campus
Creative England have teamed up with PlayStation® on an incubator and accelerator programme called GamesLab Campus. Creative England’s GamesLab Campus programme will invest a maximum of £250,000 into five Games companies (up to £50,000 each) to support the development of new and innovative entertainment experiences on PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®Vita. More details here:http://gameslab.creativeengland.co.uk/gameslab/campus/
GamesLab South West Masterclasses
GamesLab Masterclasses will be running in Bristol 13th – 15th October. The classes offer 3, day sessions on; Player Research, Narrative Development, and SCRUM Agile. Early bird tickets are £50 (available until 29th September) with normal price being £100. More details here: http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/gameslab-south-west-masterclasses-tickets-11803292967
Opposable Games
We recently published a short showreel with a whole host of our work on, so if you haven’t had the chance to check it out then do please take a look and pass it on. It features some pretty sweet music from local boy labgrownmusic and some rather tasty editing from another helpful local by the name of Jim Roper. A lot of what we’re doing is classified right now; if we told you we’d have to kill you. Sorry.
If you’re really desperate for some Opposable action though…catch us at OpenCo at the hub on 2nd October, or under the SouthWest VR monicker at the Watershed’s Sci Fi: Days of Fear and Wonder event on 25th October, or the Bath Digital Festivalon 27th October.
Auroch Digital
We’ve been giving our website a bit of a much needed re-vamp: check it out here!http://aurochdigital.com – oh and we also welcomed the 13th employee of Auroch, Mark, who joins our busy dev team!
Bertram Fiddle going on an adventure to EGX London
Rumpus will be at EGX London to showcase our point and click game staring leading Victorian explorator Bertram Fiddle. Visitors will be able to explore brand new locations, share a cup of tea with Sherlock Holmes and be dazzled by our wide array of fantastical moustaches and quirky noses. So if you are at EGX feel free to drop by, and give the game a go at our booth.
Get #hookedonmusic
Calling all music lovers. Last chance to help science figure out what makes pop music catchy. #hookedonmusic is a citizen science game developed by The Reading Room for the Museum of Science and Industry and supported by the Wellcome Trust. www.hookedonmusic.org.uk
PEACEapp
Have a great game about facilitating peace or an idea for one? Submit it to PEACEapp, a competition that aims to showcase the work of developers who examine peace and promote games as venues for cultural dialogue and conflict management. Send your entry here by the October 15 deadline.
http://www.unaoc.org/peaceapp/enter/
Events
Chaos Unpub: Playtest Event for Board & Card Games
On Saturday, 4th October we’ll be dedicating ourselves to playtesting unpublished tabletop games and providing valuable feedback in an attempt to bring those designs one-step closer to publication. We invite game designers, publishers, players, retailers and artists from all over the country to attend the first Chaos Unpub event…and it’s FREE! Hosted by Chaos Publishing, this event will be taking place at the Christian Malford Village Hall where we can open our doors for up to 150 budding designers/playtesters. We will be prepared with plenty of available parking at the venue and food available throughout the day. The event will start at 11:00 and run until 20:00. We hope to see you there!
Please find the full details at: http://www.meetup.com/Playtest/events/202898032/
…and also on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/events/659760337472982/
Bath Digital Festival – Gaming for Good
Games are doing much more now than just fun – they are educating, becoming therapy and helping to tackle serious problems.
Non-gamers often only see games in over-hyped tabloid headlines casting them in a bad light. However with around one in three of our fellow citizens now playing games, this session takes a second look at an industry that has grown in scope, subject matter and relevance. Join us to find out how Auroch Digital have been turning news into games, how Knowle West Media Center used games to talk about domestic violence and accessibility expert Ian Hamilton on how technology can be built to open them up to wider audiences.
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/games-for-good-the-panel-tickets-12707294861
Shadowing: Come and play in the light
As the sun sets and the street lights come on, traces of those who have passed under the lights are played throughout the city, re-animating the streets. As you walk under the light, the shadow of the previous visitor walks beside. While you interact or react to the shadow, your movements and actions are recorded, becoming the shadow for the next visitor. If a visitor remains under the lamp, the lamp reaches further back in time, playing back the shadows of its previous visitors. Shadowing will appear in locations across the city, and linger until the end of October. Shadowing.cc
http://shadowing.cc/
Lunchtime Talk: Nikki Pugh’s Colony: Friday, 19 September 201413:00 to 14:00
As part of her ongoing project Colony, artist Nikki Pugh has been in residence at the Pervasive Media Studio over the Summer constructing panicked heartbeats, twitchy tails and slinky vertebrae. Join us for a lunchtime talk (and possibly a walk afterwards) as all these are brought together to form landscape-reactive ‘creatures’, carried/worn by participants and designed to affect how we experience moving through the city.
http://www.watershed.co.uk/pmstudio/project/colony
Lunchtime Talk: Oscar Raby Friday, 24 October 2014 13:00 to 14:00
In 1973 Oscar Raby’s father witnessed the execution of a group of prisoners captured by the military regime in Chile, the army he was a part of. Raby, a multimedia designer and visual artist, turned to the Oculus Rift Virtual Reality headset to tell his father’s story in Assent. Come along to hear about Oscar’s journey in interactive storytelling and the making of the innovative and moving Assent project. This talk is guest presented by Mandy Rose, director of UWE’s Digital Cultures Research Centre.
http://oscarraby.net/wp/assent/
Quick Links
This entry was posted in Bristol Games Hub News, Newsletter and tagged bristol games hub, events, games development, marketing games, news.
Bristol Games Hub August Newsletter
Below is news from the growing Bristol & South West games development scene. You find news from the hub, news from Bristol & SW developers then jobs, opportunities & events.
Bristol Games Hub is a non-profit space for games and play. We run this news letter, host events and also rent desk space at a cost price with no strings attached so you can get on and create amazing games. Contact geoff at aurochdigital.com for more information or with news items for the next newsletter and let us news for the next one by 15th September please!
SW Freelancer/Company Dev Directory
If you’re looking for people to help on a project, or you are available for work – put your details in. Please only list info that you’re happy to have in the public domain: http://bit.ly/bghdirectory
SW Game Dev Jobs Facebook page – Find roles and post new openings here…
Next Games Hub Anti-Social: 28th August, 7.30pm
Join us for 2 fascinating talks!
POPBOX #shareyourtalent
Calum Yuill from Picton Street Media will be demoing a user generated social video gaming platform prototype/wireframe with a view to seeking criticism and feedback from the development community.
Automate, Streamline, Win! Creating custom workflows for content heavy games
So join us on the 28th August at 7.30pm – we’ve got a buzzer now! The entrance is off Thomas Street, just up from the junction of Thomas St/Stokes Croft, above DHS Heating.
Dev Scene News
Force Of Habit
- Toast Time – Steam Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp7bBWR0AwE
- Toast Time – Steam Page (bookmark it?): http://store.steampowered.com/app/316660
We’re going to be at Insomnia 52 this weekend, and then flying over to Seattle for PAX Prime and releasing the game from there! Crazy. We’ll sadly be missing the next anti-social, so how about we throw Bristol a big games party when we’re back? Yeah? Cool. Ashley & Nick
Opposable Games
Opposable Games and SouthWest VR continued to fly the proverbial flag of virtual reality at the actual (real life) Balloon Fiesta, demonstrating just how much fun it is to be an elephant in a magic land of bouncy policemen (really). Further appearances from SouthWest VR and Opposable Games can be expected at OpenCO on 2nd October right here at the Bristol Games Hub, Bath Digital Festival on 29th October and as part of the Watershed’s Family Arts Festival on 25th October.
Auroch Digital
We’ve been asked to comment for some articles in the Guardian of late, coming off the back of our GameTheNews work:
- Should we make games about the Israel/Palestine conflict?
- How video games change real lives.
- Developers find new ways to explore military conflict.
iBeacons
We set up 100 iBeacons around Bristol – they’re in all of the major attractions (SS GB, Suspension Bridge, Bristol Museum etc). Happy to let any dev’s have access to the network to try a game related exercise. Network was featured in the Evening Post and a few other online PR avenues. Do let me know if you want any further info etc. Additionally – do you want a beacon or 2 in there/ your office. We’re building up a social networking/ discovery app for business too. Simon – simon at cpagroup.co.uk
Jobs & Opportunities
Aardman Digital
Aardman’s Digital team are on the look-out for talented, freelance developers with experience in the games and web industry. Specifically: Unity and Haxe Developers experienced in producing high-end mobile games and apps; and Drupal/ PHP developers. Please contact digital@aardman.com with your CV and examples of your work.
Playniac Needs an Artist
It’s not SW based, but they are lovely people! http://www.playniac.com/jobs/2d-artist/
Events
Monthly Unity Meetup
You now the drill people. It’s meetup time again! This month’s Unity meetup will again be of a more open format (unless someone have a talk they are burning to give in which case you are more than welcome!) So come and show of your new cool ice shader, that randomly generated level creator that will bewilder players for hours or your new VR 5D flight simulator. As always you are also welcome to bring up any Unity related issues you are having and see if the wisdom of the crowd can’t help you. As always at around 10pm we will head to the local pub so any problems we have not been able to help you with at least can be temporarily forgotten. Join us the 20rd August 7.30pm at Bristol Games Hub 77 Stokes Croft BS1 3RD. Signup happens through our meetup page. Hope to see you there!.
28th August @ Bristol Games Hub – POPBOX
Calum Yuill from Picton Street Media will be demoing a user generated social video gaming platform prototype/wireframe with a view to seeking criticism and feedback from the development community. 7.30pm at the Game Hub, entry is free.
Playable Cities Conference – 10th/11th Sept
Featuring Google Creative Lab’s Tom Uglow, architect Usman Haque, artist Luke Jerram, Ogilvy’s Tara Austin and academics from the University of the West of England, this two-day international conference will explore the theme of the ‘Playable City’, asking what it might mean for citizens, urban planners, tech giants, small companies, artists and designers in imagining and making the cities of the future. On10 and 11 September, we will be bringing together a brilliant group of thinkers, makers, planners and civil disobedients to look at cities as playable places and ask the question: how do we make and unmake our future cities? The conference will feature playful interventions, networking, debate and discussion, artist commissions and an academic strand convened by the Digital Cultures Research Centre at UWE. For more information on the conference programme and speakers see; http://www.watershed.co.uk/playablecity/conference14/
VR TGO 2014 – 11th Sept.
A future gazing conference that will inspire and inform developers and businesses using and looking to use VR on its potential. The conference will be looking where the future of VR is taking the entertainment and games industry while also looking see at this cutting edge technology can do for serious applications for automotive, modelling, training, marketing etc. Attendees will have the oppotunity to go hands on with both Sony’s Project Morpheus and Oculus Rift. More info here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/vrtgo-2014-vr-conference-tickets-11583525637
OpenCo – With Bristol Games Hub! 2nd Oct
What this space as the hub becomes part of the OpenCo national event – he’s the info so far! OpenCo is a community event spread across an entire city. Instead of going to a sterile hotel ballroom, attendees fan out to visit their selected companies’ headquarters. These “HostCO’s” are companies that are driving innovation through new business practices of open collaboration, open platforms, and an openness to new ideas and new business models. Hundreds of these companies open their doors during our festivals and share how they are trying to change the world and why.
Quick Links
This entry was posted in Bristol Games Hub News, Newsletter and tagged bristol, bristol games hub, desks, events, games, games development, jobs, news, Unity.
Bristol Games Hub July Newsletter
Below is news from the growing Bristol & South West games development scene. You’ll find news from BGH first, news from Bristol & SW developers then jobs, opportunities & events.
Bristol Games Hub is a non-profit space for games and play. We run this newsletter, host events including monthly socials and rent affordable desk space on a rolling monthly contract basis so you can focus on creating amazing games. Contactdebbie at aurochdigital.com for more information or with news items for the next newsletter by 15th August please!
SW Freelancer/Company Dev Directory
If you’re looking for people to help on a project, or you are available for work, add your details. Please only list info you’re happy to share in the public domain: http://bit.ly/bghdirectory
Next Games Hub Anti-Social: 31st July, 7.30pm
Join us for two great talks! This month we’ve got:
Achromatic Postmortem
Bristol Games Hub resident Lukas Roper will be talking about his recently released Windows Phone game Achromatic and the lessons he learnt during the development of the game and will discuss whether targeting a market other than iOS and Android is really worth it.
So join us on Thursday, 31st July at 7.30pm – we have a buzzer now! The entrance is off Thomas Street, just up from the junction of Jamaica St/Stokes Croft, above Dynamic Heating Services.
PS. Stokes Croft is getting loads more cycle parking!!
Dev Scene News
VoDo Far Out Bundle
Bristol Games Hub residents, Vodo, have a new and freaky bundle out! http://vodo.net/farout
Opposable Games
Opposable Games is helping to organise a VR meetup by the name of SouthWest VRon Tuesday 29th July featuring oodles of exciting guests. While the event is currently oversubscribed, joining the group will keep you notified of future events. Outside of SWVR, the team’s been working hard on Pesky gNats and a couple of as-yet unannounced projects. As ever, keep an eye on twitter and Facebook for updates as they come.
Force of Habit & Clockwork Cockoo
Force Of Habit & Clockwork Cuckoo’s collaboration project “Timmy Bibble’s Friendship Club” has an update coming on 25th July. It will feature a brand new arena – The Wonky Wagon saloon – where almost everything is destructible, and an updated Mexican Standoff mode. If you haven’t kept up to date with the progress of the game, check out the dev log, and as always if you haven’t already, please vote for it on Steam Greenlight. Much-o thanks! 🙂
Devlog: http://timmybibble.com/blog/
Greenlight: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=254848856
Auroch Digital
We were quoted in a recent Guardian article looking at how games developers cover war: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jul/15/war-games-developers-military-conflict
Plus… updates from the Facebook group…
- Meteor Pixel’s Bushido: Legend of the Samurai
- The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle
- Victory at Sea – Get your face in the game!
- UWE Games Tech’s Aperion Origins – iOS and Android & video
Jobs & Opportunities
500 More: Game Artist
500 More are looking for a game artist to contribute to our small team and help develop and produce the visual artefacts for our new game ‘Walking Safari’. The work required is to engage in the design process and produce mockups, develop a design style and produce completed artwork for screen elements (backgrounds, objects, animated characters, fonts, UI elements) for the game. The 2D game is a simple, arcade style mobile app and is being developed across the major mobile platforms using cross platform technologies. The game targets phone users only (tablet designs are not required for this project).
500 More is a startup organisation which develops mobile app games for health and wellbeing. Walking Safari is a game built around walking, and requires players to actually walk to play the game. Game characters form avatars, based on safari animals, which react to players levels of activity. The characters have to perform various tasks, arranged in levels of increasing difficulty and with occasional hazards to avoid. Players can also compete with other players or in teams against other teams. Because of the interaction between physical and virtual worlds, the game interface must be able to convey key information at a glance, players will not normally be looking at the screen during game play.
We are looking for an individual with experience of producing artwork for mobile app games and with an understanding of UI/UX. UI element design will be a significant part of the requirement so a familiarity with standard mobile UI components (scrollviews, tableviews, navigation bars, toolbars etc.) would be beneficial. You should be able to demonstrate a good eye for composition and colour .
Contact: Greg Smart – greg at 500more.com
Video Game Funding Guide
TIGA and Google have published a free guide to funding your video game. See here (PDF).
Entertainment on the move – Innovation Contest
Deadline – 29th July. IC tomorrow is offering 4 businesses up to £25k each to encourage digital innovation in the area of entertainment on the move in music, book and magazine publishing and games/interactive entertainment. More info.
Events
Monthly Unity Meetup
This month’s Unity meetup will be a slightly more open one – We don’t have a main speaker, so instead we will be opening up the Floor (a.k.a table with projector) to whoever would like to present something. This might involve showing off your latest game, showing off your utility project, showing off some fancy Unity related techniques or just plain showing off! If you have any issues you’d like to share, or questions about best practice, regardless of how much experience you have this will give us all plenty of opportunity to open up a discussion with the group. So if you have a topic you’d like to present a micro-talk on, get your powerpoint ready (3 graphs per slide minimum), if it’s a game get a less-buggy build together (see: adjective “Impossible”), or if your around just to chat, get your… vocal chords ready (recommend choir practice warmup), and after all the painstaking preparation if you have any time left at all, come along to the meet up, 23rd July 7.30pm at Bristol Games Hub.
More info: http://www.meetup.com/Bristol-Unity-Game-Developers-Meetup/events/195258072/
Bristol Video Games Social
Join up here:
http://www.meetup.com/bristolgamers/
Upstarter Bristol: Who’s the audience?
Monday, 28 July 2014 from 10am to 1pm Bristol
A workshop for people who have an idea for new businesses, social or for profit, to have a clearer idea of different possible product formats and would like to know how to get more users or customers..
http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/upstarter-bristol-whos-the-audience-tickets-12149550633
Playable Cities Conference
Featuring Google Creative Lab’s Tom Uglow, architect Usman Haque, artist Luke Jerram, Ogilvy’s Tara Austin and academics from the University of the West of England, this two-day international conference will explore the theme of the ‘Playable City’, asking what it might mean for citizens, urban planners, tech giants, small companies, artists and designers in imagining and making the cities of the future. On10 and 11 September, we will be bringing together a brilliant group of thinkers, makers, planners and civil disobedients to look at cities as playable places and ask the question: how do we make and unmake our future cities? The conference will feature playful interventions, networking, debate and discussion, artist commissions and an academic strand convened by the Digital Cultures Research Centre at UWE. For more information on the conference programme and speakers see; http://www.watershed.co.uk/playablecity/conference14/
Quick Links
This entry was posted in Bristol Games Hub News, Newsletter, Unity Meetup and tagged bristol games hub, events, games, news, Unity.
Bristol Games Hub Newsletter
June 2014
Below is news from the growing Bristol & South West games development scene. You find news from the hub, news from Bristol & SW developers then jobs, opportunities & events.
Bristol Games Hub is a non-profit space for games and play. We run this news letter, host events and also rent desk space at a cost price with no strings attached so you can get on and create amazing games. Contact debbie at aurochdigital.com for more information or with news items for the next newsletter and let us news for the next one by 15th July please!
Next Games Hub Anti-Social: 26th June, 7.30pm
Talk: The development of Woopaloo, a music based platform game
Making games is hard. Making music based games is even harder! In this talk I will cover the development of Woopaloo, a platform game that generates levels to the beats of a piece of music of your choice. To start with I will cover the two ways music can be used to drive a game mechanic namely using predefined tracks or a full on procedural approach that analyses an arbitrary piece of music to determine where significant changes are happening. One approach on how to do the later will be covered and it will be shown how it was implemented in the Unity game engine. The end of the talk will be used to discuss the design implications of music based game mechanics, and what challenges they pose in regards to how the perception of music affects the game experience. A video showcasing Woopaloo can be found at http://vimeo.com/62236437
So join us on the 27th March at 7.30pm – we’ve got a buzzer now! The entrance is off Thomas Street, just up from the junction of Thomas St/Stokes Croft, above DHS Heating. All welcomed!
Other Games Hub News:
Techie Brekkie : Gaming Trends; Console vs Mobile – Who’s Winning (and does it matter?)
Date/Time – 2nd July, 8.15-9.30am. With around one in three of all UK citizens playing games regularly, it is no surprise that from pure entertainment to health to education, gaming is a hot topic. The global games industry was already growing year on year and then exploded with the advent of smart phones and social platforms. However the ‘old guard’ of gaming, in the form of console and PC game companies, have been making a resurgence to recapture their former dominance of the industry with a series of major technology and content announcements. Who will come out on top and as the sector diversifies its offerings, is it even right to think about a single ‘games industry’ to be on top of? Join us at the home of gaming in Bristol, Bristol games Hub, to discuss where this dynamic disruptive industry is going. Introduction from Dr. Tomas Rawlings, Design & Development Director of Auroch Digital. Thanks to the Games Hub for providing a fantastic venue for this topic, and the kind sponsors Elance, who are providing breakfast! Sign-up required! http://www.meetup.com/TechSPARKbristol/events/189574222/ (Spaces are limited!)
Kotaku Visit: Hi all, I’m Leon Hurley, the news editor for Kotaku UK and I’ll be visiting the Bristol Games Hub on July the 4th to speak with people about the UK indie scene, gender and representation in games, and hopefully see any interesting or experimental projects you have to show off. I’m hoping to arrange a couple of informal round table interviews for the first two topics and then see as much as I can for the games. I can’t guarantee everything and everyone will get coverage but I’m keen to push the ‘UK’ side of my remit and this seems like a good way to meet the industry on a local level.
Marketing Breakfast – We’re planning to run a morning event to discuss the best way to market our games. Email tom at aurochdigital.com if you’re interesting in coming along. Spaces will be limited.
Freelancer/Company Directory – We’ve created an open Google doc to list details of companies and freelancers in the SW offering game development services. If you’re looking for people to help on a project, or you are available for work – put your details in. Please only list info you’re happy to have in the public domain; http://bit.ly/bghdirectory
Dev Scene News
Auroch Digital
We’ve just put out a new newsgame – Camelina Caper – onto iOS & Android; it’s free to download so reviews & rating welcomed! We’ve also released a demo of the JtR125 project to create a ‘playable documentary’ around the Jack the Ripper murders;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rKprmntnAE
Jobs & Opportunities
Pitch For Investment!
Following the success of the Silicon Gorge investor day in late March, SETsquared, WebStart Bristol and BathSPARK/TechSPARK have teamed up once again to organise the 2nd investor day for 2nd July (from 2pm). The event follows the same format as in March – 5-minute presentations from 15-20 startups to a room full of 30-40 investors from London and the rest of the UK. This event will take place at The Engine Shed on 2nd July, and the audience will be restricted once again to investors + those presenting on the day. The event is sponsored by Invest Bristol and Bath. The competition for presentation slots is fierce, and there are only 3 ways to get a slot:
- if you are in the WebStart Bristol programme, you must talk to Mike Jackson about getting a slot;
- if you are part of SETsquared Bristol or Bath you can talk to Simon Bond or Nick Sturge about getting a slot;
- if you are neither of the above, you will need to go through a selection process which will include pitching to a group of judges (like a semi final) on the 25th June (from 5.30pm) at the Engine Shed. Only the best companies (and the most ‘investor ready’) will be allocated a slot for the 2nd July. Companies interested in entering this selection process need to apply via this Google form.
- Deadline is 6pm Friday 20th June. Good luck!
And finally, don’t forget to visit TechSPARK.co or follow @techSPARKuk for information about Silicon Gorge and other news and events from the Bristol & Bath tech sector.
RPG Maker Dev Competition
Are you ready for the excitement of the 2014 Indie Game Development Contest? Make your dream game during the month of June for a chance to win huge cash prizes (up to $10,000), widespread acclaim, and possibly a review by one of our celebrity judges. Now is your chance to grab the spotlight and become a renowned indie developer! Deadline June 30th – http://contest.rpgmakerweb.com/
Crowdfund your games at Fundsurfer
Fundsurfer is a new Bristol based reward and donation crowdfunding platform for creative and social projects. We can help you create, manage and run your project. You only get the money if you reach your target, but we’re more relaxed and flexible than other platforms about deadlines, allowing you to extend your campaign if necessary. We’re looking for game projects of all sizes, so if you have something you want to build – and that people will want to play – then come and get started atfundsurfer.com!
UWE Internship @ Opposable Games
If you or anyone you know are at UWE and fancy an internship with Opposable Games we’ve got a placement for a web-based games developer coming up very soon! Get applying! https://infohub.uwe.ac.uk/workgroups/uwe-undergraduate-internships/jobs/779428 (need to log in before you can see this page)
Noise Festival – Call for Entries
NOISE FESTIVAL 2014 “CALL FOR ENTRIES” is now open for submissions until July 6. Emerging creative types can get their work seen by industry professionals. Curators across 14 creative categories, including Ian Livingstone (Games / New Media), Brian Eno (Music) handpick submissions to offer the best undiscovered creative talent, a unique opportunity for showcase, recognition, mentorship and job opportunities. See the full panel here! Submit via the www.NOISEfestival.com online NOISE portfolio
Sift Digital Apprentice Developers
Sift Digital are looking for apprentice developers. Details here:
http://careers.sift.com/ts2__JobDetails?jobId=a0Kb0000002NmSpEAK&tSource
Events
Bristol Video Games Social: Main Quest #1
Nick from Force of Habit has been amazing enough to help sort out a whole bar for a full group, so we will be upstairs in the Big Chill bar on Small Street, on Thursday 19th June. As we get into the flow of our regular meetups, we’ll gradually be able to plan these events further in advance. We’ll have our own bar, a projector with a PS3 set up for some quick, 4-player action, and a laptop for games on Windows – as well as anything else you’d like to bring, of course.
http://www.meetup.com/bristolgamers/events/189061912/
8-bit Night 2.0!
Hexadeci + 2G1B + Spazrammer + Tommy Creep + Olive FREE ENTRY. Thursday, September 4 at 8:00pm. The Mothers’ Ruin in Bristol. https://www.facebook.com/events/670037096404339/
Cardiff Meetup @TIGA
Thursday 26th June 2014 at 6pm in the Digital Cardiff Showcase, The Courtyard, County Hall, Cardiff Bay, CF10 4UW. (In the County Hall building opposite Atlantic Wharf.)
http://gamesdevsw.org/meetup-tiga-event-june-26th/
Quick Links
- Registration is open for Develop in July.
- IC Tomorrow has a funding competition for Entertainment on the Move.
- Gamers More Likely To Be Social, Educated Than Non-Gamers
- Rogue Vector on Scripting Languages
This entry was posted in Bristol Games Hub News, Newsletter and tagged bristol games hub, events, games, games development, news, Unity.
Full Indies UK & Bristol Games Hub Event Round Up
24th April was last month’s Bristol Games Hub’s monthly antisocial, a night of games, drinks and pizza in association with Full Indie UK. After much games and alcohol assisted merriment, ten indies showed off their current projects and talked through some of their insights into the development process, before adjourning to the pub. The speakers and their projects are linked below.
Gareth Jenkins (36 Peas) – One Spear Arena
http://onespeararena.com/
Caspian Prince (Puppy Games) – Battle Droid
http://www.puppygames.net/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qObkxxxjyFI
Jake Birkett (Grey Alien Games) – Regency Solitaire, and the mobile port of Puppy Games’ Titan Attacks
http://www.greyaliengames.com/
Nils Hellberg (VODO) – Presented on his work with VODO, a publisher of multidisciplinary indie bundles
http://vodo.net/
Rich Bumpkin (Bumpkin Brothers) – Space Farmers
http://bumpkinbrothers.com/spacefarmers/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syPuG9_zoJQ
Alastair Aitcheson – Tap Happy Sabotage
http://www.alistairaitcheson.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZasqaLeszU
Heather Cooper (Auroch Digital) – Chainsaw Warrior
http://chainsawwarrior.net/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef8NEL37uIc
Damien Sturdy (Sturdy Games) – Red Forest
http://sturdygames.co.uk/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8YpNlsj218&list=UUKHU7OvxDBnn7uLdmpzbnig
Ashley Gwinnell (Force of Habit) – Timmy Bibble’s Friendship Club
http://forceofhab.it/
James (Opposable Games) – Salvaged
http://www.opposablegames.com/
Thanks to all the speakers & Full Indie UK
Indie game developer gathering at @bristolgameshub pic.twitter.com/NBSOIGsMuD
— Tomas Rawlings (@TomasRawlings) April 24, 2014
This entry was posted in Bristol Games Hub News, Full Indie UK and tagged bristol games hub, event, games, news.
May Newsletter from Bristol Games Hub – News! Opportunities! Power-ups!
Below is news from the growing Bristol & South West games development scene. You find news from the hub, news from Bristol & SW developers then jobs, opportunities & events. We’ve had a bit of a re-organise at the Hub, moving desks around to make better use of the space and the ongoing building refurbishments are making the place look good!
Bristol Games Hub is a non-profit space for games and play. We run this news letter, host events and also rent desk space at a cost price with no strings attached so you can get on and create amazing games. Contact debbie at aurochdigital.com for more information or with news items for the next newsletter and let us news for the next one by 15th June please!
Next Games Hub Anti-Social: Thursday 29th May, 7.30pm
Talk – Dan Pope: Calling Cthulhu
A study of the sound design process for the video game Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land. Dan will talk, and play audio examples, covering his experience in providing the music and sound design for this game. How do you create antique artillery noises without shooting people? How do you create an atmosphere of spiralling insanity? What sound does “The Spider of Leng” make? Find out the answers to all these questions and more. More about the game can be found here and the music is here.
So join us on the 29th May at 7.30pm – all welcome! Ring Tom on 07974793227 if you have trouble finding your way in! Map is here. Note: we’re having a new door fitted so entry might be via DHS Heating on that night!
Games Hub News: Get More Ca$h for Games Dev from Tax Breaks!
Just prior to the anti-social, UKIE are putting on a workshop for tax breaks in games ahead of the next social at the Bristol Games Hub. If you are building games on yourself or have a company (or commission games) you will find it very worthwhile. Sign up here! (FREE! But limited places)
Shader talk at the Unity Developers Meetup
Now with our own meetup page! The monthly unity meetup is back and we now have a shiny new meetup group as well. The next talk will be an introduction to shaders. Shaders are small programs that run on the graphics card and instruct it how the geometry and surfaces in the game should look like. They can be used to add a lot of flavor and uniqueness to games so they are a handy tool to know about. We will assume that the audience has a basic understanding of Unity but knowledge of shaders is not required. The talk will take about an hour and the remaining time will be used to answer questions and showcase demos, jam games and other cool stuff you want feedback on. After the Games Hub closes at 10 we are always a couple that heads to the nearest pub so you are also more than welcome to join us there. Sign up for the talk here:
http://www.meetup.com/Bristol-Unity-Game-Developers-Meetup/events/180345912/
Dev Scene News
Shaun’s Game Academy: teaching kids how to make sweet games!
Aardman have a launched a new project to try and get 8 -12 year olds making games using the drag-and-drop coding tool Scratch. Hoping to inspire a new generation of hot-shot game developers, Shaun’s Game Academy provides learning resources not just about coding but also game design theory, a pack of Shaun the Sheep assets to be used in the games, and also a competition that kids (or anyone) can enter their final games into. Go check it out here: www.shaunsgameacademy.co.uk
Demon Apathy – Jetpack Bull in a China Shop
If you like smashing plates OR delivering them intact to the valuable customer, Jetpack Bull in a China Shop is the game for you. As the Distribution and Logistics Co-ordinator (a.k.a. shopkeeper) at the local china shop you’re not only tasked with satisfying customers’ china needs, but bulls’ worldwide reputation depends on you as well! Of course having a jetpack rarely helps a bull in a china shop, but it’s store policy to have one. But don’t worry, you can actually be a bull in a china shop and smash everything in Smash mode if you so desire!
Trailer: http://youtu.be/LQSpwd8DAVA
Android: http://ow.ly/wfb6z
iOS: http://ow.ly/wmMhv
Auroch Digital
Auroch Digital was invited to open the first ever European Newsgame Hack event in Cologne, Germany. There’s a good write-up of the event in The Guardian and more links here.
Introducing Creative Territories
There is a DCRC research project, partners with Bristol Games Hub, looking at how co-working spaces such as the hub are created and can thrive. Check out the project site here and join them on twitter here.
Jobs & Opportunities
Aardman’s Digital
Aardman’s Digital team are looking for a Game Developer Intern to join them on a 3 month placement over the summer. This is an amazing opportunity for a budding game developer to get their foot in the door in the industry working on some exciting projects with high profile clients. See:
http://www.aardman.com/about-us/jobs/game-developer-internship-2/ for more details.
Eagle Transporter
Contract 3D Modeller/s Required; We are looking for an experienced 3D Modeller to create some 3D models for our website and forums www.eagletransporter.com on a per model freelance basis. 2D reference material and dimensions will be provided and resulting 3D models must be supplied in a file format agreed between us. If interested please contact chris@eagletransporter.com enclosing your CV, Linkedin profile and examples of work for more details.
Lofi Games
We are looking for an additional experienced C++ programmer to work on Kenshi (www.lofigames.com). It’s full-time employment, working in Bristol. You need to be awesome and somehow able to demonstrate this. Preferably with either industry experience or a degree in something like computer science. The job will likely involve a mix of both gameplay programming and low-level technical stuff. Email them at “contact at lofigames.com” with your CV and stuff if interested.
Games Lab £10K Fund
Creative England has another funding opportunity, this time there are £5-10K pots for new games project. Deadline is 1st June. For more info see here.
Events
Can you help the PM Studio host the ‘Young Rewired State Festival of Code’?
The Pervasive Media Studio would like to host a Young Rewired State Festival of Code at Watershed from Monday 28th to Thursday 31st July 2014. In order to be able to collaborate with Young Rewired State on their great programme we are looking for volunteer mentors. Do you have some time to support the next generation of coders? Do you know someone who might? The Festival of Code is an annual celebration of everything code for those aged 18 and under. It occurs in regional centres all over the UK and this year ends with a long weekend in partnership with i-DAT at Plymouth University, where everybody comes together and showcases their achievements. If you are interested in this, please email:Jess.hoare@watershed.co.uk by 21th May 2014 with a brief summary of your skills and the dates you are available. More info is here.
Games Research Network Launches in UK
The UK Chapter of DiGRA will be launching on 17th June at the Digital Cultures Research Centre, University of West England. The launch event, entitled ‘Pervasive Provocations: The State of Games in the UK’, at the DCRC at The University of West England, Bristol, will interrogate key issues in Games Studies in the UK. You are encouraged to come along with a short provocation and get involved. Pop-up speakers throughout the afternoon already include Greg Foster (Larking About), Dan Hett (BBC Children’s Gaming), Prof Tanya Kryzwinska (University of Falmouth), with others to be confirmed. The afternoon will be followed by a DiGRA inaugural meeting in the DCRC and a launch party in the Watershed. Please sign up for the event here as places are limited: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pervasive-provocations-the-state-of-games-in-the-uk-tickets-11446255057
Meet this Year’s UWE Graduates!
With the end of the academic year approaching, we are very proud to be launching yet another Games Technology graduate cohort into industry next month. Whether you are currently hiring, or just interested to see what and who we teach – why not come meet them and see what we have been up to?
Formally: Our students will be exhibiting final year individual and group projects at the Faculty of Environment and Technology Degree Show, on the evening of the 5th of June, Frenchay Campus.
Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fet-computer-science-and-creative-technologies-degree-show-tickets-11644363605?ref=estw
Informally: Join graduates from the range of Creative Technologies award for a social event / mixer at the Big Chill, Small Street, Bristol, on the evening of the 3rd of June.
Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/an-informal-evening-with-staff-and-students-of-creative-technology-tickets-11618652703
Quick Links
- Nominations are open for the Unity awards…
- Developers Red Wasp Design are backing a Cthulhu film project on IndieGoGo.
- Check out this cool news game on Windows Phone!
Thanks all!
This entry was posted in Bristol Games Hub News, Newsletter and tagged bristol games hub, DCRC, events, jobs, news, Unity.