Bristol Games Hub News

Full Indies UK & Bristol Games Hub Event Round Up

Posted on

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

This entry was posted in Bristol Games Hub News, Full Indie UK and tagged , , , .

May Newsletter from Bristol Games Hub – News! Opportunities! Power-ups!

Posted on Updated on

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

Thanks all!

This entry was posted in Bristol Games Hub News, Newsletter and tagged , , , , , .

Anti-Social Audio Special: Thursday 29th May 7.30pm @ Bristol Games Hub!

Posted on Updated on

Just giving y’all a heads up on the next event which will feature:

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.

The development of Woopaloo, a music based platform game
Note – this bit of the talk will now be postponed at request of the speaker… Thanks.

Plus! Video Games Tax Breaks – Just before the social! (Thursday, 29 May 2014 from 17:00 to 19:30) – come a find out how you can put more of your cash into development…

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)  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/how-to-get-your-uk-games-production-tax-credit-bristol-tickets-11315140891

More news coming soon!

This entry was posted in Bristol Games Hub News, Joint Events, of interest.

Monthly Unity Game Devs Meetup at Bristol Games Hub Restarting on Wednesday 23rd April from 7:30pm

Posted on

Unity is a powerful and easy to learn game engine for 2D and 3D development that is becoming more and more popular. On top of that it offers a very capable free version and can build to a wide range of platforms including, desktop, mobile and web.

This free monthly meetup is to support the sprawling community of game developers that use Unity in Bristol. The goal is to create a place where new and experienced Unity users can share their experience and knowledge with each other. The programme for each session will roughly be:

  • 19.30-20.30 Talk on a Unity related topic. The first one will be an introduction to Unity for programmers and non-programmers alike.
  • 20.30-22.00 Mingling and mind sharing between the attendees. If you are facing any issues or have made a cool game prototype this is when we would like to see and talk about it!
  • 22.00-??.?? We end the event with a trip to the local pub for those that fancy a pint or two.

The meetup is run by Alexander Birke and Sam Chester, both local developers that use Unity in their daily work. On top of that Alexander has been teaching and given talks on Unity for over 4 years. The talks at the first couple of sessions will therefore be held by Alexander on a variety of topics.

Please sign up on Eventbrite here as we’re expecting a good turnout;http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/monthly-unity-game-devs-meetup-tickets-11268569595

This entry was posted in Bristol Games Hub News, Unity Meetup and tagged , , , , , .

Bristol Games Hub Newsletter March 2014

Posted on Updated on

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 desks at a bargain 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 April please!

Next Games Hub Anti-Social: 27th March, 7.30pm

Join us for two great talks!  This month we’ve got:

Kickstarter Preparation, Braving the Elements: Crowdfunding / Trials and Tribulations in the Tabletop Gaming Industry

After bringing his first board game, Medieval Mastery, to publication–as the co-founder of Chaos Publishing–Miles Ratcliffe is currently preparing a Kickstarter launch for their second title, Brave the Elements (going live April 16th). With many hard lessons learnt along the way, he has helped propel the sales of his games through distribution for over 1000 copies. Now, after building up a wealth of contacts and advice, his Kickstarter is on the horizon and is willing to share his experiences / what he’s learnt.

Tech Demo – SeePlay

SeePlay is a live musical composer and performer for visual media, developed as a final-year project by Jamie Henson, a computer science student at the University of Bristol (and brief Hub resident last summer). An example of application for SeePlay could be for a game with no soundtrack. Running SeePlay in the background, it would perform live visual analysis on the game and generate music as you play based on these visual features!  There will be a low-key demo, consisting of a simple Unity test environment, where you will be invited to interact with the environment and give feedback on the music that is produced as a result of your actions in-game.

So join us on the 27th March at 7.30pm – all welcome!

Other Games Hub News

Thanks to all those who came to our board-game night. We’re thinking of doing the next one on a Sat or Sun during the day so we can take on bigger games. Email tom at aurochdigital.com if you’re interested in taking part.

Dev Scene News

Twice Circled

Twice Circled has managed to successfully raise funding to develop its next game, a strategy/simulation title for PC, via a publishing deal. Development starts in May.

I wrote a piece for the Full Indie UK column on PocketGamer.biz (despite it being a PC title ;P ) about my experiences of raising funding which you can read here if you are interested. I barely managed to scratch the surface in that one so if anybody would like to know more just come and grab me next time you see me.

Opposable Games

It’s an exciting time for Opposable Games, where the team are hard at work on their new multi-screen tactical shooter Salvaged. You can find out much more over at theSalvaged website, Twitter or Facebook and, if you’re planning on attending Rezzed(28th – 30th March), grab a play of an exclusive early build.

Elsewhere in the world of Opposable, the team have given their site a rather striking refresh at opposablegames.com, Ben’s adjusting to PDT at GDC, and new recruit Dan Page is getting stuck into his role as Marketing and Community Manager.

Home Groan Games

Our game The Grave Digger is now on Steam Greenlight, if you’re a Steam user please help support us by voting for it. Thanks!
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=233069775

Auroch Digital

It has been a busy month for Auroch Digital. A game we developed for BBC Radio 1xtra, Rap Battle, launched this week. Thanks to Force of Habit and Infinite Playground for their help with the game!  We were also short-listed for a GamesIndustry.biz Innovation Award for GameTheNews.net – you can vote for us here: http://bit.ly/1phjaLB  There is also an article about our JtR125 project on the AHRC website entitled ‘The Future of News’: http://bit.ly/1et8c3Z

Red Wasp Design

Red Wasp Design’s Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land hit Steam this month after successfully passing though Greenlight. See: http://redwaspdesign.wordpress.com/

Jobs & Opportunities

Aardman Interactive

Aardman Animation’s Interactive team are about to embark on a number of new interesting gaming and other app developments and are therefore looking out for talented, creative freelance people with experience in the games and web industry. Contact hannah.jones@aardman.com for more information.

Javascript/ HTML5 Game Developer
Developer with strong Javascript capabilities, experienced in HTML5 game development and Canvas animation. Some experience with game frameworks is required, preferably Phaser, otherwise Impact/ Flixel/ FlashPunk would be useful. – Available from w/c 24 March or as soon as possible from this date.

Interactive Developers
Developers experienced in producing high-end mobile games and apps using cross-platform technologies such as: Unity, Abode Air (preferably Starling), and HAXE.

Interesting Designers
Talented UI designers experienced in designing for mobile and online games, apps and responsive websites. Experience in childrens’ content would be useful, as would illustration expertise.

2014 Graduate and new talent competition (two places available)

Prize: £500 bursary and a minimum of one month in residence at the Pervasive Media Studio, Bristol.
http://www.watershed.co.uk/pmstudio/project/2014-graduate-and-new-talent-competition
For the second year, we are launching a competition to find 2 fantastic new Pervasive Media Studio residents to join our vibrant community of artists, creative companies, technologists and academics. The residencies will take place in September 2014 and will include a £500 bursary for each selected applicant. We are looking for two individuals who have recently emerged from education, or are at an early stage in their careers.

Jennifer Ann’s Group: Game Design Challenge with a first place prize of $7,000.

Can you create a video game about teen dating violence….without using violence in the game itself? Since 2008 Jennifer Ann’s Group, a nonprofit charity headquartered in Atlanta, has run a game design challenge to promote awareness of teen dating violence and provide educational information to protect teens. The contest is the largest and longest-running of its kind in the world and was recently named a 2014 Top 10 Trailblazer as selected by the National Youth Advisory Board. The contest is open to all over the age of 13 and receives entries from both the domestic and international video game community. The winning games for 2013 came from Argentina, Belgium, Ireland, and Thailand.Rules, sign-up information, FAQs, and previous winners are available through Jennifer Ann’s Group online at:
http://bit.ly/LifeLove2014

Events

Lunchtime Talk: Growing a community of web-native storytellers

Friday 21 March, 13:00, Pervasive Media Studio, FREE
http://www.watershed.co.uk/pmstudio/events/fri-21032014-100pm
What happens when you bring together filmmakers, web developers and designers for a weekend of story hacking? Gilles and Philo organise Popathon – a series of hackathon events that encourages multidisciplinary experimentation in the field of web-native storytelling. They will be sharing some of the lessons they learned and discuss the relevance for web documentary and also take the opportunity to demo some of the projects created during the weekend-long hackathons.

Lunchtime Talk: Overcoming the Resistance to Resistors; bringing art and technology together

Friday 28 March, 13:00, Pervasive Media Studio, FREE
http://www.watershed.co.uk/pmstudio/events/fri-28032014-100pm
Rachel Rayns is Artist-in-Residence and Creative Producer at the Raspberry Pi Foundation. She’s on a mission to make interesting things happen. At Raspberry Pi she is focusing on how we can support small art organisations with navigating investment and implementation of low-cost technologies.
Personally she’s working on Zoë Star, a herd of neurotic, humorous machines from an alternative reality. Funded by Art Council England, the project aims to explore how we, as users and makers, engage with technology: absurd outcomes are eagerly anticipated.

–
Thanks all!

This entry was posted in Bristol Games Hub News, Newsletter and tagged , , .

Bristol Games Hub Feb/March Newsletter

Posted on Updated on

Apologies for the lateness of February’s newsletter, its been a crazy busy month for us all at the Hub.  Also as you may or may not know, everything we do here is on a voluntary basis so there will be times when the paid work has to take priority. We looking for a volunteer to create a proper newsletter for me to just drop the text in every month. Any offers very much appreciated, and we’ll credit you on our website. Quite a few people looking to fill job roles this month so please see below for details in Job Opportunities!
Boardgames Night @ Bristol Games Hub – 20th March at 7pm!
The games hub is hosting its first boardgame night on the 20th march. Come along with your favourite game or join in with some of the ones we have planned. We’re aiming to play Relic, the Warhammer 40K version of Talisman at this first session but other players and games welcomed!  Email tom@aurochdigital.com if you have any questions or would like to join in the session.
Games Hub News – Global Game Jam a Huge Success – Thanks all!
We want to say a huge thanks to all who took part in January’s Global Games Jam. The Hub hosted over 70 developers from all over the South West to make 13 amazing games. It was really inspiring and there were many newbies at the event as well as some experienced hands.Main Winners:
1st Place – Senseless Runner by No Sense (See here: http://bit.ly/MyWrOe )
2nd Place – Sanbiki No Saru by Opposable
3rd Place – Mutable by Circular MongooseOther Category Winners:
Best Technical Achievement: Whiteout by TEAL (Which is on the Google
Play store: http://bit.ly/1hlZ4yQ )
Best Artistic Achievement: MMME by MMME
Best Gameplay Achievement: Sanbiki No Saru by Opposable
Best Sound Achievement: AHOD! by AHOD!
Well done to everyone!
And many thanks to Jake Manion from Aardman Digital, Tess from Opposable Games and Tom from Auroch Digital for judging, what proved to be a really tough competition!
–
Auroch Digital
We’re extremely proud to announce that we have been working with Ndemic Creations to bring Plague Inc. to desktop. The new version sees the same captivating gameplay with the addition of multiplayer, user-generated content and much more. Plague Inc: Evolved launched on Steam Early Access on the 20th February and we’re continuing to work hard to bring you the extra features in this hugely successful, multi-award winning, viral hit. The game’s official page can be found at http://plagueincevolved.com and you really should watch the trailer, its awesome and shows just what our amazingly talented team have been up to 😉
See job opps below for some openings we have!
–
Opposable Games – Salvaged
Opposable Games has recently launched the website for their brand new cross-screen tactical action game Salvaged. The game also is well represented across all your favourite social networks, so make sure you like or follow to get all the latest news.
The game has also been selected for the Leftfield Collection at this year’s Rezzed event. And the game will be playable throughout the whole show (28th-30th at the Birmingham NEC) with visitors able to get an exclusive first-look at the game.
–

Evil Twin
Our new website for our upcoming game Victory at Sea has launched!In Victory at Sea players start out as a Destroyer Captain early in the war and can travel across the Pacific, Atlantic and the Mediterranean, seeking out and destroying enemy shipping and capturing ports. Control and fight against over 65 classes of ships across 3 theatres of war, in the battle for the seas. War will be declared Summer 2014 for desktop platforms, with the game launching on mobile in the Autumn. You can see it here http://www.victoryatseagame.com/ and see more about us here http://eviltwinartworks.com/

Deeperbeige Games
White-Out, our entry for Global Game Jam 2014 is now available completely free on iOS and Android. Built in just 48 hours at the Bristol Games Hub, it’s had some modest organic success on the app store with around 6000 installs so far.
iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/white-out/id817420135?mt=8
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.deeperbeige.whiteout

Lonewolf
Lonewolfwilliams (Gareth Williams) has nearly finished working on an advanced Unity tutorial ebook “Design patterns for Unity” which should be useful for intermediate to advanced level developers working in teams on larger-scale Unity projects. The ebook will be available for free and comes with supporting videos and a demo project, Game Hub people can preview here: http://bit.ly/1obandH and feedback to Gareth@lonewolfwilliams.com

Events & Opportunities

Jennifer Ann’s Group announces the “7th Annual Life.Love. Game Design Challenge” with a first place prize of $7,000.
Can you create a video game about teen dating violence….without using violence in the game itself? Since 2008 Jennifer Ann’s Group, a nonprofit charity headquartered in Atlanta, has run a game design challenge to promote awareness of teen dating violence and provide educational information to protect teens. The contest is the largest and longest-running of its kind in the world and was recently named a 2014 Top 10 Trailblazer as selected by the National Youth Advisory Board. The contest is open to all over the age of 13 and receives entries from both the domestic and international video game community. The winning games for 2013 came from Argentina, Belgium, Ireland, and Thailand.Rules, sign-up information, FAQs, and previous winners are available through Jennifer Ann’s Group online at:
http://bit.ly/LifeLove2014
(http://stopTDV.com/2014-life-love-game-design-challenge.htm)

iDocs 2014
This two-day event dedicated to the rapidly evolving field of interactive documentary will focus on these pressing themes; Production Models, Engagement & Evaluation and New Territories. The event is at the Watershed on 20th/21st March and will feature the projects supported by the REACT documentary strand. Find out more and sign up here:http://idocs2014.dcrc.org.uk/

–
TechSPARK Event – Silicon Gorge
Silicon Gorge (26th March, Engine Shed, Bristol) will showcase web and tech startups drawn from the Bristol and Bath area to an audience of angel and institutional investors from London and beyond. It will combine the resources of the world renown SETsquared Bristol and Bath centres, the new WebStart Bristol Web Incubator and the Bath and Bristol TechSPARK network to present a carefully selected showcase of what our region can offer.
If you want your startup to be considered for a pitching slot at Silicon Gorge, you need to complete this application form: http://bit.ly/1fMkfto
Silicon Gorge is about showcasing the best startups in our region, and
therefore, there is a selection process that goes something like this:
(i) Submit your application form by 6pm, 5th March;
(ii) If selected, you will get an invitation to pitch to a selection panel;
(ii) Pitch to a selection panel (either on 11th March in Bath or 14th
March in Bristol); and
(iii) If selected by the judges, you will be awarded a slot at Silicon
Gorge (26th March)
Silicon Gorge is sponsored by Invest in Bristol + Bath.  The selection panels are supported by RocketMakers and SETsquared and are organised by the Bath and Bristol TechSPARK network. Thanks and if interested, make sure you get your form in fast!

–

Service Jam Bristol
From the 7th to the 9th of March 2014 there will be a Service Jam event here in Bristol, this is an event where you will collaborate in the development of an idea in a creative and innovative environment – potentially leading to new products, businesses and services.  There is an opportunity to apply for up to £10,000 from WebStart Bristol to further develop an idea at the end of the event.
See: http://www.gsjbristol.com/

PM Studio
Graduate and new talent competition (two places available) – £500 bursary and a minimum of one month in residence at the Pervasive Media Studio, Bristol, UK. The PM studio is looking for people to join thier vibrant community of artists, creative companies, technologists and academics. The residencies will take place in September 2014 and will include a £500 bursary for each selected applicant. They are looking for two individuals who have recently emerged from education, or are at an early stage in their careers. You have fantastic ideas and want to explore how to make them a realit and your ideas fall into one or more of the following: Interaction/Experience design, Games design, Digital Storytelling etc. Feel free to contact them for a chat
admin@pmstudio.co.uk

A Room Full of Talent – an evening showcase for employers on Tuesday 11 March, 5-7pm. Knowle West Media Centre (KWMC) and the Creative Skills Hub (West of England LEP Skills) invite you to ‘A Room Full of Talent’:

Over the last five months eight young people have been working at KWMC as Junior Digital Producers – supported by the Creative Employment Programme for their first roles in the creative and digital industry. They have worked with IBM and artists, using technology to generate data feeds and visualise the information in exciting and accessible ways.

Come and meet them, network, enjoy refreshments, and explore their cardboard creation ‘The Living Living Room’ – an interactive art installation and gaming zone that gathers information about our lifestyle choices and our perceptions of our community.   www.datapatchwork.co.uk

On this journey the Junior Digital Producers have learned many new skills that we understand employers are crying out for. They’re now coming to the end of their employment with KWMC: Could you be a mentor for them, or even their next employer? This is a great opportunity to meet new creative talent and find out how your organisation can support young people into further employment. Do let us know if you would like to attend or want more information about the event. For further information please contact nicky.williams@woeskills.co.uk Directions:  Free parking and accessible access  http://kwmc.org.uk/contact/

–

Job Opportunities:Auroch Digital
Auroch Digital is looking for a full-time accounts administrator/office manager, based at Bristol Games Hub.  Must be AAT qualified, with plenty of on the job experience. Competitive salary for the right person. Please contact Debbie with CV and a covering letter; debbie@aurochdigital.com  Deadline is Monday 17th March at 12 noon.  Interviews to take place later that week.  No recruitment agencies!
Plus if you are interested in joining the team and working on amazing new games for Steam and mobile and want to get ahead of the crowd, please do send us your CV if you are a Unity coder or Unity artist – debbie at aurochdigital.com
–
Mobile Pie
Mobile Pie are currently looking for a Project Co-ordinator to help with our expanding team. Project management qualifications and experience in the games industry isn’t necessary, but being organised is! CVs and covering letters to jobs@mobilepie.com please!

Nth Camera Mobile developer wanted  http://nthcamera.tv/developer-wanted/

What comes after Vine and Vyclone? Come and work on a revolutionary new social video app. Matter 2 Media is looking for a developer to help build an Android and iOS app for video capture, editing and playback. This is an R&D project. The successful candidate will be able to work quickly, robustly and independently on both platforms, including native APIs; also able to spend regular time with co-developer Tim Kindberg at the Pervasive Media Studio in central Bristol. Experience with camera operation and video playback is highly desirable. The exact scope of work, timing and fee/day rate are negotiable. I will need someone to help during roughly the weeks beginning 17 March to 28th April (not necessarily full-time throughout)  For further details contact Tim Kindberg: tim@matter2media.com and see our project website nthcamera.tv. To apply please send CV, links to your work, day rate and a paragraph about why you’re the person for the job to the same address.

Bsquare (out in Trowbridge) is hiring: https://www6.ultirecruit.com/BSQ1000/JobBoard/JobDetails.aspx?__ID=%2AEBBC6A7F8D3BEA65

App Developer – Rendermedia CGI
At Rendermedia we deliver high-end CGI & Animation for digital & broadcast channels. Creating beautiful CGI and Animation for clients. We are looking to recruit a graduate developer in an internship position working closely with the CG team to help us develop interactive or app versions of the work we create, offering our clients a comprehensive in house service. The ideal candidate would be someone with an interest or experience in app development and able to take 3D assets in a variety of formats to helping us to deliver applications using AR and interactive 3D. This position would suit somebody willing to apply their knowledge to an already available wealth of assets and to build to their portfolio and CV.  This opportunity is on 2-3 month basis with potential for future work. To apply please contact Producer Stephanie Knapp via email. Please include CV, Cover Letter and examples of previous work. Email: Stephanie@rendermedia.co.uk/

Red7Mobile
Red7Mobile is looking for 3 more permanent mobile game developers to join our 20-strong team based in Temple Studios. Our Sports, Casino and Social games/apps, are built in Javascript/HTML5 but our developers come from a variety of backgrounds including native iPhone/Android, Actionscript, C++ etc… what they have in common is a flair for game development and a computing background. We work in a flexible team based environment with an attractive remuneration package. For more information please contact matt@red7mobile.com

–

That’s it for now. We’ll be sending March’s newsletter out towards the end of the month with details for the next anti-social.

This entry was posted in Bristol Games Hub News, Newsletter.

Bristol Games Hub January Newsletter

Posted on Updated on

Steam Dev Days Talk & Steam Machine Demo at the next antisocial!
Auroch Digital’s Tomas Rawlings was at the Steam Dev Days in Seattle and so got one of the proptoype Steam Machines and controller. We’re going to be talking about what developers can learn from the event and giving you a chance to have a play on the Steam Machine at the social on Thursday 31st January. Note while attendance is free, the venue capacity is limited so come early to avoid disappointment. Join us from 7:30pm and BYOB.
So kicking off with this month’s news, in the order they were sent to me;
Firstly, a massive congratulations to Leanne Bayley and Alex Trowers for their gem of a game Glyph Quest – it’s set to become a massive hit and couldn’t have been created by a nicer team. Definitely give it a play at https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/glyph-quest/id792412685?mt=8
And here’s a great wee article Leanne wrote about some of the adversities they faced developing their game and highlighting the difficulties trying to get a job in the industry as a pregnant woman:
–Mobile Pie

DanceTag has recently been released on Andriod and iOS! DanceTag is a dance game which invites you to create 15 second films of you and your friends dancing in all sorts of locations, and tag those locations with your dance.

Also we have a competition to win a £50 iTunes voucher for doing a dance which ends on the 31stJan. Find Strode Theatre, Street on the DanceTag app map for further details.

Finally if you know of any musicians that want to have their music in DanceTag we are currently looking for new work. Contact Joe – joeryandesign@gmail.com  http://www.dancetagapp.com/

–
Puppy Games
Over the Christmas holidays, Puppygames had a Humble Weekly Sale. As you can imagine, we all pretty much spent the holidays hitting F5 over and over to check on its progress. The outcome was that we sold a whole bunch of games and generated over $32000 for UK games industry charity GamesAid ( gamesaid.org ).
Industry legend Ian Livingstone provided voice-over for the promo video which set a new bar for Humble campaign trailers. ( http://youtu.be/kMumwL7w7Mw )
We’re very pleased with how it went and the income from the sale should keep us fed for a few months while we work on our next game, Battledroid.

–

Thought Den

If you hate games, hate animals and always mute the sound, don’t play this crap game we made about woolly mammoths for National Museums Scotland. Play link – tdn.lv/MammothGame

Concept, design & build – thoughtden.co.uk

Sound – forceofhab.it/

Client – nms.ac.uk/mammoths

Bonus motion graphics piece here, with additional cute mammoths. Bleugh! vimeo.com/84038014

–

Auroch Digital
We are about to release our most exciting project to date, though we’re under strict NDA so this newsletter is too early for me to tell you, ha!  We will be making loud noises in the next week or 2, so please keep up to date on our fb page (Auroch Digital) or on the website; aurochdigital.com
–

Opposable Games
Opposable recently brought on board Ben Curtis as a production manager with a wealth of digital and mobile project experience.
The team will be launching Legends of Xor into closed beta in February as the first part of a stream of releases until March, after which they begin work on their upcoming original IP second screen title Salvaged, more details to follow shortly.
Opposable Games are looking for community managers, a marketing assistant, and a business development executive – get in touch if you know anyone suitable.

–
Force of Habit
Force of Habit will finally be releasing Toast Time for iOS on the 6th of February! On the same day we will be throwing a joint party with Andalusian Games, who are celebrating their game Tangiers being Greenlit. Head along to the upstairs room of The Big Chill in Bristol for drinking, DJ’s, toast (selection of spreads available), 8-player Bomberman and a Nidhogg tournament. It goes without saying that it’s free to all.  The new Toast Time teaser trailer is viewable online here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0-FbITKRlA and everyone’s invited to the party: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BeBTLWZCYAAbvU7.png:large
–
Demon Apathy
Hi all!  Check out our game Space Fort, we’ve done a few major updates since its release to the point where it’s actually enjoyable, even to other people!:)
There’s a LITE version of it on each store aswell.  Have fun!”
–
East West Games
Ed Relf a local (Bristol based) games industry executive freelancer (www.eastwestgames.com) has teamed up with 5 other people from across the gaming/cryptocurrency industry to work on a very exciting but top secret project focussed within the area of BitCoin/cryptocurrency. The team are currently working on a prototype and will be raising investor finance in the next 4 – 6 weeks so now is a great time to join the team. The team are looking for programmers/ developers with a particular strength in front end visual development but also interested in hearing from anyone with interest in this exciting space. Find out more at www.atopsecretproject.com

–

Funding Opportunities

Wellcome Trust Grants Deadline Approaches!
The Wellcome Trust have a number of funding streams with deadlines looming; A reminder that the deadlines for the next rounds of Wellcome Trust funding are coming up:
24th January – Development Awards (Broadcast, Games and Film) – up to £10,000
31st January – People Awards – up to £30,000 and also Co-Production Awards – £30,000 to £300,000
The awards support broadcast, games and film projects that engage the audience with contemporary or historical biomedical science in an accessible way.
Development Awards (Broadcast, Games and Film) are for up to £10k to support the development of broadcast proposals and games in any genre. The awards should enable ideas to be developed into high impact, well-researched proposals to help secure a UK platform and production funding.
People Awards are for up to £30k and can support television programmes and series, films, games, websites and cross-platform projects. This includes production funding.
Co-Production Awards range from £30,000 – £300,000. These support broadcast, games and film projects that bring science stories to the heart of pure entertainment. To be eligible, projects must have a secured distribution platform prior to applying and the Co-Production Award must only part finance the project, i.e. at least matching funding should already be secured.
The January deadline for Co-Production Awards is for Expressions of Interest. Details can be found on our website: http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/Funding/Public-engagement/Funding-schemes/Broadcast-games-and-film-awards/Co-production-awards/index.htm
If you are successful at this stage, you will be invited to submit a full application. You will also be invited for interview (approximately six weeks after the Expression of Interest deadline).
NB: Please note applications are now made via an eGrants online system. Registration of your company on the system takes two days so we would advise you to register now.
–
Job Opportunities
Freelance Creative Coder Needed at KWMC
Creative Coder: 20-day freelance contract
Bristol-based arts organisation Knowle West Media Centre (KWMC) is looking for a creative coder to animate data-sets that are derived from local resources. The animations will explain aspects of community life in South Bristol. The ideal candidate will be someone who can creatively interpret data and present the results in a modern web browser.
The Creative Coder will work with a team of eight Junior Digital Producers (JDPs), aged 18-24, in developing the data visualizations. The coder will share their knowledge and enable the JDPs to create their own animations from the collected data-sets. The role of the Creative Coder will also include supporting the JDPs to create a “Data Toolkit”: a web page which will display the data visualisations alongside detailed tutorials of how they were produced, providing examples of the completed work.
This freelance contract is for 20 days during February and March 2014. Further opportunities for this type of data visualisation are also likely in the future. Please note that this is not a salaried post – it is a commissioned one-off fee for a 20-day freelance contract.
For more details and information about how to apply please visit www.kwmc.org.uk/jobs
Events you should attend!
UKTI Increasing Business through your Website – 20th Feb, Bristol Games Hub
UKTI are holding a half day session on how to internalise your websites, and how to access £3000 in matched funding to make that happen. The free seminar, led by an expert in international website communications, will take you on a web internationalisation journey and provide hints and tips to structure, design and optimise your website for international visitors and customers. The seminar will include case studies of UKTI clients who have already gained new international business through the web and you will also be able to learn from, and network with other companies that are doing so already. UKTI will also be on hand to talk through the range of free services to access wider funding for visiting tradeshows, markets and customers overseas.
http://10essentialsteps18feb.eventbrite.co.uk
 
Pervasive Media Studio – Watershed
Bristol Playable City award winner Hello Lamp Post has been nominated for a Postscapes 2013 Internet of Things Award, in the Smart City Application category. The ‘People’s Choice’ Awards are decided entirely by public votes and the team at the Games Hub’s sister space, the Pervasive Media Studio would love it if you’d help us take home the title!
Lunchtime Talk: Forget the economy, acquire Cryptocurrency
Friday, 24 January 2014 1:00pm – 2:00pm, Pervasive Media Studio, FREE
Former Games Hub resident Sam Phippen is giving a talk at the Studio all about Bitcoin, the secure form of currency that exists purely on the internet. In this talk, Sam will explore how Bitcoin works, take us through some of the controversy that surrounds it, take a look at some of the motivating reasons for its creation and ask what the future holds for cryptocurrency.
Lunchtime Talk: Loving Games, Gaming Love
Friday, 31 January 2014 1:00pm – 2:00pm, Pervasive Media Studio, FREE
Whilst the media tends to focus on ‘bad love’; obsession, negative portrayals of sexuality and misogyny within games, love itself is a vastly complicated, individual experience which plays a fundamental role in our daily lives. Esther MacCallum-Stewart will be investigating love in the context of games – how it is mis/represented, how it might be developed, and how designers are trying to challenge our expectations of gaming itself by engaging with some of love’s more complex iterations.
Playing for Change – A conference about games for change.
Wednesday 19th February 2014 (10am to 4:30pm)
To mark the establishment of the Games and Social Change Network hosted by Manchester Metropolitan University and supported by the Arts & Humanities Research Council, this FREE one-day event will provide participants with an introduction to explore some of the diverse potentials of play and games as agents of change.
Games for Change Festival – New York
Tom and I from Auroch Digital attended this event last year and aswell as some great talks and inspirational content, it was a hugely successful trip in terms of building our international trading partners and we signed a big deal (the one we’ll be telling you about next week!), so we can’t recommend it highly enough.  Make sure you get some time to check out the city too, particularly Central Park, the High Line and the view from the top of the Rockefeller Center at sunset 😉
Ahh lovely memories of summer, remember that? 😉

This entry was posted in Boardgame Jam, Bristol Games Hub News, Newsletter.

Bristol Games Hub December Newsletter – News, Jobs,Games and More!

Posted on

Bristol Games Hub Directors and residents wish you all a happy festive season and all good things in 2014!  
 
Firstly, we have a couple of tickets spare for our Christmas party at the Spiegeltent this Thursday so if anyone would like to join us, please get in touch with me asap. Tix are £55 each and includes bubbles on arrival, 3 course meal, crazy entertainment, a swing band and lots of dancing! 26 of us are going so it’ll be a great night and I’d really like to sell these on for a couple of our friends that have had to drop out due to a family bereavement.

 
There will be no December social so the next anti-social will take place at the end of January now.  We’ll also be announcing how we’re planning to take part in the Global Games Jam 24th to the 26th January at the Hub – so keep the date free! 
 
 
Auroch Digital – Bristol
Auroch have a couple of openings. Please see Job Opportunities below for deets 😉
 
Nine Worlds Geekfest Talks All Online Now…
Auroch Digital worked with the Wellcome Trust to curate events at the Nine World Geekfest and all of the videos are now online:
– How to Write for Video Games – featuring Rhianna Pratchett (Tomb Raider) and James Swallow (Deus Ex:Human Revolution) – http://bit.ly/17iUn4T
– How to Fund Your Game via Kickstarter and Crowdfunding – Featuring Jan Wagner (Shadowrun Online) and Alex Harvey (Tangiers) – http://bit.ly/1691Ous
– Cyberpunk 2077 Developer Session
– Cyberpunk – The Dystopian Prism (with Cory Doctrow and Charles Stross & more…)
– Why we are fascinated by Disease (with Plague Inc & Project Zomboid Developers)
 
Explay Festival
The ExPlay 2013 movie is now uploaded! We also have our official pictures online, so please share if you care. Many thanks for all our supporters, sponsors, speakers and of course visitors this year! It really was our best year to date! Have a great festive break and see you again in 2014… oh, and if anyone has any ideas or comments about what they might want to see at next years festival, then please email info@explay.co.uk 
 
ExPlay 2013 in film – http://youtu.be/PKLzi4-RRmo
ExPlay 2013 in pictures – http://www.flickr.com/photos/111421995@N04/
 
Force of Habit – Bristol
Over the past eighteen months we’ve been part of the team working with Simon Roth on his game Maia and are happy to announce that it is now on Steam Early access. Sales this first week have been amazing and the game is now funded to completion.

As a bit of a wind down for Christmas we’ve been experimenting with ZX Spectrum graphics emulation in OpenGL. If you’d like to read about how we’ve done it, Ashley has written a blog post.

Have a lovely Christmas everybody. Big hugs. Kiss. xoxo etc.

Mutant Labs – Plymouth
Mutant Labs has released a version of their game, half-inch heist, for the Leap Motion. Called Half-Inch Heist Turbo, it uses the Leap Motion controller. a video can be found here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN3DrVq06zg

A press pack can be found here: http://halfinchheist.com/turbo/press_pack.zip

Static Games – Bournemouth                                                                 – Static Games Ltd. gets an honourable mention in Microsoft’s Imagine Cup Pitch Video Challenge with a new, as yet unannounced title! The next step is stage two, the Project Blueprint Challenge.

(link: http://staticgames.wordpress.com/2013/12/09/microsoft-imagine-cup-pitch-video-challenge/)

– Static Games’ fun farm and genetics simulator, “Mendel’s Farm” is now on Valve’s Steam service as a Greenlight concept! This is the first step in getting a title “greenlit” and will introduce the game to a huge audience worldwide who can comment, rate and make suggestions about what will appear in the final game — we would love to hear from everyone!

(link 1: http://staticgames.wordpress.com/2013/12/02/mendels-farm-steam-greenlight/)

(link 2: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=158549153)

Pocket Gamer Connects: 20-21st January 2014 – Vinopolis – London

Brand new for 2014 comes Pocket Gamer Connects, a global mobile games conference from Steel Media, the publisher behind Pocket Gamer and PocketGamer.biz.

Building on our experience of running the leading mobile games industry portal alongside some of the best industry networking events, we believe we can bring something fresh to the conference scene that will be genuinely useful, engaging, and enjoyable.   

What is PG Connects?

  • Two Content tracks – “East meets West” global publishing stage and our How to be an Indie Rockstar stage
  • Stunning location in the heart of London
  • A jam packed day of fringe events including our Very Big Indie Pitch and a Pocket Gamer Drink up
  • Interactive workshops
  • Exciting exhibition area and top notch networking
  • Awesome Pocket Gamer Party – to end all parties!

Who should attend?

Like most of the activities under the Steel Media banner, Pocket Gamer Connects aims to be an inclusive event, providing something of value to a wide range of industry players.

However, the two core focal points are global game publishing strategies (particularly in key Asian markets) and providing a survival guide for indie development studios. All of which means it’s especially useful for the following groups.

The Very Big Indie Pitch – 20th January 

Following the success of our three Big Indie Pitch events in 2013, we’re bringing an even bigger and better version to the PG Connects schedule.

The Very Big Indie Pitch will be exactly what it says on the tin: a mammoth developer pitching competition open to all types of independent developers, wherever they are.

We have 80 big name speakers from the global mobile world inclusing representatives from Tencent, Kakao, Perfect World, Halfbrick, Rovio, and King for what promises to be an unmissable mobile games conference. ready to take to the stages onTuesday 21st January

On the content side, speakers from platform holders Amazon and NTT Docomo should guarantee a fresh perspective to the global publishing track, while cool indie studios such as I Fight Bears, MediaTonic, Lemon Moose Games, Remode Studios, and Remote Control keep things game-centric.

Elsewhere, Berlin-based Wooga, St Petersburg’s Nevosoft, Lisbonian Miniclip, and Metaps of Tokyo further add to the international credentials, whereas representatives from Channel 4 and UKIE ensure the British end is kept up.

PM Studio
Squidsoup: A light work in progress

Mon 16 – Tue 17 Dec, 16:00 – 22:00, The Eye, FREE

Following the huge success of their captivating Submergence installation, Award-winning international artists Squidsoup have continued in residence in Bristol Temple Quarter’s The Eye, using the same hardware system to explore digital materiality, decay, granularity and movement in physical space.

As a special Festive treat, for two nights only, Watershed and Squidsoup are inviting audiences to step back into 8,064 dynamic points of light to experience this new work in progress.

Like Submergence, visitors will walk into a virtual world where pixels on a screen are replaced by thousands of points of light floating in space. Shapes and images will slowly appear, wrap around and dissolve, suggesting form, presence and movement within physical space.

http://www.watershed.co.uk/whatson/4588/squidsoup-a-light-work-in-progress

The Pervasive Media Studio will be taking a break from our lunchtime talk and Open Studio Friday programme over the Christmas period but will be back with a vengeance in the new year.

Lunchtime Talk: Kim Plowright

Friday, 10 January 2014 1:00pm – 2:00pm, Pervasive Media Studio, FREE

Drawing on her experience of working as a Producer and New Media Consultant for Channel Four, Hide&Seek and Storythings, Kim Plowright will be talking about the life cycle of projects – from development to post-release.

http://www.pmstudio.co.uk/events/fri-10012014-100pm

Lunchtime Talk: ‘Recife: The Playable City’

Friday, 17 January 2014 1:00pm – 2:00pm, Pervasive Media Studio, FREE

In an exciting change to our usual format, this week’s lunchtime talk will showcase ideas in progress from Watershed’s collaboration with the Brazilian city of Recife.

In partnership with the British Council and Porto Digital in Brazil, we are bringing together artists, creative producers and creative technologists from Pernambuco (Brazil) and the United Kingdom, to develop new ideas that use creative technology to explore the theme of the Playable City.

http://www.pmstudio.co.uk/events/fri-17012014-100pm

 
Job Opportunities
 
Auroch Digital
Auroch Digital have an opening for an experienced designer/producer for a 3 month contract initially, starting in January. Be part of a growing indie studio working on a wide variety of games projects. The role will be based at Bristol Games Hub. Please send CVs and a covering letter to debbie at aurochdigital dot com by 5pm on Wednesday 18th December, with interviews taking place on Thursday 19th. 
 
We also may need a HTML5 programmer for a spot of contract work starting very soon… please let me know if interested.
 
That’s it for 2013!  We look forward to working with you all in 2014 😉

This entry was posted in Bristol Games Hub News.

Games Hub November Newsletter – Events, News and Opportunities!

Posted on

Games Hub Events…
Bristol Games Hub Anti-Social – Learn what makes games like League of Legends so popular! – ‘MOBA games and the role of emergent play’ – 
This Thursday 28th Nov at 7.30pm

The past three years has seen the ‘Multiplayer online battle arena’ (MOBA) genre become one of the most popular and pioneering genres in the games industry. As the most played online genre, a genre that is pioneering new modes of fair ‘free to play’ and a genre that is leading a thriving e-sports industry it has become impossible to ignore, however underpinning this incredible success story is an equally profound role of emergent play. Through drawing on past and present research surrounding MOBA culture, Josh Jarrett explores the development of this young genre and argues that at its core is an elevated role of players in the ongoing innovation of the genre.

Join us at the hub, 77 Stokes Croft at 7.30pm – see you there!

Her Game Collective – Mon 9th Dec 6.30pm
To celebrate the festive season Her Game Collective want to use our regular get together to make up a game about Xmas. There may be a little bit of prosecco to fuel our ideas, in which case we may not get past the paper planning stage. If you want to suggest which elements of Xmas we should do things to in a game then please come along onMonday 9th December from 6.30-8.30ish to Bristol Games Hub in Stokes Croft.

We will also be sharing our plans for 2014. More info here: http://hergc.wordpress.com/2013/11/19/xmas-spirit-fuelled-game-plan-session/

Boardgame Jam a Huge Success!
We’d like to thank all who took part in our first ever Boardgame Jam and the first game jam hosted at the Hub’s base in Stokes Croft.  The event was a huge success with people traveling from far and wide to take part (kudos to those who travelled from Brighton and Cambridge to join in!).  We had 5 teams of developers and students creating 5 amazing boardgames based on the theme of ‘Winter’, produced with a huge amount of energy, creativity, meeples and sweets to go around.  There are photos from the day on our Tumblr account: http://bristolgameshub.tumblr.com/
We’d also like to thank our sponsors for the event:
– UK Trade & Investment (who supported the event!)
– Aardman (for help with refreshments!)
– Unity 3D (for the chairs in the event space!)
– Plus thanks to Excelsior Comics and boardgameextras.co.uk
–
Developer & Organisation News…
Aardman
Aardman Digital are excited to announce the release of ‘Wizards vs. Aliens’ created for the CBBC website. The game contains 3 chapters, 30 levels and over 3 hours of game play! Play the game here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/games/wizards-vs-aliens-eye-of-bashtarr

Their project  http://www.gruffalo.com/ has also gone live! The site was created for Pan Macmillan with games and activities to play in the deep dark wood!

Auroch Digital
Chainsaw Warrior AMA on Reddit
We’re going to be taking part in a Reddit AMA along with lots of other licensed Games Workshop developers on 3rd December at 8pm – http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/ – so if you’re about, come and join in! We’ll be talking ChainsawWarrior.net and joined by a lot of other talented developers (Warhammer Quest, Bloodbowl, Space Hulk and many more) and up-votes are welcomed.
JtR125 – Gamifying Jack the Ripper
We’ve announced our current GameTheNews project which is part of REACT.  JtR125 is one of six new collaborations between filmmakers, academic researchers and creative companies as part of the REACT Future Documentary Sandbox, a nationwide programme to explore the theme of Future Documentary funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.  There is much more about the project here: http://aurochdigital.com/2013/11/11/gamifying-jack-the-ripper/
 
Force of Habit
November saw Ash and our buddy Joe Williamson showing Neon Caves at Explay. We managed to come away with the Audience Award/Game of the Show award. Neon Caves is part of the Indie Statik Kickstarter that ran recently. You can view the teaser trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE3bgI5-q-o
We also managed to win two other awards: the TIGA award for Best New IP for Toast Time and the TIGA GameHack award for Best Game for Timmy Bibble’s Friendship Club. The latter of which is available now for FREE:http://forceofhab.it/games/#timmy-bibbles-friendship-club

Also, as we’re sure you’re all aware, this Thursday (28th Nov) is National French Toast Day. To mark this most gloriously pointless occasion we will be putting Toast Time on sale for a day and giving the soundtrack away for free. So check inon Thursday to grab a couple of bargains:

Toast Time OST: http://forcehabit.bandcamp.com/

Finally, Nick was part of the indie contingent invited to attend Minecon for his work on Maia, which will be hitting Steam Early Access soon. He has now fully recovered from his hangover.

Opposable Games 

Opposable Games beat 95 other entrants to win the ICTomorrow Second Screen competition in partnership with Sony.  The prize was funding for their first major own IP game Salvaged, which will be released in Q3 2014.  Opposable also had 2 teams attend the recent TIGA game jam, creating 2-4 player physics based beat-em-up called Placenta the Dragon, and their first own Oculus Rift game TearBears, all in 24 hours.

PM Studio
DCRC Presents: Learning from Digital Lives – Nicole Matthews
Wednesday, 27 November 2013 4:00pm – 5:30pm, Pervasive Media Studio, FREE
The Digital Cultures Research Centre is delighted to welcome Nicole Matthews (Macquarie University, Sydney) for a special Wednesday afternoon talk
Workshop: Data Visualisation with WikiVOIS & Data Unity (only a few places left)
Thursday, 28 November 2013 10:00am – 3:30pm, Pervasive Media Studio, FREE
To celebrate the launch of Data Unity, we’re hosting an Open Data workshop with its founder, Kev Kirkland on 28 Nov and you’re invited to attend. The event will be held alongside Nominet Trust and WikiVOIS. The workshops will start with a brief introduction to the new products then we’ll go hands on to discuss any data that attendees bring along. We want the workshop to be user focused and we’ll suggest ways to overcome any data issues the attendees are facing.
Lunchtime Talk: Parasitic Products and Designing Deviance
Friday, 29 November 2013 1:00pm – 2:00pm, Pervasive Media Studio, FREE
Parasitic Products explores an alternative route to product design through deviance, trickery and parasitism. Inspired by parasitic organisms, and their role in nature, Studio PSK created a number of radios which behave as parasites, surviving at the expense of other domestic products. As we move into a time of more and more connectivity between objects, how might parasitic devices fit into this product ecology, and what is their role?
Lunchtime Talk: Door Into the Dark
Friday, 6 December 2013 1:00pm – 2:00pm, Pervasive Media Studio, FREE
Join brand new Pervasive Media Studio residents Amy Rose and May Abdalla from Anagram as they introduce their company and the big ideas behind their new immersive documentary project Door Into the Dark.
Lunchtime Talk: What Can You Do with a Shadow?
Friday, 13 December 2013 1:00pm – 2:00pm, Pervasive Media Studio, FREE
Can you innovate with something as simple as a shadow? For centuries people have told stories with shadows, but they are less used today in our world of digital projectors. For the last 5 years, Tom McDonagh has been casting shadows in new and weird ways to re-imagine how we can tell stories. By experimenting with the light source, the shadow puppets and even the screens, he has found unique ways to bring characters and the environments they inhabit to life.
 
Thought Den
Deskspace available at 25-27 Stokes Croft! For freelancers or small companies, charged per desk per month. Incredible rates, super fast broadband, balcony, courtyard and back deck all in the heart of Bristol’s creative quarter.
Contact ben@thoughtden.co.uk for rates and to book a viewing.
–
Opportunities…
Remode in Plymouth are looking for a junior/grad programmer: http://remodestudios.com/assets/files/Remode_JobOpp_JuniorProgrammer_2013.pdf
AppCampus with Microsoft and Nokia are offering grants to develop games for their platform: http://www.appcampus.fi/about/appcampus
There are 10 lumps of 10k on offer for new web-startups (deadline 2nd Dec!) http://www.webstartbristol.com/
 –
That’s all folks!
Merry Christmas from everyone at BGH :*)

This entry was posted in Boardgame Jam, Bristol Games Hub News, Game Jam, Newsletter and tagged , , .

Tickets Available for our First Ever Boardgame Jam!

Posted on Updated on

There are a few tickets available for Bristol Games Hub’s first ever boardgame jam! Starting on Friday 22nd November at 6.30pm and on Saturday the 23rd, the jam challenges game developers and other interested participants to create a new board, card or other non-digital game in just 24 hours. While the games need to broadly be non-digital, using digital to augment the real-world experience is also encouraged. Prizes will be awarded for the best creations. The event gives an opportunity for those interested in finding out more about the games industry to work alongside experienced developers and together create a new game.

Dice, card, counters, meeple and other helpful props as well as food and refreshments will be provided for all participants. Tickets for Bristol Games Hub’s Boardgame Jam are free, but going going fast – you can sign up here.

This event is very kindly sponsored by UKTI and Aardman Animations.

This entry was posted in Boardgame Jam, Bristol Games Hub News, Game Jam and tagged , , , .