Category Archives: education

Train2Game News: UKIE still campaigning for Games Tax Relief

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UKIE LogoUkie has again called for the planned games production credits for UK games businesses to be introduced as soon as possible.

The games trade body has cited new UK production statistics released today by the BFI, that show the new High-end Television Tax Relief has delivered over £233 million for the UK economy in its first nine months, as evidence of the benefits that a similar relief system would bring to the UK’s games sector.

Board member of film and TV body, Film London, and Chair of Ukie, Andy Payne said:

“Seeing the hard financial evidence that the production tax credits have worked for high end TV, and in such a short space of time, proves that the digital creative industries can drive exports, deliver growth and high value jobs as well as attract considerable inward investment.

“This will play a significant part in increasing the UK’s productivity which is so badly needed. The games industry looks forward to the games production tax credits coming into force very soon and having a very positive effect for the UK games industry and the creative industries for UKPLC.”

Ukie CEO, Dr Jo Twist said: “These figures show the massive benefits that tax credits could bring to the UK games industry, opening the door for big inward investment and helping small businesses to scale up. They would help the creative talent in this country to produce more and compete in a global marketplace with uniquely British or European flavoured games. We know that the UK government continues to be behind the games tax relief and remain positive that they will be introduced. We urge UK government and the European Commission to make sure that the new system is introduced as soon as possible so that UK games business can benefit in the same way that TV sector is.”

View the full BFI figures here http://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-film-production-in-the-uk-full-year-2013-2014-01-30.pdf

Ukie will be focussing on working with the government and other creative industry agencies to ensure the games sector benefits from other inward investment activities, trade support programmes and industry promotion as part of the government’s wider ambition to sell the opportunity that the UK’s creative industries offer.

Train2Game News: Intel CodeFest

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Intel SoftwareOn 6 February 2014, Intel Developer Zone invites developers to come to its Intel CodeFest, taking place in London at Skills Matter.

At the event you’ll get the chance to network with fellow coders as well as hear some great talks from Intel’s engineers and experts on Android development.

The evening will kick off with an Intel dev expert giving you the low down on what Intel is doing in the Android ecosystem, an overview of Intel’s Android devices and an introduction to the range of development options. After that we will dive into the details of Dalvik development, followed by how to get the most out of WiDi and the APIs for a second screen experience.

Up next you’ll find out how to get the best out of Android’s Native Development Kit (NDK) and finally you’ll learn about how to effectively test your applications through both virtual device testing and real device testing – with lots of devices at the event for you to go hands on with.

If that’s not enough, we’ll also have some extra special guests in the form of Intel partner Marmalade, who will be at the CodeFest to reveal all you need to know about getting the best performance out of the Marmalade SDK for games development on Intel-based devices.

All of this and plenty of food and drink – there’ll even be a prize giveaway of a Lenovo K900 as well, so you might come away with more than just Android knowledge!

To guarantee your place, RSVP here!

Train2Game News: Norwegian class using game to teach ethics

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The Walking DeadThe teacher of a high school ethics class in Bergen, Norway is using Telltale’s the Walking Dead to help drive discussion about morality and choices.

Tobias Staaby is certainly not the first to notice that the Zombie game forces players to make some gut-wrenching decisions, but the religion lecturer may well be the first to make it part of a curriculum for an ethics course.

“I thought I would get angry phone calls from a mother or father,” Staaby told Norwegian news publication NRK.no, “but so far I have not gotten it.”

Students at the Nordahl Grieg school vote on which path to take when a moral quandary presents itself in the game, discussing both the theory behind their decision and the results their actions have within the game.

“I want a good catalyst for discussions about ethical theories or ethical dilemmas,” Staaby explained.

“This game provides students with a space they can navigate and discuss within according to the curriculum.”

Students say that the shared experience of the subject matter as presented in the game has helped them to learn the complex subject of modern ethics

Staaby says he hopes other instructors will follow on his classroom successes.

“In five years I hope there are more people who use this similarly,” he said.

This is a great example of games being able to do more than just bring enjoyment. Video games can challenge each of our moral ethics if done well and much more.

Train2Game News: Indielicious

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IndieliciousIndieMedia officially launches www.Indielicious.com, a website dedicated to promoting small independent game projects.

Founded by Chris Shrigley, a veteran game developer, the site aims to provides free, promotional coverage to small independent game developers, hoping to publicize their games to a growing audience. The site is a mixture of previews, reviews, interviews, news, and editorials, aimed at smaller developers, who often find it difficult to find a voice.

The site will focus on smaller indies and students, trying to get their small projects noticed. There are so many fantastic and creative games out there that just don’t get the publicity they deserve, and Indielicious wants to change that. The site will give these passionate, creative individuals a platform to publicize their projects, from the initial early stages, all the way through to completion, totally free of charge.

Indielicious will also feature interviews and editorials from established independent developers, hoping to inspire new developers just setting out to pursue their game making dreams, and offer advice and their thoughts on making those dreams a reality.

This could be an excellent tool for some of our Train2Game Students to get their work the attention that it deserves!

Train2Game News: Derp Studios release Spectrum style game

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DerpmanTrain2Game Student Studio, Derp Studios, has released a game on Windows 8! Derpman and the Code Monkey conundrum.

The game is an endless runner, similar to Temple Run and Subway Surfers, where you must run, jump, slide and attack the Code Monkeys that are attacking you to get as much score as you can get. It has a good nostalgia trip for those slightly older gamers among us who remember playing the ZX Spectrum as the graphics and soundtrack are made in that style.

The game was created in a single week for an online event known as a Speccy Jam. The rules of the jam were simple, create a game in the style of a ZX spectrum, simple yet different!

The studio has recently been creating a series of comics, in what little spare time they have, known as Derpman which is a parody series of your favourite superheroes. Following on from the comic series it seemed a logical step to create a game on the bumbling green clad hero.

Chris Ledger, CEO of Derp Studios said “The team really enjoyed Speccy Jam, one of the most fun jams we’ve participated in so we’ll definitely be up for the next one!  The time limit was a week and we worked virtually.  Everyone performed really well!  We’re hoping to get our candidate on all the major mobile stores as soon as possible for all to play!”

The game is out now on the Windows 8 mobile store and downloadable for your PC. If you wish to find out more about the studio or read the comics that lead to this game you can visit www.derpstudios.com

Congratulations on the games release guys.

Train2Game News: Train2Game Winners Facebook page

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For all of those who asked, Train2Game Winners now has it’s own Facebook page! You can follow the page and get updated with all the new students that are updated.

If you want to see what your fellow students have accomplished head over to the Facebook page and give it a like!

The link for the page is here.

Train2Game News: OlliOlli coming to PSVita this month

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OlliOlli LogoSkateboarding game OlliOlli, developed by Roll7 – who employed some Train2Game students, is coming to PlayStation Vita on January 22 in Europe.

OlliOlli is a 2d skateboarding game that mixes addictive one-life gameplay with over 120 tricks and grinds with 100 deviously crafted levels & 250 challenges across four gameplay modes.

OlliOlli rewards the most skilful and riskiest of players, always tempting you to go for that massive 360 Inward Heelflip and ludicrous chain of combos. Leaving you to time your landing to perfection – or risk losing your score!

The whole game is hand-drawn in pixelly loveliness, which is no mean feat considering the number of tricks, grinds, slams and stages.

“At PlayStation, we’re delighted to be working with the talented Roll7 to bring the savagely addictive genius of OlliOlli to the PS Vita” said Shahid Ahmad, Senior Business Development Manager, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE). “We loved OlliOlli from the first prototype and can’t wait for PlayStation fans to play this beautifully crafted game on their PS Vitas”

OlliOlli is developed and self-published by Roll7 and was QA tested by a couple of our very own Train2Game students! This is a big triumph for them and will do wonders for their CV’s

You can enjoy the trailer for OlliOlli below:

Train2Game News: Train2Game Winners spreading

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T2G WinnersFollowing the announcement of the Train2Game Winners website, the story was then picked up by Gamasutra and Develop.

The news of how great our students are doing is spreading around the internet which is fantastic news! The more recognition our students get the better.

If you would like to view the captures of the articles you can do below:

Train2Game Winners Launched

The links for the articles are below:

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/208061/Train2Game_Winners_Launched.php

https://www.develop-online.net/press-releases/train2game-winners-launched/0187808

If you would like to be featured on the website you can email your achievements and story to Harrycole@swanpr.co.uk

Train2Game News: 2014 Train2Game Game Jam

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Train2GameThe registration for the 2014 Train2Game Game Jam is now open! Places are limited so get booking as soon as possible.

This Game Jam will be a bit different as the details for the jam were decided by YOU! A vote took place on the Train2Game forum for how this jam will take place.

As with previous Train2Game Game Jams this will be a Forty Eight hour event and it will take place at the University of Bedfordshire, University Square, Luton, Bedfordshire, from 3pm on Friday 11 April 2014 until 7pm on Sunday 13 April 2014.

Where as with previous Game Jams there has been a specific platform for your games, this year the choice is yours! You can create your game for what ever platform you choose, just remember it must be within your capabilities to finish the game in the time limit!

The teams will have members of four to six and you can either set up a team with your friends or if you prefer allow our match maker service to put you in a team with similarly skilled people. You may bring your own equipment if you choose or there will be equipment provided.

The theme is always an important part of the weekend and there was a dead heat in the voting for how the theme works. At the start of the weekend a draw will be had to decide the outcome.

A small donation of £5 per person will be asked of you when you sign up at the desk on the weekend and all money that is collected will be donated to the great charity, SpecialEffect.

Registration is open now so come along, have fun, test your abilities, learn new skills and help charity! You can register at http://www.train2game-online.com/events/game_jam_april_2014.html

Train2Game News: Train2Game Winners Launched

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T2G WinnersTrain2Game is supporting its students with new website which shows of the achievements of its student body.

The website is a chance to celebrate the achievements of Train2Game students, highlighting the positive work of the people that make up the student community and showing off some of the work it has done. It’s an opportunity for students to describe their achievements in their own words and for Train2Game to show off some of the projects students have been a part of. It’s also a portal for the wider gaming community to see what some of the best and brightest students studying with Train2Game are working on in the games industry.

Follow this link to visit the site http://train2gamewinners.co.uk/