Category Archives: Parent

Train2Game News: Train2Game Radio revisits Muir Halleron

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Muir HalleronWe spoke to Muir a while ago when he had not long started the Train2Game course and now we have revisited him. Muir told us all about the work he does now with 22Cans forums.

You can listen to the interview here: https://audioboo.fm/boos/1755384-train2game-student-muir-halleron-talks-to-t2g-radio-again

Or read the transcript below:

Hello I’m Muir Halleron, I’m taking the Train2Game developer course and I’m from Widnes.

Hiya Muir, how you doing?

I’m just fine thanks

Excellent! So what have you been up to since we last spoke?

Oh, loads of things! Since we last spoke; I’ve been to Eurogamer, I started making my own game but it’s very slow going. It’s basically an extreme in my spare time thing. I am also the forum moderators for not only Train2Game but also 22Cans on their steam forums.

Excellent. How did that come about?

Oh I backed GODUS on Kickstarter last December, became active in the forums and through that the community manager, Sam Van Tilburgh, approached me to become a moderator.

Excellent. So have you been enjoying it?

Yeah it’s fun! It can be a bit stressful at times and hectic, especially right after an update of the game, but yeah, I’m really enjoying it!

Very nice and do you get to hear some industry secrets that we’re not allowed to or anything?

Oh not really! I do get a bit of background information just pertaining to my moderator duties.

So have you always been a fan of 22Cans and Peter Molyneux?

I like Peter Molyneux’s Fable series. My first game of his that I actually played was Black & White, sadly I didn’t actually finish that game!

The important question is though, were you a good god or were you a bad god?

I was actually middle of the line!

Oh yeah? Tried to please everyone?

Yeah, straddle that fence!

So have you been finding that all this forum moderation will help you in the future with your career?

I’m hoping so yeah. It’s allowed me to see how things in the industry works a little bit and I’ve got a little bit of contact with a few of the devs on different social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Steam. They’ve been really nice and they answer questions that I have pertaining to the industry.

Excellent, that’s nice. Do you think you’ll perhaps get a job with them as well now that you’ve got contact with them?

That would be nice but they’re a little bit too far south for my tastes.

Oh yeah I forgot you live fairly north. So finally, what are you hoping for the future then?

Well in the future, I’m actually looking to relocate to Leeds because right now I live up near Liverpool but I’m wanting to move to Leeds because my boyfriends live there and with my Son being closer to my boyfriends would mean a bit more support with him so that I could actually get a job and not have to worry about being home to meet him after school.

Yeah that certainly would help a lot wouldn’t it.

Yeah. It’s my hope that once I move to Leeds and get settled in I’ll be able to get a job placement in a company over there.

Excellent well I wish you all the luck with that

Thank you

And I will talk to you again soon Muir!

Alright, thanks Mark.

Train2Game News: SpecialEffect GameBlast weekend

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SpecialEffectGamer’s charity SpecialEffect have announced their GameBlast weekend, where people of all ages across the UK are invited to be involved with video game marathons to help people with disabilities benefit from the fun and inclusion of games.

The charity is calling for teams of friends, family members or work colleagues to sign up to undertake their own sponsored marathons, which can last up to 24 hours, anytime during the weekend of 21-23 February 2014.

“It’s an opportunity for people to do what they love best, and level the playing field for people with disabilities at the same time,” said Mark Saville, the charity’s Communications Officer.

“Playing for 24 hours is a pretty big challenge, but we’re asking people to attempt it to help the thousands of people who want to share their passion, but can’t join in because of a disability.

“People like Sam (http://bit.ly/19dEyIR), who could only watch his friends and family enjoy the Xbox because his cerebral palsy prevented him from using a controller. The sponsorship raised through the GameBlast marathons will change the lives of many more people like Sam through the gift of gaming fun and inclusivity.

“It’s going to be an incredible weekend. They’ll be incentives and giveaways, and every team who registers will be entered into a complimentary draw for gaming goodies. We’ll also be running our own marathon from Gameblast HQ, and keeping the world updated with progress from all the teams.”

Teams and individuals can sign up for the Gameblast weekend at http://www.specialeffect.org.uk/gameblast

Good luck to all those who decide to enter and let us know!

Train2Game News: SpecialEffect reach fund raising goal

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SpecialEffect SpecialEffects recent crowd funding project, Playing with your eyes, has been a success. The money has been raised to purchase a new eye controlled controller.

The fund raising project on Gambitious for SpecialEffect to purchase a controller for disabled gamers to play the games we all love with their eyes is coming to a close today and the charity has hit their goal!

Thanks to all the donations SpecialEffect received, the eye-controlled gaming system will be able to help more of the increasing number of people contacting them quicker than before. The equipment will be used with a wide range of people over it’s lifetime and bring many gamers with disabilities unimaginable joy.

A statement featured on the SpecialEffect website has this message for everyone “Bless my cotton socks – you did it! THANK YOU to all you fantastic people who’ve dug deep and donated to our charity crowdfunder and raised nearly £7,000 for a very special controller to enable disabled gamers to join in the fun of playing video games, just using their eyes.

We’re honoured that so many people – including Jonathan Ross, Tim Schafer and Tom Watson – have put their weight behind the campaign. The eye-gaze system it funds is going to make a huge difference to a whole bunch of people.

You can find out more about SpecialEffect and the work they do by visiting http://www.specialeffect.org.uk/

Train2Game News: SpecialEffect raising money for futuristic eye control technology

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SpecialEffect Gaming charity, SpecialEffect, need your help in raising money to afford some futuristic equipment to help change deserving gamers lives.

The charity has setup a Gambitious page to help receive funding to purchase a very special eye control gaming system. There are a range of different eye-control devices available, but your donations would help purchase a product designed specifically to suit a range of needs for disabled people, such as those with locked-in syndrome, motor neurone disease, muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy.

Everyone’s needs are different, and making eye-control work successfully, especially in the cases of complex disability, is rarely a simple task. SpecialEffect has been working with eye-control technology and complex disability since the charity was founded in 2007. Founder, Dr Mick Donegan, is an acknowledged world leader in the development and application of eye-controlled technology. Thanks to the charity’s expertise and experience, it’s in a strong position to be able to use this technology successfully with a range of different people.

SpecialEffect has already had great success in using the eye-control technology like with young Henry. His parents contacted the charity after hearing about eye-controlled computers and wondered if the technology could benefit their son. Henry and his family were invited to the SpecialEffect GamesRoom in Oxford and they had a wonderful afternoon being introduced to simple eye-controlled activities.

“The look on Henry’s face when he first used the eye-gaze to control something on a screen was indescribable,” said Henry’s father Rob. “For the first time he could play with something completely ‘on his own’. It was a landmark moment for us as a family.”

Soon afterwards, SpecialEffect visited Henry at home and set up an eye-controlled computer for him to borrow, and before long he was enjoying a range of eye-control games as well as playing with a toy train set, just by moving his eyes.

It is a very worth while charity to help out and if you want to donate you can do so at https://gambitious.com/projects/3576-playing-with-your-eyes

Train2Game News: SpecialEffect’s first Crowd Funding Project

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SpecialEffect SpecialEffect, the charity that enables people with disabilities to play games through adapted technology, have today appealed to all gamers to support their first ever crowdfunding project, codenamed PLAYING WITH YOUR EYES.

SpecialEffect aims to raise £5950/€6955/$9190 in order to purchase one new specialist Eye Control unit. This equipment will help many people with severe disabilities to enjoy and play games, levelling the playing field and creating a better quality of life. If they raise double the amount, SpecialEffect will buy two of these amazing pieces of equipment. Eye Control technology can be particularly helpful for those suffering from locked-in syndrome, motor neurone disease, muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy amongst many others conditions. Together with the technical and medical expertise of the SpecialEffect team, Eye Control technology can not only enable people to access and play games, but assist with rehabilitation, build self-esteem and help create a better quality of life through playing games.

But it’s not all one way. In return for the pledges made by supporters, apart from the amazing reward of knowing that your pledge will help many people with disabilities to enjoy games, SpecialEffect have designed a range of rewards. Whether it’s being included on the ‘Roll of Honour’, being featured in the ‘Video Credits’, or a place on the ‘Virtual Plaque’, there are unique rewards available for all supporters. At the top of the list is being invited to visit for a full day at the SpecialEffect National Accessible Games Centre’ where supporters get to meet the team and see the fantastic work they do.

And here’s what a difference this campaign can make – “The look on Henry’s face when he first used the eye-gaze to control something on screen was indescribable… for the first time he could play with something completely on his own. It was a landmark moment for us as a family.” Rob, Henry’s Dad.

CEO of SpecialEffect, Dr Mick Donegan commented – “We set up, create, lend and support the use of specialist games controllers from our library of equipment. Everyone we work with is different. Some of the people we work with find it difficult or impossible to control parts of their body other than their eyes. In these instances we use computers which are controlled just by moving your eyes.

“The demand for this work is growing all the time, so we are asking the gaming community, who have always been enormously supportive of our work, to help SpecialEffect through crowdfunding. The PLAYING WITH YOUR EYES project will help us meet this growing demand and enable us to purchase this very special piece of eye-controlled equipment in order to reach and help more and more people with disabilities to play games”

The crowdfunding project PLAYING WITH YOUR EYES launches on Gambitious at 10am on 13th September 2013 and will run for 30 days until Saturday 12th October 2013 and you can watch the video and pledge your support here –www.gambitious.com/projects/3576

To meet the team and see with your own eyes the amazing work that SpecialEffect do and to try out Eye Control game playing for yourself, please visit the SpecialEffect team at The EuroGamer Expo between 26th September to 29th September at Earl’s Court, London.

Train2Game News: SpecialEffect helps Mitch

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SpecialEffect Thanks to all the work that gaming charity, SpecialEffect, have done they have been able to help a young man named Mitch.

Mitch has cerebral palsy which makes it difficult for him to use the triggers on the back of his controller which would have a huge impact on what games you are able to play.

SpecialEffect have remapped the triggers to two small switches under the controller, and attached it to a heavy duty clinical mounting to reduce the effect of the tremor in his arms. This has allowed Mitch to be back on a level playing field with his friends and he is able to now give as good as he gets!

Mitch was ecstatic with the results saying “It puts the fun back if you can be just as good as someone else.”

You can see how happy Mitch is in the video below

We at Train2Game are very happy to support SpecialEffect as much as we can and will continue to do so to keep helping people like Mitch.

Train2Game News: SpecialEffect Football tournament

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SpecialEffect SpecialEffect the games charity who helps the disabled to play games again is holding a charity Football tournament.

At the Wembley Stadium Powerleague venue on 5 September, you can battle for the SpecialEffect Trophy in a Football Tournament.

You’ll only need to raise a squad of seven for this Champions League format competition, which has full event management from Powerleague, including referees! The entry fee is £250 per team, which includes a donation to the work that we’re doing to level the playing field for gamers with disabilities.

Kick-off is at 1pm, and there’s a licensed bar for essential rehydration afterwards.

SpecialEffect do amazing work to get people with life changing disablities to play video games again. Allowing them to enjoy themselves much the way we do when playing our beloved games.

Register either by submitting your match fee at www.justgiving.com/SpecialEffectWembley or paying by cheque/ bank transfer to SpecialEffect. Any questions, contact Nick Streeter (nick@specialeffect.org.uk) or call 01608 810055.

The Train2Game London Connection 2013 at AppsWorld

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Train2Game exhibiting where the global Apps market meets

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This year Train2Game will hold its London Connection at AppsWorld,  22-23 October 2013, in Earls Court 2 along side 250 exhibitors and over 8000+ attendees including developers, mobile marketers, mobile operators, device manufacturers, platform owners and industry professionals registered for two days of high level insight and discussion.

Jan Telensky, Train2game, said, “For the first time we have moved our annual London Connection to AppsWorld where we hope to meet up with as many students as possible.

“Our move to AppsWorld reflects our strong relationship with Microsoft launching Apps on the Windows 8 platform, including Windows8 phones, both for games and non-games.

“We look forward to a great event, our students gaining even more knowledge, and some fun networking”.

Being showcased at AppsWorld will be both gaming and none gaming Apps showing the wide range of skill sets Train2Game students achieve. Members of Train2Game Student Studios will also attend.

 

For more information about all Train2Game courses including the new Apps courses please visit www.train2game.com

Train2Game News: MechWarrior Online pays tribute to young fan

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Jenner MechMechWarrior Online developer Piranha Games has created a custom mech in tribute to a young fan, 5-year-old Sarah Parries of Vancouver, Canada, who sadly passed away from brain cancer in May.

The memorial project originated as a petition from within the MWO community after members learned about Parries’s death and her interest in BattleTech and MechWarrior Online, which she played with her father.

The Jenner—with night vision, medium lasers, and short range missiles—was her favorite, according to MWO community manager Niko Snow. A special tribute version, which can be seen above, can be purchased from the game for $10 which will go directly to the Canadian Cancer Society.

As of 12 p.m. PST on July 23, the charitable Jenner had already raised more than $12,000 and it is still rising.

You can view a video demonstrating the mech in game below

 

Train2Game News: Xbox One’s Kinect Privacy

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Xbox OneMicrosoft have stated that they will take an aggressive stance to any one who tries to use the Kinect to collect data.

With the new Xbox One being bundled with Kinect, many people voiced their objections for fear of it breaking their privacy but Microsoft has said this definitely won’t happen. The company is currently trying to release information on the data requests it has received from intelligence services in the past, but is being blocked from doing so by the US government.

It’s not the first time that Microsoft has sought to calm fears over Xbox One privacy. The company previously promised that Kinect would not record ambient conversation data, and only listened for the “Xbox On” voice command when switched off. In addition the Kinect sensor will have an activity light so you will be able to tell when the device is in use.

A Microsoft spokesperson said, when asked about Kinect privacy, “Absent a new law, we don’t believe the government has the legal authority to compel us or any other company that makes products with cameras and microphones to start collecting voice and video data. “We’d aggressively challenge in court any attempts to try and force us to do so.”

They went on to say “When Xbox One is on and you’re simply having a conversation in your living room, your conversation is not being recorded or uploaded”

Microsoft has asked the US Attorney General to permit itself and other companies to share more information on what data it gives to government security agencies, such as the number of security requests it has received. At the moment it is blocked from releasing this information by the US government.

This is a very clear message from Microsoft that they will respect your personal privacy and fight for it if need be.