Category Archives: Student

Train2Game News Fishinabottle looking for Junior Web Developer

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fishinabottleLeamington Spa based Games Developer on the hunt for Junior team member.
Details of the position copied from the Developer’s website below.

Junior App/Web Developer – Leamington Spa
Position type: Permanent
We’re on the lookout for an enthusiastic and ambitious Junior Web Developer
to join us.

This is a role with involvement in the technical design, development and
delivery of app, websites and server applications. You will enjoy working
with an interesting range of technologies deployed over a wide variety of
innovative projects, from apps through to on demand application and social
media platforms, for our high profile clients including Disney, the BBC and
Channel 4.

Expected technical skills:

. HTML5/Javascript/CSS3
. Apache/PHP/MySQL
. Popular web and mobile frameworks
. Knowledge of iOS or Android app development is an advantage

The ideal applicant will be enthusiastic, efficient, highly organised and
motivated with a solid digital understanding. You will work simultaneously
across a range of projects, many of them fast paced, delivering world class
products.

As an individual you will be solutions-driven, with an eye for detail and
have a natural interest in the latest digital innovations.

We’re one of the UK’s original and most successful digital production
studios that is structured in a way that’s designed to bring out the very
best in the people who work here.

You’ll be working in a relaxed, creative studio environment (a converted
chapel!) with perks including flexible working hours, free drinks and plenty
of social events.

What else can we offer you?

. You can manage your own working hours with our flexitime system
. The Fridge of Dreams provides free drinks – currently Peroni,
various wines, Coke, Diet Coke, Pepsi Max, Dr Pepper and fruit juices
. Free and unlimited posh coffee (Lavazza right now) as well as
speciality coffees and a range of fancy teas
. Personal Development Time and unlimited access to Lynda.com
. Membership to our cinema club in our own cinema with free popcorn
and drinks
. A range of funded social events – theme parks, go karting, superhero
days, bake offs and curry and beer nights etc
. Free fruit
. A cake on your Birthday

We offer a competitive package and a friendly, supportive working
environment.

To apply for this role please click APPLY to submit your CV and covering
letter. Please include links to live examples of your work, without these we
cannot progress your application.

This job is located at a Leamington Spa studio, please consider your ability
to commute or relocate when applying.

We are only able to process applications from candidates who are eligible to
work in the UK

For details of how to apply, visit:
http://www.fishinabottle.com/jobs/junior-appweb-developer

Train2Game News GameLoading Rise of the Indies

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GameLoadingGameLoading: Rise of the Indies is a feature documentary exploring the world of indie game developers – their craft, their games, their dreams, and how they have forever changed the landscape of games culture. The project is currently crowdfunding through Kickstarter to help complete post-production.

Filmmakers Lester Francois and Anna Brady have clocked over 100 hours of interviews with both high-profile and up-and-coming indie developers and industry figures from all over the world. The stories that feature in the documentary are only the tip of the iceberg, with the team currently offering an additional 23 videos on youtube, with more scheduled to be released regularly over the next few months. Popular videos include BitSummit in Kyoto, Dutch Game Garden and Mike Bithell – ‘Story and Gameplay’

The exclusive Member’s Section on their website features longer more in-depth interviews available to Backers. The member’s section is a great resource for indie devs and fans. Those wanting to be a member can do so by backing the kickstarter The Final Push.

GameLoading’s Kickstarter, which launched last week is on track to raise the $50,000 needed to fund post production. Featured on the kickstarter page is the new GameLoading trailer, which has been touching the hearts of audiences across the community. It offers a heartwarming and positive message about developer culture, despite the recent negativity in the industry.

GameLoading features interviews with Davey Wreden (The Stanley Parable), John Romero (Doom), Rami Ismail (Vlambeer), Alexander Bruce (Antichamber), Lucas Pope (Papers, Please), Richard Hofmeier (Cart Life), Phil Tibitoski (Octodad), Zoe Quinn (Depression Quest), Steve Gaynor (Gone Home), Christine Love (Analogue), Mike Bithell (Thomas Was Alone) and dozens more.

The film will demystify what goes into making a game, examine the processes of different studios and individuals, capture the excitement of industry events like PAX and GDC, ponder why we play and what success means, and explore where this art form has come from and where it may be going.

Train2Game News Student offering her artistic skills

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LUC52101Train2Game Student and three time game jam winner, Chloe Martin is offering her artistic skills and knowledge to those in need.

Chloe is on the art and animation course and was previously a member of Digital Mage, along with my self, who were featured at The Gadget Show Live in 2012 as part of the Make Something Unreal Live contest sponsored by Epic Games.

After her continued success through previous game jams Train2Game invited her to be a mentor at the last game jam in April which she did an excellent job as. Using her knowledge and talents to help new students.

She is now looking to update and improve her portfolio by offering to help other Train2Game students with their coursework or any projects they may be working on. Chloe is a highly talented artist and will be a huge asset to your work.

Chloe is primarily a 2D artist but also can do 3D work if need be, dependant on what you are looking for in your project or coursework. This will be something she will be doing in her own spare time as she does have a full time job and is continuing to study on her own course.

You can find samples of her work on the forum by following this link: http://www.forum.train2game.com/album.php?albumid=485

This is just a very small fraction of the work she can do and she will provide more examples on request.

If you are interested and want to contact Chloe you can email her at booya127@live.co.uk

Train2Game News New RPG Maker allows mobile ports

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Enterbrain and Degica collaborate on new middleware, which enables first official RPG Maker mobile ports.

Enterbrain recently partnered with Degica to distribute RPG Maker VX Ace, the latest version of the software, outside of Japan. Since teaming up, the pair have developed a new piece of middleware that allows developers to efficiently port RPG Maker games to mobile devices.

The RPG Maker software first emerged back in 1988 and, throughout several iterations, has remained the first choice when it comes to creating both traditional and innovative games in 16-bit.

Degica’s global director of sales and promotion, Mitchell Scott, said: “The RPG Maker software has been a great tool for aspiring and established game developers alike over the past two decades and we’re incredibly proud to be part of that legacy.”

While the majority of projects emulate major franchises such as Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, numerous teams have capitalised on the flexibility of the engine to create unique experiences.

The likes of To The Moon are widely regarded as genuine indie success stories, with the game receiving numerous awards and praise from established publications and organisations including Gamespot, Wired and the Independent Games Festival.

Earlier this week, Undefeated – the popular RPG Maker title – was unveiled for mobile with a brand new trailer and an iOS/Android release date of 3 October, 2014.

Headquartered in Tokyo, Degica connects the dots between developers, distributors and publishers, and between the Eastern and Western markets. Their recent work with Enterbrain and RPG Maker aims to put the popular development toolkit, and the games it has spawned, firmly on the global map.

Train2Game News GDC Next survey results

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GDC NextThe Game Developers Conference (GDC) Next 2014 has released the results of the first annual Game Discovery Survey, which has uncovered emerging trends and attitudes from a pool of game industry professionals on launching and popularizing games.

Among the many trends revealed in the survey is the finding that first party platform holders and YouTube personalities are seen as the most effective forms of publicity among participating developers.

The GDC Next 2014 Game Discovery Survey was created by UBM Tech Game Network, organizers of the Game Developers Conference, to better understand the contemporary game industry before the start of GDC Next 2014.

Platform gatekeepers and popular YouTubers are seen to be the most effective publicity for games. YouTube has long been viewed as a powerful tool in publicizing new releases, and the survey now reveals that developers view YouTube personalities, along with first party platform holders, as the most effective avenues for publicity.

Specifically, being featured on digital storefronts like Steam or PlayStation Network, coupled with extensive video playthroughs on YouTube were seen as most positively affecting product visibility. 36.6% of respondents seeing platform holders as the most effective publicity, with popular YouTube personalities capturing 24.8% of responses. By comparison, community engagement and being featured on a popular video game website received 15.6% and 14.5% of responses, respectively.

Elsewhere, the majority of participating developers (73.4%) agreed with the statement “platform holders aren’t doing enough to improve discoverability on digital storefronts.” These results suggest that platform holders can do more to meet the needs of game makers, potentially finding more personalized recommendation methods for consumers.

Developers are largely split between traditional press and YouTube personalities as most trustworthy however. Despite an increasing priority towards prominent YouTube video features, developers surveyed were found to be largely split when asked whose opinion on games they trusted the most, YouTubers or traditional press/media. YouTube personalities narrowly won out with 55.75% of votes versus the traditional press, which received 44.25% of responses.

Is it the game, the promotion, or both that makes a title shine commercially? 69.3% of developers agreed that good promotion and making a good game were equally important to success, with 23% responding that making a good game was more important to success than promoting it well. Only 7.7% of respondents felt that good promotion is more important than game quality when it comes to achieving commercial success.

The GDC Next 2014 Game Discovery Survey tabulates the responses and observations of more than 300 game industry professionals/

For more information on GDC Next, please visit http://www.gdcnext.com/

Train2Game News PEACEapp competition

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PEACEappA new competition is searching for a game or app about facilitating peace or an idea for one.

The competition, PEACEapp, aims to showcase the work of developers who examine peace and promote games as venues for cultural dialogue and conflict management. PEACEapp is a joint project between UNDP, UNAOC and Build Up.

Sponsored by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, the United Nations Development Programme, and Build Up, the competition will award the winning entries with $15,000 in cash prizes, an invitation to present their game at the Build Peace Conference in Cyprus, and exclusive mentoring and advising from Games for Change. The competition will consider entries at all stages of development, from prototypes to fully developed, with awards going to five games or apps—three completed works and two prototypes.

An international jury, which includes representatives from Games for Peace, the Institute for Economics and Peace, Fields of View, Games for Change, and more, will review submitted games and apps according to three values:

  • Affording users a novel experience to engage with knowledge of other groups and issues of identity
  • Creatively engaging players in a playful manner
  • Enabling connections to key social media globally, in terms of functionality, language and reach

Click here for a complete competition guidelines, and then submit your entry.

Train2Game News EGX 2014 Line Up

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EGX 2014Gamer Network, one of the world’s leading games media businesses, today announces exclusive details of the line-up available at the forthcoming EGX consumer show.

EGX, formerly known as the Eurogamer Expo, is the UK’s biggest video games show with over 80,000 gamers visiting London’s Earl’s Court over four days (25th-28th September 2014).

EGX is a celebration of all things gaming, from getting a career in the industry and getting invaluable insight into the development process from the experts, to coming dressed as your favourite games character or showcasing your skills in one of the competitive arenas.

At the heart of the show are the games themselves, and this year’s show will house more games than ever, with more opportunities for attendees to get their hands on this year’s hottest titles, weeks and even months before their actual release dates.

Microsoft once again supports the show with a full line-up including Sunset Overdrive, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Forza Horizon 2, Project Spark and Fable Legends while Sony will be presenting over 30 titles including The Last of Us Remastered, The Order 1886, Driveclub and Bloodborne.

Call of Duty Advanced Warfare and Assassin’s Creed Unity join the recently announced Mortal Kombat X along with the next in the much-loved Lego series from Warner, LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham. The CD Projekt development team will also be showcasing the highly anticipated The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Previously announced games available to play early include SEGA’s Alien Isolation, Deep Silver’s Dead Island 2 and Escape Dead Island, 2K’s award-winning Evolve, and EA’s Battlefield Hardline.

In addition to the blockbuster games on show, the event will also host EGX Rezzed, a space where developers of all sizes will be showcasing their new releases including the much talked about Gang Beasts by Boneloaf, Volume by Mike Bithell and Heat Signature by Tom Francis. This year’s event also includes the Leftfield Collection, a curated show of games from the newest and most promising indie developers of the future.

A full list of games can be found at: www.egxlondon.net/whats-on/show-floor

A number of Competitive Gaming events will be held over the four days including the EGX Fight Zone featuring Capcom Pro Tour, a Nintendo Life Mario Kart 8 Tournament, EGX Dota 2 Challenge in association with Epic.LAN and a League of Legends Tournament to be streamed live on GFinity.

In addition to the games available to play, the event includes a careers fair for anyone looking to work in the industry along with number of Developer Sessions with talks from some of the world’s leading games makers. These include an exclusive announcement from OlliOlli developer Roll7; new details from Techland on the eagerly anticipated Dying Light and the latest on Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor’s Lead Designer, Bob Roberts.

For the second year running a dedicated Cosplay stage will feature parades, workshops and competitions, and visitors are encouraged to come dressed as their favourite characters. The show even hosts a retro gaming section, including games from the past 30 years should attendees fancy a trip down memory lane.

Last year saw a number of politicians, celebrities and leading YouTubers attend EGX, an event that is gaining a reputation for one of the most cutting-edge and colourful consumer shows in the world.

Train2Game News Vote for SpecialEffect

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SpecialEffectIn the games industry? If so, SpecialEffect need your help! They have been selected in the vote for the fantastic, grant making, games industry charity GamesAid.

Last year they made an amazing donation of £52,000 to SpecialEffect to help them meet their growing demand to help amazing young people like Ben who is now rocking Minecraft, FIFA and many other games!

SpecialEffect are in the fortunate position to once again be amongst the charities nominated for GamesAid support but your help is needed to secure a grant. All you need to do is vote at the link below.

SpecialEffect is by no means the biggest cause in the list of nominees so every vote counts.

If you work in the industry then please do visit the link below and consider a vote for SpecialEffect. Current members have to email their choice of charity and user name to GamesAid and new members can register for FREE and cast their vote.

http://www.gamesaid.org/vote-now-2014-voting-re-opens/

You can view the story of Ben in the heart warming video below. SpecialEffect have helped Ben and many others like him to experience the pleasure of gaming as much as we all do.

Train2Game News Train2Game launch new online radio channel

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Train2GameA new radio channel created by Train2Game is best described as: Inspirational, Informative and Advisory. Train2Game Radio brings you voices from both the Games Industry and it Students.

The new radio station has been created to guide those already on the course and tell others more about the company. The channel hosts material created by the Train2Game team but also other programmes featuring Train2Game from commercial and public radio.

It features radio programmes from many renowned individuals and organisations, shows include: City and Guilds say Train2Game are doing it PROPERLY, CNS Group coaching Train2Game Students LIVE, JuiceFM Mike Gamble from Epic on Train2Game, Microsoft’s Andy McCartney Future of Gaming and shows from the BBC.

Hear more at the newly launched channel at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/train2game-radio

You can view the programmes in the file below

http://www.scribd.com/doc/234771842/Train2Game-Radio-Summer-2014-Highlights

Train2Game News Roundish Squarish looking for staff

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Rounded SquarishA Train2Game student studio is looking for a Developer to join their team to take the studio to a new level.

Rounded Squarish have been together for 3 years and have taken the plunge and decided to make a go of turning the student studio into a professional one. The company are now fully registered through companies house and are now currently looking for a talented and enthusiastic programmer to join the team.

The studio are currently working digitally and this, for now at least, is going to be where all of the work is done. They do intend on meeting in person and after a few Skype meetings intend on organising this.

The first project that would be worked on with the new team member would be a small title called ‘Slinger: Monsters of the West’. This is an RTS Turret Defence type game with a splash of Rounded Squarish thrown in!

The player is placed into a world where the mythical land of monsters and the legendary era of the spaghetti western collide, fighting to defend their town and take back the west.

Development of the game is already under-way and several screenshots can be shown to give the potential staff an idea of what the studio is aiming to create.

They are initially looking to take it through to an early alpha stage within a short period of time and, following feedback, will look to persue it further, or continue onto other projects in the pipeline.

Ben Cooper of Roundish Sqaurish said “We are looking to this game as a way of getting to know the coder and see if they like working with us, and vice versa, and to find out if they share the same passion and enthusiasm as we do. That’s definitely the most important thing for us. We need to get on well with them and also to be able to rely on them. We also need to assess their abilities to ensure that they are at the right stage for where we want to take the games. We don’t want them feeling over (or under) whelmed by what we are trying to do.

We very much appreciate the early stage that we are at right now and that we may not get everything right and would love for any prospective team mates to appreciate this also. Unfortunately it does mean that, for now, the position is unpaid but we are really pushing to change this in the months to come!”

If anyone does want to get in touch, they can email Ben at:

ben@roundedsquarish.co.uk

You can follow the studio on Facebook at

https://www.facebook.com/RoundedSquarish