The team at SpecialEffect would like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and a big thank you for all the help the charity has received this year.
They put together this heart warming video to show their appreciation
Don’t forget you can continue to help SpecialEffect in the new year by signing up to be a part of their GameBlast in February!
GameSalad has added a new platform for developers in Tizen, the Linux-based operating system for smart devices.
The company has been working with big name partners at Intel and Samsung to provide exciting opportunities for developers to profit handsomely from apps they port to Tizen or new ones they create for the platform.
For a limited time only, they’re offering an unprecedented deal to GameSalad developers: a minimum of $50 cash, plus three free months of Pro membership for every app published to the Tizen store!
PLUS, the best quality games and apps may be eligible for up to an additional $1750 in incentives, simply by publishing to the Tizen platform!
This promotion only runs for a limited time, so publish your game to Tizen today to take advantage of this awesome opportunity!
For more details, please be sure to read the Terms & Conditions of this promotion.
The pitch at the Microsoft Ventures demo day that Train2Game Student Studio, GallantCloud, gave is now available to view. The guys did incredibly well and their game, Ether, sounds great!
Enjoy the video below
The Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., has announced the addition of two video games to its permanent collection.
This is as part of “an ongoing commitment to the study and preservation of video games as an artistic medium.”
Flower (2009), a game by Jenova Chen and Kellee Santiago from thatgamecompany, is to be inducted into the collection alongside Halo 2600 (2010) by Ed Fries, the former vice president of game publishing at Microsoft.
Explaining its decision in a statement, the Smithsonian said: “Video games offer a compelling avant-garde performance space, activated by artists and players alike. These media art practices are distinct from film, video and theatre and mark a critical development in the history of art.
“The inclusion of video games furthers the mission of the museum and ensures the ongoing preservation, study and interpretation of video games as part of the national collection of American art.”
The addition of these games to one of the biggest museums in the world is a great step forward for the games industry. The world is starting to accept video games as art in much the same way films are considered art. We can only hope more follow the Smithsonian’s lead.
The Smithsonian added in its statement that it is looking to expand its collection of video in the future.
Rockstar Games is proud to announce that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is now available for select iOS devices.
Upon its original release, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas took the groundbreaking series to new heights, delivering three detailed cities and an entire state for players to roam.
“Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was a giant leap forward for the series, bringing the early ’90s West Coast to life in a massive world full of possibilities,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “We’re thrilled for players to experience it all on mobile devices.”
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas features a vast open-world covering the state of San Andreas and its three major cities – Los Santos, San Fierro and Las Venturas. In addition to enhanced visual fidelity and over 70 hours of gameplay, the game has received several technical upgrades for the iOS version and has been specially modified for use with mobile devices. Upgrades and enhancements include:
Five years ago, Carl Johnson escaped from the pressures of life in Los Santos, a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs and corruption. Now it’s the early 90’s and Carl’s got to go home. His mother has been murdered, his family has fallen apart and his childhood friends are all heading towards disaster. On his return to the neighborhood, a couple of corrupt cops frame him for homicide. CJ is forced on a journey that takes him across the entire state of San Andreas, to save his family and to take control of the streets.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is available for $6.99, and can be purchased for iOS.
11 days after its launch on the Apple App Store, Independent Polish developer Incuvo are proud to announce some impressive stats for its debut title Createrria, the first application that allows players to create and publish their own games.
Since its full global roll out on December 6th Createrria has achieved some impressive numbers that have catapulted it in to the status of genuine indie phenomenon!
· 500,000 users
· 560,000 games created
· 66,000 games published within the Incuvo community
· 60,000 shares to through social media including Facebook and Twitter
· 7.4 million plays of games created by the Incuvo community
· Reached #1 Adventure game for iPad on the US app store
· Reached #9 all free apps for iPad on the US app store
Createrria is fast becoming a must have app for games designers and developers with it’s easy to use creation tools.
Oculus VR has secured a further $75 million in investment to finalise the consumer version of its highly anticipated virtual reality head-set.
The series B round was led by Andreessen Horowitz, and featured contributions from Spark Capital, Matrix Partners and Formation 8. Marc Andreessen, founder of Netscape and the driving force behind Andreessen Horowitz, will join the Oculus VR board.
“Over the past 16 months, we’ve grown from a start-up to a company whose virtual reality headset is poised to change the way we play, work and communicate,” said Oculus VR CEO Brendan Iribe said in a statement issued to the press.
“40,000 developers and enthusiasts, as well as a number of great partners, have joined our cause and helped us bring the seemingly impossible to life. This additional infusion of capital, as well as the leadership and experience of Marc Andreessen, will help us take the final steps toward our ultimate goal: making virtual reality something consumers everywhere can enjoy.”
Andreessen stated his belief that the Oculus Rift would revolutionise not just games, but film, education, architecture and design.
“The games industry is well past the point where more pixels, texels, flops, and frames displayed on the same fixed screens are really changing the experiences that players get,” said Oculus CTO John Carmack, who joined the company full-time last month after resigning his position at id Software.
“I could say the same about other digital experiences as well. What will revolutionize gaming, and interactive content in general, is putting people inside the digital world. That is our goal at Oculus, and this Series B will help us get there,”
The size of this latest investment proves just how much faith is being placed in the Oculus Rift. In June, the company raised $16 million in its first round of funding.
This is the final game charts for the year from Train2Game and it is one of the quieter charts of the year. The only new game in the charts this week is Angry Birds Star Wars which has entered at number seventeen. The only other new entrant is a return of Football Manager 2014. Call of Duty: Ghosts is still at number one.
All formats
Week ending 14 December 2013
| POS. | TITLE | PUBLISHER | LAST WEEK |
|
| 1 | – | CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS | ACTIVISION | 1 |
| 2 | – | FIFA 14 | EA SPORTS | 2 |
| 3 |  |
LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | 6 |
| 4 |  |
BATTLEFIELD 4 | EA GAMES | 3 |
| 5 | |
ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG | UBISOFT | 4 |
| 6 | |
JUST DANCE 2014 | UBISOFT | 7 |
| 7 | |
NEED FOR SPEED: RIVALS | EA GAMES | 11 |
| 8 | |
GRAND THEFT AUTO V | ROCKSTAR | 5 |
| 9 | |
WWE 2K14 | 2K SPORTS | 14 |
| 10 | |
GRAN TURISMO 6 | SONY COMPUTER ENT. | 8 |
| 11 | |
KILLZONE: SHADOW FALL | SONY COMPUTER ENT. | 9 |
| 12 | |
MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION | MICROSOFT | 13 |
| 13 | |
SKYLANDERS SWAP FORCE | SKYLANDERS | 12 |
| 14 | |
BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | 10 |
| 15 | – | FORZA MOTORSPORT 5 | MICROSOFT | 15 |
| 16 | |
DISNEY INFINITY | DISNEY INFINITY | 15 |
| 17 | ANGRY BIRDS STAR WARS | ACTIVISION | – | |
| 18 | – | DEAD RISING 3 | MICROSOFT | 18 |
| 19 | |
FOOTBALL MANAGER 2014 | SEGA | 17 |
| 20 | |
TOMB RAIDER | SQUARE ENIX | 16 |
| < previous week |
These charts cannot be reproduced either in print or online without obtaining permission from Ukie. If you wish to reproduce the charts in print or online, please contact david.smith@ukie.org.uk for the appropriate license.
This week on Thursday 12th December, Train2Game’s Harry Cole interviewed Edd Hardy and Andy Smith, auditors at CNS Group www.cnsgroup.co.uk.
The conversation was in-line with previous interviews where Train2Game get expert insight from people working in the games industry and employment areas of interest to our students.
Harry was joined by Train2Game students; Muir and Chris, who were on the call to ask questions directly to the experts. Students were also encouraged to submit questions ahead of the interview which Harry asked on their behalf.
Points discussed include: firewalls, layers of security, potential pitfalls with different types of technology, facial recognition, global satellite positioning and advice about best practice.
Please make sure to have a listen to the interview and let us know what you think. If you have any questions or would like to be involved in future discussions then please get in touch with Harry via the forum.
In the interview Harry requested a best practice list for the students, which he will post when it becomes available. We have further interview planned for next year, with games developers and cloud solution providers, so make sure to stay tuned.
You can hear the interview here: http://www.spreaker.com/user/train2gamestudentradio/train2game-interview-cns-group
This year Microsoft started their Acceleration Programme and one of the teams involved was a Train2Game Student Studio.
The studio, GallantCloud, was made up of Train2Game students trying to get their foot in the door of the games industry and this has certainly helped them do just that. As a result of the initiative the team were put in touch with the wider gaming industry.
They attended games industry events and conferences. The team were mentored by Train2Game and Microsoft experts. They also received further tutoring from members of the gaming and business community.
Coverage of the initiative was extensive, with placements on: The Microsoft Accelerator Website,numerous mentions in games industry trade publication – Develop and on Gallant Cloud’s own official website. Train2Game also covered the scheme extensively with videos and content on Train2Game’s official YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, accounts.
In the link below, you can view all of GallantClouds story as this leg of their games industry journey has come to an end.
http://train2gamewinners.co.uk/downloads/Gallant-Cloud.pdf
Good luck from all of us at Train2Game for everything you do in the future guys!
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