Tag Archives: Game Jam

Train2game News Train2Game students creating own Game Jam

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Free Game Jam organised by Train2Game students, for Train2Game students will take place 27th May. Train2Game also helping to create and support the event.

Students looking to improve their skills and network have created their own game jam. Train2Game is helping the initiative with advice and publicising the event on its channels. The game jam will be remote, with participants getting involved over the web from any location.

Participants can create their own teams or sign up via the Team Speak channel and form teams on the group. Those taking part can suggest a theme that will then be selected at the beginning of the event. Judges for the competition will be made of students past and present. All entries will be visible on the forum, where students can vote on their favourite.

Students can use their entries to gain experience and for use in their portfolios. They will also find a network of friends that could become professional contacts in the future. Train2Game is also offering a gaming laptop to the winning team.

Train2Game student and head of Game Marmalade, Slinks said: ‘I decided to do a Game Jam because I was egged on by my fellow students, late at night in my Teamspeak channel. There is a slightly selfish element to putting this event on as well, as I’m also looking out for my future. If I can’t get a new future in game art, I might be able to get a new future in online event organisation. It’s another string to my bow.’

‘Obviously everyone in the Teamspeak channel is interested and I’ve got a team together. But I think this is going to be a slow burner. People are only just learning more about the event as the post I put up this evening has much more information, answers many more questions and gives a better structure for the event. Once people have read and digested the post, I’m hoping it’ll kick things off.’

‘There are many benefits for students such as, learning to work as a team, experience working to a deadline, improving communication skills, discovering your strengths and weaknesses, learning to work under pressure, problem solving, learning how you cope with stress, the sense of achievement when you complete the project, new friendships, new teams, a potential studio, the possibilities are endless. But by forging some strong alliances through events like this now, we give ourselves the best opportunity to be successful in the future as this is how studios are formed.’

‘Not only will you have examples of your own work to show prospective employers, you’ll also have an example or that work in action. Being involved in a team project also demonstrates you are capable of being a team player and possess some of the qualities listed above. So I believe getting involved in Game Marmalade with be good for a student’s portfolio’s and their C.V.’

‘People can help by getting their own teams together and registering them with me as soon as possible. Also if there are any students out there who would like to be involved but can’t make the event, I’m looking for judges so I need to hear from these people as soon as possible as well.’

‘People can sign up with me by sending all the details of their team and a theme to me and I’m holding regular meets in my channel every Friday. People can come to the channel on any other evening as well, I try to be in there most evening around 7pm but people pop in and out at all hours so apart from Friday it’s a case of drop by and see who’s about.’

A spokesman for Train2Game added, ‘This initiative demonstrates a key part of developing students into team players for the modern games industry. Train2Game will be offering a magnificent gamers laptop as the top prize for this Game Jam.’

Email event organiser: slinky.dink68@outlook.com

Find out more about the event on the Train2Game forum: http://forum.train2game.com/showthread.php/22512-Game-Marmalade-A-Game-Jam-by-students-for-students-May-Bank-Holiday

For more information contact: mark@train2game.com

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Train2Game News HELP Real War is Not a Game

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Games are officially the new rock and roll as, two decades on from the iconic HELP album, game developers from across the globe are to pool their talents to create HELP: Real War is Not a Game, a unique compilation to raise funds for War Child
 
It was 20 years ago today… that Oasis, Blur, The Stone Roses, Paul Weller, Paul McCartney and many more got together to create HELP, the first in a series of award-winning albums, which raised more than £1.5m to fund War Child’s activities to protect children in the war-torn Balkans.

Now, two decades on, a star-studded line-up of game developers have announced their intention to follow in those musicians’ footsteps by uniting in a unique ‘studio game jam’ designed to help fund War Child’s ongoing activities in conflict-affected countries.

A traditional game jam is a gathering of game developers for the planning, design and creation of one or more games within a fixed time span. Game jams usually take place in a single location and last for a fixed period… normally between 24 and 72 hours. The HELP game jam will largely stick to those principles, but instead of having a fixed home it will take place in a variety of locations across the world and the teams involved will be allowed a total of six days to bring their creation from concept to completion, based on a brief provided by War Child.

The result of all of this international collaboration will be brought together as HELP: Real War is Not a Game, a compilation of games which will be made available to the general public to buy as a digital download early next year.
 
Studios which have already committed to participating include 343 Industries, A Brave Plan, Bossa Studios, Carbon Games, Creative Assembly, Curve Digital, Hardlight, Hinterland, Spilt Milk Studios, Sports Interactive, Team 17 and Torn Banner (who, between them, have sold well in excess of 100m games), with more announcements expected in the coming weeks. Major technology providers including Unreal, Gamemaker and Unity are also backing the project by providing their tools to the teams on a ‘no cost and royalty free’ basis.
 
“War Child’s work is amazing. It revolves around a simple premise… no child has started a war, so no child should be affected by one,” says Miles Jacobson, Studio Director at Sports Interactive and founder of the global games jam committee. “Whether it’s rehabilitating ex child soldiers in Democratic Republic of Congo, creating child helplines in Afghanistan, providing safe spaces for Syrian refugee children, or the work in so many other countries – wherever they are they make the world a better place for children forced to live with war. For so many studios to have got involved in this project at such an early stage is really humbling. I hope many more join the cause and get involved in something that will be fun, rewarding and make a huge difference in children’s lives across the world.”
 
“We’re incredibly excited about the launch of HELP: Real War is Not a Game. It’s been amazing to be part of this initiative which is set to raise vital funds for children whose lives have been torn apart by war,” says Rob Williams, Chief Executive Officer of War Child UK. “In the 20 years since the music industry came together to create the HELP album, we’ve seen new records for the numbers of children affected by conflict. Today, the gaming industry is changing the game, with exactly the kind of creative and collective response required to help War Child change more lives.”

The War Child games committee is Alex Chapman (Sheridans), Ciarán Brennan (Sports Interactive), Elisabeth Little (War Child), Imre Jelle (Bossa), John Clark (SEGA), Miles Jacobson (Sports Interactive), Rupert Loman (Gamer Network) and Stuart Saw (Twitch).

HELP: Real War is Not a Game will be released through Steam and other digital download platforms in late March 2016. For further information, keep an eye on http://www.warchild.org.uk/helpgame and War Child’s UK’s twitter, or email helpgame@warchild.org.uk .

War Child’s HELP campaign is seeking large-scale public support in the form of an online petition. For more information on the HELP campaign go to www.warchild.org.uk/help .

Train2Game News ChilliWorks GameJam

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Dundee based, game technology company, ChilliWorks, is gearing up to give away £1,000 to the best prototype game created with their new open source game engine, ChilliSource.

ChilliWorks is a new suite of game development tools created by Scottish mobile game studio, Tag Games. This week the company announced plans of their first official game jam, inviting teams to take part in the event.

ChilliWorks is offering competitors the chance to win £1,000 to the overall winner of the 48-hour ChilliSource Game Jam, where prototype games will be created with the ChilliSource engine. Submissions will be judged by the ChilliWorks team, based on style, mechanic, creativity and general fun factor.

The jam coincides with this year’s Dare to be Digital competition. A change in the application process that allows competitors to apply for Dare to be Digital with a pre-developed prototype, provides a timely opportunity for anyone taking part in the ChilliSource Game Jam.

Mike Herron, Head of Connected Technology at ChilliWorks says, “The first ChilliSource game jam is another significant milestone in the roadmap of the engine. It’s open-source so it’s out there for anyone to download and contribute to. The jam will give us the opportunity to get a lot of vital feedback from developers. We are big fans of Dare to be Digital so being able to support applicants through our game jam is a real added bonus.”

He goes on to say “We hope the ChilliSource Game Jam will encourage potential Dare to be Digital applicants to create something incredible using our engine and inspire anyone in two minds about taking part to get involved.”

The ChilliSource Game Jam is hosted remotely meaning teams can work from the comfort of their own home. The jam starts at 18:00 UTC on the 17th of April and finishes at 18:00 UTC on the 19th of April.

If you want the chance to take part, you need to email gamejam@chilli-works.com before the 16th of April and register your team.

Train2Game News EGX Rezzed Game Jam

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Creative Assembly, one of the oldest and largest UK development studios, will once again bring their Creative Assembly Game Jam game development competition to video games event EGX Rezzed on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th March.
  
The Game Jam will reside in the GamesIndustry Fair, which brings educators, employers and recruiters together to inspire the next generation of budding games industry professionals – whether they be students, graduates or those already in employment – towards a highly rewarding career in the games industry.
    
Partnering with leading media the Guardian for the first time, the Creative Assembly Game Jam is an opportunity for game developers, whether amateur or professional, to spend a day making a game to help inspire and educate the highly engaged and motivated GamesIndustry Fair visitors. Final games will be presented to a panel of prestigious judges from the games industry – including Creative Assembly and the Guardian – and will also be streamed across the Internet via the EGX Rezzed Twitch channel. Following a day of development on Friday, all teams will demonstrate their games in the GamesIndustry Fair area on Saturday 14th March.
  
In recognition of their achievement, winners will take away some fantastic prizes. One previous success story is Tango Fiesta, a PC/Mac game which grew to life in the first EGX Rezzed Creative Assembly Game Jam and has since gone on to become a critical and commercial success.
    
“We’re partnering with Guardian to elevate the profile of the Game Jam among developers and the public alike”, commented Sophie Malik, HR Business Partner from Creative Assembly. “We want to show their massive global audience how games can not only be entertaining, but a powerful creative force in the world”.
    
Guardian Games Editor Keith Stuart added, “The Game Jam at EGX Rezzed represents a fascinating chance to explore the possibilities of games as a medium for news. I think interactive journalism will be as important in the future as data journalism is right now – a revolutionary way to process big stories. This should be fascinating”.
  
The Creative Assembly Game Jam is intended for individuals and teams who wish to create a game in a day and have it reviewed by a panel of respected games industry professionals. Successful individual applicants will be placed within a team for the Game Jam. Entrants should be over 18 and have some knowledge of making games. Applications to the Creative Assembly Game Jam are open now until midnight on Tuesday 3rd March, with the selected teams being announced the following Friday 6th March. Successful entrants will each receive a complimentary all-show ticket for EGX Rezzed, which includes access to the GamesIndustry Fair.
   
If you would like to enter as an individual or team of up to five, please register your application here.
   
If you have further questions about the Creative Assembly Game Jam please contact Sophie Malik (sophie.malik@creative-assembly.com) at Creative Assembly.
   
For more information about the Creative Assembly Game Jam, the GamesIndustry Fair and EGX Rezzed please visit: www.egx.net/rezzed.

Train2Game News WeWanaPlay around the world

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For the 7th year in a row, Global Game Jam is hosting the world’s largest hackathon  (A marathon for gaming developers) where over 25k developers are coming together for one weekend in almost 500 locations worldwide to build games. This year the event takes place on the 23rd-25th January.

It’s a great opportunity to not only help inspire the next generation of programmers, but a chance for  some of the best, smartest and most entertaining developers to gain international exposure to the rest of the gaming world.

Wewanaplay (a Birmingham, UK based gaming company) are planning to livestream the entire event from over 40 different Jamming locations around the world. Each team will be showcasing their event for an hour, helping to bring together the entire game developing community for the very first time on one channel. It’s a great way to showcase how different cultures tackle the challenge and show that even when we are miles apart, we can still come together for great reasons.

Deepak Pathak, WewanaPlay CEO mentioned “With places like Costa Rica, Jamica and Taiwan getting involved it’s going to be fantastic not just to watch the amazing games they create but also feel like you have travelled the world in one weekend.”

To catch the livestream over the weekend go to http://www.twitch.tv/wewanaplay
For information on the schedule of different teams streaming visit http://www.wewanaplay.com/events

Train2Game News WeWanaPlay Game Jam

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Gaming industry professionals and students from across the West Midlands will be heading to Birmingham City University on 23 January to make new computer games – in just one weekend.

Hosted by the University’s Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment and co-organised with Birmingham gaming app-makers WewanaPlay, the event forms part of the Global Game Jam (GGJ) – the world’s largest game jam event which last year saw almost 3000 games created.

Taking place at Birmingham City University’s City Centre Campus, participants from the West Midlands will join more than 7,000 people worldwide as they compete to make the best computer games in 48 hours.

“Computer games are of growing importance to our regional economy and we are very fortunate to have so many great innovative indie game studios so close to our City Centre Campus. Our highly respected computer games technology course is leading the way in providing exceptional young talent to these companies”, said Andrew Wilson, Programme Leader for Computer Games Technology at Birmingham City University.

“This event will emphasize both the regional and global importance that computer games play and it’s an amazing opportunity to network with industry professionals, learn new skills and share best practice.”

On arrival at the event, a secret theme will be announced which must form part of all of the games created. Attendees will be invited to explore new technology tools, take on new roles in games development and test their skills as they design, develop, create and test new games over two days.

To find out more visit http://www.blog.wewanaplay.com/

Train2Game News Franco Jam

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Franco JamUK studio Creative Assembly is hosting a game jam this weekend in honour of Simon Franco, a member of the team that passed away earlier this year.

Franco was a senior programmer on Alien Isolation, and worked on multiple Total War games during his 10 years at the Surrey studio.

This weekend, small teams of Creative Assembly staff will compete to create a whole game in two days, with proceeds raised and donations going to Royal Surrey County Hospital, which cared for Franco.

The judges panel for the contest will consist of Franco’s friends and family, plus Sprungdigi ambassador Darius.

A live stream will run throughout the event, which will also include a charity auction of Steam keys and signed goodies from Creative Assembly’s various games.

“Simon Franco was a dear friend and colleague to many here at CA,” the studio wrote on its blog.

“Simon was a big Magic the Gathering enthusiast, with a passion for creating retro games in his spare time, as well as being a dedicated father who sadly didn’t get to meet his youngest daughter before he passed. He was positive, kind and always had a time for anyone that asked for it.

“We were all deeply saddened by his sudden passing earlier this year and to commemorate his life, work and passion for retro gaming, we’re hosting a weekend-long GameJam in his honour.”

Creative Assembly is also inviting people to donate to their cause by clicking here.

Train2Game News Commando Kiwi Update

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Commando KiwiTrain2Game Student Studio, Commando Kiwi, the winners of the 2012 Make Something Unreal Live competition are back and under new management!

Train2Game Student Adam Sherratt is now the head of Commando Kiwi and they have been working hard since we last heard from them.

After deciding that the project they had started following the Make Something Unreal Live contest was slightly more ambitious than they first anticipated they made the executive decision to start a new IP using the framework they had already created for there winning game at MSUL.

However, with life getting in the way, a few of the original Commando Kiwi members left on to new ventures which left the team struggling until Adam came up with a plan to revitalise the studio. Several of the team volunteered to be mentors at the recent Train2Game Game Jam which put them in excellent position to scout for new team members.

The studio was back up to eight members and ready to get to work on their next game.

When asked about the studios new project Adam said “The game is a 3rd person action adventure RPG style game with cinematic combat sequences that play very similarly to battles in final fantasy 7, 8 and 10. Our aim is to bring a console quality gaming experience to mobile. By using the unreal engine 3 we will be able to offer incredible visuals, a strong sound track and a great story to produce a truly immersive game world on mobile. Initially the game would be released on iOS for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch but if things go well we will port it over to Android too. If you follow Commando Kiwi on Facebook you will see we have just started to leak information and concept art and we have a new company logo.”

Now the next stage for Commando Kiwi is they will be displaying their game at Appsworld and Platform Expo this year to spread the word and receive feedback from the public to make the game as best as it can be. So if you are attending either event go and say hello and give them your support!

The studio is intending to start a Kickstarter campaign in the future as currently everything they are doing is having to come out of their own pockets and they want this game to be the best that it can be.

You can follow Commando Kiwi on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/comkiwi

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 Game Jam 2014 winner released

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Nom Nom, Nom, Nom…

Game jam winning title from Train2Game student studio 1HPLeft soon to be available on: Google Play, Windows and iOS

Touch screen title that has you avoiding getting ‘Nommed’ by other fish will soon be available to buy on all major mobile gaming platforms. ‘Nom’ really impressed at this year’s Train2Game Game Jam and was judged the best game of over twenty submissions. Judges including Jon Hare, gave it the top prize, giving the development team the impetus to get the game out there and make it available for gamers to buy.

The game is beautiful in its simplicity and completely addictive game play. The characters are designed to have instant personality and help to immerse players in a wonderfully playful environment. Much like popular titles currently available, the game drops the player straight into play and challenges the player to hit a high score in never-ending gameplay.

Controlling a fish with a finger using touch screen technology, players pull and push a character around the screen, eating to get bigger and collect points, while avoiding other fish looking to take a bite out of them. The longer you stay alive, the higher your score will be. But beware you will get bigger and more Nom fishes will arrive on screen to take a bite out of you as your score gets higher. Pick up power ups to improve your survive-ability while whizzing your finger around the screen to avoid your attackers.

The team have promised more updates to come and lots more additions to keep improving this wonderfully playable title.