Tag Archives: SpecialEffect

Train2Game News: Jagex supporting SpecialEffect GameBlast

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Jagex Games Studio, makers of the multi-award winning fantasy MMORPG, RuneScape, is to host a 24-hour long marathon in support of the games charity SpecialEffect’s inaugural GameBlast weekend.

The challenge, to be held at Jagex’s Cambridge headquarters, will take place from 1pm GMT on Friday 21st February and will see staff and selected members of the RuneScape community play RuneScape and Ace of Spades throughout the 24-hour period. The event will also be live-streamed throughout via the official RuneScape and Ace of Spades twitch.tv channels, which will also include interviews with the RuneScape development team.

In addition to holding the marathon, Jagex will be running in-game events within RuneScape. Following a recent player vote, there will be Double XP for players during the GameBlast weekend. The Well of Goodwill, which saw players raise tens of thousands of pounds for a number of charities at the end of 2013, will re-open for a short time only. Players will also be able to purchase a virtual GameBlast tunic for their avatars, with all proceeds donated to SpecialEffect. During the GameBlast weekend, 50 percent of all profits from sales of Ace of Spades will be donated to SpecialEffect.

“Jagex has long supported numerous charities close to our heart, and we are thrilled to be able to continue our strong relationship with SpecialEffect by taking part in the inaugural GameBlast,” said Neil McClarty, Brand Director for RuneScape. “Our community truly are fantastic, and their generosity during our most recent charity campaign saw hundreds of billions of gold pieces and Bonds converted into real-world cash for good causes, including SpecialEffect. The weekend is shaping up to be big with lots planned including live streams and players recently voted to celebrate with double XP available all weekend, this is one not miss.”

“SpecialEffect does fantastic work to level the playing field between abled and disabled gamers, and Jagex is excited to continue supporting the organisation’s efforts by participating in GameBlast,” said Rob Kinder, Brand Director for Ace of Spades. “Getting the Ace of Spades community together for a 24-hour marathon gaming session while raising money for charity at the same time is the perfect way to start the weekend, and we can’t wait for the event to kick off!”

“We’re absolutely delighted that Jagex are going to play a huge part in GameBlast. We’re already indebted to them for the wonderful support they gave us in 2013 through their Well of Goodwill, and to have their involvement in this weekend of gaming is fantastic,” said Dr Mick Donegan, Founder and Director of SpecialEffect. “There are thousands of people in the world that want to share our passion for video games, but their disabilities stop them playing any of the titles we love. The sponsorship that the Jagex players and staff raise through their marathon will help us to bring magic moments and opportunities for inclusion into many, many more lives.”

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: SpecialEffect wish Happy Christmas!

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SpecialEffectThe 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!

Train2Game News: Yogscast and Humble Bundle raising money for charity

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YogscastYogscast have teamed up with Humble Bundle to raise money for several different charities this Holiday season.

People who donate $25 to this Humble Bundle will receive over $200 worth of games including; Torchlight, Chivalry: Medieval Warfare, Shank 2, Magicka: Wizard Wars (Early Access), Sonic All-Star Racing Transformed and Napoleon: Total War. With this Bundle not only will you receive all those games but even a couple of bits of DLC, including an exclusive Yogscast War of the Vikings Hat.

The money raised by this Humble Bundle will be used to support great charities like; Oxfam, SpecialEffect, Little People UK, GamesAid, and War Child.

Yogscast have created this video to explain what they are doing in more detail:

If you want to donate and get some great games visit https://www.humblebundle.com/yogscast

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: Insomnia50 announced

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InsomniaMultiplay, organiser of the Insomnia series of gaming festivals, the largest gaming festivals in the United Kingdom is pleased to announce the initial line-up for its 50th LANniversary, Insomnia50, taking place at the Telford International Centre from 29 November through 2 December 2013.

Over 25,000 gaming enthusiasts attended Insomnia 49, with a further 4.7 million viewers on the Multiplay website, delivering over 11 million minutes of video views across the weekend, and over two million Flickr photo views and Insomnia 50 will continue the tradition of delivering an incredible weekend for attendees and its millions of viewers online.

With an incredible line-up of entertainment on offer, Insomnia is a place for friends and families alike to experience gaming-based activities throughout the whole weekend. From Hunger Games tournaments and creative builds in the Minecraft Zone, to a huge selection of the latest independent games and their developers in the Indie Zone.  There really is something for everyone; with prize-pool competitive tournaments for a variety of modern eSports for both pc and console gamers, a thriving exhibition with the latest games and merchandise the Card & Board game area, Retro Zone, Mainstage and more, Insomnia delivers a gaming experience unlike any other.

To celebrate the 50th LANniversary, Multiplay are hosting an Insomnia50 Celebration Evening. Taking place on the Saturday of the event, the evening comprises of the World Famous Insomnia Pub Quiz, live music from throwback glam rock heroes Saints of Sin, live comedy from critically acclaimed comedian Paul Tonkinson and the Insomnia Awards, a ceremony celebrating the uniquely brilliant qualities of both the Multiplay community and the Insomnia events themselves. With all proceeds going to Multiplay’s designated charity, SpecialEffect.

“It’s been a milestone we’ve been anticipating, and with the fantastic turnout from Insomnia fans at Insomnia49, we are incredibly pleased to produce the best gaming festival in the UK even better”, said Craig Fletcher, Multiplay CEO. “As a team, we couldn’t be happier with the success of Insomnia, driven by its passionate community, and we can’t wait to deliver something truly memorable for our fans as we celebrate our 50th LANniversary.”

With some of the biggest eSports tournaments in the UK, Insomnia is not to be missed, with spaces to compete in the tournaments still available online on the Insomnia Gaming Festivals website.

More announcements will be made in the coming months, including amazing games being shown for the first time in the UK. For the most up-to-date line-up, visit the official website at http://insomniagamingfestival.com.

Train2Game News: Affordable eye tracking technology

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MyGazeA new affordable myGaze eye tracking technology offers developers a robust platform to make video games more accessible and exciting for disabled and non-disabled gamers.

The new myGaze eye tracker is a mainstream product that offers high performance at a low cost. It was used at EuroGamer Expo 2013 and illustrated the potential of the new myGaze eye tracking technology to enhance the enjoyment of many disabled as well as non-disabled gamers.

Many people with a range of disabilities find themselves unable to use their hands to control technology as well as they would like to, due to conditions such as multiple sclerosis, spinal injury and muscular dystrophy and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), with 30,000 people estimated as having the latter condition in America alone. According to professionals in the assistive field, a long-time challenge for using gaze interaction for many potential beneficiaries has been its cost.

The German company Visual Interaction has now offered a solution to this problem: It makes its myGaze eye tracker, which can be used with various 3rd party applications, including video games, available in its online store for as low as €499.

Recently, SpecialEffect, acquired the myGaze Developer Edition in order to consider the feasibility of using this gaze interaction system with videogames such as DiRT3, Peggle and Fruit Ninja for people with disabilities. The myGaze system was one of the gaze interaction systems available for the public to try for themselves on the SpecialEffect stand at the EuroGamer Expo 2013 in London.

Dr Mick Donegan, Founder and CEO of SpecialEffect, an independent charity, talks about his experience:

“…While the myGaze isn’t designed to offer the range of features available on systems specially designed for the assistive market, it can nonetheless offer a level of performance that can enhance the enjoyment of people with a wide range of abilities, if it is used with carefully selected and modified games.”

The big question however remains – will eye tracking become a mass-market product with wide variety of applications available?

“Game changers like Google or Amazon have now accelerated the patenting and integration of eye trackers into their upcoming products,” says Daniel Trifonov, Head of Business Development & Partnerships at Visual Interaction, “With our state of the art technology made affordable and the growing popularity of our online application store, 3rd party developers have in myGaze a robust platform to build a variety of applications for the future of gaze interaction in gaming, the assistive market and other application fields.”

Visual Interaction (VI) has taken on the mission to provide easy to use and affordable gaze tracking and gaze based interaction solutions for broad professional, educational and consumer audiences and developers. VI collaborates with leaders around the world to create best in class solutions. For its superior performance VI myGaze trackers rely on eye tracking technology by SensoMotoric Instruments (SMI) from Germany, for more than 20 years a leader in eye tracking solutions.

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 Windows Phone 8 app released

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SpecialEffect SpecialEffect, the UK charity that helps people with disabilities to play computer games, have released a free Windows Phone 8 app.

The charity are confident that the app, designed at no charge to the charity by Des Gayle of Altered Gene Studios (http://alteredgenestudios.com), will form a vital part of their communications strategy in spreading the word about how they raise the quality of life for gamers with disabilities.

Des is an ambassador of SpecialEffect and has taken part in many fundraising activities for them, including the British 10K run and several footballing events.

“With gaming getting bad press in some quarters it’s even more important that we can increase our communication channels about how gaming can be a force for good,” said the charity’s Communications Officer Mark Saville. “The app contains news, information and links to many wonderful video case studies that show how we’re bringing families together through video games. It’s targeting something that often gets overlooked – that people with disabilities have lives beyond simply ‘being disabled’ and want to enjoy themselves with everyone else.”

The app can be downloaded at
http://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=e2802437-3a6c-49b2-91eb-fe5499575b9f