The price of marketplace dominance is measured in, well, excitement, I guess. Almost everyone plays shooters, but it’s a rare person indeed who hasn’t grumbled about them too. They’re everywhere, they’re all the same, they’re steadily staining the world brown. It’s this kind of thinking that makes the 7 Day First Person Shooter design jam so timely: loads of new gun games, but they seem so fresh, so unusual.
Developers have never been faced with a broader range of platforms, nor a more difficult task when it comes to deciding on which to focus their efforts. The digital age has turned the traditional publishing model on its head, while development tools that were once the exclusive realm of experienced professionals now court amateurs with menu-driven interfaces and free licences.
Developers have never been faced with a broader range of platforms, nor a more difficult task when it comes to deciding on which to focus their efforts. The digital age has turned the traditional publishing model on its head, while development tools that were once the exclusive realm of experienced professionals now court amateurs with menu-driven interfaces and free licences.
Last December, Google proudly showed off what was by all rights a modern marvel: full console games playing in a browser without the need for plugins.
Activision has confirmed a "significant reduction in staff" at Radical Entertainment, the Canadian developer of the Prototype series which has been in business for over 20 years.
Enjmin is a training and research institute located in Angoulême, a city in the south-west of France, which offers a two-year master’s degree in games and interactive digital media. Students can specialise in one of six areas: game design, visual design, sound and music design, programming, ergonomics and project management, and can choose to spend a third year working on a personal project.
Firefall’s opening map, the Brazilian resort of Copacabana, boasts some astonishingly beautiful views. Rock formations bulge from the landscape in dramatic columns. Palm trees and other jungle foliage break up the sandy brown terrain as the waters of the Atlantic glitter in the middle distance. It would be an idyllic holiday retreat if not for the afterburner roar of all those jetboots polluting the calm.
In the last column we looked at the fundamentals of realtime strategy. Now, before we begin our deep dive into the specific details of StarCraft, we’re going to take a brief swim around the world.
Throughout this week, we're serialising an extended interview with Trip Hawkins, founder of Electronic Arts, The 3DO Company, and social gaming firm Digital Chocolate.
Southampton Solent University offers two major videogame degrees, a BSc (Hons) in computer games development with a focus on software engineering and a BA (Hons) in computer and video games for artists. A close relationship between them means that students benefit from working with, and learning from, other disciplines throughout their degrees.
Almost a decade after Sports Interactive left Eidos, studio director Miles Jacobson has finally explained the developer’s acrimonious split from its publisher.
Somerset might not spring to mind when planning your first steps into the fast-moving videogame industry, but Somerset College is doing its best to change that. Founded as The School Of Art And Science in 1856, it has benefited from a multimillion pound investment that’s resulted in cutting-edge facilities. Based in Taunton, the college’s two-year FdSc in computer games technology sets students up for either their first role in the industry, or a final year (subject to validation) at Somerset College to earn a BSc.
Howest, University College West Flanders is split between four campuses and two cities: Bruges and Kortrijk, and its bachelor’s degree in digital arts and entertainment was compiled with the input of major players in the international game industry, according to department international officer Rik Leenknegt. The college has been voted most entrepreneurial institution of higher education in Flanders by both employers and the government five times.
Eidos life president Ian Livingstone says the upcoming reboot of Tomb Raider still features a strong, capable heroine and believes reaction to the game's controversial trailer have been blown out of proportion.
Throughout this week, we're publishing an extended interview with Trip Hawkins, founder of EA, The 3DO Company and Digital Chocolate, and a former colleague of the late Steve Jobs at Apple.
“We are looking at the new arcade, and 99 cents on the iPhone is the new quarter.”
Seamus ‘Father of Xbox’ Blackley’s soundbite on the state of mobile games neatly encapsulates mobile gaming when it’s at its best – snack-sized play, choice, accessibility, excitement and opportunity.