The animation tools company hopes to help GDC attendees play as hard as they work.
While catching the unmissable keynotes and sessions at each Game Developers Conference requires meticulous planning, activities outside of the main conference might reasonably be left to chance. However, NaturalMotion - the company behind game animation engines Euphoria and Morpheme - thinks otherwise.
Angry Birds, Plants Vs Zombies, Doodle Jump, Sonic and more coming this Spring.
Microsoft has announced Must-Have Games, a six-week promotion that will see a raft of new titles released for Windows Phone 7.
The firm declined to reveal when the promotion would launch – saying only that it would be kicking off “this Spring”.
Lucid Games set up by former development director, hoping to create 50 new jobs.
Members of staff made redundant when Bizarre Creations closed its doors last Friday have announced the formation of a new studio, Lucid Games.
The studio was set up by Pete Wallace, formerly Bizarre’s development director, who told the Liverpool Daily Post he hoped to create 50 jobs at the firm, which has support from regeneration agency Liverpool Vision.
Microsoft confirms four maps, two of which chosen by fans, and three multiplayer game modes.
Microsoft has announced that the public multiplayer beta of upcoming shooter Gears Of War 3 will be launched in mid-April.
The beta will include three new gametypes playable on four maps. Two – Checkout and Thrashball – have already been selected, and fans are invited to vote for another two on the game’s Facebook page.
Format: 360
Release: September 20 (April, beta)
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Epic Games
Wow! What a response we have had to our Game To Learn afternoon practical workshops! More than half are fully booked and only a few spaces left in the others! As you can see from the table below, we’ve had great interest in our Game Design work shops that focus on Scratch, Build Your Own Blocks, Kodu, RPG Maker VX and 2Simple’s Purple Mash /2DIY as well as Thinkworlds 3D environment building session.
This demonstrates just how keen educators are in Scotland to equip themselves with skills to deliver the Game Design CfE outcomes in their classrooms. What is even more great to see is that it’s not just Computing teachers taking advantage of the sessions, but practioners from all over the curriculum – secondary and primary.
The three sessions that still have spaces in them promise to be an engaging experience for everyone involved.
NB – We will keep you updated via this blog and twitter (follow @gametolearn and the hashtag #gametolearn) should we receive any cancelations or find some more space in any of the full workshops.
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No surprises as shooter tops monthly sales in Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden.
Call Of Duty: Black Ops was the best-selling all-formats game in the Nordic territories of Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway during January.
The news is far from a surprise, with Activision’s shooter dominating the chart since its release last November. LittleBigPlanet 2 is just behind in second spot, an impressive feat for a single-format game.
Puzzle Pirates developer working on free-to-play MMOG, due later this year.
Three Rings, developer of the innovative minigame MMOG Puzzle Pirates, is to develop a new MMOG for the BBC based on Doctor Who.
In a statement the BBC confirmed that the game, titled Doctor Who: Worlds In Time, will be a free-to-play MMOG.
BBC Worldwide’s Robert Nashak said: “Doctor Who: Worlds in Time will invite players to save the universe by using their wits to solve time-bending puzzles and pulse-pounding challenges.
Study finds regular gamers twice as likely to speed, overtake, run red lights and suffer road rage.
A study by Continental Tyres has found that people who regularly play driving games make for worse drivers than non-gamers.
Format: Wii
Release: Out now (US, Japan), February 25 (UK)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: HAL Laboratory, Good-Feel
Screenshot gallery
Federal Trade Commission to investigate potential for children to rack up huge bills on virtual items.
The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has said that it is to “look closely” at the increasing popularity of “freemium” games.
The Washington Post reports that the FTC was spurred into action by Massachussets congressman Ed Markey, in which he raised concerns over the potential impact of consumers playing games that are free to play but feature in-app purchasing of virtual items.
Firm forced to briefly suspend updates to Samsung phones after one in ten updates fail.
Microsoft has revealed that its first Windows Phone 7 update, released yesterday, has a failure rate of 10 per cent.
In a post on the Windows Phone Blog, Microsoft’s Michael Stroh claims that half of those experiencing problems did so because of “a bad internet connection or insufficient computer storage space.”
Firm wants two senior legal staff to continue PS3 security battle as hacker's home raided by police.
Sony is actively hiring to bolster its options in the ongoing fight against PlayStation 3 hackers and pirates.
Invites, showing part of an iPad screen, sent out for March 2 press event in San Francisco.
Apple has as good as confirmed the announcement of the iPad 2. Following yesterday’s reports, the firm has sent out invites to a press event on March 2.
The event, held at Apple’s usual venue, the Yerba Buena Center For The Arts in San Francisco, will be streamed live to UK press at BBC Television Centre in London.
The Consolarium in partnership with JISC are delighted to be bringing the Game To Learn conference to the University of Abertay Dundee on Saturday 19th March.
The Saturday Programme offers both a fun-packed CPD event for teachers as well as a celebration of the diverse and innovative practice in games-based learning and game design that has been happening in schools across Scotland. Over the past few years the LTS Consolarium initiative has been working with partner schools across Scotland to help nurture the idea that commercially available computer games, that have been developed for entertainment, can be used to help create appealing, purposeful and challenging contexts for learning.
Game Design also offers learners of all ages to engage with the creative process in an engaging and contemprary way that really can facilitate effective CfE delivery. Throughout the morning seminars and afternoon workshops, delegates will have the opportunity to hear from practioners and their use of game design and get some hands on time with game design tools.
Half of the sessions are already fully booked so book your place now to avoid disappointment.
Sessions that are still available include, but not limited to ….
Read about our work with Nintendogs and the Nintendogs case study
Read about our work with the Kinectimals and our Professor Layton case study.
Read about our work with the Eyepet and Gerry’s experiences with Game Based Learning, and others’ experiences in the futurelab report
This may be especially of interest to languages teachers, active school coordinators, PE teachers, class teachers and deputes from Primary and Secondary schools who are interested in seeing how ‘subject specific’ game based learning projects can impact on the whole school.
Read about our work with Just Dance and My French Coach.
Phew! What a start to the day! Follow up your morning seminar with a spot of free lunch, the chance to talk to industry exhibitors then on to a practical, fun filled hands on session. Workshops still available include, but again not limited too..
Using RPG Maker VX to Help Tell Stories & Make Connections Across Learning
Mathew Reid, English Teacher, Garnock Academy, North Ayrshire
“If you’re asking, I’m dancing!” – Join Us for the Just Dance-athon!
Fiona Ferrie, PE Teacher, Doon Academy
Derek Robertson, National Adviser, Consolarium, Learning and Teaching Scotland
Purple Mash: Glow Resources and Game Design with 2DIY
Alan Yeoman, 2Simple Software
Playful, Outdoor and Blended Learning Using GPS
Ollie Bray, National Adviser for Emerging Technologies in Learning, Learning & Teaching Scotland
What are you waitng for? Get your game on now … for FREE!
Hope to see you all on Saturday 19th March 2011
Persona developer’s current-gen debut goes straight in at number one.
Team Persona’s first game for the current generation of consoles, Catherine, is the new number one game in Japan.
The PlayStation 3 version of the game sold over 140,000 units, enough to secure top slot even without the Xbox 360 release, which sold a shade under 22,000 copies.
Undisclosed settlement brings down the curtain on dispute over Zynga’s 2009 Facebook title.
Social gaming firms Zynga and Digital Chocolate have reached a settlement to their dispute over the Mafia Wars name.
Legal website The Recorder reveals the two firms have settled out of court, though the terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
Developer promises pro-active stance in weeding out the cheats in new shooter’s online mode.
Killzone 3 developer Guerrilla Games has said it is working with Sony to ensure hackers do not ruin the new shooter’s online mode for legitimate players.
Final part of the thirdperson shooter trilogy coming in September.
Gears Of War 3 will be released on September 20, Microsoft has announced.
In a brief statement the publisher described the final instalment of Epic Games’ trilogy as “the glorious conclusion to one of the most memorable sagas in videogames’ history.”
The game includes five-on-five competitive multiplayer, four-player campaign co-op and a new multiplayer gametype, Beast Mode, in which players control the Locust horde.
UK retailer effectively offers two-week rental of this week’s new releases for £4.99.
Specialist UK retailer Game is to guarantee a trade-in price of £35 for Bulletstorm and Killzone 3 until March 10 – essentially offering customers two weeks with the game for less than five pounds.
Firm now taking cut once sales pass $50,000; enhanced Unreal Engine 3 to be shown off at GDC.
Epic Games has announced that it has increased the threshold at which it starts charging royalties for games developed using its Unreal Development Kit (UDK).
Previously, the firm would take a 25 per cent cut of revenue once a product passed $5,000 in net sales. That has now been greatly increased to $50,000.
Scent-emitting USB device on the way for PC and consoles this year.
A new accessory will let players smell videogames such as World Of Warcraft when it releases worldwide later this year.
The ScentScape USB device contains 20 scent wells built into a cartridge that emits a specific smell – such as pine forest, smoke and ocean - when prompted by a game.
Developer gives premium DLC away as thanks for community’s support for bug-ridden racer.
Eden Games, developer of Test Drive Unlimited 2, has announced that the title’s upcoming DLC will be given away for free by way of apology for the technical issues that have dogged the game since its release two weeks ago.
John Romero’s social game passes milestone in four months; series of expansions planned.
Ravenwood Fair, a Facebook title from social game publisher LOLapps, has passed 10 million monthly active users, and is soon to receive an expansion, Ravenstone Mine.
Publisher confirms that, after an initial login, Brotherhood can be enjoyed offline.
Ubisoft has confirmed that its controversial always-on DRM will not be included in the upcoming PC release of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.
The publisher told VG247: “The PC version of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, after an initial login, will be playable in offline mode.”