Create, Animate, Integrate

May 14th, 2008 1pm -7pm PT

The Empire Landmark Hotel

Join Autodesk for our Create, Animate, Integrate Game tour. In this seminar, see how the latest releases of Autodesk 3D solutions can help your entire team create, animate and integrate its work into the game engine like never before. Our guest speaker, Randy Stebbing, Technical Art Director at High Moon Studios will talk about why his team chose to use Autodesk 3D solutions, and how they were used in his latest work, Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy.

Register today http//www.autodesk.com/gametour2008vancouver

Prehistory Meets Science Fiction
The Remake of Turok

March 5, 2008
Join the development team from Propaganda Games as they take us through the process of creating the the art, design, animation and technology of Turok, their recently released HD remake of the classic dinosaur hunting game. Propaganda will bring some sculpts of the dinosaurs along, and those will be displayed in the lobby of the theatre. Come early and have a look. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Visit Vancouver ACM Siggraph for more information and tickets

Hundreds of students from around the world applied for the IGDA scholarship due to the generous package. Winners received a Main Conference Pass, access to all sessions, roundtables and keynotes. Plus, each scholar is paired with an industry mentor. The IGDA matched Mike Cornford with game industry veteran Mike McShaffry (http://www.mcshaffry.com/mrmike/), who will also be speaking on project management at the conference. Further, scholars are treated to a studio tour at nearby Three Rings Design (www.threerings.net), a pioneer in the casual games space.

“This is my first GDC and I am going to attend as many sessions as I can, network like crazy, and get everything possible out of the event,” said MDM graduate student Mike Cornford. “I’m also going to blog about my experience on the Masters of Digital Media website (http://mdm.gnwc.ca) so that my peers can get a flavor of the magnitude of this amazing event.”

"Mike is a great choice. He's smart, motivated, professional and outgoing. Exactly the type of person our industry judges are looking for in an IGDA scholarship recipient," remarked the IGDA's executive director, Jason Della Rocca, who has given out scholarships on behalf of the IGDA for the past seven years.

Hosted in San Francisco, February 18 -22, the Game Developers Conference is the largest professional game industry event attended by more than 16,000 programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals and decision makers who make up this thriving industry.

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About the Masters of Digital Media (MDM) Program - The Masters of Digital Media (MDM) Program is an innovative, full time professional graduate degree program offering students team-based experiences focused on project learning in close collaboration with the digital media industry. The MDM is a 20-month program, including a paid, summer internship. The MDM Program is housed in the Centre for Digital Media, a new multimedia facility located at Vancouver's Great Northern Way Campus (GNWC). The GNWC is a unique collaborative university campus environment that combines the strengths of four leading academic institutions: the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design, and the British Columbia Institute of Technology. MDM graduates receive a master's degree bearing the seals of the four GNWC partner institutions.

About the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) - The International Game Developers Association is the largest non-profit membership organization serving individuals that create video games. The IGDA is committed to advancing the careers and enhancing the lives of game developers by connecting members with their peers, promoting professional development, and advocating on issues that affect the developer community. For more information on the IGDA, please visit www.igda.org.

Wednesday · January 23, 2008

AFTERNOON PROGRAM
1:00 pm Doors Open & Registration
2:00 pm The Creative Process of Designing a Universe
3:30 pm Q & A
3:45 pm Intermission
4:00 pm The Best of Stash '07

EVENING PROGRAM
6:00 pm Doors Open & Registration
7:00 pm The Creative Process of Designing a Universe
8:30 pm Q & A
8:45 pm Intermission
9:00 pm The Best of Stash '07

For details, please check out: Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH Coming Events

Vancouver, BC – November 13, 2007 – Game Design Expo is thrilled to name its keynote speakers for 2008: Jay Weinland and CJ Cowan, two of the team leads behind Bungie Studios' blockbuster Halo 3 , the fastest selling video game of all time.

The keynote will headline Game Design Expo 2008, which runs January 19 th and 20 th , 2008, in Vancouver, BC. The event is hosted by Vancouver Film School (VFS) in association with Event Partners G4TechTV, EA, CAEAA, Annex Pro, Crystal Dynamics, Radical Entertainment, Big Fish Games, Metropolitan Hotel, and The Province.

The two-day event will also feature lectures and panels by the designers, producers, and CEOs from top companies like Activision , BioWare , Eidos , EA , and Stormfront Studios , presenting topics ranging from the Console Wars to Digital Acting & Interactive Narrative to Game Audio . In conjunction with Game Design Expo 2008, the Game Design program at VFS will hold a free day-long Open House on January 20 th , with workshop classes and hands-on game demos.

In their keynote address, Bungie's Weinland (Audio Lead) and Cowan (Director of Cinematics) will discuss the tools and processes that helped create the sound and visuals for Halo 3 , which was released in September to rave reviews and first-day sales in the U.S. that reached a record-breaking $170 million.

General ticket sales for Game Design Expo 2008 begin on November 21 st , 2007. Check gamedesignexpo.com for detailed information, schedules, and up-to-the-minute news.

Vancouver, BC – November 6, 2007 – Announcing the second annual Game Design Expo & Open House , featuring some of the leading minds in video game design and development, to be held in Vancouver, B.C. on January 19^th and 20^th, 2008 , and hosted by Vancouver Film School (VFS), Canada's largest private post-secondary entertainment arts school.

Compared to last year's sold-out event, Game Design Expo 2008 event is bigger in every way, with two days of lectures and panels by the designers, producers, and CEOs behind some of the biggest games of yesterday and today. Speakers from top companies like Activision , BioWare , Eidos , EA , and Stormfront Studios are coming to present topics ranging from the Console Wars to Digital Acting & Interactive Narrative to Game Audio.

For those thinking about working in the game industry, the Game Design program at VFS will be holding a free day-long Open House event in conjunction with Game Design Expo 2008, with workshop classes and hands-on game demos.

Game Design Industry Expo VFS Game Design Open House

Saturday, January 19^th , 9:00am – 7:30pm 

Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour St.

Sunday, January 20^th, 12:00pm – 4:00pm

Vancouver Film School, 390 West Hastings St.

Sunday, January 20^th, 10:30am – 5:00pm

Vancouver Film School, 420 Homer St.

Last year's Game Design Expo & Open House was a phenomenal success, attracting over 500 game lovers who were treated to lectures by luminaries like Glenn Entis of Electronic Arts, and Eric Zimmerman of Gamelab. Game Design Expo 2008 features an expanded schedule, and speakers and panelists include:

Tickets to the Expo (on sale November 21^st , 2007, prices in Canadian dollars) are $80 for both days, $50 for Saturday, and $35 for Sunday. Check www.gamedesignexpo.com for up-to-the-minute information, schedules, registration, and ticket sales.

More speakers will be announced in the coming weeks, including a special keynote presentation.

On Sunday, January 20^th , Game Design at Vancouver Film School will host a free Open House event aimed at providing a unique look inside the intensive one-year program. Visitors will meet Head of Department Dave Warfield, see demonstrations of student games, and experience workshop classes on such topics as Game Art, Level Design, and Sound Design and Music for Games, taught by expert VFS instructors.

The Open House was booked to capacity last year, so those interested in attending are encouraged to register early. Registration and event information are available at gamedesignexpo.com .

Game Design Expo and its Event Partners G4TechTV, EA, CAEAA, Annex Pro, Crystal Dynamics, Radical Entertainment, Big Fish Games, Next Level Games, Metropolitan Hotel, and The Province are looking forward to another fantastic event.

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Vancouver Film School, founded in 1987, offers a proven education for everything in the entertainment industry. With 14 production-oriented programs and a unique one-year educational model, VFS prepares students to join the creative economy. Under the guidance of industry professionals, students in the Game Design, Animation & Visual Effects, Digital Design, and Sound Design for Visual Media programs develop the knowledge, experience, and portfolios and reels that enable them to step right into the video game industry. www.vfs.com

Our professional faculty and event speakers are available for interviews upon request. For more information, please contact:

Sarah Richards

Public Relations Specialist

Vancouver Film School

+1 (604) 631.3562

sarah@vfs.com

September 19 & 20, 2007

The premier annual event for the world’s most innovative, accomplished, and amazing digital film and video creators. An internationally recognized jury receives hundreds of submissions and presents the best work of the year. Selections include outstanding achievements in time-based art, scientific visualization, visual effects, real-time graphics, and narrative shorts.

The Computer Animation Festival is recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as a qualifying festival. Since 1999, several works originally presented in the Computer Animation Festival have been nominated for or have received a “Best Animated Short” Academy Award.

For more info check the Siggraph Website or download the Press Release

Vancouver BC 

This past Thursday saw Ace Starlord's Guitar Hero Rockoff II come to life. Hosted by the Artery.ca, Chivana Resto-Lounge and the Vancouver Chapter of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) an ecclectic crowd of about 50 showed up to rock out with Activision's Guitar Hero "Rocks the 80's" video game.

The evening started with Ace Starlord (aka Jason Elliott) out in all his glory, stretchy pants, make up and all announcing that it's not how good you play, but how good you look playing. Everyone paired up for chances at the Pro Face Off mode and enjoying the music and atmosphere. Many other people enjoyed themselves by watching all the antics from the sofas and tables. All around you could see people smiling, talking, and meeting others on a very successful night.

That's not to say the evening was perfect. It started out with some sound problems, which were promptly fixed to the relief of everyone. While everyone wanted to rock and roll all night, the Playstation 2 wasn't quite up for it. By the half way point, the machine began to pause for a few seconds, knocking the players out of their groove. Luckily most of the crowd took it as a bit of additional amusement.

The Artery.ca, Chivana Resto-Lounge, and the IGDA Vancouver would like to say thank you to everyone who made it out. You made the evening the success that it was and we couldn't have done it without you. This is hopefully only one of many to come. Now, without further adieu, here are the photos of the evening...

(If you have any photos you would like to share, please post them in the Guitar Hero thread in the Artery Lounge Forum.) 

For More photos, check out the Artery Forum

We have lots of room at the venue and a generous food and beverage allowance, so feel free to invite all your cool friends! (we just need a business card for proof of industry status)

A big huge thanks to the Seven Group for sponsoring the Mingle! (Thanks)

**UPDATE**

The Address is 102-888 Burrard St!

We are inviting everybody we know. The kids rolling down the sidewalks, moms and daughters, directors of non-profits, disaffected Emily Carr grads, and you. This is grass-roots game design, a competition for non-gaming-professionals, whose game
experience may be limited to bouts of Tag or Snakes-and-Ladders.

We want you to enter this competition. You can win a little money and considerable acclaim, and help us fight isolation at the same time.

BIG games are fun, accessible games that include play in the ‘real world’ and interaction with other people. BIG games are definitely not solo, computer-only adventures. They are playable across urban landscapes, in real time, with real people, who may or may not have super-abilities.

Your challenge is to design such a game and pitch it to our panel of judges in October, 2007. You will win or lose on the strength of your pitch. The game need not be playtested to win — though a playtest might make your pitch meatier — it just needs to win over the panel.

The competition starts now. You need to submit your team’s name and the names of its members ASAP. The competition will be restricted to 20 teams. The competition will end on Saturday October 13th, when your team must pitch its game to a panel of expert judges. The judges will judge and there will be one winner. They will leave with a $5000.00, an honorarium for their genius, and a truly enviable notoriety.

The judges will judge your game on the following BIG games criteria:
1) the game must be fun
2) the game must be playable by pretty much anyone: young, old, straight, gay, transgendered, street-engaged, married, people living with disabilities, people living in yaletown, people who play World of Warcraft, etc.
3) the gameplay requires real-world interaction between people (such as online interaction, personal ads, phone-tag, postcards, flashmobs, etc.)
4) Players’ social networks are expanded to include people who are “different” from themselves

How to enter the competition:
Email Brian Smith [ bsmith@plan.ca ] with your intention to play. He will forward you some fine print.

Enter the BIG games competition now. Save the world with play, get famous, win 5k.

We had an amazing turn out at the first ever IGDA Vancouver Boardgame Design Challenge. We had eight teams enter and dozens of people came out to play. A special thanks goes out to Strategies Hobbies and Games for hosting the event and putting up some of the prizes.

The Crowd:

The Games and the Action!

Darren working the Room

The Crowd Anticipates the Winners

Winner for Fun Factor
Azam and Paden - Joust

Winner for Innovation
Craig - Space Invaders

Winner for Presentation
Chris D(Relic) - Joust