tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42971181080619871372024-03-05T15:29:52.160+00:00Develop:Brighton BlogAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15941480464282633740noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-88685279902601617432018-06-29T10:35:00.001+01:002018-06-29T11:41:28.156+01:00Guest Blog: Can Games Benefit From Blockchain-Based Public Infrastructure?<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div class="kix-paragraphrenderer" id="" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; position: relative;">
<div class="kix-lineview" style="direction: ltr; height: 20px; position: relative;">
<div class="kix-lineview-content" style="margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: absolute; white-space: nowrap; z-index: 15;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
In recent months I’ve seen a plethora of projects announced which combine blockchains and games. I’ve been talking about the potential for decentralised technology to disrupt the game industry for several years so it’s wonderful to see this becoming reality.<br />
<br />
However, blockchains are complicated beasts that confuse and infuriate in equal measure. In this post I want to introduce the notion of sustainable public infrastructure as I believe it’s a key notion in understanding why developers could benefit from the technology. Without this understanding, the oft-asked question is “wouldn’t it be better as a centralised service?”<br />
<br />
A little request before going further. New technology sometimes requires an open mind, especially one which is mired in the denial and anger phases of acceptance. There’s nothing wrong with experienced hands taking a doubtful view but sometimes that same experience can be a blocker to innovation, especially when implementations are highly immature. Learning about blockchains forces you to think about economics, game theory, and the very notion of centralised infrastructure. Whether you want to use it or not, it’s a fascinating and stimulating area to explore.<br />
<br />
For the first time ever, blockchains allow self-sustaining public infrastructure for the digital world. Unlike private infrastructure, such as offered by Apple’s App Store, this new form of public infrastructure is paid for, provided and governed by its community without requiring a central authority. It’s able to do this by clever application of cryptography to economic theory for which the original Bitcoin whitepaper is a suitable primer.<br />
<br />
What do I mean by self-sustaining public infrastructure?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="284" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/8q-vRFkuSeaPxWD0h133JsEIHrbnpNuvszM6JruWnUldzsilqZYcFZ90f0dZ1iAnyIxW6t26Vp4quYG_dFGb8JbWDDqrVrULqp7AMY7w1Aj9IJXmpwEYaLRCWoHHa-yOefl5hftr" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="503" /></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-cbde5c2a-4b21-04a3-4809-c1bc51eb7a11"></span><br />
<br />
Infrastructure - These are the basic structures of an enterprise, providing users with facilities and services. In the centralised world this may be a service such as Gamesparks and much of the same can be done in a decentralised world, although it’s certainly harder.<br />
<br />
Public - Currently, most services that developers use are offered by private companies as a commercial proposition. The service is entirely under the control of its owner, with fees, terms and APIs liable to change without warning. The company may disable a service entirely or they could go out of business. A decentralised public service doesn’t have these problems since it’s run for the public good, in this case for the benefit of its community of users, including developers and gamers. API and software changes are handled by the community, perhaps over Github, social media, or governance platforms, ensuring changes are made for the overall benefit of the network participants. As long as there is demand for the service to exist then it will continue.<br />
<br />
In addition, both the data and the software are open. In principle, anyone building on the service has access to the same data, the same APIs, and the same core software. This is likely to increase overall network value. Private services still have very significant value to add, especially whilst decentralised technology is immature, however they would be building in a way inherently compatible with everyone else.<br />
<br />
Self-sustaining - In the real world we pay taxes to create, maintain and upgrade public infrastructure. In the decentralised world cryptoeconomic incentives are used instead. These can take different forms but the primary ingredient is typically a native cryptocurrency. Blockchain-based infrastructure may require its currency to be used in exchange for services and pre-sold to bootstrap development. More interestingly, the infrastructure can make rewards available for users who are maintaining, upgrading, promoting or providing content to the platform. It also helps solve a tricky on-boarding problem since early adopters are highly incentivised to promote usage in order to create demand for the currency. This doesn’t mean Joe Public has to be exposed to cryptocurrency though, which remains frictional and highly volatile.<br />
<br />
In summary, the key benefit is that it’s possible to create services which are run entirely for the benefit of their users. This avoids developers and gamers being subject to the whims of central actors. This isn’t just with regard to terms, fees and APIs, but also to restrictions as evidenced by Sony’s interoperability lock on Fortnite, or encroachment on 3rd party applications as Apple and Facebook have done. A service based on public infrastructure is inherently neutral as it doesn’t compete with its community. As blockchain enthusiasts will also tell you, it’s trustless, although I would argue it’s more about choosing your trust points and distributing trust.<br />
<br />
Now that’s disruptive, as Bitcoin has shown.<br />
<br />
As interesting as this is, it only matters if game developers are offered services which genuinely benefit them. The feature that interests me most is allowing users to actually own their content by recording ownership on a public blockchain instead of private app stores. In itself this is not really of a benefit, even though it’s a much-used soundbite. However, services can be created based on the principle of true ownership which offer unique opportunities to developers, to gamers, to sellers, to publishers, to brands, to stores, to eSports teams, to artists, and so on. In my view, allowing users to own digital content just as they do physical content could facilitate major changes across digital media and especially games. It simply wasn’t possible until the advent of blockchains.<br />
<br />
Some of the ideas being explored here at Fig.co and at other blockchain companies include taking advantage of true digital scarcity through collections, cross-game items, innovative gameplay features, ad networks, early adopter rewards, decentralised publishing, fraud reduction, access to funding, trading markets, digital merchandise, shared content creation, automated royalty payments, and even creation and trading of decentralised land.<br />
<br />
Almost all of these are facilitated by public infrastructure supporting ownership data and content management services because anyone is free to use the platform as they wish. It’s the framework from which many different projects can hang, each of them benefiting from others on the same or other open platforms.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"></span>
In conclusion, no one knows which of the above ideas will successfully bring something new to a mainstream audience but that public infrastructure for games is now possible will allow us to find out. If you’d like to know more about blockchains and their potential uses within the game industry then join me for my talk at Develop or catch up with me during the conference. Alternatively, I’m @alex_amsel on twitter.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKq3uTB3tYNyQwPoWzaT27nmVuEPnBbHh-fKezkEjP6M1ZvX7-RIqCnmCiV746CRASohwXwqwPdUydJ4vYPrIPd3XYHgketea0t7aIc65wNk4298_wZxsBplnoPH7RjpErKjN_SuZYdcto/s1600/Alex_BW.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKq3uTB3tYNyQwPoWzaT27nmVuEPnBbHh-fKezkEjP6M1ZvX7-RIqCnmCiV746CRASohwXwqwPdUydJ4vYPrIPd3XYHgketea0t7aIc65wNk4298_wZxsBplnoPH7RjpErKjN_SuZYdcto/s1600/Alex_BW.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex Amsel is speaking at Develop:Brighton on Tuesday 10 July with his session entitled <a href="https://www.developconference.com/whats-on/2018-speakers/speaker-detail/alex-amsel">Blockchains in Gaming: Today and Tomorrow</a>. Alex is developing a game community blockchain project <a href="https://www.developconference.com/whats-on/2018-speakers/speaker-detail/alex-amsel">Shard</a> at <a href="http://fig.co/">Fig.co</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07019421407467205047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-62921754413316419562018-06-22T11:00:00.000+01:002018-06-22T11:00:07.651+01:00Guest Blog: The Unexpected Variability of Physically Based ViewportsIn the last few years Physically Based Rendering has taken over most pipelines. <br /><br />PBR is supposed to produce better results, and save a lot of artist time, and it has so far delivered on those promises. PBR materials look fairly good in many different lighting conditions, cutting down a lot of the fiddling that lighting changes in WIP game scenes used to cause. <br /><br />To achieve that, PBR goes much more in-depth into the physics of light, than the very approximate models from earlier years. You might remember BlinnPhong, one of the few lighting models which used to be commonly used in games. It didn't include roughness, metallicness and other important characteristics of materials which we now might take for granted. To our current, more discerning, eyes, it tends to make everything look like plastic.<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsz2Cp7SwClAQV-XUSvamoXc4kFcPsNJLZjvbq8eLcaxDjgFxZ3J5r3U0UrC03V4RUWPuM-1GZhQwhzrFLNhhNmP6wrEIdnx8qbRo68y5Poe64jftWXA0pYxPBIqD2eyg-zdEcaoKsC7Z/s1600/Figure9-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1268" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsz2Cp7SwClAQV-XUSvamoXc4kFcPsNJLZjvbq8eLcaxDjgFxZ3J5r3U0UrC03V4RUWPuM-1GZhQwhzrFLNhhNmP6wrEIdnx8qbRo68y5Poe64jftWXA0pYxPBIqD2eyg-zdEcaoKsC7Z/s320/Figure9-1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Example of lighting model supporting roughness</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
<br />BlinnPhong can't adequately simulate all types of materials, but it was never supposed to be possible to have a one-size-fits-all lighting model. In the real world, materials can have wildly different characteristics, and many other lighting models have been devised and published in research papers over the years. Some of them were invented specifically for rendering, and some others for use in optics, manufacturing, and other kinds of applications. <br /><br />All this various research on lighting models extended our understanding of how light ultimately works. We didn't seem to take advantage of it in games for some time though, mainly due to the limited power of our hardware. The advent of PBR depended on an increase in processing power, which duly happened. <br /><br />Most 3D programs have introduced support for PBR. You may think that any PBR implementation should be the same, but PBR is a fairly flexible label. It only promises "physically based" rendering, and not "physically correct" rendering, and with good reason. The physics of light can get very complex, and a perfect simulation can't fit within real-time speed constraints, as of yet. <br /><br />As a consequence of this inherent complexity, PBR systems are built out of a great number of choices between different, often equally valid, tradeoffs, and it's unlikely that all those choices will match perfectly between different teams and different programs. Implementors of PBR systems have to carefully consider many approximations, which will allow them to get to real-time speed, without giving up too much quality.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgmwqa9hhnztudrHwvbqsYA3wai-hejrMtt1kpjsmjQ6KEAn3ZFha6sjJdbgnPnjEiPGDFMfxp6LOcA4rqfzv1MoF22sjOlkoTuLbEE2ErLwXFD1lMkEUpy7Mhm89Hk2zd61hHqjZPnIs/s1600/Figure14-1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="868" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgmwqa9hhnztudrHwvbqsYA3wai-hejrMtt1kpjsmjQ6KEAn3ZFha6sjJdbgnPnjEiPGDFMfxp6LOcA4rqfzv1MoF22sjOlkoTuLbEE2ErLwXFD1lMkEUpy7Mhm89Hk2zd61hHqjZPnIs/s320/Figure14-1.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Subsurface scattering and translucency support</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Different teams will have different priorities: a racing game might need better looking metallic materials, and having to fit within budget and time constraints, they may choose to offset that by neglecting the skin material implementation. They can get away with never showing a character up close, but the players are going to look at the cars all the time. <br /><br />A team who’s developing a game engine for general use will need to produce decent looking materials for any possible object they can think of. The racing game team car material might end up looking better, compared to the general engine one, because it’s the main priority for that team. <br /><br />This is how PBR implementations end up diverging, as everybody tries to do their best to optimise for their specific objectives. The only way that two different 3D programs, engines, or games, can match their PBR system perfectly is by mutual agreement to do so. Which is what Substance, Unity, and others, attempt to do. <br /><br />But even if at some point in time two PBR implementations might match perfectly, they may still diverge in the future, as renderers get reimplemented, refined and updated. <br /><br />As an example of the rapid progress of game renderers: Unity is currently developing two new renderers: the lightweight, and the HD rendering pipelines. Their new rendering system, the Scriptable Rendering Pipeline is scriptable, as it says on the tin. As a consequence, many new different ad-hoc renderers based on that may pop up, as game developers optimise the rendering pipeline for their needs. These new renderers will not be guaranteed to preserve the look of your material as it was in substance, even when they happen to be physically based. <br /><br />Personally, I welcome our new rendering overlords, as I love writing graphics code, and to make even better PBR systems, we need to be able to go beyond the status quo. But this innovation may come with some breakage, as innovations usually do.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZAqO3q0IN30FtR_apznuY42ecTEBm28EtBgeK3wJ_7RVKF1OVbpRkXejGdS8AaXJpTDxlxbthmq1exQhgAKKyzN13uAhtTUxZLV0VBPNF4dlMOfKGbkc5-a2k82g4egJ3rws5pa1fQEf/s1600/euc2017square-512.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZAqO3q0IN30FtR_apznuY42ecTEBm28EtBgeK3wJ_7RVKF1OVbpRkXejGdS8AaXJpTDxlxbthmq1exQhgAKKyzN13uAhtTUxZLV0VBPNF4dlMOfKGbkc5-a2k82g4egJ3rws5pa1fQEf/s320/euc2017square-512.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Claudia Doppioslash is a Graphics Programmer,
a speaker and an author. She works as a game development consultant. She is the
author of the book <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.apress.com/gb/book/9781484233085">“Physically Based Shader
Development for Unity 2017”</a></span>, published by Apress, and of the
Pluralsight course “<span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://app.pluralsight.com/library/courses/unity-developing-custom-shaders">Developing
Custom Shaders in Unity</a></span>”. She can be found on Twitter <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://twitter.com/doppioslash">@doppioslash</a></span>
and is speaking at Develop:Brighton on <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.developconference.com/whats-on/2018-speakers/speaker-detail/claudia-doppioslash">Thursday
12th July 4PM in Room 3</a></span>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07019421407467205047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-26852690595932862282018-06-15T11:00:00.000+01:002018-06-15T11:00:13.797+01:00Guest Blog: Five Top Tips for Planning Your Game Launch<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Creating and releasing
games has never been so interesting or so scary. It’s well
documented now that Steam has around 200 new releases per week.
Mobile has been equally busy for some time now and console is also
seeing more developers release on Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft’s
platforms. Because of increased competition, planning for the launch
of your game is as essential as, well, making the game itself!</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
We’ve recently
announced a new title, <a href="https://www.aurochdigital.com/marshorizonvideogame/"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u>Mars
Horizon</u></span></a> (along with a <a href="https://twitter.com/AurochDigital/status/996742118990376961"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u>podcast
about it</u></span></a>) and we’re moving from that announcement to
the more detailed planning for the game’s launch. This links to
what I’m going to be talking about at Develop this year - <a href="https://www.developconference.com/whats-on/2018-speakers/speaker-detail/tomas-rawlings"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u>surviving
the Steampocalypse!</u></span></a>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
So I thought this is a
good opportunity to share some of the research we’ve been doing
around planning our launches and some of what we’ve learned
(sometimes the hard way!)</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Announce Early (But
Plan Ahead)</b> - As an indie you’re always up-against it in terms
of resources. You don’t want to announce the game until you are
ready, but also you don’t want to launch without any lead-in. My
feeling now is that lead-in is key. So having time between the
announcement and the launch to gather interest in your title is
vital: you can use that time to court influencers, get wishlisted on
Steam, and build a fan community. However, if that gap is too long,
then you can’t sustain interest in the fallow periods and you then
have to put more energy to re-engage people.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
An example of ours
where we did this was <a href="https://www.aurochdigital.com/darkfuturevideogame/"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u>Dark
Future: Blood Red States</u></span></a>, which we announced - with a
release date of 2015! - over three years ago, and it’s still not in
the hands of players. It will absolutely be worth the wait, but to
avoid making this mistake yourself, make sure you’re rock solid in
your release window, and do think about whether you can sustain
interest in your title between announcement and release.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7JABZr9puyDVwmdziW6tyh02ZEqLGnlbC7iF8l13wt_0jhuDkDtIeasYWFh85Dsvaf7GrAw9n_4hfibr-LkFXhYfVYy_dQ_7tNBbpToSof7y6I4j5ptnAb6ig9mUJu0EaSoxnDARFe-S/s1600/tomasrawlingsblog.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="1151" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7JABZr9puyDVwmdziW6tyh02ZEqLGnlbC7iF8l13wt_0jhuDkDtIeasYWFh85Dsvaf7GrAw9n_4hfibr-LkFXhYfVYy_dQ_7tNBbpToSof7y6I4j5ptnAb6ig9mUJu0EaSoxnDARFe-S/s400/tomasrawlingsblog.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>Better
late than never - it’s Dark Future!</i></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Pick a Good Date </b>-
This is an eternal question - when should you launch? Okay, so you’re
never going to avoid clashing with multiple games, but to mitigate
this to some extent, you can think about the following: avoid
clashing with any major events or expos (use <a href="http://www.gameconfs.com/"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u>this
list</u></span></a> to check), and note the couple of days either
side too. You don’t want to announce a game two days before a big
event as all the journos will be busy traveling there and won’t
have time to cover your game. Then check announced upcoming releases
(try <a href="http://www.metacritic.com/feature/major-upcoming-video-game-release-dates-xbox-ps4-pc-switch"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u>here</u></span></a>,
<a href="https://www.pcgamesn.com/upcoming-pc-games"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u>here</u></span></a>,
<a href="https://www.vg247.com/2018/06/05/video-game-release-dates-2018/"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u>here</u></span></a>
and <a href="http://vgreleaselist.com/all/#closest"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u>here</u></span></a>),checking
for any titles in the same genre and platform as your project, and
avoid them..</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Also avoid any AAA
title release dates if you can. That’s not to say you’re
necessarily competing with those AAA titles, but they can cast a long
shadow and will take up journalist and influencer time and attention.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Get Visual</b> - For
the actual release, and in the run up, people want to see visuals of
gameplay!</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Animated Gifs, short
videos, screenshots - that sort of thing. For example I remember this
<a href="https://i.imgur.com/8On2mh8.gif"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u>gif</u></span></a>
from Tabletop Simulator going viral a few years back and these
visuals that get across the tone or core ideas of your work really
are the things that do best online. If you’re lucky one of them
will go viral and then you’re rising to the top of many people’s
attention. This is doubly true on social media: Facebook and Twitter
data shows time and time again that videos and images work best. So
put the time in and make them look great!</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Trailer, Trailer,
Trailer</b> - I’m far from the first person to point to this. I’ve
heard lots of other developers note how key it is.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
As well as videos and
images, you need - <i>need</i> - to have a strong trailer.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Out of all the
marketing assess you create, this is probably the key one. So do plan
time and effort into it and if you can’t do it then budget for
someone who can. For example <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/gamethenewsnet/videos"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u>look
over our videos</u></span></a> and you’ll see the dramatic
difference in views, from the smaller bits of gameplay or
behind-the-scenes videos getting comparatively few views, to the more
important trailers which command many more views. Apply the same
creativity into planning your trailer as you do your game and test it
out with a small audience before you launch it worldwide to make sure
it hits all the right notes.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2Gqbz8C8bX0/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2Gqbz8C8bX0?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Repeat, Repeat,
Repeat </b>- It’s very unlikely that you’ll have that one big
announcement and people will bookmark it and come back on launch day
and buy your game. One of the things with so many games being
launched is that the space is busy and audience mindshare is limited.
You’re either going to be able to be loud (if you’ve got enough
clout, like a Rockstar announcement of Red Dead Redemption 2, for
example) or you’re going to need to repeat your messaging. This
means that players need to be reminded of the message of your game
and its launch until you are sick of saying it. In that way you keep
it in their mind and that will hopefully translate into a paying
customer.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Best of luck with your
launch (oh and please don't schedule it on any of or launch dates -
k?)</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFFJzVZDawYQNOSNaZvll6VrG9DoBGL3MaaNWIj3Ye4q6rCQMcbkcpKQ_tK28NuT7KYfX_-cow4dxydM9JkrrdCOqGYAF66EWS67auOv75SBDpOJqLTfHpawJkFJAVgdxOM5VEs-pSzmm/s1600/tomasrawlings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFFJzVZDawYQNOSNaZvll6VrG9DoBGL3MaaNWIj3Ye4q6rCQMcbkcpKQ_tK28NuT7KYfX_-cow4dxydM9JkrrdCOqGYAF66EWS67auOv75SBDpOJqLTfHpawJkFJAVgdxOM5VEs-pSzmm/s320/tomasrawlings.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Dr. Tomas Rawlings is
Design Director at <a href="https://www.aurochdigital.com/"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u>Auroch
Digital</u></span></a>, so he feels your pain about running your own
thing. He is an award-winning games designer who has both created
original titles and worked with well-loved IP such as Games
Workshop’s Chainsaw Warrior, Star Wars:The Battle for Hoth and the
multiple award winning Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land. He is a well
known speaker on video games and also a consultant who has worked
with major organisations. He can be found on <a href="https://twitter.com/TomasRawlings"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u>Twitter
here</u></span></a> and is speaking at Develop on <a href="https://www.developconference.com/whats-on/2018-speakers/speaker-detail/tomas-rawlings"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u>Tuesday
10th July 11am in Room 4.</u></span></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15941480464282633740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-80859536820314538302018-06-13T11:00:00.000+01:002018-06-13T11:00:09.933+01:00Guest Blog: Why Players Love Stories<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
For the nearly twenty-five years I’ve been working on <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">videogames</span>, there has been a strange double
standard about narrative. On the one hand, game developers often like to
dismiss the importance of narrative materials with statements like “it’s the
gameplay that matters”, yet on the other hand players have always ‘voted with
their money’ and put tremendous stock into good storytelling. Looking at the UK
software charts for this week, it’s headed by FIFA 18 – which is clearly rather
light on narrative! – but other than <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Street
Fighter: 30<sup>th</sup> Anniversary</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sega Mega Drive Classics</i>, the rest of the top ten is packed full of
highly narrative experiences like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Detroit:
Become Human</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Far Cry 5</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">God of War</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dark Souls Remastered</i>, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fallout
4</i>. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">I set up my company,
International Hobo Ltd, because back in the nineties it was apparent that
developers were having difficulty getting gameplay and stories to work together
and it seemed sensible to develop a team that specialised in what we called at
the time ‘design-integrated narrative’ or (more succinctly) ‘narrative design’.
When Richard Boon came to work for us in 2000, his job title was ‘Narrative
Designer and Script Writer’, and the term grew in popularity when Stephen
Dinehart IV used ‘Narrative Designer’ as his job description at Relic back in
2006.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I’ve come to realise over the last fifty <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">videogame</span> projects I’ve worked on, and
particularly as a result of my research into how and why humans enjoy games (I’m
presenting my latest findings on this at Develop:Brighton next month), is that
“it’s the gameplay that matters” misunderstands the relationship between games
and stories. It’s a mistake that scholars in game studies repeatedly make as
well – they assume that the ‘game’ is the crunchy designed systems, and the
‘story’ is this kind of wrapping paper that you dress up the mechanics in.
There might be a recognition of the importance of that ‘wrapper’ in getting
players interested in playing the game, but sooner or later, everyone comes
down to the importance of those game systems and the lesser role of narrative.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">Trouble</span> is, that
doesn’t describe how people play games, much less why we enjoy them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvWsXCdBmqgSJJLCsjpemiSgHVCEFk_kusfqy-QsOd-RjnC9YSe43DnB0z2CL1UZsXLn-DDngzge2T4bTSElHmXCFdezc6AOoxdXeWHHjitQFqaCW6MPQnZ2cxun0DU0C7jnzF0FQtMzu/s1600/dev.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="562" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvWsXCdBmqgSJJLCsjpemiSgHVCEFk_kusfqy-QsOd-RjnC9YSe43DnB0z2CL1UZsXLn-DDngzge2T4bTSElHmXCFdezc6AOoxdXeWHHjitQFqaCW6MPQnZ2cxun0DU0C7jnzF0FQtMzu/s320/dev.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you want to understand the relationship between games and
stories, you have to start by recognising that stories are far more fundamental
to the human experience than games. Stories are what we do – your whole sense
of yourself as a being is rooted in the story you tell about yourself. We can’t
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">not</span> tell stories, because we’re wired up
to think in imaginative ways, and stories are at heart structured imaginings.
Other animals play – if you have a dog or a cat, you won’t be in any doubt
about this! – <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">and</span> other animals play
things we can call games (like ‘fetch’, or ‘chase the laser dot’), but no other
creature makes such elaborate games, and again, it’s because games are also at
their core structured imaginings. The rules of <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">chess,</span>
and the possibility that some state of the game means somebody wins <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is both the foundation of the game of <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">chess,</span> and the basis for stories about chess.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Games and stories belong together – every game tells stories
for the player, either about what the player does (winning, getting a ‘rare
item’, levelling up) or about what happens in the fictional world of the game
(getting revenge, rescuing a friend, finding a forgotten tomb). It’s inevitable
because humans are a story-making species – we experience life as a story, and
everything that happens can be understood this way. But there is a truth to the
division between ‘game’ and ‘story’ in that sometimes games tack on a story
that has nothing to do with the game experience at all… but it is nothing
essential, nothing fundamental, that makes this split between games and stories:
it’s just <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bad game design</i>, or rather,
bad narrative design.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The best game stories are those that use the systems of the
game productively to create narrative experiences that the player feels like
they are crafting for themselves. Often, there’s a bit of legerdemain involved<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">…</span> an illusion of greater control than <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">actually</span> exists – but players who are enjoying
themselves will always come along for the ride! <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">There
are lots of different ways to do this – including at one extreme the Japanese
RPG approach of having an animated movie that punctuates playable sections, and
at the other extreme games like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Sims</i>
that leave it almost entirely up to the player to create their story while
still providing a set of carefully crafted props (houses, furniture, ‘dolls’)
for the player to use as raw materials.</span> What works is what the players
are happy to go along with – which is a surprisingly large set of things!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">Good</span> narrative design
is about aligning the story and the game <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">so</span>
they work together, and this process often begins by examining which stories
the game systems naturally produce. Commercial <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">videogames</span>
benefit from stories in part because the fictional world of any game is one of
the main draws to get players interested in the first place (or to put it
another way, whatever we may think about marketing, it does work!). But they
also benefit because stories are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">easier
to enjoy</i> than most games, which require you to spend some time getting to
grips with them <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">in order to</span> get full
value. Of course, plenty of people enjoy stories without games – the movie
industry is ticking along quite nicely! – <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">but</span>
not so many people enjoy games without stories. Commercially successful games
stripped of all their fictional elements are rare, and almost always abstract
and fairly simple like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tetris</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Super Hexagon</i>. And even these tell
stories – “the straight finally came!” is a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tetris</i>
classic!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Players have a variety of reasons for playing and enjoying
games – International Hobo currently uses a model <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">of ten</span> player motives, which I’m presenting at Develop:Brighton
this year for the first time. <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">But the Narrative
motive, the desire to engage with a fictional world, and the connected desire
to relate to characters in a story that builds to a climax, is particularly
powerful because it works for just about everyone, which the Victory,
Problem-solving, and Acquisition motives don’t – despite their incredible power
over players for whom these experiences are key to their enjoyment of games.</span>
Players love stories because stories are what humans do<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">…</span> and games are perhaps the most amazing, surprising, and unexpectedly
rewarding narrative medium we have yet discovered.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hLd6LeheqhruVWEd6jlOsvLJdUmpUy8acdkADXAm4HJUruDR6ArpH50LW8gfI4iR_OfjJRSAzazv5J7A7eN8eps7om6OsSMkmNkv7AMeMlvJYb-GkZrejdMj7C3pYyX0X-FDRALTNl2k/s1600/dev2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="422" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hLd6LeheqhruVWEd6jlOsvLJdUmpUy8acdkADXAm4HJUruDR6ArpH50LW8gfI4iR_OfjJRSAzazv5J7A7eN8eps7om6OsSMkmNkv7AMeMlvJYb-GkZrejdMj7C3pYyX0X-FDRALTNl2k/s320/dev2.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris Bateman is founder of International Hobo and will be speaking at Develop:Brighton on Tuesday 10 July. Find out more about Chris and his session <a href="https://www.developconference.com/whats-on/2018-speakers/speaker-detail/chris-bateman">here</a>. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07019421407467205047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-15757525111006023932018-06-08T11:00:00.000+01:002018-06-08T11:00:01.035+01:00Guest Blog: The Art of the Small<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">When opportunities arise, it is important that we make the most of them. In
this article I want to look at the small opportunities; the events and funding
pots that give studios a bit of breathing room to try something new. It is all
too easy to think of these chances as the right moment to execute a
master-plan; to start working on the passion project that will make you into a
superstar. While I'd never say to anyone it’s not worth working on that dream
game, it would be wrong to not pass on the advice I've gained from where I have
gone for the passion project, as well as from the times I haven't.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Before I get into the how of the small, I want to talk about the why of the
small. I'm going to talk about two examples where I think this ideology
applies, the small grants (<£5k) and game jams. Both opportunities give you
a chance to create something new; to take a step back from ongoing projects to
realise an idea that’s been at the back of your mind. It is surprisingly easy
take that opportunity for granted and try to fill it with the first </span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">thing</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> that comes to mind. An example of this would be using a small grant to
make the proof of concept for a huge RPG from scratch; with crafting, vehicles,
an engaging story, and dynamic characters who develop over time, when you
suddenly find two months in that all the money has been spent.</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZk-AcXJgt-hzKsF8594Hv0SS0YmIiPEx0YMWqJlyEKh2bmziu_UNC4nw5Odt_RavsdFLByStXT8g6nlh6ieYTmhifG_v43w9D8ik_6jupM6d_lMtxPABCslsZhO9wy3e8mzieK2_es_0/s1600/minimalism.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZk-AcXJgt-hzKsF8594Hv0SS0YmIiPEx0YMWqJlyEKh2bmziu_UNC4nw5Odt_RavsdFLByStXT8g6nlh6ieYTmhifG_v43w9D8ik_6jupM6d_lMtxPABCslsZhO9wy3e8mzieK2_es_0/s320/minimalism.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">One of the universal truths of games development is nothing is as small as
you think it is. If you take a small aspect of a bigger project, estimate how
long you think it will take, and added some padding time for unexpected issues,
if you doubled the time in your head you might then be close to how long it
will take. In contrast, these opportunities give you a fantastic space within
which to create something focused. Imagine having a new empty room suddenly
appear in your house. A lot of people dream of implementing a minimalist style
within their home, but their rooms are already full of belongings and
furniture. You could fill the new room with the unsorted belongings from the
rest of the house, or you could take advantage of the space to implement your
minimalist dream. This is the idea behind the art of the small; to make the
best use of the time afforded to you by a small opportunity by creating
something focused and polished that showcases your ability to create a complete
entity as opposed to your ability to build something wide instead of deep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Looking at an event like Develop Game Jam (which you can sign up for this
year here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/develop-game-jam-2018-tickets-46545765638),
you can see it as just an opportunity to make something new, but I think that
undermines a very key aspect of the jam, the competition itself. Game jams
present a very compact form of the project bidding process. From a given brief
(the theme), groups build a game (the prototype/pitch/spec) which they then
take to the judges (the client/brief setter) to have their game judged. At the
end one team walks away with the prize (the project/funding). If you responded
to a brief with a large amount of documentation without a lot of substance,
you'd be unlikely to win. However, if you were to respond with something
targeted at answering the questions of the brief in a concise manner, you'd
have a much better chance of securing the bid.</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiENydQA25SMDwXcJubSF1NbI3GL3FB1R3WUKAmJAYgB8kLhBsm0AR-Al2D9z0-1CYwummn5e-bVoqx0Xr7Mb7D0gmJxh9DM3qk8NHIp9auk9N7J7DHVGTY_0KiwU4y6huhiWhwaObbwns/s1600/game+jam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiENydQA25SMDwXcJubSF1NbI3GL3FB1R3WUKAmJAYgB8kLhBsm0AR-Al2D9z0-1CYwummn5e-bVoqx0Xr7Mb7D0gmJxh9DM3qk8NHIp9auk9N7J7DHVGTY_0KiwU4y6huhiWhwaObbwns/s320/game+jam.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">It is time to look at ways of implement the small in a project. Every idea
can be reduced to modules and components, the parts which make up the whole.
Even passion projects are equal to the sum of their parts. For me, the art of
the small is about focusing on developing one part (module/element/mechanic) to
a high level of detail/completion, and then building the rest of the game
around it, only implementing subsequent components based on necessity and how
easy it is to then polish the game. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The first game we made with a grant was a huge pirate RPG. At the time, we
thought we were building something small; a proof of concept containing a basic
version of each mechanic in our game. Ultimately, while what we were was
technically impressive, it was always doomed to clunking mess. The reason it
was doomed is, although we were implementing only the initial forms of the
features, we unable to leave enough time to make sure that those features
worked well with each other, or to remove the bugs in the rest of the game. The
result was that some people who played our game were put off when the camera
froze, or the menu broke, or when the game crashed. Looking back, if we'd taken
just one feature (the sailing, the crafting, the boss fights) and spent all our
time making that aspect as polished and bug-free as possible, we would've made
a much better and more accessible game that would have been more universally
enjoyed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">For me, executing a small project comes down to three key elements: the
brief, the mechanic, and the polish. In the next three sections I’ll examine
each in turn and breakdown how they can be implemented in the game. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">It is vital that the brief is adhered to. There's no point making something
great if it's not what the judges/funders want. Note I said what they want, not
what they say they want. This is all about research and planning. What are the
actual judging criteria? What are the judges personally interested in? What's
the context of the project? For example, if it's a game jam then fun is
probably key, whereas for a prototyping fund the vision and a solid base game
matters more. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyWICRh88r3k9rPcU8vsbDAxQ8SfRlGQhjrHjeqX2qrIo94qYLZfOGC_1RTeLDVXuwQzereRz72iNhX1vt1UI0k3wewimW24l0X1T-JsAvnPJGS6BaedHUj7DlC5mkvsMiIlsXcClYGWt/s1600/PirateRPG.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="1219" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyWICRh88r3k9rPcU8vsbDAxQ8SfRlGQhjrHjeqX2qrIo94qYLZfOGC_1RTeLDVXuwQzereRz72iNhX1vt1UI0k3wewimW24l0X1T-JsAvnPJGS6BaedHUj7DlC5mkvsMiIlsXcClYGWt/s320/PirateRPG.png" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">After coming up with an idea that fits the brief, I usually focus on a
singular core mechanic that realises my idea in a simple, clear-cut way. For
example, if I concluded the judges wanted something fast paced, but almost
finished, and my idea was to create a kind of free running game across a city
to get home from work before dark, one of the simplest, clear-cut ways I could
do this is to make a 2D grappling game where the player swings across cranes or
high buildings to get across the map. In this instance, if I'd gone for 3D I'd
enter issues of generating the city/buildings, creating the 3D obstacles,
animating a 3D character etc, but this way I get my idea across while
minimising the impact on the scope of the project. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Finally, but probably most importantly, the polish is key. A small, broken
mess is still a broken mess, but with less features. Polish in this context
loosely translates as the removal of edges. By an edge, I mean something sharp
and pointy that would stick in a player and diminish their experience. If
you're making something small, it's surprisingly straightforward to achieve a
high level of polish without a tremendous amount of effort. I see polish as
being the sum of three elements: limiting scope, thorough debugging and adding
juice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I've already talked about scope; keeping your game to essentials only.
Feature creep and working out-of-scope are killers when it comes to polish. You
can address the issue of scope from the outset by only adding features to your
game that actually matter to the brief. Do you need a menu? Does that AI need
to react dynamically? Do you need a save game system? If you don't, don't
include it. It adds more opportunities for the game to break down and more
components that you need to debug and juice later. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">With regards to debugging, in this instance we're talking about the removal
of as many bugs that effect moment-to-moment game-play as possible. You want a
player to be totally engrossed in your game. Nothing is worse for a player than
feeling at one with a game to get stuck in a wall, or be instantly killed by a
random object, or for the whole game to chug and break down. By removing bugs,
you give the player the best opportunity to stay totally immersed within your game
space, which means when they finish they will want more (assuming you've made
something engaging!)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Fy0aCDmgnxg/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fy0aCDmgnxg?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Finally, the juice of your game is the small decorative and aesthetic
elements that bring the still aspects to life. There are a lot of great videos
about how to juice your game (see above),
but the easiest way to think about it is to imagine the most engrossing game
you can and imagine what would happen if you stopped still on a single screen.
Would you be viewing a static image, or would things be happening? Is the text
still, or is animated? What’s happening in the background? How is sound and
light used to impose a mood? Very few games have nothing happening at any moment,
and those that do use it as a contrast to moments where things are happening.
Aspects such a colours, sounds, animations, and moving objects all add to the
juice of a game. These are the elements which bring the otherwise static world
of your game to life and drawer the player in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Just like the art of minimalism, the art of the small requires dedication
to implement. I've highlighted every aspect that I've learnt and practiced over
many game jams, funding opportunities, and personal prototyping, but it's still
very easy for me to fall off the tightrope and build something wide instead of
deep. Ultimately, this advice should help you keep your development in check if
you're trying to build something small. Every time you want to build a new
feature, think about whether you need it? If so, how do you keep it from
breaking what you've already implemented? Finally, how do you make it worthy of
your game i.e. how do you add the juice? Using these questions as guides,
you'll be well on your way to implementing the art of the small in your next
project. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUE39q6tyFmef-eCyR6uTAaCP-wucjoTJZ5BbWfbrjoU3qTYUYflimg5WkRUWOp8m-rzhNzsEAB4ZlqncgTIBJGTpOpfrYyYj4mHXCnKjR2mMkUJksDmWWDZwpuuOIG_e-4klx16B4VbHg/s1600/adam_boyne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUE39q6tyFmef-eCyR6uTAaCP-wucjoTJZ5BbWfbrjoU3qTYUYflimg5WkRUWOp8m-rzhNzsEAB4ZlqncgTIBJGTpOpfrYyYj4mHXCnKjR2mMkUJksDmWWDZwpuuOIG_e-4klx16B4VbHg/s1600/adam_boyne.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam Boyne is co-founder at BetaJester and will be speaking at Develop:Brighton on Thursday 12 July. Find out more about his session <a href="https://www.developconference.com/whats-on/2018-speakers/speaker-detail/adam-boyne">here</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07019421407467205047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-5423535631736481012018-06-06T14:57:00.001+01:002018-06-06T14:57:57.307+01:00Guest Blog: The Art of Storytelling<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
Games
are one of the most interactive and immersive mediums available to us as
storytellers. They provide the opportunity for players to actively affect the
outcome of a scenario in a visceral way which has allowed us, as developers, to
explore facets of the human experience in ways film, literature and television
cannot. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
Games
in recent years have pushed the envelope on immersion and found ways to
weaponise our interactions with a game, resulting in responses unique to the
medium. When we hunt the beast and strip it for parts we feel pride from the
kill, but guilt at taking a life. When we are forced to choose between saving
one individual over another we feel remorse, but a satisfaction that comes when
that decision pays off further down the line. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVJjFaTKCiI989-zGkXPt15-gQwUhztF_gqIfVlKGxxnKybRUp0DLJUj6MekgMkSQn-BzaBjmPHjIqFnO9D5TcikciZ0OkviOKuH8q0zhBCLQPuoZGioqoUvIdfbtf572K5MjQhvr8d5m/s1600/Du_Lac_Eve_01.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVJjFaTKCiI989-zGkXPt15-gQwUhztF_gqIfVlKGxxnKybRUp0DLJUj6MekgMkSQn-BzaBjmPHjIqFnO9D5TcikciZ0OkviOKuH8q0zhBCLQPuoZGioqoUvIdfbtf572K5MjQhvr8d5m/s320/Du_Lac_Eve_01.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
When
I founded my company, I set out to make the games I felt were missing from my
Library. I wanted to assemble a team to make something that told human stories
from human perspectives, tapping into a wealth of collective experiences to
really give the player moments they could relate to – and especially moments
they can’t. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
In
Du Lac & Fey: Dance of Death we never wanted to shy away from important
social issues such as abortion, sex, love and race. All of these are framed
through the lens of women, as two of the three protagonists in our game are
female with very different world views and upbringings. Our third, Sir
Lancelot, must grapple with his own demons – monsters that sit outside of the
usual male-lead revenge fantasy. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNsaNxfXi93_BysGqkHYG0SEKFV2vKVo_3jysY8_K8PyWdDaT8UAj3gjoOWb-9C1aJOSiiNHwfvyozuZDt6p9g3oL2ajz21bTSKCEl6ReBRVStyUbqUArWgy81mFxQlpI84dgniOfplCQ/s1600/Fey_Eve_01.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="824" data-original-width="1600" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNsaNxfXi93_BysGqkHYG0SEKFV2vKVo_3jysY8_K8PyWdDaT8UAj3gjoOWb-9C1aJOSiiNHwfvyozuZDt6p9g3oL2ajz21bTSKCEl6ReBRVStyUbqUArWgy81mFxQlpI84dgniOfplCQ/s320/Fey_Eve_01.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
The
Victorian era was rife with social upheaval, clashing cultures and contrasting
values, and we are proud of the fact that we’ve managed to tell as many of
these forgotten stories as possible within the walls of our game. It’s actually
extraordinary how many parallels we can draw between us as people, despite
there being over one hundred years between us. We have the tabloids and papers
on our newsstands now, but this period gave birth to modern day journalism.
Stories were fabricated without basis, gossip invented to sell papers, and
facts overblown to keep people turning the page. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
It
is said that history is written by the victors, but, more simply put, it is
written by those able to write. There are thousands of stories, both then and
now, that’ll be lost to time due to one person monopolising the pen. We
attempted to make amends with Du Lac & Fey, offering players a London they
will have never seen before. London then is as London is now, a multi-cultural
melting pot of ideas, lives and languages that birthed a new era of technology,
art and belief. Who better to explore this new world than Arthurian immortals
who, after all these years, can look upon this strange, exciting city with
fresh eyes? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyz5bE4X3ZhS9YN4Bc3RkgJhj2w97aV6Y1gAV5EwNL5qz3fyy2ZjUcj-LGENtieP1b5Rak6ycEt7YsmS5XS9-e6jsIy61LZtOVFQe5BnBnn0SEHwf-V6u7RreRWg58hJpl_5_YnF8vylv/s1600/TenBells_1800p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyz5bE4X3ZhS9YN4Bc3RkgJhj2w97aV6Y1gAV5EwNL5qz3fyy2ZjUcj-LGENtieP1b5Rak6ycEt7YsmS5XS9-e6jsIy61LZtOVFQe5BnBnn0SEHwf-V6u7RreRWg58hJpl_5_YnF8vylv/s320/TenBells_1800p.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
We
are moving into a new era of game storytelling, exploring the way we handle and
interact with topics such as mental illness, grief, and different sorts of
love. Moreover, the demographic of gamers is shifting, and game developers seem
to be accommodating that, or it could well be the other way around? It’s a
fascinating time to be working in the games industry, especially when
narrative-driven games seem to be at the forefront of our march forward. Above
all else, I look forward to an increasing level of diversity in our developers,
opening doors to new voices and the new stories those voices can tell.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br /><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKvLHkMXA3hDHBD6LL_GjYNPO9570yQLzAIL-NkUkQDdZeLhncNz6CRK47vAHotHafNm0O-UBHNQ8-bkQhldaJpzavp_2C1nFspD0E_UAnS7XdyRDjFyXGwGZLYB3dacgiv1VutKdEh90/s1600/news-jessica-saunders-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="730" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKvLHkMXA3hDHBD6LL_GjYNPO9570yQLzAIL-NkUkQDdZeLhncNz6CRK47vAHotHafNm0O-UBHNQ8-bkQhldaJpzavp_2C1nFspD0E_UAnS7XdyRDjFyXGwGZLYB3dacgiv1VutKdEh90/s320/news-jessica-saunders-1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jessica Saunders is an Indie developer and and owner of Salix Games</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07019421407467205047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-11022713325917053962018-05-17T10:50:00.000+01:002018-05-17T10:50:05.029+01:00Guest Blog: What To Do When The One Big Deal, Doesn't Turn Into The Next Big Deal<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It probably seems a bit strange me writing a blog like this
in May; titled nearly identically to the talk that I’m doing in July at the
wonderful Develop Conference… The reality is that not even a 3 hour time slot
would enable me to convey all of my thoughts and feelings on this subject –
which can be seen in the recent interview that I gave with our Operations
Director, Gemma, for <a href="https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-04-18-how-dlala-survived-the-loss-of-a-usd3m-disney-deal">GamesIndustry.biz</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the article on GI.biz we talk a lot about what happened
before, during and just after the cancellation. In the talk in July I’m going
to talk in more detail about what we did to survive, the trials and
tribulations of numerous unsuccessful pitches and the removal of the rose-tinted
glasses and ego consequent of having a big deal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72zZ4BuwEd182Ixq9kJ2GrV6AVvWb16WfCN7fhRJJxkcQHJNOaNP6iGugHVQVe0-Hzj4BA7OVcvLa1ISgl4tU1dSaFWUluPG3O7Ii-swM8vvacYHil6Pr6t1P5wkZJO_GV2PyshXDQg2H/s1600/Four.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72zZ4BuwEd182Ixq9kJ2GrV6AVvWb16WfCN7fhRJJxkcQHJNOaNP6iGugHVQVe0-Hzj4BA7OVcvLa1ISgl4tU1dSaFWUluPG3O7Ii-swM8vvacYHil6Pr6t1P5wkZJO_GV2PyshXDQg2H/s320/Four.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“So, what’s the point of this blog?” I hear all one of you
asking (thanks for reading Ma). In this blog I wanted to talk briefly about the
emotional and mental impact the situation had on me personally. I have never
been shy about being brash, outspoken and, at times, inappropriately open about
my feelings on pretty much everything. But, over the last couple of years it
seems the industry has become more open in general about mental impact. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Firstly, I want to say that I am in an incredibly privileged
position and that I am fully aware of this. I was able to start a studio due to
the support of my family and loved ones, and we’ve had a truly incredible
journey. Hitting 6 years in June is an amazing feeling and I know how lucky we have
been in an industry that has seen wide-spread layoffs and studio closures in
the half a decade we’ve been going. I’m also very aware that I am the most
cliché typical game developer in the world - I have not had to deal with any
real discrimination. In fact, the only discrimination I have ever had to deal
with comes about when I occasionally decide to treat myself to a first-class
train ticket; apparently sweatpants, trainers, long hair and a beard aren’t the
appropriate attire according to the fine ladies and gentlemen in first class,
who like to call upon the ticket inspector to check that I’m not bunking the fair…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX56KCSBTUwtZv_7H2nWdCuVb4R5GZP07a88qw9kTdnpn2PcnRJJKAzxrRQNuRYhrZojlmTtUNuKUFq0qEVYbyT9p4KXXyOO-ZZU2x7lXodr1JagLbHp28XMsDW5ZvJ1wFaB3nLYN7LJEl/s1600/Eight.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX56KCSBTUwtZv_7H2nWdCuVb4R5GZP07a88qw9kTdnpn2PcnRJJKAzxrRQNuRYhrZojlmTtUNuKUFq0qEVYbyT9p4KXXyOO-ZZU2x7lXodr1JagLbHp28XMsDW5ZvJ1wFaB3nLYN7LJEl/s320/Eight.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, for all my bravado and the joy this company has
brought me over the past (nearly) 6 years, and without a single day’s regret,
it is fair to say that it has definitely taken its toll on me… At the ripe old
age of 33, I’m nearly completely grey. Which is quite depressing when I compare
that to pictures of me when I started the company in 2012, without a single
grey hair in sight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My sleep patterns are broken and erratic at best and,
unsurprisingly, this is worst around important deadlines. I’ll often very
suddenly become completely wide-awake in the middle of night, spend a couple of
hours checking/answering e-mails and messaging our US-based partners/staff/publishers/clients.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the topic of sleep, I’m tired a lot, on average at the
moment I’m usually actually in bed by 9pm because I feel completely shattered,
which doesn’t help the broken/erratic sleep pattern. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqK8zs1QZQNRvJ23iloH3PI3lOnz-9P60NleCJ7hU0C41p71_yWmjAopNYWeNuiuuH-09Xa_gkTJW-7GxBb7I5f7BCyxH3Tswk7BKcAtisR6l0a8k_7EO4sylTJWbdBsUYIJwd1pv3WdR7/s1600/Two.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqK8zs1QZQNRvJ23iloH3PI3lOnz-9P60NleCJ7hU0C41p71_yWmjAopNYWeNuiuuH-09Xa_gkTJW-7GxBb7I5f7BCyxH3Tswk7BKcAtisR6l0a8k_7EO4sylTJWbdBsUYIJwd1pv3WdR7/s320/Two.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the better part of the last 18 months all I have been
able to think about is when the money is going to run out. When the Disney deal
finished, we had a great amount of money to keep us going and, whilst we’ve
done some amazing work for hire projects and been smart with some operational
cuts, it turns out studios burn money, and it can burn quickly! We’re not 5
guys in a garage on minimum wage anymore; we are 10 people, with two office
buildings and a yearly running cost well into the mid-hundreds of thousands. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Whilst I’ve been lucky that I’ve never really felt like I’ve
had “imposter syndrome”, I am anxious all the time. This also led me to realise
something a while back - I never really “celebrate” the highs and achievements;
I am always looking behind them for the next low that could occur. Luckily this
isn’t something that has rubbed off on any of my awesome team members or my
loved ones who are all an awesome positive presence in my life. However, I do
feel at times I’m missing out on being able to feel really happy about the big
work milestones, like signing deals and big development milestones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To be clear, I don’t want this to sound like I don’t enjoy
my work-life - I absolutely love what I do and genuinely feel I have the best
job in the world. In fact, I’ve had some arguments with one of my best friends
in games over which one of us has the best job, and that is an awesome way to
feel. My school friends all hate me because when they hit Sunday are dreading already
dreading what’s to come on Monday, I can’t wait to get back to the office. But
the industry has still broken me down over the years. I’m definitely programmed
now to always prepare for everything to go wrong. Although, this does have its
advantages; it makes me more cautious about everything and I never trust a deal
is done - not until the first payment is cleared – and even then, I am far more
aware of potential risks that still may follow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQex-Vtbd_0S_rT7czOuwH5UyXqTtrVcE-BGZSOs9HrodxZ9rOxkpguZG3ZFD4_uTe7LgXA9rQu72GHYQxN49hvSm62SBwpAUk2sLedsLUuAbbl45gxlkTqPuyptK26qv3npCKVDrfnEa/s1600/Thirteen.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQex-Vtbd_0S_rT7czOuwH5UyXqTtrVcE-BGZSOs9HrodxZ9rOxkpguZG3ZFD4_uTe7LgXA9rQu72GHYQxN49hvSm62SBwpAUk2sLedsLUuAbbl45gxlkTqPuyptK26qv3npCKVDrfnEa/s320/Thirteen.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I say this A LOT, so much so that anyone that has seen me
talk or read anything I’ve written is sick of me saying it but: I was a
programmer who wanted to be a designer who became a company director. I never
had any intention of starting my own company. It just wasn’t something that
even registered as an option. Whilst I don’t regret it at all, I was never
really prepared for what it meant to be where the buck stops. To be the one
with the responsibility of people’s mortgages and kids on your shoulders. Does
it feel like it’s a massive burden to bear on a daily basis? 100%. And do I
feel like I can’t handle it? Very often. BUT that feeling passes quickly. I
know I can do this because I need to do this for my team and for myself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every time I’m the last one in the office, I look around and
I realise that we built this (not the building literally, however we did paint building
1). That we were just a few guys, with no real plan, who wanted to make games
together, and now we’re 10 awesome people (soon to be growing). In these
moments of reflection, I suddenly feel completely overwhelmed and lost for
breath and then I do something that I don’t necessarily do that often. I smile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As with everything I do, there wasn’t much of a
point to this – it was really just stream of consciousness typing. But, if I
had to drill it down to a point and some sort of “Jerry’s Final Thought”, that
point would be that it is ok to feel overwhelmed; it’s ok to question yourself,
it’s ok to feel anxious and it’s 100% ok to feel however the damn-well you
feel. Just make sure that at the end of the day the thing triggering all these
feelings is worth it.</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJrl62-dEvjBvTDaH_MAoGjFclDbbbhaTkbWOD3W-kqt7gIq8gR7hkG-FX7tbq5lmgAYDZIrZdf_yG9KzQNYWNGU1JbKw9hlMYA17gg_JAQb8Pjo33-LIwVbWX3V5CErkjqTBB7Dw3UuPk/s1600/51AFCF36-5056-B740-17A7332EA066A12F-ProfileImgUpload.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJrl62-dEvjBvTDaH_MAoGjFclDbbbhaTkbWOD3W-kqt7gIq8gR7hkG-FX7tbq5lmgAYDZIrZdf_yG9KzQNYWNGU1JbKw9hlMYA17gg_JAQb8Pjo33-LIwVbWX3V5CErkjqTBB7Dw3UuPk/s1600/51AFCF36-5056-B740-17A7332EA066A12F-ProfileImgUpload.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aj Grand-Scrutton is Chief Executive Office at Dlala Studios and will be speaking at Develop:Brighton. Find out more about his session <a href="https://www.developconference.com/whats-on/2018-speakers/speaker-detail/aj-grand-scrutton">here</a> and to see more talks featured on the Indie track, click <a href="https://www.developconference.com/whats-on/conference-tracks/indie">here</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07019421407467205047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-1365751061080282912018-02-16T11:00:00.000+00:002018-02-16T15:16:04.837+00:00Guest Blog: Why speak at Develop:Brighton?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">My first speaking opportunity at Develop:Brighton was
after applying to a call for new/first time speakers. The format was each new
speaker would have a few minutes on stage to argue a case/put forward an idea
that they would like to win a talk spot for, for a full talk at the following
years conference. Initially there was about 12 speakers lined up, that soon
dropped to 6 and I was the only remaining female speaker, and as such I was
asked if I would still like to take part.<br /><br />It’s not new for me to be the only women in a situation, games were my hobby long before becoming my career and I’ve lost count of the number of times I have been expected to defend my validity, but still I was disappointed. I had been looking forward to seeing so many new voices on stage, voices our industry so desperately needs to hear, voices that let the other women in the audience know they belong, voices that encourage other women to join in. Luckily I’m quite a competitive person and being the only female speaker left in the competition only strengthen my resolve to slay my fellow new speakers (spoiler - I won).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2lxa-VAP-TLHlKBGT7MlUwA8fsFO3s8nJPnQsLcwbpqGGE4NrDNJF4D9ofIhYUGb7y312Ho-3zIIHuU8fxrJT_n-vOWh2T7W-PNLyI_s4sPfJpxTsuHkQEh8_kDi_8a8frB5QLF-iKfdK/s1600/Leanne+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="1600" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2lxa-VAP-TLHlKBGT7MlUwA8fsFO3s8nJPnQsLcwbpqGGE4NrDNJF4D9ofIhYUGb7y312Ho-3zIIHuU8fxrJT_n-vOWh2T7W-PNLyI_s4sPfJpxTsuHkQEh8_kDi_8a8frB5QLF-iKfdK/s320/Leanne+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">Here I
am, standing at lecterns talking about games!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
<span lang="EN">My soapbox rant, sorry ‘mini talk’ was about
why we should hire more parents into the industry. There are many reasons, not
least of all because at that point I had a 1 year old daughter, but most
importantly I did the talk because we see so few female speakers at events, and
even fewer mothers. My journey into independent game development started when I
was 5 months pregnant, between jobs and totally unemployable. My first indie
game was released 2 weeks before my first baby was born and when she was around
a week old I was multitasking breastfeeding and storefront asset generation for
the Android release of Glyph Quest. As much as I knew what I was doing was
impressive (game dev with a tiny baby is not easy) I didn’t realise how
important my story was for others to hear until I started talking about it at
events.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Since I started sharing my experience, I’ve
had women at each talk come up to me afterwards and thank me. They were at a
point in their career, relationship and life where they were thinking about
having children but were unsure how such a move in this male led industry would
affect them. Now, I can’t speak for how bigger studios handle
maternity/paternity and the struggles of returning to work but what I can tell
you is it is possible to work up to the due date (I have, twice) and having a
child doesn't mean you suddenly forget how to do everything you did before you
got pregnant, you just have to learn how to do some of those things with one
hand whilst the other is clamped around a wriggle monster.<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNMlp3IgjA35-6HF9tfvoG84ua6neq-9nPPJ7yhPOodQpzXUAQ1shH9xjfcjYBC-5j5UWzQ710vioa9IXM_Z4sEeY05a-zGl0O0VXMR-JF08EvDHgbM16qVpyFGJCF1gNwCZY8r8CzR4fB/s1600/Leanne+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNMlp3IgjA35-6HF9tfvoG84ua6neq-9nPPJ7yhPOodQpzXUAQ1shH9xjfcjYBC-5j5UWzQ710vioa9IXM_Z4sEeY05a-zGl0O0VXMR-JF08EvDHgbM16qVpyFGJCF1gNwCZY8r8CzR4fB/s320/Leanne+2.jpg" width="320" /></a>#Multitasking</div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
You may not feel your experience or you
presenting what you do is that big a deal, but it is to someone. Even if it’s
only one person you encourage to get into games dev, stay in games dev or
change the sex of their games protagonist, it matters. Representation is
getting better, it’s changed a lot in the time that I’ve been a developer, but
we still have a way to go and we’ll only get there if we represent. So tell
your story, sign up as a speaker at this years Develop:Brighton conference and I look
forward to meeting you there.</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxIhDD4KXXU6zmKxFo17YlPEjzz-fVsRf2NDmJsXF1V1WUg91Dm9lT59sAjwu9pq7ktcrz8lYX_VFzPk-FLAsu7cQJw6UGYdVEsOj7Zwm3p-Ltd7022V9ox-lpDAs-GzhFBABeJASMbROD/s1600/Leanne+Bailey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxIhDD4KXXU6zmKxFo17YlPEjzz-fVsRf2NDmJsXF1V1WUg91Dm9lT59sAjwu9pq7ktcrz8lYX_VFzPk-FLAsu7cQJw6UGYdVEsOj7Zwm3p-Ltd7022V9ox-lpDAs-GzhFBABeJASMbROD/s320/Leanne+Bailey.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN"><b><a href="https://www.developconference.com/delegate-info/advisory-board/advisory-board-detail/leanne-bailey" target="_blank">Leanne Bayley from We Heart Dragons is a member of the Develop:Brighton Advisory Board</a></b></span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15941480464282633740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-52164240389836409602017-11-02T10:49:00.002+00:002017-11-02T11:10:58.914+00:00Guest Blog: VR Goes to Work<div class="MsoNormal">
After hovering on the fringes of mainstream culture for
years, VR was suddenly thrust into the spotlight a few years ago by developers
like Oculus, HTC, Sony, and Samsung. As their rapid hardware developments piqued
the interest of the<span style="color: red;"> </span>entertainment world, the
biggest impact was unsurprisingly felt in gaming, with console manufacturers
scrambling to be the first to incorporate the tech into their products. As an
unfortunate consequence, VR was mistakenly viewed by many merely as a gadget for
gamers, a gimmick.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSV4JiS-D0CDNMXIi0PFZOFC6E_0GJQsR1MVYm8Yz0uZ7xfA6zdIvh5DBITOP2bE0KfdrkkyO-Te25MOyCf_9b5lANgn5prVWcNtZQtK8tnGhYGn6MQgcIrsb4dVYNkJnMFPtmyMEJIge/s1600/Pic+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSV4JiS-D0CDNMXIi0PFZOFC6E_0GJQsR1MVYm8Yz0uZ7xfA6zdIvh5DBITOP2bE0KfdrkkyO-Te25MOyCf_9b5lANgn5prVWcNtZQtK8tnGhYGn6MQgcIrsb4dVYNkJnMFPtmyMEJIge/s320/Pic+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We’ve never seen it that way, and we’ve always strived to
combat this misconception by demonstrating the real-world impact this
incredible technology can really have. Right from our first VR projects with
Pagani and Audi two years ago, we’ve had the pleasure of working within an
international community of likeminded developers to apply the cutting-edge of R&D
VR innovations to commercial projects with car companies around the world, and
with the rate of recent hardware developments, we couldn’t be more excited
about our future Virtual Reality projects!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2aIFIHa1OTJVX_hTYqUzza-t73bpyUZEtwzYXE7EgMf9opwu6aPHr-4i184pHODIE2QmgssDYdgu_YjC3xC6HoDiQZTjdsqluSGNonnNCBkm2hX-LfBx9pYOXTVDiYPNHB3cC4XnwyO1u/s1600/Pic+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2aIFIHa1OTJVX_hTYqUzza-t73bpyUZEtwzYXE7EgMf9opwu6aPHr-4i184pHODIE2QmgssDYdgu_YjC3xC6HoDiQZTjdsqluSGNonnNCBkm2hX-LfBx9pYOXTVDiYPNHB3cC4XnwyO1u/s320/Pic+2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s not just in our sector that VR is maturing: recently, its
potential business<span style="color: red;"> </span>applications have become
increasingly clear. The unveiling of Oculus for Business at OC4 is testament to
this, with several big-name brands partnering with the hardware firm to give a taster
of what VR can really do.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rNstJZnxKgzL_5xYH053niwOXh0yrtVkD30hKInHOWdo39_rTHxd9hGw_-NgKSdgl_4ckgW7RQrQpFfNNhWP0oeOqMXK3E3KawfWt_Ahgr10ACjetDLhHcX_BIPtempwjJ7GoTtcLpv0/s1600/Pic+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1169" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rNstJZnxKgzL_5xYH053niwOXh0yrtVkD30hKInHOWdo39_rTHxd9hGw_-NgKSdgl_4ckgW7RQrQpFfNNhWP0oeOqMXK3E3KawfWt_Ahgr10ACjetDLhHcX_BIPtempwjJ7GoTtcLpv0/s320/Pic+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From the initial staff training at companies like KFC,
Walmart, and General Motors, to designing state-of-the-art passenger planes
with Boeing and Airbus, VR is impacting every level of working life. Staff can
now create and test new features and models, practice diffusing potentially
dangerous situations, and hold complex conferences all within a virtual sphere,
and they can do this from almost anywhere. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Despite these incredible innovations, though, it’s the
customer who has benefited most from VR’s dramatic foray<span style="color: red;"> </span>into the business world. They can use this technology to design,
customise, and test an increasing number of products prior to purchase. No
longer reliant on their imagination, consumers are able to see a product in a
range of different surroundings, giving them unprecedented insights into potential
purchases, and with the recent addition of volumetric video environments,
customers can find themselves completely immersed within these life-like experiences.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QNb6AOBFqv0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QNb6AOBFqv0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The only way is up for VR in these exciting times!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Hlk497294595"><br /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you’d like to join our team and
work with us on our upcoming projects, talk to our team at the Develop:VR
conference or view our <a href="https://zerolight.com/careers#careers_vacancies">current vacancies</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikaQyPshYXTlNHJX3n_HJJ4R-XFPyaVlZxrnyry2aZP2AbTh8Zm0DYWH48rfdVvt2O0Qkmo5T2cdEKodBGdgfzpHGoHmbOO3XOY0edE-CuK787_EH30g_SbYP7F4IUZPUvm-ZxEKrD18YI/s1600/Chris-Headshot-Profile-735x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="735" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikaQyPshYXTlNHJX3n_HJJ4R-XFPyaVlZxrnyry2aZP2AbTh8Zm0DYWH48rfdVvt2O0Qkmo5T2cdEKodBGdgfzpHGoHmbOO3XOY0edE-CuK787_EH30g_SbYP7F4IUZPUvm-ZxEKrD18YI/s320/Chris-Headshot-Profile-735x1024.jpg" width="229" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris O'Connor is Technical Director at ZeroLight and will be speaking at <a href="http://www.developvr.co.uk/">Develop:VR</a> with his session entitled <a href="http://www.developvr.co.uk/speaker/chris-oconnor/">Building World-Class Commercial VR Experiences</a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07019421407467205047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-13768620977779883202017-10-24T09:52:00.004+01:002017-10-24T09:52:58.184+01:00Guest Blog: Virtual Reality is Having Real Impact on the Health Industry<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 14pt; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We talk a lot about the potential
benefits of VR across a number of areas, talk is all well and good, but
actually seeing how it can be applied is when the potential hits home and
becomes real. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW912H_IxVqesOJtaV41UlFi2agTdnt3agkEil-vH3ANMsk0XQ7nbvw33SUYi6hKBYXvcH-mjm2eScHsHj6Kw7gf4TZjX-5UvP7M3MV2jAtr3ceA2HFyQ7dNR4Zr3IsYBGfejBuFCV1Afm/s1600/VR+blog+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="744" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW912H_IxVqesOJtaV41UlFi2agTdnt3agkEil-vH3ANMsk0XQ7nbvw33SUYi6hKBYXvcH-mjm2eScHsHj6Kw7gf4TZjX-5UvP7M3MV2jAtr3ceA2HFyQ7dNR4Zr3IsYBGfejBuFCV1Afm/s320/VR+blog+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 14pt; padding: 0in;">Last year at SXSW in Austin, I was lucky
enough to meet Sook-Lei Liew, a neuroscientist from USC who had created an
incredible VR prototype for treating stroke victims. Combining a swim cap, a
standard laptop and an off the shelf HMD she created<b> </b></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt;">REINVENT (which stands for Rehabilitation Environment using
the Integration of Neuromuscular-based Virtual Enhancements for Neural Training).
Yes they worked hard on that acronym! </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This Social VR application uses EEG sensors to provide neuro-feedback
when an individual’s neuromuscular signals indicate a movement attempt, even in
the absence of actual movement. Stroke patients could retrain their brain to
move muscles that have been affected by the stroke - relearning the right brain
signals by which to move a virtual arm, which can ultimately lead to them being
able to use that rediscovered ability in reality.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_n4_tFmC0arLzLWBupTy-t1GdN-33FfXBfTOyIWcEQdw8Wmhw0mrFP9Z6-kRhhRQLuFI5JrSy5K4bBI3HItrGkavRBd83Zk1bndkrkpmV_oSWcCGi_UJC984AjuVqeMKGRwN6WpfdD6vq/s1600/VR+blog+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_n4_tFmC0arLzLWBupTy-t1GdN-33FfXBfTOyIWcEQdw8Wmhw0mrFP9Z6-kRhhRQLuFI5JrSy5K4bBI3HItrGkavRBd83Zk1bndkrkpmV_oSWcCGi_UJC984AjuVqeMKGRwN6WpfdD6vq/s320/VR+blog+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I came across a great comment from Mel Slater, a professor
of virtual environments, where he talked about the ability to trick the brain: “There
is some level of the brain that doesn’t distinguish between reality and virtual
reality. A typical example is, you see a precipice and you jump back and your
heart starts racing. You react very fast because it’s the safe thing for the
brain to do. All your autonomic system starts functioning, you get a very
strong level of arousal, then you go, ‘I know it’s not real’. But it doesn’t
matter, because you still can’t step forward near that precipice.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It is the natural reaction that <span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Sook-Lei
Liew is utilising with REINVENT, less of a trick, but more like an immersive
rewiring of the brain. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 14pt; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 14pt; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As we gain a better understanding of the
uses of immersive technology to address key health issues, the number of
solutions will grow exponentially. From training surgeons, treatment for
depression, to pain relief, the impact immersive technology will have on our
collective health will fundamentally change the whole health industry. We’re
entering an exciting period of innovation.</span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 14pt; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXdcbT6lcrWjaijCadAf2kIy_c47tMRPJKfCLA9MY8sg8OPyMUjJL4MPMcpBnwWzCHggSn4h5JnMBLNc-9NEY4Opkw9gxdIBw8q_eDjQizTPh6P24bSOIRkSIWMUiiAGCYpeGSVXAzjVg/s1600/James+watson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="866" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXdcbT6lcrWjaijCadAf2kIy_c47tMRPJKfCLA9MY8sg8OPyMUjJL4MPMcpBnwWzCHggSn4h5JnMBLNc-9NEY4Opkw9gxdIBw8q_eDjQizTPh6P24bSOIRkSIWMUiiAGCYpeGSVXAzjVg/s320/James+watson.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Watson is head of immersive technology at Imagination and will be speaking at <a href="http://www.developvr.co.uk/">Develop:VR</a> with his session entitled <a href="http://www.developvr.co.uk/seminar/getting-up-close-and-virtual-with-the-automotive-industry-using-vr-for-the-right-reasons/">Getting Up Close and Virtual with the Automotive Industry: Using VR for the Right Reasons </a><br /> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 14pt; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07019421407467205047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-64378297335077849112017-10-17T11:42:00.001+01:002017-10-17T11:42:07.745+01:00Guest Blog: The Possibilities of VR <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">It
is 1911 and the Paris art world is alive with excitement about a revolution in
art. The Salle 41 artists have just taken part in the first organised
exhibition of Cubist works; images that broke down conventional depictions of
space, mass, volume and time. Their work, based on ideas developed by Pablo
Picasso and Georges Braque, went on to drastically change world art, as
developments and reactions to it led to the creation of modernism and beyond.
The power of the movement broke through to other genres such as music and
architecture and has revolutionised culture and society through the 20th
Century and into our time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmzmnVG9zGSDDl8OOh4WuwR7KxN4aglVuOf7aNl-dvIEj9FmjxSiM8nxWoBT8e8dtu8tzJRcXaAkx06kq94H5F0KtUHkoCANVUwzDQYrCFuUcyoDkdpBQZajsyDKlYgi9UzY3ywi-cuVY/s1600/VR+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="291" data-original-width="642" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmzmnVG9zGSDDl8OOh4WuwR7KxN4aglVuOf7aNl-dvIEj9FmjxSiM8nxWoBT8e8dtu8tzJRcXaAkx06kq94H5F0KtUHkoCANVUwzDQYrCFuUcyoDkdpBQZajsyDKlYgi9UzY3ywi-cuVY/s320/VR+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Early
works in the Autumn Cubist Exhibition, Paris 1912<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">It
is 2017 and the revolution of AR/VR/MR is about to begin. In as significant a
way as the Cubist’s broke conventions of perspective, so AR/VR/MR is
transforming our relationship with that thing we hold most highly in our
culture - the flat screen. We can now enter amazing unseen worlds, we can bring
digital creations through into our world, and interact with them in our visual
spaces, we can be immersed in stories and experiences in a way beyond anything
that has come before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHuZnT4PGrwfor3Y1_FebcX7t9XgeP615QYQhKnYwE1EYE4Vpg0Z8lkw1t2mmVKRNCA3EUDcUTOzHoQhswr8q9kpfpvg0GJsUvxRMXKmv8CMrFtdFhCaMHZtSG2BE9IhOfa56RQa_Fr_1E/s1600/VR+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="642" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHuZnT4PGrwfor3Y1_FebcX7t9XgeP615QYQhKnYwE1EYE4Vpg0Z8lkw1t2mmVKRNCA3EUDcUTOzHoQhswr8q9kpfpvg0GJsUvxRMXKmv8CMrFtdFhCaMHZtSG2BE9IhOfa56RQa_Fr_1E/s320/VR+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immersive
gameplay and narrative in Pixel Toy’s Drop Dead on Gear VR and Oculus Rift</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><br />I
have to admit I was cynical at first of the possibilities of it all - another
3D TV, another gimmick - yet as we developed Drop Dead at Pixel Toys, the
possibilities of VR became so apparent - how a Samsung phone in a relatively
simple headset could deliver a hugely accessible, immersive VR experience to a
mass market, how we could tell stories in such a fresh way. Still the barriers
of technology are falling continuing to fall at a dramatic rate: Apple’s
significant entry into the AR field with AR Kit will surely speed the adoption
and integration of augmented content into mainstream life - particularly as
marketers (for they are the primary drivers of mass acceptance surely) begin to
invade our lives with interactive enhanced messages.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRW28XQejWC05pdsu290wvbxhDhEZN8x2EgrBJTxMt78aT2mkPDSE-_cWqfYN1fDDz6rLPaRHEc8oT13RVYxIwu8ylDoSyMm4t2MUCBuU1OcUXPoZiSag1RTvzR6WTLVYpkMntO4jFcEqp/s1600/VR+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="642" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRW28XQejWC05pdsu290wvbxhDhEZN8x2EgrBJTxMt78aT2mkPDSE-_cWqfYN1fDDz6rLPaRHEc8oT13RVYxIwu8ylDoSyMm4t2MUCBuU1OcUXPoZiSag1RTvzR6WTLVYpkMntO4jFcEqp/s320/VR+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Image
from the Royal Academy’s Virtually Real exhibition in January 2017</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><br />A
wonderful thing is that our Picassos and Braques are out there right now:
artists, developers and creatives taking these nascent tools and pushing them
every day to new extremes. Like Cubism and Modernism before, this won’t be
limited to a single genre but will be suffused through contemporary culture. VR
is already embedding itself into training programmes for doctors, firemen, even
fast food outlets. It is entering the world of manufacturing, business,
entertainment, games, art. The Royal Academy of Arts, once the bastion of
traditionalism, recently hosted an exhibition of VR artworks created by some of
their students, and plans further exhibitions in the near future. Jaguar Land
Rover use hi-definition VR content to shape their cars as part of their
pre-production design and as part of their customer facing sales strategy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Ultimately
the reason for this now inevitable revolution is that VR/AR/MR changes our
relationship with the world around us, in much the same way as modernist
principles did last century. We need to simply embrace the enormity of that and
as developers prepare for the opportunities that this technology affords for
creatives, businesses and consumers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKNmU-z3_nNVk3iRxcYC8YLBCv_riHX4via82-5N8_vFLCBhbJce7P-ehBDDXZl0xZblLt1Ex4CMOuTigseDY28xNNnj-GSRxbWAiRlrle-IAZOOCFNUTqcwCiC3Xvsp48MYSU9ydGiCsS/s1600/VR+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="770" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKNmU-z3_nNVk3iRxcYC8YLBCv_riHX4via82-5N8_vFLCBhbJce7P-ehBDDXZl0xZblLt1Ex4CMOuTigseDY28xNNnj-GSRxbWAiRlrle-IAZOOCFNUTqcwCiC3Xvsp48MYSU9ydGiCsS/s200/VR+4.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>James Horn</b> is lead artist at Pixel Toys and will be speaking at <a href="http://www.developvr.co.uk/">Develop:VR</a> with his session </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">entitled - <a href="http://www.developvr.co.uk/seminar/drop-deadline-delivering-a-visually-excellent-60fps-narrative-mobile-shooter-to-a-fixed-deadline-with-a-small-team/">Drop Deadline - A Visually-Excellent, 60fps, Narrative Mobile Shooter to a Fixed Deadline With a Small Team</a></span></span></div>
Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07019421407467205047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-55751790914112102142017-06-23T10:55:00.000+01:002017-06-23T10:55:07.299+01:00Develop:Five - Chris Parsons, Revelation Games<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141;">Every week, we ask some of the best game development minds five questions in a feature we are calling Develop:Five. This week, Chris Parsons of Revelation Games </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141;">answers our five question blog feature.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"><b>1. What’s your earliest memory of playing video games?</b></span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My earlier
memory is starting up my TRS-80 before breakfast, inserting the Donkey Kong
cassette tape, having breakfast, getting dressed for school, and coming back to
the computer when it had just finished loading. At that point I usually had 5
minutes to play before I had to leave for school! It was about 1983 I think.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"><b>2. What are you most excited or annoyed about in the
games industry today?</b></span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The barrier
to entry has never been lower, which is both a good and a bad thing. Whilst I’m
delighted that the rise of the “free" engine has made it easy for people
to make good games, it’s just as hard as ever to make a great game, and great
games get missed amongst the sea of good ones, which is a shame.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"><b>3. Tell us about a life-changing or special moment
you've had at Develop:Brighton in the past?</b></span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’ve only
been once, but really valued the camaraderie and humility of the UK indie dev
scene - some great conversations and mutual support.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"><b>4. What are you most looking forward to at
Develop:Brighton 2017?</b></span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Meeting
more developers like myself and sharing tips and stories!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"><b>5. Which game developer would you most like to meet
and why?</b></span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Shigeru
Miyamoto - a legend of design. I’d love to pick his brains about the essence of
great game design and thank him for writing the first game I remember playing!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.developconference.com/__resource/peopleProfiles/48BEEEF9-5056-B73B-0D4928DDF6F5FB67-profileimgupload.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Chris Parsons" border="0" src="http://www.developconference.com/__resource/peopleProfiles/48BEEEF9-5056-B73B-0D4928DDF6F5FB67-profileimgupload.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris Parsons makes deep, characterful and procedural games with friends. After beginning his career in AAA games 20 years ago, he built a software development company from scratch, before coming back to games in 2011. He released Sol Trader in 2016 and is the early stages of his next game: Ealdorlight.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b>Share on social media using #DevelopFive</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b>Find out more about Develop:Brighton and Mark's talk <a href="http://www.developconference.com/speakers/chris-parsons" style="color: #8c8c8c; text-decoration-line: none;">here</a></b></span></span></div>
Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07019421407467205047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-90582291390039527702017-06-16T10:55:00.000+01:002017-06-16T10:55:05.467+01:00Develop:Five - Mark Sorrell, Rovio<span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Every week, we ask some of the best game development minds five questions in a feature we are calling Develop:Five. This week, Mark Sorrell from Rovio </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">answers our five question blog feature.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><b>1. What’s
your earliest memory of playing video games?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Playing
Superman on the Atari VCS when I was about four in 1980ish. It was the first
game I played where you could walk off the side of the screen and it didn't
loop or block you, there was actually another part of the world to explore.
Which at the time was basically witchcraft.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><b>2. What are
you most excited or annoyed about in the games industry today?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I'm mostly
excited about the incredible breadth of experiences and possibilities in the
panoply of things that we call videogames and mostly annoyed about the lack of
words to describe them. Having spent considerable time in Finland, Finnish has
different words for playing a musical instrument, playing without explicit
purpose, like a child does, or playing a competitive game, along with others.
In English we have none of that subtlety, which leads to a lot of needless
arguments and slows down the progress of the medium(s).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><b>3. Tell us
about a life-changing or special moment you've had at Develop:Brighton in the
past? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">In truth,
there is no one stand out moment. Develop has been more like a clock,
parcelling out my time in the industry, allowing me to see how things have
changed, how I've changed, how the industry has changed, and how it hasn't,
catch up with old acquaintances and meet new ones. For me it's less an
instrument of change and more a device to measure it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><b>4.
What are you most looking forward to at Develop:Brighton 2017?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I know you
want me to say Tetsuya Mizuguchi but the real answer is the ten minutes
directly after I've finished my talk. The buzz when you come off stage is
_the_100_emoji_<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><b>5. Which
game developer would you most like to meet and why?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I have no
idea what his English is like because my Japanese is non-existent, but
presuming we could actually communicate, Yasumi Matsuno, the game director of
Final Fantasy 12, which for me is the most forward thinking and visionary game
ever made. I want to know how he managed to believe in his vision so
completely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFdvJ9WHq8-bFNmJGJ3mIFWKlBjiEK77xrGxCGzok8auuv0YW9X7DG1lP9I7DhQ026FDTXYfYBMoV6qZysLWEYaXR-V5F_P9RGRJb11YnfX5CJSHkuA5oWtCaPne6cKBrRSTbxa2bhIkOO/s1600/Mark+Sorrell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFdvJ9WHq8-bFNmJGJ3mIFWKlBjiEK77xrGxCGzok8auuv0YW9X7DG1lP9I7DhQ026FDTXYfYBMoV6qZysLWEYaXR-V5F_P9RGRJb11YnfX5CJSHkuA5oWtCaPne6cKBrRSTbxa2bhIkOO/s320/Mark+Sorrell.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark Sorrell is Head of Studio at Rovio's London Studio, a new venture set-up to build mobile F2P MMO games. Over the last two years, Mark has helped Rovio complete the transition to a true F2P company, as Vice President, Product. This comes after a career spent making games for unusual platforms, customers and business models. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b>Share on social media using #DevelopFive</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b>Find out more about Develop:Brighton and Mark's talk <a href="http://www.developconference.com/speakers/mark-sorrell" style="color: #8c8c8c; text-decoration-line: none;">here</a></b></span></span></div>
Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07019421407467205047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-61429484821464291212017-06-02T10:55:00.000+01:002017-06-02T10:55:15.333+01:00Develop:Five - Leanne Bayley, We Heart Dragons<span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Every week, we ask some of the best game development minds five questions in a feature we are calling Develop:Five. This week, Leanne Bayley from We Heart Dragons </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">answers our five question blog feature.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><b>1. What’s your earliest memory of playing video games?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">I spent a lot of time as a kid watching my mom play
games on a ZX Spectrum (that apparently only worked in thunder storms when I
wanted a go!), but I think I got into games with either Alex Kidd or Sonic the
Hedgehog on the SEGA Master System. I honestly can't remember which I
played first, but these were the two games that cemented gaming as a hobby for
me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /><b>
2. What are you most excited or annoyed about in the games industry today?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">It still really annoys me that mobile games are judged
as not being 'real games' by so many people. We all know not to judge a
book by its cover yet so many people will dismiss a game because of the
platform it's released on.<br />
<b><br />
3. Tell us about a life-changing or special moment you've had at
Develop:Brighton in the past?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Develop:Brighton 2015 was a pretty special year for
me. My team won the Develop Game Jam with our pebble themed game Tiny
Golem and my soap box rant about why hiring parents is good for your studio won
me a talk slot for the following year!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /><b>
4. What are you most looking forward to at Develop:Brighton 2017?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Catching up with and making new industry friends is
always a highlight of Develop:Brighton! This year I'm also looking
forward to my talk on how we have done F2P with Glyph Quest Chronicles and
showing off our newest project Space Krieg.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /><b>
5. Which game developer would you most like to meet and why?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Hidetaka Miyazaki, because Dark Souls! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Image result for Leanne Bayley from We Heart Dragons" src="https://weheartdragonsdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/selfielarge.png?w=300&h=300" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Leanne Bayley is co founder of award winning micro indie games studio, </span>We Heart Dragons.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b>Share on social media using #DevelopFive</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b>Find out more about Develop:Brighton <a href="http://www.developconference.com/welcome" style="color: #8c8c8c; text-decoration-line: none;">here</a></b></span></span></div>
</div>
Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07019421407467205047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-20718107412945276972017-05-26T10:57:00.000+01:002017-05-26T10:57:01.550+01:00Develop:Five - Tanguy Dewavrin, Atom Republic<span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Every week, we ask some of the best game development minds five questions in a feature we are calling Develop:Five. This week, Tanguy Dewavrin from Atom Republic </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">answers our five question blog feature.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><b>1. What’s
your earliest memory of playing video games?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">That would be a Space Invaders arcade cabinet
in a Café in Evian, where I spent my summer holidays, in the early eighties. I
was too little to have pocket money so I kept going back to my mum to ask for
more coins to play!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><b>2. What are
you most excited or annoyed about in the games industry today?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">I am really excited about the possibilites of
VR and the technical and creative possibilites it offers. It's mind blowing,
but it just needs 1 game to capture everyone's imagination and really take off.
Like Mario 64 sold the N64, or Wii Sports for the Wii: I can't wait to play the
Mario 64 of VR!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><b>3. Tell us
about a life-changing or special moment you've had at Develop:Brighton in the
past?</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">I like going back to Develop:Brighton every
year to catch up with my peers and old friends from the industry. It's a nice
break form the daily grind, and lets me step back and look at the bigger
picture, by taking in others' perspective on our industry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><b>4.
What are you most looking forward to at Develop:Brighton 2017?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">I'm really looking forward to the indie
sessions: indie developers are the lifeblood of the industry, indie devs are so
creative and it's vital that good indie games should manage to find their
audience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><b>5. Which
game developer would you most like to meet and why?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I'd like a
chance to bump into John Romero to tell him how much his work inspired me to
work in this industry! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxDsVdlyz4qPdxvVmw0NSIiZ-fMYl9zFSHqkQEYDp0pPNpgO2kmahk8sIrweAUdNWaE6gxOxDooaVQqeV0nn19aDjPwHF3Ef-jEB8iiZ_RDz6iLPHMJMdSXIafBmL5tsb17oXY_mKjPBp/s1600/Tanguy+160+pix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxDsVdlyz4qPdxvVmw0NSIiZ-fMYl9zFSHqkQEYDp0pPNpgO2kmahk8sIrweAUdNWaE6gxOxDooaVQqeV0nn19aDjPwHF3Ef-jEB8iiZ_RDz6iLPHMJMdSXIafBmL5tsb17oXY_mKjPBp/s400/Tanguy+160+pix.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tanguy Dewavrin has been a videogame developer for the last 24 years. He worked for Kuju, Argonaut, EA, Sony, on games like Geometry wars, Harry Potter, Catwoman, South Park... Started as an Artist, he then became Lead Artist and Art Director; he managed teams of up to 15 people. Founded Atom Republic Ltd in 2012 to specialize on virtual worlds content, and later co-founded Atom Universe in 2014 to make the world's first and only cross-platform virtual world.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b>Share on social media using #DevelopFive</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b>Find out more about Develop:Brighton and Tanguy's session <a href="http://www.developconference.com/speakers/tanguy-dewavrin">here</a></b></span></span></div>
Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07019421407467205047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-73415520034712880162017-05-19T12:00:00.000+01:002017-05-19T12:00:15.637+01:00Develop:Five - John Campbell, Triangular Pixels<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141;">Every week, we ask some of the best game development minds five questions in a feature we are calling Develop:Five. This week, John Campbell from Triangular Pixels </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141;">answers our five question blog feature.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. The
earliest game I have a clear memory of playing was Lord Of The Orb, a game for
the Atari 800. Looking back it borrows a lot from pacman as you avoid monsters
in a maze, but what makes it really stand out for me is the haunting music and
sounds. It's a great example of how even primitive music can completely change
the tone and feel of a game.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. I'm
concerned we're seeing the negative aspects of startup culture creeping into
the games industry, particularly within VR. A culture of spending big, growing
fast and flipping investors is harmful for the industry as a whole, and puts
too much focus on marketing over results.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. My
favourite talk is one that I wasn't even intending to go to! I had a gap between
talks and ended up listening to a wonderful programming talk about the
simulation and rendering of ocean waves for a mobile surfing game. I do think
more games would benefit if they started from a simulation approach and then
worked the fun in on top of that.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. I'm
really looking forward to catching up with a whole bunch of friends and former
colleagues over drinks and finding out what they're up to!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. I don't
really have a list of developers I'd really like to meet - but I do keep
bumping into people I didn't realise I wanted to talk to. Recently I had a
great chat with the music composer for Rez Infinite, one of my favourite games,
and hearing his take on London was fascinating.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwudo5nZH-8b33v3hCt5qhU549cOb62QW9oXeko3VmecoJTF_HSrSmnZCI-G5e-fN7P499XR_l5pRDU6PUNrfftPgPkjIfdRsm4e0PxG_ariz2myLIHBRDAKvK9hRUFlba54JB6GrYKbnh/s1600/JohnBigger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwudo5nZH-8b33v3hCt5qhU549cOb62QW9oXeko3VmecoJTF_HSrSmnZCI-G5e-fN7P499XR_l5pRDU6PUNrfftPgPkjIfdRsm4e0PxG_ariz2myLIHBRDAKvK9hRUFlba54JB6GrYKbnh/s320/JohnBigger.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Campbell is the Technical Director of award winning VR games studio, Triangular Pixels. With over eleven years of development experience on a variety of PlayStation hardware and VR devices, John works at the bleeding edge new platforms solving the tough technical challenges VR brings. With a background in gameplay, systems and networking he specialises in new user experiences and interactions, never more clear than in his innovative, BAFTA nominated game 'Unseen Diplomacy'. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b>Share on social media using #DevelopFive</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b>Find out more about Develop:Brighton and John's session <a href="http://www.developconference.com/speakers/john-campbell-" style="color: #8c8c8c; text-decoration-line: none;">here</a></b></span></span></div>
Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07019421407467205047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-35575795161359712282017-05-12T10:59:00.002+01:002017-05-12T11:03:13.315+01:00Develop:Five - Alex Moyet, Amcade Games<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Every week, we ask some of the best game development minds five questions in a feature we are calling Develop:Five. This week, Alex Moyet from Amcade Games </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">answers our five question blog feature. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>1. What’s
your earliest memory of playing video games?</b><br />
<br />
Playing Sonic the Hedgehog on my brother Joe’s Game Gear aged 4. If I was
extremely lucky, he would let me have a go here and there. It was so magical.<br />
<br /><b>
2. What are you most excited or annoyed about in the games industry today?</b><br />
<br />
I’m quite curious as to how the industry is going to support VR in the next
couple of years and whether instead we’ll see a solid resurgence of AR/MR
games. Is it wrong that what I’m most excited about is the release of South
Park: The Fractured But Whole?<br />
<br /><b>
3. Tell us about a life-changing or special moment you've had at
Develop:Brighton in the past - it could be an inspiring talk, someone you met
or something that happened to change your career or business? Or something else
completely! </b><br />
<br />
I met some amazing people at Develop:Brighton in 2016 who gave me the final
push I needed to go freelance and set up my own consultancy, Amcade. It’s hard
not to be inspired when you’re hanging out with some of the biggest industry
players in the sunshine!<br />
<br /><b>
4. What are you most looking forward to at Develop:Brighton 2017?</b><br />
<br />
Catching up with industry friends and trying to catch wind of any new
development talent or IPs<br />
<br /><b>
5. Which game developer would you most like to meet and why?</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jessica Curry – Every time I’ve seen her talk I’ve thought she seems like one
of the most awesome, bubbly, sweary, intelligent, badass women in the biz. I
think we’d get on!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Related image" src="http://www.mobygames.com/images/portraits/large/1455274893-00.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex Moyet is Founder & Director of Amcade Games - @amcadegames - and will be speaking at Develop:Brighton with her session entitled 'No Budget? No Problem/ Free Strategies to Effectively Promote Your Game'</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b>Share on social media using #DevelopFive</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b>Find out more about Develop:Brighton and Alex session <a href="http://www.developconference.com/" style="color: #8c8c8c; text-decoration-line: none;">here</a></b></span></span></div>
</div>
Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07019421407467205047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-11115103213854933552017-05-05T10:55:00.000+01:002017-05-05T10:55:10.103+01:00Develop:Five - Rhianna Pratchett<span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Every week, we ask some of the best game development minds five questions in a feature we are calling Develop:Five. This week, Rhianna Pratchett </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">answers our five question blog feature. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1. What’s your earliest memory of
playing video games?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Playing
Mazeogs on the Sinclair ZX81. I was six. Dad said I was frightened of
the monsters at first, but once I realised you could pick up a sword and
fight them, it started a long-term love affair with games.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">2. What are you most excited
or annoyed about in the games industry today?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I think
there's too much hand holding that goes on with players these days. Developers
get so worried that player won't know where to go for 10 seconds and
pepper games with aggressive hinting. But getting lost and working out what to
do is all part of playing games.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3. Tell us about a
life-changing or special moment you've had at Develop:Brighton in the past <br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It’s been a
great place for the game writers of the UK to meet up. We’re still quite a
small group, but we’re always supporting one another and sharing war stories!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">4. What are you most looking
forward to at Develop:Brighton 2017?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
More meet-ups with industry friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">5. Which game developer would you
most like to meet and why?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I've met a
lot of them over the years. I'd love to meet Roberta Williams (</span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberta_Williams"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberta_Williams</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">). I'm a great fan of her games
and I'm sure she'd have some good stories about being one of the earliest high
profile women in the industry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahCsr62HhHSuxm6m4TsSgHzxmaMOMzkrN7x4rVRlAGSjP1AubW7WIUO8IQmdMmS8YHZWuUemRgP1br74vWv_LNwwqGShcTfkzaHKjeSW0vF7wVZeem5VrNF2MjyIZmyE4PDnXfEqdDUEg/s1600/conference+general+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahCsr62HhHSuxm6m4TsSgHzxmaMOMzkrN7x4rVRlAGSjP1AubW7WIUO8IQmdMmS8YHZWuUemRgP1br74vWv_LNwwqGShcTfkzaHKjeSW0vF7wVZeem5VrNF2MjyIZmyE4PDnXfEqdDUEg/s320/conference+general+8.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rhianna Pratchett is an award-winning, eighteen-year veteran of the games industry. She has wrestled the wild beasts of narrative on titles such as: Heavenly Sword, Mirror's Edge, the entire Overlord series, Tomb Raider and Rise of the Tomb Raider. Rhianna is regularly named as one of the most influential and recognised women in games. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b>Share on social media using #DevelopFive</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b>Find out more about Develop:Brighton <a href="http://www.developconference.com/">here</a></b></span></span></div>
Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07019421407467205047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-69875273843110315902017-04-21T11:00:00.000+01:002017-04-21T11:00:06.837+01:00Develop:Five - Dan Marshall, Size Five Games<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Every week, we ask some of the best game development minds five questions in a feature we are calling Develop:Five. This week, Dan Marshall from Size Five Games </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">answers our five question blog feature. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1</span></b><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">. What’s your earliest memory of
playing video games?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I remember
seeing Pong being played and being fascinated by it, but my earliest memories
are probably the likes of Chuckie Egg and FRAK on the BBC Micro. I also have
fond memories of plying Monkey Island on a preposterous, hulking great big
black and white laptop, but I suspect I was a bit older by then. It's a memory
that's stuck, though!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">2. What are you most excited or
annoyed about in the games industry today?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I'm really
excited by the idea of games breaking free of the confines we've placed upon
them over the last few decades - the new Zelda game seems to be a good example
of that, this 'here's a world, have at it' approach I find really exciting. The
indie space has long been pushing this with Roguelikes, procedural generation
and what-have-you, and it'll be amazing to see what AAA and money can do with
those concepts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3. Tell us about a life-changing
or special moment you've had at Develop:Brighton in the past.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I've met
several people over the years at Develop, I'm not so sure there's one
particular thing. But whenever we talk about Develop and what we want to see
each year, the point I always hammer is that sense that when it's over I *can't
wait* to get back to my desk and start working. It's like this big
inspirational, cleansing process that reminds you how incredible the games
industry is. Seeing talks, meeting people, taking some time away from 'work'
makes the quality of what I'm doing in the weeks after Develop so much higher.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">4. What are you most looking
forward to at Develop:Brighton 2017?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The same
thing I look forward to every year - bumping into exciting indie devs showing
off games on their laptops in bars. That's always the thing that reinvigorates
me, it's about meeting people and seeing what incredible stuff people are
coming up with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">5. Which game developer would you
most like to meet and why?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Oh, I don't
know. There are so many people I'd love to shake by the hand and just point out
how much they influenced my life, and my career. I'd love to meet Gabe Newell,
I think I can convince him to let slip about Half Life 3, I can be very
persuasive at times.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Image result for Dan Marshall, Size Five Games" height="320" src="http://www.gamecrate.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/dan-marshall.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="213" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Dan Marshall (@danthat) is a BAFTA-winning Indie Game Developer and founder of Size Five Games<span style="color: #545454; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #414141; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px;"><b>Share on social media #DevelopFive</b></span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #414141; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">Find out more about Develop:Brighton <a href="http://www.developconference.com/twitter-passes--prices" style="color: #8a39ff;">here</a></b></div>
Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07019421407467205047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-22779054785400681152017-04-14T11:00:00.000+01:002017-04-14T11:00:21.761+01:00Develop:Five Tim Wicksteed, Twice Circled <span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Every week, we ask some of the best game development minds five questions in a feature we are calling Develop:Five. This week, Tim Wicksteed from Twice Circled </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">answers our five question blog feature. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1. What’s your earliest memory of
playing video games?<br />
</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">My earliest memory of playing video games was sitting around with
my brothers, playing the demo discs that came with my Dad's Atari ST magazine.
Seeing our fascination, and being a programmer himself, my Dad showed us how
you could create a simple platformer using code. It was like magic! And that
was that, I was hooked, from that young age.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">2. What are you most excited or
annoyed about in the games industry today?<br />
</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The most exciting thing about the games industry today is that is
feels like such an open playing field. There's such a diverse range of gaming
tastes out there that there's room for games of every shape and size. There are
amazingly affordable development tools and the route to the consumer has never
been more direct, both in a promotional sense (YouTube, Twitch) as well as a
technical one (Humble Widget, Steam Direct). But of course there's a catch;
there are also more games and developers than ever before. It's both inspiring
and terrifying, we all have the power to succeed but there's no-one to blame if
we fail.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3. Tell us about a life-changing
or special moment you've had at Develop:Brighton in the past.<br />
</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I have very fond memories of my first visit to Develop: Brighton.
I was still early on in my career and I was lucky enough to be invited to a couple
of developer dinners by some friends of mine. It was daunting to hear that all
these much more experienced developers were struggling with all the same things
that I was at the time: discoverability, funding etc. But it was also
reassuring that there wasn't some magic trick that I was missing due to my
relative inexperience. The industry is constantly reinventing itself and in
that flux there are opportunities for established players and new developers
alike.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">4</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">.
<b>What are you most looking forward to at
Develop:Brighton 2017?</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I'm looking forward to catching up with developer
friends from other parts of the UK. Develop: Brighton is special because it's
the one nearly everyone goes to so it's a great place to catch-up, share and
learn from the experiences of the last year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">5 . Which game developer would you
most like to meet and why?<br />
</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> I'd love to meet Finn Brice
from Chucklefish (or perhaps their technical lead Catherine West) and talk
deep, down, technical stuff. I'm amazed by the technical feat achieved by <i>Starbound</i>
so it would be great to just geek out and learn how it was made.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrUZv6QE0_i3VldcizVWaoSB7Uch9dQ6sM6iePb_imzPmIg-nW8zuGL5oW6Q3ZQo_BulSgPXRqgbcQLQTyCSZBt7HPDkxXZ11zp2YR9vdpBvcynjDIzPyK1yyUbF5bQ-RBxZGxt241PWs/s1600/headshot_white_back.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrUZv6QE0_i3VldcizVWaoSB7Uch9dQ6sM6iePb_imzPmIg-nW8zuGL5oW6Q3ZQo_BulSgPXRqgbcQLQTyCSZBt7HPDkxXZ11zp2YR9vdpBvcynjDIzPyK1yyUbF5bQ-RBxZGxt241PWs/s320/headshot_white_back.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indie developer Tim Wicksteed (@TwiceCircled) runs Bristol based, one man game studio Twice Circled. He's the creator of pharmaceutical company simulator Big Pharma and was recently announced as a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit 2016. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Tim will be speaking at this
year’s Develop:Brighton – check out his talk <a href="http://www.developconference.com/conference-programme/designing-a-game-that-markets-itself">here</a></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Share
on social media #Develop:Five<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07019421407467205047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-53111137896852455692017-04-07T10:55:00.000+01:002017-04-07T10:55:05.743+01:00Develop:Five - Jonathan Smith, TT Games<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Every week, we ask some of the best game development minds five questions in a feature we are calling Develop:Five. This week, Jonathan Smith from Traveller’s Tales </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">answers
our five question blog feature. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1. What’s your earliest memory of playing video games?</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Pounding aliens with a spade in "Space
Panic". Dig-anywhere gameplay 30 years before Minecraft.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2. What are you most excited or annoyed about in the games industry
today?</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I'm hoping to see Switch players colonising public
spaces with portable social multi-player fun. The more videogames are visible
in the real world, the better.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3. Tell us about a life-changing or special moment you've had at
Develop:Brighton in the past - it</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> could be
an inspiring talk, someone you met or something that happened to change your
career or business? Or something else completely!</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Develop: Brighton is always a highlight of the year.
And I've seen... things... you wouldn't believe. One standout moment was
watching David Braben and Dave Jones play GTA and Elite (respectively), two
games I've loved dearly.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4. What are you most looking forward to at Develop:Brighton 2017?</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Camaraderie.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5. Which game developer would you most like to meet and why?</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Miyamoto, to say thank you.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGd3ZEBMpnfeX0JKFaEXS-8DA6wgD2LBzGq9blXWfP02si02L7DVZYpxWf88nmy4dXmm5hEUwoJ-lTdniJtf-PC9Qy__UVMJ2RjxjfQm47Yb-iPt2yjf2GDHGR6gfBDWtRpNdC2zDKpmg/s1600/JOnathan+Smith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGd3ZEBMpnfeX0JKFaEXS-8DA6wgD2LBzGq9blXWfP02si02L7DVZYpxWf88nmy4dXmm5hEUwoJ-lTdniJtf-PC9Qy__UVMJ2RjxjfQm47Yb-iPt2yjf2GDHGR6gfBDWtRpNdC2zDKpmg/s1600/JOnathan+Smith.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">J<span style="background: #F7F7F7;">onathan Smith is Head of Production and Strategic Director
at TT Games, and a member of the Develop:Brighton Advisory Board.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><b>Share on Social Media #DevelopFive</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><b>Find out more about Develop:Brighton <a href="http://www.developconference.com/twitter-passes--prices">here</a></b></span></div>
Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07019421407467205047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-16858136518413937622017-03-31T10:55:00.000+01:002017-03-31T10:55:05.663+01:00Develop:Five - Barry Meade<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Every week, we ask some of the best game development minds five questions in a feature we are calling Develop:Five. This week, Barry
Meade from Fireproof Games answers our new five question blog feature. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">1. What’s your earliest memory of
playing video games?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">1980,
the the back of a pub while on holidays in Kerry, Ireland, they had Space
Invaders. We learned how to clock it, it was the best thing ever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">2. What are you most excited or
annoyed about in the games industry today?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Can
it be the same thing? I think the democratisation of game dev through digital
publishing, free tools and mobile has been the biggest change in 30 years. As a
business, games is pro-amateur now and at the edges real change is happening,
even if the centre is as stiff as ever. I'd say this democratisation is
simultaneously the most annoying and the most exciting part of being a
developer in 2017.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">3. Tell us about a life-changing
or special moment you've had at Develop:Brighton in the past.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">My
favourite memory of Develop is going there for the first time representing
Fireproof, the company myself and my friends had just set up. We had nothing to
start with but it was so different and freeing being there to drum up business
rather than as an employee/observer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">4. What are you most looking
forward to at Develop:Brighton 2017?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">For
me, to meet the people who go to it. And
to hang out with Fireproof, we always make a big deal of Develop, make it a
party for the whole team.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">5. Which game developer would you
most like to meet and why?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">I've
managed to meet Tim Schafer and work for Peter Molyneux, both of whom had a big
impact on my teenage self. I wouldn't say I have heroes like them anymore but
there are certainly devs who's attitude I admire from interviews, so maybe
Miyazaki or Miyamoto, or the people behind Paradox software.. in fact thinking
about it there's quite a few.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CzuHta9MNupD_y0OeV5hkMqWWuJ1D0YBtF74R-okMSJT3UKdXMXD9_jUyciTe4uT30kE6wKT9KZvBXcSYCyPnGz74bj8OCG-fbWjkUtR4Bqy7upbYcepDX8Kh4lrCBs1blpOTeGsPs0G/s1600/barry+meade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CzuHta9MNupD_y0OeV5hkMqWWuJ1D0YBtF74R-okMSJT3UKdXMXD9_jUyciTe4uT30kE6wKT9KZvBXcSYCyPnGz74bj8OCG-fbWjkUtR4Bqy7upbYcepDX8Kh4lrCBs1blpOTeGsPs0G/s320/barry+meade.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Indie Developer Barry Meade (@Fireproof_Barry), is a co-founder of Fireproof Games, creators of 'The Room' puzzle games and Omega Agent for Rift, GearVR & Vive.</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;">Share
on social media #Develop:Five</span></b></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Find out more about Develop:Brighton <a href="http://www.developconference.com/twitter-passes--prices">here</a></b></div>
<b><o:p></o:p></b>Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07019421407467205047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-68680689976369673092016-11-22T10:35:00.000+00:002016-11-22T15:38:47.863+00:00Guest blog: Is Microsoft Hololens really a ‘Mixed Reality’ Device?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Over the past 5 years, consumers have had a lot of new terms to grapple with. ‘virtual reality’, ‘spherical video’, ‘cinematic VR’, ‘volumetric video’, ‘augmented reality’, ‘mixed reality’, ‘blended reality’ and I’ve even heard the name ‘</span><a href="http://uploadvr.com/youve-heard-of-ar-and-vr-but-google-is-talking-tr-transmogrified-reality/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">transmogrified reality</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">’ floating around. With so much debate among industry professionals over the true meaning of these terms, how on earth can we expect the general public to understand the differences?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-9da95df1-8b93-6c59-90b9-6dde4e1e18c2"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/7Er3hEkoeF7EsiWSoXXvfzr21HjyMrI0kyBzNs1lZqtenJfTdvv71lB9mcLE2RxBztTLWtlqOCpcPBT1QOQkvhaIkR4PdeFi3Q5S8MWbG-m62ChzIslrlEwI7YmFLUyu1F1yZzTZ" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/7Er3hEkoeF7EsiWSoXXvfzr21HjyMrI0kyBzNs1lZqtenJfTdvv71lB9mcLE2RxBztTLWtlqOCpcPBT1QOQkvhaIkR4PdeFi3Q5S8MWbG-m62ChzIslrlEwI7YmFLUyu1F1yZzTZ" style="border: none; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; transform: rotate(0rad); white-space: pre-wrap;" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whilst these terms are typically coined in academic papers, technical terms are often bastardised by companies in an effort to carve out their own identity and differentiate themselves from competition. And this is understandable.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most of us can recall the less-than-complimentary term for people wearing Google Glass. In the adverts for Glass, Google introduced consumers to ‘augmented reality’, a technology which would revolutionise every aspect of our experience. However in reality, Google Glass never lived up to expectations and the term ‘augmented reality’ suffered from stigma as a result.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Two years later, when the Microsoft Hololens announced their head mounted display, they needed a new term to differentiate their new product from Google Glass. They did this in two ways. Firstly, Microsoft revived the popular concept of ‘holograms’ for the type of content it displays. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-9da95df1-8b93-91f8-67eb-cb37f3c30081"></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Note that this bears little relation to the technical definition of holograms, where </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a three-dimensional image formed by the interference of light beams from a laser. For anybody interested in a deeper dive, VR developer & academic Oliver Kreylos has a great post on his blog about the </span><a href="http://doc-ok.org/?p=1329" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">differences between holograms & what the Hololens creates</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="217" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/JWgJTgaqK53DkjY2OuBIQLTJ5TC953DCzGLV1SKSdRA9gvtahxvTntNSmH6dVNBhZuCwkAiK0g2zHqFE5chTJZTUpIjxe06G_UvGYOWNiAlVtnt0-Za054LwvlrZkTyQ4KV2Ilaz" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="320" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-9da95df1-8b98-05a2-6756-bcd2141ebf5a"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-9da95df1-8b94-57c1-9d7d-9f955dd22faa"></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The second way Microsoft distanced themselves from Google Glass was by bringing another term into the public lexicon - ‘mixed reality’. Microsoft use this term to describe an overlay of synthetic content on the real world that is anchored to and interacts with the real world. However, the term ‘Mixed Reality’ was actually coined in 1994 by researcher Paul Milgram in an </span><a href="http://etclab.mie.utoronto.ca/publication/1994/Milgram_Takemura_SPIE1994.pdf" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">academic paper</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, which described MR as part of the ‘virtuality continuum’.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-9da95df1-8b98-7788-4ea7-2a22e8577e91"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="120" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/wcLQpKB6yAzTcHekjj_RirAOFMA3ySoF0WS0F0SuqciWx7LRPHFZ9TDGvLH0vbzzrYMCsnURogwY0xnL36YjgntWE2y07_echrl3aNuyor4ht4LBof9_rMapxLJgztzj45PEvaA8" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="449" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-9da95df1-8b95-5d4d-2b47-3c86572aec53"></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whilst the concept of the ‘virtuality continuum’ can be hard to grapple with, broadly speaking, the ‘virtuality continuum’ describes AR & VR as being on a sliding scale, rather than as discrete, binary terms. On one side of the continuum, you have good old-fashioned reality. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have full, immersive virtual reality. Along the continuum from reality to VR, there is also ‘augmented reality’ and ‘augmented virtuality’. For a better idea of the differences between the components in the ‘virtuality continuum’, creative technologist Vincent McCurley created this wonderful gif that illustrates the virtuality continuum perfectly:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="160" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/wE3BqRECg9SXsUAVWjKHl_quXgl7rFEeOWuTnBUTCE_qLBzxJnN5B46gd_GYaAMPSIlKBlnAk1TpXB7_6iJgoNZ2zzC56-CyT14J4Swx48S16Pj6GmrvKJwb6dNzCok3zW-BCoIE" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="320" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-9da95df1-8b98-aaaa-9745-fd5f90fbaf7d"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From looking at Vincent’s gif, anybody who has tried the Hololens would say that actually, Hololens content most closely resembles ‘augmented reality’. However, by describing the Hololens as a mixed reality device, Microsoft seeds the idea that their device is capable of displaying any content along the virtuality continuum.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dispute only arises when people treat terms like AR, VR or MR as absolute terms. By nature of being a ‘mixed reality’ headset, the Hololens is both an ‘augmented reality’ headset as well an ‘augmented virtuality’ headset. Anybody trying to assert that the Hololens is one or the other, hasn’t understood the definition of what a mixed reality headset is.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thankfully, whichever term the public adopt will ultimately be driven by the product which most resonates with consumers. Industry ‘gurus’ will argue ad nauseum whether the widely popular ‘Pokemon Go’ is or is not ‘true’ augmented reality. However as far as consumers are concerned, if you can see a Pikachu on your camera feed, it’s AR. This is in stark contrast to Snapchat, one of the most popular mobile augmented reality apps, which doesn’t mention the terms AR or MR anywhere.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-9da95df1-8b96-4751-c2f2-d2cdb7ba9461"></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s clear that over the next decade, we are going to see a dramatic increase in augmented and virtual reality innovations, in both hardware and software. At </span><a href="http://www.scapear.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Scape</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, we’re working on localisation technology that allows regular mobile devices to recognise exactly where they are for city-scale augmented reality. My hope is that as the AR market matures, innovations will be judged by their merits and not obfuscated by buzz-words and hyperbole.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Edward Miller</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="http://www.edwardrichardmiller.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Interactive Photography Specialist</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> & Co-Founder, </span><a href="http://www.scapear.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Scape</span></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Edward will be speaking at Develop VR on Thursday 1st December, 2016.</span></div>
Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07019421407467205047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-90722156740138614412016-11-18T10:18:00.001+00:002016-11-18T10:18:32.455+00:00Guest Blog: Immersion Doesn’t Have to Mean Isolation<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">At seeper
we use creative technology for live events and installations and VR is an odd
one for us. On the one hand clients are interested in the novelty and immersive
experiences we can create with VR. On the other hand, once wearing a VR device the
physical venue matters less if at all - and arguably undermines our client's
business, which is to offer destinations that are worth travelling to - whether
that be a visitor attraction like a theme park or museum, or an experiential
event for a brand. At my Develop:VR talk I'll explore this in detail, and look
at technical and creative solutions. For this post I wanted to flag up five of
the challenges we face:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">1.<span class="gmail-apple-tab-span"> </span>Disconnecting
your senses from the real world.. in public.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">We’ve
evolved to use our senses for matters of life and death. We may not be in
danger of being mauled by a sabre tooth tiger while enjoying a VR experience in
a natural history museum but we might just be in danger of having our handbag
swiped! There is something disconcerting about surrendering our awareness of
what is happening around us in a public space. We need to mitigate this…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">2.<span class="gmail-apple-tab-span"> </span>Bumping
into things!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">VR systems
that allow you to move around present problems at home too, but in public
spaces the additional fear of walking into walls or into total strangers is
heightened. I recently had this experience at Bjork Digital, when pairs of
guests wandered around in an enclosed space and we were all distracted
wondering whether we were about to clatter into one another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1S0FhxYDnS7tkngAEDPBjeGxxGWxWQ_Enk43jY3qgiNzAlLrr5_QU4Bg1Ur_tjEShHzVMPzkvHvDj62IHWZiYgMw4L9O92We6mmOMO6G5WmxM_tVWsWm543-iyBt27vwWyVu9_kvHjNG/s1600/bjork-vr-album-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1S0FhxYDnS7tkngAEDPBjeGxxGWxWQ_Enk43jY3qgiNzAlLrr5_QU4Bg1Ur_tjEShHzVMPzkvHvDj62IHWZiYgMw4L9O92We6mmOMO6G5WmxM_tVWsWm543-iyBt27vwWyVu9_kvHjNG/s320/bjork-vr-album-04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">3.<span class="gmail-apple-tab-span"> </span>Interacting
with hosts<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Pretty much
any live VR experience requires some guidance from support staff, whether that
be practical advice on adjusting focus or helping users navigate an interactive
experience. This presents problems for both the user and the host in
communicating and for the host in understanding what is going on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">4.<span class="gmail-apple-tab-span"> </span>Interacting
with products<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">We’ve
looked a number of times at how a brand’s product, typically drink brands it
seems, can be incorporated into a VR experience. The challenge is how to enable
a VR user to pick something up, or even to place something in the hand without
mishap.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">5.<span class="gmail-apple-tab-span"> </span>Interacting
with other visitors<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The
destination experiences we create are for groups, and often families. Immersion
in the virtual can mean disconnection from the shared experience. On a thrill
ride, part of the fun is exchanging excited thoughts as the ride starts to
move, or watching the reaction on a friend’s face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Come by the
talk at Develop VR where I’ll be sharing the solutions we’re developing at
seeper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><i>Ed Daly is managing director seeper and is a speaker at Develop:VR. His session 'Immersion doesn't have to mean isolation' will take place at 16.45 in room 2.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5liJPPhYVc8ueV35GOie-CYviaCYccN7Q4zJ3rIsL5hSDV0CxpJTh0ozPhS7DPhS6pTgSMDATDp7qqbK1hxdBgDOb8yF1gG8AkSxM5PW6fLPHlMNbDyxl_5L0KII_QqsXcIi5pWRSv9XE/s1600/seeper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5liJPPhYVc8ueV35GOie-CYviaCYccN7Q4zJ3rIsL5hSDV0CxpJTh0ozPhS7DPhS6pTgSMDATDp7qqbK1hxdBgDOb8yF1gG8AkSxM5PW6fLPHlMNbDyxl_5L0KII_QqsXcIi5pWRSv9XE/s200/seeper.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsN2cq9T6Gt8ZdFqp79xx-iwqprvROPszVcbCAHp-A3aAJMJC_lMOKyTavyWLpViIIEDYfL3cpjMPkr_K85bU9j3HFquNhckWQaxTiyK1fCpgbcik4k3KjmrH_nh1kEDRbnTeANH6c0-sP/s1600/seeper.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="67" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsN2cq9T6Gt8ZdFqp79xx-iwqprvROPszVcbCAHp-A3aAJMJC_lMOKyTavyWLpViIIEDYfL3cpjMPkr_K85bU9j3HFquNhckWQaxTiyK1fCpgbcik4k3KjmrH_nh1kEDRbnTeANH6c0-sP/s320/seeper.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07019421407467205047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297118108061987137.post-68285749754324682242016-11-14T09:57:00.001+00:002016-11-14T10:59:31.869+00:00Guest Blog: VR production and the evolution from storytelling to story-living<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">VR is a new medium with many
emerging genres and complex production methods, so when briefs come into
REWIND, the first thing we do is get clarity on what exactly is required. Is it
as simple as linear 360 degree video or as complex as a VR Experience (VRE)? Both are fantastic in their own way, but
could not be further from each other in their creation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Storytelling to story-living</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The difference in user experience
between these two bookends of content production can be described as
‘story-telling’ to ‘story-living'.
Storytelling applies to current film and also to 360 degree video, it’s
a linear experience, the user is a passive observer. But with 360 video you get
some level of immersion although it’s limited as you cannot fully interact with
your environment. Story-living on the other hand applies to VRE where
‘presence’ - the real magic of VR - is
at it’s most powerful. The perception of being physically present in a non
physical world is an incredibly powerful sensation. Within VRE you can fully
interact with the environment you find yourself in, you can even walk around,
you are fully immersed, you truly ‘live’ the story you find yourself in.
Traditional film is a window into a story. In VR, you are the story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUYrB-_zkAzGY6kdTW1cqAUN8mQtwLv7bC4guA1y_awjL0m8zMUrgTlQwJJltZUR_cSvEECC8mBogUkl8sMIl0LF9tjAnByZory7qRPI5WB1sDcg0K7FjnOSNiqrvvYTuiPFOZ1wII92RN/s1600/Copy+of+Main+-+Float+Wide+BBC_HOME_A_VR_Spacewalk_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUYrB-_zkAzGY6kdTW1cqAUN8mQtwLv7bC4guA1y_awjL0m8zMUrgTlQwJJltZUR_cSvEECC8mBogUkl8sMIl0LF9tjAnByZory7qRPI5WB1sDcg0K7FjnOSNiqrvvYTuiPFOZ1wII92RN/s320/Copy+of+Main+-+Float+Wide+BBC_HOME_A_VR_Spacewalk_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>VR requires an entirely new type of storytelling</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">VR requires new storytelling rules
and everyone is still trying to figure them out! Unlike traditional film-making
where the director has complete control over what the audience gets to see, VR
allows viewers to make their own decisions about what they focus on in the
scene. This is a potential problem that no one quite has the answer to yet: how
do you keep the level of freedom and interaction that VR allows the viewer,
while making sure they don’t miss any of the key elements of your piece? There
are several options open to the director to ensure the audience’s attention can
be focused when necessary; lighting and sound cues, changing the focal point of
an object or character on-screen, or even verbal/action cues can be a powerful
tool. In ‘Back To Dinosaur Island’ Crytek used a dragonfly moving around the
player’s “head” to direct their attention and ensure that they get a good look
at every part of the environment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Creating ‘presence’ and considering the user</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">‘Presence’ refers to audience participation
within VR, something which can be greater or smaller depending on the type of
experience they’re viewing. Directors will need to decide what level of
engagement they want, and ensure that the right balance is struck; if a scene
is too intimate without acknowledging the viewer, it's likely users will feel
uncomfortable and intrusive. Conversely, if your viewer feels like an outsider
they can quickly become disengaged and disinterested.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3H3k7_mF6QjSeaK1vUkx6-FM_KvZTGcQyDLyIaffUuq9LYEm8CdEecDD2Da3DuwYcQtQu5PykLiP72f5x42mWMpG-lMIOqAMDNEXEZWns5-P8NfSE3DfmvHXGHN0ig5HIZaEzE-RTqh90/s1600/RWD_BBC_Home_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3H3k7_mF6QjSeaK1vUkx6-FM_KvZTGcQyDLyIaffUuq9LYEm8CdEecDD2Da3DuwYcQtQu5PykLiP72f5x42mWMpG-lMIOqAMDNEXEZWns5-P8NfSE3DfmvHXGHN0ig5HIZaEzE-RTqh90/s320/RWD_BBC_Home_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pushing the level of immersion</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">‘Home’, the epic spacewalk experience REWIND created with
the BBC is a prime example of story-living. The 15 minute VRX was created in
Unreal 4 for HTC’s Vive, and the content was in part inspired by NASA's
training programme and the astonishing experiences of its astronauts. ‘Home’s ambition
as a piece of VR is to combine a strong narrative and sense of drama with the
incredible impact possible in an immersive experience to encourage and enhance
the public’s interest in space. The level of immersion is heightened at live
events by the integration of heart rate monitors that feed back into the
experience, recreating the sound of the user’s own heartbeat in their headset.
This is combined with an integrated live mic that is acoustically treated and
delivered back into the experience, relaying the sound of their own breathing.
The ambient sound is spatial and creates the claustrophobia of the astronaut’s
helmet and the unnerving sounds of your own body and your space suit's life
support system. A gaming chair is also used to provide haptic feedback to make
the experience as real as possible. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Solomon Rogers is founder of VR and creative digital agency, REWIND. His talk 'VR Production: From Story-telling to Story-living" will take place at 3.30pm, room two.</i></span></div>
Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07019421407467205047noreply@blogger.com0