Unity Education Giveaway

Unity Technologies, the creators of the Unity development platform, are giving away free education plus 250,000 dollars worth of hardware and software to schools worldwide. Unity believes that the mobile market is the future of the game industry and students should be focusing on it more. However, the mobile game market is growing so incredibly fast that it’s almost impossible to keep up with current technologies for educations to teach, and therefore unity has announced its “Mobile Generation Education Project”.

With this project unity wants to help educations to educate their students in the process of making games for the mobile platform. Unity is, of course, not going to help every education that wants it, so they are holding a little “contest”.

Every education worldwide can enter; all they have to do is submit a curriculum and some background information on their current games offering. From all the schools that enter, unity will pick 20 schools that go to the second round. Each school that gets into the second round will be provided with a Unity Android license and a Google Nexus one phone.

These will be used by the teachers to familiarize themselves with the platform and will have to write a full proposal for a one semester curriculum. Unity will then choose 3 schools that go to the second round, each of these school will be provided with 20 Unity Pro Android licenses and 20 Google Nexus one phones that they can then use to educate their students.

A short summary of the deadlines:

• School can enter till September 30th
• First round winners will be announced October 18th
• Phones and software will be shipped on October 28th
• Deadline for second round is December 18th
• Winners are announced the 1st of February.

The project originally started two months ago, but due to the overwhelming interest the deadline has been postponed to the 30th of September 2010. So, if you’re an education that is interested in some free hardware and software check out their website for more information.

Spencer Halpin’s Moral Kombat, the 2007 documentary free to watch!

Spencer Halpin’s Moral Kombat, the 2007 documentary that focuses on the subject of violence in videogames, can be viewed for free in its entirety on Babelgum.

In examining its controversial topic, the film talks with a slew of game industry people, politicians and critics, including Dr. David Walsh, Jack Thompson, Lorne Lanning, American McGee, Joe Lieberman, Henry Jenkins and Doug Lowenstein.

The film will be free to watch online for 30 days.

In making the documentary, a variety of cutting-edge technology was employed, some of which is detailed in an article on Apple.com.

Disclosure: Spencer Halpin is ECA President Hal Halpin’s brother. GamePolitics is a publication of the ECA.

Nisute Presents: Game programming essentials

Today I get to be the guy to proudly present to you a special event that we have been working on here at nisute. With our unique look at the gaming industry, and all of the people we meet, we often hear our members and outsiders express their interrests in pursuing a career in game development or media. Interestingly, they all come to us with the same question, and so we’ve decided to set up an event to cater to part of this question: is making videogames something for me, and what does it take?At this point we have the knowledge for organizing a game programming essentials course in-house, and so that’s exactly what we’ve set up. For us, the goal of this 2-hour pilot-course is to see if there is enough interest from people to warrant organizing more sessions, and if we can arrange some guest speakers on various topics. Read more

IGAD Breda Is A Game Design School Like No Other

Today Kevin and I (Maikel) traveled to Breda, an old town in the Netherlands; we had been invited by a teacher from a school there to have a look around. After battling a windy and rainy day on my motorbike with Kevin holding on for dear life, we arrived at the NHTV International University of Applied Sciences. A branch of this University is called IGAD, which stands for International Game Architecture and Design, and it is at this department of the NHTV that the teacher Stefano Gualeni lectures. When we arrived,  Stefano was eagerly waiting to give us our tour of the faculty.

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Attending “game education”, from the perspective of a Visual Artist

The NHTV International Game Architecture and Design course, from the perspective of a Visual Artist.

For an aspiring video game artist, it can be difficult to choose a good school to study at. You could always try to let your portfolio speak for yourself and try to push your way into the industry without attending some form of higher education, and, in many cases, this can work. Of course, if you’re talented enough to make a move like this, more power to you! But if you’re like me, and you would prefer to get a good overview of game design and development in general, as well as experience all the varied aspects of game artwork production, then going to a game design course can definitely shed some light on the subject. In the case of the International Game Architecture and Design course, however, they do more than shed some light; you’ll actually need to wear sunglasses to handle the intensity of the course. This is, of course, a terrible metaphor, but it does illustrate a very serious point: This course is rough, it’s intense, and it’s very serious business.

“The course is hard, but worth it in every way”

~ Karim Baz: 3rd Year Visual Artist

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Capz: So you want to be a Game Designer?

So you are a gamer, and you are looking for something that seems fun to do for a living. You have to go to school anyhow! Obviously, like most ‘core’ gamers you like the idea of making games a lot, and now you are here, reading my article on this exact subject. Hi there!

Let me first start off with this: making games is HARD. I kid you not! I often compare videogames with Formula 1. Formula 1 is one of the top, if not THE top of racing sports. To be the best, a huge team of designers and engineers, a whole range of specialists, work an entire year on a single car’s design, to optimize it, tune it, innovate it with new technologies in the engine and aerodynamics, using durable, strong, and light materials, and what not. These are the pioneers of the very latest car technologies. For this reason, a lot of regular card brands have their own teams, or are part of a team. The technology that pushes the Formula 1 cars forward from what we had yesterday is also very applicable to regular cars. Most regular car technology, in some way, shape or form comes from the racing world.

To be part of such a team of specialists that work with these huge budgets on these special cars, it would only make sense that you are VERY good in what you do. I mean, if they could pick between you, and 2000 other people, then you better make sure you can do things that none of the other people can do.

The exact same can be said of the gaming industry. Games are what pushes the computer industry to make and sell better hardware. If there were no games, then why would you upgrade your computer if it still runs pretty decent? Windows Vista and Apple Mac OS X use Direct X and OpenGL respectively for their graphics, which used to be used only for scientific and professional 3D renderings like visualisations, GC movies, and videogames. The PS3 Cell processor is being used in more and more general purpose devices like television sets (yes really), supercomputers, and linux servers, clusters, and what not. So videogames really have become the single driving factor of a large chunk of the PC industry.

Pushing technology is obviously a great thing, but it is also something very hard. You are doing things that nobody has done before, and are pretty complicated. You can see this increasing complexity very well if you look at the evolution of videogames up until the point where we are today.

take Metal Gear for example:

That is a HUGE difference, both in looks, and in how the game code works

Because of the complexity of the systems of even a simple game these days, a team of specialists to make it is needed, each member the best that the industry has to offer. But notice one thing; i did not say IT industry. This is because a lot of game creators didn’t start out with games in mind at all. They simply had the required skills from another field of expertise. Take Mr. Miyamoto and Will Wright for example. Miyamoto was originally an industrial designer, employed at a little toy company. His practical design skills came in handy when designing some of the very first videogames as we know them today. Will Wright, creator of Simcity, the Sims, and more recently, Spore, is originally an architectural designer, something you can very well see in his games. So as you can see, there are some pretty big names, if not the biggest names, in the gaming industry who are creating todays games, most coming from very specialistic backgrounds.

This brings me to the next point. Most gamers do not have a clear idea what being a game designer actually means. Similar to how most gamers are totally clueless on what a game engine is and does (even though they think they know). Game Designer is one of the least available jobs in the entire gaming world. There are a LOT (read: thousands) of people wanting to be a game designer, and only a couple positions open up every year. The game designer is responsible for coming up with new and exciting game concepts, game ideas if you will. It is their job to set up a game idea, document it to the tiniest detail, research if it’s marketable and make sure everything is consistent and provides a solid experience for the player. They find out if players would like to play the game idea, and create a simple playable board-style game so people can test the idea themselves for a bit. They also keep a close watch on the game as it is being developed, making sure everything works as originally intended. This is a job with great responsibility, since you are ‘given’ millions of euros/dollars, and the publisher and developer need to get that money back and make a nice profit on it. With the continuously rising development costs of each generation, this means there’s a lot of pressure to deliver something that sells. Which is why you see so many similar games these days. It takes guts to come up with something new, and if you do, and it doesn’t sell, then you can kiss your job goodbye.

Next to the game designer, there are more jobs for people creating games, like programmers for various systems, parts, networking, gameplay, etc of the game. Artists, who create all of the game’s visuals, concept artwork, the user interface, menus and screens, sound engineers, play-testers, managers, marketeers, and so on.

As a programmer, as listed above, there are a variety of things that you can do, from shader programming, gameplay programming (actually programming the gameplay, usually with an engine), engine/systems programming, networking, so the game client, and server software, a website, visual effects programming, and various tool-programmers (those level editors and such have to come from somewhere).

Now I can’t go into detail on all of these positions because I only know so much, but each of these jobs requires a certain kind of person, with a certain kind of skills, and if it were up to the company, more years of experience than years of age. However, you CAN find out if you like any of the programming jobs. Simply look online, apply for an online course, or buy a book, and learn programming in the C language. If you like it then you can start looking at which kind of direction you would like to go. Things like network and systems programming, as well as tools programming can be learned at most schools that offer programming courses. But the other programming directions also require you do do a general programming education before going into deeper into the specific stuff. On thing is key, though. You have to be good at mathematics, or be willing to put time and effort into becoming very good at mathematics. Either way, you need to be good at math by the time you leave school, period. Since game programmers are working some of the most complicated and advanced software on the market today, this is a VERY demanding job that requires you to make extra hours on almost every project you work on. (remember those pesky deadlines?)

As an artist, you are also facing steep competition, there is big money going round in the artwork of videogames, and players, publishers, and developers alike, only want the very best they can get. Like in programming, there are a number of standard positions; 2d concept artist, user interface artist, level/environment designer, character and vehicle modelers, and most likely a couple that i don’t know, or forgot (hey i am only a programmer, eh ). But one thing is certain; if you have a passion for art, drawing, and you are really good. then you can apply for a job at any games company, and they will simply hire you. even if there are no positions available. this is because really super good people are hard to get. Out of every 500 people who go to an interview for a game company, maybe one or two are interesting, and often, nobody is hired at all.
If you want to be a game artist, then regular art educations are mostly the best route. After that, like with the programmers, you can specialize in a certain direction, say 3D character modeling.

Most artists already are doing artwork in their free time, but if you are unsure, try drawing some things that interest you about games, like the characters of a random game, or vehicles, or weapons. Then get your hands on a 3D modeling application, and try to get familiar with it. Most game companies use either Maya or 3D Studio Max, so I can strongly suggest picking one of those. Once you understand how 3D modeling works, picking up another application shouldn’t be too hard. Personally i know some 3D Studio Max, and I know that at my new school they teach Maya. Maya is very similar to a LOT of the other 3D modeling tools though (maybe the other way around), and 3Ds Max is somewhat of an oddball in a sense that it doesn’t resemble any other 3D modeling app in they way you use it.

The last kind of job I will talk about is the game tester, or play-tester. Their job is to play a small section of the game at hand, and try out how it plays, and try to break it. This is a way to get into a games company, but personally it’s not something I would pick. I am not too fond of spending a full working week on a single level in a game, trying to find things that need to be improved. But I have heard from people who ended up at a ‘normal’ position in a game company after being a tester for a long time.

I am very much aware of the ‘game schools’ that are popping up everywhere in the past few years. I have gone though one, and am currently in another one. But in general, it’s better to avoid them completely. Just focus on being amazingly good in one specific area, and wait for a position to open up, or start your own company.

Most of these game jobs, you can already try out yourself at home. It might not be fancy, but it works, and it is realistic. One of the main requirements is also simply loving games. but i think you already have that at this point

Side-effects of making games.

Yes, there ARE side-effects of making videogames. for example, you start seeing errors and glitches, both in graphics and code/logic a LOT more than before. And since you spend your day analyzing your own games, you will start analyzing other peoples games as well. Also be prepared to lose a lot of free time, do a chuck of extra time to meet a deadline. And finally, playing games will never be as much fun as before, and it will never play the same either. You become much more critical about your expectations of videogames. However, the other side of the story is that almost everyone in this industry is a nice person, you all have a similar area of interests. And the atmosphere is generally very casual and friendly, sometimes a bit random and geeky, but it’s all good fun. Which is what a good job should be like!

GekiritZ: Games and parenting

“Have they all gone batshit insane?”

Working in a store selling computers, notebooks and consumer electronics (including games and associated gear), I see your average John/Jane Doe coming in and asking me about and/or buying their whining, nagging children a new videogame or Nintendo DS. Nothing special, am I right?

Let’s roll back a decade or two.

It was around my sixth birthday that I’d been fooling around on my father’s computer for around two years then, playing games such as Alleycat, StarGoose and the classical Tetris. That’s when I saw it… The awesome Nintendo Entertainment System. It worked with a plastic cartridge, like, a huge, sturdy floppydisk of shiny goodness and joy, that you jammed into this grey, black and red monstrosity that swallowed the damn thing whole, and lo and behold, it magically portrayed interactive moving characters on your TV! In full color!

Being the little computerjunkie that I was (and still am, mind you), I begged and pleaded my daddy to get me one for my birthday. The answer was a resolute ‘YES! My son!”, followed by a less pleasing; “IF… you turn in your life savings, wash cars around the block for a week or two and do some extra chores around the house!”,. A NES cost around 250 guilders back in the day, a solid 100 euros in today’s standards. I had 50 guilders in my piggy bank which I gladly handed over, and a total of 12 cars and two weeks doing the dishes, which I, not so gladly, took care of.

The sweat on my brow and the sorrowfull black hole that now stared me back in the eye from the bottom of my piggybank were a reminder that if you want something good in life, you have to get up and earn it.

Back to the present day.

I asked if it were anything special that a parent buys his kid a Nintendo DS, right? Here’s the thing… it’s not, anymore. Just out of curiosity and aiming at selling a little bit extra on the side, I inquired on what occasion the little youngster was getting a shiny new DS. The answer was; “He passed his swimming exam…”,. I smiled, wrapped the little box up in giftwrapping along with Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games for DS and handed it over to the young mother, I’m guessing she had to be in her early 30′s.

That’s when my gears started grinding. I remembered passing my swimming exam and getting five guilders so I could go and buy myself icecream, or a big bag of sweets! Awesome! Icecream!!! Sweets! And what do they get now? A Nintendo DS? 5 guilders (2 euros) worth of candy is 150 euros worth of gaming goodness today?

Another nice example, again concerning the immensely popular Nintendo DS. Again, I’m faced with a young couple, begin 30′s, perhaps even late 20′s. They were walking around the store, looking around for a new digital camera. With them were two children. One around 3 years old, the other clearly around 10 years of age, both boys. The older of the two got tired of the cameras real quick and wandered off to the games. The younger brother, however, sticked around his parents, obviously shy and introverted. A few minutes later, the older kid came running to his parents, in his hands the latest Pokémon Mystery Dungeon for DS.

A barrage of sobbing and whining unfolded. I mean, seriously, take The Escapist’s Zero Punctuation, add a cartload of whine and rinse it down with a familypack of crocodile tears. And… get this… the parents cracked after a mere two (!) minutes, inspecting the game’s case in an uninterested glance and walked up to the counter. “Could you ring this up? Gotta do something to keep him quiet, right?”,. Of course, the younger brother picked up on what was going on, pointed at the game and broke into tears mid-sentence, yelling out; “Me toooo-hooohooooooohoooooo”,

Yes, the parents broke, AGAIN, rolled their eyes, and kindly asked me if I could point out a nice game for a boy his age. I quickly pointed out a kiddy-friendly game, hell if I can remember which, and added it to their receipt. The parents sighed in relief, said they’ll return without the kids for a camera, and left.

The second they were gone, I thought to myself; “Have parents gone batshit INSANE?”.

Not only do they exaggerate any little accomplishment to an epic achievement of a lifetime of anguish and willpower, they also make it clear to their kids that if they ever want anything, all they have to is whine and cry. Kid crying like no tomorrow? Easy! Give the little tyke a DS, jam in a Pokémon game and go back to watching TV or driving to granny. It’s a sad, sad development.

As gaming evolves, it seems that parenting has DEvolved. Let’s hope the current, digital, generation will treat their offspring otherwise.

Author: Stijn van den Corput / GekiritZ

What is a game design student to do?

Just last week, i entered the fourth and last year in what would be considered college in the US; my game design study. This year will prove to be over really fast, with 6 months of work experience, 3 months of prepping for a fictive final project, and 3 actually executing it. But then what?

I mean, over here we have SAE, running Quantm in Amsterdam which is offering a degree in game programming or one in game artist and animation, then there’s one in Utrecht, which is more the designer side of things, mostly theoretical, they go deeper into how you come up with a good game. But there are near to no jobs in this, so that’s not too interesting. Finally there’s the one in Breda, which is run by a bunch of pros, so i’ve heard, but i also heard a bunch of negative things. But SAE, for instance charges like 12k in euros..

And if that wasn’t enough, it seems that the industry isn’t too keen on the new game students, EA being a big one, that has so far hired only 2 students in the last 3 years, at least thats what develop is reporting.

Me and the people in my class who are serious about making games are trying to team up and go to one school together, and we might just set up our own studio if things end up right, but still, as a game design student, you can really go nearly all possible directions within the ICT sector, you can opt to move to design, multimedia, 3d animation, graphics, etc, or move more towards the programming, multimedia, web design, application developer, and others, there are so many interesting things out there that seem soo cool, so what do you do, when it’s that time again to go look for a new school?

Interesting enough, it seems that the school that i will be leaving in a year or so, if in fact one of the best, but with us being the fist to attend and shape it, we obviously had the crappiest education, since school still had to try certain things out. Being the first was definitely a disadvantage.

Personally, i have, and have had a whole range of interrests, including webdesign, graphical design, 3d modeling, game and application programming, but also anything that’s related to making film and video, god so many choices!

Right now i have like 3 assignments that have to get done really soon ( asap to be honest ) before i can even start my 4th year, which, as i said, started this week. So im working overtime on as many projects at once as i can to get things done in time. Funny how you get inspired to write a little at the strangest moments!

Oh well, i’ll just let it all happen and see what things turn out like, but if you have a business, know that the students of game design at the ROC A12 in Ede, the Netherlands are looking for game projects to take on for our final, might want to send me a mail if interrested.