Report for UKTI: our SXSW panel event
April 20, 2010
Posted by Clare in: Events | Innovation | Technology | Gaming | Add a comment
Image: Title slide from presentation
Instead of submitting a formal report to UK Trade & Investment who supported our panel event at SXSWi this year, in the spirit of web 2.0 and open-ness, I am blogging it:
In the summer of last year I submitted a panel idea for SXSW interactive which went to community vote, the SXSW Advisory Boards and SXSW staff before making it through to the first batch of events to be programmed for 2010. On 11am on 16 March 2010 I was joined by Toby Barnes of Mudlark, Nina Steiger of Soho Theatre, Duncan Speakman and Simon Johnson of SlingShot to present as part of the Screenburn programme.
We were overwhelmed with the feedback, which was attended by about 200 people. A few of the tweets:
@SMERC_Design - #pervasivegames is turning out to be the most inspiring panel at #sxsw.
@yoomsters: Best idea ever, have the moderator on a bell to cut off the ramblers and stay within time limits. Props to #pervasivegames
@alper: Switch pays off! Tail of this panel #pervasivegames is better than most others. Quick, pointed and skips the basics. Thanks @clarered!
@katylindemann #pervasivegames are totally showing how a successful & compelling panel should be run & moderated. watch & learn
@alper Switched from the #cityasaplatform session (slow moving) to the #pervasivegames one #sxsw. Who would program these two against each other?
@grether: Finally, after ALL these sessions, some panelists actually disagree with each other! Now THAT is reality. #pervasivegames
You can read all of the tweets in this pdf summary.
The SXSW Interactive Festival celebrates the creativity and passion behind the coolest new media technologies. In addition to panel sessions that cover everything from web design to bootstrapping to social networks, attendees make new business connections at the three-day Trade Show & Exhibition. With a focus on online services, gaming and mobile, South by Southwest is an invaluable opportunity to connect with a wider international audience of delegates working in new and emerging technologies. The aim for me in attending the Festival is to research new business opportunities, view work, spot emerging digital trends and experience first hand one of the biggest international conferences in the digital sector. Having a panel in the programme enabled more networking opportunities, a higher profile and an excuse to talk to people, which was of huge value.
Our panel explored the new possibilities in game-play that mobile internet, pervasive gaming and sensor-enriched public spaces enable. We were keen to build on previous SXSW events, and get leading UK practitioners to explore the ethics, design challenges and business potential of this new form in a more textured way than I had seen at SXSW.
Some lessons learnt (which may be useful to others):
Keep the format and slides simple - I gave each of the panelists five minutes to present a project and then switched to discussion. They were allowed one image each to inspire the audience but not distract. The twitter hashtag and our twitter names were visible at all times.
Image: Duncan Speakman's slide in presentation
Prepare – we did two sessions and found potential areas of disagreement to tap into – there is nothing more dull than a panel in complete agreement
Deconstruct the things that you think work and don’t as an audience member - I was keen that this panel was reflective, offered insight and addressed the ‘why’ of the project - something missing in presentations which concentrated only on the specifications of the technology.
One of the most successful elements of our event (learnt from being frustrated audience members in the past) was banning self promotion and rambling questions from the audience. People were welcome to use the twitter stream to reference projects but anyone breaking the rules was cut off with an old fashioned bell.
The podcast of this session will be available from July 15th at http://sxsw.com/interactive/news/videos_and_podcasts
The Tweeture - set to destroy SXSWi next week?
March 5, 2010
Posted by Clare in: Events | Innovation | Gaming | 1 comment so far
On March 12th The Tweeture will arrive at SXSW Interactive in Austin, Texas, intent upon devouring its population.
The Tweeture is a robot-monster of Godzilla proportions who tweets. He’s big, he’s angry and he is going to eat the delegates of SXSWi. What will become of him? Can you find him at the Festival and turn him into your friend?
The Tweeture will use artificial intelligence, digital technologies and social networking platforms to tear delegates away from their screens, strike up conversations and make some fun happen.
From the makers of 2009’s run away SXSW success The Hat Game, SlingShot have produced a game that will break out of the norms of the conference and challenge notions of how to behave in a technology-driven environment.
Follow him at http://twitter.com/thetweeture. And don’t forget to look out for this beast in the corridors, bars and events of SXSWi 2010.
The Tweeture is Produced by SlingShot with Hazel Grian and GreenGinger. Executive Produced by iShed and Supported by Arts Council England.
The Tweeture was commissioned as part of The Umbrella Group, an Arts Council England supported delegation of UK artists and producers attending SXSW. It is designed to promote UK innovation and creativity at one of the world’s leading technology conferences.
2009 at the Pervasive Media Studio
January 12, 2010
Posted by Shirin in: Innovation | Gaming | Mobile | Bristol | pervasive | Add a commentThe Pervasive Media Studio brings together creative practice and technological innovation to produce the content, applications and experiences of the future. The Studio was built on the legacy of Mobile Bristol and is a collaboration by Watershed and UWE's Digital Cultures Research Centre (DCRC) and managed by iShed.
The last 12 months have been exciting and busy. We have received some great recognition including the Media Innovation Award For Outstanding Contribution, the One World Media Award for Hazel Grian and a Vauxhall commission for Duncan Speakman's subtlemob as if it were the last time. Other highlights of the year include the Extended Theatre Experience which researched digital technology and theatre; Simon Games' igfest attracting over 1000 players from across the world and AntiVJ's Projecting Holograms.
We were also delighted to secure Technology Strategy Board funding for a collaborative research project with Bristol Old Vic, Historic Royal Palaces, the New Museum of Bristol and Calvium. Entitled 'Unlocking markets for content delivery', the project will deliver prototype authoring and delivery services to smart phones.
To see a full list of our projects, click here.
Hellos and Goodbyes
2009 saw some founding residents graduate from the Studio to continue their success. Mobile Pie have developed into an award-winning mobile content studio specialising in games and entertainment; Thought Den have extended their impressive portfolio with pervasive media training sessions for the BBC and Simon Games produced social street game Drom with London’s Soho Theatre, before taking over their own studio space in the city. Among those that have joined the Studio in recent months are start-up company Calvium, artist Luke Jerram and PhD researcher Tine Bech.
To see a full list of our Studio residents, click here.
Visits, Travels and Guests
2009 was a year of exciting visits, trips and festivals; the Guardian Technology podcast was recorded at the studio and featured interviews with many residents; Jim Knight, the Minister for the South West visited us in the context of the Digital Britain report and legendary music producer Jools Holland supported Media Sandbox commission Visual Voice Pro. Our favourite 2009 destinations include Glastonbury Festival where Studio Resident Tarim decorated the BBC village screen with his Instant Graffiti; Birds Eye View film festival where we provided a taste of pervasive media and SXSW Interactive Festival.
Read the visits and festivals blog.
Digital Cultures Research Centre
Finally, late in 2009, the University of the West of England became an official partner of the Pervasive Media Studio. The Digital Cultures Research Centre (DCRC) led by Professor Jon Dovey, is now permanently based within the Studio to represent and promote the work of a diverse network of researchers from the Faculty of Creative Arts and the Bristol Institute of Technology.
Visit us at: www.pmstudio.co.uk
Igfest: The sun shone and the city played
September 21, 2009
Posted by Clare in: Gaming | Bristol | Add a commentWith igest 2009 over, its worth noting its success and celebrating the fact that over 1000 players raced through Bristol, chased moose with their mobile phones, played a 100-player game of Snakes and Ladders and painted the town – and each other – red.
Wired magazine described igfest as “incorporating elements of augmented reality and crowdsourced theatre.” The interview with Simon Johnson stressed that street gaming is not all just running around. As he explaines, a good pervasive game changes the players' perception of the people and environment around them, and explores the concept of permission.
Ifgest might be over for another year, but pervasive gaming events can be found throughout the UK. Simon Games’ iglab, a beta test of games in development runs every month in Bristol and Hide&Seek is touring its mini-festival Sandpit until late November with monthly events in London.
igfest 09 is an international celebration of Street, Pervasive and Social games. It is programmed by Simon Games
with support from the National Lottery through Arts Council England, along with HP Labs, Watershed, Pervasive Media Studio, RELAYS and South West Screen.
Welcome to igfest - the interesting games festival.
September 13, 2008
Posted by victoria in: Events | Gaming | pervasive | Add a comment
The Pervasive Media Studio is buzzing this week with preparations for igfest - the interesting games festival, 19th-21st September.
Taking place around the Harbourside in Bristol, igfest is the first festival in the south west to invite people to discover and re-discover the city through playing games in the streets. Freed from screens and boards, players of these games roam the streets hungry for fun. One game may see you fleeing over Pero's bridge with a Pac Man ghost on your tail, another has you playing snakes and ladders up and down the stairs and slopes of a multi story car park.
The final testing phase completed last week, saw a number of willing volunteers testing the tech for Moose Hunt. Useful questions were raised and discussed around using cross platform GPS apps - questions that will enrich future development of pervasive gaming. The test also revealed a couple of software niggles to be ironed out this weekend.
Beginning next week - you are invited to play Moose Hunt.
Moose will be making his autumn migration from the deepest Forest of Dean to Bristol over the week before the festival. Your mission is to find him and photograph him. Text 'moose' to 60300 to receive a map of the moose's current location. But be careful, the moose will be told your location and if he 'shoots' you before you 'shoot' him you are out of the game. Prizes for photographs in various categories including first sighting.
To find out more about igfest go to http://igfest.org/ or join the facebook group by logging in and typing igfest into facebook's search box.
