Comfort of Strangers in NYC
June 22, 2008
Posted by Clare in: Events | Gaming | Funding | Add a commentSimon Evans and Simon Johnson took Comfort of Strangers, a street game using wifi and handheld devices developed as part of Media Sandbox, to Come out and Play Festival in New York City this month. Read their blog of the visit here, or watch the film.
Smoke Signals
September 24, 2007
Posted by Clare in: Events | Innovation | Gaming | Mobile | 1 comment so far
Avant garde architects Minimaforms' SMS text message public sculpture ‘Smoke Signals’ at the Offload Festival which took place in Bristol on 13 - 16 September 2007. As a lead up to iShed's Pervasive Media commissioning fund (which will launch in November 2007), Watershed supported a range of located media activities as part of the Offload programme. more…
Edinburgh Interactive Festival
August 15, 2007
Posted by Clare in: Events | Gaming | Add a commentiShed has just returned from the fifth Edinburgh Interactive Festival which featured key games industry speakers such as Sony, Linden Lab and BBC Vision. The emphasis (as in so many media conferences) was on social networking and user generated content - prompting me to wonder when we will stop worrying about the 'changing media landscape' and start looking over the horizon to what is coming next.
That said, the conference was a hugely informative jaunt into the world of console games and virtual worlds. By the end of 2011, according to Gartner Inc, 80 percent of active Internet users will have an avatar. Combining this with higher powered consoles, better AI and audiences who demand customised experiences, gaming companies need to look for more creative, innovative and accessible products.
The internet offers significant opportunities for games companies. New worlds are not without their problems though - keeping a brand space animated and interesting in a virtual world takes dedication, evaluating its success is not straightforward and virtual politics are already complicating the lives of producers: from questions about freedom of speech to player coups.
The highlight for me was the Second Life panel - listening to La Interactiva and watching Robbie Dingo's beautiful machinima on the reproduction of Van Gogh's Starry Night in Second Life, left me with no doubts of the creative possibilities.
Finally watch out for Signs of Life, an ambitious interactive online show from BBC that aims to tap the youth audience that is increasingly turning away from TV.
All in the game: CTN workshop
August 1, 2007
Posted by Clare in: Events | Gaming | Add a commentOn 6 September, Creative Technology Network is holding a cross-sector seminar/workshop in Bristol to generate new ideas for products, services and collaborations:
Beyond the Console: Virtual worlds, interactive experiences and gaming
Speakers include Toby Barnes of Pixel lab, Phil Stenton of HPLabs on mscapers.com, Darius Pocha of Enable on building a branded campaign in Second Life and Hazel Grian of Licorice Film on producing an Alternative Reality Game. The session concludes with an open space workshop to get people talking and sharing ideas.
Participants will be drawn from gaming companies, digital media SMEs, academics and industry and the event is in partnership between the Creative Technology network and South West Screen. Full event details here.
Bebo launches interactive drama
July 18, 2007
Posted by Clare in: Innovation | Online | Gaming | Add a commentKate Modern, a new interactive drama from the makers of lonelygirl15, launched on Bebo today and Bristol-based Hazel Grian, Producer of MeiGeist and owner of Licorice Film, is part of the writing team.
Set to be just as popular (the lonelygirl15 channel remains the most subscribed channel of all time on YouTube), Kate Modern will offer the 31 million members of social networking site Bebo characters they can send messages to, help solve puzzles, and generally participate in the story.
