As part of our longstanding commitment to help students prepare for careers in our industry, we had the pleasure of hosting a group from Quinnipiac University's Game Design program once again this year.
In what has quickly become one of my December traditions, I watched The Game Awards 2023 yesterday with great expectations and a lot of curiosity regarding the latest world premieres and announcements from the industry.
And oh, boy, from an award perspective, they didn't disappoint. As Adam Chapman, Giselle Mendez and I accurately predicted, Baldur's Gate 3 and Alan Wake 2 took the most prizes home, with Larian Studios netting an outstanding six awards – including Game of the Year and Best RPG – and Remedy Entertainment Plc getting three of the most important trophies of the night.
Seeing this, I jumped straight on Remedy's recently released Alan Wake 2 Art Blast on ArtStation, and it's just breathtaking. I have always admired Sam Lake's writing chops and creative direction – I loved to see both of his skills getting awarded yesterday – but the level of this game's art direction is simply off the charts.
This fact should not come as surprising by any means, considering the impressive, genre-defining art direction of Control – which I still hold is Remedy's magnum opus – but it's nevertheless astonishing to see a studio knocking it out of the park with such consistency and attention to detail.
If this is the 'Remedyverse', I'll gladly live in it!
#Haptic#Friday#TheGameAwards #2023 #TGA2023#Game#Games#Gaming#GamingIndustry#GamingCommunity#GameDev#GamingDevelopers#GameDevelopers#Awards#Art#ArtDirection#GameArt#AlanWake2#Remedy#Remedyverse#TopArt#GreatArt
Making time to attend events like this is very important not just for students, but for active professionals, as well. Learning new things, even if it's only how other people see things, is refreshing and vital. Meeting new people is part of what I love most in the industry. Whether it's networking to try to make cool things happen, or just getting to know people and expanding your experience of your fellow developers, it's worthwhile.
And it gets you out of your head and house.
#gamedev#womeningames#networking#getoutofyourcomfortzone
🌌 Today marks the 3rd week from launch of Helldivers 2 which has been one of the most talked about titles of the year so far. We've updated our review breakdown, originally published on 15th February 2024, to see how things stand now!
The number of reviews have increased from 44 up to 142 taking the average review score up from 81 to 83, causing it to move up a position when ranked against all games released since the start of the year!
🎆 Congrats to Arrowhead Game Studios for all the positivity and support for this game, which doesn't seem to be suffering too much from the initial server issues that have occurred.
Stay tuned as we share more key findings and observations on newly released titles with you in the coming days. In the meantime, let us know your thoughts on Helldivers 2 in the comments below.
👉 Keep up to date with #GamesIndustry insights ▶ https://shorturl.at/krEN4#VideoGames#Data
The Coachella of Nerds is just a week away!
It’s Morphin’ Time at #gamescom where we put our ranger suits on and power through 5 days of fandom culture at its finest. We got a few spots left to walk with you through the holy halls, have a coffee chat or battle it out in a game of your choosing.
The Megazord forms out of the Power Ranger NERDs Jonas Selzer, Martin Z.H. Zhang, Jasmin Pfeifer, Dorjee Lhamo Gerhard, Xenia Brahm, Alexandra Kaiser and Pia Lucienne Bänecke. Shoot us a message to meet up and get down in the heart of gaming.
Why we attend gamescom: the convention can only be described as a mega-melting-pot of pop-culture. It is a place that represents the physical connections between all kinds of fandom passions. For over a decade nerds proved the cultural relevance of gamescom. It is the pinnacle of the world’s greatest entertainment industry and at the same time, it is so much more than gaming. It is a place for big publishers, brands, independents, upcomers, creators and most importantly, fans.
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#NerdCulture is #LoveCulture#CommunityCentricCreativity
A little overdue, but no less heartfelt: Last month, I had the incredible opportunity to teach Game Design to a group of talented Black game development students in Los Angeles! Special Thanks to Activision Blizzard and Entertainment Industry College Outreach Program for helping myself, TreaAndrea Russworm, Andrew Nealen, Nitesh Sridhar, and Yu-Jen Wang put this together!
It was an honor to share my passion for game design with such a motivated and creative group. Over the course of 4 and half weeks, we explored Game Production and Process, the Formal and Dramatic Elements of Game Design, and creative and collaborative elements needed to produce playable games, machinimas, and lean documentation to get games to the finish line. In the process, we worked to empower students to unleash their creativity and technical skills in the gaming industry.
Teaching this course was not only a rewarding experience but also a reminder of the importance of diversity and representation in gaming. The students were challenged to think about their unique contributions to the game space as black creators, designers, and developers. I'm thrilled to have contributed to tradition of throwing the rope back and creating a more inclusive space for aspiring game developers of all stripes.
I look forward to seeing the amazing projects and successes that these students will achieve in the future! (And you should check out the profiles of the 21 students in the comments section below!!)
#GameDesign#DiversityInTech#GamingIndustry#BlackGameDevelopers#STEMEducation#TeachingExperience
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This interview is part of GamesIndustry.biz's Black Voices Progress Report, offering insight into the different experiences Black professionals have in the games sector. You can read more about the project and check out the other entries on this page.
Many game developers love data, whether it comes as a spreadsheet, a pie chart or a feedback box – so in some ways, Adanna Nedd's move from academic research to game development isn't all that surprising.
Read more - and consider kaedim3d.com for AI that turns images into 3d game assets in minutes #GamingCommunity#GameIndustryNews#Gamedev
Last night’s Super Bowl sports commentary by SpongeBob and Patrick was a major moment in entertainment history but to explain why I want to revisit a presentation I gave two years ago at the Pocket Gamer Connects Beyond Games conference in Seattle.
The presentation was called “The Real-Time Revolution” and was about how virtual production and real-time animation would unlock a new universe of entertainment possibilities.
To support this I looked at the top grossing movies of all time, virtually all of which are either animated films or rely heavily on computer animation (e.g. Avatar or Avengers).
Then I turn our attention to TV, a much bigger industry, where virtually all top programs are live — live sports, live news, live events, live talk — and which use barely any animation at all.
The discrepancy is due to the fact movies can use Hollywood’s traditional animation rendering process which can require millions of hours of rendering for a feature film, a process incompatible with live TV.
But virtual production allows for real-time rendering, which finally makes computer animation possible in live TV. As such you can now have a talk show hosted by Buzz Lightyear, or in the case of last night’s Super Bowl — live sports commentary by SpongeBob and Patrick.
Over the coming years, expect to see more and more television augmented by the use of real-time virtual production. Last night's Super Bowl was only just the beginning.
Congrats to the team at Silver Spoon and Nickelodeon for pulling it all off.
#virtualproduction#superbowl
Let's celebrate the unparalleled artistry behind cinematics (and normalize the magic of emotional reactions too) 🎮✨
In light of the layoffs in the gaming industry, I want to take some time to celebrate the work of developers and artists by talking about one of my favorite parts of any game, the cinematics.
📽 I still vividly remember the first time I watched the Diablo IV trailer. Even before diving into the game itself, I sensed the immense potential for impact not just on me but on a larger scale. It was a moment of revelation, and I knew I wanted to be part of this incredible journey.
Since then, I've shared my genuine reactions to every Diablo IV cinematic, receiving a mix of reviews. Some say my reactions are ridiculous, dismissing the relevance of emotional storytelling in games as a whole. However, I believe in the critical power of storytelling through cinematics, and here's why:
🎭 Art and Storytelling: Cinematics, to me, represent the pinnacle of art and storytelling in gaming. They set the tone for the entire gaming experience and tee-up the gameplay one is to experience. At Blizzcon I had the pleasure of chatting with Lead Game Producer Kayleigh Calder about how the Diablo IV cinematic shaped the entirety of game mood and design. It's a testament to the critical role cinematics play in our enjoyment of games.
🌟 Impact Beyond Words: My reaction videos have been labeled as "ridiculous" by some, but they've reminded others why they fell in love with games, or why they decided to move into game development in the first place. They've rekindled childhood memories and inspired people to give a game a shot that they'd otherwise overlook.
💬 Normalizing Emotional Connections: Some might say, "It's just a game," but for many, including myself, it's an emotional journey. Let's normalize the joy, excitement, and impact that game cinematics can have on us. It's okay to be invested and share those genuine reactions!
So here's to celebrating the magic of game cinematics, the success of Diablo IV as they launch Season 3, and the emotional connections we forge through gaming. Let's continue to champion the importance of cinematic art and thoughtful story development in the world of gaming! 🙌🎉
#GameCinematics#DiabloIV#GamingPassion#Storytelling#EmotionalConnections
It All Starts With People
Imladris is working toward a 100-year goal of creating the kind of Interactive Entertainment industry we want our kids, grandkids, and great-great-grandkids to inherit and thrive in.
But that kind of thing needs to be built in stages. For the first years of our gathering we specifically avoided making any plans. Instead we asked two questions:
"What does the world need from Christain game developers today?"
... & ...
"What does the community of Christian Game Developers need to thrive in this world right now?"
From the beginning it was clear that one fundamental challenge rose above all others: People.
If we had a blank check to build the best Christian-made game in history, we couldn't do it. There just aren't enough believers in the industry...yet. So as we closed our gathering in 2023, and worked on into the winter, we settled on the following goals as a place to start building a foundation of people. What starts with a stream can build steadily into a thundering cataract of creatives.
- 5 Imladris Partners
- 50 Imladris Sages
- 500 Imladris Game Developers
- 5,000 Imladris Students
- 50,000 Imladris Players
Perhaps that vision rings in your heart too...
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Interaction Developer | dandylion.dev
3moDid you get to prepare them for layoffs as well?