Earlier this month we learned that Black Canary would be joining the roster in Injustice 2 and now thanks to a special female focused trailer from Warner Bros. and NetherRealm Studios we know that there will be three more females added to the roster. In the two minute video we see Cheetah, Catwoman, and Poison Ivy each show us a little bit of what they have to offer including a look at their special moves.
You can check out the video below and keep an eye out for the full game when it is released on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One worldwide on May 16th.
Thirteen years ago the anime licensing company SoftCel Pictures fell to the wayside and though many of us may not remember them, they were one of the few companies that were bringing adult anime, better known as “hentai” to the West. Now Section23, who handles Sentai Filmworks and Maiden Japan, has announced that they will be handling the distribution for the returning company adult product based company.
To accompany the announcement of their revival SoftCel Pictures announcedthat their first uncensored release will be called The Patients of Dr. Maro, originally known as Maro no Kanja wa Ganteki, on Blu-ray with a reversible cover. While no release date was officially set, the current listing on Rightstuf states that the product will be released on June 13th for $19.98, the company did state that they are planning on releasing multiple titles in the future such as King of Breasts, Slave Princess, Sex Hypnotist Zero, and The Devil’s Virgins, though did not provide further details at the time.
As we previously detailed, Invader Studios has launched their Kickstarter for Daymare: 1998 and while the company released a new trailer to help celebrate the launch of their crowdfunding campaign, they also had another big announcement to make. They have announced that the legendary Director of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and Planner on the original 1996 Resident Evil, Kazuhiro Aoyama, has agreed to become the ‘Producer Associate’ of Daymare: 1998.
Aoyama-san, the enemy designer on Resident Evil: Code Veronica (X) and Creature Sketch Artist on Resident Evil 0 as well as Akari Kaida, the legendary music composer from the original 1996 Resident Evil, Dino Crisis, Onimusha 3: Demon Siege and Okami, is lined up to be the principal composer for the game.
The Kickstarter page states that the company is seeking €180,000 by March 17th with people who want a copy of the game being able to net one for €15, though at the moment a number of early bird options are available.
After years of waiting Final Fantasy XV was finally released by Square Enix last year to many fans delight, so much in fact that many fans have taken to cosplaying as members of the cast. One such group of cosplayers have even created a little over two minute long video showcasing their outfits as the four main characters and even Ardyn.
FUNimation Entertainment announced earlier today that it has acquired the home video distribution rights to the live-action Black Butler film adaptation. The film will be released in a DVD and Blu-ray combo pack on May 2, 2017. FUNimation is dubbing the film into English, so viewers who purchase this upcoming release will have the option of watching it with English audio selected or with Japanese audio and English subtitles.
Many of the voice actors from FUNimation’s English dub of the anime adaptation of Black Butler will be voicing characters in this film as well. The voice cast for English dub of the film is as follows (character/actor):
Sebastian Michaelis – J. Michael Tatum
Kiyoharu Genpo – Brina Palencia
Hanae Watsuki – Lydia Mackay
Rin – Monica Rial
Narrator – Ian Sinclair
Akashi – Christopher R. Sabat
Anthony – Anthony Bowling
Aoki – Newton Pittman
Kujo – Kent Williams
Matsumiya – Zach Bolton
Nekoma – Cris George
Charles Bennett Sato – Alex Organ
Tokizawa – Robert McCollum
The film premiered in Japanese cinemas in 2014. It was released on home video in the U.K. in 2015.
It’s taken Niantic a while to pull off but Pokemon from the Gold, Silver and Crystal generation of games are finally making their way to the infamous mobile app Pokemon GO. While I wouldn’t expect to be able to catch any of the Legendary Pokemon such as Ho-oh, Lugia and Celebi anytime soon, the update that’s confirmed to drop sometime this week will add over 80 new Pokemon to catch in the wild as well as a host of other new features including:
Additional Pokémon: More than 80 Pokémon that were originally discovered in the Johto region in the Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver video games, as well as Pokémon with gender-specific variations, will start rolling out in Pokémon GO.
New Evolutions: There are now more opportunities to evolve your Pokémon in Pokémon GO than ever before. Some Pokémon originally discovered in the Kanto region will soon be able to evolve—into Pokémon that inhabit the Johto region! Be on the lookout for new Evolution items at PokéStops, which you’ll need to evolve some Pokémon.
New Encounter Gameplay: When you encounter Pokémon in the wild, don’t be surprised if they react in new ways as you’re trying to catch them. You’ll also notice the addition of new item carousels that allow you to select Berries and Poké Balls directly from the encounter screen. Hone your skills and catch those elusive Pokémon!
New Berries: Pokémon enjoy eating Berries, and you’ll have the opportunity to get two new Berries by spinning the Photo Disc at PokéStops—Nanab Berries and Pinap Berries! Giving a Pokémon a Nanab Berry will slow its movements, making it easier to catch. The Pinap Berry doubles the amount of Candy you’ll receive if your next catch attempt succeeds.
New Avatars and an Expanded Wardrobe: Now you’ll be able to give your avatar a complete upgrade! Customize your look with a whole new selection of hats, shirts, pants, and other items.
This announcement follows on from the recent release of baby Pokemon from Generation 2 such as Togepi and Pichu. Players could only obtain these Pokemon by hatching them from special eggs with orange spots on them. Niantic have continued to increase the functionality of Pokemon GO in recent months adding features such as the much improved radar, daily login bonuses and special events. The Valentines Day event has just ended and gave players the opportunity to find pink Pokemon easily and obtain double the normal amount of candy.
MARVEL Future Fight Welcomes New Inhuman Characters and Missions
The latest update also includes new uniforms, reward packs, alliance system upgrades, and more
SEOUL, Korea (February 15, 2017) – Netmarble Games Corp., the fastest-growing mobile game company in Asia, released a new update bringing Marvel’s Inhumans to MARVEL Future Fight. The Inhumans are a super-powered derivative of humanity who possess unique and extraordinary abilities, and are at the forefront of some of Marvel’s most compelling stories –from their first comic book appearance in 1965, to “Marvel’s Inhumans” television show coming to ABC with an exclusive debut of the first two episodes in IMAX theaters this September. MARVEL Future Fight will be featuring Moon Girl and members of the Inhuman Royal Family – Karnak, Gorgon, Inferno, Crystal, and Maximus. Additionally, the lord of the Dark Dimension and eternal rival of Doctor Strange, Dormammu, will make his MARVEL Future Fight debut. The update also includes three new uniforms: Black Bolt’s “Inhumans: Attilan Rising” Uniform, Ms. Marvel’s Karachi Uniform, and Elsa Bloodstone’s “Monsters Unleashed” Uniform, designed specifically and exclusively for MARVEL Future Fight.
In the update, players will embark on a new special Inhumans-themed adventure consisting of five stages where they fight against powerful bosses in order to stop Maximus and his followers from destroying humankind. Within these missions, players can find a hidden route that unleashes a secret boss they can battle to earn bonus rewards.
“The Inhumans have been becoming increasingly popular across pop culture and now players of MARVEL Future Fight will have a slew of new content to explore,” said Seungwon Lee, Chief Global Officer at Netmarble Games. “Not only will they be able to play as Inhumans characters, but they’ll also experience a thrilling storyline surrounding the conspiracy of Maximus the Mad.”
A new “reward pack” system is also being introduced – players can obtain reward packs through various challenges in the special mission. Players can select rewards and challenges that suit them best, and acquire gifts when their missions are completed.
The full list of characters joining MARVEL Future Fight today includes:
Moon Girl – An Inhuman genius. She races into battle with her trusty friend, the giant red T-Rex Devil Dinosaur, and her arsenal of homemade inventions.
Karnak – An Inhuman philosopher adept at hand-to-hand combat, with the uncanny ability to find the flaws and weak points of any enemy.
Gorgon – An Inhuman warrior who has served the Inhuman Royal Family for years. With his beastly legs, he stomps the ground causing massive shockwaves to defeat his enemies.
Inferno – An Inhuman and member of Gorgon’s team dedicated to protecting the Inhuman race. His Inhuman ability allows him to produce and manipulate fire from his body to defeat his enemies.
Crystal – An Inhuman princess and sister of Medusa, the Queen of the Inhumans. She is able to control the elements of fire, water, earth, and air.
Maximus – The younger brother of Black Bolt, King of the Inhumans. He is a brilliant scientist who uses his inventions, including the Chorus Sentry, in battle. He is greedy, short-tempered, and conniving, constantly seeking to usurp his brother’s throne.
Dormammu – Lord of the Dark Dimension. He is the eternal rival of Doctor Strange, and is unbeatable within his own dimension. He is a god-like character equipped with powerful physical and magical abilities.
MARVEL Future Fight is available is available to download for free on the App Store® and Google Play™.
Netmarble Games Corp. strives to entertain audiences of all ages, and around the world, by providing great mobile gaming experiences. Established in Korea in 2000, Netmarble is the fastest-growing mobile game company in Asia and consistently ranks as a top mobile developer and publisher worldwide. With more than 3,000 employees, Netmarble has been producing and servicing some of the most successful mobile games, including Lineage2 Revolution, STAR WARS™: Force Arena, MARVEL Future Fight, Everybody’s Marble, and Seven Knights. The largest shareholder to Jam City, a leading casual game developer, Netmarble has a strategic partnership with CJ E&M Corporation, Asia’s largest entertainment company, Tencent Holdings, Asia’s largest internet company, and NCsoft, a prominent MMO company. More information can be found at www.netmarble.com.
App Store is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the US and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Google Play is a trademark of Google Inc.
VICTOR VRAN: OVERKILL EDITION REVEALED ALONGSIDE FRACTURED WORLDS AND MOTÖRHEAD: THROUGH THE AGES
Debonair Demon Hunter Stars, in New High Octane ‘Overkill’ Filled Trailer
Watford, U.K. — February 15, 2017 — Wired Productions, a leading independent games publisher, today is proud to announce Victor Vran: Overkill Edition, the content-packed console debut of the award-winning action RPG developed by Haemimont Games, alongside an ‘Overkill’ filled new trailer.
Headed to digital and physical formats for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, as well as Windows PC, Victor Vran: Overkill Edition promises more thrills than ever before. Players and fans can experience the all-action game in full, alongside two brand new adventures: the ethereal Fractured Worlds – a challenging and empowering new expansion featuring a new chapter in the story of Victor Vran, and Motörhead: Through the Ages – a wild, rock adventure, inspired by, officially endorsed by, and starring, the loudest band in the world.
Players who already own the game on Windows PC will be able to purchase the Fractured Worlds and Motörhead: Through the Ages expansion packs separately, as will players who wish to purchase the standalone game digitally on consoles.
Journey to the Fractured Worlds, a dimension formed from the fragments of broken realms. A perilous place for even the most experienced of hunters, explore its unfathomed depths through new levels and endless dungeons where each step proves more dangerous than the last. Continue your journey as Victor as you attempt to piece together the Astrolabe in this new, thrilling addition to Victor Vran.
Enter the world of Motörhead: Through the Ages – a wild tour through the mythos of the loudest band in the world! Harness the powers of the immortal Motörhead to defeat deadly new adversaries in three demon-infested worlds intertwined with the songs of the band.
Many years ago, Lemmy stumbled upon a twisted dimension filled with pain. Suffering under the dominion of a cruel dictator, to this world Lemmy entrusted the mighty Snaggletooth that he may defend that world… but Snaggletooth now lies silent. Join Victor as he answers the call of Lloyd Kaufman – the bartender in The Pub at the End of Time, to investigate Snaggletooth’s mysterious downfall, in this most gripping new addition to Victor Vran.
Motörhead: Through the Ages was conceived back in 2014, with all three members of the band having been active consultants in its design and development.
Extensive details of both the Fractured Worlds and Motörhead: Through the Ages expansions will be announced in the coming weeks ahead of the games release.
To download brand new assets for Victor Vran, including the Overkill Edition trailer, please visit: http://bit.ly/VictorVranPress About Victor Vran
Victor Vran, a critically acclaimed isometric Action RPG from Haemimont Games.
Become Victor, hunter of demons. Forge your own hero on a quest to liberate the cursed city of Zagoravia. Vanquish the servants of darkness, as you battle with the burdens of a life left behind…
You will require great skill to defeat your enemies. Look your very best and reinforce your play style with a monumental arsenal of powerful weapons, game-changing outfits, wicked demon powers and fate-binding destiny cards.
Redefine how you play at any moment, even in the heat of battle. Modify your demon slaying loadout as you dodge deadly attacks, leap from towering locations, and crush the skulls of your foes. Fedora or no fedora, you decide!
The console version has been built from the ground-up using developer Haemimont’s proprietary engine, delivering outstanding performance at 60fps along with local co-op for 2 players and online co-op for 4 players, which includes daily and weekly maps.
Developed by Haemimont Games AD and co-published with Wired Productions, Victor Vran: Overkill Edition, Fractured Worlds, Motörhead: Through the Agesand the console editions of standalone Victor Vran are slated to release simultaneously in 2017. Victor Vran and its associated expansions have been rated “M for Mature” by the ESRB.
For more information and to stay versed with the latest news on Victor Vran, please visit the official website at www.VictorVran.com , Like the official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/VictorVran , and follow the official Twitter account at https://twitter.com/VictorVran.
About Haemimont Games AD
Haemimont Games is Bulgaria’s largest independent video game developer. Founded in 1997 by CEO Gabriel Dobrev, the award winning studio is home to more than 50 passionate designers, programmers and artists who have been brought together by a common passion: to thrill, engage and provoke gamers worldwide. The studio has developed multiple titles including the highly acclaimed Tropico series, Grand Ages: Rome, Omerta: City of Gangsters and Victor Vran on a variety of platforms – MS Windows, MacOS, Linux, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PS4, using its proprietary multi-platform engine.
For more information visit www.HaemimontGames.com .
About Wired Productions Ltd
Wired Productions is an established independent computer games publisher based in Watford, Hertfordshire, UK. Founded in 2008, Wired have produced over 40 titles for many global publishers and are part of the team responsible for the 1.5 million unit selling We Sing franchise. In 2013, Wired moved into console publishing on all major platforms. Notable launches to date include Let’s Fish! Hooked On, Tiny Troopers Joint Ops, Last Inua and Super Dungeon Bros. Victor Vran and The Town of Light are the latest titles to be signed for 2017.
Wired Productions are also a founding member of We Sing Productions, which is a collaboration between THQ Nordic, Wired Productions and Le Cortex, with the sole mission to establish a new range of We Sing products for all formats.
For more information visit www.wiredproductions.com or follow at: www.facebook.com/WiredPro and on Twitter https://twitter.com/WiredP.
About Motörhead
Founded by Lemmy Kilmister in 1975, Motorhead would become one of the most popular bands in the world with a fan-base that is second to none.
Having released 22 Albums over their 40 year career and sold over 30 million records, their most recent of which [“Bad Magic”] went to #1 in Germany and entered the Top 10 in the UK Album charts is testament to the strength of the band’s influence and popularity in modern music. Their brand of uncompromising heavy rock has seen them widely acknowledged as one of the most influential, and iconic, bands in rock music history.
About Global Merchandising Services Ltd
Global Merchandising Services are music artist, celebrity and brand merchandise experts. Headquartered in London and Los Angeles, Global is a licensing powerhouse with best in class design, product development, and manufacturing and direct-to-consumer sales. Global executes and delivers business through all channels of retail distribution, live events, web stores, pop-up stores, brand origination and development, sponsorship, endorsements and third-party licensing. As the exclusive partner for its extensive roster of musical artists and brands, Global develops unique and innovative merchandise programs for its clients. Winner of 5 consecutive Licensing Industry Awards, 2011-2015 for best celebrity license program, re-affirms Global’s expertise and ability to deliver on a worldwide basis for its clients.
DISCOVER AND CATCH OVER 80 MORE POKÉMON AROUND THE WORLD IN POKÉMON GO
Game Update Welcomes Pokémon Originally Discovered in the Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver Video Games and Introduces Updated Encounter Gameplay, Evolution Options, New Berries and Expanded Avatar Items
San Francisco—Feb. 15, 2017—Niantic, Inc. and The Pokémon Company International announced an additional 80 Pokémon will begin to appear in Pokémon GO later this week. These include Pokémon originally discovered in the Johto region from the Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver video games, including Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile. Trainers will encounter these Pokémon “in the wild” as they embark on adventures and explore their neighborhoods and cities to catch Pokémon. In addition to Pokémon that will appear in the game for the first time, the latest update introduces new gameplay mechanics for Trainers to master, including new encounter gameplay, new Evolution items, two new Berries, and expanded outfit and accessory options for their Trainer avatars.
“Today is a momentous occasion for Pokémon GO as we welcome more Pokémon and build upon the encounter and capture mechanics for the passionate global community of Trainers playing the game,” said John Hanke, founder and Chief Executive Officer, Niantic, Inc. “Pokémon GO is a live experience which we’ll be continuing to support and evolve in new and interesting ways for years to come.”
“With Pokémon GO, The Pokémon Company endeavored to create a compelling game based on the concept of encountering and catching Pokémon in the real world,” said J.C. Smith, Senior Director, Consumer Marketing, The Pokémon Company International. “The amazing response to Pokémon GO by millions of existing and new Pokémon fans around the world is remarkable. We’re thrilled to keep the adventure going by welcoming these Pokémon to this engaging new way of experiencing the fun of the Pokémon brand.”
With the latest Pokémon GO game update, new Pokémon evolution options will give players the ability to use new Evolution items to evolve their Pokémon into ones that were originally discovered in the Johto region. While catching Pokémon, Trainers can use two new Berries—the Nanab Berry, which slows a Pokémon’s movements, and the Pinap Berry, which doubles the amount of Candy received if the next catch attempt succeeds. Trainers will also be able to customize their avatar’s appearance with a new selection of hats, shirts, pants, and other items. Additional items will be available for purchase from the in-game Pokémon GO shop.
Trainers can download Pokémon GO from the App Store for iOS devices and Google Play Store for Android. A version of Pokémon GO for Apple Watch is also available through the App Store. Nintendo’s Pokémon GO Plus device, which allows Trainers to catch Pokémon and collect items with the push of a button without looking at their screens, is being replenished at retail locations in support of this latest update, while supplies last.
About Pokémon
The Pokémon Company International, a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company in Japan, manages the property outside of Asia and is responsible for brand management, licensing, marketing, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the animated TV series, home entertainment and the official Pokémon website. Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 and today is one of the most popular children’s entertainment properties in the world. For more information, please visit www.pokemon.co.uk.
About Niantic, Inc.
Niantic, Inc. builds mobile real-world experiences that foster fun, exploration, discovery and social interaction. Originally incubated within Google, Niantic spun out in 2015, with investments from Google, The Pokémon Company and Nintendo. The company’s immersive real-world mobile game Ingress has been downloaded more than 20 million times and is played in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. Niantic also developed and published Pokémon GO, the real-world Pokémon game for iOS and Android mobile devices that was downloaded more than 500 million times in its first two months. For more information on Niantic, visit www.nianticlabs.com .
About a month ago, I went on down to North Sydney Institute (NSI) to attend their Global Game Jam event (organised with help from the International Game Developers Association). I went undercover to bring you the skinny on what it’s like to experience one of these marathon development events. Although I wasn’t able to participate in the jam as much as I would have liked, I think I got enough of an impression to give you a fairly good idea. If nothing else, I participated vicariously in the highs and lows what it’s like to hot house a game within 48 hours and isn’t the real treasure the friends we make along the way?… What’s that? I’m actually meant to be writing my thoughts and impressions to give others the vicarious experience? Well, then read on and I will hopefully give you something to ruminate on.
Firstly, for those uninitiated, a game jam is essentially a gathering of game developers who get together to make games in a short space of time. Traditionally, they are split up into groups and race to design and build their game completely from scratch. Every design element, every line of code, and every mechanic in all of the games I would see in my time at the event were developed and implemented within the 48 hours that the game jam lasted. Looking from the outside in, it looks to be a taxing and arduous experience. The jammers race against the clock to conceive and develop a game in what is essentially the equivalent of a video game development fun run. The ‘fun run’ comparison may be a strange one at first, but from what I see both leave people with a strange sense of euphoria and generally smelling a bit off. I arrived on scene somewhere around the 24 hour mark where concepts were being fleshed out, code stress tested, and people didn’t smell too bad.
After meeting with the organisers, I was given free rein to wander the jam as I saw fit. As I was going around and talking to each of the teams, I offered my services as a writer. But as to be expected, partially because writing is a highly specialised role, partially because I was late, the jammers had limited use for me when I finally showed up. One of the projects to take up my services was a game where the players were engaged in a “hair flick” battle in order to earn the attention of a much desired ‘senpai’. My task was simple: come up with hair-related fighting game smack talk/puns. I took to the task as best I could whilst still flitting around the rest of the jam. I returned a number of hours later with a humble offering of fairly terrible puns which, to their credit, the dev team added to their game. They even acknowledged me in the credits of their game as a contributor (albeit with a misspelled version of my name). Alas, proper accreditation is only bestowed on the worthy… or at least people who were present during the entire jam.
As I sauntered my way amongst the franticly racing game devs, I noticed something which surprised me. Whilst there was the usual presence of cis white dudes were certainly to be found in abundance, they could not completely whitewash the presence of some genuine diversity amongst the jammers. On my adventures through the jam I met the following (individually awesome) awesome individuals: I met a dev who hailed from Iran who was taking a break from developing another game which was heavily inspired by Persian mythology, a very shy and mild mannered older gentleman (who looked to be in his 50s) working with younger colleagues on 3D models, a somewhat sanguine trans woman coder who was working on implementing code to lead AI sailors to their deaths by following player-activated siren songs, and a happy-go-lucky cis woman artist working on the art for a game about Viking’s riding out Ragnarok (Norse mythology’s end of the world). Geek spaces are notorious for not always being spaces where diverse identities are present, or, at worst, even welcome. To give you some perspective on the wider picture; the 2015 IGDA Developer Satisfaction Survey found that the predominant respondents to their industry surveys were male (75%), white/Caucasian/European (76%), and fairly young (51% in the 25-34 age range).
It is no small secret that geek and gaming communities by and large have a propensity towards being populated by individuals who generally fit into these particular demographics. There have been any number of articles, papers, books, blogs, videos, etc discussing why this is the case and what can be done to make geek spaces more diverse. I have nothing more which I can add to that particular discussion which hasn’t already been said more eloquently by people far smarter than I. I only put forward my humble and rambling observation which is this: although the voices of white and cis men were certainly ones which could be heard throughout the jam, I could not help but notice the distinct presence of diversity in the chorus line. It is my small hope that highlighting their presence encourages others with their own diverse experiences to come in and add their own voice to the gaming scene in Sydney.
I asked the organiser and head teacher for game design at NSI, Seinwai Chew, what her secret was to developing a diverse space. She informed me that, besides ensuring a basic level of civility was enforced, she works to foster the creativity and passion for games in all who participate in the jam. I’m not always certain that passion alone is enough to overcome every obstacle when it comes to building diverse geek communities, but it appears to have worked quite well at NSI… at least certainly in terms of this game jam.
Another team who caught my eye were a very friendly couple who were working together on a bright and colourful mobile game. You would play as Poseidon, god of the sea, sending waves to push mortals back to shore and away from your watery realm as well as waves which were far too “radical” to be surfed by any mere mortal. It was an eclectic mix of 90s surfer culture and ancient Greek mythology with a strong sense of humour thrown in for good measure. My lasting contribution to their project was to change the word Poseidon to Broseidon in the title… which they appeared to be ecstatic with. Although I promised that I would return with more terrible amalgamations of Greek mythology and surfer culture (mainly more puns involving the word “bro”), I was dragged away by the rest of the jam and unable to contribute further. As befits surfers/Greek gods of the sea, however, they were totally cool about it.
Another pleasant surprise for me: the fact that pretty much every interaction I had with all of these people were consistently pleasant throughout the jam. I’ve interacted with many geeks/nerds and creatives facing down the barrels of looming deadlines, but these gentlefolk were consistently more positive than even the most professional team I’ve met in my short life. I’m not sure what exactly was different in the game jam environment, but they were all extremely polite and (almost) without fail, eager to speak with me about the projects they were working on. Eager to discuss their games despite being in various states of stressed, tired, and anxious. They made me feel welcome at a time when I’m certain I was being a very obnoxious outsider who came in to ask probing questions.
During my aforementioned discussion with Chew, she mentioned that one of her primary motivations for hosting and running the game jam was to help her students practice social interaction and teamwork. A game jam may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I can certainly imagine it being quite enticing to a socially awkward game dev who’s better at expressing themselves through code/art/story than through conventional social interaction. After my conversation with Chew, and hearing her passion for the welfare and success of her students, I realised that hosting an entire game jam to help teach them this crucial skill set would just be an entirely reasonable extension of her holistic philosophy on teaching. Judging by my interactions with the participants at this jam, I couldn’t really think of a better place to learn.
Don’t let me paint too rosy a picture of game jams for you though. Not every jam experience turns out entirely awesome. I met a game dev who was working solo on his own project, a Queen of England simulator, where you attempt to please each of your subjects with a unique wave as you drive past them. The developer chose to work by themselves for this jam, due to some negative experiences he’d had with previous events he attended. In one particular anecdote, an artist on his team spent an evening drawing medieval themed artwork for what was ostensibly a sci-fi game. The artist apparently gave some flimsy excuse involving the game’s conceit of time travel but nonetheless had effectively produced work which the team could not use. After that experience, I couldn’t say I blamed him for wanting to go solo.
Another blessing (or bane) for game jams is that pretty much anyone can sign up and join a team. This can result in interesting situations such as the team which hosted a tattoo artist who came to draw for the project. The team he was working with made good use of his skills and incorporated his style into the fabric of their project. Although this mix bag of personas can be a boon, it could also be a liability, as a team can find themselves saddled with someone who is constrained in their ability to contribute by either their temperament, communication style, or skill level. This, I imagine, would be an extremely frustrating experience in the high pressure environment of a jam. Short deadlines and sleep times generally contribute to short tempers, but by and large, the jammers were pretty happy to accommodate the strengths and weaknesses of their teammates.
The final day had all of the teams debut their games, demonstrating their finished products to the jam itself. It was an intriguing experience for me to see the finished product of a number games I had witnessed being worked on in their quasi-final/finished state. Pretty much everyone I spoke to was exhausted from the ordeal, but ultimately satisfied with their part in it. Bleary-eyed and not so bushy tailed, they said their goodbyes and went home. Their games can all be found on the Global Game Jam website and are generally in a state where they can be played (although bugs are to be expected).
Overall, I very much enjoyed my time at the NSI game jam and I give thanks to the organisers (including the Sydney chapter of the International Game Developers Association) for putting it together. I’d also like to thank the devs who spoke with me throughout their ordeal and answered my numerous and, no doubt, impertinent questions. It was a pleasant experience and I’d definitely recommend it for anyone who might be interested. My experience of the jam may not be as holistic and thorough as I was originally planning, but I hope I have been able to convey to you some facet of what the game jam experience is like.
DISCLAIMER NOTE: Above are some of my humble observations of the event from an outsider’s perspective and any opinions expressed within are purely my own. I am not affiliated with NSI or IGDA and I paid for my ticket in full out of my own pocket.
If you’d like to read more of our thoughts on previous Global Game Jams, you can check out our write up of the 2012 event here. If you want to check out more games from the Global Game Jam, you can try them out yourself here.
You can check out the International Game Developers Association here.
