GAME

Steven Ilous is back again to give our new generation of Computer Graphics & Animation students a character building week chock-full of production, labor and love!

If you haven’t clicked through to his site yet, here’s a rundown: Steven did special effects for the entire Matrix-trilogy, have worked with Dreamworks, was a senior animator for The Polar Express and won the 2009 MTV Breakthrough Video of the Year. Artwork, visual development, photography, video games, visual effects, motion capture, performance capture and directing – there is nothing this man doesn’t do. And do well. (pssst. turn up your speakers!)

As publishers are increasingly reluctant to take risks on new themes or genres, it has become necessary to build “franchises” – product lines that will last for several years. This lecture looks at how two franchises, Madden NFL Football and the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, have managed to achieve their extraordinary market longevity, with examples from other products as well. I also talk about mythic themes and moral ambiguity as the hallmarks of great entertainment, and how we as developers should perceive our customers if we want to make products that last.

Prof. Ernest Adams has been in the game industry since 1989 and currently works as a free lance game designer, writer and teacher. He’s written four books in total and he has developed online, computer, and console games for everything from the IBM 360 mainframe to the Nintendo Wii. Ernest is also the founder and first chairman of the International Game Developers’ Association.

This talk is open- and highly recommended to all game students!

Time: Wednesday, December 1st, 13:00 – 17:00
Location: E22

Games such as Senet (3500 BC) and Chess (1000 AD) reflect societal structures and values from human history. What can current games teach us about ourselves, our culture and the society we are part of?

Construction of rule systems for games can be used to illustrate and better understand complex processes. At a societal level it can be about war and peace, on group level about processes such as stigmatisation and bullying, while an individual level it can be about issues of identity. When using games as a form of culture we can temporarily step out of our every day roles and study the processes we are part of by abstracting them to systems. As we step back into our roles we can do so with increased understanding for ourselves and others – we have seen how the structures we live in affect how we act, and how others act towards us.

Join in for a journey that starts in Egypt five thousand years ago, leading to the latest research in games.

This talk is open to the public!

Time: Thursday, November 25th, 19:00
Location: E22