IGDA Melbourne

RMIT University’s Games & Experimental Entertainment Laboratory (GEElab) is offering two 3-year full-time PhD stipends, to highly motivated Australians or New Zealanders. At the GEElab, an international research team is investigating how game design thinking can affect and alter architecture & urbanism, mobility, popular media & storytelling, engagement as well as other sciences, cf.www.geelab.rmit.edu.au (http://www NULL.geelab NULL.rmit NULL.edu NULL.au/). The GEElab operates sites at RMIT in Melbourne, Australia, as well as in Stuttgart, Germany, there as GEElab Europe, and is based in RMIT’s School of Media and Communication.

Both PhD stipends contain an uplift for EU loading and run at AUS$30,000 tax-exempt p.a. each, over the course of three years. With these stipends come one-off relocation allowances as well as funding for an optional German language course if the successful applicants are not proficient in German. In addition, the GEElab will sponsor project cost as well as conference travel given circumstances. It is intended that the successful candidates will commence as soon as possible in Melbourne, and relocate to Germany in May or June of 2012.

3-Year PhD Stipend: Game Design for Future Cities
This stipend supports a doctoral student and is linked to the question how game design methods as well as playfulness can, methodologically and practically, serve as design principles and design results for the city and for citizens of the future, tackling fields such as urban well-being and liveability, citizen engagement as well as sustainability. The successful applicant will be required to spend most of her/his stipend’s time on extended field research in the Stuttgart–Karlsruhe high tech industry region in the southwest of Germany, as well as in other RMIT GEElab sites, if necessary.

3-Year PhD Stipend: Game Design for Popular Entertainment
This stipend supports a doctoral student who will explore, in an applied fashion, under which conditions established forms of popular culture (e.g. sports, music, fashion), or media (e.g. TV, movies, textbooks, museums) can become interactive, enhanced, and potentially co-created entertainment experiences that have been inspired by games, and what social and cultural implications, novel uses and contexts these scenarios render. The successful applicant will be required to spend most of her/his stipend’s time on extended field research in the Stuttgart–Karlsruhe high tech industry region in the southwest of Germany, as well as in other RMIT GEElab sites, if necessary.

Please find detailed information about these stipends – including selection criteria and application procedure – at www.geelab.rmit.edu.au/display/GeeWebEN/Positions (http://www NULL.geelab NULL.rmit NULL.edu NULL.au/display/GeeWebEN/Positions).

Applications for both stipends close Saturday, 31 March 2012. Interviews for both stipends will take place in April of 2012 (after Easter) in Melbourne. Please direct all enquires regarding these opportunities by Email to GEElab director Dr Steffen P Walz: steffen.walz@rmit.edu.au (steffen NULL.walz null@null rmit NULL.edu NULL.au).

Dear members of the Australian game development industry,

Thanks to everyone for pulling together to make the Play Party such a success. We will look to a better floor plan in the future so more people can play more games.

And huge thanks for your kindness and generosity which now means I’m a lost for words  lifetime IGDA member.

Thousand Pound Bend is once again unable to accommodate us in March, but The Order of Melbourne is happy to have us again, and this time the rooftop will be ours too.

So…

If you’re not stateside for GDC we have a ripper discussion with Chris Wright, Chief Surprise Architect at Surprise Attack (http://surpriseattack NULL.com NULL.au/), the indie games marketing specialists and Dan Golding, video games blogger at Crikey.com (http://blogs NULL.crikey NULL.com NULL.au/game-on/) about how to market yourselves, your games and how to liaise with media to obtain the best possible outcomes.  We may have another games journalist dropping in to join the discussion, but that depends on when

When: Tuesday 13 March 6:30, talks start at 7:30pm

Where: The Order of Melbourne (http://maps NULL.google NULL.com NULL.au/maps?q=the+order+of+melbourne&hl=en&ll=-37 NULL.80875,144 NULL.963291&spn=0 NULL.010019,0 NULL.01929&fb=1&gl=au&hq=the+order+of&hnear=0x6ad642af0f11fd81:0x5045675218ce7e0,Melbourne+VIC&cid=0,0,13260682760810499361&t=m&z=16&iwloc=A)

RSVP via Facebook (https://www NULL.facebook NULL.com/events/220873738009588/)

So if you want to know the tricks to marketing your game, writing media releases and communicating with journo’s insights, don’t miss out.

If you have any queries email giselle / at/ igdamelbourne dot org

A selection of newly conserved games from the Melbourne Global Game Jam (http://globalgamejam NULL.org/sites/2012/igda-melbourne-la-trobe) will be available for your sampling pleasure at the next IGDAM meet up.  Please note the unusual date (didn’t want to cramp Valentine’s plans) and venue (the bend was already booked).

When: Tuesday 21 February from 6pm

Where: The Order of Melbourne (http://maps NULL.google NULL.com NULL.au/maps?q=the+order+of+melbourne&ll=-37 NULL.80875,144 NULL.963291&spn=0 NULL.010019,0 NULL.01929&fb=1&gl=au&hq=the+order+of&hnear=0x6ad642af0f11fd81:0x5045675218ce7e0,Melbourne+VIC&cid=0,0,13260682760810499361&t=m&z=16&iwloc=A) (think Freeplay afterparty venue and you’re set)

Some of the games for your tasting pleasure include:

Omelette Boris (http://www NULL.kumobius NULL.com/omeletteboris/), Purgatory (http://globalgamejam NULL.org/2012/purgatory), Circle of Snake (http://globalgamejam NULL.org/2012/circle-snake), Faia (http://globalgamejam NULL.org/2012/faia), Harmonize (http://globalgamejam NULL.org/2012/harmonize), Hairy Cat Holocaust (http://globalgamejam NULL.org/2012/hairy-cat-holocaust) (please play on mute), Deep (http://globalgamejam NULL.org/2012/deep)and many, many more….

If you could let us know if you’re coming via the facebook event (https://www NULL.facebook NULL.com/events/155828627866033/) it’d be much appreciated.

Jammers, please register your game for display (https://docs NULL.google NULL.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dFhDVzlMVEo4ejM3U25wZTh6S3ZHTXc6MQ#gid=0) so we can save you a space and have someone set up by 6pm at The Order.

The jam was a massive success with over 100 jammers creating 28 games in just 48 hours. We couldn’t have achieved this without the generous support of our sponsors….We owe enormous thanks in particular to our Platinum Sponsor La Trobe University (http://latrobe NULL.edu NULL.au)for allowing us to use their campus grounds to host all of the jammers. They were generous in providing us with five computer labs and a workstation for every jammer, as well as internet access and use of their amenities. The Game Jam would not have been possible without this venue.All of the jammers were delighted to hear from Myles who explained Gold Sponsor Microsoft’s Imagine Cup (http://www NULL.imaginecup NULL.com/), which is certainly of interest to all of these jammers. The generous financial support given by Microsoft also provided a solid meal and snacks that fueled the creative minds.We also owe significant thanks to our other Gold Sponsors the Academy  (http://aie NULL.edu NULL.au)of Interactive Entertainment (http://aie NULL.edu NULL.au) and Immersive Technologies (http://www NULL.immersivetechnologies NULL.com/)for their generous financial assistance. Their support allowed us to provide meals and some fun distractions to relieve the jammers from 48 hours of relentless development. The game jam would not have been possible without their early support.

All the jammers also owe many thanks to our Prize Sponsors EA Aus (http://www NULL.ea NULL.com/au)

tralia (http://www NULL.ea NULL.com/au),Stephan Shutze’s Sound Librarian (http://www NULL.stephanschutze NULL.com/sound-library NULL.html), Surprise Attack (http://surpriseattack NULL.com NULL.au/) amd StormFX (http://www NULL.stormfx NULL.com NULL.au/) for their generous donation of prizes including a copy of the Stephan’s sound library, valued at $2000 for the best game audio, a half day branding and marketing workshop for the most surprising game, as well as JB giftcards and a terrific selection of EA games and merchandise.

Finally, cheers to our  Indie Sponsors Tin Man Games (http://tinmangames NULL.com NULL.au/), The League of Geeks (http://www NULL.leagueofgeeks NULL.com/), and The Voxel Agents (http://www NULL.thevoxelagents NULL.com/) who provided some financial support and who were also incredibly generous with their time in helping organise, run, and judge the jam. Particular thanks are also due to Ben Britten-Smith of Tin Man Games who provided valuable mentorship to the jammers.

Hope to see you at The Order