For an overview of Games Without Frontiers—the event and its philosophy—listen to this podcast interview with co-organizer David Leach and the hosts of the Level Up video game podcast.
Level Up podcast
Author Archives: dleach
Flipside game music ensemble
Music is a vital part of any video game, so we’re excited to bring the sounds of gaming alive courtesy of Flipside, a seven-piece student ensemble that specializes in soundtracks of classic video games. They will perform from 1:30-3:00 pm in David Strong C118. Test your game knowledge with a live game of Name That Tune!
Disaster Defender
We’re firming up our presenter schedule and just added an exciting new talk: Matthew Jenkins will let us look under the hood of his “serious game” in progress that educates about disaster relief in Haiti. We got a sneak peek and it’s a fascinating project by a brilliant young game-maker that speaks to the power of gaming to change the world.
Sean Holman, journalism innovator + Game Jam mentor
We’re delighted to confirm that Sean Holman, investigative journalist extraordinaire and founder of Public Eye Online, will be bringing his Net-savvy journalism wisdom to help mentor our participating students in the Journalism Game Jam. If anybody can save the journalism industry, it’s Sean + a team of creative students + a room full of laptops, coffee & pizza!
OOG! Clan of the Caveman
Games have changed how players socialize And players have changed how games are made. Here’s an IndieGogo crowd-funding campaign for a new social game called OOG Clan of the Caveman, by the local creative team—and Game Jam sponsors—from Brain Warp Studios. But if you want to play it, you’ve got to sign on to make the dream a reality….
New sponsor: KANO/APPS!
We’re thrilled to announce that KANO/APPS, Victoria’s homegrown juggernaut of Facebook-based social games (Viking Clan, Mob Wars, etc.), has come on board as a sponsor of our Game Jam. Founder Tim Teh was an early supporter of the idea behind Games without Frontiers—and helped connect us with the Victoria game-design community. His enthusiasm (and support for student game designers) convinced us that getting faculty, students, game-makers, and gamers from across the city and the campus for a creative free-for-all and idea exchange might not be such a crazy idea after all! He will also be sharing his wisdom about the business during our expert panel.
Local game-making demos
Spots are filling up in our (free to play) demo room, including a separate Kid Zone, for local game designers (from big companies to student indie makers) to show off their latest innovations and let visitors get a hands-on experience of their work. Check out some of the participants here. And drop us a line if you’re a game-maker who would like to book a table for March 9.
Hooked up with Digital Fishers
More great news: We’ve confirmed a presentation and demo from the minds behind Digital Fishers, the “crowd science” pioneered by UVic’s Centre for Global Studies in tandem with the under-sea explorations of the NEPTUNE initiative. Come out March 9 and learn how citizens around the world are helping to identify creates of the deep.
Minecraft: The Story of Mojang screening (March 8)
We’re thrilled to announce that Cinecenta at UVic will be screening the Victoria premiere of Minecraft: The Story of Mojang, followed by a Q&A with the documentary’s producer & director from 2 Player Productions in Portland, 7:15 pm, on Friday, March 8. Watch this space for more details! And check out the trailer below…