Konami faces challenging times with Pro Evolution Soccer

It’s kind of weird to see the position Konami is in with its Pro Evolution Soccer series. At one time, it was the “underdog” to EA’s mighty champion known as FIFA. Yet PES manages to hold its own, with its fans claiming that the superior gameplay made up for the lack of licensing.

Over the years, PES crept closer to the sales that FIFA was consistently achieving until it was pretty much a close race between who could take the number 1 spot and for how long.

However, PES 2010 failed to recreate its magic (in terms of sales) that its past instalments did and as a result, saw FIFA 10 outsell PES 2010 by a “considerable margin”

Why PES 2010 failed to capture the football gamer’s attention can be debated; some have said that the gameplay wasn’t much of a change from 2009 while others have claimed FIFA 10 finally had gameplay to match PES 2010 and had better presentation and modes to boot, Since I haven’t played either game, I’m not really in a position to offer my opinion.

Regardless of the reason, this puts Konami in a position where they have to look at the last instalment, look at the feedback, see what they did right and did wrong, and apply that knowledge to PES 2011.

As far as we’ve heard, Konami have taken this very seriously, with “extensive updates” applying to “the new title's control system, AI, visuals and overall balance.” The next instalment has been described as “most ambitious” with the developer claiming it’s worked closely with fans - who you could argue are more hardcore then FIFA fans, if you believe the stereotype that PES caters to the hardcore gamer while FIFA is more for the casual gamer.

These are the type of challenges Train2Game students may have to face in the future; even with your first game, you have to take on board feedback, updates and changes during the development cycle and hope you make the right choice in what to keep in and what to leave out. And If have a successful game and the chance to release a sequel/update is viable, how will you be able to implement changes and improvements without alienating their existing core fanbase, but also being able to attract new fans?

It’s an impossible question to answer until the new game has been released, where you’ll see if the changes – as well as elements you kept intact – have worked or not. It’s a lesson not just independent studios learn, but veteran developers like Konami go through as well.

Click here for the full story: http://www.train2game.com/Games-Design-News/Gaming-Industry-News/Konami-outlines-major-changes-for-PES-2011$19759958.html

The Tax Break Agenda

While video game tax breaks may mean nothing to the casual video gamer, for those in the UK video gaming industry, it’s been a hot topic for a while now.

Just take a look at the buzz Danny Palmer (my Train2Game wingman if you will) created with his article about the issue - http://forum.train2game.com/showthread.php/3082-Article-Gaming-Tax-Breaks. Okay, it gets a little off topic now and then but generally the issue is talked about and debated quite intensely. The choice quote from the thread is from BHMediaMarty: When you consider the size of the industries that they are talking about and the potential impact on future jobs I can see why there is an interest for this in the UK. Plus it's only one potential sector that they're talking about and recognising it as a beneficial growth industry in this country.

For those that see UK video game industry receiving tax breaks as a benefit, 2010 promises to be the year that those in the video game industry have been waiting for, with Labour, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats at least showing interest in introducing tax breaks into the sector.

Why politicians are more interested in the video game industry I don’t know. Maybe they see some financial potential or they view those in the industry as potential votes? I doubt it’s because they are finally showing some appreciation.

Regardless of their intentions, it’s still good that they giving tax breaks some attention. But how much are they looking into it and how high of a priority is providing the gaming industry with tax breaks?

Arguably the Conservatives have been the most vocal about giving out tax breaks. In an interview with gaming site 7outof10, the discussion of introducing tax breaks for the video game industry (not surprisingly) was the main topic.

They see sense in the video games industry receiving tax breaks, saying it would help with the recovering economy. They also claim that Labour had announced one in the Budget, but didn’t see it through and that they have been ignoring the industry for 13 years. Another criticism the Tories level at Labour is that they are quick to condemn video games.

They also believe it would be in the best interest of the industry if the Film Council’s role was expanded to include video games, citing the reason that the two industries are already converging.

The Liberal Democrats aren’t quite as big supporters as the Conservatives, since they won’t commit to give the gaming industry tax breaks, believing that “industry itself is not totally united behind it.” Though this sounds like a surprising statement, if the argument between [Vampire Duck and yaustar] is anything to go by, the Lib Dems may have an actual point.

However, they do feel sympathetic to the cause which at least shows they haven’t totally dismissed it. You can view the Lib Dems thoughts on the issue here.

Labour seem to be the least supportive of move. True, Alistair Darling has been making the round visiting the video game studios, which brings some good publicity to the industry and also could mean Labour sees potential in the video game industry. But the very same man was ready to dismiss tax breaks late last year. Could mean is that Labour could simply be responding to the way the Conservatives have been approaching gaming tax breaks?

Regardless, in their recent budget report, Labour said “creative industries, including the video games industry, make a valuable economic and cultural contribution to the UK,” with Darling announcing that Labour intends to tax help for the UK games industry.

So by the looks of things, it doesn’t matter what choice you go with, an important fact to remember is that none of the three main political parties have put tax breaks for the video game sector in their manifesto. So why there has been more awareness about the issue than ever before, those in the industry shouldn’t hold their breath.

The advantages of tax breaks for Train2Game students still studying is that they would enter an industry that will still be competitive but won’t be so tough to make run a successful studio, especially with an enhanced R&D leading to technology that could be used to create software and hardware that’s powerful but won’t make your studio bankrupt.

Which party do you think is the most supportive of tax breaks for the gaming industry? And do you see any benefit from the UK video game industry tax breaks yourself?

Activision shocks the gaming world

There I am, washing up plates in the DR Studios kitchen (no it’s not part of my job) when one of the staff members mentions something about Bungie. Being that my hearing is not great, I didn’t pick everything up, but I did hear “MCV” so I decided to check out my RSS feed. What I saw pretty much blew my mind away...

Activision signs Bungie

“Publisher Activision has signed a ten year deal with Halo developer Bungie that grants it worldwide publishing rights to a future multiformat release.”

The news has pretty much taken everyone by storm and shaken up the game industry. There will be others that don’t really care, though even they will have been initially surprised. Then again, the T2G students haven’t made a fuss about it in either the thread I made or the IRC chat. As for everyone else, it seems they can’t stop buzzing about this.

You only need to look at the Eurogamer comment section to see just how much this has got people talking; in just one hour and thirty minutes, 131 comments were made! Note: as of this time of writing, the number of comments is at 218.

Now it must be said that this deal if for one –yes just one – new IP for Activision to publish on any platform. After that, Bungie is free to free to develop new games for new publishers. And if your thinking at the prospect of seeing Halo appearing on the PlayStation 3, because Microsoft own the rights to the franchise.

With the initial excitement and surprise inside me having died down, I’ve had time and some clarity to think about the situation, so here’s my take on it.

This is a message to everyone that they the recent turn of events may have knocked them down, but they aren’t in any way out of the publishing game and still have a lot to offer.

It also makes Activision look less like the bad guys (which seems to be the way they have been portrayed by some gamers and video game journalists), because why would Bungie sign a deal with Activision if they actually did not give out royalties? Regardless, this is a good coup for Activision.

Source: http://www.mcvuk.com/news/38765/Bungie-could-still-make-more-Halo

Do game designers have their work cut out for them?

Elizabeth Gallagher is an artist working from home, who is also lucky enough to have a business – TRU Graphic Solutions Ltd - in the social simulation called Second Life (which has such an immersive community, it’s not unknown for people to spend more time in SL then in the real world itself).

In her latest post on her blog Absolute Filth (which – in her words – is a minor miracle), Elizabeth talks about how she ended up on a games designer course, even though she wanted to do one that was art-based. What followed was Elizabeth trying to get accustomed to the world of designers but finding it didn’t click with her, due to not being a “game player" in the true hard core sense of the word”.

Elizabeth wondered if it was harder to find work as a game designer, with the task of pitching your game to developers with examples of work provided by artists/animators and developers, in hopes of being hired or invited to join a studio.

She has a point, since designers not only have to be creative, but they have to be good at presentations. I’ll be the first to tell you that I can’t do presentations to save my life, due to nervousness. Of course, thinking about an idea that is exciting, if not unique, is a task in itself as well, where as artists and animators “just” have to show they can draw and use art programs well and developers “just” have to show that they can code well.

Elizabeth points out that some of the most successful designers were those who worked in another industry, which may be an indirect hindrance for those who are staring the designer course and have not done any kind of writing or briefing.

Of course, this is an assumption. Anyone on Train2Game who does art/animation or developing may tell me that it’s just as hard for them to get a job in the video game industry as it is for a designer and the “just” is a loose term. And those on the designer course may find that it’s not that tough to pitch your games or come up with ideas.

Elizabeth’s blog post ends on a happy note, with the Train2Game design queen(tm) successfully managing to shift from the Train2Game designer course to the Train2Game art course and, as expected, she’s loving it.

“I now I feel at last on the correct path and feel once I am qualified in Game Art finding work would be much easier. I would rather be hired by an existing game developer for an existing game concept and asked to create models and textures of a certain theme than be the one who has to not only come up with that concept but then try to pitch it to a developer in hopes that it will be taken on and produce profit.

Plus, art is what I love. It's not a job to me, it's a hobby and passion and I feel very lucky indeed to be paid for something I truly love.”

Check out Elizabeth’s blog here - http://trutextures.blogspot.com

No stopping Activision

“Infinity-gate? Whatever are you talking about?!” That’s response I imagined when seeing the latest news that Activision have confirmed November as the new release time frame for Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Having successfully signed Bungie to a new deal and now having a set date for the next Call of Duty (which will no doubt get the fans eager with anticipation) is surely a sign that Activision have bounced back from recent events. I’ll even go so far to say that Black Ops will be Christmas #1 in the software charts, if the success of Modern Warfare 2 is anything to go by.

Imagine having a franchise that becomes a juggernaut in the video game industry; one that sees every game from that series at least become a top five hit. With Train2Game students busy making their own games, it’s very possible that one (or a group) of them with strike it lucky.

One thing to note about this game is that it will not be developed by Infinity Ward but by Treyarch, who were responsible for CoD: World at War. They promise that Black Ops will have “dedicated multiplayer, single-player and co-op teams creating the most intense, gripping and riveting experience possible for our fans on all fronts,” with the entire studio concentrating on the game.

Activation have got their feet firmly on the ground and are making progress more impressive than before, with big plans for Call of Duty. They even have revealed a 2011 Call of Duty game that is to be an action-adventure developed by new studio Sledgehammer Games, who interestingly enough is led by ex-EA staff members Glen Schofield and Micheal Condrey.

For more information on this go to http://www.train2game.com/Games-Design-News/Gaming-Industry-News/Activision-confirms-November-launch-for-new-Call-of-Duty$19757269.html

EA success in March reminds us how dominating they still are

March has seen EA take first place in sales and revenue, thanks to the success of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (developed by DICE). It seems it sold well because apparently Modern Warfare 2 wasn’t enough to satisfy the First-Person Shooter bloodlust you lot crave.

If you’re one of those who loves the sound of impressive percentages, then check the story here - http://www.mcvuk.com/news/38585/EA-and-Battlefield-dominate-March. But there are two things you need to know; 1) No matter how much we say EA have lost their creative soul, they will continue to be a dominant force in the industry, so let’s move on and find some other scapegoat and 2) EA will be using this as either an “up yours” or “your move now” kind of message to Activision.

EA is on a roll right now, not only taking a piece of the FPS market pie, but also managing to weaken Activision by luring key members Jason West and Vince Zampella to step away from Infinity Ward, create their own studio and create a domino effect that has weakened Activision and threatening to damage Infinity Ward beyond repair.

Now, some gamers out there just don’t like EA. They see them as a company who lost its creative soul and just decided to churn out sequels and updates one after the other or some kind of monster that’s been hoarding developers while chopping others at the knees and weakening them,

Even if you don’t like EA for various reasons, you still have to give them grudging respect from starting out as a small company catering to the early home computer games industry, who actually gave credit to designers and programmers, which at the time, was an uncommon thing to do.

Now almost 28 years later, EA are one of the biggest third-party companies and with their ability to create successful franchises (The Sims, Need for Speed, FIFA and Fight Night to name a few).

It makes you wonder if someone from the Train2Game could strike lightning. One characteristic EA has is that they were ambitious (and somewhat still are) and many of the members in T2G seem to have this drive. As a result, we’ve seen studios being set up such as Horizon Studios, who have potential, with a clear agenda and a snazzy website, and Adarakion Games (where you can check out their Developer Diary to hear how they are progressing)

It will be very interesting (and exciting) to wonder what these studios (and many others being set up via the T2G forums) will provide with us in the future. Just imagine one day reading a gaming website or publication, seeing a game made by these development teams and saying “hey...I knew these guys and gals once!”

Or in my case, “hey, I chatted random stuff with these weird people once!”

Source: http://www.train2game.com/Games-Design-News/Gaming-Industry-News/EA-tops-March-UK-sales-ranking$19744925.html

Train2Game A Video Diary from Steven

Steven is a hard core gamer who wanted a career in video games, he is studying his TIGA Games Designer diploma from Train2Game at the same time as studying a university degree, what a guy!

For more information: http://is.gd/bAH54

Defending the honour of video gaming art

Despite not going out of my way to visit art shows, read art magazines and websites or watch anything about the subject on TV (because I’m lazy okay), I do consider myself to have a big interest in art.

I appreciate art in all aspects and that extends to video games. Now, the definition of art is so damn loose that everyone has a different take on it. Just because I hate the 2001 Turner Prize with a passion (Martin Creed for Work No.227: The lights going on and off) and do not consider it art, you may find it to be a simplistic masterpiece of art.

So, while I respect acclaimed American film reviewer Roger Elbert’s opinion in that video games can’t be considered art – and he does bring up some interesting points – I will have to respectfully say I feel he is wrong.

Elbert says one of the main reasons video games and art have no connection is because: “One obvious difference between art and games is that you can win a game.” Well that’s true but it doesn’t stop a game from being a work of art; it merely makes it have an objective. You can still admire the gorgeous graphics, the small touches or whatever you see as art. Just because you interact with a game and not a picture or a film doesn’t any less make it art.

You see, Elbert dear boy, art is something to be admired and you can still see the beauty that has been crafted into many games. You only need to check out games like Rez, Odin Sphere, Flower, Jet Set Radio, Myst, Final Fantasy XIII, Super Mario Galaxy, BlazBlue and Geometry Wars to see how varied games can look and how they can be seen as art, as well as enjoyable. I would even argue that Myst – released in 1993 – was a graphical showcase to demonstrate the potential of PC’s.

Elbert does ask one question which is perhaps the most convincing argument he has in this debate: “Why are gamers so intensely concerned, anyway, that games be defined as art? Bobby Fischer, Michael Jordan and Dick Butkus never said they thought their games were an art form. Nor did Shi Hua Chen, winner of the $500,000 World Series of Mah Jong in 2009. Why aren’t gamers content to play their games and simply enjoy themselves?”

The funny thing about this is that me (and I’d wager many gamers) weren’t really thinking about games as art until Elbert stirred up the hornet’s nest. Now most of us have got our boxer pants in a twist and defending the fact that gaming can indeed be art. But then Elbert, you should think of the artists who draw concept work and actually work hard to make their games look beautiful or at least pleasant. And I’m sure the newly enrolled students of Train2Game Art and Animation TIGA Diploma course would also disagree with him. Or send an angry email or clench their fists screaming “damn you Elbert, damn you to hell!” before doodiling the American running away from getting eaten by Pac-Man.

Not every developing team strives to have their game look amazing, make people go “wow” or even concerned with making sure things look nice. And there are many who won’t give a damn because they belong to the “as long as the game plays good” camp.

But I feel that there are many games out there that do represent “art” in some way; we just have to look for it when playing games.

Source: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/100062-Ebert-Re-Emphasizes-That-Games-Will-Never-Be-Art

Train2Game Student Jon’s Video Diary

Part 1 of Train2Game Games Designer student Jon's video diary

It's been a dream of his to get a career in the games industry, ever since he was visited by a career advisor at school who asked him what he wants to do with his life and he said all he wants to do his make computer games.

For more information http://is.gd/bAH54

Train2Game Student Lee’s Video Diary

Part 1 of Train2Game Games Developer student Lee's video diary

He turned down a place at Edinburgh University on their Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence degree course to do a Games Developer coursewith Train2Game.

For more http://is.gd/bAH54

Train2Game Student Martins Video Diary

Part 1 of Train2Game Games Developer student Martin's video diary

Ever since he started programming on his Commodore 64 he wanted to develop computer games, he quit his job last in 2009 to study for a TIGA Diploma in Games Development with Train2Game

For more information http://is.gd/bAH54

Gamestation proves eternal superiority over its customers for one day.

Be honest, who here actually reads those “legal purchase agreement.” Oh I understand why they are in place (unless you goal is to make sure you business loses money), but rather I’m just wondering if there is anyone out there who takes the time to actually go through the clauses and say “yup, I agree with that wholeheartedly.”

I bring this up because on April Fools, Gamestation decided it would be a fine time to own your soul and thus they put in a clause where they owned your soul. Unless you’re one of the few who checked the terms and conditions and went “yup, I agree with that wholeheartedly...Hang on just one minute! God of War 3 may be worth an arm and a leg, but not my soul.”

You can check the clause here - http://www.gamestation.co.uk/Help/TermsAndConditions/ - and they still have the “you agree to grant Us a non transferable option to claim, for now and for ever more, your immortal soul” part (use the search function to find it).

While it sounds I’m being cynical, I actually commended the 12 per cent who did bother to check. I’ll be the first to admit I never check terms and conditions, instead scrolling down and clicking the box just so I can speed the process of kissing my money goodbye. Had I decided to shop at Gamestation’s online store, I would have been part of that 7,500 plus and probably would have felt an unexplained unease that day.

Those who didn’t give your souls to Gamestation were awarded a £5 discount (http://tinyurl.com/y2554bj) and those who did become eternal slaves were happy to know that their damnation has been nullified via email. I would like to know if anyone knew someone who did freak out after hearing they no longer had their soul.

Hmmmmm, maybe I should check Amazon’s terms and conditions to see if I’ve signed my soul away. Would explain why I felt so empty after playing White Knight Chronicles.

In the future Gamestation should make an offer where customers can trade their souls to get a newly released game at £9.99.

Hey my name is Gabriel May - let's talk

Hey my name is Gabriel May. I write for Train2Game. I'm an avid gamer who's been playing since the age of five, with my favourite consoles being SNES, Dreamcast, PSX and PS2.

I'll be here to talk about the games industry, offering my opinions on various topics.

I look forward to discussing my favourite subject with you.

Train2Game Webinar - did your question get answered?

Train2Game's first webinar took place on Thursday 18th March 2010 and it was a great success.

We had over 146 unique views and some very hard hitting questions from the audience about Train2Game and the UK Games Industry as a whole. Some of the questions that didn't get answered are now available on the Train2Game website... http://www.train2game.com/webinar.html

Terrfiying skill shortage more vital than taxes

Labour MP and tax break campaigner Tom Watson believes the most important issue for the UK gaming industry is not state-supported cuts in production costs, but instead the ‘serious challenge’ of a brain drain in the UK.... read more

The UK games industry will now receive tax breaks.

It was revealed today in Alistair Darling's last budget announcement before the election that the UK Games Industry will receive tax breaks.

TIGA CEO was jubilant on hearing the news.

“This is an inspired decision,” he said. “In backing tax relief the Government has chosen the future over the past, growth over decline, success over failure.”

He said tax relief will “increase employment, investment and innovation in the UK video games sector.”

Read the Develop article on this subject here...

Train2Game course content benchmarked by top gaming universities

Completing a Train2Game course is the same as completing two years of a Batchelor Degree

Its official! Train2Game courses have been benchmarked by the Qualifications Credit Framework as the equivalent to Level 5 of the Qualifications and Curriculum Framework - the final stage of Higher National Diploma Study, or the first two years of a Bachelor's Degree....

Read the full story here...

Train2Game.com - New and Improved!

We are proud to announce a raft of changes and additions to the Train2Game.com website.

The first thing you will notice is the sleek makeover. We have a new, brighter look for the website combined with a sharp new logo that we think will go down a storm with students and visitors alike.

There is a lot more for you all to read and discover on the updated site too:

• More information on our courses Train2Game itself
• More in-depth information on the games industry along with useful background reading and a list of crucial organisations and websites
• New, updated study guides and course plans for Designer and Developer (a must read for all students!)
• An improved news feeds and press releases section
• A launch date for the Artist and Animator course (extensive course details to follow)!

The new look and new logo will also be making their way to the forums along with other improvements to provide our students with a better, more unique and more secure forum service.

The Art and Animation Course available from 12th April 2010

It has just been announced that the highly anticipated Art and Animation course will be available from Monday 12th April 2010

For more information as it becomes available please send us your details and we will update you. In the meantime, watch this space and local press for more announcements.

Train2Game speaks out in a webinar

If you’re interested in a career in gaming or have any questions about the video games industry, come and join Train2Game and TIGA’s webchat at 5.15pm on 18^th March 2010 on www.train2game.com. Clive Robert (CEO) and Tony Bickley (COO) from DR Studios, and Richard Wilson (CEO) from TIGA will be available to answer all your questions. To find out more about the Train2Game webinar click here.