conference
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Rumor: Nintendo conference October 2 (in Japan)
What? Nintendo hosting their own conference around E for All and TGS time? Say it ain't so! No, we're not really surprised at this rumor: Nintendo will be hosting their own mini-event October 2 for the Japanese media. Last year, Super Smash Bros. Brawl was delayed, but Sonic was announced for the title. What'll happen this year? We're gonna wager a guess that Wii Music might factor into things somehow.This rumor, though pretty believable, originated at 2chan, so take it as you will.
O'Reilly iPhoneLive Event on November 18th
O'Reilly has announced a new event for iPhone developers, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts. The iPhoneLive conference is scheduled for November 18, 2008 at the Holiday Inn in San Jose, CA. Described as "a gathering of the brightest and best participants in the iPhone ecosystem today," iPhoneLive is a one-day event highlighting iPhone development, the emerging iPhone market, and how businesses can capitalize on the success of the platform. iPhoneLive is co-chaired by Raven Zachary of iPhoneDevCamp fame and Bill Dudney, who will be hosting Cocoa Studio in Denver October 28-30. Space is limited, so be sure to sign up soon if you're interested in attending.
World of WarCrafts: Failoc T-shirt
Every Thursday, Shelbi Roach of The Bronze Kettle guides you in creating WoW-inspired crafts using real world mats with World of WarCrafts. Failure is part of success. Right? Most will probably agree that the recent BlizzCon ticket sale was largely a failure of epic proportions. Fortunately, out of all the calamity that ensued, the Failoc was born. Now you can have your very own Failoc in custom t-shirt form. Advertise your survival of (or defeat by) the BlizzCon '08 Ticket Fiasco or slap one on your kiddo to reduce the sting off all those "Oops!" moments. Here is what you will need: Plain White Tee Cardboard T-Shirt Form FabricMate Markers (thin tip in green, yellow, orange, red, black, blue, brown and a clear blender) Murloc Print (Large or Small) Tape Click on the images below to view a gallery of step-by-step instructions. %Gallery-29598%
BlizzCon site now live
The official site for BlizzCon 2008 is now up. The launch prefaces the ticket sales for the event, scheduled for August 11. If you're considering going to the Anaheim, CA event, you can check out the website for all the information you need from hotel & travel accommodations to the various panels throughout the weekend. World of Warcraft-related panels include discussions on class design, PvP, WoW art, dungeons & raids, and UI & mods. The event, the first BlizzCon to be televised live, will also see the finals of the Global Arena tournament. Even if you're not interested in Arena PvP, there are a bunch of other contests you can participate in (or watch for your amusement), such as the ever-popular costume contest, dance contest, and even the machinima competition. Details aren't up on the site yet, but you can bug them on their FAQ about that.
Apple pulls out of proposed Black Hat talk
Though I'm far too dumb to understand what they're talking about, I like the Black Hat hacker guys. Most of the Internet is all "New Vegas" now; all (supposedly) family friendly and glamorous and glitzy. But those guys are back on Fremont Street, gambling with everything they've got and shoulder to shoulder with the dregs of society. Unfortunately, Apple's marketing department doesn't share my feelings. Computerworld says they've put the kibosh on a speaking engagement they were supposed to have at the conference next week in Sin City. In fact, they can't even say they were asked to pass -- everyone involved in organizing the panel, which was set up early last month and "abruptly canceled" late last month, spoke on condition of anonymity.Which is a shame -- organizers of the conference say the panel was supposed to be all about how serious security is at Apple and how they're committed to keeping users secure. And it wasn't even supposed to be a Q&A, which is why the organizers thought it would easily be approved by marketing.That, however, wasn't the case -- while the panel wasn't yet approved by the conference folks, the request to have the panel was pulled. We're sure the Black Hat guys will still have fun (it is Vegas, after all), but it's a shame we couldn't get that look inside Apple's security team.
2008 Worlds in Motion Summit schedule announced
The 2008 Worlds in Motion Summit schedule has been announced, along with a synopsis of this year's speeches and panels. The conference on virtual worlds and social gaming will be held on September 16th and 17th, during the Austin Game Developers Conference.Worlds in Motion bills the 2008 Summit as a conference geared toward those who wish to better understand the business opportunities offered in the expanding social game networking space, and who plan to leverage their content and brands into interactive online worlds. Early bird registration ends July 31st; details can be found at the Austin GDC homepage. Read on after the jump for highlights of the upcoming 2008 Worlds in Motion Summit.
E308: Live highlights from Nintendo's private conference
Did yesterday's Nintendo keynote leave you wanting more? Well, pipe down already -- you're getting more. The company is holding a private conference, and our very own JC Fletcher is invited to the party. Since you can't be there, we'll be posting JC's highlights right here, live. We hope your F5 buttons and refresh fingers are ready, because the word on the street is that something big is going to be revealed. Of course, that could just be disgruntled fans' hopes evolving into a rumor, but we'd like to believe that's not the case. We'd hate to be disappointed by the big N two days in a row, after all.If we hear something big (or not so big), don't worry, you'll be the first to know (well, uh, after us).Update: So far it looks like the same stuff from the keynote. Katsuya Eguchi takes the floor.
E308: Live reactions from the Nintendo conference
With our staff split -- some sitting in LA, waiting for the conference to begin, and others back at home watching via live stream, we decided to bring you something a little different this year: our live chat log. You'll get our reactions as Nintendo unveils their big hits at this year's E3, including impressions from JC and Dave as they get closer looks at everything as it happens. Reload often and share your own impressions in the comments!Hit the break for the chat log, and don't forget to bring your bingo card![Update: Chat is done! We'll be bringing you bingo and conference recaps soon!]
E308: Your guide to the Nintendo conference
All you really need to know about this morning's Nintendo press briefing is that Joystiq is liveblogging it, and we're live-chatting it, but if you're dying for the kind of information you can put into a list about the big show, we've got everything you need.Event locationKodak Theatre Hollywood, CaliforniaStarting time9:00 AM PT (Tuesday, July 15)Live streams (free) G4 GameSpot IGN Nintendo (also features a countdown) Songs to get you pumped up "You're the Best Around" -- Joe Esposito (Phil & Candace) "Let's Get Ready to Rhumble" -- PJ & Duncan AKA (Chris) "Come Baby Come" -- K7 (Eric) "The Question Is, What is the Question" -- Scooter (Eric) "Black Math" -- The White Stripes (Alisha) "Eye of the Tiger" -- Survivor (Should be everyone!) Don't forget your bingo card!
Apple Expo '08 dates announced, events detailed
The Apple Expo is Europe's Apple conference -- similar to the Macworld expo in the US. Apple Expo '08 has posted details about the expo, including dates for this year's conference: Wednesday, September 17 through Saturday, September 20, in Paris, France.Currently, there are only two iPhone events scheduled out of the over 30 planned events. It is a nice change to see that the iPhone will not "steal the show" in Europe like it does at Apple conferences in the US. You can see all of the details, exhibitors, and scheduled events on the Apple Expo website. As we noted earlier, Apple will not be attending this year's Apple Expo.
How to hold a scientific conference in Azeroth
John Bohannon has been writing for Science magazine as "The Gonzo Scientist," and his most recent writeup, on a real scientific conference held in the World of Warcraft, is a great read. We reported that the event was happening back in May, and now Bohannon's put together a really honest report (from how the conference was funded to the reasons why it was chosen to be Horde-only) on what its like for these scientists researching virtual worlds to put their money where their mouth is, so to speak, and actually hold a conference ingame.They had to deal with everything from conversation direction (they appointed one person to get whispers on any questions for speakers, though, as anyone who's ever been to a mass ingame event will tell you, you can't really keep people from yelling and screaming) to mobs in the Barrens. And it sounds like they did get something done -- besides the panels, which were only slightly frustrated by griefers, they took expeditions throughout the world, and did do a little thinking about how different meeting in RL and meeting in a virtual existence is.Very good read. The end of the article has a link to a PDF book about the conference, but it's hidden behind Science's membership wall. Still, Bohannon writes clearly and fairly about the game, and it's fun to think of a bunch of scientists actually trying to navigate a virtual world while doing their own research.
AGDC announces first keynote address
The Worlds in Motion site notes that the first keynote address has been announced for this year's Austin Game Developer's Conference. Last last month the first speakers, such as Damion Schubert and Min Kim, were announced for the MMO-focused event. This week the event's first keynote has been announced, and it's very different from your average early-morning droner. Fans of The Office rejoice! The folks behind the Dunder Mifflin social networking game will be offering up ways of "driving user behavior and increasing engagement".Other events announced include a technical discussion on Tabula Rasa's shading technology; that's an in-depth session aimed at MMO developers looking for cost/benefit tradeoffs. Probably the most exciting announced talk this week is Nick Fortugno's talk entitled What Your Mother and Your Ten-Year Old Can Teach You About MMOs. He gave a similar lecture at this year's IMGDC event, previously discussed here on the site. Interested parties will get early bird status through August 27th.
Former Supreme Court Justice designing educational game
In recent years, gaming has made great inroads with non-traditional demographics like women and senior citizens. There is one segment of the population, though, that has remained extremely hard for the game industry to crack: former Supreme Court justices.That looks like it might be changing, though, if Sandra Day O'Connor's recent speech to the Games for Change conference is any indication. The former associate justice for the country's highest court is using her retirement to help design an educational game called Our Courts with University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor James Paul Gee. The game, due out in September 2009, will let players "step into the shoes of a judge, a legislator, an executive" and "teach [players] how to think through and analyze problems, take action and voice opinions to their elected representatives," according to O'Connor.O'Connor sees the game as the first step to fixing the American public's deplorable knowledge of civic matters. "Only one-third of Americans can name the three branches of government, but two-thirds can name a judge on American Idol," she told the conference. Maybe if some of those branches of government passed a bill commenting on Sanjaya's hair they'd get more attention. We're just saying ...
Scientists, we need your swords!
This past weekend, scientists gathered on World of Warcraft's Earthen Ring server to discuss how WoW changes and is changed by its ten million, hugely international player base. They might have held their "Convergence of the Real and Virtual" conference in a conference room near some airport somewhere, but that would have been dull. Airport hotels don't provide photo opportunities with Thrall -- and Thrall doesn't DO hotels. Any session notes that advise attendees to get the flight point AHEAD of time are sure to end up someplace fun.Sessions included the use of online games as laboratories to study human behavior; the interrelationship of virtual and real-world economies; the future of virtual worlds; and why Professor Abercrombie won't let elemental shamans on her Karazhan runs. Well, maybe not the last one. We have some questions of our own. If you could do your real world job in an MMO such as WoW -- would you? And if you did work in WoW, and your boss was dressed in blues and greens he picked up from the Murlocs in Southshore while you were fitted in epics from Black Temple, would you still respect him?[Via Virtual World News]
InterPlay conference coming May 22nd
theMIX agency and RoomFullofPeople just recently announced plans to host InterPlay, a one-day event that will explore the overlap of online games and social networks that has nothing to do with that other Interplay. The conference is planned for May 22nd and will take place at the Kabuki Hotel in San Francisco.If you happen to attend you can expect to see speakers from companies such as Bebo, DoubleFusion and Electronic Arts. Their will also be a strong showing of venture capitalists to offer their own perspectives on several subjects. The panels being offered seem like they'll vary, some of the included examples are "Micro-Transactions and Virtual Goods", "Funding the Social Gaming Sphere "and "Advertising and Marketing on Social Games".Sounds like a fairly well-rounded event and being that it's only one day it should be full of interesting discussions for those interested in either social networks or virtual worlds.
Convergence of the Real and the Virtual May 9-11
MMORPGs and other online communities have been fascinating scientists since their inception. The social world has vastly changed in recent years and many are studying their impacts on people, the economy, and the outside world. Several researchers will be presenting their findings at the "Convergence of the Real and the Virtual," proposed by John Bohannon, contributor to American Association for the Advancement of Science's online Science publication. The conference will be held on Earthen Ring, US May 9-11, Horde side. The conference consists of three planned sessions. For any of you who have had the pleasure of attendance at traditional academic conferences, rest assured that the creators promise a more entertaining experience. The conference will include presenters from the National Science Foundation, The National Cancer Institute, The Minnesota Department of National Resources, and many universities and research institutes. Attendees will be granted a virtual goodie bag and invited to in-game events such as a photo-opportunity with the Supreme Leader of Azeroth. For more information contact conference organizer William Sims Bainbridge or check out the conference's information page.
Johnny Lee's Wii-nnovations blow TED's collective mind
We've all witnessed the incredible ways that technomancer Johnny Lee can put a Wiimote to good use, but apparently, attendees of the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference were unaware of the handheld peripheral's vast potential. You can actually hear their minds crackle, then implode as Lee shows off two of his cost-efficient tech demos -- the multi-touch whiteboard, and 3-D head tracking (which was further confirmed to be in EA/Speilburg's Boom Blox as an easter egg). Like all Johnny Lee videos, we can guarantee this to be the coolest thing you've seen today -- unless, of course, you've just watched the entire "American Ninja" quintology.
Virtual Worlds: Libraries, Education and Museums conference presentations available
Last Saturday saw the Virtual Worlds: Libraries, Education and Museums conference, organised by the Alliance Library System take place in Second Life. We didn't advertise the conference here on Massively because the available places went within minutes of registration opening. However, the presentations from the conference are gradually becoming available. I have to declare a personal interest here: I co-presented one of the sessions, but there were many other sessions covering a wide range of topics of interest to those in virtual worlds and libraries, education and museums.Although not directly linked to this story, another view of the future of education crossed my desk the other day. KnowledgeWorks is carrying a map of the future forces affecting education. Whether it will affect you personally, professionally, or is of more interest to you as a parent, it is well worth a look.
Sun entering virtual worlds market, maybe aiming at educators?
The Sun Worldwide Education and Research conference, which starts today and runs until Wednesday has an intriguing entry on tomorrow's agenda entitled Project Wonderland, Darkstar and Immersive Education. If you follow the link to their (long) video about the session you will see that it isn't quite ready to roll yet, but they have taken a number of the issues with Second Life (which they identify at the 800lb gorilla in the room) and they are deliberately aiming to circumvent them.I have to say that, being hard of hearing, I found the video really hard to watch and understand - the audio quality isn't the highest, but I think from what they said, they are working, deliberately, with open source code wherever possible, or code that is going to be open sourced soon. Many will regard this as an improvement on Second Life, although Linden Lab are aiming this way. However, it also appears that there are some high cost outworld tools required - for example outworld modelling is possible, but only in Maya if I understood their too quiet speech.At first, and second take, this is not yet ready to go live, but it is looking like it could be a real contender, and it does look like they have learnt the lessons from Second Life.
Metaverse U conference
Stanford University and Stanford Humanities Lab are hosting the Metaverse U conference on the weekend of 16th/17th February. They will be discussing Second Life and virtual worlds in general and exploring "the cultural, technological, legal, and economic issues surrounding virtual worlds" according to conference organiser Henry Lowood.If you would like to know more, or to attend, the conference website is up and running, and the conference schedule and registration forms are available online.
