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Play Games, Win Prizes, Support Future Developers
[Austin Game Developers Conference]

post from Kotaku on 27 August 2008 06:00:22 PM. © Kotaku

Proceeds from the Level Up Charity Games competition at the upcoming Austin Game Developers Conference next month will go toward the ESA Foundation, the Entertainment Software Association announced today.

?The ESA Foundation is committed to helping improve the lives of young people,? said Jenny Lai, Vice President of the ESA Foundation. ?The proceeds of this event will allow us to give back even more and enable students from across the country to pursue studies in computer and video game development and design.?

The competition will pit gamers in a collection of single-elimination events featuring Rock Band 2, Madden 08, I-Play Bowling and Super Smash Bros. The event's $20 entry fee will go toward the ESA Foundation Scholarship Program.

The program assists women and minority students continuing their education in video game development, including those studying graphic design, computer science, animation, programming, digital entertainment or software engineering. The Foundation?s scholarships are awarded annually to full-time students at accredited four-year colleges and universities.

The competition will run from 6 to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17 in the ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel Austin.

Prizes for the event include cash, video games, t-shirts, caps, gaming accessories, video game collectibles and 3D art which will be awarded to the first and second place winners for each game title, plus two grand prize winners for overall score, excellence and sportsmanship.

LEVEL UP CHARITY GAMES COMPETITION TO BENEFIT THE ESA Foundation

Austin Event Will Support Foundation?s Scholarship Program for Future Video Game Developers

WASHINGTON, D.C. ? The ESA Foundation will be the beneficiary of the upcoming Level Up Charity Games competition in Austin, Texas, the charitable organization announced today. Proceeds from the September 17 event will support the ESA Foundation?s Scholarship Program, which provides tuition assistance to women and minority students studying video game subjects.

Hosted by game industry partner GameRecruiter, the Level Up Charity Games competition will take place during the Austin Game Developers Conference at the Four Seasons Hotel Austin. The event is open to gamers of all ages and types and the competition will feature four popular game titles: Rock Band 2, Madden 08, I-Play Bowling and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

The event?s $20 per competitor entry fee will benefit the ESA Foundation Scholarship Program. The program assists women and minority students continuing their education in video game development, including those studying graphic design, computer science, animation, programming, digital entertainment or software engineering. The Foundation?s scholarships are awarded annually to full-time students at accredited four-year colleges and universities.

"We have a long-standing commitment to supporting the educational needs of minority and female students who are interested in being part of the video game industry,? said Marc Mencher, CEO of GameRecruiter. ?By providing this support to the ESA Foundation?s Scholarship Program, we hope to allow deserving individuals to further their education and expand workplace diversity within our industry.?

The Level Up Charity Games are scheduled from 6 to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, September 17, with early registration beginning at 5 p.m. The event will be staged in the ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel Austin, which is located at 98 San Jacinto Boulevard, directly across the street from the Austin Convention Center, the site of the Austin Game Developers Conference.

Competitors are invited to come and play for prizes, including cash, video games, T-shirts, caps, gaming accessories, video game collectibles, 3D art software and more. Each player has opportunity to play in single elimination competitive play. Prizes will be awarded to the first and second place winners for each game title, plus two grand prize winners for overall score, excellence and sportsmanship.

The event?s co-sponsors include MTV Games, IGN.com, Obsidian Entertainment, McDonald's, Southwest Airlines, Powered by Game Spy, Havok, TransGaming, I-play, 1-up Network, Belkin International, DAZ 3D, Bethesda Softworks and Petroglyph Games, with game competition elements sponsored by Midnight Gaming Championships.

The ESA Foundation was created by the American interactive entertainment software industry to support and provide opportunities that can make a difference in the lives of America?s youth. One of the foundation?s key efforts is scholarship program that assists women and minority students studying for careers in the video game industry. For more information about the ESA Foundation and its programs, please visit www.theESA.com/foundation.

With a 2-decades-long history of recruitment specializing in unique and unadvertised opportunities focused exclusively in games, GameRecruiter has earned an international reputation for recruiting the technical, production, and executive staff who build game industry companies and make game history. For more information about GameRecruiter and the Level Up Charity Games Competition, please visit www.gamerecruiter.com or www.levelupcharitygames.org.

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http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/376622024/play-games-win-prizes-support
-future-developers

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New Skate It Video Shows Wii Balance Board
Controls [Skate It]

post from Kotaku on 27 August 2008 05:40:00 PM. © Kotaku

Even though 64% of those who bought Wii Fit have it collecting dust in their closet, the new controls of Skate It using the Wii balance board look, well, promising. In the latest trailer we get another quick look at the Wii version of the game. I'm personally going to take my balance board in my yard and start practicing for this.The neighbors will love it. The game will be hitting the Wii and Nintendo DS this upcoming holiday season.

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http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/376622025/new-skate-it-video-shows-wii-
balance-board-controls

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Spacecat returns with a vengeance, bringing Gears
of War 2 Achievements

post from Destructoid on 27 August 2008 05:23:00 PM. © Destructoid

Spacecat returns with a vengeance, bringing Gears of War 2 Achievements screenshot

Well, look who I found fishing through Destructoid’s trash bin: it’s our old friend, Spacecat! Last time, he scooped the world on the news that Mega Man 9 was in the works. Now, he has returned from his intergalactic time travels with one doozy of a news story.

Millions of gamers are eagerly anticipating the November release of Epic’s Gears of War 2 for the Xbox 360. Cliffy--er, Cliff Bleszinski--promises that this second title in the trilogy will be bigger, badder, and bloodier than the original, and we’re inclined to agree. That’s not just because of the bonus disc, DLC, or lack of family-friendly content. No, my friends -- we’ve got something much more concrete, thanks to Spacecat. But he says it better than I can:

Thanks to a fellow feline friend who’d like to remain anonymous, I’ve got a list of all fifty Achievements in Gears of War 2. Man, that “Seriously 2.0” Achievement sure sounds difficult -- but what do I care? I can just go forward in time to a point when I’ve already unlocked it. Life as Spacecat is pretty good, eh? Then again, all this time travel leaves very little time for eats. Hence, the garbage sifting. Anyway, back to the Achievements. My personal favorite to work towards is “Variety is the Spice of Death.” That way, I get to put my paws on all the weapons. Uh-oh...I have to go! I think they see me...

Hit the jump for the full list, but BE WARNED: there be SPOILERS in them thar Achievement hills. “Variety is the Spice of Death” does look like it’ll be fun to unlock, doesn’t it?

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Pac-Man: The Movie

post from bits bytes pixels & sprites on 27 August 2008 05:20:12 PM. © bits bytes pixels & sprites

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Crazy Old-Timey Game Patents [Patents]

post from Kotaku on 27 August 2008 05:20:00 PM. © Kotaku

Insert Credit has unearthed some patents from the early days of videogaming that are.. special.

There are some great little nuggets here, from an early design for the Nintendo Powerglove — sorry, "Forearm mounted multi-axis remote control unit" — to a 'button presser' that lets you hit two buttons alternately by rolling the device back and forth. This sounds ridiculous, until you think about Track & Field.

There is even a slice of true console history in the form of a prototype for the first NES cartridge.

My favorite, though, has to be the SEGA racing controller/game pictured above that has an actual model car that moves left to right on a shelf in front of your TV. Come on SEGA, the time is right for this thing to see the light of day - bring it out on a current-gen console & you will clean up.

News: Old videogame patents [InsertCredit via Boing Boing Gadgets]

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http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/376622026/crazy-old+timey-game-patents

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The Art of Star Wars The Force Unleashed [The
Force Unleashed]

post from Kotaku on 27 August 2008 05:00:00 PM. © Kotaku

With the Star Wars The Force Unleashed approaching, Lucas Arts sent along a copy of their new book about the game.

The Art and Making of Star Wars The Force Unleashed is a chunky, 168 page book filled with more than 300 pieces of concept art, two packs of character cards and plenty of behind the scenes details of how the title went from concept to game.

I've only had a chance to flip through the book so far, but what I've seen impresses. The book is divided up into six chapters that tackle the concept behind the game and early pitches, the story approval process, the characters in the game, the environments, the technology and a run through of all of the game's milestones and how it progressed from greenlight, to alpha to launch.

I'm not typically a big fan of these over-sized art books but there seems to be enough meat to the book to make it worth picking up. I still might have a problem dropping $30 for it, but I'm sure bigger fans of the franchise wont.

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http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/376622027/the-art-of-star-wars-the-forc
e-unleashed

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Spectacular ROM Hacks Propel Mario, Link, Sonic
To New Places

post from Press The Buttons on 27 August 2008 05:00:00 PM. © Press The Buttons

Prepare to have your mind blown by impressive ROM hacks of beloved gaming classics. I have a brief article over at Kombo which highlights some amazing gaming creations from dedicated fans. The video game ROM hacking world has an abundance...

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PressTheButtons/~3/376504581/spectacular-rom.html

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1o Gnomes Episode 8: water forge

post from Escape Games 24 - Room Escape Games, Point and Click Games, Puzzle Games, Adventure Games on 27 August 2008 04:59:00 PM. © Escape Games 24 - Room Escape Games, Point and Click Games, Puzzle Games, Adventure Games

1o Gnomes Episode 8: water forge is eighth episode of 10 Gnomes point and click hidden object type[...]

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http://www.escapegames24.com/2008/08/1o-gnomes-part-water-forge.html

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Pimp Your Character in the First Trailer for
Kickster Online Street Soccer [Kickster Online Street Soccer]

It's always nice to see a game take the soccer formula and put a twist on it. Mario Strikers does this very well and we seem to have a new contender in the mix. In this first trailer for Kickster Online Street Soccer we get a brief glimpse of some of the character creation and gameplay you can expect from the game. The best part is that there will be no retail version of the game. That's right, the game will be free-to-play. Expect it in the near future for PC.

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http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/376622028/pimp-your-character-in-the-fi
rst-trailer-for-kickster-online-street-soccer

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The Wiz - Gamepark's Successor To The GP2x [The
Wiz]

Gamepark Holdings has announced its new games handheld - the followup to its (fairly) successful GP2X

Like the GP2X, it runs a Linux-based OS, has a GBA-ish form factor and is wide open for homebrew developers to code original games and — always the killer GP2x app — emulation, emulation, emulation.

Unlike its ancestor, it has a 533MHZ Arm 9 processor with 3D acceleration, 64MB of Ram and a touchscreen. There is only the one screen, so DS emulation is fairly unlikely, but there are already some touchscreen games and apps in the pipeline as you can see in this ridiculously large picture. Long JPG is loooong.

Also new is support for Flash 7.0 which should open up the possibility of playing web-based games that you manage to get on an SD card by whatever means necessary. There is no wifi, which is a shame, but you can't have everything.

The Wiz is available for pre-order now at around $179.99 , due out in October.