Consolarium

August 23rd, 2009

LTS does “Dragons’ Den” at SLF’09: Promo poster

Derek Robertson

Comments: none Tags:  : Categories SLF09, games design

If you are thinking of getting your schools pupils involved in the LTS does Dragons’ Den event at SLF’09 this year then maybe this promotional poster will help promote interest in the exciting opportunity and challenge faced by pupils and encourage them to get their creative juices flowing.

We are very lucky this year to have three Dragons from the Scottish Games Industry to sit on the panel . These are:

Chris van Der Kuyl of Brightsolid

David Thomson of Denki

Colin Macdonald of Realtime Worlds

Denki have kindly offered a visit to their games design studios in Dundee as a prize for the winning entry/presentation.

Full details of the competition can be accessed from this post from the summer term.

August 21st, 2009

Guitar Hero Challenge SLF’09 Leaderboard

Derek Robertson

Comments: 1 Comment Tags: Tags: Consolarium, Guitar Hero, SLF09
 : Categories SLF09

Get the guitars and the drums of Guitar Hero World Tour at the ready and get those scores in for this year’s Guitar Hero Challenge SLF’09! Full details of the competition can be accessed from this blog post from the summer term and as you can see we now have our leaderboard ready and waiting to be filled with the highest scores possible.

There is a choice of songs this year and each song has its own icon to identify it:

• Far left: Bushy haired and handsome Bon Jovi with ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’
• Second from left: Beret wearing 80′s rockers Survivor with ‘Eye of the Tiger’
• Second from right: Fully loaded Mancunian sideburns of Oasis with ‘Some Might Say’
• Far right: Raven haired and goatee bearded Lenny Kravitz with ‘Are you Gonna Go My Way?’

Teacher validated scores should be sent to the [email protected] and these scores will be added to the leaderboard as soon as they come in.

Make sure your band name is something to behold and good luck. Your GH band might make it to the stage in Glasgow for the final showdown.

There are still a couple of kits available for any schools that may want to participate. Again, drop a line to [email protected] if you think your pupils have what it takes…

Please remember that the closing date for the competition is Friday 11th September.

June 8th, 2009

SLF’09: Guitar Hero World Tour Competition

Derek Robertson

Comments: 2 Comments » Tags: Tags: , Consolarium, Guitar Hero, SLF09
 : Categories SLF09

Rock and Roll is returning to the Scottish Learning Festival this year so be prepared to turn those speakers up to eleven once again with the return of the Scottish Schools Guitar Hero Challenge! The standard of competition last year was extremely high with David Whyte from Baldragon Academy in Dundee outperforming all comers to take the title. If you think that your pupils have the potential to win this then get involved in this year’s Game Zone Challenge at SLF’09. All you need is one of the following: a PS3, XBox360 or Nintendo Wii along with a copy of Guitar Hero World Tour (with an extra guitar).

This year’s competition is different in the sense that we are not looking for individual entrants but groups of players who will form a band to play the instruments in Guitar Hero World Tour. This would mean a drummer, guitarist, bassist and vocalist!

This year we are offering a choice of songs as opposed to just one. The songs that you can choose from are as follows:

• Eye of the Tiger by Survivor
• Some Might Say by Oasis
• Livin’ on a Prayer by Bon Jovi
• Are you Gonna’ go my Way? by Lenny Kravitz

You can open all the songs in the game by going in to the Cheats option and keying in the following combination Blue, Blue, Red, Green(2), Blue(2), Yellow

Scores that are achieved by bands should be validated by validated by their teacher and emailed to [email protected] and we will then upload these to the leaderboard. Schools can enter as many bands as they like. The closing date for submissions to the competition is Friday 11th September with the successful contestants being notified by Monday 14th September. Travel costs will be covered by LTS. This event will take place at the SLF’09 on Wednesday 23 September, 4:00pm.

Last year’s event was a great success and we hope that this year’s event will at least match if not better it. Who knows, we might even see this year’s finalists really going for it and coming ‘dressed for the event’. We’ll leave that idea up to you…

We have established a Guitar Hero Glow Group for schools to share the associated curricular work that can go on around a game such as a Guitar Hero but if your school is not yet in Glow don’t worry you can still participate by sending your high scores to the earlier stated email address and we’ll ensure that they are added to the leaderboard.

We have a small number of kits that we can loan to those who don’t have access to the game and the console so please contact us if you have are interested in this or if you have any other questions related to the competition

May 29th, 2009

LTS does Dragons’ Den at SLF ’09

Derek Robertson

Comments: none Tags: Tags: Consolarium, dragon, games design, SLF09
 : Categories SLF09, games design

Have you got a good idea for a computer game?

Do you have an idea for a computer game that might be the next worldwide smash hit or do you have an idea for a character that could capture the imagination of game players across the globe?

If so, then this year’s LTS does Dragons’ Den competition at The Scottish Learning Festival could be just the opportunity for you to showcase your imagination and ideas to a panel of professional experts from the Scottish computer games industry.

What we are inviting school pupils to do is to devise a concept for a computer game that they will be pitched to the Dragon’s. The time that you will have for your pitch is 10 minutes. The content of your presentation can take any form that you decide but we suggest five areas that you may like you to give consideration to. These are:

• What is the underpinning idea for the game and its game play?
  • Give a clear and concise description of your game
• What is the target audience and appeal of your game?
  • What age range is targeted
  • Who will buy the game and what will motivate them to do so?
• What will the game look like?
  • Design at least two characters and one set to help the Dragons’ visualise your ideas
• What makes your game original?
  • What does your game have that isn’t or hasn’t been on the market
• How would you market your game?
  • Front cover design should be included in your presentation
  • What devices will the game be made for?

* Please note: if you and your team have made a game or have built any associated aspects of your game then please do include this.

Who is the competition open to?
The competition is open to boys and girls from the ages of 3-18

What is the maximum team size?
The maximum numbers of team members is four

Who are the Dragons?
The full and final line-up of Dragons has yet to be confirmed.

What form will the event at SLF’09 take?
The pre-event judging will select four teams to present at SLF’09. At the event each team will be given 10 minutes to make their pitch with 5 minutes questions and feedback from the Dragons. The Dragons will be given a few minutes at the end to decide on which entry they felt proved to be the most innovative and appealing for a games design company.

What presentation facilities are available at SLF ’09
A PC with Powerpoint and a Mac with Keynote will be available to present. We will try, where possible, to accommodate all presentation requirements

Submitting an entry
Entries to the pre-judging aspect of this competition can be sent to [email protected]. A detailed submission is welcome but contestants must realise that any detailed submissions need to be summarised and delivered in the 10 minute pitch that they have to the Dragons. The closing date for submissions to the competition is Friday 11th September with the successful contestants being notified by Monday 14th September.

We ask that competition entries are submitted by a teacher who has been working with the pupils involved.

Travel arrangements
LTS will cover the cost of travel to and from SLF’09 for all the finalists.

Is there a prize?
Yes, more details to follow…