Something EGX This Way Comes...

EGX tickets went on sale yesterday morning. The four day event will host the cream of the crop of the world gaming industry from big publishers and developers to smaller indie teams and solo devs. You'll be able to play new releases, future releases, hear from industry industry insiders and mingle with people who love the thing you love and do the thing you do. Last years event saw 70 000 gamers come together and this years event is expected to be even bigger. Get your day or weekend tickets from the site and perhaps I'll see you there! I'll be there with the SU Productions team, taking notes as they interview some awesome people! It's a little ways away but best to get those tickets early, don't wana be late to the party.

It will be better than this. I think...

In other news, I have begun the planning stages of a new game that will be exhibited around June at my University for the final year exhibition. I don't want to say too much about it now but I would like to point to the IGCCGD conference that I attended recently. Simply being in that environment, hearing people talk about their ideas and learning about one's trade is such a valuable resource. I strongly urge any and all who are interested in becoming part of the industry, in whatever capacity (I mean you voice actors, PR people and producers), attend events! Aside from the obvious networking opportunities it is unbelievably helpful for your grey matter to be in that environment, and you'll learn more about your tools and new tools you might want to use too.

No! Bad reader! Not those kind of tools!

Even if you think you're anti-social and hate crowds, go to smaller events and talks. You don't have to run around shaking everybody's hand. Just listen and absorb. I'm not the most social penguin but by attending stuff like this I've learned so much and it's sparked so many ideas. If there aren't any events near you, have a go organising some. Meet in a local pub, talk about your latest efforts, issues with design and development, future projects, whatever! Twitter is another great tool for this stuff but you'll get so many more Twitter contacts by attending events as well as digital networking.

He's not sad because he's lonely, he's sad because he missed EGX.

So do it! Get out there, show your games, discuss your trade, hear others and develop your own ideas further. The best thing you can do is be there for this stuff. Whether you want to create something fresh, new and unique or improve on something you think can be done better these events can be key to your success, whatever your view of that is.

Oculus Rift Acquired by Facebook

The internet is abuzz with talk of Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg's announcement yesterday afternoon that the company would be acquiring Oculus Rift for a sum of $2billion. Zuckerberg intends to explore the potential of the device as a social media tool and more besides gaming, though we are assured that Oculus' original plan will still go ahead, though at an accelerated rate. In a post to Facebook about the announcement, Zuckerberg says:

"But this is just the start. After games, we're going to make Oculus a platform for many other experiences. Imagine enjoying a court side seat at a game, studying in a classroom of students and teachers all over the world or consulting with a doctor face-to-face -- just by putting on goggles in your home."

In the same announcement Zuckerberg goes on to predict that the future of the world lies in virtual reality systems, and Facebook clearly wants to adopt the technology early. This has caused concern with some, with Marcus "Notch" Perrson, owner of Mojang announcing over Twitter that his company has cancelled plans to support the Oculus device, saying "Facebook creeps me out." He does note that a mod is available for users interested in using the device.

Just over 18 months ago Oculus Rift achieved and surpassed its goal of $250 000 by over 37 times, receiving almost $9.5million in backing on Kickstarter. It has now been acquired for an estimated $2billion, more than 200 times as much as the original Kickstarter raised. This is great news for Oculus and the huge cash injection will be sure to speed up the delivery of the system. At last week's GDC they had announced the Oculus Development Kit 2, an updated version of the first kit, for $350 and it seems this is going ahead with the device being sold now. Perhaps this is a good sign that Zuckerman's promise of the company still operating independently isn't just PR talk, at least for now.

Does the future really lie in VR? And what are Facebook doing to ensure the privacy of its users? They talk of wanting to share everything with everyone. This sharing is data which they can and have used to target adverts to people and increase the power of those adverts. How will virtual reality data be collected and used and what will the form will this virtual space take? Look out for further developments and announcements in the coming months.

Sony has also recently announced a VR headset, Project Morpheus, a direct rival to Oculus Rift. Both companies have the capital and business networks to gain market share in the games sector but it is difficult to tell what the final products of either will really be like, though reviews of both have been favourable.

The dawn of a new age in gaming or just a night of the living dead?

Holy crap, so meta bro!

The Real Thinkings

What the hell?! Facebook?! Really?!

Okay, initial outburst out of the way I'm not really sure what to think. I raged at first, then I wondered if I was the guy raging against this new fangled technology, bearing my torch and pitchfork like a seasoned pro.

"Back, oh ye purveyor of immersive worlds, oh ye peddler of fun!"

But then I called bullshit on that pretty quick because I had no problem with Rift before now and was super excited, still am! What I have a problem with is Facebook. I use Facebook, I don't like it, I use it. I'm a hypocrite, so that's out of the way now. I'm not keen on my data being collected like that, I'm not sure any of of us really are. I do understand that some of it has to be collected in order for the services I like to exist but it's when my name and picture are used to advertise stuff I get uneasy. I make a point of not liking pages, especially those of businesses, as I don't want everyone to be told "Hey, Daniel likes Akira's Used Pantie Emporium, you should too!" I mean, not that I would be liking something called Akira's Used Pantie Emporium or anything... Those rumours were never confirmed...

*cough**cough* Shameful *cough*

It's not about what I like or don't like and whether it's private or not, clearly if I didn't want people to know I liked something I wouldn't thumbup it on Facebook, and I don't do that. My beef is with this insistence that EVERY single thing has to collect data now. Analytics can helpful as balls, especially to a game developer because they can tell you so much about your game and how you can improve it, so there's a flip side to it but I don't want to have to sign my life away as a walking advert simply to communicate with friends.

I don't know if this is a good move, but I agree with Notch, this shit creeps me out! I'm concerned about the future of tech and media but at the same time I'm super excited about the future of tech and media! Oculus Rift, as of yet, hasn't changed and I still can't wait to get my hands on one and create some worlds, try and use the device in a different or interesting way. I have no idea what the future holds, it's impossible to predict with certain accuracy, but VR is definitely in it and Oculus and Facebook are going to be a big part of it.

So what's Steam gonna do? Anything?