Date: May 11 – 13, 2102
Location: 11-1, Jalan 2A/27A, Section 1,Wangsa Maju,53300 Kuala Lumpur
About: GoMobile 2012 Your chance to meet the key movers & shakers in the mobile eco system

HAMBURG, GERMANY – March 28, 2012 – The Casual Games Association, the international trade organization of the casual games industry, today announced that Casual Connect Asia 2012, the world’s largest mass market games conference series, will take place 22 – 24 May 2012 in Singapore.
Casual games are designed for everyone, everywhere. They appeal to all types of consumers and can be played on any gaming platform, from computers to game consoles, to handheld game devices and mobile phones, to interactive television. This mass appeal has resulted in exponential growth, capturing consumers who never envisioned themselves as gamers. This widespread success didn’t happen by chance. It happened because the people who love games as much as gamers themselves have continued to work hard to bring high-quality products to a wide audience.

Each year, new hurdles emerge, but we continue to innovate, push the creative and technical barriers, and remain focused on our common objective: delivering an entertaining and engaging experience.

Join us 22 – 24 May 2012 along with over 100 industry speakers in Singapore for the 20th Casual Connect to discuss the future of the games industry.

Conference sessions will cover a wide range of subjects including Browser, MMO and Social Games, Mobile (iOS and Android), Social Mobile, Cross-platform, Design and Development and Consumer Marketing. Featured speakers and topics include:

Featured Speakers:

Brian Taptich, VP International Development, Zynga
Mitch Garber, CEO, Caesars Interactive Entertainment
Erwan Mace, Developer Relations, Google
Arthur CHOW, COO, 6waves Lolapps
James GWERTZMAN, GM Asia/Pacific, PopCap Games
Alexander KLEINBERG, Head of Platform Partnerships APAC, Facebook
Don LIM, General Manager, Com2us
Noritaka Kobayashi, VP Business Development, GREE Singapore
Kyu LEE, VP & Head of GAMEVIL
Jean-Francois PREVOST, Developer Account Manager, Microsoft
Chris SHEN, Vice President, The9
Richard TSAO, Managing Director, Ubisoft Chengdu
Rony XU, Co-founder & CPO, Happy Elements
Rina Onur, Co-Founder & CSO, Peak Games
Tetsuya Mori, Managing Director, DeNA Asia Pacific

Emcees:
Vishal GONDAL, Founder & CEO, India Games
Mahmoud Ali KHASAWNEH, Quirkat
Yan MARCHAL, Founder & Managing Director, Sanuk Games
Gabby DIZON, Boomzap
Marlin SUGAMA, Co-founder, Main Studios
Derrick MORTON, Founder CEO, Flowplay
Chris EARLY, VP Digital Publishing, Ubisoft
Juan GRIL, Founder & Studio Manager, JoJu Games

Growth & Exit Strategies:
Dougan MILNE, Vice President of Research for the Corum Group
Deepak NATARAJAN, Director, Intel Capital
Matthew ROSZAK, Venture Capitalist & Entrepreneur, SilkRoad Equity
Oh THONGSRINOON, Partner, Electric Ship Capital
Colin SEBASTIAN, Director, Equity Research, Robert W. Baird & Co.

Industry Speakers:
Toshihiko Suyama, Market Development Director, DeNA Asia Pacific
Stanley ADRIANUS, Founder & CEO, Gamenauts
Nenin ANANBANCHACHAI, Founder, Extend Interactive
Anila ANDRADE, Associate Producer, 99Games
Kris ANTONNI, Toge Production
Alison BRYANT, Founder & President, PlayScience
Simone BRUNOZZI, Technology Evangelist, Amazon Web Services
Will BUCKNUM, Voice-Over Director, Strategic Music
Philip CAHIWAT, Level Up
Philip CHEANG, Team By Implication
Ninad CHHAYA, Playcaso
Niel DAGONDON, Anino Games
Tuang DHEANDHANOO, Co-Founder Digitopolis Game Studio
Roberto DILLON, Chair of the Game Software Design, DigiPen Institute of Technology
Nick FORTUGNO, Co-founder, Playmatics
Paul GADI, Inkstone
Matt GILLIS, Senior Vice President, Global Monetization Solutions, Millennial Media
Morgan JAFFIT, Founder, Defiant Development
Ludovic Bodin, CEO, CMUNE
Michael KALKOWSKI, Co-founder, Creative Director, GameDuell
Alok KEJRIWAL, CEO, Games2Win
Alla KHRAMTSOVA, VP Business Development, INTENIUM GmbH
Alex KRUG, CEO, SOFTGAMES
Dmitry KUZMENKO, CEO, Strategic Music
Antonny LIEM, Merah Putih Inc
Jerry LIN, Mobile Now Group
Wong LOK DIEN, Alterymth Studio
Simon MACK, CTO, NaturalMotion
Yan MARCHAL, Founder & Managing Director, Sanuk Games
Gaurav MIRCHANDANI, Co-Founder, ChaYoWo Games
Andrew MOROZOV, CEO, RBK Money
Hrishi OBEROI, Indiagames
Rakesh RAJU, Co-founder, Codewalla
Rajesh RAO, CEO, Dhruva Interactive
Sara SANTILLAN, Boomzap Entertainment
John SAY, CEO & Founder, Say Design, Inc.
Vlad SUGLOBOV, CEO, G5 Entertainment
Darwin TARDIO, FunGuy
Jugul THACHERY, Co-founder, ChaYoWo Games
Prithvi VIRASINGHE, Dawn Patrol Games
Margaret WALLACE, Co-founder & CEO, Playmatics
Hong-Yee WONG, CEO, IUGO Mobile Entertainment
Pepe Agell, Sr. Director, Worldwide Publisher Relations, Chartboost
Joel Auge, Co-founder & CEO, HitGrab Inc.
 

Venue

Casual Connect Asia 2012 will be held at Suntec Convention Center, 1 Raffles Blvd, for a 3-day industry professionals-only conference. Suntec Convention Centre is a state-of-the-art modern facility centrally located.

About Casual Connect

Launched in 2006, Casual Connect is hosted by the Casual Games Association, bringing together the most talented and knowledgeable experts in the casual gaming field to further the industry with the best learning and networking opportunities for casual games professionals. In addition to Casual Connect Asia 2012, the CGA will host Casual Connect Seattle in July 2012, Casual Connect Kyiv in October 2012 and Casual Connect Europe in February 2013.
About the Casual Games Association

The Casual Games Association is an international trade organization dedicated to promoting casual games and providing educational resources for the game development community. The association hosts annual conferences in Seattle, Kyiv, Asia and Europe; publishes a trade magazine; and issues research reports on the casual games industry. For more information about the association, visit http://www.casualgamesassociation.org.

Signed by Darwin Tardio, GDAP President, and Shuhei Ueda, JOGA Chairperson, the MOA intends to have both associations promoting and supporting each other’s  programs, mutually sharing knowledge and information, and exploring opportunities for business matching and networking.

The MOA signing came about as a result of GDAP’s participation in the ASEAN-Japan Summit for Digital Content last November 2011. Organized by the ASEAN-Japan Center and participated by industry leaders from Japan and ASEAN member nations, the summit catalyzed collaboration among participants through discussions on current trends and challenges affecting the content industry both regionally and globally. GDAP and JOGA, represented in the forum by Christine Rom, Board Member/Marketing Committee Head, and Yoji Kawaguchi, Executive Officer, respectively, discussed strategic initiatives of both associations and areas where both may be able to collaborate and promote each other.

“We’re thrilled to have formalized this partnership with JOGA,” expressed Darwin Tardio. “We believe that working together will undoubtedly lead to more successes for both organizations. We are confident that through this we can bring networking and new business opportunities to Filipino game developers.”

About GDAP

GDAP was established in 2008 as a business association promoting the interests of the Philippine game development industry. Its members, local and multinational companies with presence in the Philippines, create games and publish interactive content for various platforms.

About JOGA

The Japan Online Game Association or JOGA was established in June 2007 in order for the online game service providers to cooperate with each other and solve various problems, which the gaming industry is facing today. JOGA performs various activities to promote and raise the industry and makes its best efforts to cope with new type of problems arising from online games, thus contributing the public benefits.

Website: http://www.igf.com/
Location: San Francisco, California
Date: March 5-9, 2012
About: The Independent Games Festival was established to encourage innovation in game development and to recognize the best independent game developers.

Game Developers Conference 2012

Website: http://www.gdconf.com/
Location: San Francisco, California
Date: March 5-9, 2012
About: The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is the largest annual gathering of professional video game developers, focusing on learning, inspiration, and networking.

Game Connection America

Website: http://www.game-connection.com/gameconn/content/gameconnection-america
Location: San Francisco, California
Date: March 5-7, 2012
About: Game Connection America is a networking event for game industry professionals to discuss and showcase new projects and trends.

GDAP will once again showcase world-class Filipino talent in game development as the organization will be represented by member companies PODD, Anino Games, and De la Salle-College of St. Benilde. As the Philippines’s premier game developers, GDAP members look forward to meeting other key players in the global gaming industry. Through the years, GDAP has played a vital role in promoting game development in the country.

“It’s about time that Philippine game developers will be recognized as competent players in this dynamic industry,” says GDAP President Darwin Tardio. “Both the GDC and the Game Con are fine opportunities to show the world that the Philippines is a fertile ground for game development, and we play a vital part in this multi-billion dollar industry,” Tardio adds.

Aside from member companies, GDAP has affiliation with schools, universities, publishers, business executives, and advertisers who share with the organization’s advocacy of raising the Philippine gaming industry to a level higher.

About GDAP

GDAP offers a wide range of services to its member companies including research and development, government relations, training, seminars, and promotions. GDAP seeks to provide its members and key players a platform for collaboration and support as the Philippine’s leading driver for the game development industry.

GDAP Marketing Team
Email: marketing@gdap.org.ph
Website: http:// www.gdap.org.ph

GDAP is pleased to announce this year’s winners for the first-ever PGDF Annual awards, which celebrates the best of Pinoy game development. Last December 10, 2011, all winners proudly took to the stage in a full-packed event at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde attended by developers, students, businesses, and industry professionals.

The full lineup of winners is listed below.

Best Handheld/Mobile Game
Nominees:
Chessassins by Charles Cue and Steven Pua
Crazy Kite by Zeenoh Games
Winner: Crazy Kite by Zeenoh Games

Best PC/Mac Game
Nominees:
42 by Charles Cue
Circle Speedster by Roan Contreras
Winner:  Circle Speedster by Roan Contreras

Best Browser-based Game
Nominees:
42 by Charles Cue
Chessassins by Charles Cue and Steven Pua
F.L.Y. by Charles Cue
Lords and Colonies by Anino Games
To The Flowers of Heidelberg by Julius Cebreros
Winner:  Lords and Colonies by Anino Games

Innovation Award
Nominees:
42 by Charles Cue
Chessassins by Charles Cue and Steven Pua
Circle Speedster by Roan Contreras
F.L.Y. by Charles Cue
Winner: Circle Speedster by Roan Contreras

Best Indie Game
Nominees
Circle Speedster by Roan Contreras
F.L.Y. by Charles Cue
Crazy Kite by Zeenoh Games
To The Flowers of Heidelberg by Julius Cebreros
Winner:  Circle Speedster by Roan Contreras

Cultural Award
Nominees:
Crazy Kite by Zeenoh Games
Jan-Jan The Jeepney by Anino Games
To The Flowers of Heidelberg by Julius Cebreros
Winner: Jan-Jan The Jeepney by Anino Games

Game On! (Best Student Project: Game Development Challenge for College Students)

Game On! Public Choice: HALA! By Typhoon Games,  De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde

Game On! Champion: Gates of Heaven by TAM-OWL,  De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde

A full list of GameOn! Nominees can be found here:

The winners were chosen by a panel of expert jurors, including Mon Macutay (Marketing Director, LevelUp Games), James Palabay (President/CEO of Digital Art Chefs), Darwin Tardio (COO and Co-Founder, FunGuy Studio), Jen Yu (Board Member, IGDA Manila), and jury chairman Paul Gadi, Chairman of IGDA Manila.

Awarding the winners were Dodge Ronquillo, Associate Producer, Boomzap, Norman Lee, Chairperson, Game Design and Development Program School of Management and Information Technology De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Danni Tylan, President, GUILD – De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Christine Rom, President/CEO, PODD Corp, Wilma Valderrama, Business Development Manager, CheQ Systems Lamberto Ongkingco, Jr., Suspended Animation Media, Paul Gadi, IGDA Manila, Darwin Tardio, COO and Co-Founder, FunGuy Studio, Niel Dagondon, President/CEO, Anino Games

PGDF Annual Awards was hosted by Lyshiel Valencia and Alvin Juban, of MoAnima and Studio of Secret 6 respectively. The event is an annual celebration and recognition of the talent and creativity of Pinoy game developers. This year’s ceremony was organized by GDAP’s PGDF Awards committee led by Wilma Valderrama of CheQ Systems.

In the game, Grandfather Amihan teaches users how to play Patintero digitally. The tutorial establishes the setting of the game, involving two teams and a grid. The two teams are the players and the taggers. The goal of the game is simple: for the player team to pass through the other end of the grid. The taggers are assigned each line in the grid in which they must guard, in an attempt to block the players from crossing. In order to win a Patintero game, a player must be equipped with speed, agility and a presence of mind. Without these three, it would be difficult to get the team across the other end of the grid and win the game. Zeenoh’s Patintero allows players to acquire power ups as they go, which are: speed, time, 10pts coin and 20pts coin. A whole Patintero game only lasts for 2 minutes, wherein the winner is determined by the highest score.
The game features three flavors, which are the Patintero Playtime, Patintero Ultimate and Patintero Extreme. The Patintero Playtime is the first version to be released on November 2011, which is a free version that allows a one-to-one (human vs. human) game. This version is available on HD format and for the iPad. The Patintero Ultimate is a paid version that offers more features. These features include more teams that can play, which varies from animals, plants and aliens, to name a few. This version would be released soon after the release of Patintero Playtime. On the other hand, the Patintero Extreme offers even better features than the Ultimate, as this version of the app would be integrated with more teams and more worlds to explore. In addition, this flavor would enable networking features which can be accessed through WiFi or Bluetooth game challenge. The Patintero Extreme would also be a paid version of the game.
Through Zeenoh’s Patintero, children who were not able to play the game would learn how, and those who do would be able to experience the joy of playing Patintero in a digital platform. Zeenoh aims to benchmark iOS apps by developing games that are original and unique, grounded by the company’s culture and heritage.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE GAME:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/patintero-playtime/id476312935?mt=8

ZEENOH GAMES
Your games from A to Z!
Visit us at www.zeenoh.com
Follow us on twitter.com/zeenohgames
Add us on facebook.com/zeenoh

We need your support in nominating people to take part in  the validation panel for both the Game Art and Game Programming course outline slated for Sept 1, 2011. Both happens simultaneously on Sept 1, 2011 at 9:00AM at the TESDA Complex.

I’m sure you know the story, it’s taken 3 years to come full circle with this and it will need the push of the actual stakeholders in the industry to get it done.  We need to gather 15 panelists for each course – which is a challenge for any given day, but it’s nothing a few emails, texts or calls can’t do.

You don’t have to look for master instructors or pure academicians , just look for those with relative experience in Game ART or Programming that can poke holes at the currently course outlines.  Note that this will be distributed nationwide and can be the basis for most Game related courses that will be developed in the next five (5) years.

Please send you nomination to our TESDA collaborators: Stephen and Sam

stephencezar@yahoo.com
stephencezar@gmail.com
secalado@yahoo.com

They will be ready to receive your nominations from this point onwards. Just send the name, contact number/email addy and if they for ART or PROGRAMMING and they will arrange for a formal invitation to be sent from the office of:
MELDA B. TAGANAS
Executive Director
Qualifications and Standards Office
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)
TESDA Complex. East Service Road, South Superhighway,
Taguig City, Philippines

Crazy Kite Story

Can’t seem to find a fun and productive game for your child to play? Do war games put you off due to its extreme violence and bloodshed? Are you worn out by the intricacies of games that involve complex commands, incomprehensible quests and innumerable characters? No need to bother looking, Crazy Kite is here! You don’t have to worry about your child getting exposed to carnage missions as Crazy Kite is clearly designed for kids and the kids at heart. The game is basically about the kite-flying adventures and misadventures of Carl. Carl is a chubby, little kid who is constantly being bullied by nasty kids from his neighborhood because of his weight. Carl is alone most of the time, as he has hardly any friends at all. One day, when Carl was walking across the neighborhood, one of the bullies throws a piece of plastic at him. Carl being gifted with a creative and adventurous mind, he decides to create a kite out of the plastic instead of fighting back. From then on, the amazing journey of Carl begins. Along the way, Carl is bound to encounter quite a heap of distractions, starting from the multi-colored birds down to the malevolent, evil witch.

Crazy Kite Game Play Overview

The objective of the game is quite easy: avoid distractions and earn more stars. How? You simply need to fly your kite in the air while collecting star bubbles. Under the lite version of the game, you can play arcade and choose between two available kites: Pedro, a classic blue kite and 3 Stars, an airplane-shaped kite that embodies the Philippine flag (colored blue on the left, red on the right, white on the upper portion, with three stars and a sun printed on its body). The player is equipped with three kite lives. As the game begins, stars that are enclosed in a bubble will come your way, and it is your mission to burst them using your kite. You do this by simply swinging your kite to the direction of the bubble by tilting your Iphone/Ipod touch sideways and back. The number of bubbles that you have popped in the course of the game will be equivalent to your total score. Along the way, you will encounter several distractions. These are obstacles that must be avoided as crashing into them decreases your number of lives.

The game also boasts of its open feint and Game Center features that allows your child to evaluate his/her gaming performance, while interacting and challenging other players from around the world via the Internet. If you opt to play in full version, you get to unlock more kites and enjoy the full story mode including the Birds Nest episode, Bullies Mischief episode and more. Get to know the characters and Carl himself, with Crazy Kite’s full, complete version!

For only $0.99, allow your child to relish the wonderful world of kite-flying without the hassle of making or buying an actual kite, going outdoors and anticipating the wind. Stimulate his/her concentration and motivation skills by letting him/her play Crazy Kite. With Crazy Kite’s colorful, state-of-the-art graphics and simple gaming instructions, your child is sure to enjoy this wonderful gaming experience.

FULL VERSION GAME FEATURES:

• New encounters
• Varying obstacles
• Fresh levels
• Four new kites
• More thrilling enemies
• Two exciting episodes

COMPATIBILITY:

• iPod Touch 4, iPhone 3G, 3Gs, 4 and iPad.
• iOS 3.2 and above.

Crazy KIte – full version can be downloaded HERE

Crazy KIte – free or lite version can be downloaded HERE

About Zeenoh

Zeenoh is a Filipino game development company trying to penetrate the gaming industry. They wish to prove that Filipinos have the talent to compete with other gaming companies at par, and create games not only on a local setting, but internationally as well. For more information, visit WWW.ZEENOH.COM

Fueled by the acceleration in global game production as well as by an ever-increasing need for companies to scale and stay competitive, game development outsourcing has grown in leaps and bounds. Even as Eastern Europe, India, Korea, and China lead the industry, game development outsourcing nonetheless has massively expanded in the Philippines over the past three years. Entire game development processes, including audio/music production, art production, porting, localization, and testing, are increasingly being outsourced to Filipino game development companies by top publishers such as EA, Activision, Sony, THQ, and many more.

Encouraged by this success, more and more Filipinos are now setting up shop (and it seems even more are interested in starting up). Over the past months, I’ve been asked several times to share insights on how best to start up in this business. While everyone agrees that growth prospects are encouraging, and that the country could be the next game development frontier, there are unspoken truths that one should consider and prepare for before starting up—sales, production, operational management, business survival and others. In this article I have outlined best practices and insights on securing leads, closing engagements, dealing with clients, handling game production and many more. For startups and individuals interested in starting up, this might help get you off on the right foot.

Business deals

The most valued clients are usually those that come through referrals from friends or other clients. Others you might meet during trade shows and conferences, industry meet ups and events such as the GDC, Casual Connect, Game Connection, and others. Updated websites, LinkedIn and Facebook pages come in handy too. Over time you’d build up a database of prospective customers with whom you’ll hopefully have good long-term business relationships with.

First impressions are crucial in getting the attention of a prospective client. Make sure your demo reel is updated and you have a ready portfolio of your best work in Adobe pdf file or PowerPoint. Consider the file size of your portfolio. The lighter the file size, the easier it is for you to share them to prospects.

When responding to Requests for Proposals (RFPs), assume that you may be competing with 3 to 10 other bidders, maybe more. Some clients will share their guidelines in evaluating bids. Read through the guidelines and follow them. Make sure your proposal demonstrates a thorough and clear understanding of the project and scope of work. Lastly, be organized and confident in responding to questions. This will make a positive impression on your clients.

Most publishers like proposals that are creative. For this reason, some game studios invest on original artwork samples and layout to make their proposals look sleeker.

Contracts and project costs

Closing contracts and getting the budget you desire can sometimes be a balancing act. After all, you and your client walk opposite lines in this matter. Everyone (including you and your client) aims to get the most profit out of the deal—the clients by reducing production cost, you by setting a higher price tag to the effort. Both of you must find a middle ground.

Clients always aim for the lowest possible cost. But even they understand that there is a price for quality. Studios that have more experience could actually command a higher budget. Their clients won’t mind paying premium in exchange for top-quality work.

On the other hand, new studios who are still trying to build their portfolio may be willing to absorb risks and settle for much lower profits—even just to break-even. This is not really such a bad idea when you’re starting. But make sure the sacrifice is worth it. Make sure that the output is really excellent. You’re already sacrificing anyway, so why not make it worth your while? If your goal is to secure another deal with the same client, or to use the project as proof of your capabilities, then a stellar output is in order.

With this you still have a chance at beating more experienced developers.

As with contracts, there are industry templates that you can look at as your starting point. You can talk with your lawyer and make sure all the terms are covered, and you have protective clauses secured. Among the items you must nail down in your contract are the following:

• Scope of work
• Payment terms
• Milestones and schedule
• Deliveries and review schedule
• Change requests
• Nondisclosure terms

Processes and communications

Prior to starting work and after signing of contracts, schedule kickoff meetings via web conferencing. It is preferable that all parties can see each other face to face; but if it’s not doable, a web conference will do.

Write a kickoff guide and have the producer walk the client through your development process. Make sure everyone is aligned on the project schedule, points of contact, escalation procedures, meeting times, deliverables, asset reviews, and so on.

Make sure you have project management tools in place and that the client knows how to use them. Most studios need a combination of collaboration, bug tracking, file sharing, asset management, and resource management tools in order to operate. I have not seen any single off-the-shelf system that integrates all these into one, so you might have to make do with a combination of products.

Be clear with the client on who handles the asset and build reviews from their end. Time is of the essence in all projects, and the ability for the client to send in their feedbaregularly and on time is a key factor in meeting project deadlines.

Time zone differences can be beneficial if handled well. While time gaps can make real-time interfacing difficult with clients, they can also provide buffers to review assets and correct them before submission to clients.

Quality

Issues on quality are typically the main concern of studios when doing outsourced game projects. Quality issues often lead to endless iterations, overtime, schedule slippage, reduced productivity, excessive overhead, and worst of all, client dissatisfaction.

Believe it or not, 60% of most production is due to rework, though according to some experts, this figure can be reduced to 20% if processes are optimized and managed well. To overcome this, establish clear definitions of deliverables beforehand. The more detailed the specifications, the lesser the need for guesswork, and the easier it is for you to implement requirements.

Seek feedback early on, and be clear on your understanding of the feedback. Establish a system for managing iterations so you can set limits with the client. Some clients change their minds in the middle of projects and conveniently call these change requests at your expense. Be mindful of these situations.

Perseverance and motivation

With perseverance, game development outsourcing can be a fulfilling experience. It’s a mix of the technical and creative, which sets it apart in the realm of business endeavors.

Starting up should be fairly easy too considering that there’s an abundance of emerging talents from local universities to add to the growing pool of competent IT professionals already in the industry.

With a clear vision and the right people, there’s really no shortage of opportunities for everyone. In fact, it now looks like there’s only one way for the Filipino game development industry to go, and that is up!

———————

About the Author

Christine Rom is the President/CEO of PODD, a game development studio in Cebu City, Philippines and a Board Member of the Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP). She’s been in the game development industry for 7 years now. Her firm, PODD, is developing casual games and educational games for both mobile and desktop platforms. For questions about this article, you may email her at christine.r[at]poddcorp.com.