BAF Game is back for its seventh edition this November, with some of the world’s leading industry experts on board to explore the creative side of gaming in all its forms. BAF Game takes place at the National Media Museum, Bradford UK on 8th November and the University of Bradford on 9th November, with two days packed full of exciting sessions for individuals working in the industry and fans of gaming.
This year’s special guests include Brendan McNamara, founder of Team Bondi, the creators of L.A. Noire and Nick Adams, design lead at Top 5 Independent European Developer of Video Games, Blitz Games. There will also be presentations from representatives from Hand Circus, Image Metrics and Six to Start.
BAF Game, a strand of Bradford Animation Festival, is organised by the National Media Museum in strong partnership with the University of Bradford and dedicated to showcasing the very best and most up-to-date computer games technology and animation. Running over two days, BAF Game will feature talks, discussions, screenings and workshops led by industry experts exploring the overlaps between the worlds of video games, animation and film.
BAF Game Programmer Judah Smith says: ‘’The games sector is the largest and fastest growing creative industry in the UK, with sales last year generating £2.88 billion. With technologies developing rapidly however, keeping up to date with the latest industry developments can be challenging for those working in, or hoping to break into, the industry.
With a focus on innovation, creativity and collaboration, BAF Game has quickly grown to become one of the must attend events in the UK games industry calendar. We’re delighted once again to offer delegates the opportunity to meet, network and learn from some of the world’s leading industry experts, who will demonstrate the cutting edge developments that have helped them to take gaming to the next level in 2011.’’
Tickets for BAF and BAF Game 2011 are on sale now from the National Media Museum Box Office (call 0844 856 3797 or visit www.baf.org.uk ). Prices for BAF Game passes start from £35 with BAF Animation passes from £50 and for day passes for either event from £25, and tickets for individual screenings from £3.
Confirmed Industry Sessions for BAF Game 2011
Brendan McNamara – Founder, Team Bondi :: Bringing humanity to games
Brendan explains the processes and pitfalls of using MotionScan facial motion capture to create the hit game LA Noire. From research to early test footage, filming the actors through to final result, Brendan explains the process that brought an unprecedented level of realism and acting to games, and shares some exclusive outtakes which didn’t make the final game.
Nick Adams – Design Lead, Blitz Games :: Designing for a radical control method
Central to the Kinect experience is making the player feel like, and inhabit, the character: Fortunately for Blitz Games, they had a sword fighting cat hero that played guitar and had an eye for the ladies. All they had to do was deliver that experience to the player. Nick Adams, Design Manager on the Puss In Boots video game, based on the upcoming DreamWorks film, speaks passionately and in depth on the challenges of designing for a new and radical control method combined with the responsibilities inherent in working with a much-loved and iconic character IP. This talk will discuss, amongst many other topics, the specific issues around character animation, and the joys, pains and values of usability testing, all in pursuit of creating a game that amuses, enraptures and satisfies its audience.
Simon Oliver – Founder, Hand Circus :: Lessons learned from an independent developer
Hand Circus are the makers of the hit Rolando series of games for the iPhone and Okabu on the Playstation 3. Simon shares the background into making their games, how they got started and what worked well and provides advice for anyone who wants to get into development – and wants to stay there.
Image Metrics
Image Metrics are the makers of Faceware, profoundly powerful software used throughout the games and film industry to streamline facial animation. In this talk, Image Metrics guides us through the sort of challenges that Faceware can solve to bring realistic emotive faces to the screen, and takes us through some of the quick results achieved by delegates earlier in the day.
Adrian Hon – Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer, Six to Start :: New stories for new platforms
Stories in PC and console games are nothing new, but handheld and mobile gaming platforms are more likely to test your reflexes than your emotional intelligence. Adrian Hon examines how we might bring extended stories to these new platforms, who will make these games and how they will be funded, while exploring how player-generated stories can gain wider appeal on the new gaming platforms of today and tomorrow.
