Cancelled: Code-a-thon 2008

I've just received notice from the organisers of Code-a-thon 2008 that it's been cancelled.

A disappointment for sure, but looking at the calendar ahead, we've got Contrast from NUS and the DreamBuildPlay contest all ending this month, so keep your brains busy and ideas flowing!

Reminder: DreamBuildPlay 2008

Here's a reminder to sign up for the DreamBuildPlay Challenge 2008. Entries close 23 September 2008, but you may want to submit as early as 1 September!

There's prizes galore, plus a free 12 month Creator's Club Subscription once you sign up. What are you waiting for?

Code-a-thon 2008

The annual Code-a-thon is here again. This year's event will be held Mon-Tue, 15-16 September. Here's the email invite:

"Code-a-thon 2008 is open for registration!

Code-a-thon is the games festival for games developers worldwide. Talented student game programmers and artists will be challenged to code a game for 30-hours.

Code-a-thon 2008 will be held in Singapore on the 15th - 16th September 2008 and the results will be announced during Games Convention Asia 2008. Nanyang Polytechnic would like to invite your insitution to form and send student teams to participate.

For more information, please refer to the official competition website below: http://www.nyp.edu.sg/sgcc/codeathon/ "

Let me know if you'd like to sign up as a team - support can be given in the form of notebooks and other development equipment if needed.

NOTE: Closing date is 31 August - you'll need a letter from us to confirm you're enrolled in SP as a full-time student, so please let me know by today if you want to enter!

NUS Contrast 2008

The NUS Students' Communications and New Media Society is organising Contrast, a 24 hr Game Design Competition (12 - 13 September 2008).

Here's the email from Kian Boon, President, NUS Students' CNM Society, Deputer Projects Director, Contrast 2008. (What's a Deputer?)

"CONTRAST is a 24-hour game design competition jointly organized by the Communications and New Media (CNM) Society and Game Development Group (GDG) from the National University of Singapore.

Due to the overwhelming and well-received response from the participants in previous years, CONTRAST is running for its third year, with a brand new theme.

This will be a very good platform for aspiring game developers to get together and hone their skills. Besides, it will also be a very good opportunity for your students to build up their game portfolios which would give them an edge should they decide to seek a career in the gaming industry.We are currently sourcing for participants, sponsorships, judges, venues to make this event even more successful.

That said, we would like to be able to source for interested participants from your school.

For more information, you can visit http://contrast2008.blogspot.com/"

Deadline for registration is 4 September 2008.

Give me a ring, drop me an email or just post a comment here if you'd like to join or are looking for someone to team up with. We're sponsoring the registration fees for any team from DIT GD that would like to enter.

IGDA Meetup 13th August - Beer at Brewerkz

The IGDA regularly holds informal meetings for folks to unwind and to just generally exchange ideas. This month's meeting is on 13th August, Wednesday.

"Ey.. so it's been a while since we've done one of these...

Anyway, with all the stuff happening around the place, it's time for us all to get together and have a beer!... and catch up So we've got space for 60 people on WEDNESDAY 13th August at BREWERKZ at Clarke Quay 7.30pm(Yes, u can find them here: http://www.brewerkz.com/contact/index.htm)"

This meeting is open to "ALL GAME DEVELOPERS, not just for programmers.Artists, Designers, Producers, etc are VERY WELCOME. Students in their final year, and NS men are also welcome." So try to make your way there if possible.

Original posting on IGDA Singapore Forum.

My 360 died!

The good old (one year old to be exact) Xbox 360 at my home died on my birthday over the weekend. While munching on my cereal, I turned on the 360 and was greeted with a frozen screen after trying to log on to Xbox Live. Cycling the power gave me the dreaded Red Ring of Death.

It wasn't apparent at first, as I found out that the RROD was a misnomer. It's 3 red lights around the power switch, less one quadrant on the top right corner.

It's quite ironic, since I got it as a birthday gift exactly a year ago from my wife. The good news is that Microsoft has been very prompt on their responses and support. I got an email reply on evening of the 12th, apologising for the "inconvenience".

Since their hotlines were closed on weekends, I called in this morning and was greeted by a friendly operator, and after verifying that it was indeed "unfortunate" that my Xbox 360 has passed on due to hardware fault, they will be providing me with a "new Xbox 360 taken off the factory, in an unmarked box".

I'll be exchanging it a week later, so it's a belated birthday gift from MS to me! :)

SP Student Blogs List

If you look to the right of the page, you'll notice a new addition of bloglist that shows student blogs. If you've got a blog related to Game Development or generally your life as a GD student in SP, let me know, and I'll add it to the list.

Keep clean and polite in your blog though! Vulgarities, personal attacks and general bad behavior will not be tolerated. :)