For more info visit the site http://dm.tzi.de/en/events/ggj2010/

Global Game Jam 2010 in Bremen

Do you think you can build a computer game in 48 hours?

The GGJ is a global event around the world, where game makers have the chance to express their skills in 48 hours, yet it doesn’t require any professional skills. GGJ starts at 5pm on January 29th and goes for 48+ hours through January 31st, 2010.

That means, you meet others, build a group and develop a video game in just two days. It does not have to be finished then completely, but it would be nice, if you can imagine the game and if you can play a little as well – just like a prototype.

We do not need exclusively professional programmers – for a game you need to develop the concept, the audio, the design and lot more as well! Everybody is welcome!

In addition, you will learn a lot on the event! On the one side, you will learn how to make a game in 48 hours and on the other side you will learn a lot about tools etc. We try to get some people of well-known companies who give talks on some tools or topics.

However, the most important thing is that the basic purpose of the gamejam is to have fun and make games together, and even though the teams are competing, you should still focus on being nice and helpfull to each other.

For more information please check our Game Jam site or contact any of us – the organizers – through the site! Then register and choose our location in Bremen, “Digital Media Jam” in your profile!

Furthermore we have the interest to spread this Blog a bit further. We are still looking for further participating authors, so if you are an digital media student out of the programme in Bremen or Bremerhaven. Just feel free to apply for this, describe yourself and mail your request to sidm[at]effzehn.de to retrieve authors rights on this blog. Right now we´re only three active authors, two seniors from the University of the Arts. And one student from the programme at the University of Bremen.

Since a few days SiDM is listed at networkedblogs.com. This is an Facebook app. Just for the purpose to verify this blog, so if you own an facebook account. You could help us, simply by following SiDM via networkedblogs.

And, the keyword following. Beyond the provided RSS Feed which you could subscribe, from now on, SiDM´s newest postings will be additionally generate an automatic tweet. So, if you´ld like to. Just follow Si_DM at Twitter. or leave us a message.

And if you´ve got further suggestions, just leave us a comment !

A brief summary (in german) is listed on his thesis description, on his website. So, for those iPhone Users… I think that it´s clear and that I don´t have to translate the whole announcement and thesis description

14th december, 11:00h or 14:00h

20min of instruction to the multi-touch-table of the AG Digital Media at the University
60min game play in teams (Galcon MTT), with different scenario set-ups
30min of discussion and answering session
coffee, tea, water and cookies are provided.

as the multi-touch-table is in the room 5400 of the mzh, I think the meeting will be there.

Inform Daniel if you would like to join via eMail dweidner[at]tzi.de.

Sadly, I´ve lectures during this period of time.

Liebe Freunde der Digitalen Medien,

ich arbeite momentan an meiner Bachelor-Abschlussarbeit und suche in diesem Zusammenhang noch Interessierte, die bei einer etwa zwei-stündigen Evaluation eines von mir entwickelten Computer-Spiels für den Multi-Touch-Table der AG Digitale Medien mitwirken möchten. Es erwarten euch:

* 20min – Einführung in den Multi-Touch-Table der AG Digitale Medien
* 1h – Spielen in Teams und verschiedenen Szenarien an einem
Multi-Touch-Strategiespiel
* 30min – Diskussion und kurze Frage-Session
* Kaffee, Tee, Wasser & Gebäck

Die Evaluation findet am 14. Dezember 2009 in zwei Gruppen statt, einmal um 11 Uhr und einmal um 14 Uhr. Die Räumlichkeiten werden den Teilnehmern in den kommenden Wochen mitgeteilt. Erfahrungen aus herkömmlichen Computer-Spielen sind wünschenswert. Bei Interesse freue ich mich über Nachricht unter Angabe des gewünschten Zeitfensters an dweidner[at]tzi.de.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
Daniel Weidner

Get involved in our vimeo group:  http://vimeo.com/groups/digmed, free to join and to submit your own video contents directly on the degree course, or related contents ! ( after you´re proved by the group moderator )

Currently 28 29 30 members, hopefully growing

See a summary of the best videos in our channel: http://vimeo.com/digitalmedia

Just the latest video contributed:

Digital Media Master Project Con-Action: QuickWoZ Pretest from sanook on Vimeo.

This is the video that was produced for the midterm presentation of the master project “Con-Action” at the University of Bremen and the University of Fine Arts, Bremen in November 2009. It shows the pretest of an experiment about the impact of the character and gestures of an embodied conversational agent on users’ expectations of such systems.
The pretest was only a small test of the rather complex setup which proved that the concept worked and subjects where successfully tricked to believe that the agent was driven by an AI and not a hidden operator (wizard).
The presentation can be found at: slideshare.net/Sanook/conaction-project-midterm-presentation

I just stumpled upon Stephan Scholdra´s documentation of his bachelor report which he submitted recently to retrieve his bachelor degree. And I must commit that I´m really impressed so far!

Just check the related website connoc.de for an teaser, the thesis download (in german) and even an simulator of the game (adobe flash 10 required) which combines an multi-touch interface with further physical interaction, balancing on a see-saw.

Seems to be a lot of more fun than I had with my theo-practical research thesis. Where can I play it ?

Thanks to Toni !

Dear DM-Students,

we hereby invite you to the plenary meeting of all digital media students.

This year’s plenary meeting of digital media students will take place on Wednesday 25th of November 2009 at 12:00 s.t. at the University of Bremen, Room MZH 1400.

We will elect a new financer, and the official participants of the StugA (Studiengangs Aktive). The StugA takes care of your needs and issues in the study course. You are kindly invited to participate in the StugA Team. If you like to participate, or have any Questions, feel free to write us an Email: stuga-dm@tzi.de .

Our weekly meetings take place on Wednesday at 16:00 in the 6th Level of MZH at the University Bremen.

Regards,
StugA Digital Media.

via mail from stuga-dm@tzi.de.
The StugA mailing list could be subscribed here.

This announcement in german :

Hallo DMler,

hiermit laden wir euch zur Vollversammlung des Studienganges Digitale
Medien ein.

Die diesjährige Vollversammlung des Studienganges Digitale Medien findet
statt am Mittwoch den 25.11.2009 um 12.00 Uhr s.t. vor Medieninformatik
1 im großen Senatssaal (MZH 1400).

Wir werden einen neuen Finanzer zur Wahl stellen. Wir bitten euch zu
kommen, denn der StugA kümmert sich um eure Belange und Interessen im
Studiengang. Ihr seid außerdem gerne dazu eingeladen, bei dem StugA
Digitale Medien mitzuwirken.

Wenn ihr Fragen habt oder mitmachen wollt, meldet euch unter stuga-dm@tzi.de.

Schöne Grüße
Stuga Digitale Medien

The course “Eventual Design: Exploring Another Approach to Making Things That Make Things Happen” from Nathan Felde had to be canceled for personal reasons.

the stupid thing is that those people who need this module missed the beginning of other courses which have started already (not me luckily).

via dm

Groups formed already, but, as in most of the cases, known people stick together. And as I´m a stranger to all of them I try to get in contact to the internationals. Know how hard It could be to be abroad and to get involved within a new enviroment, had also been abroad for my mandatory exchange term in Riga, Latvia.

But to sum up short. It´s very interresting and inspiring to work study within an international group with students with very different backgrounds. Hey, it´s interdisciplinary and everyone has his tacit or explicit knowledge within special areas. And that´s actually what I´ld like to explore, to contribute, collaborate … I´m really looking forward to it. Hope nobody will hesitate. We´re all in the same boat

Also, some simple problems became visible. For example the learning enviroment StudIP of the university, which is in fact a very powerful in my opinion. Whished we had access to such a plattform while I was in the bachelor degree courses in Bremerhaven. Just one of this inter-university problems that every instituion prefers their own collaborative tools.

It´s only in parts translated to english, so non-native speakers would be excluded. Could be an opportunity for an student to get an simple job as translator, while learning german?

Also, those students without an background in the area of digital media or computer science might be demotivated by the simple fact that essential features (like WikiNames for example) are not explained within the enviroment directly and that you have to search for it (on non-translated help pages …).

But it´s such easy. Type ThisIsANewSubPage to create a new one, !! Heading, – ListEntry. Or mark a link as extern with an extern in front of the url directly. And, if you stumble, just look into the source, or simply try to read the handbook.

Actually the language barrier concerns me, had some misunderstandings while discussions. Actually my oral english is terrible with german accent and I talk like a waterfall when I´m focussed And my grammar … even my german is not the best Still waiting for an language tandem partner from the foreign languages centre, hopefully a native speaker.

More at the end of the week in front of the master retreat !

There´ll be the master retreat at Verden on November 6th and as I´m an junior in the master programme I´m really looking forward to it.

To give an brief overview: There are 5 projects which will start in the next term, mandatory lectures started already and it´s up to us to form our groups in the next weeks, months. Just have look at the projects page on the official programmes website to retrieve an overview.

So, I´m a parcitipant within the upcoming Serious Games : Entertainment Computing project at the university. Recently I stumbled upon this blog called acagamic.com of an Ph.D. Candidate in the research field of Serious Games. His academic presentations are also online on slideshare . Could be also of interest for the parcitipants of the mobile gaming project at the University of Applied Sciences Bremen ?

Might be the right to time to distribute the url of this blog and to have a look if there´ll be a bit more parcitipation in the future to improve the communication between the different projects and institutions? We´ll see.