Control - Magazine for the game industry - 7th international edition by Control Magazine

7th international edition q3 2011 www.control-online.nl

magazine for the games industry

inside stories

guerrillaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s art director: a decade of killzone p.10 the touching story behind a beautiful theme p.14 the serious game that saves lives p.23 google+ games: an analysis p.21 control magazine for the games industry www.control-online.nl

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dear reader,

elcome to the 7th International Edition of Control Magazine. Normally this is the industry magazine for the Dutch games industry. In Dutch. So you wouldn’t be able to read it. But a couple of times a year, we publish an issue in an international language. Which is English, obviously. In this issue you’ll find articles on development, on trends, on business, on game music, basically on everything that’s interesting to anyone working in the games industry.

Control is read by almost everyone in the Dutch games industry, so if you want to reach that collection of talent, make sure to contact us at redactie@control-online.nl. We hope you enjoy this magazine. Eric Bartelson (right) Editor eric@control-online.nl

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Matthijs Dierckx (left) Publisher matthijs@control-online.nl

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Ridiculous controversy over indie fishing games Indie duo Vlambeer was “a bit surprised” when they got a glimpse of Gamenauts’ Ninja Fishing. Where had they seen that weird fishing game mechanic before? Oh yes, they remembered, they’d seen it in a game of their own: Radical Fishing. The original Flash game was a little indie hit. But Vlambeer had bigger plans and recruted IGF finalists Greg Wohlwend and Zack Cage to co-develop a version (or: sequel) for iOS, ridiculously named Ridiculous Fishing (pictured). And there’s the real problem: Gamenauts is targeting the same market with the same (albeit, dare we say it, stolen) mechanic. The Twitterverse has already condemned Gamenauts for their actions, but that’s not to say consumers will too. Vlambeer’s response? “This sucks. But we’re not gonna start some legal battle. We just want to make a great game with fish wearing hats.” You go guys!

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3 control Q3 2011

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How a small studio got hold of a big license

Game of Thrones studio ‘got lucky’

uickly, answer this question: who picked up the games license to Game of Thrones?* You might think it is either EA, Activision or Ubisoft. The right answer is Cyanide Studio. This little French/Canadian based company whose previous biggest endeavour involved a cycling sim, got lucky. Yves Bordeleau, Studio Director at Cyanide Montreal explains. “George [R.R. Martin, the author] wasn’t that eager, he didn’t care about games. But we persisted. We made it very clear to him that we were genuine fans, looking to turn his work into great games. We weren’t after a quick buck. In the end, he invited us over to his place and that’s where we convinced him.” Whilst development on the games had started, the news broke of the HBO-deal. (advertisement)

“We just couldn’t believe our ears. I mean, we were already extremely pleased with the license, but now... it would just be so much more famous and popular. We definitely had a little party when we found out.” The Cyanide studio in France is working on a large scale RPG with a team of 80. Bordeleau’s Toronto office is developing an RTS following a storyline that predates the books (the RPG takes place during the same era, but focuses on new characters). “We’ve created a special website, which integrates with our production pipeline. Every piece of artwork, every idea is automatically put in front of George. In this way he’s able to approve -- or not -- everything very quickly.” *Game of What? Game of Thrones is a series of extremely popular fantasy novels and since last year, an even more popular HBO-series.

silicon sisters looking for a Deeper connection

‘hardcore’ Games for girls

“W

omen love playing videogames. For many casual games portals the majority of players is female. That’s not the result of an elaborate strategy. Women just love playing games online. It’s as simple as that. But as a result many games targeted at women are just brainless casual puzzle and time management games.” Brenda Bailey Gershkovitch, CEO and Co-founder of Canadian games studio Silicon Sisters, is fighting against gaming stereotypes. She believes there is a big market for a more ‘hardcore’ approach of games for women. “We develop exclusively for female gamers and done a ton of research. Woman and girls are open to a deeper gameplay experience with games they feel a real connection with.”

The Sisters’ first game is School 26. The main character is a girl on a public high school –her 26th school already. She and her new found friends are confronted with real life problems, like taking drugs and drinking alcohol, (homo)sexuality and popularity. “The mechanic we use is ‘empathy’. That will win you the trust of your classmates”, explains Gershkovitch. “But also mini-games and quizzes are part of the experience.” When it’s up to Silicon Sisters, games for girls don’t have to be convined to only casual platforms. Talks with Sony and Microsoft are already underway to open up the traditional core space to these types of games. A final tip for other developers making games for girls: “Use text. Lots of it! Our studies shows that girls –unlike men– love to read backstory. It makes them connect with the game.” (advertisement)

YOYO Games announce a BRAND NEW edition of the world’s most popular Game Development Tool

LOOK OUT FOR US AT GDC EUROPE

Do you develop Web Games? Looking at HTML5? Java not your cup of coffee? GameMaker is the Answer

NEW

GameMaker HTML5 http://www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker/html5/beta

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gamebuilding tool to target more professional audience

new gamemaker generates ready-to-run html5 code

TML5 -the collection of new tags and javascript- is a problem solver for developers and publishers alike in two distinct ways. First, browser games without the need for plug-ins. Second, browser games on mobile devices that don’t support Flash. Plus HTML5 apps will run native on Windows 8 (so no browser needed). It’s clear, HTML5 is a force to be reckoned with. Mark Overmars, games professor and creator of the Do-It-Yourself game engine GameMaker, is a firm believer in HTML5. So much so that YoYo Games, the company behind GameMaker, is about to release a new version of the popular development tool that generates HTML code with a simple press of a button. Overmars: “HTML5 is clearly the

YoYo Games will launch a beta version of Game Maker for HTML5 soon. The actual product will be available in October at a price of around 100 US Dollars. Next year YoYo Games will release GameMaker Studio, a version that will generate iOS and Android Apps.

way forward. I’m not sure if it will ever completely replace Flash, but browser games without the need for plug-ins is a tempting prospect. Not everything is possible yet with HTML5 but our engine works around that. The functionality of GameMaker stays the same, including the programming language.” One drawback of HTML5 code is the lack of security. Anyone can have a peak at the source code. “Javascript gets obfuscated, so reverse engineering will be difficult”, says Overmars. “I’m not worried about that.” The professor is excited by the result. He allows himself a small moment of Apple marketing speak: “It’s magical. You create a game in GameMaker, press Run, your browser starts up and boom! There’s the game, directly playable in the browser.”

Crowdfunding: power to the people

t’s nothing new really. In other industries crowdfunding has been around for years and proven quite useful. Games may be arriving late at the party, but they’re catching up fast. The largest -and best known website for crowdfunding, Kickstarter has had a few successfull gameproject financed by the public. Like Air Guitar Move by Yobble Games. Co-founder Ronald Mannak needed 25.000 US Dollars to finance his plug-in iPhone guitar pick. He got 30K. “Crowdfunding is not re-

ally financing, it’s more like taking pre-orders. It lets us test the market for our product and keep a 100 percent ownership”, says Mannak. More crowdfunding websites targeting games pop up like GamesPlant and 8-bit Funding. Just posting your game on one of such sites is no guarantee for success though. Most of the projects never reach their target. But for independent studios who like to stay indie, it’s their best shot at getting money in to create the next smash hit. (advertisement)

Joris de Man I vo r N ovel l o Awa rd Wi n n i ng Co m p o s e r & So u n d Des ig n e r fo r Ga m es a n d M e d i a J o ri s a n d h i s tea m wi l l wo r k wi t h yo u to d el ive r t h e h igh est q u a l i t y o f a u d i o p ro d u c ti o n yo u r p ro j e c t d es e r ves , i rres p e c tive o f ti m es ca l e o r b u dget. G et i n to u ch to f i n d o u t h ow. . . j o ri s d e m a n . co m S u p p o r te d by

fa ceb o o k . co m /j o ri s d e m a n . m u s i c . sf x

t wi t te r. co m /j o ri s d e m a n m u s i c

P ro d u c ti o n M a n age m e n t, P ro m o ti o n & M a r keti ng o p e n b o o ku k . co m

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Designer Designer Texture Artist Texture Artist

c o py r i g h t g e r r i t w i ll e m s e .c o m

Amsterdam:

the perfect city for your game company

It’s true, Amsterdam ís the perfect city for your game company. But don’t take our word for it, listen to these game professionals. They feel Amsterdam is an integral part of their success. hermen hulst

managing director guerrilla games “For Guerrilla, Amsterdam has always been an important source of inspiration. The City offers all the attractions of a modern day metropolis condensed in the setting of small historic town. There’s no need to worry about commuting, walking to the Van Gogh museum or cycling your kid to school is the norm. It’s easy for our many foreign employees to feel at home: Everyone is fluent in English and although Schiphol airport is just a 15min train ride from the office, it typically offers a direct flight home.”

Gerrit Willemse Artist

The beautiful artwork for this page is created by concept artist Gerrit Willemse. He worked at Lost Boys Games (which later transformed into Guerrilla Games) and Playlogic. His latest project is Speedrunner. Check his portfolio online at www.gerritwillemse.com

Martin de Ronde

CCO Vanguard Entertainment Group “Amsterdam is a great location for our game development studio. It provides a perfect balance between a creative place to work in, and a city that provides lots of leisure opportunities after work. And above all, it’s a relatively small and thus socially strong place where it’s easy to quickly meet friends, colleagues and other game developers scattered around the Amsterdam area. That combined with a great digital and physical infrastructure and it’s international orientation makes Amsterdam the best location for Vanguard full stop.”

Did you know?

sounds of amsterdam When working on Killzone 2 the sound department of Guerrilla Games looked for the perfect sound for their flying ships, called intruders. They found it literally across the street from their office. The intruders are powered by the sound of an Amsterdam tram!

Claire Boonstra Co-Founder Layar

“We have no difficulty getting international people over to Layar. We already have 13 different nationalities (including USA, Cyprus, China, India, Spain and various Eastern European countries) working at Layar and they all love living and working here. Amsterdam is an asset!”

contact amsterdam Annelies in ‘t Veld +31 20 552 3204 veld@ez.amsterdam.nl

w w w. a m st e r d a m i n b u s i n e s s .c o m

developer’s story: a decade of killzone

Guerrilla’s

10 yea

“At that time we thought it would be a bad idea to have producers” 10 control q3 2011

s Art Director gets personal about

ars of Killzone guerrilla games’ jan-bart van beek on being involved with one franchise for over a decade

n the last couple of decades, I have spent countless hours playing video games but there is only one game that dominated my every waking (and sleeping) moment for the last 12 years. A game that crept into my system and changed the machinery within. That game is Killzone. I always wanted to build cathedrals. Not literally the brick and mortar buildings, but something of size. Of importance. Something that I never got to do in advertising. I found my three years at an ad agency to be of a depressing emptiness. Advertising is a fleeting business. Hardly anything has permanent value. You just drag yourself from deadline to deadline only to see your work in magazines or on billboards for a couple of weeks. I couldn’t stand the thought of doing this same job year in year out with nothing to show for all my hard work. So I quit. And in October 1999, I joined Lost Boys Games in Amsterdam. Here I found like-minded people. Guys that wanted to create something unique. Something big. Something that had never been done before. Killzone was all that. The Dutch press has named the game a lot of things: ‘The Biggest Multimedia Project In The Netherlands Ever’ and ‘Twice The Budget Of The Most Expensive Dutch Movie’. We don’t see it that way. We never think of the game in terms of money or prestige. We make a game every four years or so, and try to be the best we can. We work as a team and completely focus on the job at hand. And when it all comes together, all the hard work,

all the ambition and talent, that one moment is such an unbelievable feeling of inspiration. But there is pressure as well. Nothing is more important than to get it just right. Because if you mess it up the first chance to redeem yourself with a new game is years away. So everybody has that same complete focus to create the absolute best. You can always do more, want more, make it better. More, more, better, best. After a few years of repeating that mantra over and over you lose your sense of perspective. It has become the most important thing in the world.

To be honest, it’s a small miracle that we actually completed the first Killzone

With time you learn that you can’t win every battle over every little detail, but it takes quite a few battles to finally realize that. Thankfully I did, otherwise games development would be one long heartbreaking process. Ten years of developing Killzone leaves a trail of great ideas and brilliant features that never made it into the final games. It’s hard to let go of those ideas, especially when they seem to be the best you ever had. But letting go is a big part of creating a game.

en years of Killzone is also ten years of Guerrilla Games and our own personal growth to mature and seasoned game developers. To be honest, it’s a small miracle that we actually com11 control q3 2011

developer’s story: a decade of killzone

“Five years ago, we avoided those moments. Now we tackle them head on.” pleted the first Killzone. Green as grass and with no previous experience in creating anything remotely resembling a first person shooter on console. Our most experienced guy made Jack Jazzrabbit, a 2D platformer on PC. This was a different beast. Guerrilla Games was formed through a merger of three small Dutch companies and with just 30 people we were the largest studio in Holland. And we didn’t know Jack about developing a game.

I’ve played the games a thousand times and yet I never really played it

Compare today’s studio with that of five years ago and you’ll be amazed. Compare it to that of ten years ago and you’ll be shocked. At that time, we thought it would be a bad idea to have producers. We didn’t have any real game designers. And we had just two departments, Art and Code. Nowadays, we have ten producers and a dozen departments that work together very closely. Our development process was held together by pieces of duct tape. I remember a period of time without a working game-engine. It was not working for almost three months! We just kept on working, hoping for the best. Flash forward to now, we have a multitude of completely automated gating and checking mechanisms that prevent major slipups. Now people get irritated if the game doesn’t work for two hours and rightfully so.

12 control q3 2011

Every now and then something comes along and tests our technical wits and experience to the fullest extent. Something we haven’t tried before or something that wasn’t possible before. Five years ago we avoided those moments. Now we tackle them head on. And more often than not we are surprised to find stuff actually works. A great sense of achievement. We are finally at the point were technology no longer limits our creativity.

realise I haven’t said much about Killzone as a game. I find it hard to say anything unbiased when you poured your heart and soul into it for the last decade. I’ve played the games a thousand times and yet I never really played it. I know every nook and cranny by heart, but I will never experience Killzone as a player that bought it in a store. I can’t play the game without constantly reviewing it. But frankly, it’s not about me, it’s about the millions of gamers around the world that play and enjoy Killzone every day. I get a kick out of creating it. Maybe in ten years I get another opportunity to reflect. I have no clue how that story will turn out. Maybe we have had two more hardware generations. Maybe there are no controllers anymore, or no consoles even. The ever evolving nature of the video game business makes it a fascinating place to work in. Every 5 or 6 years or so, the hardware guys bring in a new magic black box and everything you have learned over the last couple of years goes out the window. The constant learning and discovering keeps my work fresh and exciting. I will be doing this for a long time to come. •

THE NETHERLANDS

interview: music

The touching story behind one of the most beautiful songs in games music

that one song how award winning composer joris de man turned a personal tragedy into a classic theme.

ometimes life is great. And in May 2010 that’s the case for Joris de Man. The music composer just found out his name will forever be connected to the Ivor Novello Award. This particular music award, though not very well known by gamers, is one of the highest possible forms of recognition for composers and musicians. In 2010 de Man receives the very first award in a new category, that of games music. Joris de Man wins the Award for his music for Killzone 2.

De Man was unaware of the dramatic role his mother would play in a tiny piece of music history

A couple of days later, the Malmo Symphony Orchestra plays that particular soundtrack during a concert in Sweden. It’s a proper concert, no giant video screens with footage of the game, just the music being played by a symphony orchestra. Much to de Man’s delight the orchestra plays his personal 14 control q3 2011

favorites. Accompanying him and his wife that night are his proud parents. De Man is unaware of the dramatic role his mother would play later that year in a tiny piece of music history. Games music history. After all, at that time, life was great. “Two weeks after the concert in Sweden my mum suffered a heart attack. A very severe attack”, says Joris de Man. “That changed everything. At that time I was just planning the dates to record the new soundtrack for Killzone 3 in the Abbey Road Studio. Quite a hectic time because we were still figuring out how much music was needed. We didn’t even know what the full story for the cutscenes was.”

he way Joris de Man works is as follows: he first composes the in-game music. He comes up with different themes for the different factions and main characters. That’s all done on a PC. The orchestra only comes into play during cutscenes and the menu. “I do the music for the cutscenes at the very end. By then I have made so much music and so many melodies that I can use elements from some of

those themes and make a coherent piece of music”, says de Man. “My mother died just as I started on the orchestral music. As a composer you always use emotions from real life events that somehow moved you in your work. Well, obviously this was one of those moments.” The composer points out that the story of Killzone 3 was different to that of the previous game. In part two the game took the player on a frontal assault on the Helghan planet. In Killzone 3 events had taken a turn for the worst and the game’s heroes were now on the run. More defense than offense if you will. “I wanted to do something different from yet another variation on the Helghan March. Exhilarating music seemed out of place and context. And, most importantly, my Mum’s passing affected the way I wanted to write. That all came together.” The result was an emotionally charged melody carried by a delicate violin. Very different to anything de Man ever did for the Killzone series. At Guerrilla Games’ headquarters in Amsterdam reactions were mixed. “I knew it would be a hard sell so I had a backup plan. The second part of the song is a bit more heroic so they could always use that bit if necessary.” Guerrilla Games decided to give the menu music sequence a try during the open beta multiplayer test that went live on February 3rd on PSN. De Man’s Killzone 3 opening theme proved to be a direct hit. An instant classic. Numerous movies

appeared on YouTube showing only the menu of the game. It’s all about the music and that one song in particular. Twitter, Facebook and hundreds of gamers forums explode with messages like: ‘Why bother playing Killzone 3 if you can just listen to the menu music?’

t’s a rare occasion that the main theme of a game turns out to be a classic tune. Koji Kondo’s music for Mario Bros, Joel Eriksson’s heroic Battlefield ‘loading theme’, Martin O’Donnell’s Halo, Nobuo Uematsu’s Final Fantasy and Greg Edmonson’s Uncharted 2 are a few. Joris de Man may have scored two triple A titles and won an Ivor Novello Award, it’s this one song, this tribute to his mother that places him among the great in games music.

It’s a rare occasion that the main theme of a game turns out to be a classic tune

The composer is humbled by the positive response to the song: “It’s really great to get all the great feedback. Especially when it’s such a personal piece of music. It just goes to show that you really can’t control everything. Sometimes things just happen.” • 15 control q3 2011

news: music

new work of some well known musical geniuses

‘one big album’ with game composers

elebrating some of the best game composers and raise money for charity at the same time? Yep. OneBigGame, the non-profit publisher of videogames and the Game Music Initiative are about to release “OneBigAlbum,” a collaboration of famous game music composers. “The idea for the OneBigAlbum instantly met with tremendous enthusiasm from video game musicians all over the globe and we were thrilled to see so many of them contributing with a track for OneBigAlbum”, says Ruud van de Moosdijk, founder of the Game Music Initiative. “We think we have a very strong and diverse line-up for our album and one which fans of games and game music the world over can really look forward to.”

More info at: www.gamemusicinitiative.com

The roster includes award winning composers from all five continents, who, combined, have worked on more than 700 games. The full line-up is as follows: Michiel van den Bos (Unreal, Deus Ex, Overlord), Allister Brimble (Rollercoaster Tycoon), Marc Canham (Far Cry 2), Andrew Curnock (Avatar: The Last Airbender), Jason Graves (Dead Space Series), James Hannigan (Harry Potter series), Akari Kaida (Onimusha 3: Demon Siege), Frank Klepacki (Command & Conquer series), Masaya Matsuura (Parappa the Rapper, Vib-Ribbon), Peter McConnell (Psychonauts, Grim Fandango), Mike Reagan (God of War I-III, Darksiders), Chris Rickwood (Age of Empires Online), Bart Roijmans (Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force, Dragonhunters), Cris Velasco (God of War I-III, Prototype), Christopher Tin (Civilization IV), Jonathan vd Wijngaarden (Adam’s Venture, Fairytale Fights), Inon Zur (Dragon Age series, Prince of Persia, RIFT: Planes of Telara).

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Communication & Multimedia Design at NHL University of Applied Sciences

Gamedesign: our speciality! CMD at NHL University of Applied Sciences is the only CMD department in the Netherlands with an Excellent Quality Accreditation. Looking for internships, excellent gamedesigners (arts & coding)? Looking for collaboration: we can do some business for you!

Contact our Business Centre Jan Ferweda (coördinator) 0031-646064925 j.j.ferweda@nhl.nl

www.nhl.nl/cmd

7th INTERNATIONAL EDITION Q3 2011 WWW.CONTROL-ONLINE.NL

Control Magazine Control Magazine is the leading Dutch publication on game development. With a readership exceeding 3,000 professionals and relevant students, the magazine is a pivotal platform for news, information, opinion and job opportunities within the game industry.

Publisher

Arno Landsbergen, Jan-Bart van Beek, Peter den Hartog, Angie Smets

MAGAZINE FOR THE GAMES INDUSTRY

Newssite

www.control-online.nl

Jobsite (Dutch & English)

www.control-online.nl/JOBS

Control is official mediapartner of:

Matthijs Dierckx matthijs@control-online.nl

GDC Europe Global Game Jam learn / network / inspire Dutch Games Association GATE Game Research Game in the City Dutch Game Garden G D C O N F Indigo, the indie expo

Editor

Eric Bartelson eric@control-online

Sales

W W W.

INSIDE STORIES

.COM

GUERRILLAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ART DIRECTOR: A DECADE OF KILLZONE P.10 THE TOUCHING STORY BEHIND A BEAUTIFUL THEME P.14 THE SERIOUS GAME THAT SAVES LIVES P.23 GOOGLE+ GAMES: AN ANALYSIS P.21

Call for submissions now open through early September.

sales@control-online.nl

contributors

Control is (co)organiser of:

Game in the City Conference Dutch Game Awards Holland Pavilion at Gamescom GDC12_ControlAd_v3.indd 1

Alessandra van Otterlo, Russell Beadle, Kitty Calis, Japser van Valkenburg,

CONTROL MAGAZINE FOR THE GAMES INDUSTRY WWW.CONTROL-ONLINE.NL 8/1/11 3:01 PM

cover image

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Open to: Games released between the 1st of July 2010 and the 30th of June 2011.

The Dutch Game Awards display the achievements of the Game Industry in the Netherlands and abroad. The Awards will be presented during the Control Industry Dinner on the 24th of November 2011 in Amersfoort, the Netherlands.

Indie Award: Indie developers located in the EU. Games for Health Award: All international developers of healthcare games.

There are two international categories:

Euro Indie Game Award & Games for Health Europe Award Register your games before the 19th of September 2011 at www.dutchgameawards.nl.

www.dutchgameawards.nl WHITE:

BLACK:

Dutch Game Awards is realised with the financial support of the European Fund for Regional Development of the European Commission.

ROTTERDAM - the place to be for game companies

Game artist

Tom Rutjens (24) is Codeglueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most experienced game artist. He only finished his studies of Animation & Games at the Grafisch Lyceum Rotterdam four years ago. Tom has always had a passion for drawing and videogames. He is an allround artist; he now creates 2D and 3D artwork, as well as the occasional quirky animation. More of Tomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work can be found on www.codeglue.com

Powered by A young, vibrant city! Rotterdam: a young, vibrant city with an international atmosphere. Home to leading designers and creative talents in various fields, not the least of which the gaming industry. Many of them are also educated here; some of the top media and design schools and academies in the Netherlands can be found in Rotterdam. The country’s second largest city is open to change and welcomes new initiatives. These award winning and nominated professionals explain why it is the place to be for your game company:

MARCUS VLAAR – Creative Director Ranj Serious Games

www.ranj.com Rotterdam has a down-to-earth, no-nonsense culture which continuously invites you to prove your worth and rise to your full potential. This allows you to grow, explore new possibilities and push your creative boundaries. We like the challenge this provides. This world port city has always been internationally oriented and the creative industry is also growing to the international market. This inspires us to focus increasingly on the rest of Europe and the world; we now do business with Germany and Singapore. We have created several serious games for multinationals, universities and other internationally oriented organizations.

TUUR HENDRIKX – CEO SonicPicnic / Composer / Sound Designer

www.sonicpicnic.nl This city has a buzzing and growing game developers scene. There are a lot of lean, mean, inventive companies coming up with great new game concepts in all kinds of genres and markets. The atmosphere is informal and accessible, and there's quite some collaboration going on between companies within city boundaries. For us as composers and sound designers for games, it's great to be a part of this scene and to be involved in projects developed here. Sound is an intrinsic part of almost every game, and the Rotterdam companies we work with give us the freedom to really think about how sound and music can improve the final product.

PETER DE JONG – CEO Codeglue

www.codeglue.com Rotterdam is a quickly developing city with a no-nonsense attitude. It's modern, it's creative, it's got great architecture, old parts of the city are rapidly transforming into something wonderful; it's just extremely vibrant. For us, this just feels like the right place to be. We develop and publish casually connected games for the latest generation of console and mobile platforms. As we also do business internationally, one of the main advantages for us is also the city’s infrastructure; the whole of Europe is easy to reach by train or by plane. And Rotterdam is very well connected to the internet through its fiber optics infrastructure.

Creative hubs in Rotterdam Rotterdam has various creative hubs, which are very media-oriented. Marcus: “Ranj is located in the Schiecentrale, a media hub. We work with all sorts of multimedia companies here. Although much work is done online, it is nice to be able to just walk into each other’s offices”. Tuur: “For us, it is ideal being amongst other creative people in The Creative Factory. When you work on a project with several companies in one building, it really feels like you are creating something new together”. Peter: “Our building Schieblock breathes a feeling of creativity; it’s a place where you can do anything you like. And that’s good for the creative process”.

For more info, contact the Rotterdam Media Commission • E: info@rmc.rotterdam.nl • W: www.rmc.rotterdam.nl • PH: +31(0)10-2214080

Spil Games is hiring...

...a lot of people! Check out our website for all the latest job postings and apply today. Go to www.spilgames.com/careers and come join the fun!

feature: social games

Will Google+ Games be anything like their Facebook counterparts?

googleville F

irst, let’s get this out of the way: we’re taking a risk here, writing about something not even officially announced. However, Google+ Games will be with us sooner (maybe as soon as this very moment, when you’re reading this article) or later (Google has a tendency not to rush into things – hell, it took the company over half a decade to launch a serious attack on Facebook). That leaves us with a lot to speculate about, based on a few facts emerging from Mountain View, CA and some common sense. To start with the facts: some tech journalists have already dug deep into the Google+ code. The result: proof that the company is serious about launching games on their second attempt (remember Orkut?), in the social sphere. A couple of lines of Java Script code reveal variables pointing at Google+ Games. Another fact: Google invested a sweet 100 million dollars in Zynga, the IPO poised Facebook games colossal. Why spend that amount and not bring their extremely successful moneymakers to your own platform? And then there’s the light speed launch of Google+. Within a mere two weeks, the search giant welcomed a staggering 10 million users to Mark Zuckerberg’s worst nightmare. If Google manages to maintain that pace, the platform’s user count will soon be attractive enough for some big (and small), social gaming companies to enter the fray.

Those are the few facts available right now, so let’s move on to speculation. The first question that springs to mind is: are Google+ users going to be similar to Facebook’s? That’s a hard question to answer but an important one nonetheless. Why would people leave the comfort of their familiar and well inhabited social platform to move to Google’s? (No one believes Google will attract a lot of social virgins.) Are these the FarmVillers? Considering the way Google+ is being positioned, you might

well, anything. We’re not talking about the free search engine but consider Android versus iOS. There’s a huge difference in the amount of money spent per user in the consecutive stores. Furthermore, Google’s most avid fans run Linux, not Windows, not even Mac OS X. Up until now, Google has been able to sidestep that challenge due to a focus on advertising. But in social gaming, micro payments are king, ads are lackeys. It might take some clever innovations to get the same revenue from Google+ users. These might find their genesis in the minds of game developers but don’t be too surprised if the search giant comes up with a couple of tricks of it’s own. Innovation is still the driving force behind Google, even more so with founder Larry Page at the helm.

Google’s user base isn’t particularly known for their fondness of paying for, well, anything think “no, they’re not”. The platform tries to be everything that Facebook is not. Especially the focus on Circles and Google’s love for customization contrast Facebook’s one-size-fits-all approach.

or social game developers it’s an important factor to consider. March in with ports of your successful Facebook games or try and connect to a new kind of social gamer? A kind that might be less willing to pay for purple tractors and orange flowers. Google’s user base isn’t particularly known for their fondness of paying for, 21 control q3 2011

Google hasn’t launched any APIs yet but we’re banking on built-in connectivity features for the likes of Android and Chrome (OS). Those might set Google+ games apart from other social platforms. However, they won’t solve the revenue challenge. So, yes, Google+ Games will probably become a major factor in social gaming. It might be a complete clone of Facebook games or the exact mirror image. A lot will depend on how Google will provide developers and publishers with the means to actually make some money on their platform. •

Invest Utrecht assists international companies in initiating or expanding business in the province of Utrecht. Utrecht, located in the centre of the Netherlands, offers the highest-educated workforce, competitive prices for top business facilities and a wonderful quality of life. Invest Utrecht offers on-going support to help foreign-owned enterprises thrive in our region. All our services are free of charge and confidential. Tailored to meet precise needs.

For further information contact Invest Utrecht: www.investinutrecht.com

made in utrecht

“Best WiiWare-title so far” (IGN.com)

“Most incredible shockwave-game to date” (Adobe)

High quality localisation Hollywood actress Carice van Houten stars in Heavy Rain

PC-version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and the PS3-version of Tomb Raider Underground

Several IGF Awardnominees

Two great conferences, with great keynote speakers like Peter Molyneux

feature: serious games

Biofeedback Game for

patient safety

A new game by psychologist Pamela Kato helps young doctors reduce stress and thus save lives by... TAking a deep breath.

“P

lease raise your hand if you have ever played a video game.” Pamela Kato gazes into the crowd and sees only a few hands raised. It’s clear that among the medical professionals attending this convention on quality and safety in healthcare in Amsterdam there aren’t many gamers. Targeting this particular group with a game looks like a mission impossible but Kato doesn’t seem the least bit worried. “Okay, let’s get started”, she says smiling.

The premise of Air Medic Sky 1 (or AMS, the airport code for Dutch airport Schiphol Amsterdam) is simple. Expose the players to a high level of stress in the game and let them diagnose and treat patients. Since it’s all within the safe virtual environment of the game, doctors are free to make mistakes. Virtual patients don’t die. A lesson well learned

in with signs of exhaustion. The doctor asks questions and talks to colleagues and family members. He decides to start an IV drip. This decision triggers an interesting gameplay mechanism. To get the needle in the patients arm, the player has to relax and get his heart rate down to a certain level. No easy feat, especially when you’re on stage with hundreds of onlookers watching you. But with a couple of breathing exercises Kato manages to calm the young doctor down and the needle starts moving towards the vein. The crowd erupts in heated chatter. Pamela Kato smiles. She just converted this bunch of non-gamers and she knows it.

As the numbers on screen indicate, standing here in the limelight doesn’t leave the man unaffected Kato is no stranger to game develop-

It took the American psychologist Pamela Kato three years together with a team of medical researchers in Utrecht, The Netherlands, and Colorado based gamestudio Visionshift to create Air Medic Sky 1. It’s a game specially designed to train young doctors. Despite their high level of training, almost all doctors, at some point in their career, will be involved in harming a patient.

The numbers are staggering: up to five percent of all patients admitted to a hospital suffer ‘unintended harm’. Kato is quick to dismiss the image of ‘young and inexperienced’: “It’s not a lack of education or knowledge, the main problem is pressure. Young doctors are put through the test and pushed to -and over- the limit by the older staff. They work long hours in stressful conditions.” Stress is one of the most important catalysts for wrong decision making and therefore cutting back on stress is the central theme of the game.

from aviation simulations. “The game helps doctors to recognize stressful situations”, says Kato. “The next step is to teach them how to stay cool and focused when these situations occur.” How does AMS1 do that? The game is a biofeedback game. Back in the conference hall in Amsterdam, a volunteer is called up on stage. A young British doctor is cheered on by his colleagues as he takes center stage. Sensors are applied on three of his fingers. They measure heart rate and skin conductance -or sweat response- which gives a good indication of stress levels. As the numbers on the screen indicate, standing here in the limelight doesn’t leave the man unaffected. He starts playing the game. A fireman is rushed 23 control q3 2011

ment. She created Re-Mission, a groundbreaking video game shown to increase treatment adherence for young people with cancer in a clinical trial. Results have been remarkable. Playing Re-Mission led to more consistent treatment adherence, a faster rate of increase in both cancer knowledge and self-efficacy in young cancer patients. With her new game AMS1 now completed she feels the most important part of her job has just started: “We need to do research to see just how effective this game really is. Once the data is validated we can launch the game internationally.” But research takes time and money, both of which are running out so Kato is looking for partners now. www.airmedicsky1.org

special promotion

Game research for training and entertainment

Contact We are very interested in collaboration with others. For more information about the GATE project, please see the GATE website at http://gate.gameresearch.nl or contact the scientific director Remco Veltkamp (Remco.Veltkamp@cs.uu.nl).

The GATE Project

Research Program

Innovative Pilots

It is always difficult to predict the future. But it is clear that the possibilities of gaming will rapidly increase over the coming years. New graphics and physics cards allow for increased visual realism but this must be accompanied by increased behavioral realism of game characters. New interface technology will enable a different, more natural form of communication and control. Gesture recognition, tactile feedback and direct brain connections will become possible. And new insight in learning processes in virtual worlds will improve the effectiveness of serious games.

The research program has the following four themes:

Within GATE a number of innovative pilot projects are carried out. The goal of these pilots is to create awareness of the potential of gaming and simulation in the sectors education, health care, and safety. In developing these prototypes we have established collaboration between game designers, creative artists, educational specialists, ICT experts, and domain experts. For example, we developed prototypes for a game for physics education, for non-verbal communications between patients and relatives, and for training mayors to deal with disasters.

To advance the state-of-the-art in gaming and to facilitate knowledge transfer to companies, the Dutch government has funded the GATE project with a total budget of 19 million Euro. The project runs from 2007 till 2012 and involves seven partners: Utrecht University, Utrecht School of the Arts, TNO, Twente University, Delft University of Technology, Waag Society, and Thales. Ambition The ambition of the GATE project is to develop an international competitive knowledge base with respect to game technology and to train the talent required to enhance the productivity and competitive edge of small and medium-sized creative companies. The project will assist companies producing (tools for) games and simulations by providing direct access to new technology. The project will make people aware of the possibilities of gaming in public sectors such as education, health and safety by performing pilots in these areas.

Remco Veltkamp Utrecht University Director GATE

Modeling the Virtual World focuses on techniques for semi-automatically creating convincing and engaging virtual worlds that can be used in games. The rationale behind this research is that the creation of virtual worlds has become one of the most costly parts of the construction of games. Virtual Characters deals with the creation of realistic behavior for the virtual characters that inhabit the games. These can be avatar representations of the users or computer-controlled characters. Such realistic behavior is important to increase the immersion of players in the game world. Interacting with the World studies novel interaction techniques that will improve the way users can control their games. For example, we study gesture recognition and brainmachine interfaces. In Learning with Simulated Worlds we study how games and virtual worlds can best be used for training and education. This will improve the quality and effectiveness of such serious games in the future.

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Knowledge Transfer Projects GATE is not only about academic research into games and gametechnology. GATE is also geared towards developing this knowledge further into practical solutions. The mechanism to make that happen is through knowledge transfer projects in which small and medium size enterprises collaborate with research partners. Companies provide knowledge questions and intended applications. The research partners provide new technology. The projects combine these into practical solutions that make the research results fit-for-use for industry. In fifteen projects, the research results are assimilated into R&D efforts, to help these companies gaining a technical leading edge .

directory On the next 7 pages you’ll find some of the finest Dutch games companies: developers, publishers, agencies, QA-specialists and more.

directory

Green Hill

Green Hill is a privately held creative agency dedicated to discover, fund and promote quality game projects www.greenhillstudios.com

Green Hill provides business representation for developers, supporting them in the process from pitch to contract signing. Our network provides skilled and knowledgeable studios perfect for original products and coproductions. Green Hill secures funding for game projects for console, mobile and online platforms.

All these companies are part of the Holland Pavilion at Gamescom 2011. This Holland Pavilion has been made possible with financial support of NL Agency.

For publishers and investors we feature a diverse and high quality portfolio. Green Hill also provide crisis management, due dillegence and developer audits. We can deliver anything from design consultancy to Scrum. developed / looking for we are Looking for

Developers in search for publishing deals

Maarten de Koning Managing Director & Co-Founder •+31 6 1160 3936 maarten@greenhillstudios.com • Torenallee 45 • 5617 BA • Eindhoven

Engine Software BV

Veteran independent third party developer for handhelds and consoles with 16+ years experience www.engine-software.com

Engine Software BV is a veteran indepen dent game development studio founded in 1995. In our 16 years in the games industry, we have developed over 100 released titles on over ten different platforms. Currently supporting Nintendo 3DS, DS/DSiWare, Wii/WiiWare, Vita, and iOS. developed / looking for

Mindscape Northern Europe

Console and pc game publisher and distributor www.mindscape.nl

Mindscape Northern Europe is a GFK top 10 publisher/ distributor of games, family games and children games for console and pc. We have 15 years of experience in publishing – sales, marketing, distribution and development - of entertainment software in the Benelux and Scandivia. developed / looking for

Developed

HOP: The Videogame (DS), Aliens in the Attic (DS), Cats & Dogs 2 (DS), Puzzlequest DS, Just SING! (DS/iPhone), Bejeweled 2 (WiiWare), Studio100 Speel Eiland (Wii)

PrintMaster, Reader Rabbit, Myst, Riven, Prince of Persia, Dance Paradise Kinect, U-sing, Jewel Quest, Top Model, Gianna Sisters, My Horse and Foal, Animal Practice, etc…

we are Looking for

New business relations with publishers, outsource partners, fellow developers and investors.

New content to publish / distribute, partnerships, republishing deals.

IVO WUBBELS ceo • +31 314 327 685 • ivo@engine-software.com PO BOX 252 • 7000 AG • DOETINCHEM

Mark Huijmans Commercial Director • +31 6 5060 6739 mark.huijmans@mindscape.nl•Hendrik Figeeweg 1G • 2031 BJ • haarlem

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directory

www.investinutrecht.com

paladin studios

newzoo

Independent game developer ww.w.paladinstudios.com

International strategy and market research firm focused on the Games Industry. www.newzoo.com

We create games to make people smile – be it a sweet twinkle, loud laugh or mischievous grin. Paladin has been founded in 2005, and develops games using Unity. We have released titles on iOS, Android, web and Facebook. developed / looking for

We provide our clients with strategic (financial) advice and proprietary market research data across all game platforms. Using our international network, we also assist companies in finding the best international business partners. This combination of activities gives us a deep understanding of the games industry and ensures we are always ahead of less focused consulting or research companies. developed / looking for

Developed

EnerCities - City builder on Facebook (enercities.eu) Jimmy Pataya - Arcade mobile game (jimmypataya.com) Project Momo - Under development.

National Gamers Survey Data & Games Market Revenue Report on 12 countries. Gamesindustry.com and the Games Industry Black Book: showcasing business opportunities of international game companies

We are looking for

Global iOS/Android distributors, and online portals. We are also looking for publishers for our upcoming title, an arcade adventure game with a supercute hero and a pinball mechanic.

We are looking for International companies that are seeking market intelligence and business partners to grow their business.

Derk de Geus CEO / CO-founder • 31 71 513 2222 • derk@paladinstudios. com • Saturnusstraat 60 unit 82 • 2516AH • the hague

youdagames

peter warman CEO • +31 (0)6 1585 5037 • peter@newzoo.com Valkenburgerstraat 196B • 1011NC • amsterdam

keesing games

Developer of casual download, mobile and social games. www.youdagames.com

Casual fun, Strategy, learn & braintainment games www.keesinggames.com

Youdagames, based in The Netherlands, has been developing games, since 2002. The portfolio now consists of 21 download games, one iPhone game and one Nintendo DS title. For this year a couple of games for different platforms are planned, including a social version of our most successful game, Governor of Poker.

Keesing Games Group is a young gaming company located on the Media Park in Hilversum. KGG has three game platforms: Zigiz.com, Yezzle.nl and Bingo.nl and is developing a quiz platform and Stratego.com. One of our strengths is our in-house expertise: because we employ both game developers and game designers, we are able to develop all games ourselves.

developed / looking for

Developed

we are looking for

We developed a couple of high quality Youda time management, hidden object and simulation games and the very popular casual poker game, Governor of Poker.

Distributors and traffic/media partners.

we are Looking for

We are looking for various distribution and monetizing partners. Please contact us to find out how we could work together. rogier de graaf marketing and sales • +31 35 621 6028 • rogier@ youdagames.com • verlengde zuiderloswal 4 • 1216 BX • hilversum

contact: marcel pordon • +31 6 1000 3947 marcel@keesinggames.com • sumatralaan 45 • 1217 GP • Hilversum

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directory

iceberg interactive

game in the city

PC game publisher www.iceberg-interactive.com

Cross media Game Event for business www.gameinthecity.nl

Iceberg Interactive is an independent videogame publisher founded by an international group of games industry veterans. With key offices in the UK, Germany and The Netherlands, Iceberg has both a firm footing in the vibrant European games market and beyond. Hence why Iceberg is a great destination for PC game developers looking to bring their products to market, boxed or digital.

Game in the City is a 2 day game industry event creating connections with game disciplines. We offer keynote speakers, lectures, a marketplace, workshops and special educational sessions. During the Control Industry Dinner we will be announcing the winners of the Dutch Game Awards including the International Best Euro Indie Game and Health Euro Game Awards. It’s a great opportunity to connect.

developed / looking for

Developed

Published many successful PC titles, such as Killing Floor, Ship Simulator, Dark Fall, Wings of Prey, Armada 2526 and Starpoint Gemini.

Game in the City is now presenting its 4th edition and previously featured keynote speakers such as Peter Molyneux, Keita Takahashi and Jasmin Kassner.

we are Looking for

Establishing and maintaining contact with distributors, game developers, investors and providers of relevant services.

we are Looking for

Speakers and Business Partners for the conference and entries for the Dutch Game Awards.

Erik schreuder ceo • +31 23 543 0960 • erik@iceberg-interactive. com • robert kochlaan 328 • 2035 BK • haarlem

roger ter heide progamme manager • +31 (0)6 41 57 57 06 info@gameinthecity.nl • kleine koppel 60 • 3812 PH • amersfoort

Fortress Social Branding Vanguard Games

Full service social media agency www.frtrss.net

Developer of games for console and PC www. vanguardgames.com

We are a full service social media agency assisting entertainment companies to market new releases through influencer marketing, creative campaigns, community management and targeted advertising. Fortress consists of an in-house digital agency and a branding unit. Specialties include: Facebook applications, widgets, tablet apps and interactive campaigns, influencer marketing and community building.

Dedicated to bringing a new generation of online games to premium platforms.

developed / looking for

Developed

Fortress developed campaigns for clients such as 2K Games, Namco Bandai, Big Ben Interactive, Rockstar, Xbox, Universal Music International, Walt Disney Benelux and many others.

Gatling Gears (Published by EA on XBLA, PSN, and PC).

we are Looking for

Fortress is looking for new contacts within the game industry.

yigal roos ceo • +31 20 66 11 506 • y.roos@frtrss.net damrak70, suite 5.71 1012LM • amsterdam

martin de ronde cco • +31 20 7076 842 • info@vanguardgames.net damrak 70 • 1012LM • amsterdam

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directory

SPEL–MAKER

Catching Games

We design and produce professional board games and business simulations for marketing and training www.SPEL-MAKER.NL

Game Developer of massive multiplayer online games www.catchinggames.com

Using our 11-steps method, we design and produce board games for marketing purposes (Casual Games) as well as professional games and business simulations for training and teambuilding (Serious Games). Since 2004, we developed and produced over 60 professional board games and simulations.

Catching Games is a young innovative and ambitious enterprise that works with dedication and love on the development of MMO games. Beginning of this year we launched the Beta of www.innebula.com This game can be played online for free and without any downloads. Next to Innebula we also work on new creative concepts. developed / looking for

developed / looking for Developed

Developed

Casual Board Games: The Towers of Babylon, Crazy Diamond & Karatino, Grow! Serious Board Games: Supply Chain Game, Expat Game, BPM game, Siemens Megacity

www.Innebula.com. A free MMO strategy game set in the nearby future. While building up your empire, fleet and alliance you can follow missions to gain more experience. In a real time environment your decisions will influence the Universe.

we are Looking for Attention for the niche-market of Serious Board Games and Casual Board Games. Leads and orders for Serious Board Games.

we are Looking for

At Gamescom we will be looking for international businesspartners, publishers, buyers and investors.

BAS KESTING GENERAL MANAGER • +31 20 6400 632 KESTING@SPEL-MAKER.NL • KORIANDERlaan 71 • 1187 EE • AMSTELVEEN

VALSPLAT

Iterative playtesting of games with the target audience www.valsplat.com/playability

We help developers improve their games through iterative playtests.

contact: anke kuipers founder & CEO • 0031 6 27898584 • contact@ catchinggames.com • saturnusstraat 89 • 2516AG • the hague

The Missing Sync

Music composition & production, sounddesign, research & licensing for moving pictures www.themissingsync.nl

•Playtesting gives insight in how the audience thinks, how they play, what works in the game and what needs improvement. •In turn, this gives focus during development, making the final game more intuitive, immersive and engaging. •We have a gamelab with eye tracking, an extensive player database and over 10 years of user research experience.

The Missing Sync is dedicated to locating and selecting the perfect music for commercials, games, radio, TV, movies and performing artists. In addition to Research and Licensing of already available music, The Missing Sync also creates original music . We are specialized in locating and creating music in the required style or genre that perfectly matches a particular clients or artists needs, working together with Publishers, Record Companies, Artists, Managers and individual Composers all over the world.

developed / looking for

Developed

Guerrilla Games, SPIL games, Ronimo, OneBigGame, various console, iPhone and iPad games.

We have made award-winning music for campaigns and brands such as Martini, BMW, Volkswagen, Citroen, T-Mobile, Samsung, Assassins Creed and many more.

we are Looking for

Meeting developers, discussing the possibilities for collaboration.

we are looking for

We would love to meet new clients who are looking for great music!

JEROEN V/D HEIJDEN PLAYABILITY SPECIALIST • +31 20 330 5454 JeRoEN@VALSPLAT.nl • PRINS HENDRIKKADE 22 • 1012 TM • AMSTERDAM

arON V/D PLOEG CREATIVE DIRECTOR • +31 20 4286 033 • ARON@ THEMISSINGSYNC.NL • GEDEMPT HAMERKANAAL 20-22 •1021KM• AMSTERDAM

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directory

Project Level Up!

Level Up! aims to develop young talent in the Game Industry www.lvlup.nl

Dutch creative talent is looking to expand their experience and enrich your game development projects. The Netherlands is known for its creativity, its skilled workforce and its good educational facilities. developed / looking for we are Looking for

We’re looking for trainee positions for Dutch graduate students in the game industry and for International talent looking for a job in the Dutch Game Industry.

seth v/d meer • +31 6 3322 3360 • gamescom@nlgd.nl taskforce innovatie, waterstraat 47 • 3511 BW • utrecht

QINQO Europe

QINQO is a one-stop value solution to sell online content in retail and via vending machines. www.qinqo.com

We are a brand new and very ambitious start-up with 20+ years of experience in gaming, marketing and retail distribution. We are on a mission to become the best partner for online brands in retail. We are passionate about games, technology and doing things that matters that create value. We do believe in strong partnerships and open communication. Quality in, Quality out (QINQO) is what we stand for. We can’t wait to develop the best in store experience for online entertainment userstogether with you. developed / looking for We are looking for

Premium content owners who want to develop their digital retail strategy.

jurrie hobers founder & ceo • +31 (0)26 202 03 05 • jurrie.hobers@ qinqo.com • nieuwe stationsstraat 10 • 6811 KS • arnhem

Kalydo

Kalydo is a cloud browser game platform enabling playing games directly from every browser and social network without the need of a big download and installation www.kalydo.com

Ranj Serious Games

Serious game development www.ranj.com

Kalydo is a cloud browser game platform enabling playing games directly from every browser and social network without the need of a big download and installation. Kalydo offers a scalable end-to-end solution that works with both big and small games, built on any game engine.

RANJ Serious Games is an internationally recognized developer of serious games. We work with a broad range of clients, among them many European top 500 companies. In recent years we have developed over 400 games. Our mission is to make teaching & training, healthcare and marketing more effective, efficient and fun by introducing gaming principles and technology.

developed / looking for

Developed

Kalydo powered games include: Runes of Magic, Godswar Online, Dreamland Online and eight new high profile titles to be announced shortly.

Gaining Leadership – Leadership game for Capgemini Sharkworld – Project management game, i.e. Munich Re, SMS Siemag Houthoff Buruma The Game – Recruitment of future lawyers

we are Looking for

•Developers and Publishers to launch games on the Kalydo platform •New business and partnerships

we are Looking for

International serious game development, sales and distribution partners

chris v/d linden business development manager • +31 6 1748 4074 c.vanderlinden@kalydo.com • paradijslaan 5 • 5611 KM • eindhoven

contact: Michaël Bas ceo • +31 6 2604 6531 bas@ranj.nl • Lioydstraat 21m • 3024 EA • rotterdam

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www.investinutrecht.com

GlobalStep

GamePoint

Q.A services for functionality, compliance and compatibility testing on all consoles, PCs, MMO, and mobile platforms www.globalstepgames.com

Realtime multiplayer social gaming developer and publisher www.gamepoint.net

GlobalStep is a game testing comGame Testing Services pany with QA Labs in India and offices in Amsterdam, Dallas, Los Angeles and UK. Our team consists of over 200 professional testers. We are dedicated exclusively to the video games market and deliver services on all platforms. Our clients range from large to small publishers/developers.

GamePoint has over a decade of experience in realtime multiplayer casual games. Their dominant position in the Dutch market has been the stepping stone to international success with GamePoint games integrated in hundreds of websites and social networks in dozens of countries.

developed / looking for

Developed

GlobalStep has developed best in class testing services for the games industry, at an attractive price. Our clients are enjoying them every day!!

Besides classic multiplayer games like Backgammon, Chess and Hearts, GamePoint also developed modern-day hits like SpinBingo and PartyDice

We are looking for

We would like to meet publishers and developers to discuss their potential QA needs, and present them GlobalStep’s operational excellence, flexibility and superb communication skills.

We are looking for Besides looking for new people to join the GamePoint team, we’re always looking for new traffic from major web properties and social networks.

FEIKE DIJKSTRA BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT• +31 (0) 653 275 612 • FEIKE. DYKSTRA@GLOBALSTEP.COM • HOOGOORDDREEF 9 • 1101 BA • AMSTERDAM

Game Entertainment Europe

Service provider for MMO games publishers www.GE-EU.COM

rIK HAANDRIKMAN BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR • +31 6 1313 8659 RIK@GAMEPOINT.com • GEVERS DEYNOOTWEG 93G • 2586BK • the hague

Zylom

Zylom is the European market leader in casual game distribution www.zylom.com

Game Entertainment Europe (GEE) provides services for publishers of MMO games for international territories to optimize their promotion campaigns towards paying users. We specialize in online campaign creation and management, web development and campaign to player/payer statistics.

Zylom is the European market leader in casual game distribution and our portals are available in 14 European countries with games localized in 8 languages. Around 20 million people in Europe visit Zylom on a monthly basis, of which the majority are women in the age range of 20 to 49.

developed / looking for

Developed

Online campaign monitoring and optimalisation tools, multilingual games platform with MMO games Martial Heroes, Hovorun and Lords Online, game sites, forums and landings pages.

The Campfire Legends and Delicious series with new titles coming soon…

we are Looking for

Publishers of MMO games who we can assist in accurately optimizing your online campaigns to player / payer conversion, as well as publishers who want to swiftly launch and localize their game in European territories. rICHARD VAN BARNEVELD CeO • +31 20 489 1142 • RICHARDVAN BARNEVELD@GE-EU.com • HANDELSWEG 9B • 3606 AA • MAARSSEN

we are Looking for

• Downloadable casual games for distribution (e.g. time management, match-3, hidden objects) • Quality web games. • Web/social game development partners leo kraan games portfolio manager • +31- 6--3948 2308 lkraan@real.com • emmasingel 21 • 5600an • eindhoven

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NHL University of Applied Sciences

Dutch Games Association

educating students in applied sciences www.nhl.nl

Branch organization www.dutchgamesassociation.nl

With a unique educational system the study Communication & Multimedia Design of NHL University of Applied Science offers students individual learning paths; they can achieve a broad knowledge on multimedia or specialise in a specific multimedia aspect, including game design or game development. The NHL is partner of Gameship, a gamestudio with high-end (mocap) facilities.

The Dutch games industry is rapidly developing into a major and successful player. The DGA offers a platform to everyone involved in the Dutch games industry. Full membership is only available for organizations within the Netherlands, but non-Dutch companies can become supporter of the DGA. Please feel free to contact us if you are interested in the activities of the DGA or the Dutch games industry in general.

developed / looking for

Developed

Students work mostly in real projects with real clients, like Healthy Aging through Serious Gaming, Classified, Dr. Crumble & Ms. Pie and Watermanagment Game.

Commissioned by NL EVD International, the Dutch Games Association organized the Holland Pavilion at Gamescom 2011 together with Syntens, Control Magazine, Gamecity: Hamburg, Gamearea-FRM and NBSO Frankfurt. This Holland Pavilion is one of many activities of the Dutch Games Association.

we are Looking for Projects for our students (possibly in collaboration with Gameship), game experts for guest lectures and a new colleague with experience in game design.

taco jan osinga Coordinator Minor Game Design • +31 6 4606 4700 t.j.osinga@tech.nhl.nl • rengerslaan 10 • 8917 DD • leeuwarden

BoosterMedia

jurrie hobers chairman • +31 6 12 085 949 contact@dutchgamesassociation.nl • neude 5 • 3512 AD • utrecht

Equinix

Provides mobile gaming portals; develops browser-based mobile social games (HTML5, Flash). www.boostermedia.com

Global provider of data center solutions for the Gaming and MMO market. www.equinix.com

BoosterMedia provides mobile gaming solutions: portals with browser-based social and casual games. We partner with social networks, gaming and media brands, connecting them to mobile users and creating monetization potential via freemium models and mobile advertising. Our Game Studio develops mobile social games for HTML5, Flash and various app-stores. Features include: connection to social networks, virtual currencies, in-game power-ups, gameplay between friends and sharing results with the world.

Equinix connects gaming companies with partners and customers around the world through a global platform of high performance data centers, containing dynamic ecosystems and the broadest choice of networks. More than 3,350 enterprises and hundreds of gaming companies connect to more than 650 network service providers and rely on Platform Equinix to grow their business, improve application performance and protect their vital digital assets. Equinix operates in 35 strategic markets across the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific and continually invests in expanding its platform to power customer growth.

developed / looking for

Developed

we are looking for

Sample Mobile Social Gaming: www.jewelclubgame.com Portal Partners include: RealGames, Zigiz, Jeux.com, MSN, RTL, MTV

MMO and Gaming companies who are looking to expand their business to new geographies.

we are Looking for

Social networks, gaming and media brands • Distribution partners for mobile social games • Mobile social game developers. robbert hoogstraten sales manager •+31 30 32 000 70 robbert.hoogstraten@boostermedia.com • neude 5 • 3512AD • Utrecht

sebastiaan verhaar gaming and content •+31 20 753 7950 sebastiaan.verhaar@eu.equinix.com • po box 124478•1100AL• amsterdam

31 control Q3 2011

learn / network / inspire

W W W. G D C O N F . C O M Call for submissions now open through early September.