Within the series of debates “Internet and new technologies create new professions”, we are going over different economic and creative activities that have practically come out of thin air, almost invented from the needs and opportunities that new technologies are creating. Out of all of them, the profession of videogame developer is one of the most important and attractive opportunities.
This is a sector that moves more than €1,200 million in Spain alone, between hardware and software, which has turned it into the most important entertainment sector, above the cinema and music sectors. On the other hand, the training of professionals is still not integrated into the formal education system and this gap is covered by private academies, self-learning, studying abroad and some budding bachelor’s and master’s degrees that are popping up at some universities.
Creativity and talent are essential elements in this sector. This, along with its economic importance and the fact that it can support other sectors, such as the Education sector, has led us to give it a greater space in Fundación Telefónica. Therefore, in addition to the usual talk given by two professionals at these debates, we have created this Videogame Week at Fundación Telefónica. During this week we are going hold videogame development workshops and talks given by national and internation speakers. We can help discover the possibilites of this sector and show it for what it really is: an important source of work opportunities.
The activities will be held at different places around Madrid: the Telefónica Gran Vía flagship store, primary and secondary schools, Hub Madrid and MediaLab-Prado.
Videogames are a form of entertainment that is already a part of almost everyone’s hobbies and lives; but they are also a tool that can be used to transform and comprehend new realities. I invite you to come with us and share this method of learning a little more about them.
Javier Nadal Ariño. Executive Vice-president of Fundación Telefónica
Activities:
ROUND TABLE: VIDEO GAMES AND EDUCATION, EDUCATIONAL PLANS
An opinion on the professional profile in the videogame sector, through the different educational initiatives in Spain. Discover that playing videogames can be a job opportunity.
Speakers:
- Moisés Mañas: Coordinator of the European Master’s in Recreational Interfaces of the Fine Arts Faculty of the Polytechnic University of Valencia.
See interview
- Pedro González Calero: Director of the Master’s in Videogame Development of the Complutense University of Madrid.
See interview
- Daniel Rodrigues Parente: Director of the Videogame Design and Development Degree of the Camilo José Cela University’s School of Design (ESNE).
See interview
- Joaquín Pérez: Manager of the Master on Design and Programming of the European University of Madrid and Director of the Videogame and Animation Observatory.
See interview
CONFERENCES: NEW TRENDS IN VIDEO GAMES
The most relevant lines of innovation regarding videogames in Spain straight from the developers’ mouths.
1. Project ADONEO: Increased Reality and New Technologies in Board Games. Board games are no longer just for the dinner table.
Speaker:
- Javier Noguerol, Designer and Researcher. Professor at different institutions (Instituto Europeo Di Design, Camilo José Cela University).
See interview
2. Players as co-creators: Editing levels of the game LittleBigPlanet. Create, Play and Share.
Speakers:
- Luis García-Pelayo, Computer Science Engineer and Programming Director of the Ideup! R&D Department
- Daniel Pomar García, Graphic Designer, Game Designer and Ideup! Quality Manager.
See interviews
3. Videogames on interactive surfaces and other innovative surfaces. Why settle for a screen when we have the world?
Speaker:
- Mar Canet, Computer Engineer specialised in Videogames and artist. Creative Engineer at Ars Electronica and Futurelab. Founding co-partner of Lummol.
See interview
Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th of October
WORKSHOP ON INTRODUCTION TO THE CREATION OF VIDEO GAMES FOR CHILDREN - COLEGIO MONSERRAT
A workshop where fifteen students from the centre, within the Fundación Telefónica EducaRed programme, will learn to develop videogames with Scratch, a dynamic tool designed to help children between the ages of 8 and 12 to create interactive stories, animations, games, art and music that would surprise their friends.
Instructor: Iván Oriola de Santos, Flash Web Designer and Programmer, Computer Teacher at the Liceo Sorolla C. primary school.
See Video
WORKSHOP ON AGILE PROGRAMMING OF VIDEO GAMES WITH PROCESSING - HUB MADRID
Discover the creative possibilities of a platform that enables videogames to be quickly developed. With this workshop you will create your own mini-game with a computer draft or sketching program like Processing.
Profesor: Abelardo Gil-Fournier, a physicist dedicated to projects that link art, science and new mediums. Developer of the project entitled The Croopier.
*Limited to 15 places by order of registration.
See Video
CONFERENCE: INDEPENDENT DEVELOPERS - . MEDIALAB-PRADO
You will hear about the most independent proposals of the videogame panorama straight from the mouths of international developers and researchers. A debate that will enrapture those that enjoy following the latest trends: programmers, hardcore gamers, heavy users, bloggers, specialised journalists, etc.
Speakers:
- Jonatan Söderström aka Jonatan Cactus, one of the most prolific contemporary independent designers will tell us his development experience and opinion regarding the direction that the industry will take in the future. Many of the games he has created fight against realistic logistics and incorporate the confusion factor as a design element.
See interview
- Douglas Wilson, getting his doctorate at the Centre for Computer Games Research of the IT University of Copenhagen and co-founder of the Copenhagen Game Collective, will present the party game called “Brutally Unfair Tactics Totally OK Now” (B.U.T.T.O.N.) and his theories about how incomplete gameplay can make way for collaborative game forms, by focusing attention on the support between players.
See interview
Commissioner: Lara Sánchez Coterón: researcher in the sphere of the convergence of Contemporary Artistic and Cultural Videogame Practices.. //Organiser: Fundación Telefónica // Participants: HUB Madrid, Medialab Prado, Neo
