Home opinion-and-analysis Radioactive-IT GCAP09: Wide range of independent and student creations

Author's Opinion

The views in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of iTWire.

Have your say and comment below.

Get all your tech news delivered to your mail box five days a week
iTWire UPDATE - it's FREE!


Part of the Game Connect Asia Pacific 2009 conference is the showcasing of student and independent game developer work.  This year the range is broad indeed.

While much of this year’s Game Connect Asia Pacific 2009 is focussed on the mainstream industry of video-game creation, there is also a significant presence on the up and coming industry players. 

On show is a group of student and independent game developer work.  The quality this year is as varied as the concepts they cover.

A couple of games are – as expected this year – hoping to cash in on the casual market place.  Wordcore for example, lifts the magic word brain teaser straight from newspapers, gives it a light narrative and then presents players with increasingly larger letter amounts, and therefore more complex word permutations to wrangle.

Likewise Mole is aimed towards the predominately iPhone casual gaming market.  Asking players to delve underground looking for gems, coal and the ever important oxygen to enable even deeper exploration.  The game is the epitome of simplicity, and is obviously trying to capture the same market share that local game developer Firemint achieved this year with Flight Control.

Last Life is an intriguing mix of tower defence and real time strategy as players strive to plan the survival of their host plant in a hostile environment.  Controlling the root system, seeking out water supplies and avoiding parasitic bugs whilst attracting friendly insects is the aim.

indygcap94.jpg

Tower defence games are certainly prevalent this year.  Axis Mundi is a radial tower defence challenge using a central ziggurat fountain and water as a resource to building a variety of upgradable defence structures as fantastical undead foes stalk through the desert towards the player’s oasis base.

indygcap091.jpg



CONTINUED on PAGE 2

RECRUITMENT & RETENTION REPORT 2013

HIRE OR FIRE? BUY OR BUILD

2013 is well underway and Australian companies need to know whether they should invest in IT skills training or pay a premium for the people they need.

If you want to know which choices are being made in your sector, what skills are hard to find, which sectors intend to hire or fire and where the IT spend is going, this free report is must have.

GET YOUR REPORT NOW

Mike Bantick

joomla visitor

Having failed to grow up Bantick continues to pursue his childish passions for creative writing, interactive entertainment and showing-off through adulthood. In 1994 Bantick began doing radio at Melbourne’s 102.7 3RRRFM, in 1997 transferring to become a core member of the technology show Byte Into It. In 2003 he wrote briefly for the The Age newspaper’s Green Guide, providing video game reviews. In 2004 Bantick wrote the news section of PC GameZone magazine. Since 2006 Bantick has provided gaming and tech lifestyle stories for iTWire.com, including interviews and opinion in the RadioactivIT section.

Connect

http://bs.serving-sys.com/BurstingPipe/adServer.bs?cn=tf&c=19&mc=imp&pli=5460041&PluID=0&ord=[2000]&rtu=-1