Considers the gaming industry in Boston through the example of Harmonix, fallen on difficult times after its Guitar Hero success. Tim Loew is quoted as saying Massachusetts doesn't realize potential it has on its hands with game development.
"If you saw some odd costumes wandering the streets of Boston this past weekend, chances are they were en route to a games-related event (I'm talking about you, Anime aficionados). The one I attended, MIT's Business in Gaming conference, contained more suit-clad attendees than outlandish hairdos and capes (thank goodness)."
Scheduled for MIT Stratton Student Center
84 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02139
Saturday, September 14, 2013 from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM (EDT)
Contributions accepted via Kickstarter
"As the third annual video gaming PAX East expo wrapped up its final day at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center yesterday, the president of its producer, Penny Arcade, said the event "has taken over the city like never before."
"Three years ago, PAX East came to Beantown. It landed at the Hynes Convention Center and was seen by many as the acknowledgement that Boston was a worthy adversary against the perceived dominance of the West Coast gaming giants. They had EA and Microsoft, we had Harmonix and Rockstar New England."
The Learning Games Network, a non-profit spin-off of the MIT Education Arcade that bridges the gap between research and practice in game-based education, today announced a $1.99 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to expand Xenos, its flagship integrated social learning environment gaming platform, for Hispanic adults learning English (ESL) in libraries and workplaces. The goal of the Play Games-Learn English Project is to provide self-directed ESL instructional resources to adults in informal learning and vocational training settings. Pilot sites include the Boston and San Francisco Public Libraries and BJ's Wholesale Clubs."
CAMBRIDGE, MA, Mar 22, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- "The gaming industry is a harsh environment in which to start and to grow a business. It's risky, hits-driven, and traditionally receives minimal support from governments, banks, incubators, and most modern institutions devoted to nurturing new companies. How then does one survive and, ultimately, thrive? Thursday, April 5, 2012, the 4th Annual MIT Sloan Business and Gaming (BiG) Conference will gather industry insiders, independent developers, gaming enthusiasts, venture capitalists, attorneys, academics, and students from across MIT and other top-tier colleges for a day-long exploration into the business side of the gaming industry."
MIT BiG is being held on the MIT Sloan campus in Cambridge, MA the day before PAX East -- one of the country's largest events celebrating gaming culture -- which takes place in Boston, making it convenient for participants to attend both conferences.
Editorial by Timothy Loew, executive director of Mass DiGi, encouraging Massachusetts to tap the state's game workforce potential and avoid mistakes of Rhode Island in financing 38 Studios
Discloses some striking findings from Mass DiGi's survey of Massachusetts game companies last summer, specifically that employment in the industry increased 78% over a three year period and that "nearly forty percent" of survey respondents indicated an intention to increase employment.
Q. So you designed the game and programmed it yourself? A. I did all of the art and background, I programmed the levels, I did the music, the timing. I outsourced the programming to a company in New York. I pretty much did everything I could possibly do except the raw coding itself.
"What we want to make sure, when the next wave builds, that people see that there's an infrastructure already in place in Worcester,'' McGovern said. "We want this to be the video gaming corridor of not only the Northeast, but the country.'' Becker College offers an academic program in digital game development that was ranked among the top 10 in the nation by Princeton Review Inc., a test prep and online learning company.
Editorial by Michael Levine and Timothy Loew: "Retooling our education engine to produce better outcomes will drive our ability to compete in a complex, networked world powered by technology and efficiency. Transitioning to the digital age will define our children's future career prospects in the knowledge-based economy of 21st century."