Members of Recruits discuss pre-production with Walt Yarbrough. From left to right: Alex Jersey, Jim McCarthy, Steve Everitt and Yarbrough.
Welcome to MassDiGI’s 2012 Summer Innovation Program Blog! We’ll be working throughout the summer to bring you regular updates from our game development projects as well as glimpses into the work of the project teams as they progress. Our goal is to shine a light on the game development process and share our experiences. Periodically, we’ll also have insights written by the team members themselves and the game industry mentors who guide them. But first, a little background.
The Summer Innovation Program, or SIP, was created to give college students an opportunity to spend 11 weeks immersed in a mentored game development environment. Essentially, SIP is a full-time, paid summer internship at a game development studio. When complete each student will be better prepared than ever enter the workforce or become an entrepreneur. SIP is underwritten by Becker College and an array of corporate supporters. (more…)
Alexander Sliwinski of Joystiq and Tim Loew from MassDiGI talk 38 Studios and games with Emily Rooney on WGBH’s Greater Boston. Click here or watch the video below.
One of Racketboy’s PAX East 2012 interviews, this episode features Timothy Loew of the Massachusetts Digital Games Institute talking about how it is bringing together the state’s academic institutions and various large and small companies in the games industry to foster a successful environment for people to create exciting new games, find careers and success in the industry, and advance knowledge about gaming and its economic and cultural influence. Click here to listen.
“As we all know, the state of Rhode Island loaned 38 Studios $75 million on the condition that the video game developers create 450 new jobs over the next three years. As we also know, 38 Studios could either make a payment or keep its staff, but not both.” Click here to read the full story at Forbes.
“The ongoing events in Rhode Island concerning Curt Schilling’s star-crossed 38 Studios and state loan guarantees have focused attention on the regional video game industry as well as video game-related economic development policy. Schadenfreude aside, the circumstances offer an opportunity for Massachusetts policymakers to learn lessons and educate themselves on the job creation potential of the industry.” Click here to read the complete op-ed in the Boston Globe.
MassDiGI’s Summer Innovation Program (SIP) begins on May 23 and runs through August 11. The program brings together 18 students from 9 different colleges and universities to work on sponsored game development projects under the guidance of professionals. SIP takes place on the campus of Becker College in Worcester.
Students in SIP applied in early 2012. Of the 55 competitive applications from 22 institutions of higher education only 18 were selected.
San Francisco, Austin, Toronto; when it comes to centers for game development and instructing the gaming innovators of tomorrow, MassDiGI wants to add one more city to that list – Boston.
Home of some of the most prestigious schools and development studios such as Irrational Games, the Massachusetts Digital Games Institute (MassDiGI) is looking to create an environment where students looking to get into the industry start in college and finish with a real job in a development studio right down the road. Click here to read the complete story at G4.
The first MassDiGI Game Challenge kicked off yesterday at the Microsoft New England Research and Development Center in Cambridge, where 300 aspiring video game developers will compete this weekend for a chance to release their game concept to the world. Click here to read the full article at the Boston Herald.
