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LINDEN LAB AND THE
GAME INITIATIVE LAUNCH
THE SECOND LIFE™ GAME DEVELOPER’S COMPETITION
Aspiring
Game Developers Can Use Second Life to Create Endless Style of Games
AUSTIN, Texas, January
27, 2004 - Linden Lab™, creator of online world Second Life, and The Game
Initiative, an organization that supports game developers worldwide, today
announced the Second Life Game Developer’s Competition designed for aspiring
game developers. The contest begins January 31, 2004 and coincides with the
Game Initiative’s “How To Break Into Video Game Industry: Mini-Conference
and Resume Workshop” taking place on that day in San Francisco. Winners will
be announced on June 14, 2004.
Second Life is a rapidly
growing, constantly evolving 3D online society, shaped entirely by its
residents. Second Life residents have created everything from flying tanks
to amusement parks to medieval castles where players battle giant insects.
Already the most successful residents are making money developing
activities, games and objects (clothing, furniture, weapons, etc.) for other
residents. In-world building and scripting tools allow developers to build
almost anything they want, allowing for boundless creative expression.
Developer teams will be asked
to submit proposals for games that engage multiple users and can be played
for at least an hour. Game concept possibilities are endless - quests,
sports, brain games, obstacle courses, player vs. player, players vs. the
environment - anything that brings Second Life players together. Up to 8
development teams will be chosen on March 8, 2004, given a plot of land,
free Second Life accounts and 3 months to create their game in-world.
Winners will be chosen during a month-long window in May/June where Resident
usage or “Dwell” will be tracked for each game. The top three games will win
land in Second Life and free accounts for an entire year. More information about the
Second Life Game Developer’s Competition will be available January 30, 2004
at www.secondlife.com/games.
“Second Life has always
attracted extremely creative people and we’re looking forward to seeing what
the game developers come up with,” said Philip Rosedale, CEO and Creator of
Second Life. “We’re especially excited about tapping the potential of the
aspiring game developers we’ll find at The Breakin Conference. Given the
unique nature of Second Life and the passion and energy these young
developers display, I anticipate some wild game ideas.”
“With Second Life, game
developers and aspiring game developers now have an inexpensive new game
development engine at their fingertips,” said Chris Sherman Executive
Director of The Game Initiative] At “How To Break Into Video Game Industry”
attendees will be able to speak with Second Life’s developers and learn more
about the capabilities the application contains.
The “How To Break In” event
takes place this Saturday, January 31, 2004 in San Francisco. The event is
designed for artists, programmers and designers looking to get into the
business. Attendees will have the opportunity to speak with industry
insiders, including top recruiter Mary-Margaret.com and hiring managers from
local game companies as well as to network and meet with industry veterans.
Students will learn how to
build an early professional road map to a career in the game industry.
Professionals looking to move into the business from other industries will
learn how their experience and transferable skills can gain rapid entry into
this industry. The event will also provide a great opportunity for local
companies to meet potential new talent.
The cost is $35 in advance or
$45 at the door. The event takes place at the 600 Townsend Building located
in the South of Market Area at the corner of 7th and Townsend Streets in San
Francisco. Registration is available online at
http://www.TheGameInitiative.com
About The Game Initiative
The Game Initiative is
chartered with the growth of the computer and video game industry by serving
the needs of companies involved in producing interactive entertainment
software and hardware for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal
computers and the Internet. The Game Initiative was spun out of the Austin
Game Initiative (AGI), an organization focused on supporting the game
development industry in Austin, Texas. Austin is the # 3 location in the
U.S. for game development with more than 50 companies making major
contributions to the game industry, including game development, publishing,
tools and middleware and chips and hardware. The AGI produces The Austin
Game Conference which will take place September 9-10, 2004. More information
about the Game Initiative can be found at
http://www.TheGameInitiative.com.
About Linden Lab
Linden Lab was founded in
1999 by Philip Rosedale to create a revolutionary new form of shared 3D
entertainment. The former CTO of RealNetworks, Rosedale pioneered the
development of many of today's streaming media technologies, including
RealVideo. In April 2003, noted software pioneer Mitch Kapor, founder of
Lotus Development Corporation, was named Chairman.
Second Life launched in June
2003 after being named a Time magazine "Coolest Invention of 2002" during
its beta test, and is available to all PC users via a download at
www.SecondLife.com. A version for Macintosh OS X 10.3 is currently in beta
test. The world of Second Life, which grows with the size of the community,
is now over 1,200 virtual acres. In December, Second Life was named one of
the best games of 2003 by PC Magazine.
Based in San Francisco,
Linden Lab employs a senior development team bringing together deep
expertise in physics, 3D graphics and networking. Team members have
previously worked for market leading companies such as Electronic Arts,
Maxis, Disney, THQ, Acclaim, Hasbro, Mattel and RealNetworks.
More information about the
Second Life Game Developer’s Competition will be available January 30, 2004
at www.secondlife.com/games.
Note to editors: Second Life™
and Linden Lab™ are trademarks or registered trademarks of Linden Research,
Inc.
For more information:
Steve Farrer
Heavy Metal Marketing
(512) 415-8300
steve@heavymetalmarketing.com
Robin Harper
Linden Lab
(415)243.9000
robin@lindenlab.com
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