matanuki

The Game Developers Association of NIU had their first meeting of the year last night.  Here are some of the highlights.

gamedevmap is an online catalog of major game developers, publishers, and organizations.  It’s an excellent resource for programmers and designers who are looking for employers in their area.  The site is organized with a world map splitting up companies by region. [link]

gotoandlearn() is a video tutorial library for serious Flash developers.  From slider bars to dynamic Flex applications, the videos vary in scope and complexity.  Along with an active forum, this is an essential site for anyone trying to get things done in Flash. [link]

GRAVITY BONE is a fun little indie game based on the Quake 2 engine.  This ‘Nuevos Aires’ spy adventure is populated with quirky, blockhead characters, bright colors, and fantastic music.  It’s free, fun, and funny. [link]

BIT.TRIP BEAT is a new game coming out for WiiWare.  I’d try to explain this piece of sublime 8-bit beauty, but really you should just see it for yourself.

I’m finishing up my final project for my 2D Animation course, and wanted to post a bit of what I’ve been working on.  Synesthesia has been a major influence on my work, so for my first major project I wanted to focus on the visualization of sound.

Based on some sketches I drew during the last few years, I created some distinct geometric patterns in Photoshop and animated them using After Effects.  Set to Ratatat’s track “Mirando,” these first 30 seconds use a lot of post-processing effects and filters that make rendering in my chosen resolution (1080i) ridiculously tedious.  So far I’m happy with how it’s turning out, expect much more to come.  I’m hoping to have the piece complete for exhibition at an Ars Nova group show on December 10th.