A write-up of the combined exploits of Byte Night 09 North East.
At last it has arrived!
I have to admit to being a bit apprehensive before the event. I had done some prep – as documented here and here. But I was a bit in the dark about what was happen, so really wanted to get it on.
In addition, the weather forecast seemed v. unpleasant – Heavy rain, 8 degrees, windy. Meh
I happened to be up in Troon, doing a presentation on social media in the morning, so had a three hour drive back yem. That said, it was made more bearable but the utter genius that is Down the Line on the CD player.
The night itself
A bulleted list to save time
I arrived at the BALTIC at around 8.15 – there was a good introduction e-mailed in advance by what to expect
We registered at the front desk: there were sleepers & their supporters already there and the party was getting started!
My brother kindly said that he would double his donation if I shaved my beard off. So, taking him at his word, I decided to grow it a bit longer than the normal (long) stubble.
So, I thought I would do a before-and-after comparison – terrifying and slightly cringe-making that it is! ;-D
Somewhat embarrasingly, when I tried out the tent & sleeping bag on Friday night, I managed an hour or so and felt a bit odd, so came in to a nice warm bed. Mmm, perhaps sleeping outside is not so easy after all.. :$
I should say that I cycled around Brittany with a school friend when I was 19, and for 2 weeks that was rather pleasant – perhaps it was because it was during the Summer…
Anyway, I’ve learned that
a pillow would be a terrific idea
bed roll was rather good
sleeping bag was warm enough (fingers crossed)
it could be quite a tough gig to sleep out, especially if the weather isn’t kind :-s
I’m not all that good at putting up tents :$
I’ve also found my own survival / bivvy bag and also a sleeping bag liner.
I think I’m beginning to get my head around it all – but it helps having the pledges so far, and also means I can hardly back out.
Hello folks, I’m thrilled to be able to say that (at the time of writing) I’ve nearly reached 2/3rds of my initial fund-raising target of £500. I’ve also got some cheques coming in, so the fund-raising continues! :-D
I’m really happy about this, but am keen to collect as much money as possible.
[The widget on the right is powered by the JustGiving website, so the total will hopefully have gone up.]
My Brother has offered to double his donation if I shave my beard off, but I’m not altogether sure for how long!
So, if you can think of other ideas as to how I can raise some more wonga – please leave a comment.
I’m including some more background information:
Things I think I’ll need
The second part of a previous Byte Night video diary from Reading
The flyer to accompany the Newcastle event, to give you an idea of what’s it all about.
Packing List
I like lists, so this one is my aide memoire starter-for-ten:
I thought I should write up my thoughts re my recent attendence at GameHorizon:
It seems pretty clear that the Computer Games industry is a major success story
Apparently making more money than film & music [although all I can find on Google are rather dodgy get-rich-quick schemes which refer to this…!]
What I *did* find was a report from back-end of 2008, quoted here and here, saying “Verdict research predicts gaming will become the UK’s premier leisure activity before 2009”
But it seems to be in ‘stealth mode’ in terms of profile
There have been various controversies about computer games – which are set out in this section from Wikipedia
Reminds me of my MBA paper on Microsoft & Public Affairs paper [which I should publish]
The nub of this was that Bill didn’t take politics seriously until he found his competitors were using their political connections as a business strategy
Also is on the cusp of convergence of various positive technological trends
3D & virtual worlds
Serious Games
Favourite sessions
‘Sneaking in the Back Door to become an AAA Multiplatform Studio‘ Sponsored by Game Republic – Paul Wedgwood, CEO and Game Director, Splash Damage Ltd.
‘Separating Fact from Fiction: the Future of Digital Distribution’ – Roger Walkden, CEO, AWOMO
‘Development Opportunities in PlayStation Home’ Peter Edward, Director, PlayStation Home Platform Group
Panel Discussion: ‘Game Exposure – The naked truth about marketing your self published IP’ Sponsored in partnership by BAFTA and Northern Film + Media.
[that’s enough – Ed.]
Pretty reasonable games industry in the UK, also in Europe
Cutting edge stuff going, which I have highlighted in my list of favourite sessions
What struck me was the the Social Media / online component that many companies are only now discovering seems to be standard operating procedure for the games industry – as Paul Farley (Managing Director, Tag Games) explained.
I met some good people & am following up various business opportunities. This was an eye-opener for me, and I expect to see the Games industry as part of a major convergence of computing trends in the home.
Live bloggging info
If you would like to read my live blogging notes from the conference, please see this summary page.
Panel Discussion: ‘Game Exposure – The naked truth about marketing your self published IP’ Sponsored in partnership by BAFTA and Northern Film + Media.
Chaired by Charles Cecil, MD of Revolution Software with
Martyn Brown (Development Director, Team 17),
Mark Morris (Managing Director, Introversion),
Paul Farley (Managing Director, Tag Games).
‘How games can be used to help drive other Interactive Content’
Marc Goodchild, Head of Interactive Children’s TV, BBC
