TIFF Nexus Event – New Media Literacies
Hi everyone, another TIFF Nexus conference and jam is just around the corner, April 20th. With the Hand Eye Society as one of the leading partners you may find it interesting if you’re making games, involved with youth, education, or interested in where media is heading.
What is it?
TIFF Nexus is an “initiative designed to equip Ontario storytellers with the network, skills and partners they need to succeed in the rapidly evolving digital media landscape“… or put another way, creative people across industries joining to talk about the future and making interesting things.
April 20th’s event is the third instalment and focuses on New Media Literacies – these are the skills needed to navigate, create, and participate in the connected world. You probably use many of them without knowing it but a lot of folks don’t. Scary? An opportunity? We’ll be talking about this and how human-media interactions are changing, particularly around youth and education.
Why should you come?
As game makers, you can’t just be making games anymore – the line between games and other forms of media is blurring.
Film: Uncharted, God of War, and most any AAA title liberally uses cinema techniques to tell story, MGS4 is practically five movies with gameplay intermissions, and it’s no accident Journey is no longer than a feature film.
Music/Sound: Silent Hill wouldn’t be very frightening without Akira Yamaoka’s haunting compositions, Jim Guthrie’s Sword and Sworcery Ballad of the Space Babies soundtrack could be released as an album with no mention of a game at all, and well, Guitar Hero and Rockband used to be something right?
Social Media: In indie, no game succeeds without a social media campaign; it can weave into the story and add to the experience (when done well); and social marketing companies like Zynga have even started making games.
The Internet (of Things): As the machines around us become connected with one another, new gameplay possibilities emerge and when machines take over the world they might be more lenient if us humans amuse them.
The future of games is in the mixing and connecting of different industries. Many smart folks participating in these industries come together at Nexus and hopefully games are nicely represented by you.
I’m Still Here
Tickets are $30 for students (with student ID), $60 for industry (if you make games that’s you), and $99 for the public.
It starts at 1pm and ends in the evening with an open bar mixer and presentation of the experimental creations of the Youth New Media Literacy Jam. Maybe we’ll see you there?
