UK Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop says that everybody’s fine in Scotland, despite the trouble she's seen due to Realtime Worlds going into administration. Hyslop is optimistic about Scotland's video gaming industry, saying that it "has the world-class talent and skills to endure and prosper after recent blows." This week she visited Tag Games and Dynamo Games, two games firms in Dundee, the hub of the industry in Scotland. Both studios recently received £300,000 from the Digital Media IP Fund. Read More

A report in Eurogamer has revealed that the U.K. will be getting a 24-hour channel devoted entirely to video games starting in November. The channel will be called Ginx and will be available via cable and satellite.

According to Ginx TV CEO Michiel Bakker: Read More

We’ll scrap any double-entendres and merely note that the English city of Derby has unveiled a street named after videogame vixen Lara Croft.

Lara Croft Way is an homage to, of course, the Tomb Raider star created by Core Design, which was based in Derby when it created the character. Local Councillor Matthew Holmes offered, “Derby is proud of its place in a vibrant creative industry and Lara Croft Way is fantastic way to celebrate that."

The name was chosen by way of a public vote, with 89 percent of respondents indicating a preference for implementing the Croft name.


Picture from the BBC

Voice work in video games is coming under more and more scrutiny. As games become more involved and deeper productions, the role of the voice actor plays an increasing role. To that end, we contacted Mark Estdale, a casting director and founder of Outsource Media in the United Kingdom. He has worked on games since the early '90s and pulls no punches about his frustration with existing practices in the industry. He set up Outsource Media in 1996 to bring the audio craft in film and TV production to games. He has worked on such games Need for Speed III, Pac-Man World 3, Wipeout (Fusion, Pure and Pulse), Timesplitters 2, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect, Pro Evo Soccer, Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures, and many more. As you can see from his answers in this interview, he still beats a production values drum:

GameCulture: What is the general process a video game company goes through to get voice actors involved in its project?

Mark Estdale: I'm a casting and voice director, I also provide character and dialogue development support to developers and publishers, as well as coaching professional actors for working with games. Although I started off as an actor myself and occasionally get in front of a mic, my main roles are directing, casting and coordinating voice production.

It is common (and bad) practice to seek voice actors late in the development process when the script is almost finished when "getting the voices in" is high on the agenda. The process: get game working, rewrite voice script to match final gameplay, cast actors, record actors, get voice assets in game and get it mastered before the deadline.

A high percentage of my time is spent talking with dev teams and publishers regarding best practice as this common practice, deemed expedient, doesn't lead to good results. Read More

Lara Croft's tomb spelunking adventures have finally paid off for her in real-world recognition: Her home town in Britain has named a street after her.

The Derby City Council wanted to name a stretch of road and put the naming to an Internet vote. Lara Croft Way won in a landslide. But why would the hero of a videogame even be considered for such an honor? Turns out that Core Design, the game design house that created Tomb Raider, is based in Derby.

According to a story in the Derbyshire press:

Nearly 28,000 of 30,000 votes were cast for Lara Croft Way, while Mercian Way, after Derbyshire's Army regiment, received 1,570 votes.

They were among eight names short-listed by city council officials for the £36m ring road.

Lara Croft Way will be used to name the Osmaston Road to Burton Road stretch, with Mercian Way becoming the Burton Road to Stafford Street link.

Many commenters at the paper's web site were upset, particularly when it was revealed that people could vote more than once. But it is an interesting tribute to a local icon.

Congratulations, Lara.

The Sonic franchise has had its ups and downs in recent years, but that will become even more pronounced In February as the bright blue hedgehog partners with a theme park in the United Kingdom for a rollercoaster ride and a special hotel suite for guests.

Sega and Alton Towers Resorts have agreed on a three-year deal that will rebrand one of the theme park's coasters with the Sega mascot. In addition, several rooms at the Alton Towers Hotel will be refurbished to highlight Sonic and offer guests the latest Sonic games, according to an MCV report.

A visit to the Alton Towers site already trumpets Sonic on its from page while offering thrillseekers a peek at the new Sonic Spinball rollercoaster, scheduled to open on Feb. 13:

Formerly known as Spinball Whizzer, the ride will be given a special makeover to ensure this very popular hedgehog feels right at home. You too can enjoy listening to his favourite tunes whilst spinning faster than the speed of sound on this fabulous family rollercoaster. Each ride experience is different, so you never know if you're going to spin or drop - and it could be in any direction!

Fair warning for those who want to ride: You need to be taller than 1.2 meters and less than 1.95 meters to ride (that's 3'11" to almost 6'5" for the metric imparied).

How long before Nintendo gets Mario a gig of his own?

It began on Dec. 18. It won't let up until Feb. 21. The Space Invaders have arrived.

An art exhibit at the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology in Liverpool, England, looks at the boundaries between the videogame space and real space. The exhibit, entitled "Space Invaders: Art and the Computer Game Environment," looks at games from Flower to Grand Theft Auto to examine how game designers are pushing the boundaries of videogame industry.

In a description of the event at Liverpool.com:

Mark Essen, a rising star of video game art, will develop a brand new commission for FACT. Essen’s brutal, lo-fi video games earned him a place as the youngest of the 50 artists in the New Museum’s "The Generational: Younger Than Jesus," the international exhibition exclusively showcasing the work of artists aged 33 and under.

Cao Fei, one of China’s most acclaimed young artists, presents his film installation COS Players (2004). COSPlay, short fo 'Costume Play' captures this growing trend in Asian countries of bringing virtual battles to life. Set in the artist’s hometown of Guangzhou, the video follows a group of teenagers who act out an elaborate drama dressed in martial arts from their favourite computer games and animations.

The exhibit also offers plenty of playable games for attendees, as well as retro videogame arcade cabinets.