Seeing Machines and the Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE) are hosting a competition to develop ideas into working examples of how head tracking technology can be used to enhance interaction in games. Seeing Machines is an award-winning technology company with a focus on of vision based human machine interfaces.
The Head-Tracking Game Interface Design competition aims to encourage new game interface control methods that incorporate Seeing Machines? 6-degree-of-freedom video-based head tracking. The games which best use head movement will be seen by major game console developers and the overall winning team will also receive an Xbox 360.
Seeing Machines Director of Sales and Marketing, Nick Langdale-Smith, believes the competition is an opportunity to open up possibilities for next-generation interaction between gamers and games. ?We?re talking about new control systems that utilize head movement, to in-game avatars which move in response to the gamer ?.
Those interested in learning more about the Game Design competition should attend the public information seminar, to be held at the Academy of Interactive Entertainment, Block E, Canberra Technology Park, Phillip Ave, Watson, on Wednesday 22 March from 6pm. At this meeting the head-tracking technology will be introduced and discussed in full detail. Example game ideas will be thrown to the audience, and a Q&A session will occur.
For further details, contact Neil Boyd at AIE on 6162 5131 or go to http://elearn.aie.act.edu.au/course/view.php?id=57 [you can login as guest]
The Seeing Machines web site is http://www.seeingmachines.com.au Link to the competition brochure
Three questions Neil (Neil and I studied together btw):
1)Your brochure warns that an signing an NDA *may* be required. Is it required or is it not? Or is it not required of AIE students but required for everyone else?
2)If an signing NDA is required are you planning on publicly displaying it? If not why? It's part of the rules of this comp isn't it?
3)If an NDA is required is it one of those *FANTASTIC* AIE student NDAs like I signed?
Without good answers you can be very sure I'll advise everyone to avoid this comp even more than EGA's ;)
*sigh* another opportunity for Lorien to rant away and feed his AIE complex...
I just don't trust these people at all. Particularly where non disclosure agreements and IP issues are concerned. I'm an AIE graduate remember AC and I don't have a complex. I have personal experience.
If everything proves to be clean and above board I'll make no more posts here. At the moment it doesn't quite seem to be.
In response to your questions Lorien, just a little background. Seeing Machines is running the competition. They are supplying equipment, speaking at the 'kickoff' meeting and judging the final entries. AIE is helping coordinate the competition by hosting meetings at AIE Canberra, supplying an online space and getting the word out to students and other interested parties.
While we suggested some things that should be in the competition rules, such as those relating to IP and the game being feature-complete/bug-free, AIE does not have the final say. The competition brochure is not created by AIE but Seeing Machines.
My understanding of why entrants may have to sign an NDA is because they are using technology that Seeing Machines have invested much time and effort into and do not wish to see it past on to their competitors before it is commercially available.
So to answer your questions-
1.If an NDA has to be signed it will be by all entrants- AIE students or not. I will follow up if it will be required to be signed or not.
2.It would be up to Seeing Machines if the NDA is made publicly available. What is the advantage of making it available if you're not entering? If you enter you will get a copy.....
3.No.
Hope this clears up any confusion.
Thanks
And just for Loriens benefit, I study at AIE Canberra (second year now) and DID NOT sign any form of NDA or IP agreement either this year or last. Neither did any of my classmates or any of the other classes. I did sign a network usage agreement to use AIE's machines along with an enrollment form but none of it mentioned IP at all.
That's nice. I wonder what you'd think if you read the one I signed...
I apologise btw Neil , my motivation here is genuine concern over competions advertised on sumea. Competions can be easily misused unfortunately- I'm not saying that this one is bad at all, simply that an NDA, a competition, and young people are a very dangerous combination, and it's one that a close eye should be kept on when advertised on sumea.
I certainly meant no disrespect to seeing machines.
My reaction was extreme, and I apologise for that also. My experience with the AIE was not a good one, and I will keep my mouth shut about it. Tell you what, I'll make sure I stay out of the comments areas on sumea where there are no good anonymous cowards trying to stir things up too :( I don't like arguing believe it or not.
On the other hand when advertising things on sumea could people (not just the AIE at all!!) please provide plenty of information to everyone. It is my (and every teacher's) responsibility to make sure our students don't get caught up in anything that doesn't provide adequate information I think- sumea is part of the internet after all, and there are some quite young people here.
Some of them have commented about the amount of arguing going on in the comments, saying that they are not worth reading. I think everyone posting in comments areas should try and keep cool, and ignore ACs. And I apologise for my part in this here.
One of my own students was naive enough to directly post his homework on sumea seeking feedback- my point being that young people can be too trusting (and maybe older people too little trusting!). This is my concern with these sorts of ads on sumea, and I'm still a little stirred up over the EGA competition.
Sorry, make that "older people a little too untrusting!"!!