How to Build Career in Game Design and Development

Posted by Bhavesh Joshi On Tuesday, August 27, 2013 0 comments
How to Build Career in Game Design and Development
In the age of digitization, computer and its applications occupy strong position and skillfully serve the individuals in different spheres of life. One of the biggest contributions made by computer is in the field of game designing and development. Globalization and multinational culture has widely made its space and masses have adjusted to the changes. The culture has specially affected those in metropolis cities where both the parents work and the child mostly remains hooked to TV and Computer screens. Here games have become major source of entertainment for kids. In fact not only these kids, but parents to join the young ones in the same and are making the generation techno savvy each day.

But from where do various 3d characters come from. You might not be even aware of from where does that Mario came when you were knee high to the grasshopper but with all zeal you tried gathering the coins in the game.  Today’s generation is more demanding. They want better each day and hence the demand for game designers is widening.

Game design and development has evolved as a strong career. Many students are enrolling in to game designing courses to pursue a career. If you are willing to plan a career as an artist, game designer or programmer you will have variety of job sets to choose from.

You might be really concerned about what the above three do. Well let’s take a quick glance on their roles.

Game Designer

He is responsible for creating a detailed designs and blueprint document. He comprises all the important aspects as in game design, game play, interface and various others. Updates the design documents, follows the basic build of the design and incorporates the tester feedback too in the design document. He should be proficient in creativity, close knowledge of the gaming industry and good skills in structuring and collaboration of designs. The designer also includes other roles as in level designer, mechanic designer, lead designer and writer.

Game Programmer

Career in Game Design and DevelopmentProgramming is the most tedious and time taking task. It comes as most frequent job openings. Seeing the same many aspirants and students are taking up the course seriously as there is ease of finding a job in the industry.

Many entry level jobs require programmers for handling small things and it can be golden opportunity to break in to the gaming world. To be a gaming programmer aspirant should have a degree in computer science, physics and 3D mathematics. Common roles of the game programmer include junior programmer, engineer programmer, physics programmer, AI programmer, network Programmer, lead programmers.

Game Artist

Artists find remarkable opportunities boasting huge creative freedom and work on both 2D and 3D. They are responsible for creating highly polished art pieces for promoting the game. The roles and responsibilities shouldered by the game artist comprises almost one-third of the work of the entire game development team. Proficiency in 2D and 3D is close to mandatory. Game art also comprises work of concept artist, modeler, environment artist, texture artist, animator, cinematic artist, UI artist and art director. Many big organizations have a full-fledged team comprising all independently managing their tasks in contradiction to small ones where few share the roles.

Why to become a game designer and developer?

You stay abreast of the dynamic industry: -  

Nothing remains stagnate and the ideal holds true with the gaming world too. The industry undergoes various changes. As the demands of the gamer’s changes with time, the designers have to come up with something new. Therefore the industry keeps the developers on the toes. The challenges to furnish something out of the box, keeps them motivated. And hence the industry sees no stagnation.

Competitive Salaries: - 

First thing an aspirant may look while taking up a job is the salary package offered. Game design and development jobs offer high salaries to the aspirants.  Better promotion and respectable job profiles are accessible.

Various job opportunities:-

Game designing and developer aspirants have plenty of opportunities before them. From big brands to smaller ones, many companies have entered in to the animation and gaming world, so it provides various opportunities to the aspirants.

Work with proficient people around and learn more:-

Working and learning goes hand in hand. You find better job opportunities and a healthier environment to boost your creativity. Cross functional platform provides more learning ambiance and helps you learn more about other’s profile. While working closely with other gaming department teams you stay abreast of latest tools and techniques. So work for play and learn more and more.

Leading Institutes

Various institutes are offering game designing and development course. Keen aspirants can find the requisite educational platform with reputed colleges in India mentioned below.

·        Asian Institute of Gaming and Animation, Bangalore

·        ZEE Institute of Creative Art, Chandigarh

·        Image College of Art, Animation and Technology, Hyderabad
 
·        Picasso Animation, Hyderabad

·        Megatron Animation Academy, Pune

·        Color Design India Education Center, Delhi

·        TUFF Academy of Animation, Indore

Opportunities as a game designers are profuse in the country and across. Multi career path are available to access. So give a kick start to your career and flex your creative muscles.


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15 Valuable Photoshop Shortcuts to Know

Posted by Bhavesh Joshi On Saturday, August 24, 2013 0 comments
15 Valuable Photoshop Shortcuts to KnowIf you spend so much time working on Photoshop, you should definitely try to learn a few shortcut commands to make it a lot easier to handle different tasks. These shortcuts keep you from changing the position of your mouse cursor and allow you save a lot of your time in the process. Here is a list of some useful shortcuts – you can also use some of them on your web browser.

1 - Ctrl + Alt + Shift + K

This is probably the most important tool to help you learn everything about different keyboard commands.

2 - Ctrl + Z (Undo)

You can use this function in most of the Windows programs and software. Most people are already aware of this command and have already used it with different programs. You can also use it when working in Microsoft Photoshop. For those who don't know, this command will undo the very last move you made. This command is quite useful, especially when you are working on images.

3 - Ctrl + 0 (zero) (Fit on Screen)

If you are working on a image and need to pay attention to small details, you should remember this particular command, as it keeps you from using the 'zoom-in' function time and again. Just press this command and the image will fit onto the screen for better viewing experience.

4 - B (Brush Tool)

When working with different images, you will have to use several tools repeatedly. To save your time, you can simply use this command and it will activate the 'brush' tool.

5 - Z (Zoom Tool)

While editing images, you sometimes need to see the bigger version of an image, and that's when you have to use the 'Zoom' tool. To avoid wasting your time looking for the tool, you can simply use this command, which will help you to zoom our or zoom in of your images. You can also press the Alt key while using this command to zoom out quickly.

6 - H (Hand Tool)

Many Photoshop users sometimes need to pan quickly, and for this, they have to look for the hand tool in the menu. You can save your time simply by using this particular shortcut, which allows you to activate the hand tool that you can use to move an object/image, even if you have zoomed in on it. It is also possible to move an object around by pressing and holding onto the Ctrl key.

7 - 1->0 (Tool Opacity)

For some, this shortcut command may be a bit tricky; for others, it's quite useful and they simply cannot do without it. With this command, you can set your brush opacity to a specific number. For instance, if you type in "100", this will set the opacity to 100%. You can reduce it by entering a different number – it will be set to 55% if you enter the number 56. It is also possible to set a smaller percentage for which you need to enter a zero before the number.

8 - Shift + 1->0 (Tool Flow)

You can use this command to change the tool flow. The important thing to remember is that it is not enough to just press the shift key once – you have to press and hold it, and, at the same time, press any number between one and zero. If you understand the idea behind the command used for the tool opacity function, it will be easier to learn this one too.

9 - Tab (Hide/Show Palettes)

This one is the all-time favorite of editors, as it helps them to create more space to work. By using this command, you can simply hide the palettes, which will leave you with more space and less frustration.

10 - Ctrl + Shift + N (New Layer)

When working with layers, it often feels frustrating to leave the first layer and then look for the options to add another one. Instead, you can simple use this shortcut command and you will have a new layer dialog box appearing on your screen. This layer will find a place on top of your active layer.

11 - Ctrl + Alt + Shift + N (New Layer No Dialog)

If you don't want a dialog box to appear at the time of adding a new layer, you can simply use this shortcut command.

12 - Shift + ] (Increase Brush Softness)

Sometimes, you have to increase the softness of your brush, and this often takes some time to locate the right option. With this shortcut command, you can increase the brush softness by 25%. For more softness, you can keep pressing the button. It is a simple way of identifying the best brush softness for your project.

13 - Shift + [ (Decrease Brush Softness)

If you think the brush softness is on the higher side, you can decrease it simply by using this shortcut command. You will be able to reduce the softness by 25% by pressing the button once.

14 - ] (Increase Brush Size)

Fifteen Valuable Photoshop Shortcuts to KnowIf you are editing, it sometimes becomes important to remember the position of your mouse cursor. But it is obvious to lose your original position if you have to move your mouse to change the brush size. The simple solution is to use this shortcut command, which will change the brush size without changing the position of your mouse pointer.

15 - [ (Decrease Brush Size)

If the brush size is too big to be suitable for your project, simply enter this shortcut command on your keyboard to reduce it. This command allows you to change the size of the brush while keeping it in the same position.
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Non-Electric Technology: Some Gadgets for Emergency Situations

Posted by Bhavesh Joshi On Friday, August 23, 2013 0 comments
Non-Electric Technology: Some Gadgets for Emergency SituationsThe greatest gadgets of all time, ranging from the alarm clock to your smart phone has since sustained their presence by offering quality and cost-effectiveness over the years.  . Whether it is mechanical or electronic, a gadget is an item that is produced through mass production and one that you can hold with your hand. Read on to find out more about mechanically-controlled gadgets, some of which are used as safety gadgets in times of emergency.       

Duct Tape:

You might not realize that a duct tape is a gadgets tool. Scientists such as those working for NASA have over the years used duct tape to undertake pertinent repairs while on the moon or during their space travel exploration. Institutions such as Brookhaven National Laboratory have used it to fix their particle accelerator on many occasions. Entrepreneurs as well as enthusiasts have made good use of it while making prom dresses including wallets. At first site, duct tape might seem like a simple material, but on the contrary, it is a gadget that can be used for multiple purposes.

Duct Tape

Stapler:

StaplerWith quality built in from ground up, there is no office gadget that has enjoyed an excellent star turn similar to that of a stapler. Behind the quality, this gadget offers remarkable industry-leading performance, standardized subassemblies and fully modular architecture. This gadget realized it smashing breakthrough in the comedy film Office Space. Its role as an emergency gadget was clearly appreciated in the movie’s plot that revolved around the red Swingline. This triggered a great demand for this gadget by fans especially when Swingline took a red stapler to the market. The full range of stapler designs delivers high quality and features simple plug-ins.

Roomba:

Prior to the unveiling of the Roomba floorvac, big manufacturers such as iRobot used to manufacture robots that were capable of clearing land-mines. The robot’s performance was based on an advanced technology called crop cycle algorithm. As the maker of the first land-mine-removing robots, iRobots went on to adapt the same technological concept to conceive what Roomba circle came to be. The gadget could perform mine-sweep operations independently. Consequently, Roomba gadget is the crowning achievement of a design team that boasts of almost a decade of experience in conceiving, producing and delivering non-electrical Roomba gadgets. Suffice to note that within a year since its first launch, Roomba floorvac ranked top-most request gift among American wedding registries.

Quick-Release Ski Binding:

Quick-Release Ski BindingBefore the introduction of Quick Release Ski Binding, the ski hill was but a dreaded and unforgiving place to venture into. With functional innovations that blow away the standard limitations of skiers, this gadget help prevent any catastrophic injuries. Such is the gadget that motivated some skiing enthusiasts such as Hjalmar Hvam to conceive today’s effective safety binding gadgets. The concept was derived from the principle of a release toe iron that led to subsequent development of emergency bindings. This has since altered the perception regarding safety bindings especially in high-risk sports endeavours as well as non-risky leisure expeditions. Thanks to this gadget, the sport realized a spiked boom during the last decade and shows no sign of relenting.


Perhaps you have heard a lot about non-electric gadgets that are used during different emergency situations. Some of the gadgets are derived from functional creativity that leads to the production of something original and useful. Non-electric gadgets which are applied during emergency situations are creations born out of divergent thinking and combining those ideas into the best results.
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Is It Time to Change Your Anti-Virus Software?

Posted by Bhavesh Joshi On 0 comments
Is It Time to Change Your Anti-Virus Software?
Anti-virus software has become a standard tool for keeping your computer secure and working properly. It’s up to you to decide which anti-virus program is right for you, but keep one thing in mind while choosing: you can always change your mind.

The biggest names in anti-virus software offer several pricing options, including one-time purchases and subscription plans. But if you think you’re stuck with a program that’s no longer working for you, think again.

Here are some situations to consider when evaluating anti-virus software:

Detection Capabilities

Tens of thousands of new threats and viruses come online every day and your anti-virus software needs to be able to identify all of them as they do. Some programs can detect every threat, while others constantly look for them; your program should do both.

If you’re not sure how many threats your software detects, run it through an anti-virus comparative tool; the higher the score, the more current and potential threats your software is able to spot. But since new threats appear all the time, your program should also run frequent updates every day so it doesn’t miss anything. 

Performance Speed

If you want to hire any local addiction rehab centers, you want to go with the most reliable center but also the most cost efficient. The same is true for anti-virus software, and if your program is slowing you down, a change is in order.

When anti-virus software is scanning your computer or making updates, it uses a certain amount of computer resources, which can slow down your processing speed. You can mitigate this by scheduling these tasks for down times. If this isn’t an option, however, it may be time to switch your current program for a faster-running product.

Ease of Use

Your anti-virus software should run seamlessly without significant upkeep on your part. The best software is easy to use and requires minimal maintenance and management, but you might want to change your software if you find it more troublesome than convenient.

Change Your Anti-Virus SoftwareIs your current solution hard to manage? Do you constantly have to consult a Help screen, or call a support line to learn how to do the most basic things? Are you able to get the support you need quickly and easily? If you constantly deal with any of these issues, replacing your software with a more customer-friendly solution can save you time and improve computer security.

Not all anti-virus software programs are created equal, and the right solution for one person may not fit someone else’s needs. If your software isn’t meeting your expectations, don’t give up; just uninstall it and look for something that delivers the best performance for you.


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Platform Independency in Java

Posted by Bhavesh Joshi On Wednesday, August 21, 2013 0 comments
Platform Independency in Java
Java is an object oriented multi paradigm structured and imperative programming language developed by oracle to cater the need of specifically designed circumstances. Based on the Write Once and Runs Anywhere concept, java codes running in one platform need not be configured again to run in another platform. This is the greatest advantage of java being a platform independent language. A Java application runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) platform regardless of computer architecture, proving the platform independent factor. For client server applications, java is the most popular computer language so far due to its smooth work flow and less number of complicacies. 

Initially developed at Sun Microsystems by James Gosling in 1995, Java is a combination of C & C++ to support both the structure as well as object oriented functions. Later Oracle took over the Sun Microsystems, so Java now is the property of Oracle. Based on the open platform technology, Java is under the GNU General Public License scheme termed as Free & Open Source Software (FOSS) that makes it so powerful to customize any sorts of things. Originally developed in 1991, Java was mainly designed for interactive television programs but, thought that was miles away from the then cable network system. Initially termed as Oak, later it became Green, finally Java inspired from Java Coffee Beans, a favorite for Java developers. With the advent of Java 2, multiple configurations building for various platforms became easier, thus came the popular boards like J2EE, J2ME aimed differently for desktop as well as mobile interface creation. 

In terms of properties of Java, it is object oriented, robust, secure, architecture neutral, portable, dynamic, threaded, interpreted and with high performance. Having all such rare facilities, Java became programmer’s delight. For example, one of the greatest strengths of Java is portability. It means a computer program written in Java language can run in any system of any hardware and of any type of operating system. This happens only in java as it compiles the code into Java byte code instead of a platform specific machine code. Also, the library used in Java has generic features like graphics, threading etc. 

In terms of performance, java programs are a bit slower and consume more memory than a C++ program, but the execution speed of Java is far better because of the introduction of Just in Time compiler. Later, with the significant introduction of Java Virtual Machine, inner class, StringBuffer class, hotspot etc. has made Java a programmers’ obvious choice. Another significant development is there are certain platforms that offer direct hardware support for Java. In detail, there are some micro controllers that can run java as hardware, deviating traditionally from software even from JVM. The automatic garbage controller for memory management is also a big plus in Java. Java runtime is responsible to recover the memory when objects are no longer in use and this helps Java to be faster. Garbage collection is another strong feature of Java and it happens when a program is in idle state. It is automatically triggered when the memory space is lesser and some amount of space is required to allocate a new object. Hotspot is such a garbage collector in Java which uses the concurrent mark sweep collector or CMS concept. Oracle is working to replace this age old hotspot running in CMS by Garbage First Collector concept. Making a deviation or modification, Java does not support the pointer function like C or C++. 

Java Applets are programs those are embedded in other applications mainly in the web pages and Java Servlet technology gives an option to web developers to extend the functions of a web server by a simple and consistent mechanism. Java Servlets are server side java components for response generation from the client side more or less same like Java Server Pages or JSP. Java Swing is a GUI or graphical user interface library for the Java SE platform. All these features has made Java as one of the leading programming languages that can be employed anywhere without any hindrances. 
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Top 5 Best Game Creation Softwares

Posted by Bhavesh Joshi On Monday, August 19, 2013 0 comments
Top 5 Best Game Creation Softwares
The mind of a human is always bubbling with creativity and imagination, some of which can be manifested in more ways than one, such as games. Is there a concept in your mind? Or, do you want to create a game, one that would marvel the world and bring in royalties for you as well? If you thought the concept was to be best left in your head, think again. There are tools and software online which you can use to manifest this creation. Do not for once think of this as farfetched; take a look at the recent advancement of technology and you would be flooded with help when it comes to game creation. Thanks to the new ways of coding and scripting, you do not even have to know how to use programming (which was once a must for game creation). Hence, let’s jump on the bandwagon, and learn how to create games that would thrill the gaming enthusiasts.

Sploder rocks

This is a game creation software which is web based and has sub-tools, five individual ones to create various types of games, such as; 

1.      Retro Arcade
2.     Platformer
3.     Physics Puzzle
4.     Classic Shooter
5.     3D Adventure

Now along with these five sub-tools, the creator (which is you) also gets the Graphics Editor which would help him or her to create mind-blowing art assets of their own. There are various levels that can be created with this software, items can be placed at all levels, and enemies can be controlled. Save your games by creating an account with Sploder, share them with other users, play and win too. For beginners, Sploder we say would be the best. This is because the skillsets and concepts are taught easily and understood well, before one goes on to the advanced levels.

Game Maker Studio is fast

Beginners should check the Game Maker Studio website, its fast. Games can be created 80 percent faster than what other software around can offer. The website also allows you to have an app produced by them, which would be compatible with high end smartphones and gadgets.  Once again, as the former software we mentioned, Game Maker Studio would have beginners loving this software, since it is easy to grasp and understand, helping manifest ideas in the head into real games, with enough flexibility to create a varied range of genres as per the creators needs.

The flexible Construct 2

There is an HTML5 engine based game creator, the Construct 2, which helps with quick creation of 2D games. Beginners might find it a little too steep to understand the traditional methods of developing a game, however, Construct 2 makes things easy as baking an apple pie. Construct 2 would allow one to drag and drop entities onto any level they wish to user, add behavioural patterns and events or situations too, for each entity around. 

Unity3D

Since 2005, Unity3D has been well-known amongst game creators; however the popularity soars more ever since version 3.5 hit the markets last year in February. Unity3D is powerful and can match the likes of AAA genres. Moreover, Unity3D is known to work on every single platform and gadget.

For beginners, Unity3D is very intuitive and friendly to use. The software allows multiple scenes in a game, and different game objects too, with attached scripts that would determine behavioural patterns, interactions, events and situations. 

The very real UDK

Top Five Best Game Creation Softwares
Thanks to Epic Games, the creators of Unreal Engine 3 also known as UDK (Unreal Development Kit), game creators have one more popular choice to use. There are advanced features which can be used and taken advantage of, and saves you the headache of using codes. UDK has special reasons for being loved, such as;

1.      First person action allowed
2.     Modification to create genres desired is allowed
3.     It is a “full development kit”
4.     Plenty of tutorials for beginners to learn and make games from
5.     C++ coded engine

So there you are folks, here are the top 5 choices for games creation software which we could think about.  We hope these will assist you in your endeavour.  
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How buying second hand gadgets can save environment

Posted by Community Member On Tuesday, August 13, 2013 0 comments
How buying second hand gadgets can save environmentEvery effort which you take to go green is vital. As our dependence on the electronic items like phones, laptops, etc. is increasing, the impact on the environment is also being increased. Therefore, in this high tech era world, choosing gadgets which are second hand and made up of non renewable materials could help in saving our environment. While selecting second hand mobiles a few things can be considered to make a valuable choice to help our environment.

Ways to select green gadgets :

You can select green gadgets by paying attention the details of the products. You must always check the consumer reports and energy star ratings which can help you select such second hand mobile phones which are energy efficient and Eco friendly.

Why select second hand phones ?

Selecting second hand mobile phones will help you save money and also the used gadgets or mobile phones lower the carbon footprint which in turn enhances the life of the mobile phone. If you choose recycled gadgets or phones then selecting the ones which are made of low impact materials can be really efficient. Gadgets which can be charged with renewable energy should also be considered. You can take part in a free recycling program as well so others can also contribute in saving our environment. You could make money from your used mobile phones which you are not using anymore and can

Buy your favorite handset for a fraction of the price :

Using refurbished cell phones is definitely a wise idea which can help you save 25 percent money that is spent on buying a new mobile phone. Moreover, used mobile phones also saves the environment and if we actually pay attention to the feature of the phone, not all the features are used by the people. Thus, you can actually save money, save the environment and use the saved money for better things. You may not get all the features, but all the useful features will be present in the second hand mobile phones which will be worthwhile in every way.

To find the right price, you can choose to shop online. The second hand phones look the same. They work better and impact the environment less. So, you are actually doing a good thing to save your environment and enjoy using a good phone with all the great features. The online gadget shopping for second hand materials is a wise step. So, many people use the cell phone but only ten percent phones are being recycled. So, you can imagine the amount of harm it is causing to the environment.

Using refurbished phone is a great way to upgrade and save money. Every step counts and your one step of saving the environment can be fruitful in several ways. You will find the best deals on online gadget shopping which is not available on the new handsets to such an extent. So, make your choice today and save your planet. 
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