NarcoGuerra Shortlisted for a Media Innovation Award!

Auroch Digital's GameTheNews.net title, NarcoGuerra, a news game focusing on the War on Drugs in Mexico, has been nominated for an award in the Games category in the 2014 Media Innovation Awards. It is a real honour to be nominated alongside the other inventive and interesting projects released in the last year; Cbeebies Playtime (by Mobile Pie) and the Daredevil Project. NarcoGuerra is a game that we are very proud of. The attention it received and (more importantly) the debates it provoked gave us confidence that we had delivered on our remit of producing an informative and engaging game while dealing with a very sensitive subject matter.

NarcoGuerra - our newsgame looking at the War on Drugs.

Media Innovation Awards logo.

Chainsaw Warrior Competition Results

Huge thanks to all who entered our Chainsaw Warrior video competition. We've had fun looking though the results and it's time to share those with you all. We're going to announce the winner and also two 'honorable mentions'. So without further a-do the winner is....

Robert Turner's Let's Try Chainsaw Warrior (Winner!) This totally captured the brutal difficulty of the game. When it was released as a solo boardgame in 1987, you didn't want to get it home and complete it on the first run. Hence the game was designed to be hard, damn hard... Robert's run shows that - after extensive preparation for the most dangerous mission of his life he meets one of the most dangerous monsters right at the offset - Meat Machine - and get's chewed up. Classic.

(We also recommend checking out Robert's channel too!)

Honorable Mention - Scott Grieg's Run #2 Part 2 This was a great run. A tough fought mission (part 1 is here) that shows the brutal and unending waves of enemies the game throws at you. Scott does a sterling job, in the spirit of Chainsaw Warrior, of taking on the challenge and it's hard going, but he's making progress until... the Slime. Dang.

Honorable Mention - JMich's Damned Suicide Agents Another tough fought run. Things are going well, progress is being made until we meet a tough Mutant Thing who proceed to chew up poor CW while dosing him with radiation. Before long there is too much damage done and either accidentally or deliberately (??!) John activates the explosive vest and boom! No more mutant thing but Darkness is still out there...

We hope you enjoy the results as much as we did. Thanks again all for entering! If you want to have a go yourself, Chainsaw Warrior is out on Steam, iOS and Android. You can also sign up for the mailing list too (as there is much more good news on the way!)

Copy of Classic 1987 Board Game 'Chainsaw Warrior' Up for Grabs for 'Best Playthrough'

The developers of Games Workshop's classic board game 'Chainsaw Warrior' for Steam, iOS and Android announced that they have a copy of the rare original game plus the expansion cards from White Dwarf issue 88 up for grabs. The game was originally released in its physical form back in 1987 and is a classic piece of gaming history – a rare solo board game which pitted the player against the clock.

The digital version was released last year creating excitement and nostalgia with fans who fondly remembered playing it as well as converting new fans to the title. In 'Chainsaw Warrior' the player takes on the role of a cybernetic soldier as he attempts to save New York from dire peril – and in only 60 minutes. The original was noted for its challenging solo gameplay – an aspect that has been preserved in the digital version.

To win a copy of the game, players need to record a play session and submit a video link to the developers via gtn at aurochdigital dot com – the best submitted run-through of the game (on any platform) will win the prize. The developers will be marking on score, style and aggression as Auroch Digital's Tomas Rawlings explains, “Chainsaw Warrior is a battle against the odds; not only is time against you but also hordes of zombies, mutants and others creatures – plus there are traps, radiation and poison to content with. We'd love to see your choice play-throughs showing how you defeat Darkness and if it's the best of the best, we'll be sending you a copy of the original game, a real collectors’ item!” Entries need to be submitted by 17th August to be considered.

To celebrate the competition, Chainsaw Warrior is on sale for a short period (Steam, Apple App Store, Google Play). To keep in the loop with the project you can like Auroch Digital on Facebook or follow them on Twitter. The game's information page can be found at chainsawwarrior.net and there is a new Reddit forum for the game at: reddit.com/r/chainsawwarrior/

Time go get moving as you only have 60 minutes to save New York! #ChainsawWarrior

Coverage:

• pockettactics.com

• 148apps.com

• myigadget.com

• indiegamereviewer.com

• horrornewsnetwork.net

• hotgmc.com

• newscanada-plus.com

• pocketgamer.co.uk

• post-apocalyptic.com

• arcanapost.com

Fun, Frantic and Free, Camelina Caper Releases Today on iOS and Android Tablets

Take control of Gerald, a fish living in dangerous, jellyfish infested waters, desperately collecting chains of algae to keep the timer running and the score counter ticking, and grab the Camelina flowers for a quick boost. You’ll need speed and precision to achieve high scores, so challenge your friends to see if they’ve got what it takes to beat you!

Camelina Caper, the latest project from GameTheNews.net, is a light hearted glimpse into the work of Rothamsted Research, produced for the BBSRC Great British Bioscience Festival exhibit Alpha & Omega; making fish oils in GM plants. The exhibit will be first showcased at Cheltenham Science Festival Explore Zone on the 7th-8th of June 2014.

Omega-3 fish oils are beneficial for our health and can help reduce our risk of heart attacks. However, they are a finite and limited resource. Looking into solutions for sustainable sources of omega-3 fish oils, Rothamsted Research scientists have modified Camelina plants to accumulate omega-3 fish oils in their seeds.

Camelina Caper is now available for free on Apple and Android tablets.

Coverage so far...

• The Guardian
• PocketGamer
• vividgamer.com
• invisioncommunity.co.uk
• n4g.com
• ggsgamer.com

GameTheNews to Join Europe‘s First Newsgames Hackathon

The New York Times’ most popular story of 2013 was not an article. It was an interactive quiz. The Times They Are A-Changin. Games as the defining medium of the 21st century are obviously starting to disrupt journalism. In order to accelerate this process the independent game studio, the Good Evil and the Cologne Game Lab are organising Europe‘s first Newsgames Hackathon in Cologne, Germany this spring.

Journalists, programmers and game designers are invited to conceptualise and produce working prototypes in 48 hours. The results will then be presented during this years Clash of Realities, an international acclaimed computer game conference.

The young genre has already been tried out worldwide by innovative media companies like The New York Times, Huffington Post, Wired, BBC, Channel 4, The Guardian and Le Monde.

“In a clear distinction to classical linear approaches Newsgames allow the interactive experience of content and are very well suited to explain systems“, says Marcus Bösch. The german journalist and co-founder of the Good Evil is the Hackathon's initiator.

For several years he has been busy exploring Newsgames. After having given workshops, talks and media appearances on the topic he, together with his game studio, has designed PRISM - The Game: Germany‘s very first Newsgame, published by Arte Future.

Now the Good Evil in cooperation with the Cologne Game Lab, an institute of the Cologne University of Applied Science, wants to bring together journalists, game designers and programmers on May 6th and 7th.  Dr. Tomas Rawlings from GameTheNews, shortlisted for a GamesIndustry.biz Innovation Award, will hold a keynote,“We see newsgames as a means of talking to gamers about the world around them in a language they understand. Games as a form has expanded and we're seeing them being put to use for everything from curing cancer to teaching maths. When it comes to news and current affairs we're right at the start of an exciting journey.“

Attendance to the event is free of charge. Anyone interested can apply online until March 20th: http://newsgames-hackathon.tumblr.com/applyhttp://newsgames-hackathon.tumblr.com/apply Participants from Austria or Switzerland can apply for a scholarship that covers travel and hotel costs thanks to the Neue Zürcher Zeitung and the Forum Journalismus und Medien in Vienna. Deutsche Welle, Germany‘s international broadcaster is the main media partner of the event.

Newsgames Hackathon. May 6th and 7th in Cologne, Germany. The results will be presented during this years Clash of Realities Conference on May 8th.

Coverage:

• gamezebo.com
• vividgamer.com

BBC Radio 1xtra Game by Auroch Digital Launches

Tuesday 18th March saw the release of new game by Radio 1xtra ‘Fire in the Booth’, developed by Auroch Digital. Released as part of the 1xtra ‘MC Week’ event and featuring voiceover by Radio 1xtra DJ Charlie Sloth and cameos from several other of the station's DJs. Fire in the Booth’ was announced live on air on Wednesday 19th March and is available to play free at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/games/rapbattle/. Huge thanks to Force of Habit and Infinite Playground for their assistance with this project.

Auroch Digital Shortlisted for GamesIndustry Innovation Award!

Auroch Digital's Game the News project has been shortlisted for Innovation in Social Responsibility at GamesIndustry Innovation Awards! We're incredibly honoured to be shortlisted amongst so many worthy and amazing projects. Here's the full list of the category we're in:

Innovation in Social Responsibility - The shortlist

Gaming has always been about fun: bringing some goodness into the world via the medium of play. With this prize we hope to celebrate those companies who choose to give something back to their communities and society at large ­ either through direct work for charity (or by being a charity itself), making staff feel valued or the support of good causes with fundraising drives or sponsorship. With the mainstream press still happy to keep games at the front of the evil scapegoat folder, these are the initiatives which are fighting back.

DonateGames

Like any charity, DonateGames relies on the generosity of its patrons, but by focusing on the donation of unwanted games and hardware instead of cash, this group lets people clean their lofts and their consciences in one fell swoop.

HumbleBundle

What began as a way of garnering attention for indie titles whilst also giving to several charities, the Humble Bundle now attracts the world's biggest publishers. By giving the customer the power over how much goes where, Humble Bundle has made its giving completely transparent and hugely popular.

GametheNews.net

Encouraging young people to take an interest in the world of current affairs isn't easy, but Auroch Digital's project has produced 15 educational short games which bring today's key issues to the fore in a memorable and enjoyable fashion.

Special Effect

Special Effect changes lives. It might not have the scope of some of the projects here, but an incredible bespoke service and tremendous levels of engagement and after care have made it one of the industry's most treasured and admired outfits.

RuneScape - Well of Goodwill Initiative

Proof that free-to-play can definitely be used for good, this in-game fundraiser from Jagex raised over $90,000 for good causes as players donated in-game funds equivalent to thousands of hours of effort.

GamesAid

Supporting a wide range of charities voted for members, GamesAid is never afraid to try something new to raise money. A constant calendar of events and interesting new activities keeps this charity at the forefront of industry minds year round - raising over £1 million for good causes in the process.

A special day for James - Total War: ROME II

A truly personal event dedicated to a single member of the Total War community, A special day for James helped realise the dreams of a terminally ill young man suffering from liver cancer, bringing together the studio's staff and players for a cause which touched more than just one life.

Please vote for us here, if you think we deserve it of course!

Job Opportunity: Accounts Administrator/Office Manager (Full-time post)

Auroch Digital is looking for a qualified, experienced accounts administrator/office manager, based at Bristol Games Hub.  Must be AAT qualified, with plenty of on the job experience.

Competitive salary for the right person, based on a 40 hour contract.

Please contact Nina with CV and a covering letter; nina at aurochdigital.com

Deadline is Monday 17th March at 12 noon.  Interviews to take place later that week.

No recruitment agencies, thank you!

Note - this vacancy has now been filled, thanks.

Ndemic Creations brings Plague Inc. onto Steam with help from Auroch Digital

Updated! The game is now out on Steam Early Access. There is much more info on the game's official page. Also see this article on Polygon.

The reception has been excellent so far;

The trailer is below:

Twitter and Facebook have been a-buzz with the recent news that the developer of smash hit mobile title Plague Inc will be releasing the much anticipated desktop version, Plague Inc: Evolved very soon. Auroch Digital is proud to announce that we have been working with Ndemic Creations to help make Plague Inc. on desktop a reality. The new version will see the same captivating gameplay with the addition of multiplayer, user-generated content and much more. Plague Inc: Evolved launches to Steam Early Access on the 20th February. The game's official page can be found at plagueincevolved.com and can be followed on Facebook and Twitter.