AustralianGamer have an interview with Senior Associate Producer, Jeff Outlaw, who works over at Pandemic Studios Brisbane. Jeff outlines what his job entails, how he got into the industry, and all the good and bad about working in games development...My current title is Senior Associate Producer, and I handle the Animation and Design teams. On our project, an Associate Producer's role it to facilitate communication among different teams within the project. We help to coordinate schedules, assign task priorities, find out what dependencies exist, and help organize the teams to work together in the best possible way.

In my role, I help both the Lead Animator and the Lead Designer figure out which team member should handle what task. He also provides some advice for any folks interested in being an Associate Producer so be sure to hit up the AustralianGamer interview, and also follow the links to ask any questions which he'll be on hand to answer!
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Mick has posted some informative news that Stephan Conroy will be on the ABC next week, noting that this would be a great opportunity for folks to hound him about a fair tax incentive for the local games industry during an audience question and answer session.

 Mick's detailed how you can get some questions to him so I'll post his message below...

Hi All,

I've just been watching Q&A on ABC and it appears that Stephan Conroy, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, will be on the panel next week. I think this is a fantastic opportunity to hound him with questions regarding tax breaks for the Australian game industry.

You can:
Email questions to the show on the front page of http://www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda/
SMS the question to 197 55 222
Find some way to get into the studio audience!

Lets hope for the best!
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Press Release
Qantm College announced yesterday that FEE‐HELP is now available for eligible students undertaking degree courses.

FEE‐HELP is a loan scheme which assists students to pay all or part of their tuition fees. The Australian Government pays the student's tuition fee to the College on behalf of the student, and students begin to repay their FEE‐HELP debt to the Australian Government once their income reaches a prescribed threshold. Guy Chandler, General Manager, made the following statement as part of the announcement.

"We're delighted that this new financing option is available to students, as it will allow more of them than ever to experience the best in Digital Media education. Qantm has worked hard to ensure we will be able to meet the increased demand for course places without compromising what our reputation is built on – our practical focus and specialised approach. We have always felt that the excellent outcomes we achieve for graduates is closely linked to our small classes and the individual attention we're able to give students. This will always be one of the advantages of studying with us."

The Digital Media Industry is also poised to grow, with recent Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data showing year‐on‐year grow...

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Level:
Mid-level to advanced Flash designer
TYPE & LENGTH OF EMPLOYMENT:
Contract, for a period of approximately 2 months, based at Transmission Games 

Capabilities:
Advanced Actionscript programming capabilities required along with Medium level design skills. 
Job Description
Flash multimedia design for animated visual interface (with an emphasis on scripting abilities over design skills).

Requirements:
- Proficient in Macromedia Flash Actionscript
- Proficient in vector graphics (Adobe Illustrator ) 
- Intermediate or higher raster graphics (Adobe Photoshop) 
- Ability to accurately translate story-boarded screens
- Strong understanding of interface functionality
- Strong oral communication skills 
- Ability to collaborate with a team or work autonomously 
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We currently have a number of newly created positions across all disciplines:

- Designer, Intermediate Level
- Senior Programmer
- Senior Concept Artist
- Front end Graphic Designer
- Animator, Intermediate Level
- Production Co-ordinator

For more details on our available opportunities, please click the following link...
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Digital distribution was supposed to solve a lot of things, and make software purchasing a hell of a lot more conveniant in the process. And while it remains conveniant for many people, the new model seems to have hit a major snag as game publishers and now software developers are a bit resiliant to charge the same prices to consumers in different regions around the world. News.com.au reports that Australians are paying up to five times for the exact same software offered elsewhere. From News.com.au.......gamers who visit the Steam and Electronic Arts websites are charged up to five times more to download popular titles like Medal Of Honour: Airborne - which Australians can buy and download for $99.95, while users in the US pay just $21.15 ($US19.95).The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has spoken to News.com.au saying it is unable to stop region pricing as the practise doesn't break any trade laws, so it looks like it's something we're going to endure for a while yet. Be sure to check out the News.com.au news item as they've compiled a big list of games, creative software, and other productive programs showing the huge discrepancy in prices from the US, Australia, and the UK. If I could summarise that table, I would say that:

1: Australian Gamers get hit pr...

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The guys from AustralianGamer have another studio tour up on their site, and it's with none other than Tantalus Interactive!

The guys talk about the success of Tantalus's million plus selling title, Pony Friends, before they're whisked away for a studio tour of the three-levels of occupied Tantalus territory at the Tea House. A special preview of the new Spyro game for the Nintendo DS was given before everyone sat down for an interview with Tantalus CEO, Tom Crago.

Of course, Spyro takes up the first few questions, and then onto the recent success that Tantalus has been seeing, and Tantalus's current strategy regarding hand helds and current gen console development. Anaka, the short film that Tantalus was involved in was also on the agenda, and Tom shared his thoughts on what they were trying to do with that project, before the discussion went onto original I.P, Government assistance, and company stability.

Although we've seen a few studios go bust in recent times, Tom accounts the stability at Tantalus on being diverse and profitable. So where are Tantalus at this point in their 14 year development history? From AustralianGamer...Tom: At the moment our focus is on Spyro and we have really high hopes for that title. We have a number of other titl...

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Tantalus is currently seeking a Game Designer to work on titles for current-generation consoles and handhelds.

We are looking for candidates with a strong understanding of design fundamentals, analytical thinking, written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to collaborate creatively as part of a team.

Some previous design experience is preferred, though not essential. If you wish to apply for the position, and have no design experience, please be prepared to showcase your design skills by providing documentation samples, designs for board or card games, level designs on paper, any mod work, or anything else you feel will help demonstrate your fit for the position.

Tantalus Interactive is an equal opportunity employer, and offers a friendly, welcoming environment, where you'll be able to make a meaningful creative contribution to a talented and experienced team.

This position is based in Melbourne, and the successful applicant will need to hit the ground running as soon as possible, with support and mentoring from a Lead Designer and the Creative Director.

Please send an introductory letter with your C.V. and any samples of your work with subject "Game Designer" to:

jobs@tantalus.com.au

or

Tantalus
Level ...

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