From bedroom game development to multi-media Bar and club. Andrew Davidson’s life has been anything but boring....?

Worms. A creature many wouldn’t associate with success but one that has become completely synonymous with one mans career. Andrew Davidson’s life has not followed convention. From creating video games at school to releasing one of the most successful British born games ever, to finally opening his I Bar. Andrew is a person not short of groundbreaking ideas.

I’m talking to Andrew in his latest brainchild. The I Bar located in Bournemouth his hometown. Opened this summer, the bar can boast many technical feats from web browsing to allowing customers to connect their phones to the bar via Bluetooth. Andrew himself is part of a new breed; he is the quintessential of ‘geek chic.’ Tall, well kept, he has the air of the IT crowd. Wearing jeans and a t-shirt with an artistically styled wolf, he is unassuming in the crowd of regulars which drink and occasionally play on their I macs around us.

At 34 Andrew’s career has already taken in unimaginable heights. Catching the tail end of the home-grown bedroom developers scene in the 1980’s, Andrew spent much of his youth reverse engineering computers. “I used to take apart calculators to see what I could make them do.” Worms was game he developed very much for himself and his friends. As a premise, the idea behind Worms is where worm shaped characters attempt to eliminate each other in time-based attacks, using an assortment of amusing weapons on randomly created 2-D maps. Working and playing it at school was often frowned upon, “My teacher banned us from playing it!”

Shunning university, for a lack of creative courses, Andrew started work. “I got a job working in a game shop for £50 a week, cash in hand.” Using the customers to further refine Worms, “I saw a kid playing my game and then his Dad came over and also played, so I knew it had mass market appeal,” he was able tighten the gameplay to chess levels of complexity. When finally confident he showed the game at a convention to British game developers. “I closed the shop for one day. I put up a sign ‘Sick!’ I showed it to Team 17 and within 5 minuets they said they wanted to distribute it!”

In 1994, Worms was finally released and became a huge commercial success. It’s a game, which has appeared, on every machine produced since, and its timeless gameplay and humour has been a hit with young and old.

Having had such a huge achievement at an early age has not dampened Andrews’s appetite for success. In a world where technology moves at lightning fast speeds consumers are demanding more from their town centres, coffee houses and bars. Andrew spied a gap in the market. The I Bar specialises with the sort of multi-media interaction that would seem more at home on a web site. Whilst providing all the drinks you would expect from a trendy bar, the I Bar also provides you with Internet access and WiFi for web browsing.

The I Bar’s atmosphere is relaxed and clean, the tables and chairs inoffensive in their simplicity. Downstairs sports an impressive screen behind a modest stage, providing an excellent platform for bands, DJ’s and VJ’s (Visual Jockeys) to perform. The bar itself contains a lot of technology which required Andrew to prepare before attempting to install it. “We had it all wired up in my flat. We didn’t know it was going to work!”

Music, a key factor in any night out, is completely under control of the customers. Andrew points out the flat screen TV. It provides a touch screen input to a dedicated duke box and LCD screens around bar display the track information. “How many times that I’ve been out and wondered what song is playing.” The bar is quickly becoming the technophile’s perfect choice.

Andrew is pleased with the success he has had, both making games and with the I Bar. “We’re already planning ‘Phase Two.” For a person such as Andrew, Worms and now the I Bar are examples of creativity with an edge. Not bad for a kid who played games in school.

You can find the I bar on Holdenhurst Road. For more information check out www.myspace.com/ibar

X360 Games Editor Simon Miller speaks........

Walking into Imagine Publishing house in Bournemouth, I’m greeted with a life size replica of Lara Croft and a huge hulking Big Daddy that looms menacingly over the waiting room couch. Based in the heart of Bournemouth in a seemingly bland looking building, IP release a number of specialist magazines, ranging from photography to computers. Along the walls are references to Star Wars, the manager’s office affectionately referred to as the Death Star. I’m here today to talk to one of the magazines which covers a niche, but increasingly popular market.

Simon Miller smiles holding out his hand to me. He is dressed causally, as are many of the people walking around the offices, and would not look out of place among many of Bournemouth’s student population. Simon works as a Games Editor for X360 magazine and is keen to point out how much he actually enjoys his job.
“I’ve been this year alone; Canada, Italy and Holland……your coming to work everyday and its fun. I don’t want to use the word perfect. There’s joys and there’s frustrations and everything, but it’s ten times better than working in HSBC.”
Simon is in the very fortunate situation of working in a field that also happens to one of his personal interests. Working on a Video Game magazine has become the dream for many a young man.
“I get my hobby done during the day, and get paid for doing it! And then I can go and do something else.”

At 23 Simon is reporting on one of Britain’s biggest and fastest growing industries. The government has recently commissioned an independent review into video games and the internet, by Dr Tanya Byron. Simon is quick to come to their defence.
“…they’re not this terrifying new wave of technology…..it’s the same thing with the way people thought of film in the 60’s…..”
One area in particular in which the government’s review wishes to look, is the conduct of people socially in virtual domains. Xbox Live, the virtual community Simon spends the majority of his time is notoriously homophobic and racist.
“You can never regulate that. The only thing you can do is hope the developers implement a function where you can mute people.” Something already in place, but rarely utilised. “That’s more of a window into what the world is like rather than Xbox Live.”

The virtual domain is one where Simon is very active. In an industry as fast moving and forward looking as video games, online communities are vital links in communication and one where X360 and Simon are very active.
“My big thing about all magazines is that the staff writer or writers and the readers should be as close as possible….we’re all opinionated guys, but at the same time its all about making it fun.” Find a job you love, and never work a day in your life.

Summer 2007: The summer of depreciating returns!

Well from the title of this article you can probably see where I’m going with this. I would like to start by saying that before this summer started I had looked ahead and saw, to my glee that this was to be THE summer for Hollywood blockbusters, more so than most. The number of big films heading are way seemed to almost spoil us for choice. The fact that the majority of these films were sequels didn’t enter my mind, actually continued storylines, epic character arcs are the norm now. It wasn’t long ago that we were all jumping for joy for the delights of Middle Earth. A fact obviously not missed by Hollywood execs.
I started the summer with Sam Raimi’s Spiderman 3. A solid first two films had led me to become a long standing supporter of Spidey and his movies. Well, I don’t know what went wrong but I think having too much money IS a bad thing. Raimi obviously didn’t know when to say no and continually kept shoe horning in storylines until one of his lead characters had to get amnesia to occupy his time.
With heart firmly broken over the creative demise of the Spiderman franchise I turned my gaze onto Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At Worlds End. Once again massive budgets and over-cooked Cgi has led to another disappointing third film outing. Peter Jackson has a lot to answer for. His Rings trilogy has sped film running times completely out of control. If you were to add all of this summers blockbuster movie running times together you would discover, to your horror, that nearly an entire day had been entirely wasted on sub par action and terrible action, dialogue, cg….the list goes on. And yet these films still manage to pull in the crowds. Hollywood knows how to attract us, get us embedded in the story line and we’ll just have to go and see how it ends! Soap operas have been pulling the same trick for years. With the summer nearly properly upon us and a glut of summer sequels to face, Die Hard, Shrek, Harry Potter, this is one cinema goer who isn’t going to be sucked in any longer. If it has a number after the title I’d give it a miss.

Video Games Live @ London Games Festival

Classical music and opera have always drawn in the crowds. Its potent mix of high emotion, drama, themes of betrayal and love have often proved a provocative draw to many. Some come for the scenery, others the performances but most, if asked, will say the music. Now, in the 21st century a new genre of music is on offer. That of the Video Game.
On the 25th November ‘06 at the Apollo Theatre London on a dark dreary evening, the birth of this new genre in the United Kingdom made its debut. I count myself as one of the lucky few who can proudly say “I was there at the first!” Although, admittedly, I would only say this to my very understanding friends. Everybody else seems to respond with a rather shallow smile and a pitying nod of their head, regardless of the inane grin that greats them from my face. But what is this embarrassment I feel? Should I be embarrassed at all? Surely of all this, ‘Video Games Live’ is vindictive of the growing nature of the industry. A celebration of what makes games great.
Video Games Live took place in conjunction with the London Games Festival ’06 (LGF). One of the most unconnected and disjointed festivals I’ve ever visited. In order to take part in this festival you would have to have an intimate knowledge of London and its woeful transport system. But less about the confused and strangles LGF, on to the concert.
Video Games Live at the Apollo Theatre was one of the jewels in the crown of the LGF and so garnered quite a bit more publicity than the majority of the other events. The producers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall appeared on the BBC morning news for an informal interview promoting the event. To their credit, the event was a virtual sell out! The premise of the concert is to celebrate all those memorable tunes found within video games. From the simple but catchy beeps of Mario’s first adventure, to the full blown orchestral score of Halo. Video Games Live should really be commended for bringing to the audience, not only the big names but classics such as Mario, Zelda and even the lamentable Frogger.
To sum up my worse fears and problems of the event, and this really is my own fault, was the scale seemed significantly smaller than those events appearing in the states. The general air around the America events was extremely grandiose and very, well, American. The British event took on some very interesting differences. For one, the orchestra performing was from the Royal Ballet (this is not confirmed), who performed amazingly well. There were however some instances of solo’s or certain areas of the music that was obviously pre-recorded. These moments although few and far between, when they did occur really brought down the experience. Also there were moments where some music and scores were missing. If you look in the programme it waxes lyrical over games such as Tron, God of War and EverQuest 2 which were notably absent from the event, even though they are still mentioned in the programme, evidently left over from the American event. Another notable absent was some of the actors appearing in the American event were no where to be seen. Although these changes were minor and did not affect the quality of the show, the fact that this is a celebration of all things video game and is slightly watered down for the British event is a shame. This of course is my own fault as prior to the show I researched the background and found the American promo and got my hopes up. I’ve only myself to blame.
I’m being particularly harsh on Video Games Lives, through no real fault of its own. The show itself is a very moving tribute to all things interactive. The show took on an informal air with the MC Tommy Tallarico controlling the evening with ease as well as showing an in depth knowledge of the source material and background culture. Video Games Live also helped celebrate the multitude of British designers and game makers present on our shores. Designers and musicians working today on next-gen projects were all brought on stage and applauded as they all should be. It was elements like this that made the event very exciting. The quality of the music and performances helped to lift the event beyond what many were expecting and the atmosphere was well received.
The night ended with the triumphant Halo music, including the new trailer for Halo 3, which to some surprise did not receive the thunderous applause the presenter was obviously expecting. The finishing words were of a return performance in the summer of 2007. If you get a chance or if you have any interest in video games or even music, this show is a fantastic experience. For so long gamers have not had an actual connected community, outside of the forums to meet and talk to others just as enthusiastic as themselves. This is an event to celebrate the continuing growth of this, the most interesting of all modern entertainment. Lets hope events like this go from strength to strength. Bravo

Gears of War - Review

The hype machine really went into overdrive on this one. What with Peter Moore and Epic’s own Cliffy B continually praising the game, breaking through the hyperbole and getting to the core of the game, up until release that is, has proved rather difficult.
Gears of War is set on a futuristic Earth-like planet called Sera. In appearance it looks like a cross between a renaissance Europe and future Earth. The gameplay itself relies on you taking control of lead character Marcus Fenix, and basically traversing fire fight after fire fight with increasingly crafty and complex baddies (not to mention bigger). These fights are intense and extremely enjoyable with the use of cover being essential. The only let down, gameplay wise, is the very out of place driving section about a quarter in.
If you don’t like violent action which plays like an updated Arnie film, then its safe to say this game isn’t for you. Most gamers shouldn’t have too much trouble with Gears on the standard difficulty. The game clocks in at about 6-7 hours. However, ramp up the difficulty and you’ll find the game takes on a much more aggressive persona and will really give you a challenge.
In terms of looks this is a very impressive debut by Epic on the 360. Bar the odd loading texture the graphics do a very good job of portraying a world ravaged by war. It’s a cliché, but this game very much offers what it says on the tin (quite literally if you bought the special edition). It’s a next gen game which plays it safe, but you can have enormous fun with. Co-op and multi-player should keep most busy and with the cliff hanger ending, it shouldn’t be too long till were back in the fight with Marcus and the rest of the Gears.

8/10 David Lynch

Blade Runner: A look into film form.

How can we effectively analyse film form, and what do we learn from doing this? Using any film other than those studied on the module, analyse its construction, in particular choosing one short segment for close examination.

While the study of films is diverse and broad all films adhere to a certain form, all films use sets, actors, directors and the way these elements put together create the images we see, etc. In the analyse of film form there is a high number of areas that can be examined. Knowing which of these to examine closely can depend on the genre of film and any number of other different aspects that must be taken in to account. Firstly the film I will be using to describe film form is Ridley Scott’s science fiction film Blade Runner. There are number of reasons why I believe this is a good example of film form. Firstly, there are two versions of the film, the original release from, 1982 which was heavily influenced by the studio and contained a quickly put together ending and voice over (V.O). Secondly the film is considered by many to contain all the hallmarks of a science fiction cult classic. These reasons alone make Blade Runner a heavily talked about and scrutinised
film.

If we are to understand how to properly analyse the film form contained in Blade Runner we must first class it in a genre. Blade Runner is undoubtedly a science fiction film, it is set in a not too distant future (2019 to be exact) and contains characters, which are robots, or as the film calls them replicants. It contains many themes, which I will later talk about, that enable us to call it a ‘science fiction’ film. But where Blade Runner differs from most other science fiction films is its main character and his narrative. This is much more reminiscent of Film Noir. When referring to Blade Runner it is called Future Noir. It is through this connection that Blade Runner’s actual story elements are witnessed. Although knowing which genre category a film falls into is important we must also look at the other elements to actually analyse its form. I refer to the script, its characters and events, etc.

Also the composition of shots. In this essay I will be looking at all these elements and also seeing how these are put into effect in two sequences from the film. Firstly I am going to look at the Science Fiction and Film Noir elements of Blade
Runner. ‘Their iconography (when referring to Film Noir) consists of images of the dark, night-time city, its streets damp with rain which reflects the flashing neon signs. Its sleazy milieu of claustrophobic alleyways and deserted docklands alternates with gaudy night clubs and swank apartments.’[1]
The Blade Runner universe that the audience witnesses is a world intensely over populated where many of the Earths inhabitants have fled ‘Off World’ leaving only the sick and the people either too stupid or unable to work. Clearly influenced by Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927) the Earths is constantly shrouded in pollution and is in constant darkness, making it easy to make a connection to Film Noir. Los Angeles, where the story takes place, is a city with huge tall buildings with neon lights and large skyscraper style advertisements for Coca Cola, perhaps a hint towards a more corporate future where huge companies rule instead of governments, but this is only hinted upon and is not dwelt on in any more depth.
‘The visual style habitually employs high contrast (chiaroscuro) lighting, where deep, enveloping shadows are fractured by shafts of light from a single source, and dark, claustrophobic interiors have shadowy shapes on the walls.’[2]
This description is particularly true of the places Deckard visits. Buildings like Deckard’s apartment are shrouded in darkness only illuminated by small lights from electrical equipment and occasionally from a car that flies past the window partly lighting the entire room. The visual style of Blade Runner is only one part of the whole, which makes up its form. This is however an important part of a film as it is what an audience will remember most vividly. The special effects in Blade Runner (when I refer to special effects I mean any device used to manipulate the image captured on film, from sets to CGI) play an
important role in making the image we see. The film opens on a huge miniature of the LA skyline, with lots of lights, buildings and flying cars, this scene immediately sets an audiences imagination running at the possible number of stories and adventures that such a place could inhibit.

However it is important to note the differences in the original theatrical release of Blade Runner and its more recent director’s cut. The visual form in each differs slightly to give the film a different ending. It also changes Harrison Ford’s character of Deckard. I am referring to the ending shots of the beautiful countryside from the original release giving the film a more upbeat ending, incidentally the shots were borrowed from Stanley Kubricks film The Shining. This ending was forced on to the film after dreadful preview runs of the film. The ending was not what Ridley Scott had intended. The original ending
down played the question of whether or not Deckard was a replicant and changed the visual style of the film which originally only allowed for a small shot of sunlight as the dove, held by Roy (lead replicant) flew up into the sky perhaps to heaven. When dealing with the visual form of a film such as Blade Runner images can have many meanings. This why it is important that we examine the closing shots of the original release as the meaning of the film is changed drastically in the directors cut.

‘By examining the internal structure of film narrative, the way images are made and put together in order to tell us stories, we can discover a great deal of information about what films expect of us and we of them.’[3]
In the original release we see a show down between Deckard and the only surviving replicant Roy. The show down takes place inside Sebastian’s huge warehouse-home where the replicants have been hiding. With his superior strength we see that Deckard is no match for Roy the chase ends as Deckard attempts to escape by jumping to another building only
to miss and find himself hanging on for his life. It is only when Roy jumps across and rescues Deckard that the chase ends and the two characters sit exhausted. It is at this point that Roy has a small speech: “I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.”[4]
At this point Roy releases a dove he has been carrying which flies in to the sky. This all important end scene raises the most perplexing of questions in Blade Runner. What does it actually mean to be human? Deckard’s V.O explains that he didn’t understand why Roy had saved his life only that in his dying moments he must have loved life enough to want to protect it in any form. We now see Deckard leave LA with Rachael, who is also a replicant, but Deckard is warned by Gaff, a detective who has been shadowing Deckard. “It’s to bad she won’t live, but then again who does?”[5]
He is of course referring to Rachael and of the determined life span of replicants being only four years. This happy ending, with Deckard and Rachael galloping off into the sunset does not do the rest of the film justice. The film raises all sorts of questions.
‘The film additionally touches on elemental questions, the big ones. Who am I? What am I? How do I deal with violence? Love? Freedom? And why the hell do I only have
"X" days to live?’[6]
It is obvious that Ridley Scott is referring to the questions we all ask about ourselves. The film is also, on a more Science Fiction note asking ‘What does it actually mean to be
human? and ‘How do we view ourselves as human? These questions are only raised in Blade Runner not answered. But it is how they are raised which is interesting when referring to film form. To answer this question I am going to look at one theme raised in Blade Runner that is current throughout and has a visual impact on its form. I will be
looking at the theme of ‘eyes’. This theme is introduced early on in Blade Runner in the opening sequence of shots over LA.
The film opens with a green text scrolling up the screen, this is reminiscent of earlier science fiction films such as Star Wars but the text has a ‘reality’ feel to it as it is in a font that would have been familiar with its audience when it was released. This change also distances the film from science fiction ‘fantasy’ in favour of science fiction ‘reality’, which is obviously impossible but any audience can at least use their imaginations. After this text has disappeared leaving the ominous message that the killing of replicants is referred to as ‘retirement’ we see the sky line of LA. It is a dark city with huge buildings with millions of lights and hundreds of flying cars passing by. Enormous flames reach into the sky from the tops of what appear to be industrial vents of some sort. The shot then changes to an extreme close up of a person’s eye. The shot is so close that only the eye is visible making the person unidentifiable. In the eye we can see the LA sky line reflected. This is the first reference to the eye in Blade Runner and we must note its importance. What is Ridley Scott suggesting with this shot? There are of course a number of different ways to analyse this particular shot none of which can be classed as wrong. If we are to incorporate other major themes in Blade Runner we discover a very poignant message. We can read the shot, of the extreme close up, as a number of different people. Whose eye is it supposed to represent. Deckard’s, Roy’s, perhaps the other replicants, or perhaps it represents the reflection of our own eye as we view LA. Each of these theories would arise a different interpretation of the film. From this we discover the genius behind the film form found in Blade Runner that each person takes away something different from it. No interpretation is the same. ‘But the associated debate is whether a director can dictate how people view his creation - or does the creation become an entity unto itself, separated from those who
made it?’[7]
This is continued throughout the film and the continued emphasis on the eye. The way Blade Runners catch replicants is by monitoring the pupil response by using a machine called a ‘Voight-Kampf’. The owl in Tyrell’s office with its wary eyes, also Tyrell himself with his huge glasses representing perhaps an all seeing omnipotent God like character, he did after all create the replicants. This could also mirror our own faith in God. When Roy finally is able to talk to his God he is disappointed as he receives no answers and he then abruptly and brutally murders Tyrell. Perhaps Scott is creating a metaphor for our own
present day society and its lack of religion. This can be argued as a valid point as many of the problems faced in 2019 are some we facing in the present year. ‘As BR unfolds, you realize that, even though it's set in 2019, it's actually forecasting
many of the same dilemmas facing us now. Overcrowding. The police state. Cloning. Corporate dominance and corruption. Creating technology that serves our darkest interests.’[8]
Also the replicants eyes glow a faint yellow colour, also if you watch closely so do Deckard’s continuing the idea that he is also a replicant. The fact that the replicant’s get there information from the faction of the company who makes the eyes is relevant. ‘If you could only see what I’ve seen with your eyes’[9]

Also Roy’s ending speech is significant as he refers to the things that he has witnessed throughout his existence, it is important to note that he does not refer to his false implanted memories as these are ultimately false. The film seems to be suggesting that our memories our the core that makes us human and as these false humans have implanted memories they
too should be considered as human. This is further reinforced by the replicant characters as they spend the entire film searching for the same answers in life which the rest of us are looking for. It is important to look at the text and source of inspiration for the film to effectively understand its form and consequentially the form it then takes on the screen. Blade Runner is based on Philip K Dicks novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. The film takes the majority of its ideas, story, characters, etc from this source. Blade Runner however is not a direct translation from book to film. The characters of the replicants went through dramatic changes from Neo-Nazi figure’s to the more sympathetic characters that the film portrays,
although the character of Roy played by Rutger Hauer was the perfect Arian. Although the question of whether or not Deckard is himself a replicant is not as obvious in the book, as it is in the directors cut version of the film, it is still a feature of his character. Ridley Scott’s take on the story seems to add a much more human dimension to the replicants making
them much more accessible to an audience. Also the script obviously went through a number of quick changes as a V.O was added creating the Future Noir angle the original film employed.
It is however, difficult to analyse a film such as Blade Runner. It has so many angles upon which opinions, ideas and theories can be formed. This is almost purely down to the filmic form that it uses to tell its story. Shot composition, characters, sets and some of the elements I have discussed all play an important role. From studying all these elements we
discover the films hidden messages and metaphors which may or may not be true it depends on the opinion of each member of the audience. This is why Blade Runner has become a cult classic that is only now being appreciated for its ideas, story and special effects.

Bibliography

Spicer, Andrew, Film Noir, Pearson Education Limited 2002
Hill, John and Gibson, Pamela Church, The Oxford Guide to Film Studies, Oxford University Press 1998
Sammon, Paul M, Interview Found at www.Brmovie.com/Anyalsis/ via yahoo.com
Found at www.Brmovie.com/Anyalasis/ via yahoo.com
Quotes from Blade Runner, Characters: Roy, Deckard and Gaff
Pringle, David, The Ultimate Encyclopaedia of Science Fiction: The Definitive Illustrated Guide, Carlton Books 1996
[1] Spicer, Andrew, Film Noir, Pearson Education Limited 2002, P.g 4
[2] Spicer, Andrew, Film Noir, Pearson Education Limited 2002, P.g 4
[3] Hill, John and Gibson, Pamela Church, The Oxford Guide to Film Studies, Oxford University Press 1998, P.g 15
[4] Character: Roy, taken from Blade Runner
[5] Character: Gaff, taken from Blade Runner
[6] Sammon, Paul M, Interview Found at www.Brmovie.com/Anyalsis/ via yahoo.com
[7] Found at www.Brmovie.com/Anyalasis/ via yahoo.com
[8] Found at www.Brmovie.com/Anyalasis/ via yahoo.com
[9] Character Roy, taken from Blade Runner