Game on!
One of the most popular game machines in the world is Microsoft’s Xbox 360. Gamers enjoy untold hours of entertainment exploring new worlds, fighting bad guys, and playing casual arcade games.

If you’ve ever dreamed about producing your own video game, you have a chance at fame and fortune by entering Microsoft’s Dream.Build.Play video game design contest.

According to Microsoft:

“To earn your spot in the Dream.Build.Play universe, bring your dream-world to life by creating an outstanding, playable game for Xbox 360 using XNA Game Studio 4.0…

“Whatever your style - whatever your dream - it’s time to unleash your creativity and show what you’ve got!”

Contest Parameters
Your game must be developed using Microsoft’s XNA Game Studio 4.0 software. Your game should be fun and exciting. Microsoft is especially looking for games in the action and adventure genres.

According to Microsoft game entries will be judged according to the following criteria:

* Fun factor (40%) - A key indicator will be the desire to keep playing
* Innovation (30%) - Based on how creative and technically unique your game is
* Production quality (30%) - Make your game world as polished as possible

Entries must be developed for English speaking individuals. Certain restrictions apply to whom or who may not enter this contest. You must register on the official contest site before you can enter this competition.

Please see complete guidelines and rules for more information.

Prizes

There are four cash awards:

* Grand prize: $40,000
* 1st prize: $20,000
* 2nd prize: $10,000
* 3rd prize: $5,000

Winners will also be given the chance to sign up for a publishing contract with Xbox LIVE. Winning games will also be featured on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Contest links and additional information
The deadline for registration is May 17, 2011. You cannot enter unless you are officially registered. The deadline for submitting your game candidate is June 11, 2011.

These links provide more contest information:

Official contest site
Full contest rules and guidelines
Registration form
Free download XNA Game Studio 4.0

Graphic Design school and video games
Video game graphics and artwork have never been more realistic and cutting-edge than today. 3D programs such as Maya and LightWave 3D allow artists and illustrators to bring their drawings to life in video games.

Attending graphic design school is one of the first steps you can take in order to learn about layout, computer assisted art programs, design theory and application, and many other related courses.

Speak with a graphic design college representative and find out how graphic design can help you in your career development.

Do your homework
If you want to receive a good education at a graphic design school it makes perfect sense to ’shop around’ before you decide on the one that is right for you. In other words, you have to do your homework.

But you may ask, ‘How can I tell a good graphic design college from a bad one?’

In this installment of ‘5 top things you should know about graphic design schools’ we’ll offer some advice and tips on this.

#3 What is the quality of the teaching staff?
It’s probably not stretching the truth much when we say you’ve probably had a few bad teachers during your educational life. On the flip-side you probably can remember one or two teachers that were very talented.

The teachers you fondly remember are the ones who brought something more than just facts when you walked into the classroom. These people were able to inspire you and may have even changed the direction of your life.

When seeking out a good graphic design college the teaching staff is one of the first things you should look into. Your teachers may have been in the graphic design industry, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they can teach.

Are they qualified? How long were they in the industry? What sort of portfolio or awards do they have? Can they communicate effectively? These are the questions you should be asking about the staff.

The staff, as a whole, should reflect high values in education. Of course there will be a few ‘bad apples’ but what you seek is a staff that is committed to helping its students learn the craft of design.

#2 The Equipment
A well-equipped graphic design college needs to have modern computers, design hardware, and the latest software applications.

The graphic design school you want to attend should offer courses in Photoshop, Maya, Illustrator and other industry standard programs.

You should also expect to see graphics tablets, scanners, and flat panel display monitors.

Back-in-the-day a good cache of art supplies and drawing materials was all that was needed to tackle the jobs a graphic designer was working on.

But in today’s job market, computer skills and the ability to use design software is important, if not mandatory, in being a successful graphic designer.

#1 Do you fit in?
Have you ever gone shopping for a car and the salesperson asks, ‘Are you ready to buy today?’ Your answer was probably, ‘I’m just looking around, thank you.’ You can approach the selection of a graphic design school in the same way.

Don’t feel pressured to ‘buy today.’ Look at all the options, including online education, and make your choice carefully.

Your education is your first priority at graphic design college but make sure you feel at home there.

Graphic design school and your career
If you have a natural sense for proper color schemes, have a good eye for aesthetic values, and find yourself thinking, ‘I wish I could do graphic design for a living,’ you may be the right person for a career in graphic design.

The world of graphic design is broad; you can branch off into the areas of animation, web design, multimedia, illustration, and other fields. It all depends on what your skills and interests are.

Your graphic design college representative can guide you in selecting the right courses and answer any questions you have about earning your associate or bachelor’s degree in graphic design.

Sackboy or Sackgirl to the rescue!
The LittleBigPlanet games are a wonder to behold as gamers solve mind-bending puzzles and perform death defying leaps, jumps, and aerobatics. Sackboy and Sackgirl are the heroes of the game.

One of the most popular features of this game franchise is the ability to make and design your own game levels and share them with others.

The LittleBigPlanet 2  Game Level Creation Contest wants to see the best original level design ideas from gamers, artists, and anyone who loves the LittleBigPlanet series.

What the contest is about
DeviantART.com provides the needed graphic assets you’ll need to create your best game level concepts. You can incorporate these assets or use them as a springboard for inspiration.

Entries may originate in digital form, clay sculpture, a collage of various graphics and any medium you feel best represents your new game level concept. However, all submissions must be a digital file.

Contest submissions will be judged according to the following criteria:

* Creative Use of Assets Provided
* Sense of Fun
* Technical Skill

Contest prizes
Because this contest is for game level design, it only makes sense to gear the awards and prizes to gamers. According to the contest sponsors the following will be issued to the winners of this contest:

First Place:

* A Sony PlayStation 3 (320GB)
* A copy of LittleBigPlanet 2 Collector’s Edition
* $600 USD
* 12,000 deviantART Points
* A deviantART shirt of winner’s choice (depending on ….availability)
* A one year Premium Membership to deviantART

Second Place:

* A Sony PlayStation 3 (120GB)
* A copy of LittleBigPlanet 2
* $400 USD
* 8,000 deviantART Points
* A deviantART shirt of winner’s choice (depending on ….availability)
* A one year Premium Membership to deviantART

Third Place:

* A Sony PlayStation 3 (120GB)
* A copy of LittleBigPlanet 2
* $200 USD
* 4,000 deviantART Points
* A deviantART shirt of winner’s choice (depending on ….availability)
* A one year Premium Membership to deviantART

General contest guidelines
For complete rules, see the links below. The general contest guidelines are:

* You must be 13 years old or older to participate in this contest
* Submit digital entries as a PNG or JPG file
* Do not include any signatures or identifying marks on your artwork
* You may submit more than one entry
* Only digital images will be accepted for this contest, not hard copies
* You must have a registered (free) account with deviantART.com to enter

Contest links and other information
This contest is free to enter and ends on February 18, 2011. Winners will be announced on March 1, 2011. Follow these links for more contest details:

Official contest site
Complete contest rules
Contest asset packs for contest
Contest art gallery
Registration site for contest

Some tips of the trade on graphic design school scholarships
Everyone has received tips on how to do something faster or better.

In this two-part series we’ll present some advice on the topic of scholarships and grants for graphic design college and how to avoid some of the red tape and pitfalls associated with scholarship applications.

1. Apply locally
There are literally millions of dollars in scholarship money available to those who are diligent, talented or in need of financial assistance. But keep in mind that national scholarship contests or grants are highly competitive.

You can still apply but expect a wide field of other applicants vying for the same resources.

However, another way to approach this situation is to apply for local scholarships at graphic design schools or various other organizations in your city or state.

While there will still be competition for local scholarships, the number of applicants to these programs will be substantially smaller and will give you better odds of being noticed.

2. Avoid paying for scholarship or grant information services
Scholarship information is always free. But there are new companies cropping up on the Internet that promise to fill out all the paperwork out for you.

Several companies offer assistance (for a fee) in applying for FAFSA (Free Application for Student Aid) from the government or other scholarship programs; steer clear of these scams.

Are these companies legitimate? Would you pay another person to go to the library to find certain books for you? Probably not, and neither should you pay companies to do the legwork for you in seeking out scholarships and filling out applications.

Applying for a scholarship is serious business and leaving your future to a company where there is no oversight on what it is doing for you is wasted money, and most likely a confidence swindle.

Graphic design school scholarships and financial aid
Getting the education you need to qualify for jobs in graphic design may be an important door opener for your career. Many entry level positions require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and proper training in graphic design principles is a must.

Graphic design college expenses can be offset in part by scholarships or grants. These are provided by government agencies, colleges, and private firms. Be sure to look into these for possible assistance.

Next time…
We’ll tell you about an industrious and persistent student who was able to pay for his entire college education through scholarships. We’ll also cover some of the things you should avoid when applying for scholarship money and grants.

Until next time, keep on designing!

It’s more than just work
If all there was to work was work, this would make many of our lives easier. But in the real world we need to communicate and work with others.

And that means dealing with everyone’s various foibles and quirks. Understanding what makes you and others tick can help you to be a better graphic designer and team member.
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Meet Sam Sanguine
In part one of Graphic Designer Personalities: What Type Are You? we explored the first personality type of four: the phlegmatic. She’s dependable, low-key, amicable, and a bit shy; a person who cares but resists change.

In part two of this series we meet Sam or Samantha Sanguine. You’ll recognize these types of people immediately because they are always telling stories and talking. They are the optimist’s optimist and are always positive.

In the workplace, they are usually more concerned about how they are liked rather than what is at hand; work and deadlines. Sanguines are extroverts and love to be the center of attention.

Sanguines are extremely talented in getting along with everyone and revel in meeting new people. They love attention, are fun loving, and feel lonely when people are not around them. They are ultimate social animals.

Since sanguines are generally well liked by everyone, they have the ability to motivate and encourage people to do tasks or projects. But because they are so socially motivated they often get lost in project details or forget them altogether.

The sanguine graphic designer
Graphic designers who fall into this personality type will excel at customer relations. Their bubbly personality puts clients at ease.

They are natural born salespeople and can usually persuade clients to accept their design ideas.

But on the downside, since this personality type abhors details and deadlines they often find that they are behind in projects or fail to meet project specifications.
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Sanguine traits: The good and the bad
Typical traits for the sanguine personality are:
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* Extroverted, charismatic personality
* Expresses emotions easily
* Warm and friendly; loves people
* Loves to talk and tell stories
* Confident
* Persuasive
* Doesn’t Worry. Carefree
* Apologizes easily and quickly
* Always needs to be the center of attention
* Can be undisciplined and unproductive
* Tends to exaggerate
* Not detail oriented
* Overly concerned about being liked
* Restless; cannot sit still
* Can be easily angered
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Graphic design school and coworkers
A good graphic design school will not only provide you with the necessary education in graphic design and computer graphic techniques, it will also help you develop skills in working in a team setting.

In graphic design college you will meet many personality types. By understanding what personality categories they fall into, you’ll have a heads up on how to work and get along with others.

Next time…
For more information on how the theory of the Four Personality Types developed, see part one of Graphic Designer Personalities: What Type Are You?

When we meet again we’ll take a look at the personality type of the choleric graphic designer. These individuals live and die by keeping schedules. You’ll recognize them by their fierce yelling. Calm is not in their vocabularies!

So until then, keep on designing!

Warp Factor 9
Starships travel many times faster than the speed of light. The crews go to the outer reaches of the galaxy to explore new worlds or defend against invaders.

But as of now, these fantastic ships of transport only exist in the lively imaginations of science fiction fans, movie directors, and video game producers.

If you’ve ever scribbled out a starship concept, now is your chance to flesh out that idea for prizes, fame, and bragging rights in the Eve Online Create a Starship Contest.
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Eve Online, a MMOG (massively multiplayer online game) is announcing an open call to all artists and illustrators to create a unique starship for its game.
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In the words of the sponsors:

“What new machine will you bring to the warfront? Will yours be a craft of elegance and beauty? Will the mere presence of it prove more intimidating than any arsenal a pilot could load into its bays?”

The Contest Requirements
This contest is only open for digital submissions. No hard copies will be accepted. You must be 13 years or older to participate in this contest.

Entrants should submit artwork that is suitable for the overall concept of the EVE Online video game universe.

Other guidelines include:

* Entries may be submitted in gif, png, or jpeg file formats.
* The dimensions of the starship must be given. (500 to 1000 meters ….in length)
* No watermarks, signatures or personal identifying graphics are ….allowed on the artwork.
* More than one entry may be submitted.
* Six detailed uncolored line drawings are required: front, back, left, ….right, top, and bottom.
* The renderings should provide detailed views, measurements, and ….shapes.
* An optional 7^th view (overall perspective) is allowed.
* Users must register on deviantart.com to participate in the contest.

Judging and Prizes
Submissions will be judged upon the quality of artistic merit, originality, creative presentation of the concept, and technical skill.

According to the sponsors the prizes will be:

First Place

• $900
• Apple iPad (16 GB)
• Wacom Intuos4 Tablet (large)
• Nvidia GeForce 480 GTX
• dA PRO Digital Artist Backpack
• 16,000 deviantART Points
• A deviantART shirt of your choice*
• One year Premium Membership
  to deviantART

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Second Place

• $750
• Apple iPad (16 GB)
• Wacom Intuos4 Tablet (large)
• 12,000 deviantART Points
• A deviantART shirt of your choice*
• One year Premium Membership
  to deviantART

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Third Place

• $500
• Apple iPad (16 GB)
• Wacom Intuos4 Tablet (medium)
• 8,000 deviantART Points
• A deviantART shirt of your choice*
• One year Premium Membership
  to deviantART

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Important Links and Information
Follow these links for additional contest details:

Examples of EVE Online Starships
Video of Gameplay Action and Concepts
Official Contest Site
Official Contest Rules
Registration Page for deviantart.com

This competition deadline for entries is October 20, 2010. There is no entry fee. In order to be eligible for this contest you must have an account on deviantart.com. Registration is free.