Lessons From 'Spider-Man': How Video Games Could Change College Science Education

The new ‘Spider-Man’ video game isn’t just fun and games – it’s also science. (Marvel / Insomniac Games)

Like many people over the holidays, I spent some time – maybe too much – playing one of the most popular and best reviewed video games of 2018: “Spider-Man.”

While I thought I’d be taking a break from chemistry research, I found myself web-swinging through virtual research missions all over New York City. I collected samples of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Hell’s Kitchen, studied vehicle emissions in Chinatown and determined the chemical composition of atmospheric particulate matter in Midtown.

“Spider-Man” has many of these eco-friendly research missions. But what I found most encouraging is that the game also includes tools that can potentially teach advanced concepts in chemistry and physics. These tools include adjusting the wavelength and amplitude of radio waves, rewiring circuits to meet target voltages, and what will be examined here, using absorption spectroscopy to identify unknown chemicals.

Believe it or not, the millions of people playing “Spider-Man” have been unwittingly introduced to principles of quantum mechanics. There is a lot of veiled science to this aspect of the video game. Perhaps more importantly – as a chemistry researcher and university lecturer – I believe the game represents an interesting opportunity to teach science in a fun and engaging way in higher education.

Spectroscopy and ‘Spider-Man’

To better understand the scientific technique that players simulate in “Spider-Man,” it helps to have a short primer on what absorption spectroscopy is.

The interaction of light with matter is the most powerful means scientists have to understand what matter is made of. When matter does not interact with light, we are quite literally left in the dark. This problem is made obvious in the still unknown composition of dark matter that constitutes the vast majority of matter in the universe.

Using light to study ordinary matter like atoms and molecules is a broad field of science known as spectroscopy. It is an important part of university courses in chemistry and physics. There are currently many different types of spectroscopy. However, the underlying concepts are almost entirely the same as the original version that began in the 17th century when Isaac Newton first dispersed sunlight with a prism.

As famously illustrated on Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” album cover, dispersing the white light of the sun with a prism reveals its continuous color spectrum extending from violet (higher energy, shorter wavelength) to red (lower energy, longer wavelength). However, if this is done carefully, you would find that this continuous spectrum is patterned with intermittent dark bands.

While the origin of these dark bands was not fully understood until the 20th century, scientists now know that they are due to absorption of specific wavelengths of light by atoms and molecules present in the sun. In fact, this kind of spectroscopy led to the discovery of helium in the solar spectrum before it was identified on Earth. This is why it derives its name from the Greek “helios” meaning sun.

So what causes this phenomenon? Atoms and molecules have a set of energy levels that depend on how their electrons are arranged. The absorption of light – which remember is energy – can cause the electrons to rearrange into these different levels. The catch is that the energy – or wavelength – of light must exactly match the energy difference between two electron arrangements in an atom or molecule for absorption to occur. This set of energies is unique for each chemical and leads to a distinct absorption spectrum much like a fingerprint from which it can be identified.

In “Spider-Man,” the player identifies unknown substances using simplified versions of these spectra.

Spectrum of Unknown Molecule from Research Mission.

The goal is to match the pattern in the spectrum using the fragment inventory provided to give the absorption spectrum of the unknown substance. Unfortunately for chemists everywhere, determining the chemical structure of an unknown molecule is much more complicated.

Still, there is a significant amount of science conveyed in the video game version of what a spectroscopist would call assigning this spectrum. Only slight modifications and additional explanation could make these parts of the game an excellent way to teach these concepts to undergraduate science students. But are video games ever used in higher education?

Video games in higher education

Video games for teaching more elementary skills like arithmetic or spelling are common. Similarly, colleges and universities are increasingly infusing video games into their coursework.

In a recent publication in the journal Nature Chemistry, researchers presented a modified version of the video game “Minecraft” called “PolyCraft World.” In this game, the player learns polymer chemistry by crafting materials in the game. Preliminary results showed that students learned real chemistry through the game even though they weren’t doing it for grades or getting regular classroom instruction.

In the popular game “Kerbal Space Program,” the player builds their own space program by successfully launching rockets into orbit. The game was not originally intended for educational purposes but implements rigorous orbital mechanics in its physics calculations. It is so accurate that NASA joined the game’s developers to create new missions, and it now has a teaching-ready standalone game that could be used directly in university physics courses.

A unique approach has been taken with the biochemistry-based game “FoldIt.” This game serves as both an educational as well as a citizen science platform. In the game, players manipulate the structures of real proteins to search for the “best” or lowest energy structures. Results published in the journal Nature showed that the player’s search methods can be successfully combined with computer-based algorithms to solve actual scientific problems.

The use of video games in higher education is a real possibility and could even have a promising future in higher education given the advantages of delivering educational content through a video game format. These advantages include things such as remote access, personalized student progress and immediate feedback. However, creating an engaging video game from scratch is challenging, costly and time-consuming. As indicated by the creators of “PolyCraft World,” finding existing games to modify for educational purposes – like the research missions in “Spider-Man” – could be the best way forward.

About Today's Contributor:

Aaron W. Harrison, Teaching and Research Fellow, Chapman University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. 

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Bestselling Book Series Comes to Life in Episodic Video Game Series With Release of the Second Episode in "The Lost Legends of REDWALL" Entitled "Escape the Gloomer"

The Lost Legends of REDWALL: Escape the Gloomer

Soma Games, in association with Redwall Abbey Company Ltd, and Penguin Random House UK, releases The Lost Legends of REDWALL: Escape the Gloomer, a conversational adventure game in nine chapters. 

Escape the Gloomer, the second episode of The Lost Legends of REDWALL video game series, has been written and directed by video game designer and innovator Scott Adams.

The game features characters from the wildly popular best-selling book, Mossflower, second in the twenty-two book series by Brian Jacques. 

"This interactive tale immerses the player in a fantasy world where their own imagination is what drives the outcomes," says Chris Skaggs, Game Director and Principal at Soma Games. "We're also very excited to have pioneering game developer Scott Adams and his team on board for this collaboration. Scott's been making games for over 40 years, and his is a name very familiar to many interactive game fans."

Inspired by the iconic mainframe game Adventure, Adams is perhaps most well known for creating Adventureland, the first ever commercial adventure game. Adams is also the creator of Pirate Island, and the Marvel Questprobe series: Spiderman, Hulk, and Fantastic Four.

The Gloomer

"You will be living the life of a true explorer and adventurer when you enter into an immersive conversational adventure game world," says Adams. "Exploration, obstacles, dangers, along with laughter and suspense, will unfold within the rich tapestry of the world you find yourself in. With natural language sentences, you are in command; creating the story as the adventure unfolds."  

"Jacques first wrote this book for the blind, and that was what inspired us to create a game that isn't visually based," says Adams, referring to the fact that author Brian Jacques wrote the book initially to entertain the children at Liverpool's Royal School for the Blind. "The popularity of the book series among fans, as well as the desire to take technology that I pioneered in the 20th century and bring it into the 21st century, all came together to make this the perfect project for us to develop."

Adventureland only had a vocabulary of 120 words, but Escape the Gloomer recognizes over 1,400 words and features third person narrative with an emphasis on exploration and overcoming obstacles. 

"The appeal here for Redwall fans is that we're building upon the familiar backstories but allowing new developments," says Adams. 

He also describes the game as family friendly and staying true to the REDWALL characters and spirit of the novel.

Gillig the Otter

"Adams's work was very influential in the adventure-gaming industry," says John Bergquist, of Soma Games. "Similar to The Scout, we're adding to the Redwall stories with new content and allowing the player to use their imagination to have some ownership in the outcome. The format of this particular game is much like a novel, with chapters and text based, including an option to use Amazon's Alexa for voice commands, which bridges the gap between video game and novel."

"I think people are looking for more enjoyable things to do and really desire this in a game," says Adams. "It's not a passive endeavor, you get to have some ownership in the outcome, and it brings us back to the basics of good old fashioned game play, reminding us what made Adventureland such a beloved game almost 40 years ago, and why Jacques book series has also been loved by generations of readers."

"Mr. Jacques was quoted in a 2001 NY Times article as describing his stories being written from the viewpoint of a kid, sitting in the movie house while World War II is on, watching all this magic come on the screen,'' says Skaggs. "In a way, what we've done here with Escape the Gloomer is gone back to a simpler way of story telling, really the way Mr. Jacques would have wanted it."

SOURCE: Soma Games

The Trailer:

Bring On The Zombie Apocalypse: Five Reasons Why Survival Game Fortnite Is A Runaway Success

Epic Games

By Andrew James Reid, Glasgow Caledonian University

“Fortnite,” says explainer website Vox, “is kind of like Minecraft meets The Walking Dead – with a bonus Battle Royale attached.” 

Seven years in the making, Epic Games’ 2017 launch – a zombie survival game available across most console and mobile platforms – has captured the imaginations of players worldwide.

Fortnite is divided into two game types: Battle Royale, a free, online arena where 100 players compete to be the last player or team on the battlefield, and Save the World, an offline story-driven campaign that must be purchased. It is the former that has attracted the attention of players and fans, with the number of online communities growing by the day.
A wide range of design decisions could be attributed to Fortnite’s success, but I’d like to focus on understanding the play experiences that entice players to keep on playing. By examining Fortnite through game analysis tool the Mechanics, Dynamics and Aesthetics (MDA) Framework – an academically developed means to assess the design of experiences in games – we can identify the experiences on offer to players.

Fortnite offers something different for a whole range of players and the way they like to play games. This is what is known as the “aesthetics” of the game, which explains the emotional responses that players have as a result of play. These principles help to move the conversation from the abstract “games are fun” type of assessment to more concrete judgements about player experiences. In the context of Fortnite, using the MDA Framework, five aesthetics are at play which help to define its success: sensation, narrative, challenge, fellowship and pastime.

High five
Sensation concerns the sense of pleasure derived from an experience that offers something unfamiliar to players. But Fortnite shares its range of “mechanics” – actions available to the player – with many other games. Shooting big guns, for example, is a common point-and-click experience popularised in many games, such as Doom and Quake.
Massive multiplayer online games have been around for decades, with World of Warcraft the best known. Fortnite’s building system, which allows players to construct forts and defensive walls, is not dissimilar to that in Minecraft. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), Fortnite’s closest competitor within the Battle Royale genre, has had success in its own right with multiple awards.

So if Fortnite is not the first game to offer these characteristics, how does it stand out as a superlative gaming experience? It can be argued that this comes from the game’s feel: handling the survival hysteria of the game while forgiving players’ lack of precision in shooting; providing security for master-crafters who have taken time to master the art of building; allowing breathing space to form strategies; and creating a cartoon style that reminds players to enjoy the post-apocalyptic environment. This could only be achieved with rigorous testing during development.

Play sessions of Fortnite embody narrative – each game session has its own unique, player-centric story. One player holding down a fort with their teammates using an assorted arsenal of weapons is different to that of the sole wanderer gathering wood to build a sky bridge. Yet both types of players may feel similar levels of enjoyment and satisfaction in their accomplishments. This sense of satisfaction is what encourages players to play again and create new narratives.

The challenge, or set of obstacles to overcome, has little to do with Fortnite’s environment. A threatening atmosphere and difficult-to-master building techniques provide the only difficulties from the game’s perspective. The real challenge is the player’s understanding and use of available space and resources and their level of skill. There is a steady learning curve to each player action – movement, shooting, building, resource management – and their relationship to each other within a tense play session.

Mastery of such a system requires extensive time and effort, but these higher levels of competence are rewarded with social stature within the game, such as costumes and body armour that suggest a certain level of skill and experience.

At the beginning of Fortnite’s Battle Royale game, players must jump off the airborne battle bus to start their adventure. Epic Games

There is no denying that Fortnite features some form of fellowship, a community of active participants. Game modes such as “Duo” and “Squad” allow players to team up with their friends or other players online. A hierarchy of skill recognises the “best-of-the-rest” as they rise to the top of the leaderboards. Curated videos and livestreams connect people with a shared interest in the game. This community presence has undoubtedly played a massive role in ensuring Fortnite’s recent success, and will continue to define the game’s meteoric trajectory so long as it is kept hydrated with stimulation.

Finally, Fortnite reinforces the mantra of games as a pastime – people are willing to put time and concentrated effort into playing it. This can also be determined by their consumption of wider networks related to the game itself, such as videos and livestreams, blogs and forums.

Free no-risk fun
We also cannot forget the free-to-play nature of Fortnite’s Battle Royale mode in encouraging players to adopt and stay. Beyond investing their time, there is little commercial risk for players when choosing to play the game. This has worked with other games, too – the limited-time free-to-play approach was instrumental in the success of soccer video game Rocket League.

Like all games, Fortnite will have its life cycle and then eventually retire to the annals of gaming folklore. Players and online personalities will continue to gun down zombies, fight over supply drops and construct pillars of vantage until someone becomes the very last last-player-standing.

But what it will leave behind is a recipe for success by being self-aware about where it stands in its gaming landscape, and how to harness the design of systems and play to foster sustainable player communities that continue to appreciate and enjoy the experience. The zombie battles will be running for a good while yet.

About Today's Contributor:
Andrew James Reid, Research Associate, Glasgow Caledonian University

This article was originally published on The Conversation.

stillalive's Drone Swarm Takes Flight at 451 Media for Series Adaptation

DRONE SWARM: 451 Media Group plans graphic novel and TV content

Today, experienced game developer stillalive studios and remote control productions GmbH (RCP), Europe's leading game production house, announced that they are partnering with Michael Bay's 451 Media Group to collectively develop the forthcoming sci-fi strategy game DRONE SWARM as original graphic novel and TV content targeted as a long form series for broadcast and streaming services.

"We are super excited to partner with the 451 team as we were looking for exactly their kind of passion and great talent to collaboratively expand the universe of DRONE SWARM beyond the videogame," said Julian Mautner, Founder and CEO of stillalive studios.

"When David Lee, Head of New Business over at 451, introduced us to the 451 team we knew DRONE SWARM had found the perfect home with 451's partners. The level of expertise they bring to the project from the printed page to the big screen will take the DRONE SWARM property to the next level," said Stefan Kreutzer, BD Manager of remote control productions GmbH.

"This is an incredible opportunity that allows RCP and 451 to creatively join forces during a key phase of the game's early development that will allow us to expand and deepen the game's storyline as a standalone long form series," said Doug Nunes, CEO of 451. "Working with the level of premium writers and artists that 451 is known for together with RCP and stillalive's team of top notch developers gives us an extraordinary opportunity to leverage their incredible skillset, visuals and gameplay and dovetail it into a dramatic sci-fi adventure series that will re-define the genre."

The game's storyline revolves around an onslaught of renegade hordes of alien drone swarms controlled by a mysterious unknown force that practically destroys our planet. In our fight to survive the devastation, mankind has found a way to gain control of the attacking alien technology and incorporates the drone swarm into their own ships to thwart future attacks as the survivors set out to look for a new home and rebuild the planet we've lost and, with it, the future of humanity. 

The gameplay involves the user controlling thousands of drones to fight, explore and invest in research to get more powerful abilities as the player achieves different levels within the game.

DRONE SWARM is a coup of the highest order for 451 that has grown from a comic publisher of high-end original IP to a VR producer for leading brands like Samsung and Nokia, to a fully vertical tech incubator and investor in emerging mixed reality companies such as Holor and Ion360. 

DRONE SWARM: stillalive studios and remote control productions' hit game

About remote control productions

remote control productions (rcp) is an independent production house representing Europe's biggest family of game developers with 14 studios across 4 countries, a gamification unit and an in-house publisher. 

Since 2005 the Munich-based company together with its teams has shipped more than 100 games for all major platforms including Angry Birds Evolution, Angry Birds Epic, Sacred Legends, Ostwind (Windstorm), John Woo's Bloodstroke, Knights of Valour or Pet Hotel. 

• For more information, visit www.r-control.de

About stillalive studios
stillalive studios is an Innsbruck-based game developer and creator of the critically acclaimed and early VR compatible adventure game SON OF NOR. Founded in 2010 their experienced and enthusiastic team focuses on combining entertaining gameplay with technological challenges having a strong tech focus and experience with Unity, Unreal, Steam, VR, Eyetracking, BCI and much more. 

Their latest release was Astragon's hit game Bus Simulator. 

• For more information, visit stillalive-studios.com.

About 451 Media Group
451 Media Group is a technology-focused intellectual property (IP) development & entertainment company. Working with cutting edge technology and highly accomplished talent, 451 is a multi-tiered platform content creator that combines publishing, entertainment, media and technology together with the industry's leading writers, artists and tech visionaries to captivate and engage readers in a unique digital experience. 

451 Media Group was co-founded by Michael Bay, Anthony Gentile, John Gentile and Douglas Nunes. 

• For more information, visit 4five1.com.

SOURCE: stillalive studios; remote control productions GmbH (RCP)

Bonus Video:

451 Media Group Related Link:

• 451 Media Group Storms New York Comic Con with Premiere of New Graphic Novels from Top Hollywood Creators

Legendary Kung-Fu Master Bruce Lee Joins The Heroes Evolved Cast

The Mighty Bruce Lee comes to Heroes Evolved

Heroes Evolved launched several months ago, and is still going strong thanks to its streamlined approach to the tried and true MOBA formula. With over 7 million downloads, a yearly organized championship with compelling prize pools, worldwide servers, & more, Heroes Evolved has carved itself a nice slice of the MOBA-genre pie.

Though most popular MOBA titles have a character similar in appearance to world famous Bruce Lee, only one such game has the real thing. R2Games is announcing an exclusive partnership with Bruce Lee, LLC (owned and operated by Bruce Lee's daughter, Shannon Lee) to bring the legendary Kung-Fu Master to Heroes Evolved as a playable character.

Heroes Evolved is a 5v5 online arena game, in which players assume the role of a powerful hero, and work together as a team to destroy the opposing base. Gameplay is fast paced, tactical, and above all - very fun. It appeals to both casual and more hardcore gamers, offering multiple modes with a focus ranging from serious tournaments, to all out just-for-laughs brawls.

"We are very proud to be the first to officially bring Bruce Lee to the world of MOBA games. We're long-time fans and can't wait to pit all our other heroes against the world renowned Bruce Lee!" - Yumin WANG, R2Games Global Publishing Director

For those that don't know who Bruce Lee is, he stands among some of the most iconic people of our time. As an accomplished actor, director, martial artist, and philosopher, Bruce Lee paved the way for positive reception of Asian actors in American cinema, and will always be remembered as a true Hero.

Bruce Lee represents the first in what R2Games intends to be a series of recognizable playable characters from other properties. He will be available mid-October in Heroes Evolved, with R2 hosting a number of related events to celebrate the occasion, and invite gamers from around the world to join in over on their official website, as well as in-game.

• Play now on iOS and Android! 
• Facebook Community: facebook.com/HeroesEvolvedMobile

SOURCE: R2Game Co. Limited

Bonus Video:

Experience The Ultimate Space Saga With Comic Book Series Space Junkies

Space Junkies are here! Experience the ultimate space saga (PRNewsfoto/Space Junkies)

Space Junkies comic book series and related entertainment activities by S.K. Arunachalam are set to invade Earth stores and other venues where intergalactic adventures are sold.

The saga begins as a rag-tag band of space pirates led by Captain Ggreed, along with Navigation Officer Puig the Ragin' Pig, Communication Officer Margo, Science Officer Jisp, Tech Expert Preston, three Slugs intoxicated on MOJO, and others, stumble upon a rare and extremely valuable source of fuel known on the black market as Cheesecake.

Problems escalate as the Space Junkies find themselves jetting around in their Junk Jumper ship to such exotic locations as Planet Blue Cheesecake, Terra 2.0 and space station Yellow4z901 in a battle against forces bent on securing the valuable treasure for themselves. An evil Russian Mob Boss and a love-jilted Chicken have sided with an alien force called the Waquokx who, in turn, are ruled by a devious entity that has escaped from an other-dimensional prison with both a lust for galactic control and a seething desire for revenge.

Meanwhile, dark forces are turning galactic citizens into zombies that are being fitted with colorful sneakers, allowing strange outsiders to control their actions through newly created Z-bots. Ghastly beasts are also being recruited from beyond a secret portal to join in the takeover. When the Waquokx attack the capital of Terra 2.0, the Space Junkies are commissioned by the Mayor to discover the agenda behind the invasion and stop the dark forces.

The Space Junkies' lust for Cheesecake and strong sense of self-preservations drives them ever further into a mystery that could either save the day... or end it all. 

About S.K. Arunachalam
Author/writer S.K. Arunachalam studied Visual Communications at Loyola, Chennai, and, after graduating in 2012, he pursued creative studies at the New York Film Academy. The knowledge and training gleaned from those efforts have led to various scripts, books and other works - the latest of which is the Space Junkies series.

S.K. Arunachalam created Space Junkies as a comical approach to the hit movie series Star Wars that leads readers on a fast-paced adventure through a galaxy "only a stone's throw away." The idea for the story evolved while Arunachalam was on a trip to Leh Ladakh, India. While stargazing one clear night, he began to question Chewbacca's loyalty to Han Solo and how the hairy sidekick might have begrudged Solo's authority over the years. That curious pondering of the question under the Milky Way sky led to the formation of characters Ggreed and Puig who, although pirating partners in obtaining ill-gotten gain, were engaged in a continuous struggle for dominance and control.

As the development of Space Junkies ensued, Arunachalam included such key ingredients as greed, lust, pride and betrayal that are the foundation of another popular show, The Game of Thrones. Other exciting elements have been skillfully woven into the story, such as magic potions, super powers, and hideous creatures that give the tale an extra kick of adventure.

In order to bring the Space Junkies to life, S.K. Arunachalam teamed up with skilled penciller/colorist Christian Mirra and inker/colorist Quirino Calderone of SmArt Studio. The result is a captivating tale that has been professionally illustrated and promises to wow its audience.

The Future of Space Junkies
Space Junkies comic book series will offer dozens of issues based on the exciting saga. Three spectacular volumes of Space Junkies tales have been written so far and an outline for a fourth volume is currently underway. Fans will be able to enjoy the ongoing tale as Ggreed, Puig, Margo and the gang chase after the elusive Cheesecake that changes hands more than your favorite dessert.

Plans are also in the works to adapt the Space Junkies comic into an animated television show that brings the colorful characters to life and has The Cheesecake Song as its theme. A possible Space Junkies movie may also materialize, giving the next generation of adventure-loving kids as well as adults new sources of silver screen entertainment.

However, the most exciting project on the drawing board is the development of a Space Junkies video game. One of the fun concepts of the story is that Ggreed and the gang discover that they are actually living in a complex video game with many of the characters controlled by Gamers. The Space Junkies video game will allow real, enthusiastic Gamers to enter the virtual BotZ World and join the action in the race to grab the Cheesecake, conquer foes and rule the Galaxy.

Regardless of whether one's desire is reading comic books, watching T.V. shows and movies, or participating in interactive video games, there is a ton of activities being planned for the growing number of Space Junkies fans!

The Trailer

SOURCE: Space Junkies

'The Angry Birds Movie 2' Takes Flight As Release Date Is Now Set

Sequel to animated blockbuster launches September 20, 2019

Following the success of The Angry Birds Movie, which slingshot to nearly $350 million in worldwide box office and launched a global movie brand, Columbia Pictures in association with Rovio Entertainment Ltd. are once again joining forces on the next high-velocity adventure as the flightless birds and scheming green piggies take their beef to the next level in The Angry Birds Movie 2; Sony Pictures will distribute the sequel.

The sequel is planned to hit theaters on September 20, 2019, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the original Angry Birds game.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 will be directed by Thurop Van Orman (The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Adventure Time). Van Orman recently worked at Disney and Sony Pictures Animation.  

The film will be co-directed by John Rice (King of the Hill, Rick and Morty), who served as lead storyboard artist on The Angry Birds Movie and directed the popular Angry Birds Hatchlings shorts.

The film will be produced by John Cohen (Despicable Me, The Angry Birds Movie). Peter Ackerman (FX's "The Americans," Ice Age) is writing the screenplay.

The talented team at Sony Pictures Imageworks will once again be handling the animation for the film, which will be with the collaboration of Sony Pictures Animation. Also returning from The Angry Birds Movie will be production designer Pete Oswald and character art director Francesca Natale.

"We are thrilled to be teaming up again with Sony Pictures after the fantastic cooperation in the first movie and I can't wait to experience the new journey in the upcoming film," commented Kati Levoranta, CEO of Rovio Entertainment. "Rovio is continuing to focus on creating exciting new stories and experiences around our games and we're eager to take fans back into the vibrant Angry Birds world on the big screen."

"The Angry Birds Movie took the world by storm last year, creating a whole new legion of fans worldwide," said Sanford Panitch, President of Columbia Pictures. "We had an incredible experience working with our friends and creative partners at Rovio, and now we – including our team at Sony Pictures Imageworks – are ready to launch into this next adventure."

SOURCE: Rovio Entertainment

Virtual Reality Calling for Humanity

RCS Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Calling supporting Video, Voice and Chat by Summit Tech (CNW Group/Summit Tech)

Summit Tech  has launched real-time RCS virtual reality and augmented reality calling – VRcalling.com.  The solution allows wireless carriers to add support for RCS services such as IR.92/94 from within VR/AR environments.

Whereas many VR experiences isolate users from real life, Summit begins by connecting real people through real-time 360° live video streams including support for virtual environments.  Users connect through globally standardized communication services such as RCS and VoLTE ensuring mass reachability by allowing VR users to share their experience with, well, virtually anyone with a smartphone.

Oculus Rift, HTC Vive or Gear VR users connect to live VR streams, then by simply VRcalling their friends on RCS or ViLTE enabled devices, users share their experiences in real-time – no app required. Additionally, while connected to streams, users can publish their social presence allowing for communication between any user connected to the stream. VR calling enables new, high-value experiences such as:

• Immersive live-streaming entertainment - by connecting to 360° streams from sporting events or music concerts, carriers can put their subscribers in the center of the action, allowing them to look around and experience the location like a physical attendee while sharing the stream with friends through RCS.
• Immersive meetings/training – by giving visual context and 360° views of attendees and location, immersive business meetings bridge the divide between flat telepresence sessions and physical attendance.
• Immersive edutainment – students can explore educational locations like museums, galleries and observatories and interact with students in distant locations through overlaid video calling and group chat.

RCS is the next generation communication and conversation platform being deployed by operators with services ranging from enriched calling to chatbots. Not limited to RCS smartphones, users access VR calling through VR headsets or AR glasses for immersive experiences, or tablets and web browsers as easily accessible alternatives.

Alido Di Giovanni, President of Summit commented: "We want to empower operators to rapidly launch VR/AR services and secure new revenue streams. To facilitate carriers in piloting RCS VR, we are also demonstrating a white-label IMS cloud service."

Summit Tech will also demonstrate the innovative IMS-enabled connected car and operator-managed connected living services supporting Cat M1 and NB-IoT.

SOURCE: Summit Tech

YO-KAI WATCH: THE MOVIE Makes Its TV Debut; Airing Saturday, November 12th On Disney XD

(from left) Hovernyan, Nathaniel, Whisper and Nate - who have traveled back in time - are preparing to fight evil. (PRNewsFoto/LEVEL-5 abby Inc.)

YO-KAI WATCH: THE MOVIE, the first English-language film based on the global phenomenon YO-KAI WATCH, will make its U.S. television debut on Saturday, November 12, LEVEL-5 abby Inc. announced today. 

The film, which recently received a limited theatrical run, features the voice talent of the hit show YO-KAI WATCH, currently airing its second season on Disney XD. YO-KAI WATCH: THE MOVIE debuts at 9:00 AM ET/PT on Saturday, November 12 on Disney XD, and will have encore performances on Sunday, November 13 at 5:00 PM ET/PT and Monday, November 14 at 3:45 PM ET/PT.

YO-KAI WATCH: THE MOVIE follows Nate Adams and his Yo-kai friends, Whisper and Jibanyan, as they're transported to the past to help Nate's grandfather, Nathaniel, battle evil Yo-kai and invent the Yo-kai Watch. YO-KAI WATCH: THE MOVIE also introduces a new Yo-kai — Hovernyan, a floating blue cat who is Nathaniel's heroic companion. 

Cinema Blend calls the film "a fun and fast watch that makes for some entertaining excitement," and Anime News Network says YO-KAI WATCH: THE MOVIE is "a funny and heartwarming comedy-adventure."

Nate and Hovernyan make for a formidable duo! (PRNewsFoto/LEVEL-5 abby Inc.)

To celebrate the film's TV debut, LEVEL-5 abby Inc. will make the second season of the YO-KAI WATCH animated series available for free on YouTube for a limited time. Starting with the first five episodes on Monday, November 14, episodes will be added throughout the month to the official YO-KAI WATCH YouTube channel, culminating on Wednesday, November 30. Each episode on the YouTube channel will also feature special QR codes that can be scanned into the best-selling new Nintendo 3DS games YO-KAI WATCH 2: Bony Spiritsand YO-KAI WATCH 2: Fleshy Souls, as well as codes for the iOS and Android apps YO-KAI WATCH Land™and YO-KAI WATCH Wibble Wobble™.

Fans will also be able to collect secret passwords hidden in each episode, which can be entered at the official YO-KAI WATCH website for a chance to enter a sweepstakes to win one of more than a thousand prizes, including exclusive Hovernyan "YO-MOTION" MEDALS. One grand prize winner will receive a prize package including, Nintendo 3DS games, Hasbro toys and a one-of-a-kind prize: a custom voice greeting from their favorite Yo-kai!  For more details on the sweepstakes, fans can visit the official YO-KAI WATCH website.

"We are thrilled that our amazing partners at Disney XD will be bringing YO-KAI WATCH: THE MOVIE to television for all of our fans to enjoy," Yukari Hayakawa, Chief Operating Officer, LEVEL-5 abby Inc., said. "With the second season of the TV show, the best-selling new Nintendo 3DS games, our popular iOS and Android apps and now YO-KAI WATCH: THE MOVIE, American YO-KAI WATCH fans have an entire world of hilarious, action-packed adventures to explore."

New episodes from the second season of YO-KAI WATCH are currently airing on Disney XD, every Saturday at 8:30 AM ET/PT. Immediately before the debut of YO-KAI WATCH: THE MOVIE on Saturday, November 12, the premiere of the new episode "Whisper's Secret Past" explores the secret origins of Nate's beloved Yo-kai butler for the very first time.

Enter a sweepstakes to win one of more than a thousand prizes, including exclusive Hovernyan "YO-MOTION" MEDALS! (PRNewsFoto/LEVEL-5 abby Inc.)

About YO-KAI WATCH

YO-KAI WATCH™ is a cross-media universe, following the hilarious misadventures of an average human boy and his involvement with the mischievous Yo-kai (invisible beings that are the cause of life's daily annoyances) all around him. Our young hero obtains a special watch, empowering him to discover and summon the mysterious Yo-kai, befriend them and then work together to solve everyday problems… problems that are often caused by other trouble-making Yo-kai! Discover the adventures of Nate and his Yo-kai companions via video game, animated comedy series, comics, toys and video on demand. 

View full episodes on the official YO-KAI WATCH YouTube channel and visit the official website, as well as follow YO-KAI WATCH on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

SOURCE: LEVEL-5 abby Inc.

The Movie Trailer:

On The 25th Of September, #PokemonGO Lures Will Be Shared At... Shared Space [#Westcliff]

Yes, you've read it right! Shared Space, the Christian charity shop in London Road, opposite the Palace Theatre (being, rather conveniently, a Pokéstop,) will host a Pokémon Go Lure Party for FOUR hours, giving a chance to the local Pokémon Go players to catch lots of Pokémons without having to walk all the way to Southend's High Street or Chalkwell Park to do the same, for once. 

(Obviously, Trainers who don't live in Westcliff are also very welcome to join us... The more, the merrier.)

It will start at 10:30 AM and finish at 14:30 PM, giving ample time for people to make the most of this opportunity. 

Not only they won't need to rush to the Pokéstop where the lure modules are released, but they will also be able to sit down while catching Pokémons (and restocking their devices with Pokéballs, potions, etc..), having a friendly chat with other Trainers and, if they want to, even have a drink (coffee, tea and orange squash will be available for a small charge.)

It might be a good idea to have some "lucky eggs" ready to use during that time, so that you can double the XPs you'll earn when you catch all those Pokemons... ;-)

And, of course, with two Pokégyms in five minutes walk from each side of the charity shop, there will be opportunities for the Trainers to use the potions they'll get from the Pokéstop if they are in full "Pokémood" ;-)