We have four three-month paid positions which we are looking to fill with three programmers and an assistant producer – details below. We may also take on a few unpaid placement for those less experienced or with other games skillsets who are just keen to gain the experience.

Games Programmers (must have graduated within the last two years)
We are looking for experienced games programmers, with the ability to self manage and a drive to contribute creatively as well as technically. The programmers will work in Ideonic HQ (Newcastle) as part of a small team. They will need to be able to utilise the expertise of others as well as being able to contribute back to the group.

Responsibilities will include:
• Designing and rapid prototyping gameplay components
• Cross-platform games development using C# and Unity3D (PC, Wii, iPhone)
• Coordinating with and reporting to the Production Assistant and the team at Ideonic

Required Skills:
• Experience working with Unity3D is ideal, alternatively programming skills in C# and experience working with games engines.
• The ability to learn new skills and technologies really quickly
• Strong knowledge of Object Orientated Games Programming
• Good ideas and ambition to push new boundaries

Bonus Skills:
• Experience working with kids or making games for kids

Assistant Producer (must have graduated within the last two years)
We require an assistant producer to manage day-to-day production and quality assurance on the project. They need to have the ability to manage themselves and organise a small team of programmers. They will work in Ideonic HQ (Newcastle) as part of a small team and need to have the drive to contribute to all areas of the project. They need to be able to harness the expertise and enthusiasm of others as well as being able to contribute back to the group.

Responsibilities will include:
• Day-to-day management of the project including scheduling and tracking
• Managing code and project documentation and reporting
• Assuring Quality on the project through testing and quality control procedures
• Coordinating with and reporting to the team at Ideonic

Required Skills:
• Experience managing a games development project
• Experience of quality control
• The ability to learn new skills and technologies really quickly
• Good technical understanding and the ability to coordinate with the programming team
• Good ideas and ambition to push new boundaries

Bonus Skills:
• Experience working with kids or making games for kids

Interested? Drop us an email to hr@ideonic.com and tell us why you. We look forward to hearing from you.

Tuesday 14 December 7:30 until 11pm.
Tyneside Cinema bar, Newcastle upon Tyne.

It’s a bit like a pub quiz but much more awesome. Come along, form a team and challenge each other at games like Super Mario, Street fighter II and Ms Pacman. There are prizes for the winning team, including tickets to see Tron Legacy in 3D.

Music will be proved by chiptune legend SYPHUS

We started off by showing them our projects such as ART LAB, Big recycling machine and Anglo Saxon Fashion and got them to use a Wacom tablet to play the games. It was interesting to see how at first it seems difficult for them to grasp the use of a graphic tablet, but after a couple of goes each they can all use it very well. All the pupils seemed to love the idea of being able to “draw” on the computer.

After playing on some games, we encouraged them to draw objects using Photoshop and the graphic tablet, so we played the game where each person have a section on the screen and they each take turns to draw either head, body , tail, legs etc. to make a monster. We also played the game where they have to shout out random things and I have to quickly draw them on the monitor. It was quite a challenge!

It was a very fun and interactive session; you can see some of the images that each group has produced below.

Working closely with the Tate we  devised a game which was not only fun but taught the children about the restoration process. Upon users choosing a painting from the gallery, they are then took to the restoration room where using a number of tools and equipment they can get to work restoring. There are five mini games which reflect the true processes restorers go through when restoring a painting; removing Dust, removing any grime, removing the old varnish, filling in any cracks, and painting over the filled cracks.  The game will give you a score based on how well you’ve restored the painting, and at the end of the game you can compare the Before and After image of the painting to see the difference you’ve made.

We gained inside information directly from The Tates restoration team in the processes they go through and the tools and techniques they use. This included using using saliva and a cotton bud to remove grime from a painting! The game integrates in to the current Tate Kids website allowing users to upload their restored paintings and see other people’s work.

It has been fun working on this project, we have successfully combined 2D (using flash to add effects) the and 3D elements into the game (the art gallery and the restoration room was modelled in 3D to create the right mood and lighting).

A sci-fi TV series, Korridor explores issues of identity, belonging and surveillance. We took these themes and designed a multilayered transmedia experience, combining: web, mobile, gaming and the real world to create a engaging story where users can choose their level of involvement.

Korridor was selected as one of nine projects to be pitched live in front of 30 judges and a live audience at the Pixel Pitch event in September – part of the Power to the Pixel conference. This was a great experience to get in front of transmedia experts and gain real feedback on our ideas. The project was very well received and led to some great connections being made in the follow up meetings.

A number of broadcasters are now looking at the project and hopefully it won’t be long before Korridor appears across your screens.

The awards are a great opportunity for young companies to get their products out there and get their names knows; for more established companies it’s a chance to prove their worth and defend their position at the top.

The MEGAs are a real gem of an award (not just because Ideonic won one) but because they focus on innovation, they focus on picking out the products, campaigns or individuals who are really pushing new boundaries. As well as MirrorMe for best application or gadget, last year’s winners also included: ScrapperWiki for technology – a data store which allows developers to scrape, store, aggregate, and distribute unstructured public data in more useful, structured formats; onedotzero_adventures for creative – an interactive design piece at the BFI; and a number of other great projects across 11 categories.

So if you’re doing great work hurry up and get it submitted so we can see it and shout about it!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/megas

I decided to do the Great North Run as part of the Barnardo’s Team. They’re a great charity whose work is summed up well by their vision, something we also believe at Ideonic:

“We believe in the potential of every child and young person, no matter who they are, what they have done or what they have been through.” – Barnardo’s vision

Adam ran on behalf of Cancer Research UK, another great charity striving to beat cancer, something unfortunately that everyone is affected by in some way.

Even through the race is over it’s not too late to add your support:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JeremiahAlexander

http://www.runningsponsorme.org/adamgatenby

Two days later, our legs have not yet recovered and we’re already looking forward to next year. We’re considering costumes for next year and some of the guys over at Fluid Pixel and Kidology have also agreed to take part, perhaps we can even convince Cora to join in.

We’re not alone in the building, our long term business cohorts Fluid Pixel have made the move too and we are also now joined in the building by Sailor Girl, SSL Post, Veriphy and Century 17. We will be having a welcome bloc party at some point soon (just don’t tell Drummond Central who own the building)… more details coming soon!

In the meantime we’d like to catch-up with some of the people we already know in the Newcastle & Gateshead and get to know the rest. So if you are looking for games and interactive content developers, you have an interest in learning or social change, or you’d just like to find out more about what we do at Ideonic then please get in touch we’d like to meet you!

Get in touch: hello@ideonic.com

We’re pleased to announce that our multi award winning application makes it debut on the iPhone, and it’s even better. We have learnt a lot from the Facebook version of the application, and we wanted to bring new features to the iPhone version.

The app brings several new features to MirrorMe, including the ability to work in offline mode and manually detect your face and apply filters, choose how far in to the future you want to age, and extended sharing options. We’ve also optimised our server so online processes should be even faster.

We spent weeks optimising the application and interface to suit the iPhone, and implemented changes such as the offline mode to ensure everyone can enjoy the results of MirorMe, even without a connection.

Available on the App Store priced at £1.19, download it today and let us know what you think.

The team building day was both fun and challenging. The course, set high in the trees in the forest takes you platform to platform, connected by challenges made from rope and wood. A combination of rope ladders, swing bridges and tight ropes along with several high level zip lines (some more than 700m long!) made the day exciting, challenging and fun. Many of us came some what to overcoming fears of heights, and the day was finished off for many, with some great Fish and Chips in Whitby.

Check out our video montage of the day below.