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Archive for October 1st, 2008

BlizzCon, the Countdown Begins!

October 1st, 2008, 3:20 pm by

It is now roughly 10 days until one of the greatest conventions of the year takes place. BlizzCon spells out a gold mine, a great heaven on earth for nerds, Blizzard enthusiasts, hardcore gamers, and your occasional bear trainer.

But as we eagerly await the cold steel doors of the Anaheim Convention Center to open, we wonder what we may find on the other side. This of course is if you were brave enough to face the fiasco to obtain your ticket — either by vigil (36 hours for me) or by lottery. Fear not, for if you have Direct TV, you can purchase a package for $39.95, they’ll also throw in the exclusive bear mount for free (how nice).

The most obvious here will be the latest expansion to the widely popular World of Warcraft, The Wrath of the Lich King, which is slated to hit stores on November 13, 2008. With so much information to be shared and learned about this expansion, we can expect to see many panels and art galleries dedicated to it. However, one of the more exciting opportunities is players will get a chance first hand to play it before its release. You can get your Death Knight on, and lay some Death and Decay around Northrend!

Second, Starcraft II will make a great showing, as the highly anticipated sequel to the 1998 smash hit. From what I’ve seen of this game, it shouldn’t disappoint. Hopefully players will get a hands on look at the current state of the game.

We can also expect Diablo III to make a public showing. I’m not entirely sure a playable demo will be available considering where they are currently at in development. They may want to apply more “Blizzard Polish” to it, before allowing players to explore the world of Sanctuary.

From what I know, there may be 1 other game announced there as well, more info on that is to come.

So, in addition to the games, there will be of course the craziness that is BlizzCon. Ranging from people dressed up as their character or favorite NPC, drunk attendees yelling gibberish at members of the other faction, contests, giveaways, jousting with your favorite community manager, and the overall feeling of comradery with your fellow gamers. No matter what, there will most certainly be memories to cherish forever.

-Ryan “Vissor” Gallagher

Posted in: BlizzCon 2008 • • | Comments Off

When art school and Blizzard converge

October 1st, 2008, 12:25 pm by

“Art/Studies From Blizzard Entertainment,” a new art exhibit opening today at the Laguna College of Art & Design is FANTASTIC! It’s even better if you’re a Blizzard fan.

I was stunned, shocked and exhilarated to see pieces from the unreleased games “World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King,” “StarCraft II” and “Diablo III.” Many pieces were dated 2007 and had familiar artist names, such as Peter Lee. Many pieces also weren’t signed, presumably because these came straight out of the sketch pads of Blizzard headquarters. (Click HERE for the slideshow)

Click on the image below for a slideshow by Register photographer Cindy Yamanaka.

I stopped by the college Tuesday to snap these photos and get a personal tour from curator Ed Thorell, who color-coded the exhibit — blue for StarCraft, red for Diablo and white for Warcraft. A projector and an iMac also played trailers from the games.

The show features original pieces from Blizzard artists. But this isn’t a show of just the final works of art. It includes the rough sketches and detailed drawings that led up to end result. The college wanted Blizzard to show the process it takes artists to create video game art.

“Even though there is so much high-concept art from Blizzard, we’re trying to reinforce (to students) that everything starts from a sketchpad,” said curator Ed Thorell, pictured on right.

[Note: I originally thought this was a dual show of student and Blizzard staff work. It's not. This is pure Blizzard art. I'll post later about game-art students talking about their favorite Blizzard pieces.]

How did the school get so lucky? Last year, the school started its video-game major and attracted faculty from Blizzard, Dreamworks Animation and Double Helix Games (a merger of Shiny Entertainment and The Collective). This year, Blizzard employees Ely Cannon and Wendy Vetter are on staff.

There are 28 students in the school’s game major, more than double from last year, said Sandy Appleoff (pictured on right), the college’s chair of the Game Art major. Showing the ‘process’ of creating art will hopefully drill into students the need to practice drawing daily.

“The initial concept stage of doing lots of little thumbnails is so important. When (students) see Blizzard artists doing it, this reinforces that drawing every day is important,” Appleoff said. ”When the show hits, they’ll all be clinging to their sketch pads.”

For all those heading to Anaheim next week for BlizzCon, take a short trip to Laguna Beach and visit the school’s gallery. The show runs through Oct. 27.

::details::

What: Art/Studies From Blizzard Entertainment 

When: Reception is Oct. 23, public is invited

Where: Laguna College Art & Design gallery, 2222 Laguna Canyon in Laguna Beach
Here’s a link to the Google Map. 

Web site: lagunacollege.edu

Exhibit hours: Exhibit runs Oct. 1 to 27.
Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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Posted in: Blizzard Art • Diablo • Events • Latest game news • Star Craft • World of Warcraft • • • • • • • • | 1 Comment »

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