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VanityBA: Artfutura 2010 Features Sundance Winner “We Live in Public”

On October 19, 2010, In arts & entertainment, buenos aires events, creative class, culture, vanityba, visionaries, by laura

Artfutura 2010 asks "Do we live in public?" and explores the effect of technology on our lives

Since 1990, Artfutura, the festival of Digital Culture and Creativity, has explored the relationship between art and the rapidly evolving world of new media, interactive design, video games and digital animation.

Artfutura has generally taken place in cities throughout Spain, but Buenos Aires will host the 2010 edition, entitled “We Live in Public,” based on a documentary of the same name. The documentary, directed by Ondi Timoner, follows New York millionaire Josh Harris who spent his fortune “experimenting with the effects of technology on the human condition.”

Winner of the Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize for best documentary and part of the permanent collection at New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), We Live in Public will open Artfutura 2010 and Harris will participate in a special panel moderated by Vicente Matallana. In addition to the documentary, Artfutura will include conferences on culture and digital image, art and science in biodiversity, and robotics as well as short films, exhibitions of 3D art, music videos, and a section dedicated to creativity in Internet.

Artfutura will take place from November 3-7 at MALBA, Centro Cultural Recoleta, Fundacion Telefonica en Buenos Aires, and Centro Cultura de Espana in Buenos Aires. For more on art and culture in Buenos Aires, download the new issue of InvestBA Privada.

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A Week Away, EA Sports Says The World Cup is Already Over

On June 4, 2010, In arts & entertainment, technology, us companies, by InvestBA
EA Sports FIFA 2010

EA Sports' World Cup simulation has Uruguay out in Group Play and Argentina losing in the Semis.

While the 2010 World Cup doesn’t officially start until June 11th, U.S. video game giant EA SPORTS is already declaring Spain the winner.

In a clever PR campaign, not likely to sit well with local fans of Argentina and Uruguay, EA ran a simulation of the world’s largest sporting event using its popular 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa video game. The simulation had Uruguay eliminated in Group Play after a 1-1 tie with France and back-to-back losses to South Africa and Mexico.

Argentina fared much better in the simulation by winning Group B with three consecutive victories over Nigeria, Korea and Greece. However, convincing wins over Mexico and Germany were followed by a 2-1 loss to Spain in the Semifinal round. The simulation had Spain advancing to and winning the Final over Brazil by a score of 3-1.

We can only hope this EA prediction is a curse akin to the kiss of death for college football teams featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated or NCAA basketball teams getting the net-cutting nod from Dick Vitale. For Argentina’s fans, the only bright side of losing the World Cup, either in a video game or the actual event, is being spared the sight of Diego Maradona running down 9 de Julio Avenue in his birthday suit. Video game or not, that’s one visual we can all do without. (Full Story)

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Another Social Gaming Roll-Up Centers On Buenos Aires Talent

On April 1, 2010, In creative class, entrepreneurs, foreign investment, technology, us companies, by InvestBA
Three Melons in Buenos Aires was acquired by Playdom

The Silicon Valley force is increasingly with BA social gaming companies like Three Melons.

Hot on the heels of acquiring Buenos Aires-based MetroGames for $5 million, California-based Playdom has decided to double down on the local talent pool by purchasing another BA game development studio, Three Melons. The San Francisco Chronicle points to the deal as another sign of a “massive roll-up” in the social gaming space involving Playdom and rivals Electronic Arts and Zynga.

So why the sudden buying frenzy? “The answer is simple,” says Business Insider’s Nick Saint, “People are making lots of money getting Facebook users addicted to simple games and then selling these users ‘virtual goods’ that make the games slightly easier to play.”

Three Melons, self-described maker of Juicy Online Games, launched the popular Bola for Facebook in January, an online soccer game that lets players build their teams from scratch, sign on major sponsors and design their own stadiums.

The Playdom acquisition has important implications for future deal-making in Argentina and, according to one Palo Alto-based Argentine CEO, is changing the way BA companies think about the path to venture capital, global recognition and validation.

Bling Nation CEO Wences Casares told VentureBeat: “Three Melons serves as another example of how young Argentine companies can bypass the traditional business-political dynamic in Argentina, which remains laden with cronyism and corruption. Twenty and thirty-somethings are discovering they can skip the hassles of selling in Argentina and instead launch global companies from (Silicon Valley).”

 

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Playdom Bets Big On Buenos Aires Social Gaming Company

On March 18, 2010, In arts & entertainment, creative class, foreign investment, technology, us companies, by InvestBA
Playdom MetroGames Buenos Aires

Game On: Mountain View-based social gamer Playdom is investing $5 million in BA-based MetroGames.com.

When Gamasutra last reported from Buenos Aires, it was on the heels of November’s Argentina Video Game Expo where the gaming industry news source described the dramatic qualitative game industry growth on full display in Buenos Aires.” Well, apparently someone in Mountain View took notice.

Gamasutra is reporting that California-based social gaming giant Playdom is investing $5 million in BA-based MetroGames. Playdom, the self-described “best kept secret in social gaming,” has been making strategic acquisitions since raising $43 million last November.

Here in Argentina, MetroGames has been busy developing more than 30 games for Facebook including Typing Maniac, Archer Piglets and Aquaball. Creator of online games like Mobsters and Sorority Life, “Playdom describes the Argentinian developer as ‘promising’ and expects ‘explosive growth’ from the company,”  Gamasutra reports, “MetroGames intends to use this Series A investment to expand its pipeline of games and to continue work on its Metrogames.com social gaming platform.”

With the announcement, MetroGames CEO Damian Harburger expressed optimism and appreciation, “We are very confident MetroGames will become one of the world leaders in social gaming. We are pleased Playdom has recognized our potential and chosen to invest in us.” Given the combined talent and cost advantages of game development in Argentina, more BA game studios will likely be the beneficiaries of future foreign investment.

For more information about Buenos Aires’ Creative Class, visit our archives and download the new issue of InvestBA Privada.

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Codear: Video Game Development Booming in Buenos Aires

On December 16, 2009, In arts & entertainment, creative class, foreign investment, technology, by InvestBA
Video game development in Buenos Aires Argentina

This original South Park online game was developed by Buenos Aires-based videogame studio QB9.

The talent and cost advantages behind the animation resurgence in Argentina are also evident in the video game development industry, according to Gamasutra, a leading online resource for programmers and gamers alike.

Gamasutra visited this month’s EVA, the Argentine Video game Expo, and tells readers about “the dramatic qualitative game industry growth on full display in Buenos Aires.” The Expo gave local video game studios like QB9, Sabarasa and Three Melons the opportunity to showcase their various online and iPhone games designed for major industry players like Sony, Nintendo and Comedy Central.

Gamasutra summarizes the cost and talent advantages of BA for foreign companies: “An exchange rate of 3.81:1 of the Argentine Peso to the US Dollar makes investment capital go a long way in Buenos Aires…these companies are the game start-up equivalent of a Prius, so perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that the number of companies is growing even as the established studios begin to consolidate and move away from work-for-hire.”

A strong entrepreneurial streak is also evident as talented artists, developers and designers begin to strike out on their own. Gamasutra concludes, “many people who have experience working in those larger companies have branched out to begin their own, more lightweight ventures. The future of the industry here may be just as uncertain as the fate of the global industry, but the feeling of freedom will always be part of the package for the Argentine game community.” (Full article)

For more information about gaming, mobile apps and startups in Buenos Aires, download the latest issue of InvestBA Privada.

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