Game & Simulations

Game & Simulations

video games  

Games, Sim, VR & More

Using the video game engine, Unity3D, aNm can create custom 2D or 3D games, simulations, or other immersive environments.

Book News: NAC Radio Show

Book News: NAC Radio Show

radio interview  

Very exciting news - I will be on the NPR show, "Native America Calling", this coming TUES, 4/10/12. tune in, listen, and call ! 1-2pm EST
http://nativecomicbooks.blogspot.com/2012/04/sheyahshe-on-nprs-native-america.html

Caddo Language App Now Available on Android Market

Caddo Language App Now Available on Android Market

native american video game  

alterNative Media (aNm) is pleased to announce that we have deployed the Caddo Language app for Android devices, available for download from the Android Market. The Caddo Language app (v1.0.0) is a feature-rich mobile application that allows users to search for the Caddo translation of a word or phrase by entering an English word.

alterNative Media is committed to bringing the power of innovative technology to the Native community, so integrating this Cultural information with an Adroid app was a logical and exciting choice for us," says Michael Sheyahshe - CIO Developer for aNm - an enrolled member of the Caddo Nation. "By adding the Caddo Language app to the Android Market, we've made it extremely easy for the global community to help retain an immensely important Indigenous cultural resource. We developed an application that celebrates the Caddo language...available right on your Android mobile device."

Caddo is a language, made of several dialects, from the Caddoan linguistic stock of the Southern Plains and primarily spoken by members the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma. The Caddo Language app allows individuals to interactively search for Caddo words from an internal database (no Internet connection needed after installation) and the app suggests possible entries to choose from, as you type.

Android Market is an online software store developed by Google for Android devices. An application program ("app") called "Market" is preinstalled on most Android devices and allows users to browse and download apps published by
third-party developers, hosted on Android Market. The website, rather than the
Market app itself, provides details of some of the available apps, in particular
those that are termed "Featured", "Top Paid" and "Top Free". For a comprehensive, up-to-date list of the tens of thousands of titles available,check out Android Market on your handset.

To learn more about Android Market or the Caddo Language app, visit www.android.com or http://www.alternativemedia.biz/. You can also scan QR code below to take you directly to the Caddo Language app's location in the Android Market.

Coming Soon...

Coming Soon...

video games  

Look for some exciting news coming soon from aNm...

...stay tuned for more !

Art Video Game Credits on IMDb

Art Video Game Credits on IMDb

video games  

After a very long wait, I am very pleased to announce that you can now view the credits for the video game, Helix for Nintendo Wii.

You can view the credits for my artistic work on Helix here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1508668/fullcredits

This game is special to me, as it represents aNm's collaboration on a game with a local development studio here in the regional area (Ghostfire Games, located in Austin, TX) and further exemplifies our goal of supporting and providing viable artistic services to the the Austin game studios and any others in the regional area.

If you are a educational institution, local studio, or indie game developer, contact us today to see how we can help with your video game or simulation projects.

Report From OEGE

Report From OEGE

video games  

The Oklahoma Electronic Game Expo was a most excellent event for aNm. It was great to see all the individuals in the local OKC metro area come out for an event focusing on video games and electronic media. The staff and crew deserve many thanks and kudos for their accommodating attitudes and due to the fact that everything ran smoothly.

There were many vendors and sponsors and all the booths were busy with people interested in one aspect of video games or another. Indeed, aNm's booth received many visitors and friendly faces wanting to know more and talk about video games and electronic media.

At alterNative Media's booth, we displayed images from the digital gallery (which can also be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sheyahshe/sets/72157603892304375/show/), were able to pass out many information flyers - about my book, Native Americans in Comic Books, the studio itelf, and our outreach to other '3D people' in the local community - as well as exchange business cards and do some good-natured networking within the 3D community.

Friend, David Downs came in for the "assist" in manning the booth, distributing flyers, and fielding questions from our booth's visitors. Many thanks to him for his efforts and professionalism at the expo.

We appreciate all the good people that came out and talked with us at OEGE and look forward to hearing from all of you that have 3D skills and to those that had potential projects to collaborate with aNm. Feel free to use our contact page for any communications about potential projects or collaborations. Look for alterNative Media at next year's OEGE event.

AbTeC Interview

AbTeC Interview

video games  

Beth Aileen Lameman - an Indigenous friend and creator of The West Was Lost and Fala comics, as winner of the APTN Comic Creation Nation contest from Zeros2Heroes - recently interviewed me for the Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace ("AbTeC") blog, "The blog of the Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace research network."

Here's a little info about AbTeC, from their website:

About

Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace (AbTeC) is a series of projects investigating innovative methods for First Nations to participate in networked culture to tell our stories while populating and shaping cyberspace itself.

Main

The main objective of AbTeC is to discover, define and implement methods by which Aboriginal people can use networked communication technology to strengthen our cultures. AbTeC’s Skins project will bring Aboriginal community organizations together with academic institutions to conduct research into the means by which the power of digital and networked technology can be put to use in producing and preserving our knowledge, culture and language. We will work with elder who have stories to tell, bands who have histories to preserve, and Aboriginal language speakers who want to share their knowledge. The goal is to provide conceptual and practical tools that will allow us to create new, Aboriginally-determined territories within the collection of web-pages, online games, chat rooms, bulletin boards and virtual environments that we call cyberspace.

Beth asks questions about alterNative Media, my opinions on fine art, and the future of video games for Indigenous people. My responses also came with a small peppering of nostalgia for some video-games-of-yester-year some of you might well recall.

Check out the interview here: http://www.abtec.org/blog/?p=118.

Look for aNm's Booth at OEGE 2009

Look for aNm's Booth at OEGE 2009

video games  

alterNative Media is proud to both sponsor and participate as an exhibitor for the Oklahoma Electronic Game Expo and Multimedia Conference - April 11, 2009, at OCCC in OKC. aNm will have booth space along with many other local business and services in the metro area. Click the link below to see the list of exhibitors at OEGE:

http://oege.catblog.occc.edu/wordpress/exhibitors-info/

aNm will showcase our many services and make exciting new networking connections within the local gaming industry. One of our main goals is to cultivate, support, and collaborate with Oklahoma's video game community and to foster growth towards creating a viable 3D game studio resources and talents to which regional studios (say, in Austin, TX) can outsource.

In addition, we will also have information about my book, Native Americans in Comic Books, from McFarland, available everywhere online.

Daily Oklahoman featured an article on OEGE. The article highlights the many events that will be at the expo including speaking presentations and the game tournament. You can access the store on the web at: http://newsok.com/occc-to-host-video-game-expo/article/3357567

Come by our booth, see what we can offer your projects, and say hello.

UCO Lecture

UCO Lecture

UCO lecture  

Public Lecture

Look for me at the UCO English Department's Sherman Chaddlesone Arts & Letters Lecture Series
http://www.libarts.ucok.edu/english/

Date: 02/12/09 (Thursday)
Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Location: Pegasus Theater

Topics will include my book (Native Americans in Comics) , Indigenous people in Pop-Culture, and video games with Native Americans.

IPI: Indigenous Peeps in the Industry - 04

IPI: Indigenous Peeps in the Industry - 04

native americans in comic books  

In this deployment of IPI, we spotlight Beth Aileen Dillon, a Ph.D., Student at Simon Fraser University in the School of Interactive Arts and Technology and Research Assistant for the Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace ("AbTeC"), "a series of projects investigating innovative methods for First Nations to participate in networked culture to tell our stories while populating and shaping cyberspace itself." Beth "is an Irish, Anishinaabe, and Metis writer specializing in video game industry" and her creativity has now spilled over into the comic industry. Beth has recently ventured into the world of comic books with her work with the Zeros2Heroes people, "a thriving network that connects thousands of creators, producers, and fans of comics in a collaborative and creative environment." In addition to these enormous milestones, Beth proves her continued status of 'Mega Cool' with her JTHM reference (Squee !, indeed). Beth takes time to explain things (slowly!) to Michael Sheyahshe (Caddo) about her recent work in comics and Indigenous representation.

MS: Background info: what is your tribal affiliation and where are you from?

BAD: I'm a half-breed border crosser. My mother is Anishinaabe and Metis from the LaPonsies with family out in Bay Mills and Sault Ste. Marie stateside. My father's Irish through and through. I was born in Anaheim, California, the city of Disneyland, and grew up in Oregon. I've since been in Vancouver, British Columbia and will be making my way out to Edmonton, Alberta soon with my husband Myron Lameman from the Beaver Lake Cree Nation. Anywhere with birch trees feels like home to me!

MS: Did you have a lot of cultural interaction growing up? (Family gatherings, dances, ceremonies, etc.?)

BAD: My mother is a big source of cultural and spiritual inspiration for me. Okay, my brother and I usually snickered at her for all of her weird quirks (like collecting pine cones wherever she goes), but I truly feel her giveaway spirit really gave a good context to all of our community interaction. As an urban Native, the Native Student and Community Center at Portland State University in Oregon was the main source of my friends and the gatherings we shared there. My mother also runs Native Film Festivals for free with big feasts, so I've always helped out with community events. Powwows, storytelling events, donated elder lunches, visiting speakers like Gary Farmer, youth conferences where I've held video game design workshops, you name it.
That place was truly the center of my social life where I took part in helping with many gatherings. I miss it very much but return when I can.

MS: When did you first get into comics?

BAD: Johnny the Homicidal Maniac! Squee! There was this Pegasus Books place in Oregon I'd go to when I was younger. I was into more avant garde edgy comics--not the classic superhero stories.

MS: Do you have a favorite comic; title or type?

BAD: The Watchmen, of course, not to be boring or anything. I also fell in love with V for Vendetta, which I only read after the movie came out and so many people said I just had to read the comic, and of course, much like book adaptations, they were right. But my favorite of all
time has to be Transmetropolitan, for its quirky characters, themes, and journalism quips (I double as a game journalist).

MS: Tell us more about the comics you've been working on; how did it all start / come about?

BAD: Nis, a dear friend of mine, pointed me to the Zeros2Heroes and Aboriginal Peoples Television Network collaborative contest for Aboriginal Canadians to enter the contest. My husband and I went away to working on some concepts and responded to feedback from the community which gave us the opportunity to see these ideas come to life.

Fala, a Native urban fantasy rendition of Alice in Wonderland, is inspired by our friends from a short film script I was writing with them in mind before we heard about the contest. With the help of editor Julian Lawrence and artist Patricio Plaza, we get to see Cowboy Smithx as Trickster, Duane Howard as Badger, Senaqwila Wyss as Fala, and Justin Rain and Shane Zwack as Ace and Spade in comic book form.

Fala's one of those girls who plays video games, but she's still cool, and of course, often too cool to bother to finish her homework or help out her single mom. Sent out to the woods for a homework assignment on edible plants, Fala gets lost (or rather tricked) and finds herself led down a path of life lessons in a dark, strange rez town.

The West Was Lost is a manifestation of Myron and I in Native steampunk--a subgenre I believe we're creating originally here with the help of the editor Andrew Foley and artist Frank Grau, Jr. We hope this one can turn into a series. In the full arc of stories, Nezette is chosen as a leader of a group sent from the Sovereign to help the people of the west rid the land of the Zhaagnaash and the Windigo spirits within them. She takes up arms with her trusted friends and family at the coaxing of the well-meaning trickster Nanaboozhoo and starts on a path without end with love and loss met along the way.

MS: When can we expect to see them and will they be available to buy?

BAD: Probably no later than October 2008, although you never know. You can watch Zeros2Heroes for updates!

MS: Keeping in mind any of your other talents, what is your specialty?

BAD: I'm great at keeping descriptions short because of my experience as a video game writer. (Programmers and artists don't need pages upon pages to wade through.) I'm a writer to the core and this contest has really brought my creativity back. I took a stint away from creative
writing following my Masters in Writing at Portland State University to be a game journalist and take up the challenge of a Doctorate at Simon Fraser University. But in the end, academic and journalistic writing styles aren't my passion. I've really rediscovered the direction I originally wanted to head in life since childhood by having this chance.

MS: Did you get special training and/or education for the comic book work?

BAD: Editors Andrew Foley and Julian Lawrence are walking me through edits. Experiential learning is the best kind, because I'll actually remember it. For example, I've learned that I need to write the script for the artist, not for the community readers! Meaning if there's a secret mysterious surprise, I need to be open about spelling it out on the panel description, otherwise the artist won't know where the story is headed and what to draw. Writing for comic books is great but definitely requires its own style separate from game writing and

MS: Have you worked on any other comics?

BAD: Not yet! Believe me, I have an epic book series I've been detailing out since I was about twelve that I've realized needs to be told in comic book form. When I first started writing it, I kept thinking that words just didn't cut it. Finally that thing can see the light of day if I can find an artist and editor willing to work on a first issue for pursuing a publisher.

MS: What are some comics with Native American characters in them that stand out to you?

BAD: Although controversial, I have to admit that Myron and I enjoy Scalped. Sure, it's not made by indigenous people, but I feel the people involved are making a shot at proper representation. That, and, where else can you find a comic entirely about modern Natives put out by a big publisher?

MS: What is your opinion about Indigenous characters in comics? Do you feel we portrayed properly?

BAD: Rarely. I won't even open The Red Prophet to give it a try because all I see on the cover is a stereotypically aged Native man with a little white boy named Alvin and think--yeah, another outlet where the focus is on the non-Native character. Of course I could be completely wrong about the series, but I do judge books by their covers. Much like video games, we're often shaped into stereotypes. Halfbreed heroes who slay Indians until they too discover their Indian roots and all is forgiven, the busty hot Native chick who means business in tight skinned leather, you name it. As more of us grow up playing games and reading comics, the more we'll get involved in making our own representations, and I'm looking forward to it.

MS: Do you know of any other Natives in the "biz" (comic industry and/or video game industry)?

BAD: Steve Sanderson is a great artist who has merged the Japanese manga style with his own to tell unique indigenous stories through comic books. His work has been put out by the Healthy Aboriginal Network.

And of course Chad Solomon, co-creator of the Rabbit and Bear Paws.

Sadly there are few of us in the video game industry. In fact, as of the 2005 International Game Developers Association diversity survey, there were maybe 44 people total who identified as Native. Efforts like the Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace 'Skins' project from new media artists Skawennati Fragnito and Jason Lewis at Concordia University in Montreal offer game development related education to youth, which I hope will bring more of us into the industry so we can explore video games as a medium for telling our stories.

MS: Any words of wisdom for others (Native or non) looking to do what you do?

BAD: Get started! Find a team, get your friends together, do whatever you can do to get a strong portfolio going for game development. You don't even need money for higher education--you just need the portfolio and skills if you can learn them on your own, so don't doubt yourself if
you can't get into the expensive schools. The more you create, the more examples and experience you'll have, even if things don't go perfectly every time (and they won't). You'll learn from errors if you try! Really, I feel the same can be said of comic books and many other creative industries.

MS: Anything I've missed here? Anything you'd like to 'plug' (upcoming shows, debuts, etc.)?

BAD: Thank you to everyone in the Zeros2Heroes community who voted for Fala and The West Was Lost! And a special shout out to Tenzil, who gave us advice along the way and answered even our tech related questions.

IPI: Indigenous Peeps in the Industry - 02

IPI: Indigenous Peeps in the Industry - 02

native american video game  

In this piece, we support and showcase Native American professionals working in creative aspects inside the video game industry. Winnie (Oglala Lakota/Eastern Shawnee), a.k.a., "ix", is a former Associate Producer with some big name games, such as the Call of Duty franchise. As a Indigenous person working in the game industry, ix was nice enough to share some insight with Michael Sheyahshe (Caddo).

MS: Background info: what is your tribal affiliation and where are you from?

ix: I'm an Oglala Lakota/Eastern Shawnee; I grew up in Wanblee, SD on the Pine Ridge Rez.

MS: Did you have a lot of cultural interaction growing up? (Family gatherings, dances, ceremonies, etc.?)

ix: Yeah, all of my mom's family were in a fancydance troupe based out of New York, so they were constantly traveling around dancing. My mom's family all speak Lakota, which is kind of not common for younger people these days. They still follow many of the old ways. I also went to an Indian-only boarding high school. If any young Indians have a chance to go to one (think there are only 3 left in the US), do it! I made many friends from other tribes that I still talk to today.

MS: When did you first get into games?

ix: I liked those text games from the 80s (hitchhiker's guide, etc) and the Nintendo dragon-and-swordsy kind of RPG games. Also in high school we had a couple of old computers, so I played a lot of Doom and Quake.

MS: What is your favorite game of all time…something that turns FRI-SUN into a 'lost weekend'?

ix: I was hopelessly addicted to Baldur's Gate 2, Deus Ex, Planescape, and Counterstrike. These days I play a lot of Team Fortress 2. MS: You just finished work on COD4: MW, right? What was your role there?

ix: I was an Associate Producer.

MS: What is your specialty?

ix: Getting things done! Haha. I got stuck on accounting/finances and mostly working PR events last round. It changes from project to project. The one before that mostly what I did was travel, travel, travel, and give press demos/fix scripting. I do 3d modeling as a hobby also.

MS: Did you get special training and/or education for this?

ix: No, most producers started as QA testers. I started at a game developer, and moved up from QA. I think I've only met two producers that have any sort of degree in my time in the industry. That's starting to change, though. A lot more straight business degree people now. You do a ton of random things, so you really need to be awesome at something to stand out at all in Production and also be a jack of all trades at the same time.

MS: What other games have you worked on?

ix: Oh, all of the Call of Duty games except for COD1. I also worked on DS, cell phone and PSP games in the past, and wasn't really that fond of working on mobile platforms so much; mostly for the limitations of the hardware.

MS: Have you played video games with Native American characters in them?

ix: There aren't many; Prey and Gun are the ones that come to mind. Prey was interesting in that you could go upside down in multiplayer which is a neat idea, but they do the magical Indian stereotype heavily. Gun I felt kind of bothered by how they portray the Apaches. Eventually, I think AIM protested it.

MS: Do you have any opinion about Indigenous characters in video games?

ix: I think there needs to be more of them. I also think that I'm getting really sick of the 'magical Cherokee' stereotype that Hollywood and most media likes to hammer onto us. It's really still racism but in a different way. I wish that there was an Indian character in Gears of War, COD, etc. that's a contributing part of the squad/one of the main characters and not some mystical BS schtick!

MS: Do you know of any other Natives in the "biz" (gaming industry)?

ix: I know one female animator, but she doesn't know much about her tribe or is really all that involved with it. It's kind of hard finding other Indians in the industry. Most of us stay back on the home reservations, maybe. I wish we had better computer programs and equipment on reservations. That would open up more tech jobs for us. I can't imagine what advantages I would have had if the schools where I grew up had computers, the internet, or access to some of the software other public schools do.

MS: Any words of wisdom for others (Native or non) looking to do what you do?

ix: I wouldn't recommend going the QA route if you want to be a producer. Some people really do tend to treat testers like scum, until they've moved up enough to be not be in QA anymore. Go to business school, you'll make more money right off the bat and skip all the crappy things QA has to do. Also, be aware that Producers tend to crunch year round and most that I worked with over the years don't date or have any time to do much else than work!

If you want to be a modeler or artist, there are a lot of online resources to help. Online tutorials, Maya Personal Learning Edition has movies, and cg forums. Don't be afraid to ask other artists for opinions in forums, they're a great resource.Anything I've missed here? Modding is also another way for aspiring level designers to get into the industry. Devs do watch modding forums, and many that are talented get job offers from studios.

Don't go to Video Game schools/degree farms. They have no respect in the industry, cost way too much, and do not teach you anything that you will actually use in most cases. I never cared what someone's degree was in or even if they had a degree to be honest. What matters is your portfolio/reel! If it's awesome, you're set. (Except programmers: go to a real university and get a programming degree if you want to be a game coder.) Above all, don't give up if you really want to make games.

Native American Tribe Uses Video Games for Learning

Native American Tribe Uses Video Games for Learning

tribe  

The Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana gives other Native American tribal entities something to 'shoot' for: creating an immersive 3D environment to increase education and awareness of Indigenous culture. The tribe worked with Red Knight Learning Systems to create a 3D simulation for their Coushatta Heritage Center.
Red Knight developed 3D simulations and interactive exhibits for the cultural center. Click HERE to see examples from Red Knight. Technology such as this is readily available and much more affordable these day. Thus, tribes should begin looking towards solutions like this one to help foster learning and cultural continuance.
As a shameless 'plug', aNm has the technology and ability to offer tribal nations the means to create their own 3D models, simulations, and video games. If you are a tribal nation, museum, or cultural center, contact us today to see how we can use similar innovations to promote and sustain Indigenous culture.

Does a Wiki post make it Valid?

Does a Wiki post make it Valid?

wiki  

There is now a Wiki entry about Native Americans characters in video games.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Native_American_video_game_characters
While this list is far from complete, it is interesting that this topic has garnered an entire entry on its own.
This begs the question, "does a topic become valid once it has a wiki entry?" Perhaps, as it certainly represents at least SOMEONE's interest in posting an entry.
The current / recent trend seems to support this notion as well, as there have been more articles and blog entries about this topic. One could even wonder if this specialized interest is similar to the trend of Native characters becoming "cool" in film (as you know, 'Indian films' cycle through as the new Hollywood 'coolness' every decade or so...).
Whatever the reason, it is nice to see individuals giving more thought to the Indigenous character, no matter the medium.

Digital Natives

Digital Natives

tribal nation  

It's been growing and gaining momentum for some time now...

Native American artists and storytellers are beginning to bend new tools and technology to Our cultural needs.

Throughout history we would adopt new / emerging technological advances - such as glass beads and German silver in place of natural quills and abalone shell adornments - and infuse the medium with our particular cultural values, information, meaning. Similarly, Indigenous people are now using digital media (such as 2d and 3d animation) to tell our stories.

A recent article in Native Peoples Magazine by Kade L. Twist (Cherokee), "brave new worlds - Indigenous Animation Movement Rising," outlines this phenomenon. In the article, Twist mentions several Indigenous digital artists including, Joseph Erb (Cherokee), Nathan Young (Pawnee/Delaware/Kiowa), Roy Boney, Jr. (Cherokee), Wathene Young (Cherokee/Delaware), Matt Mason (Cherokee), Anthony Deiter (Plains Cree/Ojibwe), and Joseph Lazare (Mohawk).

(On an unrelated note: this list seems rather Cherokee-heavy, doesn't it?...where are the Caddo digital artists? Oh wait...I'm right here. Heh.)

It is not only refreshing, but vastly and personally rewarding, to see other Natives working in a similar medium (digital art / media).

The Native Peoples article also mentions the Onida Nation's Four Directions Media, which operates Four Directions Productions (4DP) and Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) as bigger, power-house contributors within the digital realm.

This is exactly what we need more of: Indigenous people creating Indigenous content especially in digital media. Just like me, these individuals are working hard to make this a reality and we can use all the support we can get. That's why it's good to see an article that celebrates this work.

Article in Native Peoples Magazine

Article in Native Peoples Magazine

video games  

Published Article

An article I've written, "Searching for Indigenous Heroes," about Native characters in video games, has been picked up by Native Peoples magazine. The issue hits newsstands soon, so pick up yours or order it online today!

Here's the description from the Native Peoples website: 2007 January/February:

"Viewpoint: The author outlines the history of Indigenous heroes in the video-game realm, and finds some losers and at least one game worthy of its Native roots: Prey, with voice by Michael Greyeyes (Cree). By Michael Sheyahshe (Caddo)."