The Electronic Computer Trade Show (ECTS) will showcase the latest in computer and video games hardware and software scheduled to hit retail outlets this Christmas. The trade show is the main attraction of a weeklong festival celebrating the world of computer games: London Games Week. In its 14th year, ECTS is the only place in Europe where you can preview all the Christmas hits and gaming technology set to launch in 2004. More than 100 companies are scheduled to show games across every format - PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, PC, Eye Toy and the forthcoming N-Gage from Nokia. Attending companies include Acclaim, Activision, Atari, ATI, BigBen, CAPCOM, Codemasters, Eidos, Electronic Arts, Intel, Konami, Microsoft Xbox, Midway, NVIDIA, Nokia, Sammy, Sega, Sony, THQ, Ubi Soft and Vivendi. The ECTS Awards will be presented on Thursday, August 28, 2003. For more information visit www.ects.com.

Billing itself as "The Cannes Film Festival of Anime Manga Culture," The Big Apple Anime Fest 2003 (BAAF 2003) highlights sci-fi, urban/hip-hop, rave/club and animation. This year

The Independent Games Festival (IGF) has put out a call for submissions for its 6th annual event. The event takes place during the Game Developers Conference (GDC), March 24-26, 2004 in San Jose, CA. More than $20,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to IGF competition winners. Ten finalists will be selected to showcase their games at the event, and awards will be given in four craft categories: Technical Excellence, Innovation in Visual Arts, Innovation in Audio and Innovation in Game Design. Additional honors will be presented for the Seumas McNally Grand Prize for Independent Game of the Year and the Audience Award. The submission deadline the Student Showcase is November 14.

RDTA Films along with TheArtOfEvolution.com and Electric Rain (Erain) today announced VQ: VILLAINQUEST, The

iHollywood Forum presents Interactive Gaming: Hollywood Goes Gaming at 5:30 pm. The event will address the current marriage between Hollywood and game companies and explore new job opportunities for Hollywood professionals in the burgeoning gaming industry. Speakers include: Michael Arrieta, Sony Pictures Digital Networks, svp for strategic alliances; Uwe Boll, Boll KG, director/producer of HOUSE OF THE DEAD and ALONE IN THE DARK; Nicholas Longano, Vivendi Universal Games, group vp, marketing; Germaine Gioia, THQ, vp, Licensin; Jeffrey Kaltreider, Activision, global brand manager; Matt Case, Blindlight, exec director of development; and Craig Allen, Spark Unlimited, ceo. Alex Pham, L.A. TIMES, games industry reporter, will moderate. The event includes dinner and will take place at the Los Angeles Wyndham Belage, 1020 No. San Vicente. The program costs $60 in advance and $70 at door. For more information call (310) 815-3884 or visit www.iHollywoodForum.com.

The Austin Game Developers Conference is a new conference, which addresses the hottest growth areas in game development: multiplayer online games and mobile games. The program offers six tracks (48 sessions) from industry leaders, including: Atari, Ubi Soft, Electronic Arts, Sony Online, Mythic Entertainment, GameSpy, Turbine, Castle Hill Studios, Metrowerks, Mutable Realms, Online Alchemy, Wolfpack Studios, MicroForte and others. The keynotes speakers are Mark Jacobs, ceo and president of Mythic Entertainment and Ralph Koster, chief designer of STAR WARS GALAXIES and Sony Online Entertainment. In addition to the sessions there are two special features exclusive to the Austin Game Conference.

The Academy of Machinima Arts & Sciences will hold the Machinima Film Festival, which celebrates films made within a realtime virtual 3D environment (i.e. 3D game engine). The early submission deadline is August 1, 2003 and the final deadline is September 15, 2003. Last year

The SFWEB3D presents X3D Unreal and for Real: Making Content in X3D. X3D and Realtime3D are fast becoming the next phase of digital media for the Web, corporate intranets, hand helds, phones and beyond. This month's meeting is a special "hands on look at making X3D content." First, Dave Arendash of Manyone.net, the new owners of the Flux X3D browser, will show us how to make X3D and VRML scenes and worlds using the UNREAL game engine and editor. Arendash has created an exporter that will convert Unreal levels and worlds into X3D. Second, Joe Williams who works on the X3D spec, will take those interested in the nuts and bolts code of X3D into examples of how to make x3d content with just code via notepad or any text editor. The free event will run from 7:00

Bra!nCamp is a high-level, cross-media conference specifically geared to major players in children's entertainment. Attending the event are senior executives, creative forces and movers and shakers in the kids' and family entertainment industry. The event includes eight presentations over two days, along with food, fun and social events. The atmosphere is loose and relaxed, no suits, no ties. Bra!nCamp is an intimate event and attendance is limited. Speakers and attendees interact during presentations, during breaks and during social events. Linda Simensky, svp of original animation, Cartoon Network and Nancy Kanter, vp programming, Disney Channel will be speakers at this year's event. For more information and registration materials e-mail: BrainCamp@aol.com or visit www.braincamp.com.

As part of its speaker series, Gnomon School of Visual Effects will hold a discussion with Bob Nicoll, worldwide director of graphics training, Electronic Arts. Nicoll has been both a production artist and teacher for more than 25 years. His production experience spans broadcast, films and games. His training experience includes four years as a college professor and more than 10 years as an instructor in the entertainment industry. Beginning at 7:00 pm, the event will take place at 1015 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood, California. For more information visit www.gnomon3d.com/.