The SpecialEffect Centre - Official Opening

The 10th of March 2011 saw the official launch of 'The SpecialEffect Centre', including GamesLab, GamesRoom and offices. The images above however, are of my journey there the night before (sort of). I'd never seen LED cats-eyes before, they felt very Tron like and apt for the day to come.

Back to the point... so what is The SpecialEffect Centre? Well, it's based in Oxfordshire in the UK and serves as the base point for many different game accessibility projects. The GameRoom acts as a place where people can try out accessible game equipment for themselves. For those unable to get to Oxfordshire, there are other opportunties to try out this gear through Accessible Gaming Road Shows and a fantastic loan-library (UK only at this time).

For a more international outreach, the SpecialEffect GameBase is dedicated to sharing knowledge. To save me repeating what's been said across the web, here's some links to the story of the day: Telegraph; EuroGamer; The Guardian; C&VG; Engadget; Trabasack.

In short, the UK's prime minister opened it, but the big story is that it exists. I'm really proud to be part of this fantastic team, and I'm really excited about our current and future projects and collaborations with others in this field. Gushing over.

Image via: ClearViewTraffic.com.

Kit 4 Kidz - Leeds

I'm not giving you much notice, I grant you, but if you live Bradford or Leeds way, and can get to Pudsy ("LS28 5TA" for your sat-nav), then read on. Kit 4 Kidz is holding a free exhibition on Wednesday, between 10am and 3pm, where you can see equipment designed to enable otherwise disabled kids. And SpecialEffect and OneSwitch.org.uk will be there with an accessible arcade (aka stall!) of games.

What will be there? All sorts of hardware, such as an eye-gaze controller, head-tracker, switches, one-handed controllers and more. What games? You'll have to wait and see, but we'll have PS3, Xbox 360, PCs and even Imagination Sound Controllers. Be great to see you there.