GVOICE V26_EN by gamania gvoice

2010/JUL

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The Importance of Sound Identity Why do people think of McDonald's when they hear "ba da ba ba ba"? And when your hear "ding~ dum dum dum dum!", why do you immediately think of Intel? You not only judge a person by their appearance but also by their voice. It's the same with brands. In fact, "sound" plays a very important yet often neglected role in brand building. The sense of hearing actually induces more of an emotional response than most people realize. When consumers are surrounded by all kinds of products and an endless stream of advertising, it's hard to get them interested in a specific product. We can use a unique piece of music, make the consumer associate it with a particular product and stimulate their buying interest. The same principle works for corporate brands. By defining and using a unique sound in a syst ematic way when broadcasting your brand messages, you can create a one-toone association in people's minds. This makes for a very effective brand communications technique that will not only set the brand apart from its competitors but may boost goodwill. Branding has always been important to Gamania so we began developing our own special sound several years ago. So what is the Gamania sound? What kinds of interesting music has Gamania come up with? Hear us out in this issue's G!Voice!

Editing Department

● Publisher: Albert Liu ● Editorial Desk: Eric Chen ● Editor-in-chief: Yoyo Dai ● Creative Desk: Kiwi Chang/Betty Wang ● Art Editor: Brandon Huang ● Web Planner: Kenji Lin ● Web Designer: Snow Wang ● Publishing: Gamania Brand Center

Contents 橘觀點

Features

04 06 08 10 18 20 26

Changing the world through sound Why search for a Gamania sound? The Gamania sound is everywhere The Gamania quartet The best Gamania music formula: GAMA x Machi Into the world of Gamania musicians G!Voice Music Stop

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Internet Marketing Observer, Mika:

Is this media of the future!? Shuffle Alliance, Jojo:

The pursuit of realism in computer animation gamaniabrandcenter:

Explore Taiwan with Monocole Rediscovery through Travel

新橘事

Events

34 36

Gamania Hall of Fame Presents:

April winner of the "Gamania Medal of Bravery" – the Maple Story live team 15th "Fighting Gama" Gama Cup Special Report

GAMANIA

Features

E H GH T U G O N I R G H N T A D H L C OR D W UN SO

ry ve t e i for Be d . 's y n o u o d i g ania f s pr am d o ial e c i c a l ns, G soun ad p s re u s ditio the a m sp r , e l y o d l p l f u x n f s efu s a re ay a i m a p l res o ! Hop sion s ia ke ntu here s pa y! i an e l v ' a m w d n e G a a s i o ns, a every eopl one d p c o o c brati eads nite globe r g e i e cel d sp can f th n o u r nia so ne ma y cor a r G eve o t

GAMANIA

Features

Interview with Ahbin the Brand Director

WHY THE SEARCH FOR A GAMANIA SOUND? Every company takes great pains with their logo or identity because they are so important to the brand. Not many think of developing a "sound" of their own however. Gamania has its own approach when it comes to sound. Not only was Machi invited to come up with a Gamania "anthem" but a set of sound guidelines were developed to manage its internal and external use. What made Gamania start looking for its own sound? What factors inďŹ&#x201A;uenced Gamania's sound developments? Let's get it straight from the horse's mouth: Brand Director Eric Chen ("Ahbin")!

"The Gamania visual identity is something that Gamanians achieved a consensus on a long time ago. But a brand sound? To be honest with you, we didn't really think about it much." Said Ahbin. "It was not until a Gamania event five to six years ago that we suddenly realized that Gamania didn't have its own sound."

not over-emphasize it during development. Instead, we would play with the sound and music at certain events or occasions then modify them for placement in specific Gamania areas." Explained Ahbin.

Developing the Gamania Sound

For the ending cut at the end of Gamania advertisements, the Brand Center left nothing to chance. Not only did we ask the well-know local image designer Chun-chieh Lien to do the design work, we also recorded and edited the Gamania sound at the end over and over. We wanted the consumer to not only remember the Gamania product, but also the Gamania brand. The "Gama Song" is also embedded in the HR website and customer support hotline so non-Gamanians can hear the fun sounds of Gamania as well. Ahbin said: "We always appeal to the emotions in our brand message. Sound is a very direct and emotional message. It's an excellent tool for generating brand differentiation. Sound can also influence people's thinking and imagination. Who knows what kind of brand association is created in the player's mind by the music and sounds they hear during those few seconds of waiting time." Nevertheless, it takes time to create and cultivate a brand's sound identity. Ahbin hopes that in the future, everyone at Gamania can take part in the creative process to give the Gamania sounds and music all kinds of interesting possibilities.

On the day, Gamanians went all out on creativity and kuso as usual. Just as Albert our CEO was about to come on and give a speech, there playing in the background was the "Doraemon" theme (Albert loves Doraemon and shares the same birthday). "Everyone was still pretty high and laughing, but when we thought about it, we realized that Gamania didn't have its own "theme". Ahbin continued: "Gamania is in the digital entertainment industry where sound and lighting effects are very important. If we didn't even care about our own sound, how can we expect our stuff to really make an impression on the consumer?" That w as t he ca ta ly st for G am an i a 's so und development efforts. First, we asked our spiritual brothers Machi to compose the "Gama Song". The next step was then to edit the "Gama Song" itself to gradually come up with what Gamania calls our "Sound Identity". On the hardware side, Gamania set up the "Gamania Studio". It not only experiments with Gamania sounds but is also its control center. Over the years, it has produced a large number of "Gamania Sounds". "While we know how important "sound" is, we did

Letting non-Gamanians hear the Gamania sound

GAMANIA

Features

THE GAMANIA SOUND IS EVERYWHERE Be it in advertising, at events, on websites, in gifts or on the telephone, wherever Gamania has a presence, the Gamania sound can be heard. Where is the Gamania sound used? Let G!Voice play it all out for you! Gamania's Family Day End of year banquets, the Gama Cup, Mid-autumn BBQ, Gama Day, Gamania Conferenceâ&#x20AC;Ś if it's a Gamania Family Day, you can count on hearing "Gama Song". The official Gamania anthem not only heightens the mood but also builds up rapport among Gamanians.

Gamania Lobby Guests or visitors at Gamania can hear the Gamania music while waiting in the lobby. The brief exposure has improved many people's impression of Gamania.

Gamanians' mobile ringtones The ringtone says a lot about the person's personality and preferences. A lot of Gamanians like to change their ringtone to the "Gama Song", so its joyful strains often ring out in the office. This shows just how popular the Gamania anthem is within the company.

Customer support hotline When a gamer has a problem and calls customer support, the "Gama Song" is the waiting music they hear. According to customer service reps, a lot of gamers like the "Gama Song" so much that they call up several times just to hear it again.

Giveaway packs Gamania's giveaway packs contain the "Gama Song" as well â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in different versions! Including fun sounds as a gift is how Gamania shows our friends that we care.

Ending cut of Gamania advertisements The rotating orange that shouts "Gamania" in a cute voice is, of course, another Gamania sound. The ending cut of the advertisement helps boost brand recognition among consumers.

Gamania Human Resources website When you connect to the Gamania HR website, you can hear the "Gama Song" as the BGM. Without the vocals, the "Gama Song" actually sounds rather high-tech. http://tw.hr.gamania.com

CheerUp Foundation website The warm and bright background music is intended to inspire the audience. The sound from the CheerUp Foundation website is also Gamania's way to inject positive energy into the world and inspire young people. http://www.gamaniacheerup.org

Group Strategy Meeting The "Gama Song" is naturally featured at the strategy meeting held by Gamania's top people twice a year.

Gamania Global Seminar The "Gama Song" is played before the Gamania Global Seminar and during the breaks to give a sense of continuity.

GAMANIA

Features

THE GAMANIA QUARTET Music is an art form that can touch people's hearts. All kinds of hard to express emotions can be conveyed through music to inspire and to motivate. Gamania has developed for different songs over the years for different occasions. Each has its own particular meaning and mood, but all of them are Gamania sounds. In this G!Voice report, you will learn more Gamania's music!

Gama SongGamania's festival song:

Gama Song

It's not just the Gamania anthem, but also our party song Schools and nations all have their own anthem. Everyone has their favorite theme as well and naturally so does fun-loving Gamania! In 2005, Gamania worked with the likeminded Asian pop group Machi to compose the Gamania anthem â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the "Gama Song". The creative process went off without a hitch. It didn't take much discussion for Gamania and Machi to come up with lyrics that convey Gamania's fun, warmth and passion as well as its hopes for the future. Now whenever Gamanians are gathered together for a festive occasion or a "Gamania Conference", the fun and heart-warming "Gama Song" is bound to be played.

I LOVE GAMA S o n g & Ly r i c s b y M a c h i Gamania O, Come on now everybody G a m a n i a O , Yo u k n o w I l i k e i t b a b y Gamaina O, Everybody havin a party Gamaina O, Gamania!! Ve r s e 1 Gama’s not your ordinary fruit, not need to peel it, fun to the max and you must’ve tasted it G to da A to da mania, now gamania’s gonna challenge all gamers Millions of w o r l d s o f p e o p l e t o s e e , a c c e l e r a t i n g m i l l i o n s o f h e a r t s j u s t l i ke c r a z y We a r e d a f a c t o r y o f h a p p i n e s s , o u r e n e r g y p o w e r s t h e w h o l e w o r l d H e r e a r e d r e a m s t o s a t i s f y e v e r y f a n t a s y, s o s p e c t a c u l a r, c o n t a i n i n g t h i n g s y o u ’ v e n e v e r s e e n G a m a n i a i s f o o d f o r t h e s o u l , s o put up your hands and fire up your brains have a good game and live it up, have a good game and enjoy all the fun have a good game and pump it up, creativity from Gamania turns you right around Ve r s e 2 There’s a rainbow of colors in this world, Gamania is blood red with the yellow sun T h e r e ’ s a w a r m p o w e r h e r e a t G a m a n i a , b r i n g i n g g o o d t i m e s t o e v e r y o n e Yo u c a n f i n d G a m a i n e v e r y s t r e e t a n d a l l e y, y o u ’ l l n e v e r f o r g e t t h e s w e e t w i t h t h e t o u c h o f a c i d T h i s Gamania is ready for the fight, never stops inventing and brains always thinkin’ No need t o w o r r y, j o i n t h e G a m a n i a g a n g n o w, f i n d y o u r m a c h i a n d g o t o t a l l y w i l d F a t o r t h i n i s not a prob with Gamania, follow our lead and become Great Mazinger have a good game and live it up, have a good game and enjoy all the fun have a good game and pump it up, creativity from Gamania turns you right around Ve r s e 3 Ti m e t o s e t u r m i n d f r e e … . . G a m a n i a … y o . . u h … L e t m e t a k e y o u o n a r i d e , s h o w y o u everything inside Open up your eyes and see, everything this world can be Right here, place to be…..Cyber Activity Y’all create your fantasies the world belongs to you and me G to da A to da Mania, Crazy it’s a Mania Set ur mind free let it go, two more things I gotta let you know Machi number 1 in Hip-hop, Gamania where da games don’t stop

GAMANIA

Features

Gamania's Youth Anthem:

Happy Summer Day The Gamanian amateur album that surprised all

There's no logical reason for the Happy Summer Day album. After all, "Dragon Boat Gifts" are supposed to be stationery or cutlery. Why go to all that effort to record a "music" album for corporate partners? Creativity is king at Gamania though and Gamanians decided to put together this unusual album to showcase their talents. The album was distributed during the "Summer Solstice" to celebrate the fact that this was the longest day for fun in the year. The theme for the album was "AM-PM, Gaming anytime, Gamania anytime" to send the message that we want people to play all day long. The alarm in the background of the first song "9AM Gama Morning Call" suggests that the game starts once you wake up. The lyrics for the last song "6PM Ending" says even if it's time to take a break, tomorrow is another day! The ten songs contain all kinds of different styles. Their lyrics are also filled with Gamania's philosophy of fun. "Made in FUN", "Planet Gamania" and "Turning Circles" are all original songs with a strong Gamanian flavor. While the "Gama Song" has a very festive mood, Happy Summer Day is a more distilled and youthful interpretation on the theme of fun.

Happy Summer Day track listing 9AM 10AM

Gama Morning Call Secret Base, Come In

11AM

Made in FUN

12PM

Dogu

1PM

M r. L a z y

2PM

Planet Gamania

3PM

Tr i c k

4PM

Tu r n i n g C i r c l e s

5PM

Eve Says

6PM

Ending

GAMANIA

Features

Gamania's Adventure Song:

Beyond the Arctic The theme to Beyond the Arctic

When the Gamania Cheer Up Foundation was set up in 2008, to encourage young people to "Dare to dream and be true to yourself" Albert decided to take part in the "Polar Challenge" and film the documentary Beyond the Arctic. An inspiring documentary like this naturally needed an inspiring theme to go with it. Once again, Gamania asked Machi to write the theme for the documentary. The theme should embody the Gamania spirit: "Embrace the challenge and never give up". The GAMA x Machi partnership produced sparks once more. The lyrics to "Beyond the Arctic" capture Gamania's determination and fighting spirit. When you hear it, you can feel your blood being to race!

@Distributed with the Beyond the Arctic DVD

Beyond the Arctic S o n g & Ly r i c s b y M a c h i

There are no signs of life in the endless white, there is only loneliness and quiet Long gone are any sense of direction, disappearing footprints are my only companion Morning chill jolts me awake, freezing nights forces us to camp. The blizzard turns each breath to ice, the only shortcut is to somehow survive. Cruel nature, takes its swing. Unknown dangers, the Reaper's whim. T h i s i s a n a d v e n t u r e w i t h o u t e n d . S t r a i g h t a h e a d i s o u r o n l y w a y. Willpower is worn by fatigue. My limbs seem to have lost all sense. E n d o f t h e w o r l d , n o t i m e t o w a i t . H e a d f o r g o a l , t h r o u g h n i g h t a n d d a y. B e y o n d t h e a r c t i c , I k e e p g o i n g . I h a v e n o t h i n g t o f e a r, I a m m y o n l y e n e m y. Step by step, I will conquer the arctic. My blood boils hot, giving up is not in my d i c t i o n a r y. M y m a p s h o w s s t r a n g e r o a d s a h e a d . T h i s i s a j o u r n e y n o t t o b e t a k e n l i g h t l y. Know real suffering to find true happiness. Now I know nature is a cruel mistress. T h e l a n d i n f r o n t o f m e I w i l l c o n q u e r. T h e m e l t i n g i c e o f t h e a r c t i c , w e w i l l p r o t e c t . This is not a race about winning. Finally I have found the last jigsaw to my life. Cruel nature, takes its swing. Unknown dangers, the Reaper's whim. T h i s i s a n a d v e n t u r e w i t h o u t e n d . K e e p g o i n g , t h a t ' s o u r o n l y w a y. Willpower is worn away by fatigue. My limbs seem no longer a part of me. E n d o f t h e w o r l d , n o t i m e t o w a i t . H e a d f o r g o a l , t h r o u g h n i g h t a n d d a y.

GAMANIA

Features Gama FightGama's Fighting Song:

Gama Fight Arctic

From defense to offense â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sing out Gamania's determination to be No.1 Gamania has experienced both triumph and failure. After two years of rest and recuperation, Gamania decided to embark on the "From defense to offense â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Towards World No. 1" strategy on its 15th anniversary. To get everyone in the group fired up for the battle ahead, the "Gama Fight" was composed. Long-term partner and Gamania soul mate Machi was asked to write the fighting song. The song itself mixed hard rock with hip hop while the lyrics are all about self-confidence and fighting mood. The "Gama Fight" will be played at all future Gama gatherings such as Gamania Conference and year-end banquets, so it can be considered "Gama Song 2.0". It will also be Gamania's war song for the 15th anniversary.

GAMA Fight

S o n g & Ly r i c s b y M a c h i Ve r s e 1 G a m a n i a f i n d s n e w i d e n t i t y f o r t h e 2 1 t h C e n t u r y, e v o l u t i o n b r i n g s n e w s t i m u l a t i o n M a s t e r a n d s t u d e n t i n t h e o n l i n e c e n t u r y, a l l f i g h t i n g t o g e t h e r f o r g l o b a l domination Conquer the world, nothing can stop us, just embrace the fun Gamania revolution Open new frontiers, watch my special attacks, lay waste to my enemies. G A M A a n d M a c h i a r e t h e k i l l i n g b l o w. J o i n t h e a r m y t h a t i s G A M A C H I . Fighting starts, we are ready to kill, guns and swords shake the world Battle is on, don't sit around, see how GAMA dominates all around Yo u r s k i l l s a r e n o m a t c h f o r m i n e . T h e G o d o f G a m e s i s h e r e s o a l l h a i l t h e k i n g ! Chorus GAMA GAMA GAMA GAMANIA GAMA GAMA GAMA KILL G A M A G A M A G A M A U N S T O P PA B L E GAMA GAMA GAMA HAHA Ve r s e 2 No matter the game we rule them all, GAMA and Machi are unbeatable We h a v e p o w e r s , w e h a v e s p e l l s , w e a r e t h e c h a m p i o n s y o u a r e t h e f a i l . We s h o c k y o u s h o o t y o u k i c k y o u b e a t y o u s m a s h y o u c r u s h y o u b l a s t y o u b l o c k you Crazy is where Gamania's at, this is the a party for all gamers G A M A a n d M a c h i a r e t h e k i l l i n g b l o w. J o i n t h e a r m y t h a t i s G A M A C H I . Fighting starts, we are ready to kill, guns and swords shake the world Battle is on, don't sit around, see how GAMA dominates all around Yo u r s k i l l s a r e n o m a t c h f o r m i n e . T h e G o d o f G a m e s i s h e r e s o a l l h a i l t h e k i n g ! Chorus GAMA GAMA GAMA GAMANIA GAMA GAMA GAMA KILL G A M A G A M A G A M A U N S T O P PA B L E GAMA GAMA GAMA HAHA

GAMANIA

Features

Interview with Machi's leader Jeff

THE BEST GAMANIA MUSIC FORMULA Sometimes, people just click. Their personalities are so alike things just happen effortlessly like a form of telepathy. It's the same with Gamania and Machi's partnership on music. Somehow, Machi just comes up with music that goes down well with Gamania without the need for long, tedious discussions or extensive research. How do they do it? G!Voice interviewed Machi's leader Jeff and asked him to reveal why the partnership between Gamania and Machi has been such a "Match"!

"I think it's because both sides' share the same basic attitude!" said Jeff in his distinctive ABC accent. "Machi approaches music in a dedicated and playful way. Gama approaches gaming in a dedicated and playful way as well. It's young people on both sides but they are all very committed to what they do and want to share their fun and energy with everyone. It's because we are so alike that our collaboration has been so "Match"." As for how they came to work together, Machi was once the spokesperson for a Gamania product. When the two sides met, it was like a meeting of old friends. Everyone was thinking: Since we get on so well together, we should work together on something else. When Gamania wanted someone to write the "Gama Song" in 2005, they immediately thought of Machi. When asked about his impression of Gamania at the time, Jeff said, "You know, GAMA is like a big family. You had brothers and sisters all gathered together having fun and working hard. Albert was like an elder brother or father. He was always the little Gamanians looked to for leadership." Were there any special considerations when producing Gamania's music? Jeff said that Machi wasn't affected at all. "You know, GAMA is a creative company that creates worlds. There should be

nothing holding the music back. It should be full of possibilities." Knowing Gamania so well was how Machi managed to compose the heart-warming and sensitive "Gama Song". This has now become the Gamanian anthem. Later on, they wrote the Beyond the Arctic theme song as well as the newly released Gamania fighting song: "Gama Fight". At the mention of the "Gama Fight" song that Machi composed for the 15th anniversary, Jeff immediately said, "Have you heard it yet? Do you like it? What do you think?" The reason why Jeff was so excited was because the "Gama Fight" song combining rock and hip-hop was practically a solo production by him. He hoped that when Gamanians hear the song, their blood will race and their hearts fill with enthusiasm. They will then get out there and give their enemies a beating, making "Gama Fight" a war song of victory for Gamania's 15th anniversary.

Ga m an ﹦ ! ia !! × M !! a ! ch i

GAMANIA

Features

INTO THE WORLD OF GAMANIA MUSICIANS Not many people are aware of the fact that Gamania is not just home to game designers, programmers and artists but also several talented musicians as well. They usually spend their days in dark recording studios composing original game music and rarely emerge from the shadows. Let's take this opportunity to find out exactly what kind of music the two musicians Chung-li Hsieh and Han-ching Li (Jimi) get up to!

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Chung-li said that he ended in the music business because his girlfriend had left him. He was really moved by the lyrics of one song while he was heartbroken and decided to make music his career. He went on to study at the Tokyo University of Arts and began working in music when he returned to Taiwan after graduation. With over than ten years of experience in the music industry, Chung-li worked as a music producer for many well-know recording companies. He eventually decided to move over to the game industry because music piracy had become so bad. In his opinion, "making music and producing a game have a lot in common. Since the purpose of music is to touch people's hearts, it doesn't matter whether it's popular music or game BGM anyway." According to Chung-li, his job at Alibangbang now is to mediate on the animation then come up with moving music to go with it. "A lot of the music just comes from inspiration. When I was doing the sound for Bright Shadow a few years back, I experimented

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with combining traditional Chinese instruments with modern electronica and dance. The result was surprisingly good and a lot of players loved the compositions." While Chung-li is now busy working on the music for Reign of Assassins, he is more than happy to stop and chat about music. The other musician in Gamania is Jimi at the Group's Office of Research and Development. Jimi has been a musician for over 20 years and he looks very much like a rocker. He formed his first band at the age of 17 and began experimenting with original music. He kept the band going and released his first band album through Rolling Stone Records in 2000. This gave Jimi the chance to learn about music production from several veteran producers as well. As a freedom loving musician, does Jimi feel stifled working in a corporate environment? "Probably yes in a normal company, but luckily for me, it's "Gamania". The company's fun-loving nature agrees with me so it's really great working here." As for the role that music plays in games, Jimi said, "It's like cooking. If you don't add in some sauces or seasonings, it's going to come across as a little weak. Because it's short a key ingredient!" Jimi has recently completed the music score for Hero: 108. He is now preparing to produce his band's next album. Gamanians who love rock music will be able to hear his band's latest release at the end of this year or early this year!

Guide to Music Jargon Musicians often use some really cool-sounding but hardto-understand terms. What do they mean? G!Voice explains them here for you! 1 .SFX: Special effects 2.BGM: Background music 3.Track: Used for counting the number of complete compositions in an album. 4.MIDI: Musical Instrument Digital Interface. Music created using digital musical instruments (sounds). 5.8-bit Music: Sound using the MIDI function of the motherboard's integrated sound card. It produces simple, flat and high-tech sounds.

GAMANIA

Features

GAMANIA SOUND WORKSHOPS Developing Gamania's own sound requires dedicated facilities. There are several locations in the GHQ equipped with professional equipment and sound-insulation where Gamanian musicians can unleash their creativity.

Controlling the Gamania sound

Gamania Brand Studio The Gamania Brand Studio is a strategic unit responsible for developing and managing Gamania sounds. It inspects and controls all sound assets within Gamania from a brand development perspective while also providing sound consulting and services for specific projects. It helps Gamania build a unified brand image and can be considered the group's "Voice".

Development of game music

Gamania's Music R&D Workshop

Gamania OfďŹ ce of Research & Development The Music R&D Workshop on 15F is responsible for the preliminary planning and final review of outsourced music for internally developed games. The defining of music style and adjustments are all carried out here. The workshop is currently being re-designed and will return in the future with a whole new appearance.

Alibangbang There is a secret door next to the Alibangbang front entrance on 16F. Inside it's another world â&#x20AC;&#x201C; because this is where Alibangbang's music studio is. Despite its small size, it has all the necessary equipment. A lot of the game music for recent Gamania-developed games was produced here.

GAMANIA

Features

GAMANIA ANIMATION'S COMPOSERS Apart from games, Gamania products require particular attention to music quality and include original animation produced the Gamania Creativity Center. Whether it's Hero: 108 or Mig Said, the Creativity Center invites the most suitable local and overseas music artists to work together on the score for the animation. G!Voice will now introduce everyone to the talented music artists who work behind the scenes to bring us such captivating music! e

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GAMANIA MUSIC CHRONOLOGY Gamania has not only organized cosplay festivals, sports carnivals and charity sales but also several popular concerts. Let us now take a trip back through time to see what concerts the Gamanians got up to!

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GAMANIA

Features

MUSIC STOP "No Music! No Life!" is a good description of the modern lifestyle. It is also embodied by many brand marketing campaigns and game products. Here are a few examples that in our experience, left a strong impression on people because of their great music.

Music x Game Tap Tap Revenge 3 It's not a newest game in the App Store but certainly a very enduring music app. Most importantly, it's free! While there is no shortage of "music rhythm games" on the market, this particular game has quite a lot of easy-listening tunes. It's great for passing the time on the iPhone when you are feeling bored! Source：app-store.appsport.com

Video Game Live , Vol VGL collects the music of best-selling game classics to show hardcore gamers just how awesome the music score of classic games sound when performed by a live orchestra. VGL is the world's largest and most successful game music concert and has so far attracted more than 200,000 music fans. Source：www.videogameslive.com

Grand Theft Auto GTA is a really cool game and its visual effects are spectacular as well. Nevertheless, some of its fandom can probably be attributed to all the radio music used for the BGM. This shows that music is very important for games that emphasize special effects. Source：www.rockstargames.com

Brand x Music

MUJI's BGM Why do people who hang out in MUJI seem particularly cultured? This is due to the BGM they play in the store. MUJI's BGM is based on music composed by artists from around the world who are familiar with the local history. The music itself conveys warmth and strength. MUJI's attention to its background music enhances its brand ambience, and their BGM albums are certainly worth taking home to listen to. Source：www.muji.com.hk

Amadana x DJ Towa Tei The Amadana brand's simplicity and strong contrasts leave a strong visual impression on the consumer. The same attention to detail extends to the auditory senses as well. Recently they partnered with wellknown Japanese DJ Towa Tei on limited edition alarm clocks and mobile phones. These came with Towa Wei's signature lounge music as their default ringtones. Source：www.amadana.com

Gamania × Machi Gamania is without doubt one of the few brands that love music and love to play. Not only did Gamania get together with the Machi group to come up with its own "Gama Song" anthem, it also embeds its music in all kinds of devices and spaces. The cheerful music has won the hearts of many gamers.

The Hear Music in Starbucks Starbucks doesn't just sell coffee, they also sell other things. As for other things, this includes a cultural ambience that "makes people feel good about themselves". This is critical role played by jazz music in Starbucks stores. They even purchased "Hear Music" in San Francisco in order to manage the musical ambience in their stores and also "sell records as a sideline".

GAMANIA

Column

Is the Media of the Future!? About Writer

Mika

The pattern used by Doritos to trigger AR Source:http://jabamay.blogspot.com

Internet Marketing Observer, Mika Mika has been working in the field of marketing for more than 10 years, managing from brand strategy, product concept to market launch. He cares about the traditional marketing models and also pays attentions to the changes of Web 2.0, Social Media, and etcâ&#x20AC;Ś Blog:http://jabamay.blogspot.com/

Source:http://www.dailymotion.com/video

It's no news that people don't like watching TV any more. It has now been replaced by new media such as the Internet and mobile phones. I saw several different "message broadcast formats" over the past few days. Some are well deďŹ ned while others are still being explored. I couldn't help but link them all together and think to myself: "Are these the media of the future?"

Mika takes a bottle of Coca Cola out of the fridge. The bottle not only has the familiar red and white label but also an extra square pattern that looks somewhat like a barcode. This pattern is the key to new media. Show the pattern to the webcam on the computer and the bottle of coke in your hands suddenly transforms into an ad! When you move the bottle, the ad moves with it! Amazing, isn't it? "Augmented Reality" (AR) has been very popular lately and is now used in a variety of different places. Some brands use it to market the

movie. Iron Man 2 for example can use AR to show you "What you look like wearing Iron Man armor". When you stand in front of the camera, you can see how cool you look wearing the Iron Man helmet. You can even open the face shield or see the head-up display inside. To crown it all, you can take a photo and share it with your friends on Facebook. If you are in France and wondering where the nearest metro station is, simply hold up your iPhone and point it at your surroundings. No matter which way you turn, it will show the

symbol for the metro on the screen along with accurate directions and the remaining distance. This is not just GPS at work. It actually combines directions with the realworld imagery instead of just the map. There is one common constraint f o r A R t e c h n o l o g y, w h e t h e r it's used on the packaging or printed on paper. It can't be used everywhere as it can only be used in an environment with access to computers and webcams. A new service called stickybits.com allows you to create or view a photos,

Source:http://www.stickybits.com/

Source:http://www.metroparisiphone.com/index_en.html

Combination of virtual objects and reality scene with iPhone 《Metro Paris Subway》Software

videos and user comments related to a particular product just by pointing your mobile phone at the barcode. There's nothing new about this technology and it basically turns the mobile phone into a barcode scanner. While normal scanners just read the product name and price for the cash register or stocktaking, when Stickybits read the barcode, it opens a dedicated webpage containing all uploaded photos, videos, product reviews and the location where the product was scanned. While this service was launched commercially just a short while ago and needs more work, it made me think: "What if we use this service to distribute product information?" If you see a new product while window shopping, you just scan

Stickybits makes every barcode an identiﬁcation.

the barcode with your mobile phone to read the reviews and summaries. You are then automatically connected to the product page with videos, advertisements, other users' opinions, event information, all comments left for this barcode… all without keying in anything or a Google search. What you basically have is a miniature official product page plus social media. What's really cool is that you can get the information you want right there on your mobile phone without having to go home and fire up the computer. Stickybits can read product barcodes and QR codes in use. You can also create a barcode and print it on your business card so people can read your resume in one swipe. A barcode is basically

a package of information that can be used for identification. When you scan a new barcode, the system will ask you "Do you want to attach photos/videos/sound files or feedback to this barcode?" When the same barcode is scanned again, other people will see the information you entered. They can of course input their own information as well to flesh out the content even more. Will this become the trend in the new media? I am not sure. What I can be sure of is that the media of the future will be even easier to use, allow two-way interactions and become a lot more interesting.

GAMANIA

Column

The pursuit of realism in computer animation About Writer

Jo-Jo

Convener of Shuffle Alliance University Lecturer Jo-Jo has been an ACG fan for more than 35 years and has profound study on Otaku community. She dedicates herself to promoting Otaku spirit, as the leader of Shuffle Alliance, she helped launching books such as Animation Comic Game, Japanese Animation Case Studies and Animation Comics 2000.

The shattering of international box ofďŹ ce records by the Avatar movie did more than just usher in the era of 3D movies. The realistic expressions and motions of the alien Na'vi in the movie as well as the breathtaking scenery on plant Pandora showed that computer graphics (CG) can now deliver photo-realistic effects.

The owner of one world-class Taiwanese CG company kept refusing to watch Avatar after its release. His reason? Company employees that watched the movie came back and kept asking: "If this is what CG can do, what will we do now?" In the owner's opinion, the reason why Avatar cost so much to make was due to the data transfer costs - it must've been aliens who produced the movie. Such perfect CG technology was why Avatar was able to achieve such immersion. If the CG has been flawed, no matter how

beautiful the planet Pandora looked, the audience would have still felt somewhat removed. This has led to a new school of thought in the CG community. People are beginning to say that the true test of CG excellence is "to be so real that you can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality". After the CG movie Polar Express finished shooting, Tom Hanks commented: "CG technology will one day put actors out of work!" That's because CG characters are not only very realistic but also very convenient. Once you build the model, the director can

tell the animators to deliver the scene he wants without worrying about delays from actors getting injured, demanding more money, conflicting schedules or strikes. More importantly, you can have as many actors as your animators can "draw in" without adding to the cost. This was the thinking that made "more real than real" the Holy Grail in CG technology. This approach was put under the microscope after the release of the Final Fantasy movie however. Putting his faith in the exceptional CG technology developed for the Final Fantasy series of

Source: http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/

Source: http://www.wallpaperbase.com

Jurassic Park was a milestone in CG history

The Final Fantasy movie's selling point was its unprecedented level of realism

video games, Veteran game producer Hironobu Sakaguchi released a CG movie version that achieved unprecedented levels of realism. To his surprise, the movie was lambasted by critics after its release and was a box office flop. Ultimately, it caused financial difficulties for Square that forced its merger with Enix. After resigning from the company, Sakaguchi said publicly that given more time he could've made the CG even more detailed. There's no doubt that Sakaguchi could've delivered on his promise. People just weren't interested in how more detailed or realistic the CG in Final Fantasy could've been. What the audience wanted was a more interesting story. In animated movies, CG is used to enhance the plot and make

the story more interesting. Like seasonings, adding the right amount makes food taste better. Adding too much just makes things inedible. Q u i t e c o i n c i d e n t a l l y, t h e development of CG techniques became a catalyst for the introduction of digital production with live-action movies. An example of this is the perfect fusion of live-action and CG in the movie Jurassic Park. Even today, many animation companies produce both CG animation and special effects for live-action movie. For the former, they seek to achieve a balance between the CG and other production techniques without a particular emphasis on realism. In the latter, the CG effects must blend seamlessly with live actors or real

world objects so realism becomes extremely important. In other words, when producing pure CG animation realism is not the goal. In fact, photo-realism is completely pointless. The animators might be impressed by their own efforts, but as far as the audience is concerned, all they want is an interesting animation. In conclusion, let's emphasize once more that realism in CG is not bad in itself. It's just that there are other more important factors influencing the audience's opinion in pure CG animations. If CG is being used in live-action movies, then realism is crucial.

GAMANIA

Column Explore Taiwan with Monocole

Rediscovery through Travel gamaniabrandcenter Design Observation A blog jointly written by the members of Gamania brand center where you can find the opinions and observations on brands, marketing, and designs from designers, executives, musicians, exhibiter, creators and even aliens. G!Voice reposted the diverse and copious content to the magazine so that Gamanians can communicate and exchange thoughts with them via internet. Website: gamaniabrandcenter.blogspot.com

Each video covers one day and introduces northern, central, southern and eastern Taiwan in turn. They then return to Taipei for the last day.

Recently I went to the Monocle website and somehow ended up in the "Touring Taiwan" section shot by Monocle last year. I watched all ﬁve videos (Day One, Day Two…) in one go and it was as if I had gone on a round-island tour with the Monocle. At the end of it all, I felt rather "tired". I wasn't tired because it was boring. There was just so much to see it was actually rather overwhelming. Tyler Brûlé, the chief editor of the Monocle, visited Taiwan last year to discuss "How to market Taiwan" with the Tourism Bureau. The media had also reported that Monocle planned to produce five videos for marketing Taiwan. After watching the videos, I could understand why Monocole said that the world underestimates Ta i w a n . I n f a c t , Ta i w a n i s underestimated by its own

residents as well. The first video in "Touring Taiwan" starts in the early morning at the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall in Taipei. The Monocle introduces the city life in Taipei with a group of people practicing Tai Chi. The video continues on to the Breakfast Street on Fuxing S. Rd., Taipei 101, Taipei MRT, the cafes of the NTNU night market, the Din Tai Fung dumpling house in

Source: http://www.monocle.com

Taiwan's world-famous "Cloud Gate Dance Theatre" naturally merits a mention by Monocle.

Yongkang Street and Eslite Xinyi in a parade of Taipei's finer things in life. For the next three videos, Monocle took the audience on a journey of central, southern and eastern Taiwan as seen through the camera lens. In central Taiwan we see the traditional culture and religion of Taiwan brought to live. These include the behindthe-scene shots for the "Pili Hand Puppet Show" at Huwei in Yunlin and the crowds of worshippers at the Tianhou Temple in Lugang. For southern Taiwan, they introduced the Hakka culture of Meinong and the historical sites of Tainan. In eastern Taiwan, Monocle visited the "Bulao Village" to experience the traditional lifestyle of the Taiwanese indigenous people.

The last video returns to Taipei once again, but this time the focus was on the fashion, art and creative cultural enterprises of Taipei. The tour of Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Shiatzy Chen, Xue Xue Institute and Cloud Gate Dance Theatre showed Taipei had an exciting urban life scene as well. People in Taiwan like to travel overseas. People often say that Europe or Japan is so much better than Taiwan. After watching the videos, I came to a different conclusion. As long as you adopt a "touring perspective", every place has its own particular beauty. Rather than one being better than the other, each city has a unique style of its own. The reason why we thought that Taiwan is boring and ugly is

because we live and work here. The congestion, the pressure and Monday morning blues are all too close to home... yet these are exactly what we should leave behind when we travel. The five videos produced by Monocle are very well filmed. They introduce us to Taiwan once again through a "touring perspective" and offer us a whole new experience. ( 「 TOURING TAIWAN 」： www. monocle.com/webprogrammes/ To u r i n g - Ta i w a n / ) ( " To u r i n g Taiwan": www.monocle.com/ w e b p r o g r a m m e s / To u r i n g Taiwan/)

GAMANIA

Events

15th "Fighting Gama" Gama Cup Special Report Gamania celebrates its 15th birthday this year and this is the 1st year of the Gamania Group's "From defense to offensive, towards world No.1" strategy. That's why GHQ's Gama Cup this year is titled the "Fighting Gama". Not only did they play the Gama ďŹ ghting song "Gama Fight" on the day, every Gamanian wore a "Ready to Fight" Gamania T-shirt as well. Every team also had war cries promising doom and destruction upon their competitors. Everyone was certainly in a ďŹ ghting mood this year!

The Gama Cup kicked off with an impressive war drum performance. The 15 teams formed up in front of the stage while the CEO of each group subsidiary took to the stage to wave their banners. It looked as if an army in black was about to go to war and it really brought home just how fired up Gamania was for the battle ahead. The next event was the team war cries. The 15 teams came up with all kinds of creative war cries, including songs, dances and even military cadences. One o these was a humorous "Gamania vs. Iron Man" skit, while another was a Gamanian's proposal. The scene was simply indescribable as Gamania's

youthful vitality, hilarious kuso spirit and heartwarming touches were all rolled into one. What would Gama Cup be without its fun challenges? Every team gave their 100%, so even while some competitors lost their shoes or ended up on their backsides, they still did their best to win one for the team. When the dust finally settled, the winner of this year's Gama Cup was the "15 Brass Studs " team. They have G!Voice's sincere congratulations. The other teams shouldn't give up just yet, though. They will have another chance at next year's Gama Cup. Who will be the winner? They will have to fight it out!

15th "Ready to Fight" souvenirs For the 15th anniversary, the Brand Center developed commemorative "Ready to Fight" merchandise including a 3-piece set of mesh caps, T-shirts and backpacks. This allowed all Gamanians at the "2010 Gama Cup â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Fighting Gama" to dress for the part on the day.

"Ready to Fight" T-shirt The black and red T-shirts are printed with the 15th anniversary slogan "Ready to Fight". The mix of style and fighting mood makes it the "Wargear" that no Gamanian should be seen without this year.

"15th anniversary "Gamania" cap The truckie cap so popular among young people today is printed with "Gamania" and a lightning symbol. You wear it straight or reversed for the "in" look.

"15 years of FUN" backpack So that Gamanians can have their hands free for the fight, a draw-string backpack was provided this year so you can stay loose on the move.

GAMANIA

Events

New Arrival

Gama Island Mug Unveiled The Gama Island Travel Cup last year was so popular it was completely sold out. This summer, Gama Island is releasing a new green product â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Gama Island Mug. The new mug features streamlined styling and the message "I LOVE HERE GAMA ISLAND". It is available in black or white and is a must-have for every Gama Island fan. The new mug also comes with a cover (that can be used as a mat). If you are called away for a task or meeting, just close the cover and you can be assured of a "warm welcome" when you come back.

http://brand.gamania.com/gvoice