Running since 2003 ChinaJoy is designed to be another top event in global game industry. Everyone knows how big China market is (about a half of WoW players are from China), so such events attracting many companies from Europe, North America, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The goals of the event are similar to others – promoting new products and services, attract public attention etc.

To get some attention you need magnets. Besides all these geeky electronics the best magnet is always been girls. And if you turn these girls into elfs or other fantasy beauties, man, you’ll got all the attention you want. I know it may sounds cheesy but I’ve been painting females for videogames for years and I don’t recall clients saying well, we’re tired of these ladies, let’s put some boyz or monsters on that poster. There are examples of bad design or bad layout however (I remember doing elf mistress for russian mag cover and it was a disaster!) but if done right it’s very rewarding.

Well enough talk, hyperjump to China Joy 2009 Showgirl & Cosplay compilation created by  mmosite guys or, if you’re serious, visit the official conference website.

Conceptart.org has kicked off a brand new contest called Newborn. The description and rules are quite open, but your main task is “Bring something into the World” or “To Life”.

How to enter:

1. Register to www.conceptart.org/forums
2. Visit the contest forums to see all the great details and info!
3. Create your artwork and submit your final entry in jpeg form at 1000 pixels wide to contest@conceptart.org (include your full name, conceptart.org username, address, and phone number in the email with the entry attached).

Final submissions are due no later than July 31 2009 (central standard time).

Good luck everybody!

The Last Guardian

Originally known as Project Trico – a new game by Fumito Ueda and Team ICO (creators of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus) rising the bar for storytelling and visuals even higher. The design is unique and fits the setting thus creating an exotic, tribal atmosphere. The griffin-like creature is amazingly animated and looks totally alive. Don’t forget about the emotional relation shown between characters in the debut trailer.

Final Fantasy XIV Online

Yes… it’s new Final Fantasy chapter!  I haven’t seen much info on it recently but the trailer says it would be online game. Take your friends and get ready for the journey. What so cool about each Square title is its’ visuals… the cinematic team gone further enough to produce amazing shots. But hey in-game graphics looks cool as well!

Final Fantasy XIII

Tons of footage have been posted online. The recent extended 7 min trailer have a crystal HD quality and english dub. Again, visual design is very unique.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2

Well Rachel is back with a huge machine-gun. Another girl of the series Ayane got a new outfit. Oh and there is a new character, a female warrior named Momiji. As you can see girls are keeping videogame lands in their hands.

Magna Carta 2

Probably best known for Hyung-Tae Kim’s design work the new game got some improvements here and there. Somehow the game doesn’t excites a lot because of emotional aspect lack comparing to say… Zelda series.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

And finally Star Wars series got an amazing Jedi vs Sith fight (looks like Blur work no?) shown in Star Wars: The Old Republic cinematic.

Of course there are many other titles like MGS, Castlevania, Bayonetta, AC2 etc. so you can continue the list with your favourites. Or you can also check a short E3 coverage at CGSociety.

The idea behind the event is as follows:

Each artist will have a 40(L)x30(H) space to display their artwork of choice. Artist’s can have as many pieces as you want as long as it doesn’t go over the 40″ x 30″ space. Make sure that each piece are ready to hang and is less than 2 lbs. Also, please be sure to mail in a picture/chart of how you want your pieces to be displayed.

AWP will be picking one artist from this exhibition to presents a solo exhibition at AWP gallery. They will also be picking 10 artists to present a group exhibition as well.

All artists are guaranteed to be featured in this exhibition upon completion of registration.

Entry Fee: $50

Visit http://apwarts.com/Callforsubmission.html for more information. Deadline: July 1, 2009.

Questions? Please contact APW Gallery at info@apwarts.com