Nu Woman Magazine

Winning works will be exhibited at the animate store in Los Angeles.

TOKYO, December 15, 2023 (Newswire.com)
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pixiv, the communications platform operated by pixiv Inc. (hereinafter referred to as “pixiv”, Office: Shibuya, Tokyo, Representative Director: Shingo Kunieda) where users can share illustrations, manga, and novels, is partnering with Crypton Future Media, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as “Crypton”) to hold the pixiv x Crypton collaboration event “HATSUNE MIKU EXPO 10th Anniversary Illustration Contest” to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Hatsune Miku world tour series “HATSUNE MIKU EXPO” (hereinafter referred to as “MIKU EXPO”). The contest opens on Friday, December 15th.

The theme of this contest is “Universal Positivity”, and entrants are asked to submit illustrations of Hatsune Miku and other Piapro Characters. Entries are welcome from fans both in and outside Japan. The winners will receive bundles of Piapro Character goods and have their works included in the MIKU EXPO official booklet/guidebook. In addition, winning works will be exhibited at the animate store in Los Angeles.

The key visual for the “HATSUNE MIKU EXPO 10th Anniversary Illustration Contest” is an original work created by the illustrator Rosuuri, who is based in North America.

Contest website: https://pixiv.net/contest/mikuexpo10th

Contest period
Friday, December 15th, 2023 (5:00 p.m. JST) – Monday, January 15th, 2024 (11:59 p.m. JST)

*For details, please check the Contest Terms on the contest website.

■ About Hatsune Miku https://piapro.net
Hatsune Miku is a music software developed by Crypton Future Media, Inc., which enables anyone to make their computer sing by entering lyrics and melodies. As a massive number of users created music using the software and posted their works on the Internet, Hatsune Miku quickly evolved into a cultural phenomenon. Since then, Hatsune Miku has gained much attention as a character, involved in many fields such as merchandising and live performance as a virtual singer. Now her popularity has spread across the globe.

■ pixiv https://www.pixiv.net
pixiv is a social networking service for creators, focused on “communication through sharing works”. It launched in September 2007 as a specialized service for the presentation and exchange of artistic works (illustrations, manga, and novels), based on the philosophy of “creating a space for making artistic activities more fun”. Currently, pixiv has more than 98 million registered users.

■ pixiv Inc. https://www.pixiv.co.jp
Striving to be an exciting space for users to enjoy creative activities, we provide various services to support creators, including pixiv, one of the world’s largest art communities; FANBOX, which allows fans to support the activities of their favorite creators; and the 3D project VRoid.

Location: JPR Sendagaya Building 6F, 4-23-5 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Representative Director: Shingo Kunieda
Business: Internet services
Established: July 25, 2005
Contact: [email protected] (Takahashi and Nishidoi)

Contact Information:

Mika Nishidoi

editor

[email protected]

Original Source:

pixiv and Crypton present the ‘HATSUNE MIKU EXPO 10th Anniversary Illustration Contest’ – Now Accepting Illustrations of Piapro Characters from Creators All Around the World

The post pixiv and Crypton present the ‘HATSUNE MIKU EXPO 10th Anniversary Illustration Contest’ – Now Accepting Illustrations of Piapro Characters from Creators All Around the World first appeared on TREND MAG.

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M&M Video Games, a beloved local gaming haven, is set to captivate retro gaming enthusiasts this weekend with two of the rarest items in world of video game collecting: an original 1990 Nintendo World Championship Video Game cartridge, and two graded copies of the exceptionally rare Stadium Events game for the NES.

TAMPA, Fla., December 15, 2023 (Newswire.com)
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Located in the heart of Tampa, M&M Video Games is a must-visit hotspot for gamers seeking nostalgia and rare finds. This weekend, the store is set to take enthusiasts on a trip down memory lane by unveiling not one, but two highly sought-after gems from the golden era of gaming.

The highlight is an original Nintendo World Championship Video Game cartridge, a true collector’s item from the origins of competitive Nintendo gameplay. The cartridge is one of 90 issued to the finalists of the first Nintendo World Championship tournament, held at Universal Studios Hollywood in 1990.

The cartridge contains three customized minigames based on the popular games Super Mario Bros. (1985), Rad Racer (1987), and Tetris (1989). The objective is to achieve a high score according to a custom cumulative scoring formula across all games, within a total time limit of 6 minutes and 21 seconds. The cartridge contains a unique timer that allows the gameplay duration to be increased or decreased, specifically for competitive play.

In addition to the Nintendo World Championship cartridge, M&M Video Games will proudly showcase two graded copies of the exceptionally rare Stadium Events game for the NES. Only a few thousand copies of the game were produced before Nintendo bought the rights and re-branded it as World Class Track Meet. While the latter would go on to sell millions of copies, the original was pulled from store shelves, with less than a dozen known to be in circulation today. In fact, the latest authenticated copy was sold at M&M Video Games earlier this year for more than $30,000.

“We are thrilled to bring these exceptional pieces of gaming history to our community. The Nintendo World Championship cartridge and Stadium Events game are iconic artifacts that resonate with both seasoned collectors and those new to the gaming world,” said Jon Fotis, owner of M&M Video Games. “This exhibition is our way of sharing these rare items, and celebrating the incredible journey of video gaming with our customers.”

The event is open to the public and will take place at M&M Video Games located at 1548 E Fowler Ave in Tampa on December 16 & 17 from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM. 

The owner of the cartridges will be accepting bids from any collectors looking to obtain these items.

Contact Information:

Matt Bartilson

Co-Owner

[email protected]

(727) 386-4191

Original Source:

M&M Video Games to Unveil Rare Nintendo ‘Holy Grails’ This Weekend

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National Non-Profit Freedom Reads Returns to MCI-Norfolk, home of the first Freedom Library

NEW HAVEN, Conn., December 14…

The post Freedom Libraries Open at Massachusetts Prison first appeared on TREND MAG.

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TOKYO, December 14, 2023 (Newswire.com)
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Ememe K.K. announces the development of an AI-NPC sandbox game with the use of generative AI to simulate character behavior and automatically generate stories.

[Official website] https://ememe.ai
[YouTube] https://youtu.be/rJclZiX7tmM
[X] https://twitter.com/EmemeAI

Ememe is a Town Where AI Characters Live Freely

■ Generate Daily Life

With generative AI technology, NPCs (Non-Player Characters) autonomously engage in conversations, take actions, build relationships between characters, and live their everyday lives as they please.

You can create a reality drama with AI characters, as if it were The Truman Show, by creating new AI characters living in this town, setting their personalities, and sometimes intervening in their actions.

A Variety of AI-based Functions

■ Automatic Generation of Body and Facial Expressions

NPC conversations are generated in real time by LLM. And animations, too! 

Using our proprietary technology, AI predicts and outputs appropriate facial expressions and body animations from over 1,000 motion-data options based on conversations and schedules. Your character will come to life, laugh, dance, and automatically output 3D animations without the need for complex development techniques.

■ 3D Model Upload

You can upload your favorite 3D character models* and summon them as AI-NPCs in Ememe. Plus, you can freely set the personalities of the NPCs, so you can recreate the appearance and essence of your favorite characters.

*Supported file format for motion generation: VRM (for automatic facial and body animation by AI)

Wishlist Registration is Open on Steam and Epic Games Store

The Early Access version will be available in the summer of 2024. 
Access the latest information by subscribing to the wishlist for Early Access.

[Steam] https://store.steampowered.com/app/2667830/Ememe
[Epic Games] https://store.epicgames.com/p/ememe-220452

Our Vision

Ememe aims to be a new AI-driven storytelling platform.

In the next development phase, we plan to transform Ememe Town into an open-world, where a multitude of NPCs coexist. Additionally, we provide users with tools to develop various multiplayer events (game missions) taking place in the town.

The events are designed as a Tabletop Role-Playing Game with AI-NPCs acting as Game Masters, where users can freely role-play, advancing the story interactively as humans and AI engage in mutual conversations. The story and your life merge, much like our own lives.

Ememe is creating an actively engaging storytelling experience that goes one step further from traditional storytelling mediums such as novels, movies or conventional games.

Character Partnership

We are seeking collaborations with IP characters.

• Transform your IP characters or Vtuber/YouTuber talents into AI NPCs and utilize them for promotional purposes, such as video distribution of life simulations.
• Incorporate generation AI-NPC technology into your content.

If you are interested in any of the above, please feel free to contact us.

Company Profile

Ememe K.K.
Head office: Tokyo, JAPAN
CEO: Yuka Kojima
Established: 2022
https://ememe.ai

[Press Kit] https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1t0l3Nxa2dZ4taVEnuUD485p9C3k_4ZVR?usp=sharing

Contact Information:

Yuka Kojima

CEO

[email protected]

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LONDON, England, December 13, 2023 (Newswire.com)
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MetaKing Studios, the creative force behind the MMO strategy game BLOCKLORDS, today unveiled a live-recorded version of the game’s theme tune, ‘Battleborn’. Composed by Nick Bulavin and performed by The European Recording Orchestra, this theme is a key element in the game’s medieval atmosphere.

BLOCKLORDS, available for free download on The Epic Games Store, offers a unique gaming experience, blending kingdom building, resource gathering, strategic combat, and trading within a richly crafted medieval economy. It stands out in the gaming market for its engaging gameplay and innovative approach to bringing Strategy Games massively multiplayer. 

The ‘Battleborn’ theme provides an immersive auditory backdrop for the game, featuring a powerful orchestral score that complements BLOCKLORDS’ medieval setting. This theme is expected to resonate with fans of epic, medieval-themed games and music.

In addition, MetaKing Studios has released the full game soundtrack ‘Kingdoms Will Rise’ on Spotify, along with ‘Melodies of BLOCKLORDS Volume I’, a collection of original soundtracks from the game, offering fans a deeper dive into its musical world.

David Johansson, CEO of MetaKing Studios, shared, “Nick Bulavin and The European Recording Orchestra have done an amazing job capturing the essence of our game and bringing it to life through their music. We believe that this theme tune will help players immerse themselves in the world of BLOCKLORDS and become a vital part of our franchise’s identity.”

BLOCKLORDS, currently in Early Access, pioneers a format where players can farm, fight, and ascend to their kingdom’s apex in this medieval landscape and is available on the Epic Games Store, inviting players of all backgrounds to explore and shape a dynamic medieval universe.

For further information, please visit BLOCKLORDS or follow us on X or Discord.

Contact Information:

Sam Rowlands

[email protected]

Press Contact

MetaKing Studios

[email protected]

Original Source:

MetaKing Studios Unveils Epic Live Recording of ‘Battleborn’ Theme Tune for BLOCKLORDS MMO Strategy Game and Releases Game OST

The post MetaKing Studios Unveils Epic Live Recording of ‘Battleborn’ Theme Tune for BLOCKLORDS MMO Strategy Game and Releases Game OST first appeared on TREND MAG.

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