Talk of the Town: Game designing is child’s play

THE gaming industry has long been awash with young, designers and entrepreneurs. But a set of developers from the Capital are going to bizarre new lengths to enhance their youth appeal – by recruiting designers from Edinburgh primary schools.

Interface3, a team of educational game-makers based in the city centre, is calling on children to create their own alien character for new sci-fi odyssey Cosmic Reactor coming to iPads and Android tablets in August.

The winning entry will be redrawn by a professional artist to fit the game’s art style and then featured as a playable alien in the finished version of the game.

Pint-sized designers should email their character to [email protected] before August 8.

Give councillors’ on-screen debuts a sporting chance

THEY may have emerged as victors from last month’s elections, but they’re not TV stars yet.

Lord Provost Donald Wilson opened yesterday’s full council meeting by pointing out that web cameras had been installed around the room, but reassured councillors: “They are not live yet.”

It is expected everyone will be able to share in the excitement of council meetings via computer from August. But TOTT expects city leaders’ TV debut may be rather underwhelming, with audiences tuning in for the some guaranteed drama – at the Olympics.

A dram-atic new record

AN important lesson learned this week for all you whisky connoisseurs. Rather than guzzling the tasty single malts you are gifted every birthday by uninspired relatives, store them in a dusty cupboard and wait half a century for a major pay-off.

A Macallan 1928, which sold for just £50 in 1983, fetched a whopping £17,500 at an Edinburgh auction yesterday.

Described as “one of the oldest, rarest and most famous single malts ever made”, the bottle set a new world record at auction.

A reason to celebrate surely, but at £625 a dram don’t ask TOTT to get a round in.

Leaping into action

RUNNERS at Wednesday night’s Jog Scotland 5km Challenge in Inverleith Park had a lot of rain and mud to contend with. So much so that they even had to wait a few extra seconds at the start while stewards caught a frog that was hopping about in front of them.

We salute those fine stewards who rescued this little creature from a stampede of plimsolls, though we understand froggy is tipped to make a splash in the hurdles.