I was pretty shocked last week when the Coalition Government reversed its position in their dramatic Budget announcement. The UK government has declared its intention to establish a nationwide games tax break policy, in a manoeuvre that leaves the British sector in shock and jubilation. They stated: "Following consultation on the design, the Government will introduce corporation tax reliefs for the video games, animation and high-end television industries from April 2013, subject to State aid approval," read the official budget report.

Are you an aspiring CG artist who’s trying to get your CG career off the ground? Are you working in the creative industry and want to transfer your skills to VFX? We know how difficult it can be to make decisions and chose the right path, but that’s where our Careers Guide can help. By revealing the many opportunities that exist within the CG industry, the guide helps you overcome some of the hurdles you might face when you start making career choices.

Winter has finally arrived at our doorstep and the Christmas holiday is just around the corner! Hurrah! That means it's time to hang up the party shoes, put on the UGG boots and embrace the world of winter hibernation.

I wonder how many of you have heard or Esri? Before I go on to explain why I am writting about them today, here is a quick introduction to this very interesting company.

So how long does it take to make a console game? Of course it varies from project to project but Team Bondi are no strangers to long haul development.

Activision released the trailer for its new Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 game last week and to say it got people talking would be an understatement. As you might expect, it shows war up close and personal. The visuals are nothing short of brilliant, which is one of the reasons why it’s causing such a stir.

No doubt you’ve heard about Rockstar’s latest release LA Noire - apparently a completely new type of video game. Up until recently, most games have been all about hand eye co-ordination but in LA Noire, which is set in the late 40s, the main skill is about being able to judge body language and characters’ faces to figure out if they’re lying or not - or ‘emotional perception’ as some are calling it.

It's always great to hear when escapees land jobs - especially if it's one that they've always dreamt of getting. Tom Harle, who studied our Games Art Production course has just secured a job at top games studio Rebellion. He's worked really hard on his portfolio and it's clear that it's really paid off.

Thank you to everyone who attended the CityEngine event last week, and to Procedural for giving us a sneak peak at the latest in procedural modelling technology (and for bringing lots of Swiss chocolate).

We blogged on the 3rd of March that Autodesk had announced their new 2012 product line-up. Well, today you can get your hands on all the new toys! If you have a current support contract simply access your subscription portal to download your 2012 version.