Round Up: Microsoft @ Le Mans, Ludium II, Intel & iGames

Today's round up includes news of Forza Motorsport 2 being advertised as part of Microsoft's sponsorship of American Le Mans Series races, the announcement of the Ludium II conference, and Intel-sponsored gaming events for iGames, as well as the latest GameSetWatch posts, product news, Serious Games Source news, and Gamasutra job postings. - Microsoft and Turn 10 announced the sponsorship of Risi Competizione’s Ferrari 430GT for the American Le Mans Series. As the official racing simulator during the entire race season, the Ferrari’s paint scheme will display Forza Motorsport 2 and Xbox 360 logo on the hood of the car. The new look 430GT debuted during the inaugural Lone Star Grand Prix in Houston, TX, Saturday, May 13, where Risi drivers Mika Salo took third place and teammate Jaime Melo posted the fastest lap time of the race. Forza Motorsport 2, the sequel to Microsoft’s driving simulator Forza Motorsport for the Xbox, was announced at E3 and is currently scheduled to ship this holiday season for the Xbox 360. - The Arden Institute at Indiana University has announced its plans for its upcoming Ludium II conference, tentatively planned for June 22-23, 2007. During the event, the theme “Videogames and Public Policy” will be explored through a game that puts participants in a 19th century US political convention, complete with smoke-filled rooms and bombastic delegates. The delegates will form caucuses and compete to get planks on the party platform. They'll also elect a party nominee for President. Visit the official website for more information on Ludium II, and email Edward Castronova, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Telecommunications at Indiana University if you would like to contribute or participate. - Gaming organization iGames announced its first-ever Intel-sponsored competitions, comprising a 6-month series of tournaments and other special events to be held at 40+ iGames member centers across North America. The Intel events will begin in June and will run monthly through November. Sponsored by Intel, in association with CEVO, the first event will be the Intel $5K CS Open (Counter-Strike 1.6 Open Tournament), which will consists of 5-on-5 matches held Saturday and Sunday, June 24-25, at eight iGames member centers, including eBash, euphNET v3, Head 2 Head Games, interPeer, NETplay, PC Gamerz Hawaii, Sin City PC, and Xtreme Player Zone. Visit the official website to register for the Intel $5K Open, and to find out more about the event and other upcoming events in the Intel series. - The latest updates on Gamasutra sister weblog GameSetWatch include a new competition to win cool Death Jr.-related swag, plus news on the latest retro game additions to the GameTap subscription service, feedback from GDC 2006 IGDA student scholarship winners,and a column on "extreme exaggeration" in classic video game print ads. - Also updated today: Serious Games Source news on a the creator of Super Columbine Massacre RPG speaking out, and the misunderstanding surrounding an alleged Islamic 'recruitment' game video, plus the latest Gamasutra product news on the release of the Filter Forge Beta for Photoshop, the debut of the Genetica Viewer and Textures released by Spiral Graphics, and the announcement of Modo 2.01's shipment, as well as the latest Gamasutra job postings, featuring openings from Alion Science and Technology, Budcat Creations, Datascope Recruitment, Factor 5, Planet Moon Studios, Sony Online Entertainment, WMS Gaming, and Zono.