This weekend, November 18-20, is the fourth annual Machinima Expo, a showcase / competition of the best machinima films of the past year. Machinima, the art of creating digital movies using video game or virtual world tools, has been around for awhile now, but the state-of-the-art has moved far beyond just screencaps of aw3som headshots to entirely new forms of filmmaking. Unlike more conventional digital animation, machinima uses cheap and widely available tools that anyone can use to create compelling art and entertainment.
To see this year's crop of winning machinima films, you can head to the different Second Life venues or watch online at machinima-expo.com. Check the schedule for screening and presentation times. There will also be a keynote address by machinima scholar Henry Lowood, panels, discussions, presentations, a debate on current machinima practice, and workshops on how to make machinima.
BTW, have a look at my list of "machinima for good" for examples of how this artform can be used to educate and promote different causes. And feel free to suggest new ones that I have missed!
