Village Gamer

Vancouver – New Media BC and Kenton Lowe have just issued a statement in which Kenton has officially stepped down as the President of New Media BC. He will be taking on a position with Bardel Entertainment, and in his stead, board member Rochelle Grayson will be taking over as temporary President until a replacement is found and hired.

Rochelle Grayson

In his statement, Kenton thanked the members for working with him during his time as President of the association, and he, along with NMBC Chairman of the Board, Warren Franklin were pleased to make the announcement regarding Rochelle. As many in this city know, Rochelle has been very active in the new media industry, most recently with Work [at] Play. Kenton will be working closely with Rochelle to aid in the transition, and he looks forward to staying in touch with friends and colleagues as he moves on to a new stage in his career.

We here at Village Gamer wish Kenton all the best over at Bardel and enthusiastically welcome Rochelle as the (albeit) temporary leader of our provincial organization.

Vancouver – The June 17th presentation of Watchmen Revealed, which features Ben Cole, Landon Bootsma and Tim Mulvihill of MPC Vancouver will explore the pressures of recreating one of the most acclaimed comic books in history, revealing the challenges they faced in assembling some of the more complex scenes and answering questions surrounding the diverse techniques used. MPC Vancouver is hiring, so be sure to bring your demo reel and visit their recruiting booth during the pre-show event.

The evening will begin with the Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH chapter’s first Annual General Meeting since its formation as a non-profit organization. Members are asked to be at the VanCity Theatre at 6:00pm for this very important meeting. Following the meeting at 6:30 will be an industry social mixer. It is not necessary to have tickets for Watchmen Revealed in order to attend the AGM and the mixer. Contact Siggraph Vancouver to register for these two pre-show events.

Watchmen Revealed is sponsored by: BCIC, 3vis, VanArts, Sophia Books, AnnexPro, Stash Digital Media, VEAbc and Society of Graphic Designers Canada, Vancouver Chapter.

Toronto – Interactive Ontario today announced a new project, ONKidz, that is aimed at promoting Ontario’s Kids sector on a global scale. The ONKidz project will culminate with a business event focused on the interactive kids space in the spring of 2010 in Toronto, Canada. ONkidz supports the creation and commercialization of Ontario-made interactive media content and services for kids ages 4 to 15.

“It goes without saying that kids prioritize their interactions with and through digital media very differently than their parents,” said Ian Kelso, President and CEO of Interactive Ontario. “ Interactive Ontario is thrilled to present a unique event pulling together the leading creators of interactive experiences and the producers, broadcasters, and publishers who are leading the charge on building integrated cross-platform markets.”
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Toronto – Add eBook Reader to the long list of features for the highly-anticipated Palm® Pre™ phone. Shortcovers by Indigo Books & Music, Inc. today announced the service will available on the newest phone from Palm, the Palm Pre. Shortcovers is an integrated online and mobile service that provides access to eBooks from any mobile device. Shortcovers’ catalogue of popular books includes titles from major publishers including Random House, Harper Collins, Hachette, Simon & Schuster, Penguin and Harlequin.

“We’re excited to make Shortcovers available on Palm Pre. Pre’s high resolution screen and innovative design make it a great eReading choice for consumers,” said Michael Serbinis, President of Shortcovers. “We are committed to providing eBooks to consumers on the mobile device they already own.”
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Vancouver – Activision Publishing, Inc. announced today that Radical Entertainment’s highly anticipated video game PROTOTYPE has shipped to North American retail outlets, and additionally will be available at European retailers on Friday, June 12. With early critical acclaim, including a 9/10 review from PSW Magazine, the genetically mutated Alex Mercer is set to deliver a powerful, action-packed gaming experience as players begin to unravel his dark, conspiracy-ridden past and become the ultimate shape-shifting weapon! We’ve been trying to get a close-up hands’ on view of this game for months and months – we’re definitely looking forward to finally getting to play this new IP title from Radical.

You are the PROTOTYPE: Alex Mercer – a genetically mutated man without memory, armed with amazing shape-shifting abilities, hunting to discover what created you and determined to make those responsible pay. As Alex, gamers tear through a densely populated contemporary New York City moving with free-roaming Parkour-style fluidity, consuming anybody that gets in his way…assuming their physical form, memories and abilities. Fueled by a three-way war between Alex, the Blackwatch Military Special Forces and a viral outbreak known as the Infected, players venture into a deep, dark conspiracy 40 years in the making!

PROTOTYPE is available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION3 computer entertainment system for a suggested retail price of $59.99, and for Games for Windows® for $49.99, and is rated “M” (Mature – Blood and Gore, Intense Violence and Strong Language – content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older) by the ESRB.

Banff – The Canadian Television Fund today announced the Board of Directors of the new Canada Media Fund. The seven independent directors include five nominated by the Canadian Coalition for Cultural Expression (CCCE), which includes cable and direct-to-home satellite companies, and two nominated by the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Fostering the growth of television production in Canada through financial investment and industry research, the Canadian Television Fund (CTF) supports the development of Canadian talent, programs and audiences. The Canada Media Fund, an amalgamation of the Canadian Television Fund and the Canada New Media Fund, will launch on April 1, 2010 to support the development of content designed for television and new media platforms.

The 2009-2010 Directors of the Board of the Canada Media Fund are as follows:
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Montreal – Software publisher Strategy First Inc., and Out of the Park Productions are proud to present Bill ‘The Spaceman’ Lee Out Of The Park Baseball 10, which will be released June 9,2009.

Out Of The Park Baseball 10 is the 10th installment of the award-winning baseball management simulation game. The game will add more features to an already unparalleled feature set and improve already existing ones. With an improved artificial intelligence, which results the most realistic baseball management

Out of the Park 10

experience, Out Of The Park Baseball 10 continues the tradition of innovative management simulations.

Out Of The Park Baseball 10 includes a brand new never before seen 90 minute interview with Red Sox Hall of Fame Pitcher Bill ‘The Spaceman’ Lee. The celebrated pitcher provides his unique insight into baseball management, history, and tips on how to build a World Series caliber team.

“We are excited to bring Bill ‘The Spaceman’ Lee Out Of The Park Baseball 10 to Gamers world wide. Teaming up one of Major League baseball’s iconic pitchers Bill ‘The Spaceman’ Lee with the award winning franchise will provide Gamers with great game play, information and entertainment all in one offering.” Says Strategy First Business Development Manager Emanuel Wall.

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Dundee – Over 70 students from as far away as China began their 10 week computer game design challenge at the University of Abertay Dundee today. However, there seems to be a problem with the competition’s web site. I tried to visit the URL as provided in the competition’s press release, and landed on a holding page. Hopefully this issue will be corrected pronto.

The computer arts students and graduates from Canada, China, India, England, Northern Ireland, Norway, Scotland, Southern Ireland, and Wales are finalists in Abertay’s ‘Dare to be Digital’ computer game design competition. Sunny Atwal, Eric Stock, Pedro Melendez, and Chris Iaconis from Algoma University will be competing for Canada.

‘Dare to be Digital’, now in its tenth year, sees fourteen five-strong teams competing against each other to design a prototype game or other interactive digital entertainment. The teams beat off fierce competition and survived industry scrutiny during the regional finals, to secure their place in the grand final.
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Toronto – Search Engine Strategies (SES) Toronto 2009 today announced the addition of Express Site Clinics in the Expo Hall, which will be taught by Shari Thurow, Jennifer Slegg and Ken Jurina. The largest search engine marketing conference and expo in Canada opens today at the Sheraton Centre Toronto.

Now in its sixth year, SES Toronto is considered the definitive digital event for marketers, corporate decision makers, webmasters and search engine marketers (SEMs), including pay per click (PPC) advertisers and search engine optimization (SEO) professionals. The event is organized and programmed in cooperation with the SES Advisory Board, Search Engine Watch and Andrew Goodman, the founder and president of Toronto-based Page Zero Media.

Goodman says, “Don’t miss the opportunity to visit the Expo Hall and take in the added bonus of an Express Site Clinic! No need for appointments as these PowerPoint-free, interactive clinics are ‘first-come, first-served’ offering you a rare chance to get your Web site reviewed live by one of our SES experts.” Read the rest of this entry »

Toronto – Microsoft announced today that Dayforce, a leader in workforce performance solutions, was the winner of the 2009 Blue Sky Award for innovation excellence. The award recognizes Dayforce for its market-changing approach to solving significant business problems, as well as for its innovative use of leading technologies. It is awarded by Microsoft Canada Co.

“We are very excited to see Dayforce acknowledged for its innovative workforce performance solution that helps address a critical business need”, said David Ossip, Dayforce’s CEO and founder. “Dayforce’s on-demand solutions for labor planning, scheduling, task management and time and attendance empower front-line managers throughout an organization to help improve corporate performance every day. To make that vision a reality required significant technological innovation.”
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