Village Gamer

Ottawa – Today at the Toronto Stock Exchange representatives from the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance Women in Technology Forum (CATA WIT) were on hand to open the markets. The event marks the launch of a CATA WIT initiative promoting employer best practices and a web site designed to attract women to science and technology careers.

The program takes a three-pronged approach to address inequalities in women’s participation in science and advanced technology by focusing on ways to support recruitment, retention and entrepreneurialism. The program was undertaken with the support Status of Women Canada, Ontario Women’s Directorate and a number of corporate partners.

Working with CATA WIT, Dr. Wendy Cukier, founder of Ryerson’s Diversity Institute and Technology Strategy Consultant organized workshops with women across the country to explore their experiences and to take a fresh look at women in Canada’s high tech sector. Over 50 women from all stages of their careers met for roundtables in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto and Calgary, and 250 women were surveyed online. Discussions were also held with Human Resources professionals and executives in a number of technology companies to explore leading practices on diversity and develop tools to promote the importance of diversity.

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Vancouver – The Masters of Digital Media (MDM) Program together with Zynga, the industry leader in social gaming, has announced the winners of the inaugural Zynga scholarships for the MDM Program at the Centre for Digital Media in Vancouver, B.C. Four students – Su Yon Sohn, Jason Chang, Ryan Nadel and Matthew Schroeter – have earned scholarships totaling $21,000.

“Congratulations to Su Yon, Jason, Ryan and Matt on winning Zynga’s first scholarships to the MDM Program,” said Dr. Gerri Sinclair, Executive Director of the MDM Program and CEO of the Centre for Digital Media at Great Northern Way Campus. “I’d also like to thank Zynga for their support through our Industry Affiliate Program and now through funding these scholarships. To have our students recognized by Zynga, the world’s leader in social gaming, is a testament to the remarkable next-gen talent pool we are developing here at the MDM Program.”

“At Zynga, we’re pleased to offer our support to Su Yon, Jason, Ryan and Matt who will be graduating in 2010,” said Colleen McCreary, Senior VP and Chief People Officer at Zynga. “Zynga commends these students on their academic excellence and for their experience in and passion for social gaming and we look forward to their contribution to Zynga’s mission of connecting the world through games.

The scholarship winners are:

• Su Yon Sohn and Jason Chang, who received $7,000 and;
• Ryan Nadel and Matthew Schroeter, who received $3,500.

The scholarship was based on talent and experience in the area of Game Design, Art or Programming.

Vancouver – Why are ideas like measles, waffles and mirrors? Why do successful people generally fail more often than less successful ones? At Vancouver Innovation Camp, you’ll discover how the answers to these questions are related to entrepreneurial thinking. Build your creativity and innovation skills by participating in activities designed to inspire your inner entrepreneur, without the boring lectures.

Participants practice skills such as identifying opportunities, learning from failure, resourcefulness, collaborating with a team and adapting to changing environments. You’ll connect with brilliant people and work together to build on great ideas and find innovative solutions to real world challenges. Unleash your entrepreneurial spirit!

One of the event’s organizers, Nicole Sheldrake, said that the first Innovation Camp, which was held October 13 – 19th, was so successful, they’ve decided to do it again.

“Innovation Camp 1 had 18 participants from diverse backgrounds such as a VP, graphic designer, manager, musician, lawyer, student, web designer, strategic analyst, to mention a few. Participants loved connecting with new people from outside their field of work and they felt re-charged at the end of it. The participants had many chances to be creative and collaborate, and in doing the activities, they learned new ways to find solutions to problems, with the overall objective being to see problems as opportunities. In addition, the group raised $5000 for the Vancouver Food Bank in 7 hours! They were assigned a task at 11am and by 6pm had raised $5000 using their creativity and entrepreneurial skills.”

At Innovation Camp you will:

• learn techniques to view problems from fresh perspectives in order to identify opportunities
• apply those techniques in entrepreneurial situations and reflected on what was learned in the process
• receive clear, concise feedback on your ability to work as part of a team
• analyze and learn from failures in your own and others lives
• have fun!

Price (for all 3 days): $125.00 CAD for early bird tickets(purchased before Nov 10th), $149 for regular price tickets (after Nov 10th)

Location: Kontent Creative offices, 55 Water St, Vancouver, Canada

Workshop Dates and Times:

• November 24, Tuesday, 6:30pm – 9:30pm (includes sandwiches and a drink)
• November 26, Thursday, 6:30pm – 9:30pm (includes sandwiches and a drink)
• November 28, Saturday, 10:00am – 6:00pm (*all day workshop, includes sandwiches and a drink)

(Each day builds on the activities of the prior, 14 hours total)

Register now or check out InnovationCamp.org for more details.

Toronto – Interactive Ontario today announced the launch of INplay – a new conference that connects creative industries with interactive kids topics. INplay will take place on May 18 & 19, 2010 in Toronto, Canada, and will examine the creation and commercialization of interactive media content and services for kids ages 4 to 15.

“Interactive Ontario is proud to present this unique event for the global kids media entertainment industry,” says Ian Kelso, President and CEO of Interactive Ontario. “ With tremendous support from our partners, all of whom are leaders in the interactive kids space, we are sure INplay will be a highly valued event for kids content producers and creators worldwide.”

“Ontario is home to a dynamic and growing interactive digital media industry with many talented and award-winning content producers,” says Karen Thorne-Stone, President & CEO of Ontario Media Development Corporation. “INplay will provide a unique two-day forum for Ontario companies to network and to share ideas and strategies with the world’s leading producers and distributors of digital entertainment for children.”

This project is spearheaded by IO in partnership with industry leaders including: The Alliance for Children & Television, Astral Media Inc, Bitcasters, Blue Print Entertainment, Breakthrough New Media, Capybara Games, CBC, Corus Entertainment, Decode Entertainment, Earth Rangers, Kids Can Press, marblemedia, Meridian Artists, Portfolio Entertainment, Spin Master Ltd., and zinc Roe Inc.

“Astral is proud to be one of the founding partners of what promises to be a world-class event that will bring together the best minds in Kids Interactive from Canada and around the world,” says Barbara Baillie, Director of Interactive, Astral Media.

“marblemedia is really looking forward to participating at INplay. We’re always working to make sure our stories are on whatever device kids are using. We see INplay as a chance to be inspired by the latest ideas in how to make fun, engaging experiences for kids,” says Ted Brunt, VP Interactive Production, marblemedia.

INplay is INsight, INgenuity and INterchange with a good dose of fun! INplay is for game developers/publishers, broadcasters, content producers/distributors, interactive/mobile/social media developers, toy/game manufacturers, book/magazine/comic publishers, marketers, researchers/child psychologists and all businesses with interest in the kid’s space.

Banff – In our interconnected, globalized economy, information is critical. Get a solid grasp on our new knowledge economy with a three-day workshop at the Banff Centre. Join Digital Alberta and the Banff New Media Institute to explore technology-enhanced learning as a valuable economic resource.

This eLearning workshop is designed specifically for professionals working in elearning, education, human resources and knowledge-based digital media. Stimulate learning opportunities and expand your knowledge in this dynamic field. From open source platforms to game-based learning, you will be exposed to capturing, retaining and transferring knowledge in a digital medium. So if knowledge and information is part of your responsibility, this workshop is for you.

The workshop features:

Lance Dublin, Dublin Consulting – Keynote
Dan Rickard, Okaki Health – Open source eLearning
Lou Russell – eLearning Project Management and SMEs
Kevin McNulty, Coole Immersive – Game-based learning
Dr. Jim Parker – Game-based learning
Martha Burkle, Cisco Chair of e-Learning – Training in virtual worlds

The workshop will be presented at The Banff Centre on December 3 – 6, 2009.

Rates: (all prices subject to GST)

$320.00 Digital Alberta Members or Affiliates
$350.00 Non-Member Early Bird (on or before November 18)
$260.00 Student Early Bird (before November 18)
$400.00 Non-Member after November 18
$300.00 Students Non-Member after November 18

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Vancouver – This just in from New Media BC – Fusion Forum organizers New Media BC are pleased to announce that with the support of the National Research Council Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) and Bootup Entrepreneurial Society, all entrepreneurs can participate at the Fusion Forum for no additional cost above the regular attendee price of $100. All companies attending the Fusion Entrepreneur Boot Camp held on November 5 as well as the twenty selected to pitch to top tier investors during the Fusion Venture Forum on November 12, will pay this same affordable rate as conference attendees.

“Our community has a history of producing some of the most notable digital media companies in the world,” says Maura Rodgers, Executive Director of Bootup Entrepreneurial Society. “We challenge our best entrepreneurs to step forward and show the international investors what our community is made of.”

The package includes full access to the event, including networking lunch and reception. Presenting companies will also have free access to “Entrepreneur Bootcamp” training sessions, presentation coaching, and a chance to pitch at the Forum on November 12th and potentially have one-on-one meetings with visiting investors from Silicon Valley.

“New Media BC is thrilled to have the support of NRC-IRAP and Bootup Entrepreneurial Society to provide such great value to BC and Canadian entrepreneurs.” said Rochelle Grayson, Interim President at New Media BC. “We have lined up first-class investors and industry experts, and we are looking forward to showcasing the best digital media talent and opportunities BC and Canada has to offer.”

The deadline for registrations has been extended to Friday, October 30th to allow entrepreneurs to take advantage of this special rate. Reimbursements will be made for companies who have already signed up at the full rate.

New Media BC also announced that Fusion’s “Best in Show” judges will be Tom Duterme, Corporate Development Manager at Google Inc., Saeed Amidi, CEO/President and Founder of Plug and Play Tech Center and Steve Hnatiuk, Founder and Partner at Yaletown Venture Partners. The “Best in Show” presenter will receive paid airfare to San Francisco and three month placement at the prestigious Plug and Play Tech Centre accelerator in Sunnyvale, California.

Studio staff at Rockstar Vancouver will be taking part in the local Movember movement, as Rockstar Games is proud to be a major sponsor of Movember, the annual month-long celebration of the moustache, highlighting men’s health issues, specifically prostate cancer. Grow a rugged moustache and send us a photo by the end of November for a chance to be immortalized as a character in Rockstar’s next epic – Red Dead Redemption (in development at Rockstar San Diego).

Historically men have been very poor at looking after their health, especially when compared with the efforts of women. Men still access health services less frequently and when they do visit the doctor, they typically present late, thereby denying themselves the chance of early detection and treatment of common diseases.

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EA Montreal has released a new Army of Two: 40th Day trailer. This short video focuses on the multiplayer extraction mode. Army of Two: 40th Day is slated for release on January 12 2010.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4lPGdoe6o4]

Vancouver Film School is holding a Halloween makeup contest. Impress their judge, film industry veteran and Head of the Makeup Design for Film & Television program Stan Edmonds (The Butterfly Effect, I, Robot, Unforgiven), and you’ll have the chance to win some great prizes, including a selection of professional-quality makeup supplies! All you have to do is show your Halloween-themed makeup skills – and that can be anything you imagine as long as you’ve created the makeup yourself – on the photo-sharing site Flickr between October 26 and November 1. Once three finalists are chosen by our judge, the public will get to vote on the winner.

Ottawa – Corel has introduced Corel® Paint it!™ touch, a new digital art studio built explicitly for the Windows 7 platform. Corel Paint it! touch is optimized for use on touch-screen computers, Paint it! touch provides budding artists of any age with a unique artistic experience. Using the program, consumers can create original artwork with the touch of their fingertips. The program’s touch-enabled capabilities let consumers add artistic touches to photos or create art from scratch using a number of realistic brushes and effects.

“With Paint it! touch, it is now possible to bypass mouse clicks and interact directly with your digital canvas, all with the touch of your fingertips,” said David Toeg, Paint it! touch Product Manager for Corel. “Windows 7 and Windows Touch have enabled Corel to create new possibilities for our users by removing barriers and helping them to connect with their digital content in more personal ways. Whether they are creating painted masterpieces, photo projects, or home videos, it can now be an even more spontaneous and interactive experience.”

IUGO Mobile Entertainment has released information about their latest game which is headed for the Apple App Store – Implode, where players are tasked to carefully plant limited dynamite bundles in order to demo obsolete structures. Sounds easy enough, right? WRONG! Implode! is a classic “easy to learn, hard to master” casual game that will pull you in and won’t let go. IUGO currently has three games in the pipeline for the App Store – Implode, Zombie Attack Second Wave and Cliffed.

Features include:

• 60 dynamite levels
• Reactive UI, touch and drag control options
• Fun chalkboard theme and clean graphics
• Two different types of bombs (traditional bombs and blast bombs)
• Varying structure shapes for ongoing challenge
• Submit score online (online score is the sum of all levels’ high scores)
• Grading system for high scores adding replayability to each level
• 3 Difficulties; Casual, Veteran, and Expert
• In-level help system: Learn as you play!
• IUGO VIP: Sandbox cheat gives you more bombs and you never fail! (high scores disabled with this feature)
• Watch buildings tumble with real physics!

Victoria – Island Tech 09 is looking for speakers. Island Tech takes place on November 13th at the Crystal Garden and will feature an afternoon of thought-provoking discussions, much in the style of the TEDx conferences. They are looking for people that have an interesting topic they would like to present. Talks should be rooted in innovation, or at least connected to technology. The organizers would prefer talks with a broad and/or unconventional scope. Do you have anything you’d like to say that fits this bill? The format for the talks is a 20 minute presentation followed by 10 minutes of Q&A with the audience. People should come away from this part of the Island Tech event thinking “I’ve never thought about it that way”, or “man, that was interesting”, or maybe even “that was brilliant!”. We want these talks to stretch the boundaries a bit, and make people think. Please email Island Tech 09 with a synopsis of your talk.

The MindShare Learning Report—Canada’s, Leading, Learning & Technology eMagazine and title sponsor Microsoft Canada Co., are set to officially launch the Microsoft – MindShare Learning Report™ 21st Century Digital Classroom Challenge (Contest Info – PDF). In its second year running, this event aims to inspire teachers, along with their students from across Canada to share their successful classroom practices using technology. Teachers from publicly funded schools can qualify to win one of three technology prize packs valued at over $15,000 for their school.

The office launch takes place at W.H. Day Elementary School in Bradford, Ontario, the site of one of last year’s contest winners, grade 5 teacher, Mali Bickley. “It is an honour to have the Mindshare Learning Contest launch hosted in my classroom. Winning the Mindshare Learning contest and having the technology for the class helped us connect with so many other classes throughout the world. The technologies were the tools that connected my students in curriculum based projects that truly made a difference in their lives and other students globally,” says Mali Bickley.

Through a video submission, K-12 educators from publicly funded schools across Canada are challenged to share their success stories using technology to support student success. Qualified entrants will be eligible to win one of three classroom technology prize packages, each valued at more than $15,000, from leading classroom technology providers, including: Microsoft Canada, Advanced Education, Dell, EPSON, FrontRow, ISTE, NECTAR Foundation, netTrekker, Pearson, SMART Technologies and MindShare Learning.

“Canadian teachers are excellent stewards in marrying technology with education and are critical in developing instructional environments that use technology to ignite the imaginations of students,” says Shann McGrail, Director of Education, Microsoft Canada. “Microsoft Canada is committed to helping educators to prepare students for today’s and tomorrow’s workforce with education-specific tools and technologies, and this contest maps to our belief that technology is one way to deliver enriched instruction to engage students and improve learning outcomes.”

“The awesome prize packages were carefully selected and represent best-of-class technology to enable 21st century digital learning in the classroom. I’m humbled by the generosity of our sponsors,” says Robert Martellacci, president and publisher, The MindShare Learning Report.

Vancouver – The Masters of Digital Media (MDM) Program invites applicants from artists, inventors, educators, health care professionals, non-profit organizations or academic/research institutions to submit a proposal for a digital media-based project to deliver a product that promotes a philanthropic cause or positive social change initiative. The project can include one or more of the following elements: dynamic web content, game development, 3D content, interactive sites, learning tools, and online community development.

The proposed project must involve a philanthropic contribution to sustainability, the environment and education within local (Vancouver), provincial (British Columbia), national (Canadian) and global (International) communities. Applications from Canadian organizations will be judged not only on their ability to demonstrate the impact of the project according to guidelines, but the potential for use in other arenas.

The prize, valued at $50,000, includes a team of multidisciplinary graduate students in the Masters of Digital Media Program in Vancouver who will work with your organization to define the project, develop the deliverables, and execute a final product that will help your organization realize its social and cultural goals.

Guidelines and Project Specifics:

·The proposed project must be completed within a 13 week period, starting January 4, 2010

·The winning submission will be provided with a team of up to 5 multidisciplinary students, including some of the following roles appropriate to the specific project’s requirements: a project manager and communications manager, lead engineer, lead artist, and designer

·The recipient(s) will be expected to contribute time and energy and other resources to work with the team, from the planning stages, to execution, and finally to marketing and distribution of the completed project

·There is no fee to submit a proposal

Project Proposal:

The proposal must be comprised of the following information:

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Ottawa – Miltons IP has joined together with Wiley, the publisher of the popular For Dummies reference book series, to create a resource for Canadians that outlines core intellectual property rights, how to make money from IP (whether your own or others), and a series of checklists.

The book contains a primer on the various types of intellectual property assets, from patents and trademarks, to copyrights and industrial designs. Each of the introductory chapters deals with one type of protection, provides definitions, pros and cons and instructs how to protect one’s IP rights. Later chapters discuss how to profit from IP and how to enforce one’s IP rights. A chapter on deriving income from someone else’s IP through licensing follows later in the book, with the final chapter dispelling some common misconceptions about IP. It is a quick read, suitable for individuals in a wide range of occupations and industries.

Just a reminder that New Media BC will be holding its Annual General Meeting at Rainmaker (#500 – 2025 West Broadway) in Vancouver tonight, beginning at 5pm. There are some important issues on the table, including the proposed merger with winBC and the formation of a new trade association. It’s imperative that all voting members participate in this process.

Tickets are now available for the ACM SIGGRAPH Vancouver and NFB speaker session with animator Chris Landreth. This is a free event being held in conjunction with the National Film Board’s Get Animated cross-Canada tour. An evening with Chris Landreth takes place at the VanCity Theatre in Vancouver on Wednesday October 28th. This event is sponsored in part by vanARTS, Annex|Pro and 3vis.

In other news, Best Buy Canada will be celebrating the grand opening of their new store at Sevenoaks Mall in Abbotsford, BC this weekend. They are planning a full schedule of special events, including:

Grand Opening Weekend Schedule of Events:

Friday, October 23, 2009

– Before 9:45 am: Line up for a chance to win a $500 Best Buy gift card
– 9:30 am: Ribbon-cutting ceremony and $5,000 cheque presentation to Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Abbotsford, Mission, Ridge Meadows
– 5 pm: Meet Alexandre Burrows for an autograph session

Saturday, October 24, 2009

– Before 9:45 am: Line up for a chance to win a $500 Best Buy gift card
– 6 pm: Meet Default for an autograph session
– 1 – 3 pm: Meet Dora the Explorer™

Sunday, October 25, 2009

– Before 10:45 am: Line up for a chance to win a $500 Best Buy gift card
– 2 – 4 pm: Meet Spider-Man™
– 11am – 6pm: Play in the PlayStation Big Rig

The grand opening specials and $500 daily Gift Card giveaways are also included at all Lower Mainland Best Buy locations!

Xbox Canada will be in Montreal this weekend (October 17) at Parc Jean-Drapeau and in Toronto on October 24 at The Better Living Centre on the CNE Grounds. Why? For the Forza Motor Sport 3 Drive Your Dreams promotional event, of course.

Event Details:

Be one of the first to experience the thrill of the world’s most exotic and exquisite cars as you take the wheel of more than 400 automobiles on over 100 renowned real-world tracks and exotic road courses from around the globe.

You’ll play right next to the most beloved cars featured in the game, watch car artists bring design to life before your very eyes, check out the gallery of performance upgrades, and even have your own shot at learning the ropes on the Autocross Demonstration, Instruction, & Ride Experience* with the Canadian Automobile Sports Club and Club Auto-sport Des Laurentides.

Come escape into the world of car culture and you could win** the ultimate DRIVE YOUR DREAMS experience that could get you behind the wheel for an exhilarating full day on the track, plus the ultimate Xbox 360 Racing Package.**

*Must have valid Driver’s License and sign applicable waivers to participate in the Autocross
** NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Contest is open to all legal residents of Canada. There is one (1) grand prize (ARV $3,660) and ten (10) secondary prizes (ARV $89.99) available to be won. Skill testing question required. Contest closes at 11:59pm on October 24th, 2009.

DIGS has announced another Keynote Speaker. Last week the event announced that Victor Lucas would be the Keynote Speaker for the November 3rd Dinner, and today they have announced that Ubisoft Toronto and Montreal CEO Yannis Mallat will be the Keynote Speaker at the conference proper. DIGS takes place this November 3rd and 4th in London, Ontario.

If you are a student and have been sitting on a game design, you can enter the DIGS Game Competition and vie for $10 000.00 and more in prizing. The entry deadline has been extended to October 26th, so register now!

If you are in Vancouver, don’t forget about Ghoulash Bash, our local fundraiser for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society. Ghoulash Bash is happening at the Metropole on Abbott this coming October 29th. The theme is Retro-Reanimated, ticket prices are very reasonable, and it’s a chance to get your ghoul on. Ghoulash Bash is an approved Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society event, so tax receipts can be issued for qualified donations. The event is still looking for swag and sponsorship. Please see the Bash site for more details.

Don’t forget that the Taco Bell Fill Up On Game Gear tour will be in Kelowna tonight, Surrey on Friday night and then in Coquitlam on Saturday. Get your entries in for all of the awesome game gear that Taco Bell is giving away, including the Emporer game chair. Gotta have it. We’ll be meeting up with Craig and Ryan this weekend to check out the Tour Truck and the prizes – hopefully this west coast weather will improve some before they arrive.

The Montreal Game Summit is gearing up for November 16th and 17th, and now you can customize your agenda. You can even post it on Facebook, email it to yourself and others, or just print it for easy reference.

On Day 1, Yoichi Wada, President and CEO of Square Enix will be presenting a Keynote Address about Fostering Cultural Diversity in Game Development, while Heather Chaplin, Professor of Journalism at The New School will be delivering a Keynote Address on The Guy Culture. Keynotes for Day 2 include Tools and Testing in LittleBigPlanet: Consequences of a user-generated world which will be presented by Paul Holden, Lead Architect for Media Molecule and Jason Holtman, Director of Business Development at Valve will present on Games Entertainment in the Age of Connectivity.

Stewart Butterfield, co-founder of Flickr, reportedly the most popular photo sharing site in the world, will be the Keynote Speaker at the 3rd Fusion Venture Forum 2009, presented by New Media BC on November 12 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Butterfield is a firm supporter of Vancouver’s Digital Media industry and was part of the original team that grew Flickr from a tiny Vancouver based operation to a worldwide phenomenon. He and his co-founder Catherine Fake sold Flickr to Yahoo reportedly for more than $30 million, barely a year after launching it in February 2004. The original plan had been to create an online game that never quite took off. Flickr remains one of the most noted digital media success stories from this region.

Butterfield will open Fusion ’09, the only Venture Forum devoted to Digital Media in Western Canada, by sharing his success story with some 150-200 attendees, mostly Canadian founders with early to growth stage ventures. Twenty of Canada’s hottest digital media companies will present their latest ventures to top tier investors from North America, including heavyweights Google Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners and SoftTech VC. Deadline to register for Fusion’s Bootcamp and Conference is Oct 20, 2009.