Village Gamer

The video game industry has been overcome by a wave of impulse purchases fueled primarily by creative packaging and online accessibility. According to The Canadian Video Game Purchase Process, a study conducted by The NPD Group, 40 per cent of video game buyers stated that they have purchased a game on impulse in the past six months despite the recent recession.

Much like gamers overall, impulse shoppers in the industry are split almost evenly between males and females and are dominated by the 13 – 17 age group (26 per cent) and the 35 – 44 age group (23 per cent).

“Clearly gamers are becoming much less reluctant to spend on games,” said Matthew Tattle, Group Manager, The NPD Group. “One would think it is a little unusual to see impulse purchases during a recession but it’s clear that hardcore gamers will find a way to satisfy their need for something new, different and enjoyable.”

The large percentage of shoppers buying a game on impulse coincides with a rise in low-cost used games, which flourished during the recessionary months to the tune of $65 million in sales.

Impulse game buyers overwhelmingly selected low price as the primary driver behind purchasing their game at a specific retailer. Impulse shoppers in particular are more cost conscious; the average price of impulse purchases was only $27.19 compared with $42.97 for planned purchases. The reduced price of used games is, therefore, increasingly attractive to gamers. In fact, one-third of gamers reported buying a used game in the past six months and only 10 per cent say they would never buy a used game.

The study also reveals that manufacturers looking to capitalize on impulse purchases should put a strong focus on packaging while retailers should focus on merchandizing.

A survey of in-store impulse shoppers shows images or descriptions on game packaging are very or extremely important to 40 per cent, while 25 per cent are swayed by in-store demonstrations of the game.

“Game packaging is the most influential form of advertising for game manufacturers and retailers,” said Tattle. “Particularly among impulse shoppers, game packaging is considered a much stronger motivator than TV commercials, online ads or trailers. The graphics and images on game packages should be chosen strategically to ensure buyers are attracted to the game.”

Referrals are also a key to success for retailers looking to attract impulse shoppers, one-third of whom said they were motivated to make their last game purchase by having played the game at a friend’s house or receiving a referral from a family member or friend. In addition, 19 per cent of impulse buyers said a store clerk’s recommendation is very or extremely important to them and 21 per cent are swayed by a recommendation from another shopper in the store.

Canada has an extremely diverse gaming industry split almost evenly between males and females and among all income brackets. Canadian gamers reside predominantly in Ontario and Quebec with strong secondary markets in B.C. and Alberta. Gamers are passionate about their hobby with one fifth dedicating between 10 and 15 hours each week to honing their gaming skills.

Additional findings:

* Only three per cent of reported purchases were pre-ordered
* Females are more likely to buy on impulse; 46 per cent of impulse buyers are females compared to only 37 per cent of planned buyers
* Sequels sell; almost 20 per cent of gamers said they were motivated to buy a game that was a sequel to one they had previously enjoyed
* 43 per cent of impulse buyers paid only $10 – $20 for their last game purchase
* Only 15 per cent of impulse purchases were made online

Methodology
The Canadian Video Game Purchase Process was conducted from Aug.10 – 21, 2009 among a population sample of 2,429 gamers (1,758 adults, 371 teens) across the country.

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.

Vancouver – The thirteenth graduating class from Vancouver Film School has much to be proud of. We attended their Pitch and Play Presentation last evening, and it’s evident that they all worked very hard on their projects. I liked the new format for the show, and it was nice to see so many industry people turn out to take a look at work and put some hard questions to the development teams. We participated in five pitches, each unique in its own way. The presentations were quite well done, but something we missed that had been done in the past was the availability of game demos or other promotional materials for the projects to bring back to the office for later perusal.

The first presentation of the evening was from Fully Cooked Games, who presented their project titled HighMoon Express. This game was the first of two built using the Unity Engine. HighMoon Express was described by the development team as “a tongue-in-cheek western arcade-action game. Built on the concept of a tower defense styled game, the heroes consisted of Doc, The Priest, The Showgirl and The Gunslinger. The enemies were Trolls, Ghosts, The Cubs and The Feral. The character artwork sort of reminded me of the old Scooby Doo villains (not a bad thing), and the game play required some quick thinking on the part of the gamer. Power-ups were available in the game’s shop, and each player also had its own unique special move to defeat the onslaught of enemies.

Second to present was Team Heist with their flash-based game The Perfect Job. The presentation opened with a very humorous animated cut scene showing the game’s “hero” in his jail cell being presented with a large cake by the prison guard. Our hero has been broken out of jail by the local mob boss, and now must break into buildings to steal things for the boss, in order to pay him back for breaking the hero out of jail. In order to commit these heists, our thief must avoid security guards and cameras while picking locks, cracking safes and stealing the treasures – all within a set time limit. The player has the ability to hack the camera computers and turn them off as well as use some of his funds to bribe the guards, however there are bonuses for not adding bribery to his list of offenses. Should our thieving hero be caught, a large set of prison bars close with a clang over the screen, and the player has to start the level over again.

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Digital Alberta has put a call out to its members for submissions for the MEDIAfresh 2010 Awards which are dedicated to the recognition of those Alberta Digital Media Professionals and Post-Secondary students who have created outstanding projects and programs between September 2008 and November 2009. There are 13 categories and two divisions (post-secondary and professional) for you to submit to. Nominations are also open for the people’s choice Award: Innovation and Leadership in Industry or the Best Entrepreneur – Creative/Business/Technology. Submissions are open until November 30 2009, with the finalists to be announced on February 5 2010. The MEDIAfresh awards ceremony will take place February 26, 2010 in the Glen Ross Hall at Mount Royal University. The Awards will include a VIP reception, Awards Gala and After Party.

The IGDA has announced the dates for the second Global Game Jam 2010. The three day game development competition will take place January 29 – 31 in a massive number of locations around the world. 2009’s inaugural event saw 370 games developed in 23 countries by over 1600 participants. Registration is now being accepted for GGJ locations, please see the GGJ Wiki for further information on participating in the Jam. So far the only registered GGJ locations for Canada are Ottawa, Calgary and Hamilton.

Young Women In Business presents Leadership Lessons from Influential Women in Business. Join Business in Vancouver, Professional Women’s Network and Young Women in Business for this unique half-day event. Talk candidly in roundtable sessions led by 15 senior business women and learn about their own personal lessons in leadership. Stay for a panel discussion with three influential business women who are helping shape the future of the local business community, followed by a networking luncheon.

YWIB is also presenting Beyond P!nk, a 2-day conference taking place November 13 & 14 in Vancouver. The conference will host 350 energetic young women over an action-packed weekend. This unique, high-impact and eco-friendly conference will create a space for young women to engage in intimate workshops, partake in interactive roundtable discussions, engage with industry professionals, build lasting personal connections, and celebrate inspirational women in business. Beyond P!nk inspires through action, enriches through connection, and empowers through ideation.

This year, the conference features an interactive workshop series with extraordinary speakers, an All-Men’s Panel Lunch, the Connect! Women in Business Tradeshow, a break-out luncheon with cross-industry mentors, and a celebratory Gala dinner and Silent Auction. The goal of Beyond Pink is for delegates to walk away having been inspired with knowledge, enriched with ideas and resources, and empowered with new-found connections and friendships.

The British Columbia Technology Industry Association (BCTIA) has launched the 2010 Business Outreach Program to successfully introduce, promote and connect our industry to the world through a focused B2B matching program, supported by the 2010 Pitch Book.

The Pitch Book serves as instant promotional material that includes technological overview, key markets, benefits and corporate contact information for each participating company. Being part of the ‘who’s who’ guide to BC Tech companies means:

* Broad promotion of your technology, product or solution’s expertise and ingenuity
* Benefiting from a large-scale promotion campaign to business and media
* Access to BCTIA 2010 Business Outreach Programs including business matching and corporate hosting programs
* Potential one-on-one meetings with new customers, partners and investors

If you are interested in the 2010 Business Outreach Program and in order to help the BCTIA coordinate and support promotional activities capitalizing on the 2010 Olympic Games, please take 2-3 minutes to complete the following questionnaire. Questionnaire input deadline is Friday October 9 2009.

Telefilm Canada and the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) are proud to announce their latest collaboration in the form of an innovative training program that focuses on providing guidance to up and coming new media producers engaged in content creation for multi-platform delivery.

The CFTPA’s National Mentorship Program (NMP) is Canada’s launching pad for the next generation of film, television and interactive media production talent. Our five chosen interns train with the best independent producers in Canada in every facet of production – from development to post, drama to documentary. Through its diverse slate of mentorship programs, the NMP provides CFTPA members with enthusiastic and cost-effective production personnel. In return, our mentors provide one-on-one training to a dazzling new crop of emerging producers and filmmakers. The deadline for applications is set for November 2, 2009.

The CRTC is asking for public input in regards to televised programmes, carriage fees and digital media. The general public are invited to submit comments and concerns up until November 2, with the CRTC hearing scheduled for December 7 in Gatineau. Canadians can participate by filling in an online form, writing or faxing the CRTC, or by presenting at the hearings themselves. It is believed that consumer concerns regarding package choices, particularly the ability to select pay and specialty services on a stand-alone basis will be an important side issue for this session.

“We are examining various facets of the Canadian broadcasting system as it adapts to an environment that is rapidly changing,” said Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C., Chairman of the CRTC. “We are discussing a number of regulatory changes with the industry to ensure the system’s future health. It is important that consumers make their voices heard on the issues that affect them the most.”

Toronto – The Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC) today released their annual Essential Facts book about the Canadian computer and video game industry. As part of the ESAC’s ongoing efforts to better understand Canadian gamers, the 2009 survey reveals interesting demographic facts about today’s gamers and their gaming habits. New to the 2009 edition, the survey also has a special section on the emergence of wellness gaming and the continued success of entertainment software titles designed in part to challenge the user’s mental or physical abilities.

“Canadians across all demographics are embracing entertainment software,” said Danielle LaBossiere Parr, Executive Director of the ESAC. “A wider variety of genres and titles are continuing to broaden the traditional definition of ‘a gamer’. Gamers are also using video games in new ways – to stay sharp, to socialize with their friends and even to help stay active.”

The 2009 Essential Facts about the Canadian Computer and Video Game Industry reveals:

– 35.8 is the average age of a Canadian gamer;
– 90% of kids aged 6-12 have played a video game in the past 4 weeks;
– 84% of parent gamers aged 18-34 play video games with their child;
– 48% of Canadian households have at least one video game console such as an Xbox 360, Wii or Playstation
– 96% of Canadian households own a computer
– Widening the video game market: 33% of all wellness gamers said a wellness entertainment software title such as Wii Fit or Nintendo DS Brain Age was the first video game they ever bought

Additional information in the report includes the use of ESRB ratings, how families play games together , year-to-date charts of the top selling video and PC games, as well as brand new statistics on the emergence of wellness gaming and its popularity among Canadian gamers. This genre of gaming has not only been embraced by Canadian households, but also by educational institutions, retirement communities, and in the health sector as well.

The research was collected through a comprehensive Internet survey using NPD Group’s Online Consumer Panel. Data was obtained from over 3,500 Canadians nation-wide who were identified as having played a video game at least once in the past 4 weeks.

Vancouver – Via NMBC – Twenty top Canadian Digital Media companies will present their latest ventures at the Fusion Venture Forum 2009 before Google and other top Silicon Valley investors, the only Western Canadian financing forum dedicated to digital media content and technology. The annual event will showcase early and growth stage companies that are original games, mobile & Web 2.0 and new platforms & applications ventures, on November 12, 2009 at Robson Square in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Register today for the Nov 5th Fusion Entrepreneur Boot Camp and the opportunity to be one of the 20 selected to pitch before top tier investors at the Forum including Google Ventures, Google Inc and SoftTech VC, one of the most active Angels in the Digital Media Space. If you have a new digital media venture seeking financing, please sign up early, as places are limited.

Fusion ’09 is organized by New Media BC and is designed to bring Canada’s hottest digital media ventures to the attention of local and international investors, provide valuable insights into key issues in the industry and become a premium networking opportunity for digital media investors and entrepreneurs alike. For more information, please visit the event’s web site or contact Fusion’09’s Director Christine Lim-Labossiere.

Toronto – Mobile application development pioneer, Cascada Mobile has announced iPhone and Android support for its popular Breeze mobile development platform, adding to its existing support for BlackBerry and Nokia smartphones. Now developers and publishers can use the Breeze Platform to easily create and distribute rich mobile applications that work on billions of mobile phones around the world, including iPhones and Android handsets, without having to rewrite their apps for each individual platform.

Using Cascada Mobile’s Breeze Platform, even the most novice web programmers and content publishers can write innovative rich mobile applications that can be installed on phones and sold in app stores. The Breeze Platform eliminates the enormous cost and complexities of writing mobile applications for thousands of different handset models and provides developers a one-stop shop for distribution across hundreds of wireless operators worldwide.

The combination of smartphones and useful and entertaining mobile applications has sparked a technology revolution, changing the way that consumers interact with and use their mobile phones. Downloads from all app stores will reach 6.67 billion applications by 2014, up from two billion this year, according to market research firm Frost & Sullivan. As of August this year the Apple App Store boasted more than one billion downloads with 65,000 mobile apps available. Most smartphone users (62 percent) download one to five applications per month, and the share of iPhone users in the same category is even higher, at 82 percent, according to Goldman Sachs.

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Vancouver – It is safe to say, I believe, that every Canadian gamer is very familiar with Greedy Productions, the company behind the very popular TV shows Electric Playground and Reviews On The Run. It is also safe to say that everyone knows the face behind the studio – Victor Lucas. But what many may not know is that Greedy Productions is also responsible for many of the “Behind The Scenes” extra features available on game discs.

Greedy Productions has created and produced documentaries for such games as Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots, Batman Arkham Asylum, The House Of The Dead: Overkill, Iron Man and more. Now Greedy Productions is giving fans and future clients the opportunity to look at all of their their “Behind the Scenes” documentaries in one place with the launch of their new site, Greedy Docs. Visitors to the site can also get the lowdown on many of the key people who work on the front lines at Greedy Productions. We have visited the Vancouver studio, and we can safely say that Greedy Productions is staffed with some great people – it’s no wonder that they continually produce awesome shows, including the longest running video game review show in the world.

Behind the Scenes documentaries are more than just a chance to learn more about the development of a game; they also offer excellent insight into the industry itself and the motivations behind a game’s development. Greedy Docs also serves to show yet another aspect of game production work which could be a career choice for those who want to work in the game industry but are not artists, designers or programmers. To everyone at Greedy Productions, congratulations on the new site!

Vancouver – Wired Woman is pleased to present a series of four Professional Development Workshops featuring Heather White. These seminars are designed to assist you with such areas as assigning action steps to goals, defining the skills that will set you apart, gain a clear vision about your professional reputation and understand the power of a professional network. Tickets to the entire series are currently available for the special rate of $50.00 each for members and $65.00 for non-members. Members can also save even more with a four-for-three package at a cost of $150.00.  The seminars will be held at Campo Verde, 1600 Cypress Street in Vancouver.  Seating is limited, so register soon.

Seminar Topics:

Personal Professional Goal Setting – Tuesday, October 6th 2009 6:00 pm
Building a Powerful Professional Network – Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 6:00 pm
Developing a Specialized Skill Set – Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 6:00 pm
Developing a Bullet Proof Reputation – Tuesday, December 1st, 2009, 6:00 pm

Wired Woman also held its Annual General Meeting on August 31, and the Network is pleased to announce the addition of five new directors to our National Board:

– Maureen McKinnon
– Doneen Swart
– Mojgan Fay
– Dina Grskovich
– Karen Olsson

Membership for Wired Woman is free, and with so many great events such as the Professional Development Series, it makes sense to join the network and meet some really great women while having fun, socializing and learning. To learn more about Wired Woman, please visit their web site.