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15th April 2009

Brain Fitness Gaming Site Keeps Minds Fit and Motivated

Fit BrainsVancouver – Research has shown that brain health begins to lag as early as age 25. However, the same research has shown that with regular brain fitness training, the brain can create new neural connections and pathways at any age.

In response to this research, Vancouver’s Vivity Labs has created FitBrains.com, a new online brain fitness platform that hosts fun, casual games developed by brain fitness experts, specifically designed to exercise the brain and improve the five major cognitive brain functions – memory, concentration, language, executive functions (logic and reasoning), and visual-spatial skills.
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13th April 2009

Play Together Video Game Focus Groups Looking For Participants

Simon Fraser UniversityVancouver – Do you know kids between the ages of 8 and 12 who like to play video games? If so, read the call for participation in the Play Together research project, part of Simon Fraser University’s School of Interactive Arts and Technology. Each participant will be compensated with a $10 gift certificate to iTunes or FutureShop. This project has already received SFU ethics approval and we are currently scheduling play sessions from now until June 2009.

Please contact the Play Together coordinator, Beth Aileen Lameman (beth[at]bethaileen[dot]com or 604-782-0051) for more information on the study.

More Information:
The Play Together research project is looking at and prototyping digital technologies that support cooperative team play for kids ages 8-12.
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8th April 2009

Five-Country Study Finds Little Protection For Anonymity

Lessons From The Identity TrailOttawa – New technologies are shrinking our ability to protect our anonymity – a trend being reinforced by laws around the world, according to a new study by leading scholars from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Netherlands and Italy.

The study, unveiled today at a special event organized by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, reveals scant protection of anonymity and a growing preference for laws and policies requiring people to be identified.

For example, some retailers ask for and record identification such as a driver’s licence number when consumers return or exchange purchases. Personal information is being collected and stored more frequently and, in some cases, is disclosed to authorities without a person’s knowledge or approval.

“Driven by curiosity, humanity and a profound belief in the sanctity of the individual, a group of scholars from the University of Ottawa and around the globe set out to describe the state of privacy in Canada and around the world – today, and well into tomorrow,” says the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Jennifer Stoddart.
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25th March 2009

Delvinia shares insights that uncover and understand the nuances of Canadian consumers

Delvinia InteractiveToronto – Today, Delvinia has launched the first in a series of published insights that will help understand the digital behaviours and attitudes of Canadian consumers. The insights, driven by their proprietary Insight Engine will give a breadth and depth of understanding, that until now, not offered by digital marketing services firms.

“Given the economic slowdown of recent months, Delvinia recognizes the need to provide a tool that would uncover and understand what drives consumers,” said Adam Froman, President and CEO of Delvinia Group of Companies. “The insights can then be harnessed to create meaningful digital customer experiences that will engage and are relevant to various Canadian demographic groups across a number of consumer sectors. The data uncovered can be a real eye-opener.”

The first insights that Delvinia is releasing looks at two important consumer segments that warrant understanding and continue to represent a great deal of spend potential: Baby Boomers, those aged 45 to 65, and adults who Don Tapscott referred to as the Net Generation (NGen), classified as young, tech-savvy adults between the ages of 18 and 30.
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25th March 2009

ESAC Releases First Ever National Survey Report on Canadian Entertainment Software Industry

esacToronto – The entertainment software industry is a growing and vital contributor to the Canadian knowledge economy, according to a new report released today by the Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC). Canada’s Entertainment Software Industry: The Opportunities and Challenges of a Growing Industry, conducted by respected Ottawa consulting firm Hickling Arthurs Low, and commissioned by ESAC, is the first ever national survey report of the Canadian entertainment software industry, involving original research, surveys and interviews of industry leaders.

“Canada’s entertainment software industry is one of the most promising knowledge-based industries in the country,” said Danielle LaBossiere Parr, Executive Director of ESAC. “This report reveals just how prosperous entertainment software is to the Canadian economy: an estimated $1.7 billion in direct economic activity, 14,000 jobs, and a further $2.2 billion in retail sales figures highlight a strong industry in spite of the economic downturn.”
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4th February 2009

Economic downturn paves way for digital market upturn

Delvinia InteractiveToronto – The economic downturn is forcing companies to restructure and contract, but Delvinia Interactive, a pioneer and authority on digital marketing and interactive solutions, has reaping the benefits of the digital space that is showing strong, stable growth and enormous potential. In fact, Delvinia was recently selected to re-architect the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation’s 5km Breast Cancer Run website, rebuild Aeromove’s website and formed an alliance with enterprise computing company IGLOO.

“The digital space is an area that hasn’t come to a complete standstill like other industries,” said Steve Mast, Vice President and Managing Director, Delvinia Interactive. “The state of the economy has created an opportunity for companies to re-invent the way they interact with their audience in the digital space and create an engaging and interactive experience, beyond just a company website.”

Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation’s 5K Your Way website to receive makeover
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14th June 2008

Video Game Night a New Pastime for Many Canadian Families

esacToronto – Video games are increasingly becoming a part of family activities, according to a new study by Ipsos Reid, and commissioned by the Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC.) Part of the reason, the survey suggests, is because parents perceive a greater availability of games for their children.

According to the study, 69 per cent of adults agree there is currently a good selection of options available that are well-suited to playing video games as a family.

“Stories about the video game market are often saturated in some of the big, hot-button sales titles like Grand Theft Auto or Halo – great games, but definitely not for families. The truth of the matter is family games represent the bulk of the market, and it’s clear from this survey that parents are seeing that, too,” said Nicole Helsberg, Director of Communications for ESAC.

Data from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), the independent body that rates video games, seems to support this. According to the ESRB, 59 per cent of the games rated for sale in North America in 2007 were rated for everyone (E) and another 15 per cent were rated for everyone ten years and older (E10+.)

“And this is the story that needs to be told: video games can be a positive option for family time. Parents are playing with their kids, and embracing gaming as a way to spend time together as a family,” said Helsberg.

Additional findings from the Ipsos Reid survey of Canadian households include:

• Forty per cent of parents say that video games are increasingly becoming a part a family activity in their households.

• Forty-one per cent of parents agree say that they’d prefer their child to play video games than watch television.

• Fifty-seven per cent of parents play video games with their children.

• Among adults aged 18+ who have played video games in the past 4 weeks, the average (mean) age of a Canadian gamer is 40.3 years.

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