25th October 2009

Vortex Competition Extends Deadline

Vortex CompetitionThis just in from the Competition organizers: Pitch your game idea to Yannis Mallet (Ubisoft CEO Montreal and Toronto) and Kevin O’Leary (Dragons’ Den and Shark Tank, Genstar Capital, and O’Leary Equity Funds)) and other major industry players at Vortex Competition 2009.

Gain insider tips from Kevin O’Leary as he discusses his take on Risk and Return – The Infinite Balance of being an entrepreneur. Ask the mogul how he did it at the Q&A session. Learn the steps to create, produce, protect and commercialize your idea at the 2009 Vortex Boot Camp on November 3 and then pitch your project on November 4th and 5th in Toronto.

Key Notes include:

• Kevin O’Leary
• Blake Lewin
• Peter Williams

Party and network with industry players!

Prize package is worth tens of thousands of dollars and includes $4,000 cash, one-on-one mentoring with industry gurus, and distribution and publishing on Mac and PC platforms for your game.

Submit your one-page game synopsis and CV/Bio but be sure to register by midnight October 27th. The registration fee for Vortext Competition is $100.00, and includes the Boot Camp, Pitch Days and passes for both the Boot Camp Reception and the Competition Awards Gala.

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23rd October 2009

Dragon Age: Origins from BioWare Has Gone Gold on All Platforms

BioWare CorpEdmonton – The latest news from Bioware is that the PlayStation®3 version of Dragon Age™: Origins will be available on November 3, 2009 in North America. The PlayStation 3, Xbox 360® and PC versions of the game have “gone gold” in North America and are currently in manufacturing, ready Dragon Age Originsfor their November 3 launch date. At launch, Dragon Age: Origins will be available on all three platforms with several packs of downloadable content (DLC) including The Stone Prisoner, the Blood Dragon Armor and Warden’s Keep; each further enriching the gameplay experience.

“We’re excited to confirm that all three versions of Dragon Age: Origins will be available to fans on November 3 in North America,” said Ray Muzyka, Group General Manager, RPG/MMO Group of EA, and Co-Founder, BioWare. “The Dragon Age: Origins development team was able to polish the PlayStation 3 version to our high standard of quality and we are ready to deliver the richest and deepest role-playing fantasy experience across all three platforms.”

In anticipation of the game, players can begin their Dragon Age: Origins experience early Dragon Age Originsby joining the BioWare Social Network — a destination to share in-game screenshots, review game data and share story information. Players can also download the free Character Creator to create and customize a player character on the PC and then upload their character data and avatar to the BioWare Social Network before Dragon Age: Origins launches. The Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator will provide players with the tools to create a character with a nearly endless amount of options. Players can download the character creator and get more information on the BioWare Social Network from the new social site.

In Dragon Age: Origins, players take the role of a Grey Warden, one of the last of an ancient order of guardians. Now, as a rising evil threatens to destroy all life, it is up to players to unite the shattered lands and slay the corrupted dragon known as the Archdemon. To restore peace, players must make ruthless decisions and be willing to sacrifice their friends and loved ones for the greater good of mankind. Dragon Age: Origins is rated M by the ESRB.

….11….more….sleeps…..

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23rd October 2009

Friday News Mashup

EA GamesEA 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 VFSand 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.

CorelOttawaCorel 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 Corel Paintit Touchtheir 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.”

IUGOIUGO 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:Implode

• 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!

VIATeCVictoriaIsland 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.

Mindshare LearningThe 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.

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22nd October 2009

New Dev Videos from Ubisoft

UbisoftMontrealUbisoft has released three new trailers today – first up is Part Five of the Assassin’s Creed 2 Dev Diaries. This new video focuses on a major difference with the first iteration: the evolution of Ezio, and all of his aspects. In this diary installment, the dev team discusses the reasons behind having such a long time span in the storyline, and how historical events play a part in the game’s missions. Unlike the original Assassin’s Creed, where players were given their tools by the developer and then expected to use those tools to advance their game, Assassin’s Creed 2 will give the player more choice in regards to the weaponry and armour available to Ezio.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-Q4xh4QNls]

Also new from Ubisoft are two new Avatar The Game videos which focus on Wii play. The first video shows one of the missions which involves destroying a dam shows how players can use both co-op and single play to move through the environment, removing enemies and cheating death along the way.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N6uU0mvzc8]

The second game footage video demonstrates how the Wii balance board can be used during game play. Avatar The Game’s Wii version also supports Wii MotionPlus, and if you don’t own a balance board (which we currently don’t), not to worry, it’s not a mandatory peripheral to play the game.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiMsScZp264]

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22nd October 2009

Largest Mobile Games Competition Opens Call for Entries

IMGAThe International Mobile Gaming Awards has put out a worldwide call for entries. In six years the competition has become the Mobile Entertainment Industry’s leading showcase for groundbreaking innovations, exceptional quality and new trends in mobile entertainment, whether made for N-Gage, iPhone, Flash, Android, Microsoft, Java, Linux, BREW, or any other platform.

Developers can submit their games on line now and compete in an international arena with top studios and individual developers from all over the world. Awards will be given out in the following categories:

• The International Mobile Gaming Excellence in Design
• The International Mobile Gaming Excellence in Connectivity Award
• The International Mobile Gaming Excellence in Game Play Award
• The International Mobile Gaming Best Real World Game
• The International Mobile Gaming Best Casual Game Award

The following awards will also be presented:

• The International Mobile Gaming Grand Prix
• The International Mobile Gaming Operators’ Choice Award
• The International Mobile Gaming People’s Choice Award

Deadline for entries is 18 January 2010. The IMGA recognises the newest, the most exciting and the most innovative games so only those games published after 1 September 2009 are eligible. Concepts and demos for games are also eligible if the entrants can provide a playable demo or a finished game before February 8 2010 in time for the second judging round.

The awards will be handed out at the GSMA’s Mobile World Congress.

For the second year, the IMGA is looking for games using localisation technologies, such as GPS. “Last year’s launch of the new category Real World Games was clearly a success and will be continued. We think that these games have a great future. We expect many innovators to enter amazing games and demos in this category. Our collaboration with NAVTEQ and their Global LBS Challenge® will help us increase the number of entrants in this category.”

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22nd October 2009

Dragon Age Journeys In Browsers Everywhere

BioWare CorpEdmonton – The first chapter of Dragon Age™ Journeys, a free to play browser based game set in the Dragon Age world, is now available over the internet. From Bioware, Dragon Age Journeys puts players in the role of a hero exploring the underground dwarven kingdom of Orzammar. Players will uncover a dastardly plot that threatens to unleash a great evil that Dragon Age Journeyswon’t stop until it destroys all living things. Based on BioWare’s upcoming dark fantasy epic Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age Journeys, sets a new standard of quality for browser-based games with addictive combat mechanics and fluid gameplay. Players of Dragon Age Journeys will have the chance to earn exclusive in game content for Dragon Age: Origins on the day of its release.

The game is produced by a new browser-based production team at EA and an all-star team of independent development talent, with the goal of creating premium quality browser games. Dragon Age Journeys represents EA’s commitment to supporting talented independent developers.

“Dragon Age Journeys continues our mission of working with talented game developers and artists to create high quality games, blowing away expectations of what is possible in the browser,” said Mark Dragon Age OriginsSpenner, VP of Development, EA 2D. “We are honored to be working with BioWare to introduce the Dragon Age franchise to a wide audience of gamers.”

“Dragon Age Journeys sets the stage for Dragon Age: Origins,” said Mark Darrah, Executive Producer, Dragon Age: Origins. “The team has shown the Dragon Age Franchise in a bold new light and the release of this game allows a broad audience of players to discover our dark fantasy universe for the first time.”

Dragon Age Journeys will feature intense tactical combat, a compelling story and deep customization. Players can choose from one of six different origin stories, each offering a unique background that shapes the lens of how the player perceives the world and how the world will perceive them. The game will deliver an amazing experience to fans looking for an introduction to BioWare’s dark fantasy epic, Dragon Age: Origins.

Dragon Age: Origins will be released in North America in…..twelve….more…..days……….

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21st October 2009

Masters of Digital Media $50 000.00 Big Push Project

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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21st October 2009

Need For Speed Franchise Passes Major Milestone

EA GamesBurnabyEA Canada has announced that according to internal EA data, the Need for Speed™ franchise has surpassed 100 million units sold life to date. The newest release, Need for Speed SHIFT, pushes the franchise over the 100M mark, making it the best-selling racing brand in the gaming world. Need for Speed has become a driving force for innovation in the racing genre. Known for delivering unparalleled white-knuckle racing, creative customization and street style, the Need for Speed series has generated over $2.7B in life-to-date sales and has become a powerful pop culture phenomenon.Need For Speed Undercover

“Few videogame franchises ever reach the 100M units mark, so this is a huge honor. We have millions of fans to thank for driving us to this milestone,” said Frank Gibeau, president, EA Games Label. “With the launch of Need for Speed SHIFT and the upcoming release of Need for Speed NITRO, we hope to continue to deliver the most entertaining, action-packed racing experiences.”

Since the release of Need for Speed in 1994, the franchise has…

*Launched 15 blockbuster titles across more than 14 platforms
*Released in 22 languages in over 60 countries
*Players have raced over 279 billion miles of roads & race tracks
*Generated over 17 trillion user-generated vehicle customizations
*Featured actors, models & musicians including: Brooke Burke (Wild On), Christina Milian (Ghosts of Girlfriends Past), Emmanuelle Vaugier (Two and a Half Men), Josie Maran (Sports Illustrated swimsuit model and actress), Maggie Q (Mission: Impossible III), Kanye West, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Prodigy
*Debuted exclusive remix from Snoop Dogg of The Door’s classic song Riders on the Storm
*Sold more games than all new passenger cars sales in the U.S since 1994 (93.8 Million according to Bureau of Transportation Statistics)

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21st October 2009

New Trade Association Coming For BC New Media Industry

New Media BCVancouver – Members of New Media BC and winBC have voted to merge the two associations into one. The new association is tentatively named DigiBC, which is short for the Digital Media & Wireless Association of BC. This merger has been in negotiation for several months now, WINBCand was officially accepted at the NMBC annual general meeting, which was hosted by Rainmaker Entertainment. Following the AGM, a brief extraordinary general meeting was held for members of winBC, so that their members could also vote on the merger.

The new organization will have many strategic priorities, including the building of a member-centric, results driven and sustainable industry technology association which will deliver value to its members, sponsors, stakeholders and the community at large. DigiBC will also promote British Columbia as a centre of digital media excellence across the globe, and enable BC digital media companies to excel in that competitive global market through innovative development programmes, strategic initiatives and advocacy.

DigiBC is proposed to have a format consisting of a Board of Directors, an Executive Committee, Association Management & Administration, plus approximately seven Special Interest Groups (SIGs) as well as a Strategic Advisory Group. The SIGs will encompass the many aspects of the digital and interactive media industry, such as Video Games, Animation and VFX, HR and Talent, Capital, Web 2.0 & Social Media, eLearning and Mobile & Wireless.

The web site for the new association is currently in development, but I imagine that as the merger moves forward, there will be more news coming from the existing amalgated Boards of Directors and the administrative staff. This merger promises to be a positive step forward for our industry in BC, and I’m looking foward to many new and exciting events and programmes for the province’s digital media industry.

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20th October 2009

New Book Focuses on Canadian IP

Miltons IPOttawaMiltons IP has joined together with Wiley, the publisher of the popular For Dummies reference book series, to create a Canadian Intellectual Property Lawresource 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.

New Media BCJust 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 aNational Film Board new trade association. It’s imperative that all voting members participate in this process.

Siggraph VancouverTickets 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:Best Buy Canada

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!

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