Village Gamer

There is so much going on across this vast country of ours – it’s becoming a massive challenge to keep up on the digital media events while I have one eye on the Olympics and two hands on the 360 controller. It may become necessary to hook up a second TV in the living room so that I can game while watching The Games. Regardless of the controversy, warm weather, glitches, whining, protests and other Olympic foibles, I am really proud to be a Canadian (not that I wasn’t before the Olympics) – the inspiration, heart and sacrifice of our Canadian Olympic athletes is nothing short of amazing.

Vancouver – Registration for Democamp Vancouver 10: Geo Edition is now open. Attend this event on March 4th and hear from Matt Galligan, cofounder of Boulder, CO-based SimpleGeo. Learn about SimpleGeo’s challenges to develop an infrastructure to power the geo layer of your app so you don’t have to build it all from scratch. This event is free to attend, but pre-registration is required.

Also coming up in Vancouver is CloudCamp, a free unconference taking place at Discovery Park on March 13th. With the rapid change occurring in the industry, we need a place where we can meet to share our experiences, challenges and solutions. At CloudCamp, you are encouraged to share your thoughts in several open discussions, as we strive for the advancement of Cloud Computing. End users, IT professionals and vendors are all encouraged to participate

Victoria – VIATeC invites you to join them on March 2 for an interactive seminar focused on your getting your business ready for the market. Featuring speaker Dave Thomas (Rocket Builders, Canadian Financing Forum), the seminar will cover many topics, such as marketing research, technology adoption models, “whole” solution offerings, product positioning, and pricing. Review what it means to be a technology entrepreneur and help you develop a business opportunity statement that can be used to take your idea or business to the next level. Tickets for this seminar, which is part of the New Ventures BC Seminar Series, are $10.00.

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London – Big Blue Bubble Inc. has officially launched Thumpies, a truly original beat matching game for iPhone/iPod Touch. Special version designed for iPad will be available on the launch date. WiiWare™ and PC versions will follow up shortly.

Thumpies is a unique rhythm based music game for players of all ages. The best way to describe Thumpies is a rhythm game crossed with juggling. Players tap the screen to match the beat of bouncing Thumpies, creating layers of a song. If the player taps the targets in time, their Thump-o-Meter slowly rises, but if the player misses or taps out of time, the meter falls. Unlike typical rhythm based games, Thumpies uses a mechanic of bouncing in time instead of just a series of notes.

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The quirky art design of Thumpies is accompanied by a unique musical score composed by award winning composer and industry veteran David Kerr. The music was crafted with game play in mind, giving the player a harmonizing experience. Players also have the chance to unlock progressively bizarre Thumpies characters by collecting different colored butterflies. But be warned, hungry Thumpies might just eat them up before you get a chance to catch them!

Beware Internet Users! The Thumpies are on the loose and have taken over their own Facebook page! They want to invite all humanoids to a very special Live Chat . . . do you dare converse with the Thumpies? Thumpies is a game that will keep people of all ages hooked with its addictive, quirky and stylistic gameplay.

Toronto – The online space is dynamic, fast-paced and viral. Canadians are finally being given the opportunity to have their digital footprint measured and their social status quantified, with the help of a first-of-its-kind Doritos challenge – Doritos® Viralocity .

Launched on February 14, the Doritos® Viralocity Contest is a nation-wide initiative that asks Canadians to name the newest Doritos unidentified flavour, create a 60 second online video about what that flavour inspires in them and make it go viral. The person with the highest Doritos Viralocity score is eligible to win $100,000 cash and an additional $150,000 should they achieve Maximum Doritos Viralocity. Online stardom is the name of this game.

The winning entry will be determined by the final Doritos Viralocity score as based on the entrant’s ability and effort to make their entry go as viral as possible. A custom-designed algorithm, as verified by 10th Power Technologies Corp., will calculate each entry’s Doritos Viralocity score as of 11:59:59pm ET each night during the contest. The measurement algorithm is a way of calculating how viral a video has become by pulling and compiling data from internal and external sources like Google, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Digg, and AddThis.

Another unique twist about this year’s Doritos program is the prizing structure. Instead of just one winner, the top 344 entries (as measured by their Doritos Viralocity score) will be eligible to win prizes of varying amounts of cash that correspond to their ranking.

“At Doritos, we’re constantly looking for bigger and better, a new and exciting way to break ground, that puts the consumer in control,” says Tony Matta, Vice President of Marketing at Frito Lay Canada. “This contest is an opportunity for Canadians to tap into the viral nature of videos, use their creativity and create a digital footprint that will give them the chance to walk away with some serious cash. The Doritos brand was built by the consumer, so we’ve decided to hand over our brand yet again and let the consumer keep calling the shots with the Doritos® Viralocity Contest.”

Ryan Coopersmith was last year’s winner of the 2009 phenomenon, Become the Doritos® Guru Contest, and is living proof that Doritos changed his life and encouraged his filmmaking dreams, while also bringing them to life.

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Burnaby – Members of Edmonds Community Centre for 55+ in Burnaby were treated to some fun in the virtual sun as representatives from Nintendo Canada and Nurse Next Door, Canada’s fastest growing in-home senior care provider, encouraged seniors to try their skills with the Wii Sports Resort game. While playing together with each other and kids from a local youth centre, Edmond’s members also had the opportunity to learn about and experience the Wii system.

Denise Kelly, Captain of Relationships & Community Care from Nurse Next Door’s Burnaby, BC franchise, has been incorporating Nintendo games as a regular past time amongst the senior population it services, and has found that seniors genuinely enjoy playing interactive games on Wii and reap far greater benefits.

“Playing Wii Sports Resort has social, psychological and physical benefits for the senior community,” said Denise Kelly. “From my experience, playing video games for Wii encourages an active lifestyle for seniors while having fun which lifts their spirits and gives them a great sense of confidence, and vitality”

Along with providing interaction among members, playing Wii games can provide a unique opportunity for grandchildren and even adult children to spend quality, active time with grandparents or elderly parents. Wii Sports Resort can bridge the generation gap by enabling kids of all ages to go skydiving with their grandparents or compete in a three-point shooting competition with their parents.

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“We’ve definitely seen the positive effects that Wii can have on our members here, whether they’re using the game as a means to learn about new technology, socialize with each other, or interact with younger generations,” says Lucas Bjerke, Recreation Leader at Edmonds Community Centre for 55+. “It’s also an opportunity for the kids to teach their elders how to use the game, and in turn, provides another activity that both generations can enjoy together.”

With the 2006 launch of Wii and its in-pack Wii Sports game, Wii bowling leagues and Wii tennis clubs emerged across the country quickly making Wii Sports a part of the senior community’s social and physical activities. At Edmonds Community Centre for 55+, members have created their own club as well – the Edmonds Wii Players – where members get together to play a variety Wii titles. Now with Wii Sports Resort, there are even more sports for the senior community to enjoy.

Wii Sports Resort has already proven itself as something gamers of every age can enjoy together having already sold more than 400,000 copies in Canada as of December 2009, according to market research company NPD Group.

“The launch of Wii and Wii Sports has changed the definition of gaming and those who can benefit from the technology, and seniors are the perfect example of this,” says Ron Bertram, Nintendo Canada’s vice president and general manager. “With its resort feel and expanded activity line-up, Wii Sports Resort takes the fun and interaction to the next level while creating additional appeal and fun that can be enjoyed across multiple generations.”

Nintendo of Canada offers great ways for families to connect regardless of their age or ability, check out Nintendo Canada’s Get Up And Play site for more details.