Village Gamer

Vancouver Film School will be holding the VFS Impact Awards at the Biltmore Ballmore on the evening of May 3rd. For the very affordable ticket price of $10.00, attendees will receive a buffet-style dinner, be entertained by performances of international artistry from Flamenco to Electric Violin & DJ and share in the celebration as awards are handed out to some very talented students.

If you have some extra time slots to fill, check out I Am The Night, a free Unity-built browser game from Greener Grass Games. It’s an easy-to-play cute game, and comes complete with a comedic twist at the end.

Do you want to win two tickets to the Canadian Videogame Awards? Make a crazy fan video, upload it to the CVA FaceBook page, cross your fingers! Check out all the details here from that crazy social media guy Ryan (aka @CertainlySocial). The Canadian Videogame Awards take place in Vancouver on the evening of May 5th and feature a performance by Video Games Live. By the way, Ryan…we need to have a talk about stuff in your video clip backgrounds…

Please take a few minutes to cast your votes for the CATAAlliance Innovation and Leadership Awards. The CATAAlliance will tabulate the results from Canada’s high tech sector and the winners will be announced at the CATAAlliance Innovation Awards Dinner on May 19, 2010 at the Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa.

Banff World Television Festival has released more information about the Kids and Animation portion of this year’s Festival. BANFF Kids and Animation will feature invaluable sessions such as “View from the Top”, “Co-Ventures in Kids TV” and “The Anatomy of a Successful Kids Franchise” plus meetings and networking opportunities where you will have the chance to meet with – and learn from – the most influential industry leaders in kids & animation. Attracting the industry’s most highly renowned executives, producers and broadcasters from Canada and across the globe to discuss the newest programming trends and developing international and multi-platform markets, Banff Kids and Animation is the place to be for those in kid’s programming.

Confirmed speakers thus far include:

* David Levine, VP, Worldwide Programming Strategy, Acquisitions & Co-Productions, Disney Channels Worldwide
* Vince Commisso, President & CEO, 9 Story Entertainment
* Joe Godwin, Director, BBC Children

Congratulations to the dev team over at Slick Entertainment! During the recent XBLA Block Party Games promotion, their massively fun title, Scrap Metal sold 15000 units during the event. If you haven’t checked out Scrap Metal yet, you definitely need to do so, particularly if you like to race, crash, drift and generally blow a few things up. If you have a 360 and an Xbox LIVE® Silver or Gold membership, add this title to your download queue – it’s only 1200 MS Points and it delivers on the fun factor.

Eidos Montreal currently has several career positions which the studio needs to fill. With a recently hinted-at project, the studio now has three titles in various stages of development, including Thi4f and the long-awaited Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

The chance for everyone to win the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ became a reality today after Electronic Arts announced that EA SPORTS™ 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ is in stores now throughout North America with eight new celebrations for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system. It will be available throughout Asia and Europe beginning April 30, 2010 in anticipation of the real-world tournament which begins in June. The videogame is also available on Wii™, PSP® (PlayStation® Portable), iPod® touch and iPhone® and is rated as “E” for Everyone by the ESRB.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa videogame will feature all the emotion and passion of the fiercest national rivalries battling on the world’s biggest stage, with all 199 national teams that took part in qualification and all 10 official stadiums to be used in South Africa. Gamers will be able to play as their home nation from qualification right through to a virtual reproduction of the FIFA World Cup Final™ and feel what it is like to score the goal that lifts a nation. New players to the FIFA Soccer franchise can also compete for the 2010 FIFA World Cup utilizing new Two-Button controls designed to enable new gamers to pass and shoot with an accessible control scheme that utilizes just two buttons.

Fans can unlock the new celebrations through EA SPORTS and Coca-Cola™ channels in participating countries. After unlocking each celebration, fans can score a goal, use the controller to activate the celebrations and admire the performance via a new dynamic camera angle that delivers the emotion of each goal scored. Consumers can also admire their celebration and share with fans online by uploading to EA SPORTS Football World.

In addition, to honor the legacy of the FIFA World Cup™, EA SPORTS unveiled its Classic 11 team that features 35 legendary players from past tournaments, including star striker Roger Milla of Cameroon, who scored four goals in the 1990 FIFA World Cup and in 1994, at the age of 42, became the oldest player to play in the tournament. Fans who carry the hopes and dreams of a nation into battle against fans from rival countries and win the 2010 FIFA World Cup TM will unlock the Classic 11 squad.

To coincide with the recent Xbox 360 release of Sherlock Holmes VS. Jack the Ripper, DreamCatcher Games is giving one lucky gamer the chance to experience the real world of Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper in London, England! All you have to do is enter online and cross your fingers. The contest runs from April 27th – May 27th 2010.

The winner, along with a friend, will receive free:

*Airfare to London and 2 Nights Accommodation at the Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes Hotel
*A Private Tour of the Sherlock Holmes Museum
*An Exclusive Ride Down Famous Baker Street in a Horse-Drawn Carriage
*An Action-Packed Dining Experience at the acclaimed Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes Hotel Murder Mystery Dinner, hosted by Murder Mystery Events UK

Montreal publisher Meridian4 today announced it has secured the North American retail publishing rights to Bohemia Interactive’s new stand-alone, expansion pack, ArmA II: Operation Arrowhead™. Additionally, Meridian4 is also planning on introducing ARMA II Combined Operations, a special edition bundle that consists of the original award winning ArmA II™ game and Operation Arrowhead. Both offerings are schedule to hit retailers across North America on June 29.

“We are excited to partner with Bohemia Interactive to bring these two outstanding offerings to gamers,” said Steve Milburn, Marketing Director, of Meridian4. “With new playable content and new simulation features, ArmA II : Operation Arrowhead is a robust PC game that does not require the original ArmA II, yet is fully backwards compatible, so owners of the first game can enjoy the new features and a whole new experience.”

The action resumes in ArmA II: Operation Arrowhead three years after the conflict in Chernarus, portrayed in the original Arma II. A new flashpoint in the Green Sea region heats up and coalition forces led by the US Army are sent to Takistan to quickly restore peace and prevent further civilian casualties.

In ArmA II: Operation Arrowhead’s all-new single-player and multiplayer campaigns, players will experience new large-scale maps, and new simulation features that include new radio chatter and languages, controllable Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, thermal imaging, decoy flares and smoke screen cover. Additionally, owners of the original Arma II will now be able to utilize Operation Arrowhead’s new weaponry, vehicles and factions in the multiplayer mode of Arma II, breathing new life into the battle.

The BC Technology Industry Association (BCTIA) has announced the finalists for the 2010 Technology Impact Awards (TIAs). Under the awards theme of ‘BC’s Mark on the World’, the 2010 finalists reaffirm British Columbia’s status as a global leader in technology areas such as wireless and RF technologies, clean energy technologies and innovative software solutions.

“While BC has made an important mark this year by hosting the world at the 2010 Games, our companies have also been busy making their marks – literally all across the globe,” observed Pascal Spothelfer, President of the BCTIA. “This year’s finalists are delivering solutions that benefit British Columbia and beyond, from the delivery of solutions for a cleaner environment and better public sector services, to solutions that increase productivity and save lives.”

Award finalists are forging new markets with technologies that allow inspectors to see into concrete to determine the state of aging infrastructure; enable small and medium-sized businesses to transfer funds across the globe; and two finalists are making their mark in Afghanistan where they are helping to save the lives of our troops each and every day.

In-line with the trends towards Cloud Computing, several of the finalists provide solutions that are either hosted for consumers and businesses, or provide the core infrastructure required to wire the world the Internet cloud. The TIAs are broken into three distinct groups: Technology Awards, Company Awards, and Personal Recognition Awards. This year’s finalists are:

Excellence in Product Innovation

* Icron Technologies Corporation  * PMC-Sierra, Inc.  * Simba Technologies Inc.

Best Application of Technology

* Layer 7 Technologies  * Nexterra Systems Corp.  * Custom House ULC

Most Promising Pre-Commercial Technology

* Whitenoise Laboratories (Canada) Inc.  * Icron Technologies Corp.  * Terraprobe Geoscience Corp.

Most Promising Start-Up

* Mingleverse Laboratories Inc.  * QuickMobile Inc.  * Indicee Inc.

Emerging Company of the Year

* Avigilon Corporation  * NGRAIN (Canada) Corporation  * QHR Technologies Inc.

Company of the Year

* PEER 1 Hosting  * Advanced Solutions, An HP Company

Team of the Year

* MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA)  * Rx Networks Inc.

Other awards to be presented at the Technology Impact Awards Celebration include Community Leadership, which is awarded for deployment of socially and/or environmentally responsible business practices or projects as well as the Person of the Year, which is awarded to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the technology industry during the year.

Zeemote® has announced the availability of its Android SDK enabling developers of Android games and applications to take advantage of analog control and navigation by integrating support for the award-winning Zeemote JS1 Controller.

The Zeemote Android SDK supports Android versions 1.6, 2.0 and upward and offers developers the opportunity to differentiate their application by adding unique and interactive controls offered with the Zeemote JS1 Controller.

Importantly, for developers, existing Android applications can be adapted in a matter of hours. Current Zeemote developers can download the SDK or, if you want to become a new developer, simply register online.

By integrating Zeemote SDKs into their existing and future applications, developers can:

*provide a superior mobile gaming experience across multiple supported platforms (while maintaining compatibility with existing distribution channels)
* deliver true analog game control ( makes games stand out)
* enable multi-player mobile gaming (two controllers to one device)
* turn a TV-out featured smart phone into a mobile game console

Jim Adams, business development at Zeemote, said, “By adding the exciting Android SDK to our stable of supported platforms, we are able to give developers an excellent way in which to make their applications really stand out from the crowd. The Android community is proving itself to be wildly creative, pushing the boundaries of convention for mobile applications. When combined with the Zeemote JS1 Controller we expect to see some radical application creativity coming out of the Android community.”

In the next few weeks Zeemote will announce a developer programme, which will provide comprehensive support, promotion and unparalleled routes to market for game developers, including access to 100 million consumers a year.

Shaw Communications Inc. has formally announced their intention to launch a next generation wireless service, which will provide its customers with a quadruple-play offering. Shaw recently announced it will spend approximately $100 million during F2010 and anticipates a wireless launch in late 2011.

“Next generation wireless encompasses much more than just cell-phones,” said Peter Bissonnette,
President, Shaw Communications. “We’re approaching wireless in an innovative, leading-edge way that
will allow for a variety of exciting new mobile opportunities in and out-of-home for our customers. Our greatest advantage has always been the strength of our people, and we’re looking for wireless professionals who are passionate about bringing ideas to life so we can deliver unparalleled innovation and exceptional reliability to our customers.”

Starting immediately, Shaw will focus on hiring wireless professionals in the Engineering and IT
departments, giving them the opportunity to build trail-blazing products and services.

A new graphic novel series, Zoey Zeta and the Sisters of Power, has been launched by publisher Zeta Comics, aimed at Young Readers (6-9 girls) who are passionate about popular culture but not necessarily science. The series follows the adventures of the Zeta sisters who have decided to keep their super powers a secret from the world. When a sinister menace appears and threatens to drive Century City into ruin, the Zeta sisters decide it’s time for them to team up, crack up and battle the evil Dr. Impossible and his giant robots. The series is charged with science fiction gadgets, villains and wise-cracking humor that pokes fun at parents, comics and the unassailable coolness of being a super-powered girl.

Zeta Comics was created by Publisher, Robert Simon, to address the lack of science fiction for young girls, “Fairies are great,” says Robert,  “but they’re not cool. Not unless they’re packing molecular disintegrators. Girls need more imaginative, science and engineering based fiction and fun. That’s where Zeta Comics is positioning its stories and characters. We think it’s time for the great legacy of science fiction to focus on a new generation of young readers.”

Media Profile today launched MP Thread, a collaboration between Media Profile and Mark Evans, one of Canada’s leading social media strategists and technology bloggers. MP Thread offers a full range of social media services backed by dedicated experts who understand the social and digital space and how it complements traditional public relations.

MP Thread services include training and education, research, planning, benchmarking, execution, alignment with PR, marketing and advertising strategies and measurement and monitoring.

MP Thread takes a collaborative approach that aligns to a client’s overall business goals, ensuring that social media programs are tightly integrated into their communications, marketing and sales activities. We believe that success in the social media world comes not only from strong tactical execution, but also from strong strategic focus.