Village Gamer

Press Release – Paul Thelen, founder and chief strategy officer of Big Fish Games™, the world’s largest casual games distributor, today revealed new research that challenges the conventional thinking about audience profiles in the video game industry. The results of a recent study show gamers can no longer be classified into the traditional archetypes of core and casual fans due to the rapid diversification of the demographics, game styles, business models and platforms in the U.S. games market.

In partnership with NPD Group, Big Fish Games surveyed nearly 3,000 U.S. individuals who play games, and matched the results across demographics, game mechanics, and psychographics. The study identified 14 distinct segments of gamers within 39 genres of games. The casual market was segmented into 10 distinct groups, while four segments were identified within the traditional core market. However, the segmentation calls into question the relevancy of the terms casual and core, due to a great deal of overlap and similarity between various casual and core segments once thought to be disparate.
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FIFPlay, a feedback community for FIFA, interviewed David Rutter, the Line Producer on FIFA 09 XBOX 360 and PS3. David Rutter joined EA in August 2007, and is based at Electronic Arts Canada’s Burnaby campus.

FIFlay: Can you please tell us some about the key features of upcoming FIFA 09?

David Rutter: One of the new modes that we are all very excited about is what we are calling Custom Team Tactics. The goal for the feature when we set out to do it was to distinguish the teams in our game by making each of them play differently according to how they play in the real world. In the process of building this feature we figured out that this is something that should also be exposed to the gamers so that they can adjust the way that the team plays to suit their own personal style too.

We put in a set of ‘sliders’ so that you can tweak and tune the way your team plays as if you were the first-team coach or manager. There are 11 sliders and options in the game, broken down into ‘Defending’ and ‘Attacking’ sliders. Attacking is then broken down further into ‘Build Up’ and ‘Chance Creation’ sliders.
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Press Release – Toronto, Canada: JoWooD Productions and DreamCatcher Games, leading publishers of interactive entertainment software around the world, today announced the official website for The Orb and the Oracle has been launched. Fans of the Dungeon Lords fantasy RPG series can access the website to find screenshots, videos, artwork, wallpapers, music and more.

The community based website contains message boards and will be frequently updated with the latest news on the game’s development. Screenshots and videos will provide RPG fans with their first glimpse into the next installment in the Dungeon Lords saga.

Game Features:

• A massive fantasy world filled with non-stop action and meticulously detailed indoor and outdoor environments. Explore shrines, campsites and country cottages throughout the vast rolling countryside, mountains, woodlands, swamplands and more.
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Government of Canada Advances Business Opportunities in Partnership With Emily Carr University of Art and Design

Vancouver, B.C. — The Government of Canada is supporting the Emily Carr University of Art and Design (ECUAD) in its efforts to promote business growth and technology commercialization through an expanded Industry Liaison Office.

Mark Warawa, Member of Parliament for Langley, announced a $100,000 investment today on behalf of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification.

“Long-term economic prosperity requires vision and leadership,” said MP Warawa. “Our government is proud to support the Emily Carr University in its efforts to increase technology commercialization, forge industrial partnerships and drive economic development.”

Funding will help ECUAD strengthen its Industry Liaison Office. The newly expanded office will develop and advance opportunities for technology commercialization across a wide range of industries. The initiative will help develop Intellectual Property (IP) policies and procedures, while an increased emphasis on mentoring will provide opportunities for faculty, staff and students to engage in entrepreneurial activities.

It is expected that the Industry Liaison Office will expand and create new partnerships and collaborative projects through an ECU/Industry partnership program and the “Entrepreneur-in-Residence” program launch. Additional outreach activities will include a feasibility study for a corporate affiliate program and a graduate internship placement magazine.

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Press Release – VANCOUVER — Little Boy Games announced today that “Go! Go! Break Steady” will launch on Xbox LIVE Arcade this Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. GMT (2:00 a.m. PDT). “Go! Go! Break Steady” features an original style combining rhythmic beat-matching with match-3 style puzzle game play. Choose your character and then make them dance to the beat while solving increasingly challenging puzzles. Developed by Little Boy Games, Inc. and published by Microsoft, “Go! Go! Break Steady” will be available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.

Key Features:

Original game play including beat-matching and puzzle-solving
Unique visual style including over-the-top, hand drawn animation
Multiplayer versus and cooperative local and multiplayer action via Xbox LIVE
Catchy hip hop soundtrack with 20 different songs

“Go! Go! Break Steady” is the debut title from Vancouver-based independent game studio Little Boy Games.

“What really makes this game stand out is its b-boy stylings. The characters are colourful and fun, the animations OTT, and the beat-matching pitched at just the right difficulty. The music is toe-tappingly infectious, with just enough scratching and dope beats to have you popping and locking the hours away.” – X360 Magazine

I know that many of you are eagerly awaiting the release of Dawn of War II, which is currently in development over at Relic Entertainment. Now you can keep on top of the latest development news in the official Dawn of War II community, which recently opened on the game’s official site. According to information on the Dawn of War II web site, community members will get the “first looks at some of the latest videos and screenshots from Relic, regular blog drops written by the team that works on Dawn of War II, extended information reveals on the game, direct access to Relic and forums for all of you to share your thoughts with Relic and each other – exclusively for the community.”

Dawn of War II, the new chapter in the Dawn of War RTS franchise, will launch players into an epic galactic battle the likes of which haven’t been seen before. Following on the footsteps of Dawn of War: Soulstorm, players will have the ability to send their elite forces to battle in the 41st millennium, deciding the fate of the ancient races who inhabit the worlds of Sub-Sector Aurelia. Watch for the battle lines to be drawn when Dawn of War II hits store shelves in the Spring of 2009.

Organizers of the International Digital Cinema Festival, Symposium and RED ONE boot camp have announced a date change due to an unexpected level of interest and industry participation. The Festival, which was originally scheduled for July 19 – 20 2008 has been moved to October, 2008. Further details will be announced on the International Digital Cinema Festival site as they become available.

About The Festival

The International Digital Cinema Festival, Symposium and RED ONE Boot Camp is the best opportunity this year for filmmakers and others in the motion media industry, to acquire in-depth knowledge of the RED ONE 35mm Digital Cinema camera that is taking the industry by storm. This groundbreaking 2 day event taking place at the Canadian Film Center features a symposium where leading digital cinema experts will provide deep insights into the emergent opportunities created by new digital motion media technologies.

Following the Symposium, participants will commence a 2 day Boot Camp, experiencing the RED ONE camera in a production environment on the first day. The second day focuses on working with the RED footage in a variety of post production pipelines.

On the Saturday evening there is the IDCF party and on Sunday evening, in a preview of the Digital Cinema Festival’s RED FEST, the short film Directed by Ian Sun during the Boot Camp will open the RED SHORTS program. The RED ONE Digital Cinema Boot Camp and Symposium is a great opportunity to experience the Future of Cinema and network with the people who are creating it.

VICTORIA – The Premier’s Technology Council has released its eleventh report, which focuses on three topics: Clean technology, regional innovation and industrial design.

Key recommendations in this report include:

Clean Technology:
Government has been proactive in addressing climate change and promoting the development
of clean technologies. Government’s regulatory reform office has also been successful in creating
effective and efficient regulatory regimes. By applying the expertise of the regulatory reform office to
some specific, green-related challenges, government can ensure B.C. remains at the forefront of clean
technology development.

• Government’s regulatory reform office should focus its efforts on the application of clean
technologies and work with the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions to anticipate future
regulatory needs.
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Press Release – Today Ubisoft announced that it will publish Hell’s Kitchen™: The Video Game, for Wii™, Nintendo DS™, PC and Mac^®.

Developed by Ludia, Hell’s Kitchen™: The Video Game is based on the hit television program featuring world-renowned Chef Gordon Ramsay. The game will allow players to experience the show’s high-pressure kitchen and dining room challenges as a faithfully rendered 3D Chef Ramsay watches their every move.

“I had a great time doing the voice for my own animation,” said Gordon Ramsay. “Being in a video game is a new experience for me and I’m very pleased with the results.”

After executing the three phases of an order – preparation, cooking and service – Chef Gordon Ramsay will score each meal. As they progress through the game, players will be rewarded with access to recipes from Chef Ramsay’s own repertoire.
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Five graduating game design and animation students will plug their laptops into the Atlantic Technology Centre this summer to pursue a dream of driving their video game idea from concept to market-ready prototype.

The graduates are the first team selected for the GameGarage, an initiative of the Interactive Media Alliance (IMA), the PEI-based interactive media industry association, with support from Telefilm Canada and PEI Business Development.

Participants were chosen from a national competition that invited graduating new media students and recent graduates to submit original game concepts, or submit their resumes for a chance to work on someone else’s concept.
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