Village Gamer

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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Burnaby – EA 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.

“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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Vancouver – 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, and 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.