Among the game’s features are:

• Engaging Campaign spawning more than 70 levels of marble blasting madness
• Three game modes for players to choose from to suit their playing style.
• More than 10 powerups to help players redefine the game field and wreak havoc in a blink of an eye.
• 8 Exclusive Awards to boost the replay value further by throwing extra challenges at the player.
• Pre-filled Leaderboards to give the game nostalgic, old-school touch.
• Awe-inspiring 720p HD visuals with full widescreen support
• Charming sound effects to create the ambience.
• Adaptive gameplay technology for challenging and fun gaming experience for players of all ages.

“We are very excited to share the joy of Murphid with gaming community and hope everyone will have as much fun playing Murphid as we had developing it. I hope you dig it!”, says Dennis Brandis, Decapod Studios’ Managing Director.

Murphid is available on XBOX Live Indie Games channel for 240 MS points (approx $2.99) in the following countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States.

EA Sports™ is giving its fans an opportunity to create their own one-liners for the upcoming EA Sports NBA Jam videogame (no purchase necessary). Fans can submit and vote for their favorite lines to be read by the original voice of NBA Jam, Tim Kitzrow, who reprises his role as the legendary announcer.

Fans can submit their one-liners the game’s Facebook page, and 64 finalists, as chosen by the EA Sports NBA Jam team, will go head-to-head in a single elimination bracket with fan votes determining the winners. The four finalists will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have their one-liners included in the game and heard by millions of people around the world. Eligibility restrictions do apply, please see the Contest Rules for complete details.

Contest Schedule:

May 13th – Contest Submissions Open
May 19th – Contest Submissions Close
May 24th – 64 Finalists Announced
May 25th – Fan voting begins
June 23rd – Winners Announced

“NBA Jam is one of the most popular and culturally influential arcade basketball games ever made, and is widely known for its one-liners like Boom-Shaka-Laka and He’s on Fire,” says Kitzrow, the original voice of NBA Jam. “I am really excited to be a part of the remake and for fans to create the expressions that could become culturally iconic in the years to come.”

EA Sports NBA Jam revives the classic franchise with vintage NBA Jam gameplay, and all-new features that deliver a fresh new take on the game. Featuring the sights and sounds that fans of the franchise will instantly recognize, EA Sports NBA Jam mixes the old school with the new, to deliver a one-of-a-kind sports presentation on the Wii™.

G4BOX Inc. has announced that the company will team up with the World Online Gaming League for the Cross Fire North America/UK Championship. Teams will compete in tournament play for a chance at a $1,000 cash prize and the opportunity to compete in an international Cross Fire competition at the World E-Sports Masters held in China this October.

There will be two types of tournament play offered to Cross Fire players: a free-to-play and paid league option. Players may purchase a “Tournament Pass” which will give them access to compete in WOGL’s Professional Cross Fire League while free players will be able to register and play directly from the WOGL website. Prizes will range from in-game weapons and ZP credits to $1,000 in cash! The first place team will also win a trip to China to compete in the International Cross fire Competition at the World E-Sports Masters this October. Transportation and accommodations will be provided to the five-member team as they square off for huge prizes against Cross Fire teams from all over the world including China, Russia, Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines and Korea. Registration opens today May 14th and closes June 14th with pre-season running until the end of June and the regular season running throughout the month of July. Playoffs will start August 7th and end no later than August 28th.

“This tournament will take Cross Fire and its fans to a whole new level,” said Howard He, Chief Executive Officer of G4BOX. “We are thrilled to team up with WOGL and think that this type of intense tournament play is exactly what Cross Fire players thrive on!”

Cross Fire is a free online military first-person shooter for Windows PCs supporting Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Players assume the role of either a Black List or Global Risk operative and compete in various modes of play including Free-for-All, Team Death Match, the exclusive stealth-action Ghost Mode, and brand-new Mutation Mode. Cross Fire includes a military ranking system, in-game friends lists, an integrated clan system, and deep character customization options. Cross Fire is part of the Z8Games platform of free-to-play games.

Telefilm Canada is pleased to announce that the Perspective Canada series will once again be held at the Cannes Film Market. During Perspective Canada, 12 Canadian feature films will be screened for international buyers attending the Market, which is part of the Cannes Film Festival running from May 12 to 21, 2010.

“Through Perspective Canada, Telefilm provides buyers and programmers from around the world with the opportunity to watch a variety of new Canadian feature films,” says Sheila de La Varende, Telefilm Canada’s Director of National and International Business Development. “Perspective Canada, at Cannes, helps the films’ creative teams strike distribution agreements with players from the international film industry, thereby helping raise the profile of our cinema on the world stage.”

Perspective Canada is among the activities organized by the Canada Pavilion, which gathers together more than 70 Canadian companies. These activities, notably, facilitate the development of international partnerships focused on co-production as well as the sales of Canadian products, and also help to promote Canadian talent.

Telefilm Canada has launched a microsite that provides information on the Canadian presence at Cannes, including details and schedules for films being shown at both the Festival and Perspective Canada, and the names and contact information of Canada Pavilion participants.

The Canada Pavilion at the Cannes Film Market is a Telefilm Canada initiative in partnership with British Columbia Film and Ontario Media Development Corporation as Principal Partners, Manitoba Film & Music as Major Partner, Film Nova Scotia, Saskfilm and Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation as Associate Partners, the Canadian Film and Television Production Association as Contributor Partner, and the National Bank of Canada as Silver Sponsor.

On a different note and as the Mom of a future Navy Cadet (my daughter will be sworn in this August), I’d like to draw your attention to an initiative by Canadian rock group The Trews. Beginning on May 18th, their song Highway of Heroes, will be available for purchase on iTunes. Net proceeds from all sales of this song will go to support The Canadian Hero Fund. I hope that you will choose to help support the great work this organization does in assisting our military families.

The Screenwriters Summit is coming to Vancouver this August 7 & 8th. Screenwriting gurus Syd Field, Linda Seger, Michael Hauge, and John Truby will provide you an unmatched depth and understanding of screenwriting and story that is ideal for screenwriters, filmmakers, TV writers, producers, directors and creative executives. Half-day classes taught by each of the four speakers will be followed by a half-hour Q&A session in which you’ll be able to follow-up with any questions you may have. The Summit is being held at the VanCity Theatre and will run from 9am until 6pm each day. Tickets are $395.00 and include a Saturday night social mixer.

Toronto-area Mario fans of all ages will be among the first Canadians to get hands-on play time with the sequel to the 2007 debut Super Mario Galaxy. A special guest will make a surprise landing during the event, where participants will be able to enjoy on-site entertainment, receive exciting Nintendo giveaways (while supplies last), and have the chance to win 1 of 50 copies of the new game. The Canadian launch party for Super Mario Galaxy™ 2 will take place at Yonge-Dundas Square on Sunday, May 23rd from 12 noon until 8pm.

For those who may not already know this, Reader’s Digest Online teamed up with Fit Brains to bring some of their popular word games to the internet, your PC and yes, your iPhone. Word scrambler Word Power: Brain Sparks is available in the iTunes store for $2.99, while Word Power: Recharged is playable on your PC at the Reader’s Digest site or at Fit Brains, and will be available through other game portals as well. A third game, Word Power: The Green Revolution is downloadable to your PC for only $19.99 from either site. All three games are linked to the Word Power Network, which allows players to see their placing on the leaderboards and share in-game awards.

Today is the last day that you can grab IUGO’s Daisy Mae’s Alien Buffet for the iPhone for free. You’d best hit the iTunes store now and grab this crazy earth-based alien-shoot-em-up while you can, because tomorrow you’ll have to pay for it. This offer is brought to you in part by OpenFeint’s Free Game of the Day programme. The aliens don’t stand a chance, because last Saturday, over 125 000 earth defenders joined Daisy Mae and her cause to rid the planet of hostile inter-planetary immigrants.

Bioware has announced new DLC for Mass Effect 2. Overlord will be available in June for 560 MS (or Bioware) points and will offer five new action packed levels and two new achievements. The action in this next DLC expansion will centre around an experimental and dangerous Virtual Intelligence creature that has been unleashed and is taking over any technology it finds to serve its purposes, including the Geth. Commander Shepard and his (or her) squad must infiltrate the VI’s heavily guarded fortress and shut it down before it can beam itself off planet, continuing its wave of havoc across the galaxy.

Dartmouth’s Innovacorp will be presenting a breakfast seminar on the morning of May 26th at the Innovation Boardroom, starting at 8:45am. The seminar’s topic is Building Effective Distribution Channels and will feature an expert panel who will discuss insights and advice on distributors and distributor agreements.

The panel will be moderated by Innovacorp’s interim president and CEO, Stephen Hartlen, and will feature Ian Lucas, executive vice president of innovation and strategy, Ocean Nutrition Canada Ltd., Robert Nadeau, a partner at law firm Kerr & Nadeau, and Mike Flynn, director of business development at Tether.

After six weeks of heated debate from online discussions about Canada’s future in the digital economy, three winners emerged from the ‘crowdsourcing’ competition called Canada’s Digital Compass, hosted by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC). The dialogue was spread among contributors from all parts of Canada and included more than 1,200 site visitors and overall, 70 ideas were submitted for voting.

The categories were judged by a panel from a wide range of industry backgrounds as well as community participation. Each week, starting on March 16, a new subject competition was launched and the five topics were: technology, education, media production, connectivity and policy development.

The winners were:

- First place: Brady Gilchrist for his ideas on “World Leadership in Digital Health Care.” In his summary, Brady believes that digital health care is the merger of traditional healthcare with new ideas born of digital technology to aid in solving complex problems and infusing “net style innovation into solving complicated problems.”

- Second place: Russell Fordham for his thoughts on “Digital Literacy for All Canadians.” Russell suggests that for Canada to be a global leader in the digital economy, all our citizens need to have the basic abilities to function and thrive in this environment, supported with the partnership of government, educational institutions and businesses.

- Third place: Alan Sawyer for “Implementing Temporary Advertising Tax Credits to Stimulate Canadian-based, On-line Video Distribution.” Alan notes that implementing tax credits for allowable expenditures on advertising at Canadian-owned, new media content sites would stimulate the development of new Canadian sites and increase Canadian content available for Canadian-owned media distribution.

The winners all received tickets to the Canada 3.0 Conference in Stratford, Ontario which took place May 10-11. The event featured leaders from across the country who continued the conversation on the future of digital media in Canada. “We created Canada’s Digital Compass to encourage new discussions to a broad audience on this topic and our goal was certainly accomplished,” says Tracey Riley, partner and national leader of the Technology, Information, Communication and Entertainment (TICE) practice of PwC.

Riley was happy with the turnout of participants to the crowdsourcing event and the wide range of topics that were being debated. During the last day of the competition, voting became more frequent and the leader-board changed hands several times. “We had lots of submissions on mobile and wireless project ideas but we were a bit surprised there wasn’t more discussion on cloud computing and green tech which are very popular topics at the moment,” she said.

Some of the topic ideas that were debated included a copyright model for the digital age, a government department devoted to innovation, evolving liberal arts education into digital arts and why Canada needs fibre-to-the-home.

In the education category, one of the most discussed themes, ideas focused on the opportunity to develop new curricula or educational institutes to encourage, teach and inspire Canadian students to lead in the digital economy. Connectivity was one of the most controversial themes. The winner proposed putting a stake in the ground and pursuing one particular technology to build Canada’s broadband infrastructure. The debate continues on the best technology to solve Canada’s urban and rural divide that will recapture our global leadership in broadband.

Winnipeg’s Complex Games has released a new trailer for their original game Wee Curl, which is being developed under licence for the Nintendo Wii.

The Game Developers Conference™ Canada (GDC Canada), co-produced by UBM TechWeb Game Network and Reboot Communications, brought together more than 775 game industry professionals last week for two days of learning, networking and inspiration at the Vancouver Convention Centre (VCC). Comparable to last year’s attendance numbers, GDC Canada 2010 provided opportunities for sharing knowledge, making new connections and celebrating the passion and dedication of fellow Canadian game-makers. In May 2011, Reboot Communications will continue to serve the Canadian development community in Vancouver with a videogame conference that will feature a “Best of GDC” track, as part of Vancouver Interactive Digital Week 2011.

GDC Canada was designed with the core values and dedication to quality that is at the heart of all Game Developers Conferences®. With more than 35 lectures, panels, and sessions covering best-practices that studios should implement to develop successful franchises for consoles, iPhone games and digitally distributed titles, the conference was successful in inspiring Canadian developers to share experiences for fostering ingenuity and quality games. GDC Canada featured the Game Career Seminar, an expo area, business to business lounge and networking receptions where attendees met with representatives from Epic Games, Radical, Relic, Blue Castle, Hansoft and Sony Computer Entertainment, among others.

“It was our honor to host some of the most dedicated and talented developers at GDC Canada this year,” said Izora de Lillard, event director of GDC Canada. “The event was a great opportunity for the developer community to network with like minded professionals and learn best practices for developing big global titles and understanding emerging digital distribution models.”

Bill Mooney, a Vice President at Zynga Studios and General Manager of FarmVille, kicked-off GDC Canada with a keynote that provided a deeper dive into the evolving social gaming space and its future. The talk elaborated on the next business model of the internet using prominent Zynga titles as case studies, including FarmVille and Mafia Wars, whose soaring popularity has helped the Facebook-based games attain more than 85 million active users.

GDC Canada also hosted a Canadian version of GDC’s popular Game Career Seminar, which is designed for individuals looking to make a career move within the game industry. At the Game Career Seminar, videogame industry icon Tommy Tallarico brought his in-depth knowledge from years of experience to the mic with an intimate keynote interview with Victor Lucas, a Canadian television host of the Electric Playground and Reviews on the Run. Attendees learned how Tommy grew from humble beginning to his creation of Video Games Live and to having his own PBS special.

In May 2011, Reboot Communications will continue to serve the Canadian development community in Vancouver with a videogame conference as part of Vancouver Interactive Digital Week 2011. UBM TechWeb is pleased to continue to participate in the 2011 event in Vancouver, in the form of a specialized “Best of GDC” track. This partnership with Reboot will bring top GDC lectures from worldwide to the Canadian audience for the first time.

Electronic Arts Inc. and Klei Entertainment today announced that acclaimed writer Marianne Krawczyk will be writing the story for the striking 2D action brawler Shank™, which will be available for Xbox LIVE™ Arcade, PlayStation®Network and PC. Krawczyk is best known for her BAFTA award-winning work on the God of War® franchise and was named by Gamasutra as one of the top 20 game writers in the industry. Krawczyk is lending her expertise in crafting rich, well-developed characters for Shank’s tale of revenge.

“I’m very excited to be a part of Shank,” said Marianne Krawczyk. “I fell in love with the artwork, characters and world that Klei Entertainment created and together we are creating a story that will allow gamers to explore a world where values like integrity and loyalty take on their own twisted meanings.”

“When Shank was first conceived, we envisioned a fully realized world with provocative characters living out a mature, cinematic story,” said Jamie Cheng, CEO of Klei Entertainment. “Marianne has been able to flesh out our characters, and create a gritty, personal and unique story of full frontal revenge.”

Shank invites players to let loose with multiple weapons and rack up the kills with an exciting and free flowing combo system. Rip through the ranks of a legion of gang members to compete against friends on Shank’s online leaderboards. Featuring a captivating art style inspired by golden age comics and graphic novels, Shank’s blend of classic intense 2D action with a mature and gripping storyline makes it one of the most anticipated downloadable titles this year.

Bellevue, Washington’s Her Interactive, the leading mystery maker and publisher of 23 award-winning Nancy Drew games for the PC and game consoles, has announced that the highly anticipated Nancy Drew: Trail of the Twister, will launch on June 29th 2010. For the millions of Nancy Drew fans who love their Apple computers, Her Interactive is also releasing the game on the Mac for the first time, enabled by Toronto-based TransGaming’s Cider Portability Engine. Her Interactive will publish the game in a dual format disc, playable on both Windows® PCs and Mac computers.

Nancy Drew goes undercover as a competitive storm chaser in this new mystery, set in Oklahoma during the tornado season. Teams are competing for a $100,000,000 prize for discovering a prediction formula for tornados, but something is not quite right… To solve the mystery of who is sabotaging the storm chasing team, Nancy is thrust into a world of wild weather, high technology, secret conversations, mysterious dealings, and ulterior motives. You are Nancy at her best as you learn about meteorology to help solve the mystery. Rich visuals, dangerous weather, new challenges, unique characters, and new puzzles all combine to make this Nancy’s stormiest adventure yet.

“Nancy Drew fans have been begging us to support Mac computers, and today, we’re thrilled to announce that Trail of the Twister is just the first of many games to support Mac,” says Megan Gaiser, president, Her Interactive. “Whether you play on a PC or Mac, you’ll find cracking the code in this mystery realistic and exciting with weather changes clouding the clues. And as in all great Nancy Drew mysteries, you have to interrogate friend and foe, because no one is above suspicion.”

“We are excited to partner with Her Interactive, using our Cider technology to enable the first ever simultaneous PC and Mac launch of the Nancy Drew franchise for consumers,” says Vikas Gupta, President and CEO, TransGaming, Inc. “Nancy Drew is such an iconic figure, we are certain the Mac community around the world will love playing these games.”

Her Interactive’s Nancy Drew games have sold more than 8 million units with each game surpassing sales of the prior. This success, in part, is buoyed by the ever-increasing numbers of girls and women becoming avid game players. Nancy Drew players now include moms who have introduced their daughters to the girl-detective, making her one of history’s longest-running iconic figures spanning generations.

Another new title from Transgaming, In The Mix Featuring Armin van Buuren, a DJ game exclusively for the Wii, has launched a new Facebook page. In The Mix will be published by Foreign Media Games in 2010.

Markham’s Game Bridger Entertainment announced today that the European open beta test for its highly-anticipated free-to-play MMORPG, Priston Tale 2: The Second Enigma, will begin on Friday, May 14th through its GamerKraft game portal. The open beta test will be marked by several significant updates and changes including, updated quests, an adjusted experience rate, and a new Europe-only server.

“We have collected invaluable feedback from thousands of players during the closed beta test,” said Matthew Denomme, Marketing Manager for Game Bridger Entertainment, “this feedback will inform improvements to the Priston Tale 2 gameplay experience in the upcoming open beta and beyond.”

Priston Tale 2: The Second Enigma is a free fantasy MMORPG for Windows PCs supporting Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Players venture across the vast and wondrous continent of Priston, currently under siege from the forces of the evil god Midranda, in a race to locate the only worldly power capable of ending his evil reign: the mythical Second Enigma. Priston Tale 2 features three unique races of playable characters, a combo-based active battle system, competitive player versus player combat, new skill and item systems, and extensive guild and party support. All this, in addition to slick, high-quality graphics made possible through the power of the Unreal Engine. Priston Tale 2: The Second Enigma is a part of the GamerKraft library of free games.

Longbow Games has released its flagship Real-time Strategy (RTS) game Hegemony: Philip of Macedon. Six years in the making, Hegemony: Philip of Macedon is a strategy game that will appeal to gamers and history fans as it follows the story and conquests of Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great, downloadable now for $29.99.

“After six years we’ve finally released the game that we hoped it would be with the quality, gameplay and historical reverence that war gamers and RTS players demand,” said Jim McNally, CEO of Longbow Games. “Philip of Macedon was a great leader and in many ways paved the way for Alexander the Great to conquer the world. We know fans of the genre and those that have an interest in how Greece was conquered will enjoy the game.”

Players will be able to conquer the ancient Greek world as they campaign across a continuous satellite-accurate map of ancient Greece, encountering the full range of warfare from reconnaissance to raids to field battles to mountain blockades, all while managing these included features:

* Innovative supply system – Siege and starve the enemy by cutting their supply lines or burning their crops, all the while building and protecting your own supply network to support your growing empire.
* Steeped in history – In-game pedia and 100+ historical objectives recreate the rise of the Macedonian empire.
* Detailed and stylized world and map – Transition smoothly between the detailed 3D world and the stylized board-game map while maintaining complete control over your empire.
* Subjugate your enemy – Chase down and capture routed enemy units to create slave gangs to work your mines or build your forts. But don’t leave them unguarded or they could rebel and wreak havoc in your empire’s heartland!
* Conquer the seas – Build or capture a fleet of triremes to protect your coastlines, raid enemy merchants, or drop an army at your enemy’s backdoor.

On Tuesday May 18 at 8 pm ET, The Agenda with Steve Paikin (TVO) offers a revealing discussion with experts in the field of internet privacy during mesh, Canada’s Web Conference. Guests include Ann Cavoukian, Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner and one of the leading privacy experts in the world; Mathew Ingram, senior writer at GigaOm, one of the leading technology blog networks; and David Fewer, director of the Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy & Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) based at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law.

The debate, hosted by Steve Paikin, will examine the way that internet companies change the visibility of our private information, and whether users are wrong to be sharing so much information or companies are wrong to be sharing information they don’t have the right to share. What happens when a company has control of our personal information, and that company is based in a country with different privacy laws? Once something is posted online, is it too late to start thinking about privacy?

Viewers may watch the broadcast on Tuesday May 18 at 8 pm ET or watch it in live streaming video at 1:20 pm ET.

The Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) and Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) today welcomed the US Federal Court ruling yesterday against US-based Limewire, an online file sharing service with extensive reach in Canada and around the world.

“This decision is a huge win for artists and everyone involved in music, across Canada and worldwide,” said CRIA President Graham Henderson. “The ruling kicks another leg out from under a major source of pirated music in Canada.”

Henderson added, “Limewire is one of the last hold-outs from the Napster era that is still widely used. It’s particularly popular with people who find technologies like BitTorrent and newer peer-to-peer services too complicated. This ruling could cause a big shift from illicit downloading on Limewire to legitimate paid downloads.”

Limewire is one of the most popular peer-to-peer file sharing services. According to Alexa statistics, about 4 percent of all Limewire users are Canadian.

The US Federal Court found Limewire and its operators to be liable for inducement of widespread copyright theft and accepted evidence that 93 percent of the files available through Limewire are protected or highly likely to be protected by copyright. The Court also found that Limewire had intentionally encouraged direct infringements by Limewire users.

“Canadian music companies have been very diligent in making their artists’ work available in multiple digital channels,” said Duncan McKie, President and CEO, CIMA. “Hopefully this decision will remove a significant impediment to further developing the digital marketplace and compensating our creative artists for their continuing hard work.”

The newly-announced sessions from the 2010 GDC Canada are geared towards established studio as well as first time publishers who are grappling with legal and business development strategies needed to identify commercially successful projects in emerging game spaces.

These featured sessions include:

Bringing Your Game to the Web – 73 Practical Tips with Bjarne Rene (Managing Director, Vostopia.com), Tore Birkeland (Technical Director, Vostopia.com)

Console Games – New Realities Require New Strategies to Win with Howard Donaldson (Vice President – Studio Operations, Disney Interactive), Kelly Zmak (Former GM, Radical Entertainment), Adel Chaveleh (TimeGate Studios, Inc.), Dan Tudge (VP and General Manager, Propaganda Games), Dan Winters (VP Developer Relations, Activision Blizzard)

Funding for Game Developers – Do’s and Don’ts with Glenn Entis (Founder and General Partner, Vanedge Capital)

One Year in the App Store: A Case Study of Backflip Studios with Julian Farrior (CEO / Founder, Backflip Studios)

Tax Credits: How Does This Affect My Decision on Where and How to Produce a Game? with Howard Donaldson (Vice President – Studio Operations, Disney Interactive)

In addition to the two days of sessions, GDC Canada offers the ideal venue for studio heads, developers and investors to come together and discuss business. Towards that end, GDC Canada 2010 is introducing the Business to Business Lounge, supported by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. The lounge is a place for industry business development professionals, fellow developers and leading tool vendors to make deals and network. To help further initiate these important business connections, the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service can facilitate introductions between investors and domestic and international developers.

Tomorrow is the last day to benefit from the Early Bird ticket price for the next Innovation Camp which takes place May 29th & 30th in Vancouver. Innovation Camp offers hands-on learning opportunities which engage learners through real life situations and challenges their assumptions, connects ideas, embraces failure and sees problems as opportunities for creative solutions in order to take any entrepreneurial venture to the next step.

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) is proud to support HotDocs 2010, and you are invited to join them at the festival on Monday, May 3rd at 4 p.m. ET for a micro session on CMF programs and funding with Policy Analyst Neal McDougall. The session will be held in Room 323 at Victoria College in Toronto from 4 – 5pm.

The CMF has also announced that the English POV Programme Application Form is now available for those who wish to apply for CMF funding, and an outreach session will be held in Ottawa on Thursday, May 13th from 1:00pm – 3:30pm to provide applicants with details regarding the 2010-2011 guidelines for funding and to answer questions.

The May 13th meeting will be led by Nathalie Clermont, Director, CMF Program Management, along with Roxane Girard, Director, CMF Program Administrator | Telefilm Canada, Francesca Accinelli, Director, English Market, and Stéphane Cosentino, Interim Director, French Market.

INPlay has announced two preschool-focused sessions for the May 18-19th conference. Joining the schedule is Carla Engelbrecht Fisher, whose topic Preschool Play and Games, will take attendees into the minds of pre-schoolers and show how to incorporate developmental psychology research into the games we build. This session will provide an overview on how preschoolers develop, why research is important when designing for this age group, and will give provide examples of how to design games for this age group.

Building Apps for Preschoolers: Case Study of Tickle Tap Apps, presented by Jason Krogh, Founder & Director, zinc Roe design will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the design and development of Tickle Tap Apps – a series of iPhone apps designed for young children. Jason Krogh will share his studio’s experience diving into the world of iPhone development. The discussion will highlight of some of the challenges unique to working in this new and rapidly evolving space as well as some of their insights and refinements that came about through many hours of play testing with kids.

Don’t miss the next iteration of Mentor Speed Dating 2.0, which takes place on Friday, May 7th at 3:30pm. Check out the event’s info page for details on how to participate.

The Canadian Film Centre has several program application deadlines approaching. The five-month CBC Prime Time Television Program is open for applications until May 12th, and the TELUS Interactive Art and Entertainment Program application deadline is June 4th. Please check out the full list of available programs and deadlines at the Canadian Film Centre’s site.

Cordell Barker, creator of three National Film Board animation shorts that are among the most popular in the public producer’s catalogue, has signed on as a creative consultant with the NFB’s Prairie and North West centres. He will advise NFB producers on animation projects generated in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, as well as work from the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Barker will consult on all genres and forms of animated films and assist producers in discovering and working with emerging and experienced animation talent.

“I’m thrilled to have one of the great animators of the world working with us,” says Cindy Witten, Director General, English Program. “His films are artful and fun, and at the same time, socially critical and deeply human. Cordell will bring all the same qualities to our team and our body of work.”

“Cordell is a wonderful addition to our production team,” says the Centres’ Executive Producer David Christensen. “His breadth of experience will not only help the NFB but also benefit the animation community in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, as well as from the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.”

Cordell Barker’s films with the NFB include The Cat Came Back (1988) and Strange Invaders (2001), brilliant and hilarious shorts that have together won over 30 international awards and picked up two Oscar® nominations. His most recent NFB film, Runaway (2009), was a prize winner at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and took the 2010 Genie for Best Animation Film. Any future film projects that Barker initiates with the NFB will be contracted outside of his new position.

Inon Zur’s award-winning music for Dragon Age™: Origins will be performed by the Malmö Symphony Orchestra at the “Joystick 3.0” symphonic video game music concert in Sweden on May 21st, 2010. Dragon Age: Origins was recently honored with Best Original Song (“I Am The One”) and nominated for Best Original Score at The Hollywood Music In Media Awards. The Joystick concert series currently holds the world record for a game music performance with an attendance of 17,000 at the first show in 2006.

“We are very pleased to invite the music from Dragon Age: Origins into our family of game music,” said Joystick concert producer Orvar Safstrom. “Inon Zur’s compositions transcend the genre, by not only enhancing the game’s scenes but also by contributing unique and powerful elements to the overall atmosphere and storyline. Our audience is in for a real treat.”

Publisher Strategy First has released three new titles with an introductory 10% purchase discount which is valid until May 5th. Naval Gamers and Fantasy Gamers alike will thoroughly enjoy Iron Clads: American Civil War and Iron Clads: High Seas along with Hazen.

“PC gamers and Strategy First have always enjoyed military/naval games and fantasy titles. The Ironclad series is a great franchise that continues the tradition. Along with cult hits as Hazen we are proud to offer these three great titles to 25 million PC Gamers.” says Strategy First Director Emanuel Wall.

Ironclads: American Civil War - The naval simulator based on historical accounts of real battles features 3-models of warships based on the original archived drawings. The use of real stats and calculations re-creates a realistic collision between ships, floods and capsizing that occurred during the American Civil War. Be in command of a fleet of ships to destroy your enemy. $9.99

Ironclads: High Seas is a steam-ship tactical naval simulator that sets place during the height of the American Civil War. Battle for Confederate trade routes with real time fleet-scale battles.
Create battle squadron groups, choose your ships and use tactics such as ‘Crossing the T’ formation to defeat your enemies. $19.99

Hazen: The Dark Whisper is a stand alone single episode that re-energizes the hack ‘n’ slash fantasy game genre. Featuring extended re-playable sequences that feature thousands of
different items to increase magical spells. Featuring deep character development and numerous possibilities. $9.99

Okino Computer Graphics has announced that its long standing 3D DCC/Animation/Skinning and CAD/MCAD/Architectural conversion software PolyTrans-for-3ds-Max (for 3ds Max 2011 & 3ds Max Design 2011), and PolyTrans-for-Maya (for Maya 2011), are now fully qualified and shipping to customers.

PolyTrans-for-3ds-Max and PolyTrans-for-Maya have provided the defacto conversion systems for 3ds Max and Maya, since their original software releases, that allows these programs to freely exchange 3D scene data with all key 3D software packages or file formats.

Each file format has been developed over years to decades, and are full reference implementations, and all Okino file formats are fully documented online with hours of reading material. PolyTrans-for-3ds-Max and PolyTrans-for-Maya are two of the most complex technologies developed and deeply integrated into 3ds Max and Maya, having been developed daily by Okino for well over 15 years under the constant use and testing from tens of thousands of the world’s best known companies, from ILM to Disney to Boeing to BMW.

“As something I have long wanted to do, I would like to dedicate this press release, and the 14th yearly release of our mirror twin PolyTrans-for-3ds-Max and PolyTrans-for-Maya products, to the Internet forum readers,” said Robert Lansdale, CEO & founder of Okino Computer Graphics, Inc. “I have been actively reading the 3ds Max and Maya forums since their beginnings, and there isn’t a week that goes by when someone doesn’t ask the questions: ‘How does one read in Pro/Engineer data’, ‘I can’t get my Maya data into 3ds Max properly – how do I do it?’, ‘Getting Maya skinned meshes into DirectX does not work – what program will do this?’ and ‘How do I get full SolidWorks assemblies into 3ds Max without owning a copy of SolidWorks?’ and many other common questions.

While few initially know of, or believe, that one program exists which does all of these conversions, we have spent 22 years developing the industry standard conversion system for both 3ds Max and Maya that does everything from bidirectional Max/Maya conversions, ideal CAD import from ProE/SolidWorks/CATIA/Inventor/etc, guaranteed animation + skinning conversions, and much more. These are statements of functionality and robustness personally made by the development team at Okino, not a marketing person, and only come about from having this software used in mission critical production pipelines for decades. That is the comforting aspect of using Okino software, knowing that the software has been made stable long ago in real production environments.”

Don’t know what to make for dinner tonight? Consult recipes from Food Network Canada’s celebrity chefs at the simple touch of a button. Nokia Canada and Food Network Canada today announced the launch of The Food Network Canada Mobile Recipe App, the first Canada-exclusive branded app available on Ovi Store. The application includes more than ten thousand meal ideas, how-to videos with cooking tips and techniques, and daily updates all available while on the go. The free application is available for Canadians to download onto their Nokia device at store.ovi.com.

“We are delighted to announce The Food Network Canada Mobile Recipe App as the first locally developed Canadian application for the Ovi Store,” said Richard White, general manager, Nokia Canada. “People want relevant and easy-to-use content in their mobile devices and this application gives busy Canadians access to thousands of interesting and innovative recipes to help them better plan meals.”

Users of the Mobile Recipe Application can search and download recipes from within Food Network Canada’s extensive library, save those recipes directly to the application and receive a new and appetizing recipe every day of the week from the “recipe of the day” feature. Users with video capabilities on their mobile devices can also enjoy how-to videos of tips, techniques and recipes from some of their favourite Food Network chefs. Just in time for spring and summer gatherings and get-togethers, the Recipe App will be available for free download from Ovi Store for several Nokia smartphones.

“With the launch of Food Network Canada’s first mobile application for smartphones receiving such positive feedback from Canadians, we are pleased to develop a mobile recipe application with another popular mobile provider,” said Paul Burns, VP Digital Media, Canwest Broadcasting. “Our collaboration with Nokia Canada will present more users with the easy access to food related content that we know they are hungry for.”

The Recipe App was developed by Wigilabs, a Toronto-based mobile application developer. Ovi Store is Nokia’s online mobile content store where consumers currently can purchase and also find free applications, games and other mobile services for their phones, with other users’ ratings and recommendations. Additional Canadian and paid content will be available from the Ovi Store in the near future.

Suite101.com has released its second annual readership index of Canadian-owned Web sites, entitled “Where The Online Readers Are.” The second annual index reveals that the top sites remain largely content sites, and social media activity by the top-trafficked sites has increased substantially.

“One of the challenges in ranking Web site popularity is knowing which metrics to measure,” said Todd Maffin, social media expert. “One site might have a high volume of visits, but might be low in influence. It is interesting to see that the majority of these sites are using social media to increase exposure and build an audience. Social media can help these organizations – especially content-driven sites – develop a stronger Web presence in order to boost influence, which is quickly becoming a more important metric than hits.”

In 2009 the Index revealed that content was definitely king, with ten of the top 15 sites being publishers of news and information. In 2010, content is still dominant but beginning to lose ground as social media companies have entered the Index. Four Canadian-owned sites were new to the list this year. The 2010 results show that two thirds of the Index gained global traffic over last year while one third saw their global traffic ranking decline. In order to be included in the study, the companies must be Canadian-owned. Sites with a US parent company such as Google.ca or Amazon.ca are not eligible, and the index report is based on Alexa.com global rankings for website traffic.

“It’s not surprising to see content sites remain highly trafficked in Canada for the second year in a row,” said Peter Berger, CEO, Suite101.com. “What is new this year is seeing the arrival of social-media related sites in the Index. It’s also interesting to see how the two intersect: content sites are using social media tools to promote their articles, news and content. Consumers continue to have an appetite for high quality, informative content. Facebook, Twitter and related Canadian-owned tools like HootSuite are fantastic vehicles to increase readership.”

The Top 15 Are:

1 Plenty of Fish 2 Ow.ly 3 Government of Canada 4 Metro Lyrics 5 Suite 101.com 6 Whos Amung Us
7 HootSuite 8 Sympatico 9 CBC 10 The Weather Network 11 TD Canada Trust 12 The Globe and Mail
13 Canoe.ca 14 Toronto Star 15 Rogers Communication

The Index revealed interesting patterns in how the top Canadian sites are using social media tools, and only three content sites in the top 15 are truly Web-based without a print or broadcast outlet: Suite101.com, Sympatico.ca and Canoe.ca.

All of the Top 15 except Ow.ly use Twitter to increase awareness and market share, but all of the top 15 sites use Facebook to create fan communities and influence. Telecom giant Rogers Communications has also seen that Facebook can be a way for disgruntled customers to air discontent, as the company has a handful of online groups boycotting the business.

Tricon Films & Television is pleased to announce that Jon Rutherford has been appointed Vice President, International Sales and Acquisitions. Together with Carrie Mudd, SVP, Development & International Sales, Andrea Gorfolova, President and Lia Dolente, Manager, International Sales & Publicity, Rutherford will be responsible for all aspects of sales of Tricon’s extensive factual and scripted catalogue, with a long-term plan him to concentrate on building Tricon’s kids division.

Along with Mudd, Rutherford will focus on worldwide television and home video sales, as well as building digital, new media, merchandising and licensing strategies for all titles. Together they will continue to build Tricon’s sales team and will lead the charge to acquire new content across all genres and platforms.

“It is a natural next step for us to expand into this area. With a mixture of Jon’s experience and Tricon’s ability to produce and distribute successful programming we believe it’s the right strategy for us,” says Gorfolova

“I’m looking forward to working with the Tricon team, and to building and maintaining existing relationships with broadcasters and producers both here in Canada and around the world,” says Rutherford.

Over his 13-year career in film and television, Rutherford has established an excellent reputation for cultivating strong international alliances with some of the world’s most prestigious broadcast and specialty networks.

There’s lots going on over at IUGO Mobile Entertainment as well. Earlier today the studio announced that several of their game titles will be released for the iPad. On the list are Cliffed, Zombie Attack Second Wave and Implode, along with their brand new game, Escape: Norm’s World. We also found out today that IUGO’s Director of Business Management, Sarah Thompson, will be one of two featured speakers at the upcoming Appy Hour, which is presented by The Social Agency. Appy Hour will be happening on March 26th at the Revel Room from 4 – 6pm. Also speaking at Appy Hour will be Jesse MacFayden, a developer over at Nitobi.

The Vancouver Twestival will be taking place at the CBC Vancouver Audience Lounge this March 25th, and tickets are now on sale.  The Twestival is part of a global day of fundraising which will involve thousands of Twitter-users around the world who are gathering together to raise money for Concern Worldwide, an international humanitarian organization dedicated to reducing suffering and ending extreme poverty.

Your $20 Twestival ticket includes:

- Admission (donation to Concern Worldwide)
– 1 Wine ticket (more available for purchase)
– 1 Raffle ticket (more available for purchase)
– Food (sushi & canapes)
– Official souvenir YVRTwestival button
– Entertainment (Rob Cottingham, live DJ, Mojave)
– Socializing with Twitter friends (although that’s priceless!)

Edmonton – Bioware has announced the release dates for the next round of new DLC for Mass Effect 2. The Firewalker pack will be available beginning on March 23, and Kasumi Goto will join the crew of the Normandy on April 6. Kasumi’s DLC expansion will be titled Stolen Memories. Also coming on March 23 are new appearances for crew members Thane, Jack and Garrus. The Alternate Appearance pack will be available for 160 MS Points. The Firewalker DLC pack will include the brand new M-57 Hammerhead Hover Tank as well as five brand-new missions and locations to explore. This expansion will be free to those gamers who have the Cerberus Network option enabled. The Cerberus Network game add-on code included free to all those gamers who purchased the game new; if you bought a previously-played version, you can add the Cerberus Network option for 1200 MS Points through the XBL Marketplace. In my opinion, the Cerberus Network offers much value in return and is well worth the points if you didn’t purchase the game new.

There are also plenty of new items over in the Bioware store. Today’s new product announcement is the “Morrigan Disapproves” Dragon Age shirt. If you have a Bioware, Mass Effect or Dragon Age fan in your house, then the Bioware store is a great place to find some cool gift items from shirts and hats to lithographs and music.

The CFTPA has made the National Digital Strategy Prime Time panel videos and several PowerPoint presentations available online. To download the presentations and speeches, scroll down through the schedule list and click on the links for the presentations you would like. I think that by making these videos and presentations available to those who were unable to make the February conference is a great way to continue a national dialogue for the development of a Canadian digital strategy, and I appreciate the efforts by those at the CFTPA for taking strides to keep those of us in the digital media industry informed and talking.

I’m going to leave you on this Friday afternoon with a music video from the young English rock group Jonny Black. Now, you may ask yourself why a Canadian digital media news site is promoting an English group, and I would answer, “because the young men who make up this group are friends of ours and they deserve some extra promotion. Plus, they’re gamers, too.”

Formerly known as Mendella, Jonny Black’s band members are among those who have a dream and work hard to forge their path in the achievement of that dream. This video in particular is an endeavour by the group to have one of their songs chosen as the UK soccer team’s anthem for the 2010 World Cup. We hope that you enjoy Jonny Black’s music as much as we do, and will help their video go viral (watch it, fave it, share it) thereby playing a part in the achievement of their goals. You can read more about our involvement with Jonny Black and learn more about these young men here, here, and in our gallery, right here.

Montreal

Vancouver – IUGO has just announced that Cliffed: Norm’s World is now available on the iTunes App Store, and it’s free. Cliffed: Norm’s World is the Lite version of the highly addictive title Cliffed ($1.99USD), and allows players to experience  unlimited game play as the Cliffed character Norm. This lite version also allows for full-featured multiplayer experiences.

Edmonton – Another special on iTunes involves Bioware’s Mass Effect 2. Dark Horse Comics will be releasing Mass Effect Redemption #1 for free for one day only, on February 3. After the initial 24 hour period, Redemption #1 will then sell for $0.99USD. Redemption #2 is also scheduled for release in comic book stores on February 3. In Redemption #2, Liara T’Soni searches Omega — the most dangerous space station in the galaxy — for clues that could save humanity’s greatest hero, Commander Shepard. Redemption #1 is also included in the Collector’s Edition of Mass Effect 2.

Vancouver – Relic has released some early looks at the Chaos multiplayer units for the upcoming Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising. Head over to the Relic Blog to get a closer look at the Space Marines, Havocs and Heretics who have fallen to the Dark gods of Chaos. Relic also recently released the full soundtrack for Company of Heroes, which is available for free on the game’s Steam page, where you can also purchase all three Company of Heroes titles for a special packaged price of $49.99USD.

Vancouver – Absolute® Software Corporation has launched Absolute Manage, the rebranded version of the Company’s recently-acquired cross-platform IT asset management solution. The new solution from Absolute complements its Computrace® family of data security, tracking and theft recovery solutions with full-featured computer life-cycle management capabilities.

Absolute Manage, formerly LANrev, provides organizations with an easy and automated way to manage PC and Mac® computers, as well as iPhone® devices, from a single interface. IT administrators using Absolute Manage can efficiently manage all their assets by automating time-consuming IT processes such as software distribution, patch management, asset inventory and imaging. Additionally, it helps organizations save money by allowing them to track installed applications and licenses, redeploy under-used licenses and hardware to maximize inventory, and avoid non-compliance fines. The MSRP for a standalone one-year license is $24.95 USD.

Some of the capabilities of Absolute Manage include the following:

- Application & License Management – Deploy software and manage licenses across the network.

- Security, Change & Configuration Management – Remotely monitor and adjust configurations, and execute files.

- Automated Patch Management – Centrally manage and install patches, and report on patch status for all managed systems.

- Computer Imaging – Install a complete OS plus all standard applications onto Mac computers while in use or just out of the box.

- Power Management – Comply with green initiatives and lower total cost of ownership by remotely enforcing power saving policy profiles.

- Asset Inventory – Collect hardware and software data points from devices over the network and analyze the information for timely and fact-based asset management decisions.

Calgary – ICEsoft™ Technologies, Inc. has announced the release of ICEpdf 4.0, an open source PDF rendering technology for Java.

ICEpdf is a lightweight Java rendering library that can be easily integrated within any Java-based client application or deployed on a server in headless mode as a PDF Servlet (JSP or JSF). ICEpdf is ideal for providing PDF viewing and navigation as well as PDF content conversion and extraction without the hassles of Java-to-native integration issues.

This latest version of ICEpdf contains numerous product improvements, bug fixes, and is now capable of:

* PDF document editing and saving for Link Annotation edits.
* Text selection and clipboard actions.
* The search API has been completely revamped allowing for search result highlighting, and more.

“Since ICEpdf was open sourced 8 months ago, the product has experienced unprecedented adoption”, says Robert Lepack”, VP of Marketing and Business Development at ICEsoft. “This latest release of ICEpdf adds important new features and capabilities that our customers, as well as community members, have been asking for.”

Ottawa

Edmonton – Bioware has added some very cool Dragon Age: Origins clothing to the XBL Avatar Store – players can now dress their Avatars in DAO t-shirts and hats, available in three styles. Now if they would just release the Return to Ostagar DLC expansion on XBL…

Vancouver - The Innovation Camp organizers have announced the dates and location for their next workshop series – Innovation Camp 3. Taking place at Discovery Parks (887 Great Northern Way) in Vancouver, the first Innovation Camp of 2010 will occur on the following dates:

• Tuesday, January 26, 6:30pm to 9:30pm
• Thursday, January 28, 6:30pm to 9:30pm
• Saturday, January 30, 10:00am to 6:00pm

Participants will spend their Camp time practicing techniques to generate new ideas and expanding upon those ideas in order to accomplish a shared goal such as creating a product or completing a project/challenge. There are no lectures, just engaging activities that facilitate learning, interaction and growth. Registration is now open, and at only $150.00 (including sandwiches, fruit and tea, coffee & juice), Innovation Camp offers great value to its participants. I’ve heard plenty of good things about the Camp, so if you have the opportunity to participate, I’d say give yourself a great Christmas present by registering today.

Vancouver – IUGO Mobile Entertainment has put many of their great titles on sale – visit the iTunes App Store and pick up a few – or all – of them and get many hours of fun and challenge for very little money. Sounds like a good return on investment to me!

Guelph – Stir Fry Games has announced that an update for SFG Soccer is now available on XBL. The following changes will be automatically applied next time you sign in and start up the game:

• Hard Difficulty Setting
• Team & Player Stat tracking
• Ability to Edit Any Team
• Use your Custom Teams in Exhibition Matches
• Golden Boot Award
• League leaders section
• and some bug fixes

EA Montreal’s Army of Two: The 40th Day demo is now available for Gold subscribers on XBL in a 2gb download which, according to the developers, allow players to get a head start on their co-op mayhem. This demo is rated M by the ESRB.

Thorold (via IO) – Cerebral Vortex Games and Psi Pi Group Limited are pleased to announce that i-Prioritize, a handy personal organization app, is now available for download on the iTunes App Store for $4.99 USD.

iPrioritize is the perfect app for those with a mountain of tasks to do, and no idea where to start. Using an easy, intuitive interface, iPrioritize lets you add your actions and areas of focus, then asks you a few simple questions to set their priority.  All of your tasks are organized and color-coded for you in order of priority.

“iPrioritize is one of those apps that most people need and anyone can use,” said Keith Makse, President of Cerebral Vortex Games. “Within minutes, people can take the hassle out of prioritizing task lists. You’ll wonder how you ever got along without it.”

“We’re thrilled to be working with Cerebral Vortex Games on this project,” said Simon Hedley. Mr. Hedley is the inventor of iPrioritize and the Founder of Psi Pi Group Ltd. “They’ve given our idea a high quality, easy-to-use product that turns prioritization into child’s play. Psi Pi Group has modelled consultants and coaches that charge in excess of $10,000 hour and with the help of Cerebral Vortex, we have distilled that knowledge into a simple to use app.”

Montreal – Ubisoft has released a new co-op trailer for Splinter Cell: Conviction. This title looked good from the very first trailer, and it’s looking better all the time, however there is controversy sparking once again in regards to the Collector’s Editions which will once again differ among continents – although how much will not be known until North American gamers open their CE packages. Canadian gamers have posted on various sites that they aren’t happy with once again appearing to get fewer items than those who live in Europe, particularly for a game which was developed in Canada. The unhappiness began with the differences between Assassin’s Creed 2 Black (Europe) and White (North America) editions,  and it looks like it will continue with the release of Splinter Cell: Conviction.  I mention above that the true differences will not be known until an actual North American CE is opened, because gamers were lead to believe that only those who had the Black Edition would have access to the Templar’s Lair areas on area maps, and this was even stated in the official Game Strategy Guide – yet I have the White Edition, and can access the Templar’s Lair areas. Very confusing, to say the least. I have, both in the past and recently sent queries to Ubisoft in regards to these differences in hopes of better understanding their decisions, but either got no response or vague, unsatisfactory ones.

Founded in 1993, High-Voltage’s reputation is well established with over 75 shipped titles including The Conduit, Ben 10: Protector of the Universe, Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Snow Princess, and Hunter: The Reckoning. The studio is recognized by its peers for developing high-quality titles on all current platforms.

High Voltage first licensed Wwise in 2007, for an undisclosed project. Since then, the studio’s positive experience with Wwise led it to seek a closer, more durable relationship with Audiokinetic; hence the unlimited license. “World class audio is a critical component to creating compelling and competitive games. After working with Wwise, it became apparent that working with such a sophisticated and comprehensive cross-platform solution was something that we wanted to continue doing in a more permanent capacity,” said Eric Nofsinger, Chief Creative Officer for High Voltage Software.

High Voltage also considers this partnership a way to focus its own expertise internally, adding Audiokinetic’s squad to its team. Additionally, Audiokinetic will take advantage of High Voltage’s suggestions and feedback for the future enhancements of Wwise. “By entrusting Wwise and Audiokinetic with our game audio technology, we can concentrate fully on the games themselves, and the unique, unmatched experience that we want to deliver to gamers,” said Michael Metz, Audio/Video Director for High Voltage Software.

“It has always been a priority for us to be creative and to understand our users’ need to better fulfill them – be it about technology or business,” commented André Nadeau, President and CEO, Audiokinetic.

Audiokinetic released Wwise three years ago and has continued innovating ever since with revolutionary products like Wwise Motion and SoundSeed. Confirming its fast-paced integration into the game audio industry, Wwise has been adopted by more than 150 titles since its launch – including the upcoming Canadian titles Assassin’s Creed 2 and Army of Two: 40th Day.

Edmonton

The ‘Night in Fantasia 2009′ concert will feature the Eminence Symphony Orchestra, a mind-blowing choir, special guest performers and a score of popular tracks from video games including Dragon Age: Origins. Vocalist Aubrey Ashburn, singer and co-writer of the Dragon Age: Origins Elvish ballad “I Am the One,” will be performing selections from the game soundtrack by Inon Zur.

With a powerful original score recorded by the acclaimed Northwest Sinfonia Orchestra, Inon Zur’s dramatic soundtrack to Dragon Age: Origins is the perfect complement to the game’s epic, cinematic qualities, full of soaring melodies and lush, emotional orchestrations. The official soundtrack for Dragon Age: Origins will be available to purchase and download online from popular music sites when the game ships on November 3, 2009, while selected tracks from the soundtrack will be included in the Dragon Age: Origins Collector’s Edition.

The soundtrack is a collaboration between composer Inon Zur, vocalist Aubrey Ashburn and BioWare Audio Director Simon Pressey. The creative team will be presenting their work during a panel at the Hollywood Music in Media Interactive Conference on November 20-22, 2009, at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel.

“From the moment you hear the Dragon Age: Origins theme to the lilting ballad, I Am The One, at the end of the game, Inon’s score is hand in glove with the Dragon Age: Origins dark fantasy,” said Simon Pressey, Audio Director for Dragon Age: Origins. “The Dragon Age: Origins score has an originality and passion to it that illuminates the story. I am continuously awestruck with Inon’s ability to tap into the essence of a project. How he gets so much feeling into a melody is simply stunning.”

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 will be released on November 3rd in North America and November 6th in Europe on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and PC. The PlayStation®3 version will follow later in November. Dragon Age: Origins is rated M by the ESRB.

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Audio is an integral part of a video game. In fact, even a simple score can create a very large impact. Take the classic: Space Invaders. The music is 4 tones, but is considered by many to have one of the most successful scores.

1978
Space Invaders
Midway imports Space Invaders from Taito. A great example of simple, effective sound design, Space Invaders owes a large part of its appeal to its menacing, paranoia-inducing soundtrack. Not music per se, the thumping audio track actually accelerates in tempo as the enemy invaders draw nearer (and move faster). The effect: sweat, panic, and increased blood pressure in a generation of gamers.
From “A History of Video Game Music” on http://www.gamespot.com/features/6092391/p-2.html
As the music speeds up, so too does the heart rate of the player; this is so much so, that if one plays Space Invaders with the TV on mute,  s/he will find the game to be much easier. (give it a try! PLAY HERE).
Clearly audio has a great role to play, even on the most basic levels. Audio plays a very visceral role in game immersion and great audio will enhance your game, bringing it to the next level.

So now that the WHY is covered, we will move on to the HOW.

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Using an in-house audio provider will surely create a tighter product as the audio designer is involved in and surrounded by all aspects of the game. Of course, budgets do not always allow for in-house audio, and so many game companies choose to farm out the audio to a wide slew of providers of which I am one.

From environmental sound design and SFX to custom compositions and interactive scores, there are many types of audio assets that will add to a game. What all these types of audio have in common is they are all best approached through the five guidelines below.

1) Bring the audio designer into the game development cycle early.

Audio is often thought of as something that can be dropped in last minute, and as an audio person myself, I can often tell this to be the case when playing the finalized game. If the audio provider was brought in early, s/he can give many creative ideas of how to use the audio in a game to not only react to the game, but even advance the story (such as interactive music that gives feedback to the player letting them know they are moving in the right direction). If the audio designer is made aware of the story and game mechanics nearer to the beginning of the production cycle, a more interactive, interesting, and polished sound track can be created.

2) Relate some examples of what you like via links/samples.

Producers, programmers, artists and audio designers are not always speaking the same “language.” If a producer is looking for a sound to be more “sad“, I can easily modify the sound to be so; yet, descriptions are not often that simple. The complications arise when words of more depth are thrown around, or

words are not enough. This is where audio samples are of great value. If I am able to hear the emotion via a youtube clip, I am much more easily able to reproduce/create that effect in the language of music rather than through the intermediary that is the language of words. When speaking to an audio designer, speak in audio. Ideas will come across much more clearly and the results will be more accurate and impressive.
3) Ensure that the file naming protocol is very organized.

As an outsider creating audio, filename conventions are of the utmost importance. A solid nomenclature allows for greater organization and faster implementation into the pipeline. I am sure to name my created files the exact way they have been written by the client, and as such, the naming convention needs to be very solid on their end. It will save a great number of headaches and help to identify bleep_01a from bloop_02b.

4) Understand and appreciate that high quality audio takes time.

As with any sort of design, a rushed product can often show. This is especially true for custom compositions which really benefit from having extra time to develop a solid melody to truly immerse your player into the game. A melody need not be obvious, but needs to be there to keep the brain’s attention. This takes time to create – please be mindful of this fact.

5) Use audio to create your brand.

Every explosion, voiceover, and custom track created for your game should be a cohesive whole. This will identify the sound of the game much in the same way as the visual art and code performance does. Every game needs to be held together by its design, and audio should not be forgotten for its integral role in this. Be sure to leverage your audio designer’s talents to create a cohesive audio brand for your game. It may take more meetings to solidify this audio brand along with the other design elements, but surely the rewards will be in the strength of the final product.

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We spend much of our days listening and hearing.  As games are in some way a recreation and/or alteration of life, this listening and hearing needs to be included in the planning and creation of a game. A game without great audio is a loss to both the producers and the players. An audio designer should be 1) brought in early 2) related to in a language of audio 3) helped to be organized and efficient through a cohesive nomenclature 4) respected for her/his talents and 5) leveraged for their creativity, talent and branding ideas.

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Any feedback is welcome and I appreciate all dialogue.

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Ryan Arndt
Composer/Audio Designer
ryan@certainsound.ca
www.certainsound.ca

Ryan Arndt is a Composer/Audio Designer at Certain Sound, a studio which operates on an innovative “Pay What You Think It Is Worth” arrangement. He has composed music and created custom audio design for 10 games and counting and is currently producing a Vancouver Game Industry Fundraiser for the Vancouver Food Bank called “Ghoulash Bash” to be held October 2009. Please feel free to follow him on twitter @RyanAComposer and @GhoulashBash.

Credits list and more at http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanarndt

Day 1

The first day was devoted almost entirely to the Casual Connect Leadership Conference organized and supported by Women In Games International (WIGI) and Women In Games Vancouver (WIGeh). Numerous speakers presented a variety of topics, each with a particular interest in the role that women play in games, games play in the lives of women, and the portrayal of women in games.

As a person interested in the breakdown of stereotypes, thus allowing everyone’s true potential to shine, I was very engaged in the presentations of the day, which in the end left me feeling very hopeful and empowered about the potential of gaming.

Not long after, a set of roundtable discussions were set up with a variety of topics ranging from working as a contract vs employed worker, owning a small business, and moving up in the games industry.

A networking event followed with the inclusion of other folks from a more general Casual Connect audience, and it was a great night!

Highlight of my day: Megan Gaiser of Her Interactive’s presentation on “The Importance of Leadership”

Day 2 (Day 1 of Casual Connect officially)

Audio day! The entire day had an option to hear speakers who are professionals in the audio for casual games environment. Great ideas were shared including a glimpse into how other professionals create their sound design assets. It was entertaining, welcoming, and I learned a great deal. Speakers covered a wide range of aspects including the creation of stings, sfx, composition, recording, and producing. I would recommend this to any person interested in the audio for casual games arena. A very cohesive day in the audio stream.

Highlight of my day: Barry Dowsett of Sound Rangers on “The Birth and Life of a Sound Effect”

Day 3 (Day 2 of Casual Connect officially)

I attended seminars in business, development, publishing, indie game developer issues, and branding. Very valuable to see how other roles in the game development sphere perceive the development, publishing and general business of casual games.

The evening finished with a social event at the Fairmont thrown by Mochi Media. It started late (I am usually an in bed by 10 PM up at 6 AM sort) but it had a great creative energy. Very welcoming atmosphere and people were very jovial. The open bar may have helped.

Highlight of my day: the presentation by Arthur Humphrey from Last Day of Work, who really challenged developers to create games that are truly original and thus have great staying power.

Day 4 (Day 3 of Casual Connect officially)

A good part of this day I spent in the area where the booths were set up, meeting people, mingling, and making some great contacts. I attended a very interesting seminar on Wellness Gaming (an area of which, as an educator and general outdoorsy type I am intrigued by) and was disappointed when there was little time left for questions. The audience seemed to be very engaged, and it was a shame that more time was not available.

Highlight of my day: Wellness Gaming Seminar, with its diversity and great ideas in creating games that not only entertain, but help.

I drove back to Vancouver not long after that, all the while reflecting on what a great experience Casual Connect Seattle 2009 had been for me.

Two things I liked: the friendliness of the Casual Games community and the desire to really “Be the change you want to see” in many of the people I met

One thing that could use improvement: in my perspective, a greater emphasis on critical discussion would be welcomed

One thing I would add: A stream or area related to games for learning and Serious Games to bring that world into Casual Connect. And while yes, they are different, I think an associated stream would be very beneficial for all parties.

Helpful Links:

Women In Games International

Women In Games Vancouver

Her Interactive

Sound Rangers

Mochi Media

Last Day of Work

Casual Games Association

Until next year Casual Connect!

-Ryan Arndt
Lead Audio Designer/Composer
www.CertainSound.ca
ryan@certainsound.ca