Village Gamer

Montreal’s realtech VR has launched its No Gravity application for iOS, Android users and is now extending the offer for iPad 2, taking advantage of the power of the new tablet from Apple, extending its support for more Android devices and adding availability for HP WebOS devices. No Gravity, originally released as a PSP game on the Playstation network, is now available for iOS and Android operating system. Players will love the fast action as they work their way through thirty-one dangerous missions in a spaceship, in an attempt to save their people. No Gravity has a history of being a popular favorite with PSP players.

PSP players will recognize the name of one of the Android Market and iTunes App Store’s newest additions. No Gravity has already been a very popular game on the Playstation Network for some time. Realtech VR has been busy, adapting this space/action game to take advantage of HD display and open the world of No Gravity to iOS and Android users. The game pits the player against evil forces who have unleashed a mind-altering sickness across thousands of colonies. It’s up to the player to try and save people, or at least prevent more damage.

[youtube:http://youtu.be/nXExAkUi_rk]

Players have thirty-one mission levels to play, can choose from six different spaceships and two levels of difficulty. To help in the fight, each ship comes equipped with six weapons, everything from lasers to ion blasters. Along the way, players will enjoy the massive explosions, first or third person views and rewards for a job well done. No Gravity is a very fast-paced, action packed game that is not for the weak at heart. Good reflexes and a calm hand go a long way to helping the player succeed.

These are some of the features offered in No Gravity:

* Incredible, fast-paced, non-stop action
* This is the iOS and Android version of the PSP for Playstation favorite
* Full frame rate
* Massive explosions and damages
* Play in first or third person view
* Select from 5 characters and 5 space ships
* Each ship available in 4 different colours
* Choose from 6 different, awesome weapons
* 31 mission levels to play
* 2 difficulty modes to test a player’s skills
* Reward system with achievements to unlock
* Multitouch and Accelerometer
* iOS Game Center (requires iOS 4.1 or better)
* Google Backup Service for ‘on the cloud’ save games
* Support for phone and tablets (Android 2.2 support for PowerVR, Tegra GPU and Adrenon GPUS including Android 3.0 support – including Motorola Xoom )
* Support for the iPad 2 new graphical processing power.

With the popularity of this game already established on the Playstation Network, No Gravity is being featured on the iTunes App Store in more than 500 places while still being a brand new launch. This should help players find yet another way to enjoy the nail-biting action offered in this all-time favorite.

No Gravity is only $2.99 (USD)  and available worldwide through the iTunes App Store, Mac App Store, Android Market and HP WebOS Application Store in the Games category.

Relic Entertainment has released it’s very popular Dawn of War II play mode The Last Stand as a new stand alone playable game. Dawn of War II Retribution: The Last Standalone is available for purchase on Steam for $9.99 USD. This latest offering in the Dawn of War world is a cooperative survival mode where you control a single hero and face off against waves of enemies along with two other teammates. You can take on the enemy in two different co-op arenas with one of the six available heroes. Gain experience points to level up and unlock new war gear and abilities for your characters. Players can also customize their character’s abilities to create the ultimate build and fight off twenty waves of increasingly devastating enemies as well as track ratings against other gamers and see how your different builds match up.

The Vancouver studio has also released a slew of new screenshots for Space Marine. Head on over to the official Facebook Fan Page to check them all out. The intense 3rd person action shooter RPG Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine chapter takes place in the brutal, science fiction setting of Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 universe. In the 41st Millennium, humanity faces extinction at the hands of horrific aliens and demonic hordes. Only one force can offer salvation: the superhuman Space Marines. Who will come out the victor as the Imperial Forces battle against feral Orks and the powers of Chaos? Will UltraMarine Captain Titus be able to hold back the Renegade Militia, Tainted Psykers and Bloodletter Daemons? The fate of the Universe will be in the hands of gamers this summer when Space Marine launches on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC this August.

The Canadian Games Conference would like to remind you that the Early Bird ticket deadline is April 26th – don’t miss this opportunity to save $150.00 off the full ticket price. The conference has also confirmed three more sessions for this year’s event, which takes place at the Vancouver Convention Centre on May 19th and 20th:

Dee Jay Randall

* 1000s of Zombies, 1000s of Problems — The Dead Rising 2 Multiplayer Experience – Presented by Dee Jay Randall, Technical Director at Capcom Vancouver, who will discuss the challenges posed by the co-operative online play for Dead Rising 2. Find out how the studio went about creating a shared experience of killing zombies and rescuing survivors while maintaining the quality of offline single player. The whimsical violence of hitting, stabbing, shooting and crushing zombies needed to be as fluid and as responsive in co-op as it was in single player.

Attendees will be rewarded with details of the networking components developed for Dead Rising 2’s co-operative mode. We will reveal how we achieved the perception of seamless simultaneity for thousands of in-game entities. In addition, we’ll describe the criteria we used to determine which features relied on a peer-to-peer model versus a traditional client-server model. Finally, we’ll describe the in-game tools used during development and highlight improvements that can ease future development.

* 2011 Processor Graphics Profiling for Console Level Game Performance in your Lap – Presented by Yannis Minadakis from Intel Corporation

* Evolution of an App to Deliver Scalable Application Infrastructure, Matt Chilek, Vice President, Systems Development at SoftLayer Technologies, Inc.

The Canadian Games Conference will also be presenting a PechaKucha-styled closing to this year’s conference, featuring an hour’s worth of high energy game industry topics designed to leave you with the inspiration to go forth and create. Don’t forget to get your tickets for the Canadian Videogame Awards, taking place May 18th at the Centre for the Performing Arts.

Flirting entered the 21st century today with the launch of Winnipeg-based Tipping Canoe’s new mobile application, Flurt. With location-based applications surging in popularity and many people viewing their digital presence as an extension of themselves, Flurt helps avoid the awkwardness of a traditional pickup line by sending an anonymous flirt instead.

“Flurt is the digital version of passing notes during class or approaching someone at a bar,” said co-developer Varun Mehra, a 25-year-old computer science graduate from the University of Manitoba. “Flirting is an instinctual behaviour of verbal and physical cues, and this mobile app provides a new dimension to the art of flirtation.”

With 2011 being billed as the year smartphones become mainstream, the International Data Corporation reports that the global smartphone market is expected to grow four times faster than the overall mobile phone market as customers switch from basic cell phones to devices that can download apps and connect to the Internet. According to IDC Canada, more than 50 per cent of smartphones in Canadians’ hands are Android phones or iPhones.

Once Android and iPhone users download the Flurt app, they can send anonymous flurts to anyone in their current location and see all flurts sent by others within 150 metres. As Flurt is a public application, anyone can be flirted with whether they have the app or not. However, to view or respond to a flurt, the mobile app needs to be installed.

“Flirting is universal and we’ve all been in situations where we wanted to compliment or flirt with someone, but have been shy,” said Jeff Friesen, 23, Flurt app developer. “For us, it was a logical leap to create a way for people to make that first introduction more easily and reduce the risk of something we all cringe at – embarrassment or rejection.”

Ninety-seven per cent of organizations in a Conference Board of Canada survey have an employee rewards and recognition program in place. Yet, fewer than half of the survey respondents believe their employees are satisfied with the organization’s rewards and recognition practices.

This Conference Board of Canada study, Making it Meaningful: Recognizing and Rewarding Employees in Canadian Organizations, found that the average annual amount spent on recognition is $175 per employee. Public sector organizations average $123 in expenditure per employee; those in the private sector spend $208 on average.

The survey was completed by 166 primarily medium- and large-sized organizations across Canada. Respondents represent a cross-section of public and private sector organizations and include all major industry categories.

“Recognition from a manager carries meaning and motivation for employees, whether or not it is accompanied by a reward,” said Karla Thorpe, Associate Director, Compensation and Industrial Relations. “Organizations should keep in mind that recognition is personal, in that what motivates one employee is different from what motivates another.”

“Organizations that take into account the preferences of their employees will see a greater impact from their investment in rewards and recognition programs.”

Responding organizations spend, on average, 0.26 per cent of base pay on rewards and recognition programs. This level of expenditure indicates that maximizing the investment should be top of mind for managers of these programs.

Rewards and recognition programs can be used to increase employee engagement and to create a positive work environment. However, organizations often struggle with how to effectively use their rewards and recognition program to connect with employees.

The most prevalent type of recognition program among survey respondents is long-service recognition, with almost all organizations rewarding employees for their tenure with the organization. The most common types of reward given to these employees include gifts, pins, and plaques. Almost half (45 per cent) of recognition spending goes to long-service recognition.

Some of the main challenges in managing rewards and recognition programs include:

• Getting employees and managers to actively participate in their programs;
• Ensuring employees are being rewarded and recognized fairly and consistently;
• Making the business case—finding the budget, showing a return on investment; and
• Administrating and communicating the program.

The full report, Making it Meaningful: Recognizing and Rewarding Employees in Canadian Organizations, is available to subscribers at www.e-library.ca.

Canadians say they don’t need extravagance to be happy. So what inspires them? It’s the simple things in life, like spending time with family and friends, experiencing the majesty of Canada’s landscape and participating in charitable acts. These are among the top activities that bring Canadians happiness, according to a new survey from Coca-Cola, aptly named the Coca-Cola Happiness Monitor.  The survey is the most comprehensive online study on happiness in Canada.

The Coca-Cola Happiness Monitor, conducted in celebration of Coca-Cola’s 125^th anniversary, canvassed 5,000 Canadians 16 years and older. Respondents were asked about all things “happiness” including social networks, active living, work and the influence of Canadian icons and landscapes in their lives. Results showed more than half of Canadians believe they are happier than the average person. The number-one contributing factor to personal happiness is family or a significant other at 71 per cent.

“For 125 years Coca-Cola has championed the values of optimism, positivity and happiness,” said Nicola Kettlitz, President, Coca-Cola Ltd.  “The Coca-Cola Happiness Monitor will help us inspire and encourage more of those happy moments that allow us to pause, refresh and experience life’s simple pleasures.”

Throughout the year, Coca-Cola will release additional results of the Coca-Cola Happiness Monitor. Further insights will include those moments, locations and times Canadians are happiest, as well as the happiest occupations in Canada, stress levels, ambitions and views on money.

Coca-Cola Happiness Monitor Highlights

Go Canada Go! Canada’s gold medal win in men’s hockey at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games was the happiest national sporting event for almost half of the country (47 per cent).  The 1972 Canada vs. USSR series was a distant second at 17 per cent. (Why wasn’t the Women’s gold medal win included in this? I feel it’s just as important for national morale as the men’s gold medal win.)

Natural wonders….Drawn to the vast landscape of astonishing natural and rugged beauty, close to one third of Canadians (32 per cent) say that the Rockies in Banff, Alberta, make them the happiest.

• The runners up? The dance of the Northern Lights, which light up 26 per cent of the population, and Niagara Falls, a popular tourist destination and source of natural happiness for 15 per cent of the country.
• The rugged Rocky Mountains are a popular source of scenic happiness amongst men and older citizens, while women and younger Canadians were more likely to cite the Northern Lights.
• Third-generation Canadians, also partial to the Northern Lights, were less likely to choose the thundering waters of Niagara Falls as the natural phenomenon that makes them the happiest.
• The Falls scored big points with Canadian parents, who cited this natural wonder most often.

Happiness is a helping hand. Whether by giving time or money, nearly half of Canadians (49 per cent) say that they feel happy when they support charitable causes, with 14 per cent saying it makes them extremely happy. Read the rest of this entry »

Momcafe Halifax will host an all-day event for Halifax women in business that is called “What Men Don’t Tell Women in Business.” The May 2nd event will take place at Pier 21 and will offer two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Halifax women in business who attend the morning session will have the privilege of hearing Chris Flett, author of “What Men Don’t Tell Women in Business” give a very special keynote address. During this session Chris will share with participants an authentic Alpha Male’s account of what has happened to business in the last 40 years, what drives Alpha Males in business, and the ways that professional women unknowingly give up their power in business to men. This discussion covers all the things men discuss at the water cooler, in the locker room, and in the board room when women aren’t present. Participants should come prepared for a truthful look inside the Alpha Male’s playbook of business.

The afternoon session will treat Halifax women in business to a “Women’s Leadership Program,” also led by Chris Flett. This half-day session brings to light the three fundamentals for any professional woman looking to advance her career:

1) having a clear big picture and plan for their career

2) understanding how to increase professional value (reputation, quality of contacts, and unique skills & expertise) throughout their career

3) building a powerful business network that produces clients, opportunities, and support.

When participants leave the room, they will have at their disposal some of the most powerful planning tools known to the industry. These tools will be relevant now and throughout their careers. This Momcafe Halifax event is being presented in partnership with RBC, C100 and Rooftight.

You can now check out your Financial Fitness Score online to help discover how financially fit you are, courtesy of Genworth Financial Mortgage Insurance Company Canada and the Canadian Association of Credit Counselling Services.

The score is based on attitudinal and behavioral questions that were developed from financial fitness data collected in a survey sponsored by Genworth Financial Canada and CACCS. The tool helps people determine how well they are managing their finances and provides useful information that is based on their fitness level. The national online survey of over 1,500 Canadians, including 254 first time buyers and people who intend to buy homes in the next two years, was conducted between January 19 and February 1, 2011 by Environics Research Group.

“Having a firm understanding of what it means to manage your money is so important to peace of mind”, said Henrietta Ross, Chief Executive Officer of CACCS.  “It’s quick, easy and free, but so rich in value. Understanding your score and what you can do to improve your situation is very empowering.”

The fitness tool is just one of a series of initiatives provided by Genworth Financial Canada in collaboration with CACCS and was launched as part of their recent Homeownership Education Week events that included live seminars and webinars on various financial topics.

“Providing this financial fitness evaluation is an extension of Genworth’s commitment to helping Canadians get a better understanding of their finances,” said Debbie McPherson, Senior Vice-President, Sales and Marketing of Genworth Financial Canada. “As The Homeownership Company, we help Canadians achieve their homeownership dreams responsibly and providing education is an important first step”.

A recent report by Canada’s Task Force on Financial Literacy concluded urgent action needs to be taken to strengthen financial understanding in Canada. Genworth Financial Canada supports this recommendation and is continuing to work with the CACCS to offer helpful financial resources for Canadians.

The Science Fair Fun Run is holding a photo contest for past participants, who are being asked to contribute 1 or 2 photos (2 is the max per person), which will be used in the photo albums on the Fun Run’s New Facebook Fan Page. Those who send in a photo or two will be automatically entered into a draw to win either: EA Sports NHL 2011 for XBox 360 or Hasbro Family Game Night for PlayStation 2. Include the race year, your name and your phone number. Photos can be of you and your friends, or of the race in general.

Deadline for photo entries is May 28, 2011. Please note that photos submitted will become the property of the PMC-Sierra Science Fair Fun Run and will be posted on our Facebook Fan Page. Only photos of the PMC-Sierra Science Fair Fun Run will be accepted. One of each prize will be awarded by random draw from all entries. Prizes are non-transferable and must be accepted as awarded.

Remember this year’s Science Fair Fun Run takes place on the morning of Sunday, May 29th at Athlete’s Village Plaza in downtown Vancouver. Registration and Check-in starts at 07:30 with the Run starting at 09:00. The run route is 5k, with a mini 1k run starting at 09:05. Strollers are welcome. Participants will also receive free admission to Telus Science World after the race, as long as they have their run bib and/or T-shirt.

All proceeds raised from the PMC-Sierra Science Fair Fun Run will go to The Dr. Michael Smith Science Fair Endowment to support the promotion and development of Science Fair Programs throughout British Columbia.

Kobo has closed a $50 Million investment round which saw Indigo Books & Music Inc. contributing $13 million of the $50 million in financing with the balance contributed by  leading institutional investors, as well as current Kobo investor Cheung Kong Holdings. This round of investment adjusts Indigo’s majority ownership to 51%.

“Kobo will use the new funding to continue its explosive growth internationally,” said Greg Twinney, CFO of Kobo. “As the eReading space continues to heat up, Kobo is committed to providing an innovative experience that lets consumers read anytime, anyplace and share their love of reading with friends.”

Kobo kicked off its European expansion last week, with the announcement of its plans to launch local content stores in Germany – the largest book market outside of the US – and Spain starting in May 2011. Local stores for France, Italy and the Netherlands will follow this summer – an industry first. In providing local content and reading experiences for European readers, Kobo continues to build on the vision of giving people around the world the freedom to read on any device, and share their love of reading with friends.

Starting today, consumers can buy the highly anticipated BlackBerry® PlayBook(TM) which comes pre-loaded with the Kobo eReading app – in leading retailers across the US and Canada. RIM selected Kobo as its strategic eReading partner, given its ability to service customers around the globe.

The Kobo eReading app delivers a personalized reading experience and allows users to choose the perfect text size and style, select between day and night mode, both featuring uninterrupted reading with seamless page turns and chapter transitions. Plus, readers can switch between single or side-by-side page view simply in landscape orientation or simply rotate the Playbook to read in portrait orientation. Kobo is offering a free copy of Thomas Cleary’s translation of The Art of War exclusively to BlackBerry PlayBook customers. Users can sign in or create their Kobo account from the BlackBerry PlayBook and the free eBook will be added directly to their library.

Kelowna-based iRok2 Media Inc. has announced the Playbook App release of its iRok2 Online social music game. iRok2 for BlackBerry PlayBook, a free app available on BlackBerry App World, provides users with a new rhythm music game customized and synchronized to a YouTube music video every day.  As well, it serves as a gateway to the infinite choice of iRok2 Online – essentially all the world’s music, more than 16 million tracks.  The game is quickly gathering user acceptance, already logging over a quarter million play sessions with users from North America, Asia and Europe.  iRok2 is accessible from anywhere – home, office or remote connection and can be played through a computer keyboard or by plugging a Guitar Hero or Rock Band guitar into your computer. Online play is free as well.

iRok2 CEO, Dr. Robert Arn, commented on the PlayBook introduction, “The unique rapid development capabilitities, high performance video streaming and support of Adobe Flash on the PlayBook platform have allowed us to create a Playbook App from elements of our online game – even before PlayBook hardware was available and our iRok2 Online game was still in Beta testing.”  Dr. Arn added, “Such speed and flexibility allow us to experiment with building synergy between pad, mobile and computer game versions in a totally new way.”

iRok2 is based on new, patent-pending technology that automates the production of custom music games.  iRok2 servers analyze music videos as they stream from YouTube and create a unique custom game for each video.  If a user wants to play with a video that is not already in the catalog, it takes only a single click to request a new custom game which will appear in the catalog, available for everyone.  Users have already built up the iRok2 catalog to over ten thousand custom games and there is no barrier to it growing to match the scale of the tens of millions of available YouTube music videos – including the new ones that appear every day.  In play, the video streams to the player directly from YouTube and the custom game synchronizes to the video without storing or modifying the video or music in any way – in effect, an internet air guitar.

As well, iRok2 breaks down the barriers between players. iRok2 is a social game that allows players to connect to others of similar tastes around the world.  Players can issue direct challenges to other players or join in real-time multi-user tournaments.  A unique in-game scoring monitor allows players to directly see how their performance compares to others second-by-second, not just in final scores.

The British Columbia Achievement Foundation today issued a Call for Submissions for the 5th annual BC Creative Achievement Awards for First Nations’ Art and for the 7th annual Carter Wosk BC Creative Achievement Awards for Applied Art and Design.

“Both awards celebrate BC’s rich cultural history and creative industry,” said Keith Mitchell, chair of the BC Achievement Foundation. “Our goal is to showcase and celebrate the achievements of artists from across the province. The 2011 award recipients will join 46 British Columbians who have been recognized with creative awards since 2005.”

An artist may be nominated or self-submit to these juried awards. The deadline for submissions is May 26, 2011. The prizes have been increased for 2011 to $5,000 for each award. Presentation ceremonies will take place in the Fall in Vancouver.

Up to three awards will be presented to BC applied artists and designers whose work has a practical function. Jewellers, industrial and fashion designers, glassmakers, furniture designers, potters, weavers are examples of some of the fields honoured by this award. 2010 recipients include Duncan potter Cathi Jefferson, Vancouver clothing and accessories designer Natalie Purschwitz, and Vancouver’s furniture and lighting design group Propellor Design  (Toby Barratt, Pamela Goddard and Nik Rust ).  The 2010 lifetime award was presented to Doug Simpson of Feathercraft who has created a world-renowned folding kayak.

Up to five awards will be presented to artists affiliated with a BC First Nation working in either traditional or contemporary First Nations’ art. Carvers, printmakers, weavers, jewelers, painters and media artists are examples of art recognized by the BC Creative Achievement Awards for First Nations’ Art.  Alvin Adkins, Haida, Vancouver; Lisa Hageman, Haida, Masset; Peter Morin, Tahltan, Victoria; Tim Paul, Nuu-chah-nulth, Port Alberni and Richard Sumner Kwakwaka’wakw, Victoria received the awards in 2010.  The lifetime award was presented to basketmaker and cultural leader Rena Point Bolton, Sto:lo, Terrace.

Recipients are selected by a panel of experts who consider creativity, originality, innovation and aesthetics when making decisions.

The awards are presented by the British Columbia Achievement Foundation, an independent foundation established and endowed by the Province in 2003 to celebrate excellence in the arts, humanities, enterprise and community service. Polygon Homes Ltd. sponsors the BC Creative Achievement Awards for First Nations’ Art and Dr. Yosef Wosk supports the BC Creative Achievement Awards for Applied Art and Design.