Village Gamer

Bryan Pearson, a best-selling author and expert on using customer data to create emotional brand loyalty, is now tackling a more challenging task: building customer-engagement initiatives that benefit business clients. In his latest book, The Loyalty Leap for B2B: Turning Customer Information into Customer Intimacy, Pearson, president of LoyaltyOne, operator of the AIR MILES Reward Program, draws on more than 20 years experience in building customer loyalty by applying his time-proven principles in the business-to-business context. The e-book, which includes case study examples from American Express, SalesForce and others, was just released by the Portfolio imprint of Penguin Group in Canada and the United States. Read the rest of this entry »

Mind over Monsters! A new expansion is now available for Sword of the Stars: The Pit, the popular role-playing game from Kerberos Productions. The MindGames DLC expands the fan-favorite roguelike by unlocking the eerie powers of the mind for all playable characters. In addition to 28 new psionic powers, MindGames offers two new playable characters, ten new levels, new monsters, new weapons and items, and new game mechanics which will enhance the already-addictive game experience for old players and newcomers alike. Read the rest of this entry »

BC’s provincial government has announced a new technology pilot project that will give BC Corrections‘ inmates and community corrections clients direct, secure and easy access to legal documents, client histories, discharge dates and medical appointments – all at the touch of a fingerprint. The innovative project, called the Integrated Corrections Operations Network (ICON II), is the first of its kind in Canada and is being tested by a select group of inmates and clients in two correctional centres and five community corrections offices throughout B.C. Read the rest of this entry »

Ubisoft has released a new gameplay video for Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag featuring commentary from Game Director Ashraf Ismail. On the voyage to Havana with your ship The Jackdaw, learn the rules that Edward and his crew live by, and how they defy the empires of the 18th Century. Read the rest of this entry »

The information contained in The Download on Digital Report (PDF) was commissioned by WorldPay and created by Loudhouse in March 2013. The survey was conducted among consumers who have purchased digital content and video games online in the last 12 months. The sample comprised 11,483 consumers aged 18+, 10,075 of which purchased digital goods and services and 7,554 who have purchased video games and 6,776 that have purchased both. While the consumers were surveyed from 7 different countries not including Canada, I feel that the information contained in the report is of relevance to Village Gamer’s development industry reader demographic.  Read the rest of this entry »

As mobile becomes an increasingly important part of everyday life for Canadians, there is a much greater need for advertisers, publishers and brands to gain Canadian specific insights into those who use mobile. In response to this need, App-Promo, BrandSpark International and Tapped Mobile have partnered to conduct a detailed research study on the mobile habits of three key Canadian personas: Read the rest of this entry »

Canada/BC is headed to Casual Connect 2013 in San Francisco, ground zero for the casual and social gaming industry.  Casual Connect is the premier professionals-only conference for casual game developers, publishers, distributors, and retailers. Learn all about iPhone, Social, Android, Flash, Browser MMO and Download Games. Connect with more than 3,000 professionals from over 40 countries. The conference features a cutting edge lecture series and highly popular nightly networking events. Join the more than 50 Canadian companies that are expected to attend this year’s conference and take advantage of the following: Read the rest of this entry »

After months of anticipation, the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) has announced the re-launch of its popular small business grants for hiring program. The program, formerly known as ICTC Career Focus, has been rebranded as ICTC CareerConnect, capping off a host of alterations aimed at giving small and medium-sized businesses greater access to the program while increasing the maximum funding amount for eligible applicants. Read the rest of this entry »

Course evaluation and feedback management solutions provider eXplorance has announced that it is taking an active role at BbWorld®, the Blackboard Inc. annual user conference and one of the largest education technology conferences of the year, from July 9-12, 2013. As a Blackboard Premier Partner™, eXplorance will be featuring Blue by eXplorance™, an enterprise-class feedback management and course evaluation system, through dedicated seminars and product demonstrations on the benefits of integrating Blue with the Blackboard Learn™ platform. Read the rest of this entry »

As part of its ongoing international expansion, QuickMobile, a Vancouver-based provider of mobile event app solutions, has announced the opening of its London office, which will support customers and partners in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. To manage the London office, QuickMobile has hired Banks Holcombe as General Manager of EMEA. Holcombe comes to QuickMobile with more than 16 years of international business development and sales management experience, most recently serving as Senior Manager of Emerging Markets, EMEA for The ACTIVE Network. As part of ACTIVE’s EMEA management team, Holcombe was vital in its success as the fastest growing division worldwide. He also oversaw the largest employee recruitment drive and spearheaded the Global Employee Satisfaction Task Force. Read the rest of this entry »