Village Gamer

Starting today, NHL fans will have the opportunity to make their Stanley Cup® Playoffs predictions in the EA SPORTS™ NHL®2011 Playoff Bracket Contest on Facebook. Fans can make their predictions on the real series using the EA SPORTS NHL 11 simulation engine that will link to the Playoffs bracket and predict who will advance to the next round. The engine correctly predicted that the Chicago Blackhawks would win the Stanley Cup last year, and that the Vancouver Canucks would win the Presidents’ Trophy this year. Fans will vote on the winner of each series at the start of each round, accumulating points for correct selections; prizing will be available for each round so fans can continue to enter after the playoffs start. A grand prize winner will receive two tickets to the 2012 NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa for the most points accumulated throughout the contest; the winner will be announced at the end of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.*

The NHL 11 computerized simulation is conducted using artificial intelligence that uses real-life data from each team, such as player ratings and line combinations, and includes variances such as injuries and hot streaks to predict a realistic outcome of each game and series.

Contest Schedule:

First round selections open today, and subsequent rounds will be announced at the end of each series.

EA SPORTS NHL 11 Round One Predictions – Conference Quarterfinals:

Western Conference

(1) Vancouver defeats (8) Chicago; 4-2

(2) San Jose defeats (7) LA Kings; 4-1

(3) Detroit defeats (6) Phoenix; 4-2

(5) Nashville defeats (4) Anaheim; 4-3

Eastern Conference:

(1) Washington defeats (8) NY Rangers; 4-0

(2) Philadelphia defeats (7) Buffalo; 4-1

(3) Boston defeats Montreal (6); 4-3

(5) Tampa Bay defeats (4) Pittsburgh; 4-2

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. Eligibility restrictions apply. Contest starts April 13, 2011 and runs through the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Complete Contest rules can be found online.

In 2011 Hot Wheels® takes vehicle loving guys of all ages on a fast and furious ride through a jam packed line-up of special events, partnerships, sponsorships and new leading-edge products.  Hot Wheels® aims to satisfy any adrenaline junkie with the launch of HotWheelsLive.ca, the interactive Hot Wheels® Live Tour, the  Hot Wheels® Fearless at the 500™ stunt in Indianapolis and exciting new toys, apparel, accessories and sporting goods.

“Hot Wheels® appeals to ‘guys’ of all ages who are looking to fuel their passion for speed, power and performance,” says Melissa Chau, Hot Wheels® Brand Manager.  “This year, our multi-platform campaign includes an interactive new website HotWheelsLive.ca, the Hot Wheels® Fearless at the 500™stunt, event sponsorships, the Hot Wheels® Live Tour in select Canadian cities as well as the hottest Hot Wheels® toys, clothing, accessories and so much more.”

Hot Wheels® fans can now visit HotWheelsLive.ca, the go-to source for anything on wheels.  From drag racers to drifters, motocross to monster trucks and supercars to snowmobiles, this is the place for all things awesome.  HotWheelsLive.ca features the best videos and content for speed, stunts, spills and thrills.  If you can drive it, ride it, push it or jump it, you’ll find it at HotWheelsLive.ca. Throughout the year, HotWheelsLive.ca will offer exclusive video segments of the fearless Team Hot Wheels™ and official Hot Wheels® Live hosts.  Fans of all ages can also put themselves in the driver’s seat and play Hot Wheels® Eat My Dust, for a chance to win one of 12 weekly Hot Wheels® prize packs and be entered to win the grand prize trip for four to the Indy 500® in Indianapolis.

Excited viewers who can’t wait for the action to start can watch Jeremy Piven’s Funny or Die video, “The Fifth Racer,” where Piven plays the “coffee guy” who is on a quest to become the fifth member of Team Hot Wheels®.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxOz8QbApgM]

Look out for Team Hot Wheels® at the Indy 500®’s 100th anniversary race in Indianapolis, where they will attempt the biggest Hot Wheels® feat ever: the Hot Wheels® Fearless at the 500™ stunt.  Fans globally will watch in awe as Hot Wheels® attempts the outrageous – sending a masked mystery driver from Team Hot Wheels™ speeding down a 90 ft. ramp, suspended on an enormous 10-story high door (100 feet tall) and soaring across the infield of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This history-making event will take place on Sunday, May 29^th 2011 at 9 a.m. EST. Fans can watch a special 30 minute Hot Wheels® “making of” video and the Hot Wheels® Fearless at the 500™stunt on ABC at 3 p.m. EST following the Indy 500® race.

Hot Wheels® rolls out the orange carpet for fans, media and contest winners on Sunday, May 29^th, 2011 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. for an exclusive Hot Wheels® Fearless at the 500™ viewing party in Toronto.  Members of Team Hot Wheels™ will perform thrilling stunts all afternoon, while the Hot Wheels® Live Host hypes up the crowd and the Hot Wheels® girls get hearts racing.  Attendees will be able to play the Hot Wheels® Eat My Dust game on HotWheelsLive.ca, participate in non-stop activities and watch the jaw dropping Hot Wheels® Fearless at the 500™ stunt on a jumbo screen.  To win special VIP tickets to the Hot Wheels® Fearless at the 500™ Toronto event, fans can log on to HotWheelsLive.ca to enter.

The Hot Wheels® Live Tour will travel to select Canadian cities with the Hot Wheels® Garage in tow, making thrilling stops at events like Formula 1 in Montreal, Honda Indy Toronto, Canada Diecast Convention and more. Fans will not only have a chance to snap photos with a life-sized Hot Wheels® car, but they’ll also be able to pose alongside the Hot Wheels® girls at select adult focused events.  Fans can pay homage to the history of the brand and look forward to the future through interactive Hot Wheels® displays, playing with the new Hot Wheels® Video Racer™ and Hot Wheels® Wall Tracks™ and challenging friends to a game of Hot Wheels® Eat My Dust inside the Hot Wheels® Garage. Race enthusiasts will have the opportunity to purchase their very own Hot Wheels® t-shirts, sweatshirts and accessories straight from the Garage. Read the rest of this entry »

Reminder: INplay early bird ticket deadline is April 14th
Seminar: CanWIT Ottawa Chapter Presents – Setting Yourself Up For Success Series – April 19th
Seminar Series: CanWIT Toronto presents – The 2011 Professional Development 4 Part Series – Starts April 14th
Seminar: CanWIT BC Signature Lunch – Career in Project Management – April 20th

Congratulations to all of the digital sector companies who have been named to Canada’s Top 100 Great Places To Work:

Microsoft Canada – Google Canada – NetApp – SAS Institute (Canada) Inc. –  Habañero Consulting Group – T4G Limited – Intuit Canada –  Disney Online Studios Canada (Club Penguin) – CDW Canada Inc. – Sandvine – Qualcomm – Online Business Systems – FinancialCAD Coporation – Nintendo of Canada Ltd – Autodesk –  Softchoice Corporation – Vivonet – Ideaca – IT/Net Ottawa Inc. – WishGroup Inc. – EPIC Information Solutions – Zedi

Air Canada’s enRoute Film Festival today announced it is inviting Canadian film students and emerging filmmakers to enter its fifth annual short film festival. Each year, a jury selects the best short films and broadcasts them to a large international audience on Air Canada’s inflight entertainment system.

The winner of Best Short Film will receive a $5,000 cash prize courtesy of presenting sponsor Cineplex Entertainment. Other awards include Achievement in Direction, Achievement in Cinematography, and Achievement in Animation. All award winners will receive an exciting new destination prize to Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France.

Past jury members have included Jason Priestly, Denis Villeneuve, Donald Sutherland, Alan Cumming, Dan Aykroyd and Rémy Girard, among many others. This year’s jury will be announced this summer.

Selected films will be broadcast on Air Canada’s personal seatback entertainment system on the Canadian Movies channel viewed by millions of Air Canada customers around the world. A free public screening and awards celebration will be held in Toronto at the end of the year to honour the winners.

Worldastronauts.com is excited to announce the launch of a new network of sites featuring space news, travel, multimedia and blogs. VirtualSpaceHotel.com will be the first of its kind and offer a limited number of commercial and personal advertising opportunities. The sites will use 3D Graphic and Web Design granting visitors and members a truly unique virtual experience. This Virtual Space Hotel is aimed at those interested in participation of a global network solely dedicated to space exploration. The site will also offer the opportunity for affiliates to link to their sites and homepages. Creative web design, development and maintenance of the World Astronaut’s Network is managed by the Toronto Canada’s Discotoast Inc. and owned exclusively by New Hampshire-based URL Development.

Last month XMG Studios and The National Post, along with sponsors Microsoft, KPMG, Telus, triOS College, Doritos and Flip Video presented the first Great Canadian Appathon. A national event, this development marathon was open to Canadian students who wanted to develop a new app for Windows Phone 7. There were six hubs open across the country at UBC, trIOS College, Carleton University, Nova Scotia Community College, University of Waterloo, Concordia University and Telus House Toronto for those who wanted to develop together in person. Each hub location had development mentors from XMG Studios to give guidance and assistance when needed, and we ventured out to UBC to meet up with Adam Telfer, VP of Game Development for XMG Studio.

The competitors were given resources for building their apps, which could not be started until 5pm on the Appathon weekend. These resources included engines, physics and compiling. Email support was available for those who were not able to participate at one of the hubs while hands-on guidance was given to those at each of the hubs. The app being developed had to be a game, and XMG Studios would gain a non-exclusive license for publishing. At the end of the Appathon coding period on Sunday, all apps were to be submitted online to begin the review process. Each team was limited to creating one game, and by the end of the competition period, 50 games were completed by approximately 300 students on 100 teams.

In talking with Adam Telfer, we learned that the Appathon was the brainchild of XMG Studio President and Founder Ray Sharma, and was borne of the internal jam hackathons held at the studio. The hackathons are an opportunity for the studio’s personnel to show off their skills without fear of office politics or bureaucracy getting in the way. There were no boundaries put in place and creativity was encouraged. One of XMG’s latest releases came out of a hackathon, and as I’ve played the game, I can safely say that Adam’s 99 cent Cows vs Aliens is fun, challenging and addictive. Adam told us that the game took two days to prototype and two weeks to develop, which goes to show what can be accomplished in the right studio atmosphere. By the way, at the time of our interview with Adam, the studio was actively hiring, I encourage you to check out their career page to see if there’s an opportunity for you at XMG.

While XMG has not yet released a title in the WP7 Market, it is very active in the iOS and Facebook sectors, with a view to publishing in the Android Marketplace as well. As the studio pushes towards the expanding markets for casual games, Adam remarked that the WP7 platform has good dev support and follow through, although there does need to be improvement particularly for independent developers in regards to player achievements and discoverability. He felt that offering more features may not be the best answer in moving the casual and mobile game market forward, noting instead that a better alternative could be to make all features available to all developers, which would in turn give more options to the end user, resulting in more downloads and purchases, thereby benefiting all sectors of the marketplace.

While at UBC we also had a chance to talk for a few minutes with Team Sheldon (yes, the team was named for the venerable Big Bang Theory’s own Dr. Sheldon Cooper), a group of UBC computer science students who were working through the challenges of working with an emulator, and whose game ultimately went on to take second place at the finals.

Team Masheen Photo Credit: XMG

First prize for the Appathon was a cash prize of $25 000.00 plus the chance to interview for a 3 month (non-guaranteed) intern position at XMG, the National Post or Telus, along with an LG Optimus 7 smartphone (excluding phone plan). The second place team would receive a $10 000.00 cash prize along with the smartphone. In addition to the top two prizes were 25 category prizes, with each winner being presented with $1000.00 cash.

Based on a scoring system of 20 points, the games were judged on many quality points, including innovation, art, design, polish, fun and entertainment factors as well as stability to name but a few. Any ties in the score would be broken by ranking in the innovation standings. As the games passed through the stages of judging, scoring would start anew, again with any ties broken by the innovation standings.

Three teams would ultimately be chosen as finalists and flown to Toronto for the big prize announcement, which was held this past Thursday at Yonge and Dundas Square where the games were previewed to both the public and local media on giant screens. Each of the three finalists played their game live for the judging panel prior to the final placings being decided.

While the top game will gain a publishing guarantee in the WP7 Market, all 25 of the entries stand a good chance of being published if they prove to be of quality – however, all of the entries are co-owned with the Great Canadian Appathon, and cannot be individually published right away.

Prior to the awards announcements, I had the opportunity to ask each of the three finalist teams a series of questions, read on to learn more about the three top teams and their humourously quirky yet awesome answers : Read the rest of this entry »

Toon Boom Animation has a new look with their redesigned web site. While you’re over there taking a look around, check out the entries in their Animated Winter Wonderland Contest. It was open to elementary students in Quebec, in partnership with LearnQuebec and voting to pick a winner is now in progress.

The first video dev diary for Space Marine has been posted to YouTube – check out the action and hear from the devs as they talk about Relic Entertainment’s next title. Set in the rich Warhammer 40,000 universe created by Games Workshop®, Space Marine is scheduled to be released worldwide for the Xbox 360®, PlayStation®3 and Windows PC in August 2011.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGToH9mQTjY]

You are a Space Marine, one of humanity’s elite warriors, the last line of defence between mankind and its enemies. Through extensive genetic modification, psycho-chemical conditioning and years of rigorous training that would kill a normal man a Space Marine becomes superhuman. When one of the industrial ‘Forge World’ planets where humanity creates its greatest weapons, comes under attack and the thousands of imperial soldiers stationed there are overwhelmed the only thing standing between this planet and its total destruction is your Space Marine.

Paradox Interactive has released the first trailer of Supreme Ruler: Cold War. Developed by BattleGoat Studios, which also created the successful Supreme Ruler 2010 and 2020, their most recent title invites you to relive the tension and uncertainty of the Cold War.  Supreme Ruler: Cold War is the next installment in the Supreme Ruler series and gives players control over a 1950’s United States or Soviet Union as they try to lead their country to glory.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKberi0I2HU]

As leader of the United States or the Soviet Union, you must make the correct Economic, Diplomatic, Domestic and Military decisions to successfully navigate your country through this dangerous historical era and increase your nation’s Sphere of Influence on the world stage.

EA BioWare™ has partnered with FUNimation® Entertainment, a distributor of Japanese animation in North America, announced today an agreement to create an anime feature film adapted from one of the video game industry’s most revered franchises, Mass Effect™. Tokyo-based anime and international feature film production company T.O Entertainment, Inc. has signed on as a co-producer on the video. Based on the Mass Effect universe, the anime video will tell the tale of an epic science fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life and mysterious, uncharted planets.

Casey Hudson of BioWare, executive producer of the Mass Effect series, will serve as executive producer on the film, along with FUNimation President and CEO Gen Fukunaga and Director of Original Entertainment Chris Moujaes and T.O Entertainment’s CEO Takeichi Honda and Yui Shibata.

“Over the last few years, we have revealed different pieces of the Mass Effect world through different media. Extending the story through an anime medium is another amazing opportunity for us,” said Casey Hudson, Executive Producer for the Mass Effect series. “Partnering with FUNimation ensures that we will bring this rich universe to life with the utmost quality and the same attention to detail that the Mass Effect games are known for.”

“It is thanks to the enormous and passionate Mass Effect fan base that this movie is made possible,” said Gen Fukunaga, President & CEO of FUNimation. “With production underway on the Dragon Age video, we are excited to team up with another BioWare team to add an exciting new chapter to this vast sci-fi world.”

Production of the Mass Effect anime movie has already begun. Digital and home video releases are scheduled for the summer of 2012. The original Mass Effect game and its sequel Mass Effect 2 have received over 250 awards and 100 perfect ‘10’ scores from critics worldwide. Mass Effect 2 is available now for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and PC. Stay tuned for more news about the continuation of Commander Shepard’s adventure as BioWare will release more information about Mass Effect 3 soon.

In another deal, EA and Hasbro, Inc. have proclaimed that today, April 7th, is Global Monopoly Day on Facebook. Monopoly fans around the world are invited to play Monopoly Millionaires on Facebook to win more than $20,000 in prizes (no purchase necessary, void in Quebec) and participate in an attempt to set a new Guinness World Records® title. The attempt will be measured by the greatest number of people worldwide simultaneously playing Monopoly Millionaires on Facebook. Official adjudicators will be monitoring the game over a 24-hour period from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. PST on April 7. Players can take part during that time frame through Monopoly Millionaires on Facebook and can RSVP to participate at the Global Monopoly Day event page on Facebook any time prior to 11:59 p.m. PST on April 7. As of right now, there are over 74 000 people “attending” the event. Read the rest of this entry »

A quick note before the major news – The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) has embraced the value of social media, with accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. The OACP states that these accounts were opened in order to better serve Ontario police executives, members of the media, and members of the public with an interest in policing. Personally I think this is great – I believe that various police departments around the country are realizing what an important tool social media can be in crime fighting and helping to engage the general public when information is needed, from searching for a wanted person, a missing person, Amber Alerts, and the dispensing of public safety tips.

Some departments are far better at the use of these tools, such as both Vancouver and Toronto Police Departments, and some need improvement, such as the bcRCMP and local RCMP detachment twitter accounts, but they are on the right track, and I hope that as they get more comfortable with the use of social media, we will see a greater drop in crime and a big jump in safe communities.

Powernoodle, the web-based SaaS collaboration tool that recently acknowledged as the first recipient of FedDev Ontario’s Investing in Business Innovation Initiative (IIBI), will be powering the judging of the Road to Banff competition at the coming Canada 3.0 conference.

Canada 3.0 is all about Canada’s digital media future and Stratford has evolved into a hotbed of innovative, hi-tech development. From the University of Waterloo’s Stratford campus and the Stratford Institute, to an investment in 60 km of fibre optic cable and city wide Wi-Fi, the city has aggressively pursued a hi-tech economy, culminating in global recognition with a spot in the exclusive Top Seven Intelligent Communities of the Year for 2011, from the ICF.

“The Road to Banff Challenge aligns with Powernoodle’s solution for running competitions in the Evaluations space,” says Powernoodle CEO Deb Krizmanich. “Powernoodle’s collaboration features line up perfectly with the Canada 3.0 evaluation and rating requirements for the competition. The judges needed to be up and running quickly with little training and intuitively process a lot of data effectively. Powernoodle is a product of the Stratford technology ecosystem and while we have a global focus, being a part of Canada 3.0 is like a homecoming for us.”

With up to 100 companies making ten minute pitches to the panel of judges, there will be a great deal of information flying around and trying to track it all in a meaningful way presents many challenges. Each competing company will face a panel consisting of at least three judges (including venture capitalists, angel investors and professional services providers) and will be scored based on how compelling their product or service is, the viability of their business model, proven entrepreneurship and overall presentation. Powernoodle was chosen because it excels at empowering a team (in the same room or attending virtually) to collaboratively review, comment and rate a series of ideas, quickly and efficiently generating real-time results and reports of the very best ideas, solutions or in this case, companies.

According to Steve Currie, VP Business Services, Communitech: “It was critical for us to have real-time results reporting, even with judges evaluating companies in different rooms at different times. Powernoodle lets us move 100 companies to 16 finalists to three winners in real-time, using twenty different rating criteria, in a point and click interface. Best of all, Powernoodle generates an automatic report of the entire process, capturing the judges’ anonymous comments, feedback and scores through the two rounds of competition. Using technology to evaluate technology companies is a perfect fit for the Road to Banff pitch contest.”

Attendees of Canada 3.0 will see Powernoodle in action and will also be able to talk to company executives at the conference. Look for Powernoodle’s booth in the main conference exhibit hall.

HMS Software has announced the release of TimeControl 6.1.  This upgrade of TimeControl advances the 6th generation of one of the world’s best known timesheet systems.  Since its first commercial release in 1994 TimeControl has been recognized by some of the largest organizations in the world as the most flexible solution for meeting timesheet challenges.  TimeControl is a multi-purpose timesheet, serving requirements for project timekeeping, time and billing and time and attendance from within a single system. TimeControl version 6.1 takes the product to the next level with new features, an extended architecture, enhancements and an exciting new look existing functions.

“We’re very proud of the accomplishment represented by TimeControl 6.1” said Chris Vandersluis, president of HMS Software. “This version brings the new generation of TimeControl launched last year with the release of TimeControl 6 to a whole new level of interface and productivity.”

This year’s Canada 3.0 digital media forum will have a strong focus on industry, including an address by Canada’s Industry Minister Tony Clement, when the event is staged at the Stratford Rotary Complex in Stratford, Ontario this May 2nd through 4th. Minister Clement will speak to Canada’s place in the global digital economy on May 3.

“Our government has a clear vision of how Canada can successfully engage in the digital economy,” said Minister Clement. “Canada 3.0 brings together everyone from grassroots entrepreneurs, to industry leaders, academia, and government. It is the ideal platform to be talking about how best to position Canada for success in the digital future.”

The Canadian Digital Media Network (CDMN) organizing Canada 3.0 2011 says the forum will examine how ICT (Information and Communications Technologies) can advance Canada’s productivity. There is also a pitch competition for early stage companies. The Road To Banff Pitch Off Contest, which is open for up to 100 Canadian early stage companies interested in pitching, getting feedback and networking, offers among other prizes 3 Grand Prizes, which consist of  an all expense paid trip to the Banff Venture Forum courtesy of the Canadian Digital Media Network and Communitech. Winners will receive travel, accommodations and conference fees to the Banff Venture Forum, Canada’s premier Venture Capital forum. In addition, Banff Venture Forum organizers will host a one day workshop for the winners that will include introductions to funders and pairing companies with a VC mentor for the conference.

“Our ‘Moonshot’ goal for Canada – that anyone can do anything online in Canada by 2017 — is what drives the discussion and action items resulting from the event,” said Kevin Tuer, Managing Director of the CDMN. There is a video contest to go with the previous statement.

Individuals, schools and post secondary institutions, corporations – all Canadians – are invited to submit a video that paints their vision of Canada as it will look in 2017. Your video can be a webcam monologue, a presentation, a story or a short film of 5 minutes or less. Select entries will be featured on the Canada 3.0 website and profiled at the Canada 3.0 venue during the conference. Three winners will each receive $500.00 in addition to the spotlight features.

In addition to the industry focus, Canada 3.0 also spans government and education, with the speaker roster including:

–        Anthony D. Williams, co-author of ‘MacroWikinomics’, ‘Rebooting Business and the World’, and ‘Wikinomics’
–        Jeremy Gutsche, innovation expert, author of Exploiting Chaos, and host of Trend Hunter TV
–        Dr. Michael Wesch, Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Kansas State University and winner of the Wired Magazine Rave Award
–        Kunal Gupta, CEO of Polar Mobile, and a market leader in launching innovative mobile applications
–        Soniya Monga, Community Manager at Techvibes.com and co-host of Perpetual Radio’s Social Media Show
–        Paul Lepage, Sr. VP Telus Health and Financial Solutions in the Telus Health Solutions division

Eight sector tracks will include more than 100 speakers and expert panelists, plus interactive discussions regarding the latest in digital media-driven productivity gains in education, health, media & entertainment, telecommunications & distribution, natural resources, public sector, research, and human resources.

In addition to the ‘main tent’ presentations and sector tracks, the forum also features an Interactive Showcase area which this year comprises more than 60 exhibitors spanning industry and academia. Tuer emphasizes that the connections between participants in the forum are a key benefit of the event.

”Every year the conversation is renewed and revitalized with connections that make for lasting relationships amongst digital startups and established companies, across sectors and up and down the influence chain,” said Tuer.

Canada 3.0 2011 is enabled by Platinum sponsors: OpenText, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Research In Motion (RIM), and supported by The City of Stratford and University of Waterloo Stratford Campus.

Digital Leisure announced this morning that the Dragon’s Lair action figures are selling fast, and there are fewer sets available now than there were before. Don’t miss your chance, get them now – $49.99 (+ shipping and taxes if applicable) gets you the starring cast of Dragon’s Lair – Dirk, Daphne, Mordroc and Singe, along with their weaponry and select items from the story. I know this group would look mighty fine on my game collectibles shelf, if I had an expense budget that wasn’t currently screaming out in pain.

New from Behaviour Interactive, Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime is now available on Xbox LIVE^® Arcade and Windows PC Download at Steam and Atari.com. Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime will be released on PlayStation®Network on March 30^th. The new four player, ghost busting adventure that will take players on a brand new paranormal experience. Players will suit up with their proton packs and assume the role of a rookie hired by the Ghostbusters to save New York City from a disaster of ghoulish proportions in either single player, or cooperative (online or local).

Play progresses as gamers explore a series of haunted environments that must be cleared of any ectoplasmic threats. The gripping adventure rages on as players encounter gigantic bosses that require a concentrated effort to defeat using a medley of highly destructive weapons including the Proton Stream, Plasma Inductor, and the Fermion Shock. The rookie Ghostbusters will face the dangers of the eerie world alone or with a ghost busting team of friends both locally or online through the game’s multiplayer capability.

Those lovably squishy and doggedly determined little blue Swarmite creatures have invaded the tubes at Xbox Live Arcade, and for only 1200 MS points you can welcome them into your home where you can dismember, squash and push them over the edge in the privacy of your living room. Yes, the long-anticipated new release from Hothead Games has been released to the masses. Get it now while the little blue guys are still breathing. You PlayStation 3 owners can also pick up Swarm for $14.99. If you want to know how many Swarmites have been sacrificed for the greater good, check out the Swarm Global Death Counter – at press time it was closing in on 2.4 million. Poor little guys!

Also available now on Steam is Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood for PC. The regular digital version is priced at $49.99USD while the Digital Deluxe version is priced at $59.99USD. The Digital Deluxe version includes all of the basics plus:

* Map of Rome
* 1 Ezio Skin – Helmschmied Drachen Armour
* 2 Exclusive Single-Player Maps: The Trajan Market & The Aqueduct
* 2 Multiplayer Characters, The Officer and The Harlequin
* The Original Codex Written by Altaïr: The history of the Assassins and art of Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood
* Multiplayer Characters Collectible Trading Cards
* Assassin’s Creed Lineage – The Complete Movie
* Making-Of Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood – Behind the Brotherhood
* Game Soundtrack: 22 songs from the original game soundtrack by Jesper Kyd

Digital Premium Edition content is only available via download, and both Steam versions also include the Animus Project 1.0, 2.0 and the Da Vinci Disappearance DLC add-ons.

Incubator Games has launched its newest kids’ title. This follow-up to Kelvin’s Space Ranch is called The CO₂ Connection, which was built for Science Alberta as an educational game whose main premise is to teach kids about the extraction, compression, transportation and storage of CO₂ while decreasing Alberta’s carbon footprint. You can read the development post-mortem on the Incubator Games site and learn about the background and challenges for this game. The CO2 Connection is also available as a free download in the iTunes App Store and is compatible with the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

IBM and Nova Scotia’s MediaSpark Inc. have won a national tender to provide 900 Ontario schools with educational games and simulation software designed to sharpen their business and financial skills as they prepare to meet the growing demands of the 21^st Century. MediaSpark worked with IBM Canada to win the tender issued by the Ministry of Education through the Ontario Software Acquisition Program Advisory Committee.

Four of MediaSpark’s GoVenture educational games and simulation software solutions will provide students from grades seven to 12 with highly realistic simulations emphasizing Entrepreneurship, Accounting, Financial Literacy, and Personal Finance skills.

“Games and simulations are revolutionizing education,” says Mathew Georghiou, CEO of MediaSpark Inc. “We are encouraged to see Ontario take a leadership role in adopting new methods of learning. Not only will these simulations help Ontario students, but we believe they have the potential to play an important role in enhancing the grassroots entrepreneurial culture in Ontario, resulting in future prosperity.”

Learners gain experience by being immersed in simulated worlds created with advanced experiential learning and gaming techniques.  For example, in the Entrepreneurship module, students learn how to run a clothing or sporting goods store by testing their abilities with scenarios that map to real challenges faced by new entrepreneurs. They conduct business, get advice, attend training seminars or sell their companies. In the Personal Finance module, students live up to 50 years of their financial futures, virtually, making decisions about money and credit.

“Today’s students are demanding more digital applications and support for alternative learning methods,” said Ralph Chapman, Vice-President, Public Sector, IBM Canada.  “Our ability to deliver this type of advanced learning to Ontario schools provides students with the modern tools they need to better prepare themselves for the new demands of the work world.”

Historically, simulation gaming has been used extensively in the military, by athletes and by scientists to discover effective new strategies and techniques and develop the skills needed to implement them. Businesses have realized the value of this technique and are deploying their own games to create life-like simulations of real markets, customers and business situations that they deal with every day. Gaming technology is also increasingly being used in higher education institutions to complement and extend traditional teaching methods. Currently, more than 1,000 colleges and universities use IBM games in their curricula.

Two Alberta students and one from Ontario who participated last fall in a contest organized by the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) that encouraged enrolment in The City, have won laptop computers.  The City is an online interactive resource that teaches basic financial skills. Students learn from eight “life stage characters” who face various financial circumstances that young people can relate to. The City is a free, Web-based learning program developed by the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) and the British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC). In order to qualify to win the laptops, the students had to complete four modules and score 100% on a follow-up quiz.  The three winners were then chosen randomly from a draw of all qualified entrants. A school in Toronto has a SMART Board™ thanks to the efforts of teacher Clarence Sze-chun Yeung, a math teacher at SATEC@W.A. Porter Collegiate Institute who enrolled his class in The City.

Another contest is now underway for students and teachers who enrol in The City in the second term. To be eligible, students and teachers in any Canadian province or territory must register and participate in The City before March 31, 2011. The contest rules are available on FCAC’s website

Wow it’s Monday already – where did the weekend go? That 48 hours really does pass by far too quickly, and I never get as much accomplished as I’d like. At least I did manage to get some Spring cleaning done in the office, what with it now being Spring – except for you people in the Eastern Arctic, that is. Sorry about that snow, Ontario. I haven’t yet found the exact bit of paperwork I was actually looking for, but our office does look a little bit less Hoarder-ish, so that’s a step in the right direction at least.

As usual there is loads of news bits I’d like to pass on to you, so I suppose there is no time like now to get started. For those of you who would like to have exhibit space at SIGGRAPH 2011, the floor plan has been re-configured to open up more space. We’d like to be a part of SIGGRAPH 2011 but can’t afford the exhibit space on our own – is there anyone out there in Canadaland who might be interested in sharing space or making a co-op booth? This could be a great opportunity to get some exposure happening. We’ve started working on our re-branding, and SIGGRAPH 2011 would be a very opportunistic time to launch. Give it some thought and let me know if you’re interested.

Transgaming Studios‘ recently released title Garage Inc. is currently available for free download in Apple’s App Stores for iPhone/iPod Touch, iPad and Mac. If you’re not already playing this Prohibition-era time management game, you should go download it now. Help Angelo build his automotive business and live the American dream while fending off some really nasty mobsters.

According to all reports, the BIG Book Drive held over the weekend in Burnaby was a huge success, with more than 10,000 books collected,  providing low-income families with an opportunity to learn. The organizers have also been able to recycle over 24+ boxes of magazines and catalogs to create a more sustainable future. The organization would like to thank everyone who has helped out so far, and remind you that this does not mark the end of the Book Drive – there is more to come. Be sure to check their website for future information.

Ancestry.ca has released a new (and free) app for the iPhone and iPad. This new app lets you access generations of family history and add facts, photos and other historical anecdotes at every turn. All you need is an Ancestry.ca family tree, an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad and an adventurous spirit, and you’re ready to download the free app and hit the road in search of your story.

App Features Include:

• Lighter version of your Ancestry.ca family tree
• More intuitive to use, with iPhone and iTouch functionality
• Information is automatically available when you log in to your Ancestry.ca account from your computer
• Access trees that were shared with you
• View attached records and source citations

I noticed in the app’s descriptions on Ancestry.ca that an additional feature is listed under the iPad section, stating that you can easily upload photos, add ancestors, correct dates, include notes and more, from within the app – but this is not listed in the basic and iPhone app features.

Microsoft Canada is once again calling for entries to the 4th annual Microsoft Blue Sky Awards. The corporation is looking for individuals who have developed solutions that either break conventional processes or go beyond marginal improvements in existing products. Entrants will be assessed on the innovation behind their idea, the uniqueness of the architecture, the use of Microsoft technologies and the solution’s viability in the marketplace. Winners and finalists will be recognized at the 2011 Canadian ISV Leadership Summit (event site has not been updated from 2010) on May 30, 2011 and the winner will receive a customized engagement plan to help support ongoing software development and increase market visibility. Submissions close April 25th, please see the competition web site for full details.

Citytv has launched its Toronto CityNews app for iPad and iPhone.  The interactive CityNews app will feature the latest in local news, weather, sports and traffic that matters most to viewers in Toronto and the GTA.  The ad supported CityNews app is available free from the App Store on iPad or iPhone.

CityNews viewers can now get their news Everywhere while on-the-go with this new hyper local news app.  The app will provide up-to-the-minute news and weather videocasts throughout the day.  The app allows users to share their own stories and breaking news in their communities via their mobile device with the CityNews room by uploading videos, photos, news tips and stories.  Other features include local weather information, a map view of the news as it unfolds across of the GTA and the ability to share content from the app using social media. This would be more useful if it also covered CityTV’s other market cities.

Toronto’s Omnego™ will be showcasing the company’s comprehensive platform for mobile customer engagement this week at Orlando’s CTIA Wireless 2011. The Omnego platform enables brands to deliver digital cards, tickets, coupons and much more to a mobile application for an ongoing engagement with consumers in the mobile channel. Omnego’s web-based platform and consumer mobile application has been developed so that businesses can implement their mobile marketing strategies within weeks.

The Omnego platform is ideal for businesses that currently interact with consumers using physical loyalty, gift, ID/membership cards, or distributors of tickets/passes and coupons. These businesses can easily implement Omnego’s platform to issue digital versions of these same items, and additionally create an interactive and targeted marketing engagement with consumers. Businesses such as retailers, gift card processors, card personalizers, direct/loyalty marketers, print/online media companies, and ad/media agencies can benefit from implementing the Omnego software platform. You can check the service out at Booth 2246, located in the CTIA Ontario Pavilion.

XLmagic, a mobile web platform/HTML5 from Toronto’s Xtreme Labs Inc. is now available.  XLmagic is designed to provide a dynamic and enhanced browsing experience for all mobile phones as well as social network integration for all smartphones, catering to the increasing market demand for superior mobile web solutions and has recently been deployed by a large North American wireless network and content provider. The network subscribers will benefit from an intuitive user interface, easier access to social networks, and increased ability to manage their services via their phone.

Madra expressed excitement about the technological expertise and innovation Xtreme Labs is showcasing with the release of XLmagic for mobile operators and content providers. “Mobile web mashups with social network integration and operator billing are just the start. With XLmagic we can simplify the mobile experience for subscribers while improving their ability to upgrade and manage their mobile products and services,” says Madra.

XLmagic provides the full package from standard to customized modules for delivering content integration and management. Designed for mobile operators and content providers, XLmagic’s broad access to all phones with device optimizations and multi-language support reduces the time and cost to deliver mobile web experiences across multiple devices.

Industry Canada has re-launched the Government of Canada’s Small Business Internship Program, investing $3.5 million to create internships for post-secondary students across Canada. When the application process opens on April 1st, the Small Business Internship Program will assist small and medium-sized enterprises across Canada improve their productivity and competitiveness by hiring about 400 student interns annually to help with information and communications technology projects. Seventeen Canadian organizations have been chosen to act as delivery agencies for the Internship Program, and they will be responsible for selecting businesses to participate in the program. Funding provisions will be allocated between each of the agencies will be based on the size of the population they serve.