Village Gamer

From Black Swan to Bones: The Work of LOOK Effects is an evening session event being presented by the Vancouver chapter of ACM SIGGRAPH. Being held at the VanCity Theatre on May 18th, the evening will feature a cash bar networking reception when the doors open at 6:30, prior to the main event, which begins at 7:00. Tickets are $15.00 for SIGGRAPH members, $25.00 for non-members, with Group Pricing available at a cost of $20.00 per ticket for groups of 5 or more. Please note that Group Pricing is available only through advance on-line purchasing.

The evening’s presentation will offer insight’s into the company’s most recent work, including Black Swan, Limitless, Bones. LOOK Effects co-founder and visual effects supervisor Henrik Fett will give attendees a peek at how and why LOOK does what they do so well. Mr. Fett supervises digital effects production both on-set and in post production, and he is highly-accomplished in live-action production, 3D animation and digital post production.

Among LOOK’s other film credits are The King’s Speech, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Step Up 3D, Just Wright, and Bounty Hunter. The studio’s television credits include Harry’s Law, No Ordinary Family, Bones, Lost, and the Emmy-nominated effects for Life After People.

This event is sponsored in part by Annex Pro.

Toronto has leapt into the number two spot in the world in the just-released PwC survey of “Cities of Opportunity” – the consultancy’s fourth analysis “of the trajectory of 26 cities, all capitals of finance, commerce and culture.” New York is slightly ahead of Toronto in first place, while San Francisco, Stockholm and Sydney round out the top five.

In its analysis, PwC ranked cities in ten categories – measures designed, as PwC describes it, to favour “holistic capital market centres with vibrant economies and strong quality of life.” According to PwC, “Our thesis is that a successful city going forward will balance both social and economic strengths so the people and infrastructure support each other.”

Toronto ranks particularly highly in two of the categories most closely correlated with global competitiveness: Intellectual Capital & Innovation (2nd) and Health, Safety & Security (2nd). “The successful modern urban economy,” says PwC, “is reliant on, if not yet solely the product of, intelligence and social well-being.”

Toronto also ranks highly on Demographics and Liveability (#3), Lifestyle Assets (4th), Ease of Doing Business (5th), Sustainability (5th) and Cost (5th).

The PwC report sums up with the observation that, “to sustain success, cities today must continually attract and retain highly educated, technologically adept and digitally connected knowledge workers who increasingly make up the core of their human capital and whose definition of quality of life is exacting and not easily compromised… More than a centre of global business and finance alone, Toronto is a community in which people want to live and expect to lead rich and meaningful lives.”

Samsung Electronics Canada and Zip.ca has announced an exclusive partnership that will soon provide Canadians the ability to enjoy thousands of movies and TV episodes streamed from Zip.ca to Samsung’s SMART Televisions, Blu-ray players and Home Theatre products.

“Realizing the changing entertainment landscape and the demand for online entertainment, this new partnership will help Canadian’s access Zip.ca’s expansive catalogue and underscores our goal of developing smart technologies that deliver content with convenience to meet consumers needs,” said David Vitale, Head of Marketing, Samsung Electronics Canada.

A Zip.ca app will be available on Samsung’s Internet connected TV and Home Theatre products soon, offering Zip.ca members the ability to instantly watch movies and TV episodes from Zip.ca.

“For the past year, Samsung and Zip.ca have been working together to solidify a service that would provide Canadians with the latest movies and TV programs at the mere push of a button,” said Scott Richards, CEO, Zip.ca. “Consumers want outstanding technology to watch their favourite programs, so Samsung was a natural choice for this partnership.”

MEGA Brands Inc. has announced that holders of its 10% senior secured debentures passed an extraordinary resolution today approving amendments to the indenture governing the debentures. The amendments, among other things, allow the Corporation to increase available borrowings for working capital purposes under its existing asset-based credit agreement and are effective as of today. The extraordinary resolution was approved by approximately 92% of the votes cast in person or represented by proxy at the special meeting of debenture holders.

When the polls closed on Monday evening Jack Layton had made historic gains.  It was a trend in popularity and leadership that the two-week online election game Ballot Blitz had shown from the beginning. Layton finished at the top of Onestop Media Group’s Ballot Blitz leaderboard on Play Onestop with 36%.

Ballot Blitz was an election themed arcade game which posted poll results based on the animated candidates’ popularity.  Users were asked to play as one of five party leaders – Stephen Harper, Michael Ignatieff, Elizabeth May, Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe – while the other four candidates whizzed across the scene attempting to steal votes.

Layton’s luster was not confined to Ballot Blitz. He and his party rose to the top of almost every poll on PlayOnestop.com’s polling section as well.  These polls measured several leadership qualities including integrity in a fun way.  For example, most users did not believe Layton would attempt to ring 9 items through an 8 item express checkout line.

Susan Varty, Principal of Wordtree Consulting, has joined HeadStart Solutions Inc. as Director of Digital Strategy. Wordtree is now operating under HeadStart to contribute content marketing, social media initiatives and services for HeadStart’s clients.

“Our partnership will enhance our recruitment and employer branding offerings for our existing client base, as well as attract new clients in the emerging digital technology space. I’m looking forward to working with Sue who brings a wealth of experience in content and social media communications.  This makes it a perfect match for us to collaborate and build upon HeadStart’s foundation,” says Marc Roginsky, Founder and President of HeadStart.

Best Buy Canada is hosting The Windows Experience Tour at select Best Buy stores in Ontario and Quebec. Beginning May 6^th until June 26^th, the tent activation will be set up in the parking lots of select stores where customers can check out the hot new hardware while experiencing how Windows 7 and free Windows Live services can help them create, connect and share using their PC and the cloud. In addition, customers can speak with Windows brand ambassadors and Best Buy blue shirts and have the chance to win prizes including one of seven ultimate jet-setter experiences to a music festival somewhere around the globe, or many other prizes as part of the Rock the Globe contest.

Two Best Buy locations will feature a Windows “tailgate” parking lot party, complete with a free barbeque and music. The parties will be at the Newmarket location on May 14^th and May 15^th and the Leaside location on May 21^st.

Dates and locations of the Windows Experience Tours:

May 6 – 8: Sherway – 167 North Queen Etobicoke
May 13 – 15: Newmarket – 175 Green Lane East, Newmarket
May 20 – 22: Leaside – 147 Laird Drive East York
May 27 – 29: Laval – 1560 boulevard Le Courbusier Laval
June 3 – 5: Woodbridge – 7850 Weston Road Woodbridge
June 10 – 12: Sherway – 167 North Queen Etobicoke
June 17 – 19: Kitchener – 215 Fairway Road South Kitchener
June 24 – 26: St. Catherine’s – 420 Vansickle Road St. Catherine’s
June 24 – 26: Ottawa East – 380 Coventry Road Ottawa

Featuring top representation from Sony, AMD, Nvidia, Dynamic Digital Depth, Autodesk, Big Blue Bubble and more, The S-3D Gaming Alliance is pleased to announce the 3D gaming panel and presentations taking place at the upcoming Discovery 11 conference.  Held at the Metro Toronto Convention Center on May 18th and 19th, OCE’s Discovery was named as Canada’s Best Trade Show and  is the country’s  leading innovation-to-commercialization conference. Hosted by Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE), Discovery 11 brings together key players from industry, academia, government, the investment community as well as entrepreneurs and students to pursue collaboration opportunities.

“I’m looking forward to speaking at Discovery 11. This is such a unique opportunity to get an overview of the current state of 3D technology and discuss the future of 3D with other industry experts,” said Damir Slogar, CEO of Big Blue Bubble.

According to the 2011 U-Decide Initiative, 80% of gamers that don’t yet own 3D equipment are willing to play video games while wearing 3D glasses, and 92% are willing to do so with a glasses-free solution. In addition to being neck and neck with 3D Blu-Ray movies, 3D gaming has a clear advantage for technology enablers looking to reach the early adopters. According to DisplaySearch, 3D is expected to account for 50% of HDTV revenues by 2014 because it will be a standard feature in future sets.

“While everyone wants 3D gaming to take off, there are several opinions on how this will be accomplished. With nearly all the industry players and competitors at the same table, this should be very informative for press and industry alike,” said Neil Schneider, Executive Director of The S-3D Gaming Alliance, and moderator for the upcoming OCE Discovery 3D gaming panel.

In recognition of the growing importance of stereoscopic 3D gaming on mobile platforms like the Nintendo 3DS, 3D tablets, and 3D smart phones, S3DGA is also pleased to announce their latest member: Big Blue Bubble.

“S3DGA truly understands unique challenges of stereoscopic 3D gaming and by creating and defining standards helps both manufacturers and developers to deliver top quality 3D content to consumers. We are happy to be part of it”, Slogar said.

Big Blue Bubble is one of Canada’s leading game developers, and has a direct interest in stereoscopic 3D gaming on console as well as mobile platforms. BBB has garnered numerous industry awards and accolades, but the true testament of their accomplishments can be seen through the success of their games – 60 titles distributed in over 100 countries.

There will also be an introductory presentation for iGO3D, an Ontario government funded initiative to research the most effective techniques in stereoscopic 3D game development.  Attached organizations include the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, York University, the University of Waterloo, University of Western Ontario, the Ontario College of Arts and Design University (OCADU) and George Brown College. Industry partners include the S-3D Gaming Alliance (S3DGA), Electronic Arts Canada, Bedlam Games, Big Blue Bubble, Digital Extremes, Interactive Ontario and Junction VFX.

You are cordially invited to attend the 10th edition of international conference webcom, one of the largest gatherings on Web new technologies, strategies, challenges and trends for North American organizations. webcom takes place on May 11th at the ICAO (Organization of International Civil Aviation) Head Office, 999 University Street in Montreal. Tickets for the conference are $495.00, with 

webcom boasts 45 speakers, 33 case studies, panels and sessions. Among the renowned speakers, Debbie Weil, author, speaker, and expert on corporate blogs and social media, Maggie Fox, founder and CEO of Social Media Group, and Geoff Livingston, author of the award-winning book on new media “Now is Gone”.

You will also have the opportunity to meet local experts, including Michelle Blanc, Bruno Guglielminetti, Katia St-Jean, Patrick Dubé, Charlérik Lemieux, Mitch Joel and several others.

For the past five years, webcom has been offering up-to-date conferences focused on international sharing and experience for local companies, allowing them to make sure their administrators are equipped to face tomorrow’s communication and technological challenges.

Always seeking to provide the latest content tailored to corporate realities while making sure to stay on top of upcoming challenges, webcom has redesigned its program schedule. As such, it will now be focused on educating and promoting Québec-based organizations through its effective combination of international speakers and local business partners. Those who are curious, have a vision or develop strategies can take part in conferences grouped under the five following themes:

1. Internal communications and services
2. External marketing and communications
3. E-commerce
4. Platforms and technologies
5. Innovation and interactive experience

Besides the main conference, participants can attend two off-program activities. webcomLive is an 8-hour WebTV presentation broadcasted live from webcom and accessible online in real-time, and webcamp is workshop presented by Sylvain Carle where tech and social Web buffs can push the Web environment’s conventional limits. webcom is presented by Guidyu and made possible through the collaborations of several partners, including: Transcontinental, Bell,  w.illi.am and Massy-Forget Public Relations.

TVO, Ontario’s public educational media organization and proud supporter of Canadian documentary filmmaking, is pleased to announce that two new TVO commissioned point-of-view films will be screened at Hot Docs, North America’s largest documentary film festival.

Both films, Recessionize! For Fun and Profit! and Grinders, represent TVO’s commitment to nurturing Canadian documentary filmmakers with important stories to tell (descriptions and screening information below). And TVO is thrilled that Hot Docs 2011 is honouring documentary filmmaker Alan Zweig. TVO has had the privilege of financially supporting and partnering on all of his documentaries, including the 2010 Genie Award winner, A Hard Name.

“TVO commissions between 8-10 new point-of-view documentary films every year, more than any other Canadian broadcaster,” says Jane Jankovic, TVO’s commissioning editor for point-of-view documentaries. “We deliberately focus on point-of-view films that resonate with Canadians and spark interesting discussions and debate.”

“And with the help of generous donors, we can do even more,” adds Jankovic.

More than fifty percent of TVO’s prime-time programming is devoted to documentary films. That is 1,430 hours of documentaries per year including commissions and acquisitions. TVO offers a selection of documentaries free and online for on-demand viewing.

In 2011, TVO will launch “The Doc Studio” – an exciting new online project that will engage users in the world of documentary films and filmmaking. It will provide a comprehensive look at the works of celebrated filmmakers; showcase the work of emerging filmmakers and will take viewers behind-the-scenes with extra videos, photos and interviews.

TVO at Hot Docs 2011:

Recessionize! For Fun and Profit! Toronto filmmaker Jamie Kastner (Kike Like Me, produced in association with TVO) sets off on a black-comic road trip through California, Europe and Dubai to meet those who manage to turn the world economic crisis into opportunity. The quirky cast ranges from kids at “Camp Millionaire” and Berlin prostitutes offering eco-discounts, to the owners of a French hotel promising a hamster experience.

Saturday, May 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the TIFF Bell Lightbox 2 (rush tickets only)

Grinders Ontario filmmaker Matt Gallagher’s inside journey into the unconventional, often bizarre, underground world of illegal poker clubs. It’s a world populated by colourful characters, straight out of central casting. A world where the workday starts at midnight, runs strictly on cash and can change forever with the simple flip of a card. Matt’s intimate, first person narrative is joined by the voices of other grinders — poker players who make a small but sustainable living at the poker table.

Saturday, May 7 at 9:30 p.m. at TIFF Bell Lightbox 1
Sunday, May 8 at 6:30 p.m. at Fox Theatre (rush tickets only)

More than 100 years ago, Horace Greeley popularized the expression “Go West, young man”. Taking his advice to heart, the mesh group has decided to go west, and now one of Canada’s leading Web conferences will be holding a one-day event in Calgary on June 8 at the MacEwan Conference & Event Centre at the University of Calgary.

The move into Western Canada is the latest extension of the vision the five co-founders of mesh had when they decided in 2006 that Canada needed a conference to talk about the exciting things happening on the Web.

From those humble roots, mesh has grown into an event that has attracted a long series of great speakers and – just as important – thousands of enthusiastic and engaged attendees. Calgary is the first stop on a Western swing that will see meshwest also happen in Edmonton and Vancouver.

“meshwest was something that we’ve been exploring for the last few years,” said mesh co-founder Mark Evans. “After the successful launching of meshmarketing two years ago, the time was finally right to take mesh into Western Canada.”

Like mesh, meshwest will feature a line-up of keynotes and panels focused on four streams – media, society, business and marketing – with an emphasis on exploring what’s over the horizon in the digital world. Speakers include Tobias Lutke, Keith Bilous, Mark MacLeod, Danny Robinson, Mark Evans, Mathew Ingram, Rob Hyndman and Stuart MacDonald.

The “eastern” mesh conference takes place in Toronto on May 25th and 26th.

Digifest 2011 is Toronto’s international festival celebrating innovation and digital creativity. From October 26-30 established and emerging designers, technologists and artists will learn about the latest trends and experience innovations firsthand through panel discussions and presentations, demos, interactive exhibitions, workshops, art installations, “doors open” academic tours, creative showcases and parties.

Digifest will showcase digital media creativity in Toronto, bringing together academic, industry and the public to experience the convergence of interactive & mobile media, gaming, art and design, architecture, simulation and more.

Digifest will celebrate the latest achievements in visualization, simulation and interaction in many fields, inspiring and connecting all involved.  The festival’s long-term vision is to globally brand Toronto as a leading digital media and technology centre based on the unique breadth and depth of its digital sectors.

Digifest has been renewed and updated by the School of Design at George Brown College in partnership with the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, the Toronto International Film Festival Group (TIFF), Applied Arts Inc., Meet The Media Guru (Italy), TOJam, Gamercamp, OCAD University, Ryerson University, Seneca College and various media and venue partners.

Innovation Days

(Wednesday October 26 – Thursday October 27, daytime)

This exciting portion of Digifest will showcase results of industry/school research partnerships to a crowd made up of industry members, academics and students. The content will be selected by Digifest and its academic partners. Each morning / afternoon will be devoted to one of the four Digifest streams: play, touch, build, watch.

Talks will be delivered by industry “thought leaders” followed by shorter presentations from various innovators in related fields.

Tiff.nexus Innovation Day

(Friday October 28)

TIFF.nexus is the connection of the existing and emerging media sectors of Film, Gaming and New Media, designed as a catalyst for collaboration between them.  This innovation day will feature emerging technology talks and presentations as well as the results of the 2011 Gaming Peripherals Jam – putting game developers together with hardware hackers to innovate in areas of interface – which will be showcased in an evening reception at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Meet The Media Guru

(Wednesday October 26 – Friday October 28, evening)

Meet The Media Guru (MMG) is a Social Network and an Open Community of Digital Culture that organizes local Events in Italy to meet the world famous protagonists of Innovation. Digifest is bringing MMG events to Ontario by making them a key component of the DF schedule. These evening speaker events will bring innovators from across the globe for thought-provoking presentations that will inspire and challenge attendees.

Exhibits and Activities

(Saturday October 29 – Sunday October 30)

The Digifest weekend activities will feature an array of exhibits, interactive displays, presentations and more, with many free events open to the general public. Events include:

• TOJam: featuring a day of talks by local game makers and industry thinkers, exclusive in-progress demos, and an arcade installation of over 20 games from TOjam.
• Art by Gamercamp exhibition, displaying digital art and design installations.
• Ziris™ wall: an on-going display of Digifest Ziris™ competition entries to be featured on the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts Ziris™ wall throughout the week and into the weekend. The Ziris Competition is open for entries until May 27th – get yours in now.

Already planning your summer of fun? The curious and courageous need look no further than the Ontario Science Centre. With a captivating special exhibition, a thrilling featured live interactive performance and dynamic programming that will engage children and adults alike, visitors have a lot to be excited about this summer.

These new arrivals are included with general admission, providing great value for visitors and members.

Featured Exhibition

Reptiles: The Beautiful and the Deadly June 10 to Sept. 5, 2011
Which snake has the longest fangs? What is the difference between venom and poison? How many sounds can a crocodile make? Visitors will learn the answers to these questions and many others in the exhibition Reptiles: The Beautiful and the Deadly. This interactive zoological experience brings visitors eye-to-eye with living reptiles from around the world. Deadly snakes, colourful lizards, bizarre turtles, alligators and crocodiles are exhibited in naturalistic habitats. Children can climb on a life-sized model of a giant Galapagos turtle shell and learn fascinating reptile facts from interactive displays. The exhibition will leave visitors with a new appreciation for these often misunderstood creatures.

Reptiles: The Beautiful and the Deadly was created by Peeling Productions at Clyde Peeling’s REPTILAND, Allenwood, Pennsylvania.

Featured Live Interactive Stage Performance

CSI: Live! June 6 to Sept. 5, 2011
The world’s number one television franchise is about to hit the stage!  Mad Science presents CSI: LIVE!, an exciting, interactive journey through the fascinating world of crime scene investigations.  When a crime is committed at the Las Vegas premiere of the Max Spade Magic Show, the CSI team springs into action. Audience members are invited on stage with CSI “investigators” to be part of the investigation; becoming witnesses, suspects and CSI recruits. Together they will use their superior logic and forensic know-how to uncover hidden details, investigate the evidence and test their theories. Whether it’s analyzing mysterious gases, launching projectiles into a target or firing a laser beam across the stage, the CSI recruits will have to be on their toes to help solve the crime before it’s too late. How was the crime committed? Who is guilty? Only you can find the answers. It’s CSI: LIVE! – join the adventure! Recommended for children 8 years of age and up. Read the rest of this entry »

Interactive Ontario has announced the speaker line-up for the second annual INplay Conference, which takes place at the Liberty Grand in Toronto on May 17th and 18th. With its three major topic streams of Investment, Inspiration and Insights, the conference will examine the world of interactive entertainment and education for children. Registration for INplay is still open, so get your ticket now if you haven’t already.

New at the conference this year is the Canadian Interactive Showcase. Interactive Ontario has partnered with the Canada Media Fund to create an exclusive opportunity at INplay to showcase Canadian talent. The Canadian Interactive Showcase presented by CMF will provide Canadian companies with a chance to share their interactive project, product or service with an audience of investors, potential partners and peers.

INplay also gives registered delegates a chance to sit down with one of our event speakers or other featured participants for a 10 minute speed-dating style conversation in 1×1 Meetings.

Here are some of this year’s featured speakers:

Warren Buckleitner, Ph.D., Editor, Children’s Technology Review • Founder, Dust or Magic conference, author & children’s technology expert

Gever Tulley, Co-Founder, Brightworks • TED speaker, author of Fifty Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do)

Russ McLeod, Chief Operations Director, Me To We • Audience favourite and key player in youth inspiration events

Rupert Harris, Series Producer, BBC Children’s • Series producer for the BBC smash hit TV show and website: Bamzooki where you can create your own virtual Bamzooki creature.

Julie Sun, Senior Director of Digital Marketing, Nickelodeon • Sets the strategy and implementation methodologies for the internationally acclaimed kids network, Nickelodeon.

David Merrill, President and Co-Founder, Sifteo • Entrepreneur, Ph.D. & TED speaker with a vision for the future of kids games – Sifteo Cubes: 1.5 inch computers with full colour displays that sense motion, sense each other, and wirelessly connect to your computer

Some of the Featured Sessions:

* Inspiration Stream – creativity and content stream featured session: I <3 / H8 Transmedia
Back in the day, having an interactive component to a property was something of a novelty. Now, most would agree that all consumable media should be developed with interactive in mind. So, does this make the term Transmedia moot? This session will explore successful cross-platform projects via case studies, followed by a charged discussion about one of the industry’s most hated buzzwords.

* Investment Stream – business stream featured session: Cross Merchandising – The Chicken or the Egg?
What comes first? The video game, toy, TV show or iPad application? This panel of industry experts will discuss various merchandising and licensing opportunities. What are the benefits to licensing your property to a 3rd party? When is the right time to start to build your brand around merchandising?

* Insights Stream – research and e-learning stream featured session: Bye Bye Textbooks, Hello Learning by Playing
From human/primate evolutionary behavioral parallels, to classroom archetypes, this session considers the very specific question of how computer based gaming will likely change the look and feel of education forever. The core point being that current educational materials are deeply connected to the peculiarities of the printing press – which we are no longer bound to. What are the implications of learning materials being technology-based?

If you haven’t already registered for the Canadian Games Conference, there is still time, but don’t wait too long. This year’s event features Sessions in business, production, design, programming, social games, and iPhone games, and offers visionary keynotes, an expo hall, and some great parties, receptions and networking events. Group and student rates also available.

Victor Lucas, host and executive producer of The Electric Playground is confirmed to open Day 2 of this year’s Canadian Games Conference with a 9:30am keynote address. Seen daily by millions on his popular TV show, Victor is also the President of Greedy Productions and Executive Producer of Reviews on the Run. Victor will be interviewed onstage at CGC by Blaine Kyllo, Games critic and columnist for The Georgia Straight.

Here are the latest Session and Speaker Announcements for CGC 2011:

* Monster Teams: How One Producer Tamed the Beast and Lived to Tell About It – Alexandre Parizeau, Senior Producer, Ubisoft Toronto

* Classic Game Postmortem: Bejeweled – Jason Kapalka, Co-founder, and Chief Creative Officer, Popcap Games

* Don’t Just Build an App: Build a Mobile Business – Charles Yim, Strategic Partner Development, Google

* Late to the Party: Go or No Go? A Facebook Games Panel featuring:

Brenda Bailey Gershkovitch, CEO Silicon Sisters
David Bezahler, CEO Blitzoo Games
Rick Davidson, CEO Inspirado Games

* Making Academic/Industry Partnerships Work

Magy Seif El-Nasr, Professor, School of Interactive Arts and Technology, Simon Fraser University
Paul Newton, QA Development Director, Electronic Arts Canada
Sang Mah, former Director of Interactive Media, Bardel Entertainment
Bruce Gooch, Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science, University of Victoria, President and Manager, Relevant Games and Toon-FX.

You don’t want to miss the PechaKucha Session that will be closing out this year’s conference. Devised in Tokyo in February 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public, PechaKucha has turned into a massive celebration, with events happening in hundreds of cities around the world, inspiring creatives worldwide. Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of “chit chat”, it rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds. It’s a format that makes presentations concise, and keeps things moving at a rapid pace. Come be inspired by high energy stories from the world of Games as CGC closes with PechaKucha.

The Canadian Videogame Awards featuring Video Games Live is a great way to kick off your conference experience. The show takes place on May 18th at the Centre for the Performing Arts in Vancouver, and will be hosted by Electric Playground’s Victor Lucas. This is the party that will kick-off CGC, and tickets start at just $30.00 Join the biggest names in the Canadian game industry as we celebrate Canadian excellence.

It’s also not too late to become a sponsor, exhibitor or show partner. Visit the Conference or Awards sites to find out about exhibiting at CGC, hosting a party, reception or networking event.