Village Gamer

Don’t miss your chance to vote for Game of the Year for the 2011 Canadian Videogame Awards.  Voting is open to the public until midnight, Friday, May 13th (note: Facebook Connect is required to vote).

The five 2011 Game of the Year finalists are:

·       Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood
·       Dead Rising 2
·       FIFA 11
·       Mass Effect 2
·       Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction

There are still great seats available for the 2011 Canadian Videogame Awards – and tickets start at just $30.00.  Come out next Wednesday night and enjoy an evening with the top developers and publishers in Canada! The show will be hosted by Victor Lucas and his team from The Electric Playground, and you can even get some autographs post-show!  Internationally renowned Video Games Live will be back to provide the musical entertainment AND Nintendo will be offering attendees a special opportunity to play The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D for Nintendo 3DS.  

Don’t miss the 2011 Canadian Games Conference – there is still time to register.  This year’s event features sessions in business, production, design, programming, social games, and iPhone games, as well as a special line-up of “Best of GDC” speakers, and offers visionary keynotes, an expo hall, and evening networking events.  The Conference takes place May 19-20th at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Just over a month ago Tiny Hippo became part of the RIM family, and the developers have announced that they are adding support for BlackBerry WebWorks 2.0.0 to their flagship product, Ripple Mobile Environment Emulator. This support includes most of the APIs in the WebWorks stack as well skinning for 3 supported BlackBerry devices (The BlackBerry Torch, BlackBerry Bold, and the BlackBerry PlayBook). Check out Ripple’s docs page to see the extent of the WebWorks support as well as what else is new in this release.

Decapod Studios has released a free version of its hit match 3 title Murphid for Windows Phone 7. The full version of Murphid is also available for 99 cents.

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

If you don’t have WP7, you can always play Murphid on your Xbox 360, too – it’s available in the Games Marketplace for only 80 MS Points.

Roaring Penguin Software Inc. has announced the release of CanIt 8.0.5. which adds several major improvements to the CanIt Archiver software. Several major new features were added including:

• CanIt-Archiver keeps an audit trail of searches and message accesses. Administrators and end-users can see the audit trail. (End-users can only see audit trails relating to their own archive.)
• CanIt-Archiver has a hook for archiving internal email that normally would not be seen by CanIt.
• CanIt-Archiver stores only one copy of duplicate messages received on a given day for a given realm.

CanIt Archiver, “The Uninteruptible E-mail Supply”, is a highly configurable e-mail archiving solution focused on e-mail continuity. CanIt Archiver ensures that e-mail is accessible in the event of a mail server outage and queues e-mail to make sure that it is delivered when mail service is restored.

CanIt 8.0.5 is available as:

* CanIt-PRO, an anti-spam software solution suitable for small and medium business.
* CanIt-Domain-PRO, spam filtering software for MSPs to host anti-spam for their customers.
* Hosted CanIt, a fully outsourced, hosted anti-spam service.

Scott is a retired volunteer firefighter and my grandfather, father and two uncles were volunteer firefighters, so we are both very happy to see that construction has officially begun on a permanent, national memorial to pay tribute to Canada’s fallen firefighters, thanks to an investment by the Government of Canada. The announcement was made today by Pierre Poilievre, Member of Parliament (Nepean-Carleton), on behalf of the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, as part of an official sod-turning ceremony alongside the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

“No job is more important than protecting the lives of Canadians and their families,” said Minister Moore. “This memorial will be a permanent reminder of the sacrifices firefighters across Canada make to keep us safe.”

“Our gratitude to those who put their lives on the line to make Canada safer is often difficult to express,” said Mr. Poilievre. “This memorial will serve to remind all Canadians of the men and women who put their lives at risk for their communities.”

The Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation is building the monument in the Lebreton Flats area of the National Capital Region, near the Canadian War Museum. This monument, the only official memorial to Canada’s firefighters, will be located at the exact location where the Great Fire of 1900 was finally brought under control after destroying 1400 buildings and killing seven people in Ottawa, and destroying 1300 buildings in Gatineau.

The Government of Canada announced funding of $2,529,800 for the construction of this monument in 2009. This funding is being providing through the Commemorate Canada component of the Department of Canadian Heritage’s Celebration and Commemoration Program. This component provides financial support to initiatives of national significance that commemorate various aspects of Canadian history.

Reminder: You have one more day to get your vote counted for the Canadian Video Game Awards Game of the Year. Note: Use of Facebook Connect is required to vote.

Canada Post has introduced its new mobile applications that enable Canadians to create their own postage stamps while on the go. The new applications are available in iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android^™ and BlackBerry formats and can be downloaded for free. These new applications join the growing suite of mobile apps now offered by Canada Post.

“This is a unique and creative way to capture special moments in one’s life – whether it’s to mark an occasion like a wedding, celebrate a loved one or commemorate a pet – and share it with friends and family,” says Mary Traversy, Senior Vice President, Transaction Mail at Canada Post.

Picture Postage^™ can be used the same way as any other stamp. The stamps are valued at the current domestic rate. This means that one Picture Postage^™ stamp gets any standard-size envelope (up to 30 grams) delivered anywhere in Canada.

Each photograph submitted will be transformed into a sheet of 20 self-adhesive, domestic rate stamps with a souvenir picture enlargement for $27.95 or a full sheet of 40 stamps for $44.75.

Reminder: You have one more day to get your vote counted for the Canadian Video Game Awards Game of the Year. Note: Use of Facebook Connect is required to vote.

On May 2, 2011, the Ontario court approved settlements in a copyright class action involving freelance writers who wrote for Canadian publications. The settlement funds total C$7.9 million. The freelance writers are represented by Heather Robertson, a freelance author, and by Koskie Minsky LLP, a leading Canadian class action law firm.

The case involved allegations that the defendants infringed the copyright of freelance writers who wrote articles and other literary works that were published by Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd., Rogers Publishing Limited, Canwest Publishing Inc. or their affiliates. The plaintiff alleged the defendants disseminated these literary works in online databases without permission.

“This is a tremendous result for Canadian freelance writers”, said Kirk Baert, lead lawyer for the plaintiffs. “Class members saw their articles appearing in online databases without their express permission. This settlement provides compensation for that unexpected use.”

In the next few weeks, there will be an official notice appearing in certain newspapers and magazines explaining how freelance writers can make claims from the settlement funds. The notice will also be available on Koskie Minsky’s website.

Export Development Canada is organizing a match-making event with Konami Digital Entertainment to introduce them to Canadian game developers at the Canadian Games Conference next week in Vancouver.

The meetings will be 20 minute meetings with Konami at the conference, however participants do not have to be registered for the conference to participate in our match-making session.

Prior to this event, EDC will be hosting a panel at the conference on Thursday May 19th titled “The Art of Making a Pitch” which will provide you valuable insight into how to maximize your pitch with a Publisher.  Ms. Careen Yapp from Konami will be participating in the panel, and will provide details on what Konami considers rich content, and what they look for in a pitch.  Also participating in the panel are industry veterans including Scott Simpson from Ascenscion Crossmedia, along with Denis Dyack and Dave Elton from Silicon Knights.

Finally, EDC will also be part of a panel later in the day on Thursday discussing new financing models and how EDC is supporting the financial gaps in the industry.   The organizing committee for the Canadian Games Conference is also offering a 25% discount to the companies participating in this match-making event.

Please contact Rob Caouette or Johanne Henley at EDC before May 16th in order to reserve a time for your private meeting with Konami on May 20, 2011.

A $3.5-million grant announced today by Premier Christy Clark will generate jobs and promote innovation by creating new research opportunities in the province.

The grant – awarded to MITACS, a Vancouver-based research network which creates and manages unique research and training programs – will enable B.C. graduate students and new PhDs to connect with businesses and apply their research to real-world challenges and attract top international undergraduate students to local universities.

“Research and innovation are key to economic growth in our province, and to providing jobs for B.C. families into the future,” Premier Clark said. “With this announcement, we are working with our partners to take great ideas from our university labs and turn them into excellent jobs, driving progress in every sector of our economy.”

The funding will create up to 300 new graduate internships through the MITACS-Accelerate program and 19 fellowships for recent PhD graduates through MITACS-Elevate, as well as foster better linkages between BC’s universities and some of the brightest international talent through the Globalink program.

Established in 1999, MITACS is a not-for-profit research organization which partners with government, universities and industry to recruit, train and retain graduate students in B.C.

“MITACS has far exceeded our expectations by connecting almost 1,000 graduate students with B.C. businesses and organizations to create innovative products and practices,” said Pat Bell, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation. “Today’s investment will help build the highly-educated workforce we need to be a leader in innovation and commercialization.” Read the rest of this entry »

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today updated its satellite distribution policy to require Bell TV and Shaw Direct to carry all local television stations supported by the Local Programming Improvement Fund.

“Canadians in all markets should have access to their local television stations, regardless of how they receive their programming,” said Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C., Chairman of the CRTC. “The carriage of additional local stations will put satellite distributors on the same footing as cable companies and provide their subscribers with more choice in local news and information.”

Under the existing policy, satellite distributors must offer, as of September 1, 2011, the following local stations:

• an affiliate of each national television network
• five English- and five French-language CBC stations; or as many CBC stations as are distributed from a private broadcasting group in either official language
• one television station per province from each major Canadian broadcasting ownership group, and
• two stations from each of the other Canadian broadcasting ownership groups.

As a result of recent CRTC proceedings, Bell TV and Shaw Direct must now distribute a broader range of local television stations.

Given the forthcoming conversion of its satellite service from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 technology, Bell TV will now have to carry at least 43 additional television services, including local and regional stations and independent community stations, by August 31, 2012.

Similarly, given that Shaw will be launching a new satellite in late 2012, Shaw Direct will have to distribute by January 1, 2013, the 80 stations that receive funding from the Local Programming Improvement Fund.

The CRTC’s satellite distribution policy has been changed to reflect the new obligations that will apply to both companies.

Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2011-295

An alarming trend of ever-bigger data breaches is prompting Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart to call for substantial fines against major corporations that fail to adequately protect Canadians’ personal information from preventable breaches.

“I am deeply troubled by the large number of major breaches we are seeing, including serious incidents in recent weeks that have affected hundreds of thousands of Canadians,” says Commissioner Stoddart.

Jennifer Stoddart

During a speech today at the Canada 3.0 forum in Stratford, Ontario, the Commissioner stated:   “Too many companies are collecting more personal information than they are able to effectively protect…. It seems to me that it’s time to begin imposing fines – significant, attention-getting fines – on companies when poor privacy and security practices lead to breaches.”

Before the federal election campaign, the Canadian Parliament was considering legislation to create a requirement for private-sector organizations to report significant data breaches to the Privacy Commissioner and affected individuals.

Commissioner Stoddart said the new session of Parliament creates the opportunity to strengthen the legislation to give the Privacy Commissioner the power to impose substantial fines in appropriate cases.

“I have come to the conclusion that the only way to get some corporations to pay adequate attention to their privacy obligations is by introducing the potential for large fines that would serve as an incentive for compliance,” she said, noting that her counterparts in a number of other countries, including the United Kingdom, France and Spain, have already moved to impose hefty fines following breaches.

The Privacy Commissioner of Canada is mandated by Parliament to act as an ombudsman and guardian of privacy in Canada.

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) has released a report on the findings from its national consultation on how the Internet is run. The report will be presented to the United Nations coordinated Internet Governance Forum, a venue for nations to discuss the future of the Internet.

The Canadian Internet Forum (CIF) was a national consultation hosted by CIRA, along with its partners, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the Media Awareness Network (MNet). It consisted of face-to-face consultations that took place across Canada along with input received from an online discussion forum, and culminated at a national event held in Ottawa and webcast across the country in February 2011.

The consultations were broadly themed under two topics: the digital economy and digital literacy, and Canadians identified numerous issues that are important to them. These issues included online safety and security, the development of a ‘Canadian vision’ for the Internet and the cost and speed of broadband.

All of you who are waiting to get more details on the next Assassin’s Creed title from Ubisoft Montreal need to take part in the studio’s viral marketing effort. The studio will reveal more information the more people share the AC Reveal app on Facebook. The images so far have been typically cryptic – reflecting the Subject 16-styled video puzzles Assassin’s Creed players have become familiar with. There is an image of what looks to be Jerusalem – is it the city under 16th century Ottoman rule? This could fit neatly at the tail end of Brotherhood, should the developers be continuing the Ezio story, that is. However, there are also flashes of the Phaistos Disc, which points to Crete – and a hint of the current Greek flag does seem to flash on the screen – but it didn’t come into use until the 1800’s. The armoured hand appears to belong to Altair, whose name is flashed across the screen in Arabic – or is it someone new to the franchise? Is that the Apple of Eden glowing in the image’s centre – or just the sun viewed through Eagle Vision?

There is the speculation that the next Assassin’s Creed will be titled Revelations, which is of course being fueled by Ubisoft’s social media corps. At press time the unlock graph was only at 11% – if you are at all curious about what the studio will reveal and have a Facebook account, share with your friends and get them to share with their friends so we can all have  a closer look – as the Unlock level increases, there are more clues added to the cinematic.

While I’m pondering the next direction for Assassin’s Creed, here are today’s news briefs and reminders:

Today is the final day to apply for the Canada Media Fund-presented Canadian Interactive Showcase at INplay 2011, which will be held in Toronto on May 17th & 18th. Registration for the conference is still open – register online to save $100.00 off the door price.

Microsoft Game Studios has revealed the official site for its Vancouver studio, which might be hiring, by the way – I say might because the MGSV site says there are no positions open, but the MGS Careers page says there are. According to the new site, the Vancouver studio is ‘dedicated to making games for “core” gamers. Our mission is to push the limits of proven and unexplored game development and show the world what’s possible on Microsoft’s game consoles.’ This makes me happy – I can look forward to new titles for my 360 – as long as they aren’t for Kinect, because we don’t have yet have that peripheral.

SIGGRAPH 2011 has begun posting the Birds of a Feather activities for the conference this August. Check out the offerings, and if you would like to see a group meetup added, you are invited to submit your suggestion to the conference committee. Don’t forget, SIGGRAPH 2011 is August 7th through 11th in Vancouver. Make It Home.

Okino Computer Graphics has announced that its 3D DCC/Animation/Skinning and CAD/MCAD/Architectural conversion software PolyTrans-for-3ds-Max (for 3ds Max 2012 & 3ds Max Design 2012), and PolyTrans-for-Maya (for Maya 2012), are now fully qualified and shipping to customers. This is a general notice to those Okino customers who have not upgraded to the 2011/2012 releases yet, and for those not aware of Okino?s software for 3ds Max & Maya.

Virgin Mobile Canada and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada are digging up some real treasure with their next A-list benefit for Virgin Mobile Members across Canada. As part of an ongoing program delivering the latest movies first, Virgin Mobile has already offered its Members access to advance screenings for hits like I Am Number Four. On May 18, winning Members will have the opportunity to catch the most anticipated film of 2011, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, before its general release on May 20, 2011.

A total of 140 winners and their guests from Toronto, Montréal, Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and Vancouver will get the chance to see the action-packed flick – starring Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz – before anyone else. Plus, one super-lucky Member and their plus one will get some serious VIP treatment: travel and two nights stay in L.A., walking the red carpet at the Hollywood movie premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and access to a super exclusive after-party. Follow Virgin Mobile’s Twitter at @virginmobilecan to see all the latest tweets from the VIP Member while they walk the plank – or red carpet – at the premiere.

To enter for the chance to be at one of the pre-screenings or walk the red carpet at Disneyland as Virgin Mobile’s Red Carpet Reviewer, visit The Lounge on Virgin Canada’s site or the Facebook Contest tab on Facebook. More big time opportunities are always around the corner with the hottest new movies getting delivered to Virgin Mobile Members. The next big blockbusters coming soon to a theatre near you: the 3-D horror remake Fright Night and the high adrenaline Hugh Jackman action film Real Steel.

Dr. Ann Cavoukian, Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, will unveil details about a new extension of Privacy by Design, called Privacy by ReDesign, in a keynote speech at a premier Canadian privacy event, in Toronto on May 5.

At the same time, the Commissioner will address recent concerns over location tracking in popular smart phones and mobile devices. This hotbed topic will also be featured at a session on the privacy implications of mobile computing led by the Commissioner’s Office. Renowned privacy experts will attend to discuss the protection of privacy in today’s world of ongoing technological advances. It is all taking place at The International Association of Privacy Professionals‘ (IAPP) Canada Privacy Symposium at Ryerson University.

“The fabled demise of privacy has been widely portrayed of late, which reinforces the reality that we need to reframe how we present the privacy equation,” says Commissioner Cavoukian. “This is precisely why it’s time for Privacy by ReDesign right now! It will help organizations rethink and redesign privacy into their existing, legacy systems and business practices.”

Since the 1990’s, Commissioner Cavoukian has advocated for organizations to proactively embed privacy into technology right from the outset, a concept called Privacy by Design. International privacy regulators unanimously passed a landmark Resolution in 2010 recognizing the made-in-Ontario solution as a Global Privacy Standard. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission now recommends Privacy by Design for protecting online privacy.

The Commissioner’s Office is leading many timely sessions at the event including:

* Addressing the Privacy Implications of Mobile Computing
* Biometrics: Enhancing Privacy, Security and Trust through Privacy by Design (Related to this, roll out has begun across Ontario of a new privacy-protective facial recognition system to support customers enrolled in Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation’s voluntary self-exclusion program)

* Embedding Privacy Protection into a Risk Management Framework (At this session, a new white paper will be introduced, showing how IBM implemented Privacy by Design, moving it from a theoretical concept to a practical solution)

The Association of Electronic Journalists and RTDNA – The Radio Television Digital News Association vehemently opposes Section 329 of the Canada Elections Act, which prohibits transmission of election results to the public in a district where polling stations are still open.

The law was initially intended to curb national media outlets from “prematurely transmitting” electoral results across time zones, theoretically preventing election results in Eastern Canada from influencing voters in the West, despite a lack of evidence suggesting that has ever been the case. The stakes are raised a bit more now with social media’s emergence as a primary reporting tool. As it stands now, if a media organization or individual tweets about or Facebook comments about Canada’s election results prematurely, a law has been broken with the offender subject to a maximum fine of $25,000, or up to five years in prison.

“Social media is emerging as a critical tool spawning new hopes for democracy in northern Africa and the Middle East. We should not see it going the other way in Canada,” said RTNDA Canada president Andy LeBlanc. “The Canadian news media has long been prevented from broadcasting election results to places where the ballots are still open. That didn’t stop people from calling friends and relatives on the other side of the country to discuss ongoing election results. Millions of Canadians using Twitter and Facebook should not risk persecution for participating in an unfolding democratic process, the kind of political engagement people in other parts of the world are dying to achieve.”

“We’re living in a breaking news, digital world,” said RTDNA Chairman Mark Kraham. “News consumers expect – and are entitled to – the most up-to-date, comprehensive information available, especially when it comes to electing a nation’s leaders. This law is archaic and? condescending to voters and should be revised as soon as possible.”

“RTDNA strongly advocates ethical and responsible elections reporting,”?Kraham continued. “Information about election results should be delivered after a strong confirmation process ensuring that voters are given accurate information.”

In a report by the Montreal Gazette, John Enright, who speaks for Elections Canada, said his agency has no choice but to administer the law as written. Citizens are allowed to phone or text friends, or send private e-mails. But posting to a Facebook wall, to a webpage or to Twitter will be considered a violation.

“The legislation is still on the books, so our role as Elections Canada is to administer the legislation that is before us,” said Enright, in the Montreal Gazette report. “If there’s a breach of the law, Elections Canada is not going to discriminate between the Mothercorp and Joe Smith down the street.”

Poynt Corporation has announced the issuance of 150,000 stock options at an exercise price of 0.15 to an officer of the Company.

The options have been granted under the terms and conditions of the Company’s approved option plan. The Company has a 10% “rolling” option plan which reserves for issuance on exercise of options a maximum of 10% of the number of common shares of the Company outstanding from time to time.

Mobilicity has enhanced its leadership position as Canada’s rising new wireless carrier, announcing that it has raised $215 million through a debt offering. Canada’s premier institutions were key investors in this new offering, which was led by National Bank Financial Inc. and GMP Securities. The offering represents one of the largest capital raises for an emerging telecommunications carrier in Canada in recent years, and will provide Mobilicity with growth capital to further strengthen its customer experience across Canada.

“Mobilicity has a compelling business model and the best value proposition for consumers and we are excited about getting additional support from Canada’s financial community,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Dave Dobbin.

“Today’s news, made just two weeks shy of the first anniversary of our Toronto launch and on the heels of our successful launch in Calgary yesterday, confirms Mobilicity’s place as the leading, innovative new entrant in Canada’s wireless industry,” Dobbin added. “We are very well positioned for future growth and opportunities.”

The company’s Chief Financial Officer Joe Prodan said, “Our strong balance sheet, best-in-class services and low-cost operating structure provide the strength and flexibility required to provide terrific value to Canadian wireless consumers.”

D-BOX Technologies Inc. has announced a new agreement with FTT (the company’s first European distributor for commercial theatre expansion) to equip a first theatre with Austria’s Cineplexx with approximately 50 D-BOX motion seats.

The Cineplexx in Linz, Austria will boast two auditoriums with D-BOX Motion technology. This newest theatre in Europe marks the first sale of D-BOX in Austria for commercial theatre usage. Under D-BOX’s international business model, in addition to the revenues generated from the sale of the systems, the agreement will generate licensing fees payable to D-BOX in accordance with the systems’ use.

“As a result of our highly advanced international business model and collaboration with FTT, we are continuing to generate considerable interest in our motion technology from theatre companies throughout Europe,” said President and Chief Executive Officer of D-BOX Technologies, Claude Mc Master. “We are steadily increasing our presence in this part of the world and look forward to developing additional partnerships similar to our new relationship with Cineplexx.”

Most recently, D-BOX announced that theatres in Germany and the Netherlands will soon feature its immersive motion technology adding to a growing list of countries that also include Japan, China (Hong Kong), Canada and the U.S.

YANGAROO Inc. has announced its results for the year and fourth quarter ended December 31, 2010. Revenue for the fourth quarter of 2010 was 44% higher than the revenue for the same period of 2009 and revenue for the fiscal year of 2010 was 3% higher than the revenue in fiscal 2009.  The increase in revenue is a result of greater use of DMDS for music video delivery by the major labels and the independent sector.  Revenue is expected to continue to increase as billable US music audio and video deliveries grow, independent sector usage increases, and billable advertising delivery volumes rise. Read the rest of this entry »