Village Gamer

Interactive Ontario, the province’s digital media content industry’s association, will be holding their Annual General Meeting on Thursday, January 22, 2009. All IO members are welcome to attend. All Full Member companies can vote. Full Members have the opportunity to select board members via a vote that takes place during the AGM. Supporting Members are not permitted to vote. Membership fees are based on the size of the company. Since last fall, the Association’s membership has grown by 67%, to over 200 companies.

Following the AGM , IO will be hosting an iNTERACT networking event at The Gladstone Hotel. iNTERACTS are free for IO members and just $5.00 for non-members and include one drink ticket and munchies. The following day, Friday, January 23, IO presents iLunch 7.04, on The Digital Pangaea. Interactive Ontario’s mandate is to promote the interests of its members in the digital media content industry, and to enlist the support of government and private sector partners with a vested interest in its growth.

Vancouver – For the second year in a row, tickets to Industry Speaker Day (February 7, 2009) at Game Design Expo 2009 have sold out!

Missed out on tickets? For aspiring game designers and anyone interested in game design and development, Game Design Expo also features a free Open House on Sunday, February 8, 2009 at Vancouver Film School’s acclaimed Game Design programme.

Attendees will hear about the world-renowned one-year Game Design program, meet faculty, students, and alumni, play student games, and experience sample classes covering subjects like Level Design and Storytelling.

The day also features a special schedule of industry presentations – featuring speakers from LucasArts, Big Fish Games, and Vicarious Visions (Activision) – and an exclusive Women in Games panel, where you can be the first to hear the details of a $30,000 Women in Games Scholarship.

Voice over personality extraordinaire, Marc Graue of Marc Graue Voice Over Recording Studios in Burbank, never disappoints when he lectures on the industry renowned Voice Over Experts Podcast presented by Voices.com. As the owner of the oldest voice over studios in Burbank, CA, Graue knows more than a thing or two about the business of voice acting and how to prepare for success, giving his clients the “best of both worlds”.

In Marc Graue’s most recent podcast episode, “How To Get a Callback From an Audition“, listeners learn how to nail an audition by thinking fast on their feet. Graue encourages voice over talent to visualize their characters and to come as close as possible to the description of what’s being asked of them in an audition situation, even if the description provided doesn’t make much sense.

Braintracks Audio owner, voice over coach and business advisor, Nancy Wolfson, dispenses some choice tips promoting self-esteem for voice actors and creative professionals in need of affirmation and hearing the simple reality spoken aloud that they are indeed, enough. An excerpt from one of Nancy Wolfson and Anna Vocino’s teleseminars in their Break Into VoiceOver series, Wolfson’s “You Are Enough” focuses on how training and self-discovery will help people to realize that through proper training, their gifts, style and unique voice will see them through. Wolfson empowers and helps to verbally banish the “fear voice” that often holds people back, encouraging her listeners to get some game on, be true to their sound and remain authentic to achieve success.

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Vancouver – The brand new Women In Games International Vancouver Chapter was officially launched last evening at a networking mingler hosted by Wired Woman at Subeez Cafe. Well over one hundred members of the local digital media industry were in attendance to welcome the new Chapter, witness a little guy vs. gal Rock Band play, network and win a few prizes.

The Women In Games International Vancouver Chapter came into being after a similar event was held in September, when strong local interest was expressed in regards to having our own WIGI Chapter. The new local Chapter, led by Krissie Franco and Maria Ruiz-Isaac is still in the organizing stages and new members are welcome to join. In the very near future, an Advisory Board, Board of Directors and Steering Committee will be formed. There will be ample opportunity for community input as solid goals and directives are investigated.

WIGI Vancouver will be striving towards adding value to the gaming community through mentorships, scholarships, industry awareness programmes and of course networking minglers. WIGI will be an active participant in local events such as VFS’ Game Design Expo and GDC Canada, and an online community willbe launched in the near future. WIGI Vancouver currently has a group page on Facebook, which interested parties are welcome to join.

Sponsors for the WIGI Vancouver Launch included: Big Fish Games, Radical Entertainment, Blue Castle Games, Vancouver Film School, Deep Fried Entertainment, 7 Group Digital Media, Hydrogen Whiskey, Relic Entertainment, New Media BC, EA Canada, Captain Morgan, Ketel One Vodka and Subeez Cafe – my apologies to any sponsors I may have missed. Many thanks to all of you for sponsoring, and for everyone else who helped to make this launch event a great night.

Richmond, BC – Sierra Wireless today announced the availability of a new software development kit (SDK) supporting original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) using the Linux operating system. This addition expands the company’s suite of available SDKs for developers working on applications utilizing Sierra Wireless products.

“Sierra Wireless is committed to supporting the widest possible range of customers and applications for 3G mobile broadband,” said Trent Punnett, senior vice president, Marketing and Corporate Development for Sierra Wireless. “The Linux SDK allows developers integrating Sierra Wireless products into Linux-based systems – including portable devices, machine-to-machine systems, fixed wireless terminals, vending, and fleet management systems – to do so in a cost-effective way that supports their tight development schedules.”
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Chuck Gammage Animation’s new facility will coincide with the studio’s recently stronger focus on nontraditional and 3D animation.

Toronto – Chuck Gammage Animation, an internationally acclaimed animation production company and commercial animation service facility, announced today that it is changing its downtown Toronto address.

After three years at its current downtown location, the company is moving to a state-of-the-art production facility in Toronto’s Trinity-Niagara neighbourhood, an up-and-coming hub for Canada’s design, entertainment and high-tech industries.

“We’re excited to be moving to this vibrant new location where we’ll be down the street from some of the world’s premiere entertainment companies,” Tammy Semen, producer. “This move also comes at a time when Chuck Gammage is switching its focus to emerging forms of digital animation while recruiting outstanding new talent. So this new space will reflect the company’s fresh outlook.”
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Women in Games International Launches Online Auction on eBay To Raise Funds for National Games Non-Profit Organization

Women in Games International (WIGI) presents their WIGI Celebrity Ebay Auction, a collection of over a hundred video games and game-related merchandise items — much of it signed by industry leaders — being auctioned to raise funds for Women in Games International.

If there’s one thing gamers love more than games themselves, it’s awesome game-related merchandise. That’s why Women in Games International is happy to announce their 2008 celebrity auction, a collection of over 100 items generously donated by leaders in the video game industry — including Bungie, Microsoft Game Studios, Electronic Arts, and many other game companies.
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Montreal – Kovasys Inc., an IT recruitment agency in Montreal, has recently been witnessing a spike in the number of American companies crossing the border into Canada – especially Montreal- to do their software development and high tech projects. Due to the unstable economy in the US, and massive layoffs, more and more companies are deciding to save money and hire developers by nearshoring their IT operations to a cheaper yet proximate location with a stable economy. Montreal meets this criteria as it is only few hours away from Chicago, New York, and Boston, yet operating costs are up to 55-70% lower due to exchange rate and subsidies for IT companies.

Morgan Stanley, a global financial services provider from New York City, has recently settled their offices in the old district of Montreal and is in the process of hiring 700 developers. Other major companies such as SAP, Ericsson, and PC Mall, have also made Montreal their second home.
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Vancouver – Tritone has released the newest version of CourseWatch, Tritone’s course management system. A significant upgrade to the current product line, CourseWatch 2.0 was created in conjunction with the University of New Brunswick Faculty of Computer Science.

Tritone Music Education Systems, located in Vancouver, British Columbia is an innovator and developer of online music education services, applications and technology software. Tritone is a pioneer in e-learning music education solutions for public schools and distance education.

Garnett MacMullin , President of Tritone: “CW 2.0 (CourseWatch 2.0) reaches another milestone for Tritone in improving online music education. CourseWatch is tailored for online delivery and hosting interactive multimedia educational content. The system returns an immediate response to the student and tracks all learning activities for the teachers. Tightly integrated with the Javatrax keyboard interface, CourseWatch retains the student’s activities as part of the reporting system for immediate review or playback”.
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Emily Carr University’s Granville Island Campus will be participating in National Portfolio Day on Saturday, December 6 from noon until 4pm. National Portfolio Days help promote the artistic development of young artists by bringing together experienced representatives to review work and offer feedback. While this free event does not require pre-registration, it is recommended that students arrive early with their portfolios. Portfolio Day is open to the general public, however informational sessions and tours of the campus will not be taking place on this day.

The National Portfolio Day Association (NPDA) was created in 1978, solely for the organization and planning of National Portfolio Days. The Association consists of representatives from regionally accredited colleges and universities, which are members of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. The NPDA is the only organization of its kind, and its membership represents the highest standard of visual arts education available in the United States and Canada.

Please see the National Portfolio Day’s event information page for full details.