Village Gamer

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

Game industry veteran Kiaran Ritchie’s new studio Big Fat Alien is proud to announce the release of its debut title BEEP, launching today on Steam with a launch special of 10% off the list price of $9.99 USD. BEEP is an action/puzzle, 2d-platformer with physics-based gameplay. You control a small robot equipped with an anti-gravity device that can pick-up and manipulate almost anything in the level, including enemies.

BEEP is the culmination of 18-months of work by three people; a programmer, an artist and a musician. The game presents a unique twist on the platformer genre by allowing the player to grab and manipulate the environment with an anti-gravity device. This multi-use tool is useful for clearing obstacles, solving puzzles and even as a weapon by flinging projectiles at enemies.

The game is presented in a slick 16:9 widescreen format with unique and stylish vector artwork. 24 levels are split amongst 6 different environments on 3 different planets. The player can control a spaceship to deploy BEEP-Bots to the individual levels on the planets. Each level contains anti-matter fuel which, when collected, opens-up new locales.

Try before you buy, download the BEEP demo now. BEEP is also available on BeamDog and Impulse and appears like it could be rated E for Everyone.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution™ is making a triumphant return to its franchise PC roots, with digital availability on Steam®, the leading online platform for PC games and digital entertainment, as well as in boxed copy form at retailers worldwide at launch in August 2011. Eidos-Montreal has chosen this agreement with Steam because of its esteemed capability for an enhanced experience for the PC gamer, with boosted functionality and easy accessibility.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution will support a host of Steamworks® features such as auto-updating, Steam Achievements and Steam Cloud support. Available in the standard version and the robust Augmented Edition on Steam, gamers will be able to enjoy the Deus Ex experience of their choice. The Augmented Edition boasts a digital40-page art book, a “making of” special, trailers, animated storyboard of the CGI trailer, motion graphic novel, soundtrack, and a free download of the Deus Ex Game of the Year Edition.

Telling the story of Adam Jensen, a man cybernetically augmented against his choice who finds himself in the middle of a global conspiracy to which he holds the key, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is set in a near-future world where humanity is at a turning point. By offering players the chance to play the game in multiple and vastly different ways, Deus Ex: Human Revolution challenges the foundations of gaming and provides an immersive experience where every choice has a lasting consequence.

Intelliware Development Inc. has officially introduced its newest Roadmap process designed specifically  for BlackBerry® platform applications. This tool enables companies to rapidly but strategically plan and launch mobile solutions. Whether your company requires an enterprise application to improve organizational efficiency, or a consumer app to drive customer engagement, Intelliware’s Roadmap jump-starts your initiative. The Roadmap for BlackBerry app is the latest addition to a variety of Roadmaps that Intelliware offers to help clients accelerate their software development initiatives.

“We’ve been developing mobile apps for years and the first question our clients ask is, Where do we start?” explains Greg McKenzie, SVP, Strategic Alliances & Partnerships, Intelliware. “With the explosion of devices in the marketplace and proliferation of apps, organizations are starting to take a more strategic approach to the mobile ecosystem. Our Roadmap for BlackBerry apps results in a strategic, actionable plan that enables companies to get to market quickly with a solution that provides immediate, enduring value.”

On April 19th, RIM’s latest device, the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet was launched and is proving to become popular not only among consumers, but in particular, for enterprises. Companies are trying to determine how best to leverage what this new enterprise-class tablet has to offer. To help, Intelliware adapted its proven Roadmap process to incorporate the unique attributes and opportunities the PlayBook offers.

To coincide with the introduction of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, Loblaw® launched its President’s Choice™ Recipe Box app for the PlayBook. The app, developed by Intelliware, has been extremely popular and continues to have positive ratings and strong downloads.

“We’ve already used our Roadmap process to produce an opening day hit on BlackBerry App World™ for the PlayBook. Now, we’re working with other partners using this process to plan and develop new apps as well as launch existing apps on the new platform,” comments Dave Scapillati, VP, Mobile Solutions, Intelliware. “The PlayBook is the world’s first true enterprise-class tablet, and, deployed strategically, it can transform how an organization uses technology.”

David Cormican, founder of the Canadian Short Screenplay Competition, has announced the top thirteen finalist selections for the 2010/11 CSSC. The list of thirteen short film scripts and writers was determined by the judges and narrowed down from the previously announced Top 25 screenplays as entered in competition from all 2010/11 CSSC entries.

The grand prize winner will receive the Writers’ Block Crystal and an Apple iPad, in addition to the largest cash prize of any short film screenplay competition, $2,500.00. Second and Third place entrants will receive $500.00 and $100.00, respectively. The grand prizewinner will be announced and made official during the Golden Sheaf Awards gala at the Yorkton Film Festival, May 28, 2011 in Yorkton, SK.

All thirteen finalists will receive complimentary Yorkton Film Festival accreditation to attend the Golden Sheaf Awards gala, as well as be treated to the workshops, panels, films and networking social events taking place during the oldest film festival in North America.

One of the top three winners’ script will also be produced into a short film later on this year. Last year’s 2nd place script, “Minus Lara” (written by Surita Parmar), will receive its World premiere as an official selection of the Yorkton Film Festival. “Minus Lara” has also been nominated for the Golden Sheaf Ruth Shaw Award for Best in Saskatchewan.

The 2010/11 CSSC Top 13 finalists (in no particular order) are:

“Shattered Worlds”, Matthew Layden CAN
“The Ridge to the River”, Edmund Jory AUS
“Sudden Death”, Al Kline USA
“Elijah The Prophet”, Zachary Herrmann USA
“Tubby’s Car Project”, Julian Williams UK
“When The Dust Settles”, Suleiman Wali USA
“Strange Music”, Ira Henderson CAN
“The Chicken and the Egg”, Lisa Eismen AUS
“Mother Will Be So Pleased”, Carrie Ann Lee CAN
“The Great Ghouldini”, Ian Johnston CAN
“The Box Social”, Scott Summerhayes CAN
“13?, Sundae Jahant-Osborn UK
“Near Sighted”, Evan Jobb, CAN

Game Dev studio Endloop X has relaunched with a new name and a new look – Massive Damage Inc. The company’s official blog states that Endloop X was meant to be a placeholder, a temporary name until they came up with “the right name” – and anyone who has tried to name anything, knows how difficult this can be. The name Massive Damage fits well with the studio’s goals to disrupt the mobile social gaming space, and seemed to be the logical answer to the equation of Massively Multiplayer + Massive Disruption + Massive Impact.

Massive Damage is currently hard at work on Please Stay Calm, a location-based zombie MMO title. Again borrowing information from the studio’s blog, here is more information about the game:

Please Stay Calm is not Mafia Wars with a map slapped on top of it. Here are the game’s key features:

1. Location is key, it’s not about geography, it’s about people’s inherent affinity to their favorite spots. While the game can be played from your office, players will derive more value from moving around. The studio aims to be able to direct players to specific locations for special events.
2. A venue is a natural opportunity to drive organic social team play without the usual headaches involve with explicit teamwork. The studio calls this asynchronous dynamic massively co-operative gameplay.
3. Please Stay Calm integrates existing social graph information into the game narrative. Since the game fiction is layered on top of the real world, people will immediately feel like they are playing in a vibrant active game world even if few people are actually playing in their area.

Beginning today, families can welcome Disney Junior into their homes today as the newly branded channel launches across Canada. As of 6:00 a.m. ET subscribers of Playhouse Disney, both English and French, will see the channels transform into Disney Junior. Featuring entertaining and learning-focused programs for young viewers and their families, Disney Junior celebrates magical, musical and heartfelt stories with shows that feature beloved classic and contemporary characters. The Disney Junior linear channel is complemented by a new dedicated Disney Junior on-demand channel and network website providing subscribers with a rich multiplatform experience.

“With a renewed focus on storytelling and imagination and a continuing commitment to learning and exploration, Disney Junior represents the best Disney has to offer young children,” said Joe Tedesco, Senior Vice-President and General Manager, Astral Kids. “The Disney Junior brand offers a rich environment across multiple platforms for kids and their families to connect with stories, characters and experiences that are unique and entertaining. We are proud to launch this exciting new brand today and bring the magic and music of Disney into homes across the country.”

Anchored by the new animated series Jake and the Never Land Pirates, the English-language Disney Junior lineup features interactive and imaginative series for preschoolers and their families. The network offers fan favourites including Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Special Agent Oso and Handy Manny, as well as acclaimed Canadian series such as Stella and Sam, Franny’s Feet and The Secret World of Benjamin Bear. The launch of Disney Junior also sees three new short-form series debut on Canadian screens: Special Agent Oso: Three Healthy Steps and Mickey’s Mousekersize each introduce healthy lifestyles using well-known Disney Junior characters. The third series, A Poem Is…, pairs legendary Disney animation with poems narrated by familiar voices including Jennifer Garner and Katie Holmes. Read the rest of this entry »

In a move that broadens the company’s relationship with Walmart, Kobo has announced that they’re now a featured partner on walmart.ca. With this new agreement, Walmart Canada customers gain one-click, direct access from the Walmart site to Kobo’s eBook library containing more than 2.3 million books, newspapers and magazines with over one million free titles. Walmart carries Kobo’s Wireless eReader in-store and features it on walmart.ca, giving Walmart shoppers access to one of the world’s largest eReading catalogues.

Walmart was among the first retailers to sell the Kobo Wireless eReader in Canada, and Kobo serves as an integral part of Walmart’s ever-progressing eReading strategy. Kobo eReaders have been available in Walmart stores since May 2010, and Kobo’s Wireless eReader has become a top selling eReader for Walmart Canada. Kobo’s eBook library provides up-to-the-minute and classic content to Walmart shoppers. Walmart carries the Kobo Wireless eReader in Onyx, Metallic Silver and Pearlized Lilac colours.

“With the addition of Kobo’s tremendous eBook library, Walmart has shown its commitment to offer its customers not only a top-rated device but also extensive content making it easier than ever to enjoy the eReading experience,” said Todd Humphrey, executive vice president of business development , Kobo. “Over the past two years, we’ve built a solid relationship with Walmart Canada, with continuing support for our wireless eReaders by Walmart customers. Our new featured partner status promises to expand our footprint among the growing eReading community, and we expect that the Kobo eBooks will be a popular destination for online shoppers.”

The compact, light and simple-to-use Kobo Wireless eReader features an eInk screen that reads like paper and is easily adjustable to personalize reading with customizable font sizes and styles. Perfect for reading on-the-go, Kobo’s Wireless eReader holds up to 1,000 eBooks, and with a SD expansion slot approximately 10,000 eBooks. Supporting open standards – ePUB, PDF, Adobe DRM – with Kobo customers can borrow books from their local library – for free! Pre-loaded with 100 ready-to-go classics, the Kobo Wireless eReader gives customers a robust, a dedicated eReading experience that’s ready to go. With the ability to shop on the go, anytime, anyplace, directly from their Kobo eReader using unlimited, free access to Bell’s Wi-Fi network, readers can find a rich assortment of the latest content with just the press of a button. Read the rest of this entry »

At last night’s opening celebration of OCAD University’s 96th Annual Graduate Exhibition, the university unveiled its new visual identity to students, faculty, staff and guests. The university’s new logo was developed in collaboration with the internationally respected firm Bruce Mau Design (BMD).

“This dynamic new identity asserts OCAD U’s catalytic role within the creative sectors, the research community and industry,” said Dr. Sara Diamond, OCAD University President.

BMD worked with the OCAD U community to design an innovative and collaborative process that included participation from students, faculty, staff, community members and alumni from across Canada and around the world. The design process included a series of workshops last fall, where participants were invited to share their stories, experiences and ideas about OCAD U and what they envision for the university in the future.

“We are honoured to have had the opportunity to develop a new brand identity system that builds on the rich legacy of the school and projects the image of a dynamic and multivalent future for the institution,” said Hunter Tura, President and CEO, Bruce Mau Design. “What’s even more exciting is the partnership we have established with OCAD U, the epicenter of creative thought leadership in Canada.”

Inspired by OCAD U’s iconic and transformational Alsop-designed Sharp Centre for Design, BMD created a base of

black and white pixel ‘windows’ — modular frames to hold actual student art and design work. Through these ‘windows’ the core of OCAD U is presented — conceptually strong, relevant, diverse, and compelling. “As we push the boundaries of art and design practice, education and research, so too does our new identity, giving the world a window into what we do here,” said Dr. Diamond. The identity is dynamic and modular in design. Every year, graduating student medal winners will be invited to design a logo within the basic window framework, providing the university with a set of logos for that year. As OCAD U grows and matures, a living library of identities will emerge, recording the ideas and aesthetics that have shaped our culture over time.

Last night’s unveiled logo ‘window’ featured works by 2010 medal winners Adrian Forrow and James Gauvreau. This year’s medal winners were announced earlier this week as part of the lead up to this weekend’s Graduate Exhibition, which continues until Sunday at 6 p.m. Each medal winner will be invited to participate in the program to feature their work in the new identity going forward.

The unveiling kicks off a summer-long implementation process for the new identity. “We plan to welcome our next cohort of new students this September with our new look fully realized across campus,” said Dr. Diamond.

Capilano Mall is using QR Codes as an option for customers to participate in the mall’s “Be Our Energy Star” contest.  Entrants are being asked to write down, in 100 words or less, what they are doing to be more environmentally or socially conscious for a chance to WIN an Energy Star Certified LCD TV and Laptop valued at over $3500. The contest closes May 13th, 2011 at 9pm.

The purpose of the contest is to drive traffic to Capilano Mall’s new micro-site, highlighting the Mall’s new program which focuses on communicating the mall’s ongoing efforts over the past few years as it works towards making improvements in the areas of global and social responsibility.

One specific initiative Capilano Mall has embarked on is to reduce the amount of waste the mall generates.  Traditionally, when customers enter a contest held in the mall, they submit their entry on a paper ballot.  In addition to paper ballots, Capilano Mall has now introduced a new way for customers to enter contests in-mall through the use of QR Codes (or quick response codes).  The QR Code is printed directly onto the mall signage.  Customers can scan the code with their mobile device and they will be linked directly to the contest entry form.

“Introducing this technology as an alternative for our customers is just one of the ways that we are working to decrease our environmental footprint,” says Shera Allibhai, Marketing Director – Capilano Mall. “We recognize that because this technology is still relatively unfamiliar, getting customers to catch on and use the QR Code will take both education and time.  Changing consumer behaviour is always a process, but we look forward to the challenge.

By using the QR Code technology and other alternative methods (like the option to enter contests online), Capilano Mall’s goal is to decrease paper ballots by 75% over the next 2 years; which will eliminate in excess of 9000 sheets of paper per annum.