Village Gamer

Quebec City – Beenox Studios, an Activision studio, has been contracted to develop a video game for the upcoming Dreamworks animated 3D film, Monsters vs Aliens. The game, which is being developed for the Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2 and Games for Windows/PC is slated for release in March 2009, coinciding with the film’s theatrical debut.

Following the plot line of the movie, Monsters vs. Aliens The Game puts the fate of the planet in players’ hands as they lead a dynamic team of five misfit monsters on a mission to save the world…as only they can. This group of monsters who have been rounded up and isolated by the US Government is put into action when the planet is invaded by aliens. Led by newly-monsterized California girl Susan Murphy, it’s up to the troop of Monsters to save the planet and its residents from annihilation.

Dee Brown, Beenox President

Toronto – Arcana Trading Company Inc. (Arcana) announced Tuesday the launch of its Arcana Digital Media Strategy consulting services and website.

Arcana is a Toronto-based strategic business consultancy specializing in driving profit through objective analysis, thoughtful planning, and hands-on fieldwork. Established by former Canwest Digital Media executives Tim Lambertus and James Larrue-Baulch, Arcana has been built to consult in
virtually any market category or vertical, and possesses intimate knowledge of the digital media industry attributed to more than 20 years of combined experience of its principals.

Arcana’s specialized knowledge revolves around knowing how to extract and then act on the truth, even when it’s hidden or confusing. Arcana transforms consumer patterns, sales numbers, marketing reports, advertising data, competitive studies, operational costs, and the sea of arcane metrics gathered by a digital business into innovative strategic plans to drive and improve performance. “You would be surprised how many companies operating in the digital space possess extensive untapped revenue potential,” says Tim Lambertus, President, Arcana. “The digital marketplace is continuing to grow, even during these tough economic times. Whether a company is leveraging digital for commerce, audience acquisition, or brand marketing, those who fully understand the anatomy of their business will certainly weather the storm and even add to their bottom line.”

Ava Awards today announced winners for the 2008 international award competition that recognizes outstanding achievement by creative professionals involved in the concept, writing, direction, shooting, and editing of audio-visual materials and programs. The 2008 competition saw over 2,200 entries from the United States, Canada and several other countries. The nominated entries included film, analogue and digital productions viewed in a wide variety of mediums from movie screens and televisions to computers. Entrants included video and film production companies, web developers, advertising agencies, PR firms, corporate and government communication departments, producers, directors, editors and shooters.

The Canadian winners are:

Direct Focus Marketing Communications, Inc. from Winnipeg won two awards, one in the Produced For A School category, produced for the University of Winnipeg, and one in the Commercials/Restaurant category for EQ3

Kasian Architecture Interior Design & Planning’s Vancouver office won in the Flash category

Grimsby, Ontario’s  West Lincoln Memorial Hospital also picked up two awards. The work, done by MEDIAIMAGE Communications Group, received the first award for their entry in the Pro Bono category, and the second was in the Medical/Fundraiser category. On a side note, MediaImage also won a 2008 Videographer Award for the West Lincoln  Fundraiser piece.

Highly Anticipated Comedic Vampire Adventure Releases in Time for the Holidays

Toronto – The Adventure Company, a leading publisher of interactive entertainment software, today announced A Vampyre Story for Windows® has shipped to retail stores across North America.

This hilarious adventure is the brainchild of adventure gaming veteran, Bill Tiller, known for the adventure classics The Curse of Monkey Island, The Dig and Indiana Jones. It’s got a cast of more than 20 characters each with their own entertaining personality and more than 30 hand-drawn locations in a richly-detailed world. “Adventure gamers should agree that it’s been worth the wait for A Vampyre Story, all the elements are in place to make it a classic,” said Byron Gaum, Product Manager at The Adventure Company. “Gorgeous graphics, vast environments to explore and a hilarious sidekick will keep you entertained for hours!”
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Toronto – Dreamcatcher, a leading publisher of interactive entertainment software and Microïds, one of the leading adventure games producers and publishers, owner of the Syberia franchise, has announced that Syberia for Nintendo DS™ has shipped to retail stores in North America.

A visual masterpiece created by Benoit Sokal, Syberia has captured the hearts and the imagination of PC gamers worldwide. The charming characters, stimulating puzzles and fascinating storyline of Syberia come to life on DS bringing with it the full musical score and breathtaking cut scenes which helped to make this title PC Adventure Game of the Year.

“Syberia has been a favorite among the adventure gaming community since its release in 2002,” said Brian Gladman, Global Product Manager at The Adventure Company. “We wanted to remain true to the quality of this title in the DS version, players will find the adapted soundtrack and stunning visuals of Syberia translate extremely well into the DS platform.”

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Until now, viewers with low or no sight only knew what television sounded like. And for many other Canadians living with disabilities and seniors, enjoying TV viewing often is a challenge. Now there is a new and unique TV channel that will respond to the many access challenges faced by more than 5 million Canadians plus their families, relatives and friends. It’s called The Accessible Channel or TAC for short, and it goes on air coast to coast at 6 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, December 3rd, the United Nations International Day for Persons with Disabilities. All TAC programming will be broadcast in open description and closed-captioned. This will allow blind, low-vision, deaf, hard of hearing and many others to tune into TAC at any time during the day or night and KNOW that they will be able to enjoy television.

TAC was licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission in the summer of 2007 as a mandatory basic digital open description specialty TV service. That means it will be part of the basic digital service of all cable and satellite services distributing TV programming. The service will be operated by an independent not-for-profit company controlled by The National Broadcast Reading Service Inc. NBRS is a charity set up in 1990 to operate VoicePrint, a mandatory audio programming service that enhances access to print publications for blind Canadians and low-vision, print-restricted and senior listeners. The mission of both TAC and VoicePrint is to enhance access to media for millions of Canadians. Each is operated without government funding.

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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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Premier Provider of Mobile TV and Video Solutions Selected for Work on Rogers Vision, the First Fully-Integrated Mobile Video and Radio Service in Canada

Toronto – QuickPlay Media, the premier provider of mobile TV and video solutions, today announced it has been named a finalist in the “Best Mobile Video and TV Service” category at Visiongain’s Mobile Entertainment Awards 2008. The awards, which recognize the technologies, companies, innovations and campaigns that moved the industry forward in 2008, have chosen QuickPlay Media for its role in powering Rogers Vision, a made-for-mobile experience that gives customers access to streaming video and radio at broadband speeds on select handsets. Rogers Vision is exclusively offered by Rogers Wireless, Canada’s largest wireless provider of voice and data services.

“The continued evolution of mobile devices and networks has created the perfect opportunity to transform the mobile phone into a legitimate entertainment resource,” said Wayne Purboo, president and CEO, QuickPlay Media. “QuickPlay empowers customers to take full advantage of this opportunity by giving them the ability to easily and efficiently provide consumers with a high-quality and compelling media viewing experience. We are extremely honored to have these efforts, and specifically the work we have done Rogers Vision, recognized by the global mobile entertainment community.
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The 2009 Northern Voice Personal Blogging & Social Media Conference has put out a call for speakers. The upcoming conference, which is being held at the Forestry Sciences Centre at UBC, February 20 & 21 2009, covers a wide variety of topics. According to their web site, “Previous years have had plenty of geekery mixed with panels on how blogging interacts with family life, education, travel, photography, community building and establishing professional profiles. Speakers range from the big names at the top of the Technorati rankings to first-time presenters with a passion to share.”

Interested speakers need to apply by December 19, 2008 by completing the conference’s application form. The organizers note that “We’re not necessarily looking for vast public speaking or punditry experience — we just want people who are experienced and passionate about social media and blogging.” Tickets for the conference have not yet gone on sale, but as per previous years the Conference will be affordable, fun and family-friendly.

Lumby, BC – The JW Inglis Elementary School Parent Advisory Committee and Starlit Citadel, an online board games store are working together to hold a fundraising evening of board games on Wednesday, December 3, 2008 at JW Inglis Elementary School.

“This is a brand new fundraising venture for the school and one that we are very excited about. We love the idea of selling games as a fundraiser as it is not only an educational past-time, but it also encourages family and social interaction,” said Jennifer Greenwood, Vice-President of the JW Inglis Elementary School Parent Advisory Committee. “We look forward to seeing the children and their family members at this combined games night and bake sale.”

“Introducing board games to children encourages critical thinking and math skills at an early age. Furthermore, it is an environment that emphasizes interaction and competition which an entire family can participate in,” said CEO Tao Wong of Starlit Citadel.
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