Village Gamer

Deadline Extension: The final closing date for the Canada Media Fund English POV Program has been changed from May 9th to May 20th 2011.
Final Deadline: Online Registration for Canada 3.0 Forum closes today.
Live Tweets: Are you like me and couldn’t attend Merging Media? Follow the live tweets at #mergingmedia and #transmedia.

Source Studio has released their space shooter game ProtoGalaxy on Impulse for the PC, giving you arcade action, smart puzzles, space exploration and a built-in level editor for only $9.99.  In ProtoGalaxy, up to four players can team up, configure their ship and upgrade their weapons in order to defend Earth from powerful alien invaders. Throughout the game players will brave fierce battles, solve challenging puzzles and explore the far reaches of the galaxy in order to end the attacks and rebuild a home for the survivors.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_RwsKVdOxA]

“ProtoGalaxy is an intense space themed dungeon crawler,” said Alex Brown, company founder. “The game includes a built in editor which allows players to easily create entirely new levels. Players can share their creations online and download other people’s levels for endless game play,” Brown added.

Game features:

·         Level editor to create new galaxies
·         Single and multi-player mode (up to 4 players)
·         Array of weapon choice
·         Ship customization with large selection of parts
·         Use physics to solve problems
·         Includes free DLC: Proto Defense

Game publisher and distributor G4Box Inc. has announced the results of the donation drive for victims of the disaster in Japan hosted by its popular online military shooter, Cross Fire. G4Box and Cross Fire held the month-long “Cross Fire For Japan” charity drive from March 24th to April 24th and donated 10% of all sales of the game’s Panda and Japan Name Card Items to the Red Cross Japan Disaster Relief Fund. The Cross Fire player community showed their love and support for Japan by sporting Panda items and Japan Flag Name cards in-game and collectively helped Cross Fire and G4Box to donate more than $5,000 to the Red Cross Japan Disaster Relief Fund.

“The people affected by the tragedy in Japan are still facing so many tribulations and our community really stepped up to support them and donate to the cause during their time of need,” said Jason Yang, CEO of G4Box Inc. “We are lucky to have a very loyal and caring Cross Fire community who gladly supported this very important cause.”

Cross Fire is a free online military first-person shooter for Windows PCs. Players assume the role of either a Black List or Global Risk operative and compete in various modes of play including Team Death Match, the Mutant infested Mutation Mode, attack and defend Escape Mode, and the exclusive stealth-action Ghost Mode. Cross Fire includes a military ranking system, in-game friends lists, an integrated clan system, deep character customization options and social media integration via the Cross Fire website. Cross Fire is part of the Z8Games platform of free-to-play games.

Another Toronto publisher, Game Bridger Entertainment, has revealed two more playable character classes in its upcoming Free-to-play MMORPG Brawler, Aida Arenas. In these dual gameplay trailers, the Gladiator and the Priestess, after a brief warm-up, venture into Aida’s seedy underbelly to fight some baddies and round up some treasure.

When it comes to swords, the Gladiator has no problem wielding a blade almost twice his size. The bigger the better is his motto; just remember to hold on tight with both hands.  Overall, the Gladiator is a well-rounded class that can hold his own against monsters and arena PvPers alike.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcUzhG4PYak]

With her faithful pet Cocoli and a library of magical knowledge at her disposal, the Priestess comes equipped with a spell for just about any situation. On a story quest or in the competitive PvP arena, the Priestess is an essential part of any complete party.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n9wwv2B-aU]

Create a hero, explore dungeons, fight monsters,compete  with friends and discover hidden treasure in AIDA Arenas, the new MMORPG Brawler from GamerKraft. Combining elements of the classic beat ’em up arcade genre with the character progression and social features of modern MMORPGs – Aida Arenas offers an action-packed game-play experience unlike any you’ve seen before.

Well this makes me feel somewhat better, even though only one Canadian company made the Top Fifty list and most of these women started their businesses years ago. They aren’t currently trying to mash a whole slew of ideas into one cohesive business unit while trying to extricate oneself from an unrelated family business.  The Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO), in partnership with American Express OPEN, the small business division of American Express, has released the fourth ranking of the 50 Fastest Growing Women-Owned/led companies in North America. The Top 50 generated a combined $4.1 billion in 2010 revenues (mean of $82.7 million) and collectively employed 24,650 in 2010 (projected average for 2011 is 557 employees).

The lone Canadian company on this US-dominated list is SIMAC Canada, Inc., an Ontario-based company lead by President and CEO Gloria Bajkumar. SIMAC is a company that co-ordinates independent medical assessments.

“The Top 50 list includes a group of trailblazing women entrepreneurs who represent a variety of industries ranging from staffing to electronic systems providers, language services to security,” said Marsha Firestone, Ph. D., president and founder of the WPO. “We are pleased to partner with American Express OPEN to honor these powerful women and recognize their triumphs.”

In order to help the Top 50 continue to seize even more business opportunities, each of the honored business owners will be offered a Business Platinum Card⁽based on approvals) from American Express OPEN. The card will include 100,000 Membership Rewards® points, which may be used on capital investments including: the funding of employee recognition programs, business travel or the purchase of office equipment and supplies.

“Based on American Express OPEN’s ‘State of Women-Owned Businesses’ report, there are an estimated 8.1 million women-owned businesses in the United States, generating nearly $1.3 trillion in revenues and employing nearly 7.7 million people,” said Nancy Hood, Vice President at American Express OPEN. “We at OPEN are honored to support this elite group of women who diversify the full spectrum of industries and have become leaders within the women business community.”

All eligible companies were ranked according to a sales growth formula that combines percentage and absolute growth. From this list, the 50 Fastest were selected. To be qualified for the ranking, businesses are required to be privately held, woman-owned/led companies in the U.S. or Canada and have reached revenue of at least $500,000 by the first week of 2006 and $2 million in 2010.

More about the 2011 Top 50:

• Founded the Business: 90%
• Current CEO is actively involved in the day-to-day operations: 100%
• Average years in business: 16
• Average age: 47
• Average Number of Projected 2011 Employees: 557

All 50 companies will be honoured tonight at a special event hosted by American Express OPEN at the 2011 WPO Annual Conference taking place here in Vancouver. The awards reception will take place from 6:30PM to 9:30PM at the Fairmont Vancouver Hotel.

Autodesk invites Canadian creatives to see what’s new in the company’s 2012 product line-up.  There will be three events across the country featuring speaker sessions, demonstrations and a continental breakfast:

Vancouver – May 3 at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre
Montreal – May 10 at the Hyatt Regency Montreal
Toronto – May 12 at the Toronto Congress Centre

The standardized agenda for each event:

8:00 a.m. –   9:00 a.m. Registration/Expo/Continental Breakfast
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Industry Sessions: Manufacturing, Building, Infrastructure
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Expo/Break
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Industry Sessions Continue

What you can expect from product updates:

New Integrated Design Suites: Delivering valuable design, simulation, management, and visualization tools, the new family of design suites provides the most complete creation and production solutions available — at an exceptional value.

A Powerful Leap in Productivity: From simple changes like faster startup times and graphics acceleration to astonishing visualizations and an improved learning experience, you can get more done in less time.

Robust Analysis and Modeling Tools: Evaluate what you are creating before it gets built — from energy use and structural integrity to stress points and final assembly — to save time and money on costly changes.

Enhanced User Interfaces That Are Intuitive and Easy to Use: You will find new tools and enhancements this year, such as updated ribbon interfaces, quick access toolbars, direct object manipulation, a marking menu, highlighting, automation user interface, and many more. All of which make it easier to get from concept to creation.

Better Ways to Work Together: With accelerated timelines and dwindling budgets, coordination among all team members is critical. And Autodesk is making it easier, with improved visibility into projects, better collaboration tools, and easy-to-access design information. All of which helps you deliver projects that are on time and on budget.

As you saw on the schedule above, there are three industry sessions. The Business Session will be presented by Caesar Ruest, Jay Ayala and John Janzen. The Infrastructure Session will be presented by Pete Southwood, Steve Stamatoplos and Neal Niemec, and the Manufacturing Session will be presented by Daryl Corelli. Registration for this event is free and I would recommend registering as soon as possible to reserve your spot.

FIRST Robotics Canada is pleased to announce that a total of 26 schools from Canada have qualified for the FIRST World Championship in St. Louis. The competition starts today and runs until April 30th at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. This is the largest robotics competition in the world and we are proud that Canada will be represented by some of our brightest and most innovative students.

The following Canadian high school teams will compete at the FIRST Robotics 2011 World Championship:

• Governor Simcoe Secondary (St. Catharines) – GTA East Regional Chairman’s Award and GTA East, Waterloo and Pittsburgh Regional Winners
• St. Mildred’s Lightbourn Girls School (Oakville) – GTA West Regional Chairman’s Award and Pittsburgh NASA Engineering Inspiration Award
• Near North Student Robotics Initiative (North Bay) – Waterloo Regional Chairman’s Award
• Westlane Secondary (Niagara Falls) – GTA East and Pittsburgh Regional Winners
• Bishop Grandin Secondary (Calgary) – GTA East Regional Winner
• Orchard Park Secondary (Stoney Creek) – GTA West, Waterloo and Rochester Regional Winners
• Kincardine Secondary (Kincardine) – GTA West Regional Winner
• Trafalgar Castle Girls School (Whitby) – GTA West Regional Winner
• Sir Wilfred Laurier Secondary (London) – Waterloo Regional Winner and Rookie All Star Award
• Eastwood Collegiate (Kitchener) – Wisconsin Regional Winner
• Rick Hansen Secondary (Mississauga) – GTA East Engineering Inspiration Award
• Kingston Collegiate (Kingston) – GTA West Engineering Inspiration Award and New York City Regional Finalists
• Oakville Trafalgar High School (Oakville) – Waterloo Engineering Inspiration Award
• Oakridge Secondary (London) – GTA West Rookie All Star Award
• Woburn Collegiate (Toronto) – GTA East Regional Finalist
• Crescent School (Toronto) – GTA West Regional Finalist
• Algoma School Board (Sault Ste. Marie) – Previously Qualified

FIRST Robotics high school students were given six weeks to design, build and test a robot within size, weight, cost and other design guidelines. At the competitions, these robots must work cooperatively and in competition in a game that challenges the limits of the robots and the students. Some 340 teams out of 2,075 in total have qualified to attend the 2011 World Championship.

The following Canadian middle school teams will compete at the FIRST Lego League 2011 World Championship:

• Team 2359, The Hurricanes, Victoria, British Columbia
• Team 8405, The TechnoVikings, St. Mary’s, Newfoundland
• Team 529, The Three Blind Mice and Their Lost Cousin, Aylesford, Nova Scotia
• Team 2977, The TechnoSurgeons, Mississauga, Ontario
• Team 3663, The Sentinels, Oakville, Ontario

In total some 17,100 FLL teams from 57 countries participated in this year’s program.

The following Canadian middle school teams will compete at the FIRST Tech Challenge 2011 World Championship:

• Team 245, Roberts Creek Xtreme Robotic Minds, Roberts Creek, British Columbia
• Team 349, FIX IT, Victoria, British Columbia
• Team 521, BSS Thunder, Wainwright, Alberta
• Team 527, The Ghosts from Calgary, Alberta.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an international non-profit organization designed to inspire students to pursue further studies and careers in science, engineering, computers and technology. Students develop skills in problem solving, innovation, leadership and teamwork as well as design, manufacturing, programming and testing. FIRST’s programs reach 250,000 students in 57 countries. FIRST Robotics Canada, a Canadian non-profit started in 2002, now reaches some 7,000 Canadian students.

FIRST Robotics Canada is supported by the Ministry of Education, Government of Ontario and is sponsored by Bruce Power, Hatch Limited, University of Toronto, Imperial Oil Foundation, TD Bank, Bell Canada, Magna International, SYNNEX Corporation, University of Waterloo, City of Mississauga, Johnson & Johnson, Yves Landry Foundation, Discovery Channel and others. The 2011 Waterloo Regional was sponsored by RIM, University of Waterloo, Toyota Canada, TD Bank, Discovery Channel and others. The 2011 FIRST LEGO League Ontario Championship was sponsored by Ontario Power Generation, RIM, UOIT and others.

At only Challenge #5, the Game Prototype Challenge has grown even more than its creator could have imagined. When the Challenge first launched last November, six developers submitted titles. In this fifth challenge, eighteen prototypes were submitted. Game Prototype Challenge is not a competition, there are no prizes and these games are not meant to be fully polished ready-for-launch products. They are prototypes meant to convey an idea, giving it life through a playable platform. Developers simply take the challenge’s theme and run with it, honing their skills while letting their imaginations roam the wide open fields of their creativity. There are no production limits beyond time – each prototype must be completed within one week.  Themes have been varied, starting with Dreams and Collectibles and venturing to areas such as Immortality, Loneliness, Burdens, and in this latest round, visiting the idea of Companions and Rising.

Here then, without further ado, are the latest Game Challenge Prototype creations, one of which I think has the longest game title ever:

Los Dos Escaladores by Jason P. Kaplan
Mech Survivor by InEvoWare Studios
Sea Lift by Kai Skye
The Seed by Alexander Barabash
Stratosfear by Quick Fingers
Climbers by Sergey Tikhonov
Boreas & Notus by Alexis Andre
A Bit Of Life by Ben Simms
Bread Duck by Kyle Rodgers
Cloud Cat by Jesper Oskarsson
Fun Time Jump Game: The Game by Cale Bradbury
Guzzy by MisfitBYTE
Bread Rising by Michael Gi
Obsolescence by Charles Amis & Ian Gil
Terror of the Lost Girlfriend by Stan MacDonald
Shoot For The Stars Super Conjoined Twins May All Your Dreams Come True by Jon Remedios & Rachel Kahn
100th by Alexander Martin
Close Support by Dylan Van Cleave

Game Prototype Challenge is open to everyone – you do not need to be a full-time game developer, you don’t even need to be employed as a game developer. If you love mapping out ideas and making games, that’s all you need – you don’t even have to go it alone. Pair up with a friend, collaborate on possibilities and get prototyping. If you need help getting started, call on Game Prototype Challenge founder Jason Kaplan – he’ll be happy to point you in the right direction. The next Challenge is expected to take place in June.

Telefilm Canada is pleased to announce that it is a Presenting Partner to Canadian international documentary film festival Hot Docs, taking place in Toronto from April 28 to May 8. Telefilm is also a proud sponsor of the Hot Docs Forum, one of the leading international documentary business markets in North America. This year, Hot Docs is presenting over 200 films from more than 40 countries and welcoming hundreds of international filmmakers and industry delegates.

“Congratulations to Hot Docs on 18 years as an essential meeting place for the international documentary industry,” said Carolle Brabant, Telefilm’s Executive Director. “With our continued sponsorship of this first-rate festival and our industry financing most notably through the Theatrical Documentary Program – a unique public-private partnership between Telefilm and the Rogers Group of Fund – we are a proud supporter of this mobilizing art form.”

Five Telefilm-financed documentaries in the Hot Docs spotlight

Eco-Pirate: The Story of Paul Watson, Trish Dolman
Feature-length documentary about a man on a mission to save the planet and its oceans. Part Captain Nemo, part Grizzly Man, the film follows Watson in the act as he repeatedly flouts the law, so that he may apprehend what he sees as the more serious law-breakers – the illegal poachers of the world.

The Future is Now!, Gary Burns and Jim Brown
Documentary-drama hybrid in which a young journalist leads “Everyman” on a quest for knowledge from experts in art, science and philosophy. The Future is Now! was recently part of the International Festival of Independent Cinema of Buenos Aires’ prestigious retrospective on Canadian director Gary Burns.

The Guantanamo Trap, Thomas Selim Wallner (Canada/Germany/Switzerland co-production)
Recounts the story of Murat Kurnaz, who was born in Germany of Turkish heritage and detained and tortured at a US military base in Afghanistan, and in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he was held for five years.

Family Portrait in Black and White, Julia Ivanova
From Variety Magazine: “Engaging docu Family Portrait in Black and White considers the much-extended household of Olga Nenya, a middle-aged Ukrainian woman who’s foster mother to 17 children, many mixed-race.”

Beauty Day, directed by Jay Cheel
Before there was Jackass… before there was Tom Green… there was Ralph Zavadil. His cable access television show, The Cap’n Video Show, ran from 1990 to 1995, challenging the sensibilities of his small Southern Ontario audience.

Sticking with film-related news, D-BOX Technologies Inc. has signed its first agreement with Regency Theatres to equip Regency Agoura Hills Stadium 8 in Agoura Hills, Calif. with 32 D-BOX MFX Seats.

“California remains one of our largest and fastest growing markets to-date,” said President and Chief Executive Officer of D-BOX Technologies, Claude Mc Master. “As we continue to introduce our motion technology, demand in our existing markets remains on the rise. We’re delighted to once again announce a new theatre in the area and new partnership.”

“At Regency Theatres we strive to provide our customers with the most extraordinary entertainment experience imaginable,” said Lyndon Golin of Regency Theatres. “With state-of-the-art audio and visual technologies, and dedication to quality, customer service, the addition of D-BOX is an ideal complement. We anticipate great success at the box office.”

D-Box also announced today that Paramount Pictures’ summer sci-fi thriller Super 8 will feature D-BOX Motion Effects in select theatres when the movie is released June 10.

“The opportunity to feature our motion technology with one of the most anticipated films of the summer will continue to drive expansion into new and existing markets,” said President and CEO of D-BOX Technologies, Claude Mc Master. “It’s a great pleasure to once again partner with Paramount Pictures. The content of this new picture is an ideal match for our incredibly realistic motion effects.”

Meetup: Vancouver Social Game Devs at Calabash this April 28th from 6 – 9pm. Sign up on the Meetup page.
Edmonton Game Pub: April 27th in the Bioware Theatre from 6 – 9pm. Sign up on the event page or on Facebook.
Speaker Session: Wired Woman Presents A Blueprint for Implementing a Successful Mentorship Program, 6pm at the Vancouver YWCA Royal Bank Room on April 27th.
Deadline: IGDA Scholarship Applications for E3 – get them in by April 29th.
Attention Canadian Students: If you would like to take part in the Impact Apprentice 2011 challenge, now is the time to start your plan of attack. Submissions open on May 11th.

Coming Soon: VI Technologies has announced that the company will be releasing VI Racing 964 3.3 Turbo: AI First Drive on April 30th.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT3EuqtmX5Q]

Digital Leisure Inc. has launched Word Searcher Deluxe exclusively on WiiWare for 500 Nintendo Points. In this follow up to last years ‘Word Searcher’, gamers will need a sharp eye and a quick mind to complete these 100 themed word search puzzles. Word Searcher Deluxe contains fun words from multiple categories including palindromes, pirates and painting. Packed with a huge assortment of subjects to choose from, there’s sure to be a puzzle anyone will enjoy.

Word Searcher Deluxe will help improve your vocabulary, memory and problem-solving skills with its addictive puzzles. Keep track of your progress and try to beat your own play through times again and again as words are scrambled every time you play. Get your thinking cap on and conquer all 100 today, or take on the whole family and your friends with the full cooperative and competitive multi-player modes. You will also be able to download and enjoy additional puzzles via Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection Pay & Play

Toronto’s Mobile Game Studio will be releasing Web Swinger, the studio’s newest arcade game  in just a few weeks’ time. This new fun packed game will put you in the role of a tiny creature who despite his size, is determined to rule world, reaching incredible heights while defeating enemies in a life and death battle for barn supremacy. Arcade-styled Web Swinger will take you into the world of insects, casting you as a spider and pitting you against numerous insect enemies as you battle against time in your quest to the bottom of the barn.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvBvVUKfYNs]

Click on the down or up arrow to move the spider down or up the web and drag your finger on the screen to swing the spider. Web Swinger features 20 different levels of unbelievable fun, but it is up to you to make your mark and defeat your enemies. You will lose the game if your spider loses all of its lives or is crushed by time.  Stay tuned for the official release of Web Swinger in the Apple Store.

Parksville’s Pixton has been selected as an Official Honoree in the Youth category of the 15th Annual Webby Awards, one of the Internet’s most respected symbol of success.  This year’s Webby Awards received 10,000 entries from 60 countries and 50 U.S. states. The Official Honoree distinction is awarded to the top 10 percent of all work entered. Fellow Honorees in the Youth category include such powerhouses as Disney, Lego, Teen.com, and Nickelodeon.

“We’re incredibly honored that Pixton has been selected. It reinforces Pixton as one of the best websites for youth, and that wouldn’t be possible without our active, vibrant community”, says Clive Goodinson, Creator and Founder of Pixton Comics.

Pixton pushes the limits of creativity on the web by giving anyone the power to create comics, full of original characters with life-like expression and movement. Every element of a comic is controlled with an intuitive click-and-drag motion. Comics can be shared in print as well as across the social web, in browsers, mobile devices, tablets, and interactive whiteboards.

“Kids today want not only to get inside their favorite characters’ worlds, they want to actively shape those worlds, in an online social environment,” says Clive, “Pixton is that place. Kids can carve out their own niche while being part of a shared world of digital stories and comic conversations.”

Already available in 9 languages, the website is continually growing as Pixton expands its reach to homes, schools, and businesses around the world.

Vancouver based interactive digital agency Appnovation Technologies has become an official systems integration partner with San Francisco based Strobe Inc., a company founded by SproutCore creator Charles Jolley, enables the delivery of cross platform mobile solutions using HTML5 and SproutCore technologies.

Appnovation’s expertise lies in designing, building and deploying content rich web and mobile applications using open source technology platforms such as Drupal and Alfresco. By adding SproutCore and Strobe technologies to their services arsenal, Appnovation will now be able to blend the robust content and document management capabilities of Alfresco and Drupal with ability to deploy applications across multiple mobile platforms. Appnovation is already working with Strobe to bring the value of this partnership to market and continue to drive open source solutions for its customers.

Vircom, an award-winning e-mail messaging security software company in Montreal has released directQuarantine™, an Outlook add-on module for its modusGate™ email security software that provides end-user control of quarantine emails directly from Outlook. Vircom’s directQuarantine software is compatible with modusGate 4.7 or 5.0, runs on Windows platforms (2003/2008/2008R2 for the server and XP/Vista/7 for the client) and is available to order today.

directQuarantine provides a Spam folder in Outlook that allows end-users to search for quarantined emails in real-time using the Outlook search toolbar or the blazingly fast native Windows search – no more waiting for nightly quarantine reports, logging in to a Web portal, or depending upon IT to check for and release blocked emails. The directQuarantine folder contains all emails caught and filtered by modusGate and any false positives can be quickly and easily released directly from the Outlook toolbar. Any attachments, viruses, phishing links and all other electronic threats remain safely on the modusGate server and are not downloaded to Outlook, ensuring the highest level of security.

Toronto’s AVIX Technologies, Inc. has announced that its its proposed wholly owned subsidiary, Florida-based Actus Interactive Software, LLC has developed a suite of cutting edge graphical multi-touch capable interactive kiosk and active digital signage products that are intended for broad market and vertical appeal.

Divided between active digital signage and interactive kiosks, these solutions feature self service content management in an easy to use, dynamic way, deploying to countless end point devices in a real time or scheduled manner. ACTUS’ kiosk and digital signage owners can also dynamically brand or “skin” end point devices uniquely or in groups.

Cornelia Volino, President of AVIX stated that, “As the Company moves closer to completing the acquisition of ACTUS, our focus is shifting towards integrating vertical and horizontal industry segments and those that will be capable of supporting the development efforts of ACTUS, which include multi-touch capability and gesture based technologies built on the NUI.”

This suite of kiosk and interactive digital signage products has the potential to significantly affect competition in the kiosk and interactive digital signage spaces across multiple vertical industries. ACTUS kiosk solutions are multi-touch (and eventually gesture) capable based on the latest advances in Natural User Interface (NUI) providing for high levels of usability beyond what is normally seen in today’s web based kiosk software. ACTUS kiosk and digital signage solutions deploy to multiple form factors on multiple platforms including large HD screens, computers, slates, and mobile devices and all leverage a common web & cloud capable back end architecture.

Max The Mutt Animation School knows the importance of networking for career success and as such offer students multiple opportunities to meet and showcase their work to Industry professionals in their field. The annual 1st Year Show and open house will be held at the school on April 30, 2011 from 10am – 4pm and the annual Grad Exhibition has its Grand Opening on May 21, 2011 running until June 30, 2011.

The first year show hosts the visual art work for first year students from all of Max The Mutt’s diploma programs: Classical & Computer Animation & Production, Illustration for Sequential Arts, and Concept Art for Animation & Video Games. If someone is interested in going into any of these fields this would be an excellent opportunity to see what skills are being taught at Max the Mutt. It is also a great opportunity for people to soak up the ambiance of this small, unique environment geared to give students “skills that count.”

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYMicXGlcA0]

The Grad Exhibition will feature work and demo reels from the graduate students from the animation, concept art, and sequential arts programs. This will be an especially exciting year as they celebrate the first group of graduates from the Concept Art for Video Games & Animation four-year diploma program. To kick off the Grad Exhibition and put the students and their work in front of potential employers, Max The Mutt hosts a private Industry Night before the opening.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BI5RaIrErI]

Marvel, DC, Darkhorse, Comic Book Illustrator and Max The Mutt Instructor Dave Ross has worked for them all, drawing and writing for Captain America, Spiderman, Batgirl, Star Trek, Daredevil, Birds of Prey, JLA: Act of God, and many more. “Last year for Industry Night we were able to bring in the traffic director of Marvel,” explains Ross, “he is the liaison with the editors to know who is going to need talent to come onto a project and suggests people. He came in to speak with the graduating class, spent a lot of time with them to help them with portfolio development and told them what Marvel would expect. We had industry people from the various publishers in town and a few of the graduate students did get jobs from that industry night so that night is hugely important.”

Event Details:

*First Year Show: Saturday April 30, 2011, 10am-4pm Max the Mutt Animation School, 952 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario M6J 1G8. An information session will be held at 11:30 a..m. sharp with reservations required.

*Graduation Exhibition: May 21, 2011 running until June 30, 2011. Monday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Max the Mutt Animation School

For more information and to RVSP you can email or call the school at 416-703-6877

The FIFA Interactive World Cup is set to climax with the most exciting Grand Final in the event’s seven-year history. FIFA and the event’s Partners Sony PlayStation^®and EA Sports™today announced that they will be flying the 24 finalists of the world’s largest virtual football tournament to Los Angeles, where the winner will be crowned amidst a three-day entertainment extravaganza. The Grand Final will be held from 7-9 June 2011, to coincide with the world’s largest gaming conference E3, which will be held in Los Angeles on the same dates.

Since the first of six online qualifying seasons kicked off in December 2010, over 700,000 gamers from all over the world have competed  with EA Sports FIFA 11 online via PlayStation®Network and at live qualification events held all over the world in an effort to claim a seat at the Grand Final, and ultimately be crowned the new FIFA Interactive World Cup Champion. All 24 finalists will be treated to a world-class action packed LA experience, sampling the local sights before competing in the first knock-out stage which will cut the numbers of competitors down to the final 12.

“I’m so excited to hear the news that the FIFA Interactive World Cup is coming to the United States” said 2010 FIFA Interactive World Cup Champion Nenad Stojkovic “It will be a great honour to welcome the challengers to Los Angeles and defend my title on home soil”.

The lucky remaining finalists will then participate in the final stage of the tournament, which will be held at the Home Depot Centre, home of LA Galaxy, at 4pm on June 9, 2011. US football stars will be present at the final event to cheer on the remaining contestants. The freshly crowned Champion will walk away with $20,000 USD, a once-in-a-lifetime invitation to the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2011 as well as a whole host of memories of a truly exclusive LA experience.

The IGDA has put out a Call for Speakers for its two Leadership Forums. Qualified individuals are being sought who can provide insightful leadership and production-related sessions for the 5th Annual IGDA Leadership Forum US and new this year, the First Annual IGDA Leadership Forum EU, focused on advancing the state of the art in game production and management. Both forums will take place this fall, with the European forum being held in Copenhagen on October 20th and 21st. IGDA Leadership Forum US is taking place at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Los Angeles on October 27th and 28th.

Toon Boom Animation Inc. has release of its initial line up of fun apps for the Apple community, from mobile devices to Mac computers. Each app has several entertaining features, these vary depending on the app and device used. The Mac AppStore now offers Flip Boom Cartoon and Flip Boom Doodle which are available internationally.

On the mobile devices front, Toon Boom has launched Flip Boom Lite for the iPhone and iPod, a free app that lets your fingertips doodle, scribble or draw fun animations. Flip Boom Lite is already available for the iPad and has received rave reviews.

“A natural synergy exists between Apple and Toon Boom Animation, as our award-winning applications are used by the largest animation studios in the world, while Apple products are the most popular devices in the world,” said Joan Vogelesang, President and Chief Executive Officer of Toon Boom Animation. “Toon Boom is an amazing example of the potential that can be unlocked by applications that can run smoothly on any Apple platform.”

Vancouver-based JAH App Development is pleased to announce the release of the fun, interactive Kids Anatomy Puzzle iPhone App is available through iTunes App Store. The Kids Anatomy Puzzle is a series (16 in Total) of body part puzzles with easy tap and swipe controls that lets your child learn the anatomy of his or her body by building each puzzle. Upon completion of each puzzle your child will see and hear the body part they have just completed.

Starting with a basic Boy or Girl head, kids can can choose a part of the face and create a puzzle to complete the face. There are audio and visual rewards upon completion of each puzzle. This game is recommended for kids aged 2 – 10.

The Canadian Games Conference would like to remind you that the Early Bird ticket deadline is April 26th – don’t miss this opportunity to save $150.00 off the full ticket price. The conference has also confirmed three more sessions for this year’s event, which takes place at the Vancouver Convention Centre on May 19th and 20th:

Dee Jay Randall

* 1000s of Zombies, 1000s of Problems — The Dead Rising 2 Multiplayer Experience – Presented by Dee Jay Randall, Technical Director at Capcom Vancouver, who will discuss the challenges posed by the co-operative online play for Dead Rising 2. Find out how the studio went about creating a shared experience of killing zombies and rescuing survivors while maintaining the quality of offline single player. The whimsical violence of hitting, stabbing, shooting and crushing zombies needed to be as fluid and as responsive in co-op as it was in single player.

Attendees will be rewarded with details of the networking components developed for Dead Rising 2’s co-operative mode. We will reveal how we achieved the perception of seamless simultaneity for thousands of in-game entities. In addition, we’ll describe the criteria we used to determine which features relied on a peer-to-peer model versus a traditional client-server model. Finally, we’ll describe the in-game tools used during development and highlight improvements that can ease future development.

* 2011 Processor Graphics Profiling for Console Level Game Performance in your Lap – Presented by Yannis Minadakis from Intel Corporation

* Evolution of an App to Deliver Scalable Application Infrastructure, Matt Chilek, Vice President, Systems Development at SoftLayer Technologies, Inc.

The Canadian Games Conference will also be presenting a PechaKucha-styled closing to this year’s conference, featuring an hour’s worth of high energy game industry topics designed to leave you with the inspiration to go forth and create. Don’t forget to get your tickets for the Canadian Videogame Awards, taking place May 18th at the Centre for the Performing Arts.