Toronto Thumbs

Event Report
Dx3 Canada: Gamification

Gamification. Up until a few years ago you would hardly think a term like that could even exist – let alone be defined in Webster’s Dictionary. I hate to break it to any naysayers out there, but it is definitely a concept that is alive, kicking, and being used in the gaming world this very moment. If you are still unsure of what this concept entails then don’t you worry: the answers are coming.

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GameON Finance
Interview With Zack Karlsson

Recently at the GameON: Finance conference I had a chance to talk to Zack Karlsson, VP of Business Development & Digital Platforms at Capcom. During a panel he had some interesting things to say about the direction of current “triple-A” games. Karlsson said that he doesn’t believe that development costs of AAA titles will inflate anymore than they already have. Even as new generations of consoles come into play Karlsson stands by his statement. Below is my brief interview with Karlsson on his views on AAA titles.

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Event Report
GameON: Finance 2012 – The Start-Ups

At first glance, GameON: Finance can sometimes appear stuffy for a digital media event. The amount of investors, publishers and like-minded professional men and women can seem a little daunting in contrast to the creative minds in the industry. Marketing, capital and revenue are a part of the business and without them many of those creative minds wouldn’t have the support they had aspired for their company. In a world that revolves around money, it’s sometimes not easy to maintain focus on the creative aspects of a company.

It doesn’t hurt to be a skeptic; business and creativity working hand in hand seems so unlikely. However, GOF is interesting in that while business-oriented goals are ever-present, the creative aspects of companies emerge; proving that their role in the industry is an important one. During Canadian Interactive Showcase (Presented by CMF) up-and-coming Canadian companies each had the opportunity to present a five-minute pitch sharing their project and future endeavours. With an audience of potential partners and investment opportunities at stake, this was quite the event for each of the candidates.

Curious to know what some of these showcase start-ups have created and what they hope to achieve in the future? Following is an interview with three of the participants:

• Introduction
• Cinder
• Kolody
• Era: Origins

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CES
Some Questions

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to go to CES 2012. However, we did have a chance to chat with Elliott Chun (from Future Shop) whose initials are the same as the beginning of CES. We think that’s better because it’s more efficient – fewer letters and all…

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Events
TIFF Nexus: Women In New Media

TIFF Nexus is doing incredible things here in Toronto: It is a program that allows creators of all kinds come together and produce really special things. In the past we saw a collaboration between hardware hackers and game makers that resulted in some pretty intense projects, including a flight game piloted by your eye. Just recently however, Nexus ran an initiative that sought to bring more females into the field of new media (film, television, game-making, etc.).

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Event
Gamercamp Lv3: Play

Gamercamp Lv3 was completely devoted to creating an environment of play for its attendees. Everything from the breakout room (stocked with Play-Doh, crayons and paper), to the inspirational talks by local developers allowed creativity to flow and ideas to be hatched. I had a chance to sit down with Jamie Woo and Mark Rabo (separately), co-organizers of Gamercamp, to talk about their ideas on play and how one can use it in their life. In the spirit of play, during the interview we played a game of Exquisite Corpse.

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Events
FITC SCREENS 2011

Erika spent some time at FITC SCREENS recently where she had her mind blown. Here is a quick run-through of some of her favourite parts.

In this day and age, technology is maturing at an exceptional rate, rapidly expanding and enriching our lives more than ever before. Creative minds are constantly experimenting and exploring – creating further advancements in technology.

This is where FITC comes into play. By covering relevant topics including interactive design and business, iOS, Android, HTML5, Flash, FLEX, AIR and mobile, FITC SCREENS offers developers and enthusiasts the opportunity to experience and explore the vast array of content out today. Having taken place November 14 and 15 (with workshops on Nov 16), this year’s FITC SCREENS left me energized and inspired.

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DIG London 2011
Reflections On the 8th Art

Recently, Ricky Lima, our swashbuckling correspondent, made his way over to London to check out DIG 2011. Here are some of his thoughts from one of the talks he attended.

At DIG London 2011 Denis Dyack, founder and president of Silicon Knights, presented a talk about what he calls the 8th art: video games – a direct reference to the notion of film being the 7th art. He claims that much like film, video games were not accepted as art in their infancy, but things are changing. Dyack believes that the interactive nature of games creates interesting and unique opportunities for storytelling, thus enabling creators to tell both more engaging stories and more intimate stories. His talk, thankfully, rapidly went into a more interesting place than the tired argument of whether video games were art or not.

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Upcoming Event
Gamercamp Lv3

Do you know what’s awesome about the gaming community? Everyone is pretty damned awesome. The devs are probably some of my favourite people to hang out with (when I get the rare chance); they are such a warm and creative bunch of people that it actually becomes tough to say goodbye at the end of time spent with them! If you have ever wanted to experience the camaraderie and fun that is associated with the artistry of gaming and play, then you really, really need to go to Gamercamp Lv3.

Held at a number of different venues, Gamercamp celebrates…well…us! With talks, workshops and entertainment, there is something for everyone! Each and every one of us that makes up the gaming community has something to share at Gamercamp.

So what are you waiting for? »

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Event
Super Mario 3D Land in’a New York!

Today, at Times Square, Military Island was turned into Mario’s 3D world. People were able to step into a real-life video-game in the middle of New York City. There was a life-sized warp pipe, trampoline coin jump and even a flagpole at the end! Fans and non-fans alike got to play the game before release. We just thought that this was a neat event!

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