Ontario - a video-game player

Check out the article in the London Free Press today that notes how Ontario has become a hub for video-game development in Ontario.  For those of us working in the industry, we have seen the steady increase is studios and talent producing triple A, mobile, and console games- this news is no surprise to us!  But, it's great to see London companies like Digital Extremes recognized for their talent and clout they bring to the industry. Pin It

Video Games Lead to Success in the Workplace?

In his article "How Playing Video Games Can Boost Your Career", Oliver Chang of Forbes.com makes some very interesting connections between success in the virtual realm and the tangible benefits it can have in the corporate workplace. He talks with Elliot Noss, the CEO of a major domain provider, who personally uses characteristics and strategy of online MMORPG's to better not only himself, but his workforce as well. 


"In World of Warcraft, each action, even a small task like hunting an animal, has a purpose and fits into a broader framework. Similarly, Noss has set up frameworks at Tucows that allow employees to understand how day-to-day tasks impact the company."


There has been no shortage of talk on the internet of how efforts like the Xbox's Achievement system have revolutionized the way people look at gaming. The idea of chasing the elusive high score in the Arcade has now been translated into players trying to not only attain high scores, but think and perform in novel ways to attain small goals eventually benefitting their overall ranking. The generation of gamers that have grown up with this sort of goal oriented game play have been recognized in industry as able to translate their skills to achieve real world business goals as well. 


"We're finding that the younger people coming into the teams who have had experience playing online games are the highest-level performers because they are constantly motivated to seek out the next challenge and grab on to performance metrics," says John Hagel III, co-chairman of a tech-oriented strategy center for Deloitte


Definitely some interesting ideas challenging the traditional way people look at video games. If you're interested in hearing about more innovative ways to think about gaming, or maybe a chance to put those skills you have learned from gaming to the test, be sure to check out DIG London 2010!

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Mark Mikulec Keynote Posted!

Mark began developing professional-quality sci-fi themed computer games in his spare time during the mid 90's, distributing them through the Internet.

During university, Mark founded his first company, Iron Fusion Inc. and developed a fully featured multi-media/game engine and an online project management system. Iron Fusion's products catered to various academic institutions across North America, including Niagara College and the University of California at Berkeley.  In 2003, Iron Fusion won the McMaster University Campus Incubator grand prize of $25,000 for best business startup.

After joining Digital Extremes in 2004, Mark was a major contributor to several games, including Pariah and Dark Sector. He left in 2008 to co-found Antic Entertainment to execute his vision of creating casual games for the hardcore player. Antic won first prize in the Venture London Business Competition earlier this year.  Junk: Battles, Antic’s first browser-based, "casual-core" title, went live in August 2009.
Check out the video at our youtube page here and don't forget to subscribe to be kept up to date on all new posted content! Pin It

Ernst & Young have recognized Ontario highest-achieving entrepreneurs who make a difference in the global economy. Based in London and a DIG collaborator, game developer Digital Extremes have made the short list. Not only is this a huge honor for the company, but it is a recognition of our local talent on a national and global scale. This is more great news about where the digital gaming industry in Ontario is headed. The names of the Ontario winners will be announced at a gala banquet in Toronto on October 13th and the overall winner will represent Ontario at the national banquet in Toronto on November 17th. The original article and a full list of all nominees can be found here, and examples of games Digital Extremes have developed along with members of their staff will all be a part of DIG 2010.

Best of luck Digital Extremes!

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Here's some more information regarding London's bid for the new Digital Media Centre we mentioned a little while back. One of the key players in the bid partnership is the Tech South East firm based in Moncton, New Brunswick. The organization recognizes that the development of a centre of this caliber would serve as a "significant step in improving the access to commercialization resources for digital interactive game technology developers across Canada." Incorporated in 2009, Tech South East's mission is to accelerate the growth of innovation-based entrepreneurship and economic development, with a vision of a dynamic and growing technology industry driven by effective collaboration and cooperation between the business community, the academic and research community, and the government sector.

Tech South East's membership includes a number of companies from New Brunswick's vibrant digital media, gaming and animation sector. They believe that the development of the Centre in London will "not only enhance the development of these regional partners, but contribute to the broader national objectives of the industry"

Tech South East sees the establishment of the Digital Centre as "an exciting step forward for Canada's digital interactive game development industry and it's future competitiveness". A key component to the development and future success of the Centre in London is the collaboration of industry representatives on a national scale, coast-to-coast. Tech South East's endorsement of the bid is a major step forward in realizing that goal. Pin It

Hugo Morin Keynote Posted!

If you head on over to our youtube page, you can now watch Hugo Morin's keynote presentation from last year's DIG conference. Hugo Morin founded Humagade in April 2003. Humagade, Inc. produces videogames on multiple platforms. Its services included video game production, conversion/porting services, specific programming, traditional art, 3D models and animations, Web design, and music and sound effects. In the years that followed, the company experienced a staggering growth rate, with an 84% increase in sales each year, and a rapid growth in size to over 40 employees. Having produced over 100 games in J2ME/BREW and Flashlite, it rapidly became a key player in the mobile entertainment market. Because of Humagade’s distinctive experience, it has had the opportunity to work with world-class licenses such as Star Wars, Mickey Mouse and the Olympic Games. In February 2008, Mr. Morin became a shareholder in Frima Studio, which acquired Humagade. Today, Frima has over 230 employees and is the second-largest independent studio in Quebec. Mr. Morin has over 15 years’ experience as a manager in the high-tech sector and is actively involved in the Quebec industry. He sits on the Board of Directors of the provincial association for IT entrepreneurs (Voix des Entrepreneurs en Technologie de l’Information de Québec (VETIQ)), on the board of the National School of Interactive Entertainment, on the board of the Plateforme Multimedia, participates in VETIQ’s “Presidents’ Circle,” and gives seminars on his business experience. In 2007–2008, he was selected by the government of Quebec to participate in a training program on IT-business management, given by the prestigious Massachussets Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston. Keep checking back as more keynotes are posted and speakers for this years conference are announced! 

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Ontario Technology Corridor at GDC 2010

The 2010 installment of the annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco will have a much stronger Canadian presence than in years past due to the attendance of executives from the Ontario Technology Corridor (OTC). The game development industry in Ontario is booming and the OTC intend on showing conference attendees that the province is an excellent place to expand or relocate their companies. 

Ontario's fast-growing entertainment and creative cluster produces $15 billion in revenue and over 200,000 jobs, contributing $12.7 billion to the province's GDP. In addition, gaming and digital media graduates from Ontario colleges and universities have proven to be prized employees at companies like Pixar Animation Studios, Electronic Arts, Walt Disney and Microsoft.

"Our job now is to add to our tremendous home-grown crop of companies. 35 Ontario gaming companies are at GDC 2010 to showcase their world-class creations, make business connections, and help demonstrate that Ontario is a prime destination in North America for gaming investment" said Larry MacKinnon, Director, Business Development, Technology with the London Economic Development Corporation, host organization of the DIG conference. The list of companies that have previously attended DIG and will be attending GDC 2010 includes Digital Extremes and Ubisoft.
 
Boasting a renowned academic base, skilled workforce, and numerous government tax incentives and grants, the GDC 2010 will serve as an excellent opportunity to showcase our local benefits to the broader gaming industry of North America.

For more information on the Ontario Technology Corridor click here!


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