Side Effects Software @ DIG 2010

Dr. Salvini, Side Effects Software

Chief Technology Officer and VP of Canadian Operations for Side Effects Software, Dr. Paul Salvini has joined the DIG 2010 lineup of speakers. Side Effects software has been a global leader in the development of 3D animation and visual effects software.  The company's Houdini software has been used in hundreds of blockbuster films including Terminator Salvation and nine of the past eleven films to receive the Oscar for Visual Effects. Dr. Salvini leads a two-time academy award winning team of computer scientists and mathematicians who are passionate about advancing the art and science of computer graphics.

Sife Effects Software in Terminator franchise

Salvini's session Going Proceduaral: A Better Way to Make Better Games will talk about how Side Effects Software's approach has made it possible for movies to achieve more realistic effects and improve efficiency and the management of digital assets.  Salvini argues that with next generation games on the verge of achieving feature film quality within the game engine, procedural techniques will offer a new way of thinking that could revolutionize the game development process! Check out the DIG 2010 program for more information Pin It

Big Blue Bubble Thumps the Competition

Game developer Big Blue Bubble won the Mobile Entertainment of the Year award of the Mobile Content Awards in Seoul, Korea. 

BBB's lovable Thumpie!

Facing some stiff competition from more than 110 companies in 15 countries, their game Thumpies bounced to the top spot.  Thumpies is a unique rhythm-based music game for players of all ages.  By correctly matching the beat of bouncing Thumpies the player progresses through a song.  Unlike typical rhythm based games, Thumpies uses the mechanic of bouncing in time instead of just a series of notes.  The quirky art design of Thumpies is accompanied by a unique musical score composed by award winning industry veteran David Kerr.  You can watch the Tumpies in Action on You Tube, or check out their iPad trailer or visit www.Thumpies.com

With over 50 high profile games in its portfolio, Big Blue Bubble Inc. is one of Canada's leading video game developers.  Each of the company's three divisions (iPhone, Console, and Casual) is dedicated to making the best possible games by combining innovative designers with top artistic and industry leading programmers. Big Blue Bubble is a London based company.  Founder and CEO Damir Slogar will present at DIG 2010.  Maybe he'll give us some insight on developing games to thump out the competition! Pin It

Dan Rickard Leading Animation Workshop at DIG 2010

Dan Rickard is joining the DIG 2010 line-up to provide delegates with an Animation Workshop.  Dan is an accomplished 3d artist specializing in animation and character design.  He has worked on dozens of games including Batman Arkham City and Arkham Asylum, Borderlands, Army of Two 40th Day, Hulk, Wanted, Blacksite, Sacred 2, and most of the Battlefield series.

Over the past 11 years Dan has worked at every artistic stage of game development with DICE Canada and has also been Art Manager and Animation Lead at Redjade. While freelancing through contract work Dan has recently begun instructing at Fanshawe College where he teaches introductory and advanced 3d Animation and Character Design.  His course focuses on modeling, texturing, and animation.

In his session, Animation Workshop: Character Creation Dan will use game development tools Mudbox, 3ds, and Photoshop for character creation.  Delegates will learn to develop a high poly sculpt, a low poly mesh, map creation and texturing, Lip Sync animation, and full body animation of biped characters interacting in a fight sequence.  The workshop will take place Friday November 19th as part of the DIG 2010 Conference. You can register online for the conference workshop. Pin It

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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