TAAFI

FROM CLASSIC CARTOONS TO R-RATED ANIMATED FEATURES - TORONTO’S FIRST EVER ANIMATION FESTIVAL HAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

 Toronto Animation Arts Festival International
TICKETS ON SALE JUNE 1^st

Toronto, ON (May 30, 2012) – Tickets for the Toronto Animation Arts Festival International (TAAFI), celebrating the best of animation arts from around the world, go on sale June 1, 2012. Widely supported by the Toronto animation industry, the three-day festival features screenings of shorts and full-length features, plus intimate and exclusive workshops and master classes. The exciting new festival that showcases the local and international animation industry comes to the TIFF Bell Lightbox, July 6-8, 2012.

For complete programming information, go to: http://taafi.com/events/taafi2012/schedule/

Festival highlights include talks and lessons from trailblazing cartoonist John Kricfalusi, creator of The Ren and Stimpy Show, on July 7, at 9:00 a.m. Festival goers will also get the exciting opportunity to sit in on a live cartoon script read featuring Sean Cullen and Emilie-Claire Barlow.

Other highlights include a showcase and presentation from the world’s largest online archive of animation and visual effects, Stash Magazine, a special screening and workshop for kids at the National Film Board of Canada’s Mediatheque, plus more than 100 local and international short films.

TAAFI offers a collection of some of the finest work in animation, for audiences of all ages. With over 50 successful studios, 10 schools of animation arts and a passionate community of enthusiasts, independent artists and professionals, Toronto is the picture-perfect location to play host to what is sure to become one of North America’s leading animation festivals.

TICKET DETAILS: All advance tickets are available for purchase by phone or online through the TAAFI website starting June 1^st: taafi.com

Festival Pass: $99

·     Includes Admission to all gala and regular screenings and The Nelvana Bouncing Ball TAAFI Party

Screenings: $15 (Kids screening prices are $5 for children ages 3-13; free for children under 3)

Workshops: Range from $15-90

Pitch-a-Palooza: $90

·     Includes admission to Pitch Lab and Monkeyworks

The Nelvana Bouncing Ball TAAFI Party: $15 in advance/$20 at the door

Gala Screenings: $20

Other TAAFI highlights include:

Animated Shorts:

·     Shorts 1 – Straight Up Toons – Top notch animation and classic cartoons

·     Shorts 2 – The Reflecting Pool – Artistic masterpieces set to an introspective frequency

·     Shorts 3 – Stylin’ – Innovative ideas and original techniques

·     Shorts 4 – Good N’ Weirdy – Pure, chaotic enjoyment

·     Student Shorts – S’cool – A collection of Canadian and international student works

Feature Films:

·     North American Premier of Ronal the Barbarian in 3D (Denmark, 2011) – Produced by Einstein Film

Retrospectives:

·     Rosto: So Far, So Evil – A program compiling the best of Dutch artist and filmmaker Rosto’s work

·     Kaj Pindal: A collection of his most popular films, including “I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly,” followed by a Q&A with the living legend

About the Toronto Animation Arts Festival International (TAAFI)

Set to become Canada’s premier animation festival, the Toronto Animation Arts Festival International (TAAFI) is launching in July 2012 at the TIFF Bell Lightbox to celebrate the many forms of animation, including long- and short-format film and television, gaming and interactive, and the industry that creates the animated arts.

For more information visit: taafi.com 

Social media links:

Twitter: twitter.com/thetaafi

Facebook: facebook.com/atthetaafi

Vimeo: vimeo.com/thetaafi

RSS Feed: feed://taafi.com/blog/rss

Media Contacts:

Anne Vranic                                                                Jesse Lane

Holmes Creative Communications                            Holmes Creative Communications

416-628-5606                                                          416-628-5603

avranic@hccink.com                                                 jlane@hccink.com

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Big Blue Bubble Releases 100th Game - I, Oracle 

Big Blue Bubble Inc. have released I, Oracle, the latest game from the makers of Burn the Rope, is now available for your iOS and Android devices.

I, Oracle is an unique trivia game where the player answers questions on a daily basis but there’s a catch… the questions are about future events! Guess who’s going to win the Super Bowl, who’s going to be the next president or who will be voted off your favorite show! The more followers you bet the more you gain!

In the world of I, Oracle there are little people, let’s call them “followers”. Your followers come up to you with questions and, if answered correctly, you gain even more followers! Come back later to see the correct answers and to beat your friends on the weekly and monthly leaderboards.

If you’re not sure about an answer, you can ask for help through one of two lifelines. Take your pick between the answers of every user or just the answers of I, Oracle experts! Remember though, the future is unknown; the answers are not guaranteed to be correct!
Questions are divided into different categories, but they are all related to North American pop culture, locations and events.

You can also decorate your I, Oracle world with plants that give you free rubies and increase the amount of followers you can have at one time. Be one of the first to try out this ground-breaking new trivia game!

Features:

• New questions every day!
• Lifelines that help you pick the right answer!
• Submit your own questions for prestige and free rubies!
• Weekly and monthly leaderboards!
• Decorate your world with bizarrely beautiful plants!

I, Oracle is Big Blue Bubble’s 100th game and first one released this year! Big Blue Bubble is on a schedule to release 14 new games by the end of the year.

I, Oracle is FREE to play and available on iTunes , Google Play and various Android app stores.

iTunes App Store link:
itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=497448041&mt=8

Google Play link:
play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bigbluebubble.ioracle&hl=en

This post is taken from Big Blue Bubble  

Big Blue Bubble is a Game Development company located in London Ontario Canada, and produces video games for a variety of platforms. 

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Gaming Events in London Ontario

Gaming Events in London Ontario

London Ontario has a growing and strong gaming community. London has a very large student base which is very interested in gaming and interest in the industry. 


London is a great place for them to get started because there is also a very large industry base in London. 


Companies like Digital Extremes, Big Blue Bubble and Antic entertainment just to name a few. 


These companies provide show the practical and business side of development. Gaming has grown substantially all over the world, but has had a very big impact in London Ontario.

If you are interested in looking more towards community initiatives outlined below are some of the amazing initiatives to grow the gaming community. 

DIG (Digital Interactive Gaming) www.diglondon.ca

The Digital Interactive Game and Web Conference (DIG) provides a forum for Canada’s leading game developers, web developers, publishers, technology companies, and service providers to connect, learn, and share ideas.

We feature keynote addresses from iconic brands, thoughtful panel discussions, some new ideas and a great networking venue.
Hello My Game Is www.hellomygameis.ca

Hello My Game Is events are about building London’s gaming community, bringing people together to celebrate a mutual love of video games. The goals for Hello My Game Is are:

• To create a gaming culture in London, connecting the industry, students and fans of video games on a social level

• To create a opportunity for small and independent game developers to showcase their games and get feedback

• To give the industry better exposure to students and emerging talent

Summer Pwnage blog.gamesdaypodcast.com

Instead of reading why not watch a YouTube video to see what Summer Pwnage is about. Interviewee Mathew Hoy. 

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Hello My Game Is: Event

Hello My Game Is, is a great initiative by the gaming community of London, ON which brings together the developers and general public. With great keynote speaker from Digital Extremes, Big Blue Bubble, Antic Entertainment and Big Viking Games, you know it will be a great show. The details of the event are listed below including the website. 

The goals for Hello My Game Is are:

• To create a gaming culture in London, connecting the industry, students and fans of video games on a social level
• To create a opportunity for small and independent game developers to showcase their games and get feedback
• To give the industry better exposure to students and emerging talents
• To achieve those goals, we’re starting with a series of evening events. Each event will feature a 15-20 minute keynote presentation, followed by five minute slots for anyone to speak about anything gaming-related, from favorite memories to games they are developing and everything in between.

That will be followed up the chance for people to play games, showcase their own games or apps, learn more about careers in the industry, or just chat with like-minded Londoners.

Hello My Game Is is presented in partnership by GamerPops, Games Day Podcast and TechAlliance.

Website: http://hellomygameis.ca/
Contact: greg.picken@gamerpops.com Pin It

Dark Incursion - Review

Dark Incursion is a 2D side scrolling game created by Big Blue Bubble a London ON developer.

The main character of the game is Anya an underground resistance fighter. The art style and the gameplay mechanics of the game remind me of games such as Metroid. The Dark Incursion has brought a much needed uplift to the graphics of such games. Many gamers have been wanting to play games such as Metroid and Castlevania on mobile devices and Dark Incursion delivers that gameplay style with great graphic designs.


In terms of game mechanics Anya the main character uses fuses which can be filled with an array of improvements. Which help you improve your range, defense, speed, and adding powers to your weapons. Dark Incursion makes the player use weapons in a very interesting way. The player must use the powers to open certain areas of the maps.

The controls of the game are a little finicky. The controls are a little sensitive and on occasion the inputs will lag, causing you to repeat that section once again. The game makes up for these issues by providing a very fun and addicting game.

About the author: Vikas Sharma is a video game fanatic, always looking for the next big thing in the gaming industry. A fan of gaming ever since SNES to the next gen consoles, Vikas is a member of the DIG 2011 team. Vikas enjoys different styles of game play and games and is excited by the amount of progress he sees happening in the gaming world. Pin It

DIG is looking for Reviewers

Are you interested in video games? Always in line to get the first copy of your favourite game? Always giving opinions to your friends about which games to buy?

 Then you might be interested in this offer. DIG is looking for video game reviewers, gameplay/commentary creators, and montage creators. This is a volunteer position, but can provide great experience and get you started in your video game career. We will post the videos to our YouTube page and post the reviews to our blog. If you are someone interested in this field email us with what games you specialize in and play, and get started in creating those REVIEWS!!!


Contact us through email: vsharma@london.ca Pin It

Reasons to attend DIG!!

There are many reasons to be at DIG, but here is our list of just a few Awesome Reasons for you to attend:

1.Newly added Web Developers Stream:

New to DIG 2011, the Web Developer stream connects web developers across all platforms for networking, knowledge sharing, and workshops on emerging trends and technologies. The Gamification of the Web is the theme we will be exploring in collaboration with some of Canada's leading online game developers including Antic Entertainment and many more.

2.Explode Code

Features a series of deeply technical presentations focused on practical applications in a variety of languages. Code samples and a hacker lab space provide the opportunity to apply new ideas and techniques and collaborate with other developers throughout the day

3.DIGX

Hang out and play Canadian made games for console, PC, web, and handheld devices with the people who made them! DIGx is an interactive space for DIG delegates and video game fans to level and lounge.

4.Keynote

The DIG Gala Dinner pulls together industry leaders in digital interactive media and complimentary sectors. Join executives, publishers, developers, technology service providers and digital interactive media industry leaders for our annual Gala Dinner. The keynote address will be by Volker Hirsch (Director Business Development RIM)

5.Big Blue Bubble Game Competition

Drop by the Big Blue Bubble Competition design booth at DIG 2011 to see the work in progress. The finished game design will be announced at the DIG Dinner on Wednesday, November 16th!

6.VIP AFTER PARTY!!

This is an industry party exclusive for those who purchase the full conference pass or by invite only. Host bar until mid-night, munchies, and entertainment provided.

7.Game Career Presentation

Join community high school students while they ask college, university, and industry leaders about the game industry and what it takes to begin a career in game development.

8.OMDC Mini-MBA

DIG and OMDC have organized a half-day intensive mini-MBA. Taking place on day two of DIG, the Mini MBA will provide seminars to equip Ontario’s independent game developers with practical business knowledge that they can immediately implement in their studios. Pin It