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Studio Technique will be holding an animation masterclass with Disney animation gegend Andreas Deja. The event will take place in June 2012. For information and registration, please visit www.studiotechniquemontreal.com/events/

Studio Technique is a studio for professional and amateur artists in the animation and video game industry, that specializes in artistic training.

The Montreal instance of the IGDA's Global Game Jam is now officially open for registration. And, all the relevant schedule details and participation info have been posted to their site.

This event encourages participants from all over the world to create a video game prototype based on a theme over the course of a weekend. Everyone is welcome to participate, from industry veterans to students just starting to learn their craft.

Full details and registration via:
http://mtlgamejam.org/

Further, the organizers are still looking for an handful of judges to provide feedback on projects at the end of the Jam. Details for being a judge and to apply can be found on the right-hand side of the contact page: http://mtlgamejam.org/en/contact
 

On February 6th, 2012, the Writers Guild of Canada is presenting a panel discussion at McGill on the topic, "What Do I Want In My Contract?" Moderated by Alex Epstein (who moderated the Storytelling in the Game Industry panel last January), it's aimed primarily at screenwriters, but game writers may be interested in learning what sort of rights motion picture and tv writers can negotiate for themselves, as well as hearing how agents and the WGC function.

What: Autodesk 3December 2011 & Electronic Theatre with Siggraph Montreal 

When: Thursday, December 8th, 2011/ Registration 5:00pm - 6:00pm / 3December Presentations 6:00pm - 8:00pm / Electronic Theatre & Cocktails 8:00pm - 10:00pm 

On November 8, join the Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC) and the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) – Montreal Chapter for a discussion entitled Cyber-ethics – Does the video game industry have a role to play in fostering a better digital citizenship?

Part of Media Awareness Network’s (MNet) Media Literacy Week, leading academics and senior members of the Montreal games industry will discuss this topic of pressing relevance. Refreshments will be served following the discussion.

November 8, 2011

7pm-9pm

Société des Arts Technologiques (SAT)

1201, Boulevard Saint-Laurent

The Montréal-Python user group is marking the end of the terrace season by having a meeting on something that you can do indoors: play video games.  Their meeting on Monday the 24th is going to be on how Python is used in video games. The rumor has it that there will be some free beer at Benelux after the event.

Following a year and more of renovation, the Society for Arts and Technology (SAT) invites all Montrealers and to attend INTERIEUR, kondition pluriel, a world premiere that will be held on October 13 to 15.

Quantic Dreams' David Cage gave the keynote at the “Experiencing Stories with/in Digital Games” Colloquium, which was hosted at Concordia as part of Entretiens Jacques Cartier 2011. Some impressions of the event are shared via the TAG blog, and the keynote presentation along with 1hr+ of audience Q&A with David is available via Youtube.

The Universite de Montreal's Department of Art History & Film Studies has launched a new program in Fall 2011: a Minor in Video Game Studies. This is a 30-credits program that can be completed in one year as a full-time student, and admissions are open for both Fall and Winter terms. Check the UdeM site for more info on the program.

Elapse Technologies is presenting "Clean Code" by Robert C. Martin in Montreal this October 24 and 25. This class presents developers with a rare opportunity to broaden their skills with a worldwide leading expert in the field of software development, one of the original signatories of the Agile Manifesto and one of the best in the industry. For more details or to register online, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/event/1386018619.

The first 3 IGDA members to request the IGDA discount code will receive a 15% discount off the regular price. You can request  the code by sending an email to pascalroy@elapsetech.com. Make sure to mention your IGDA membership number in the email.

As part of the 24th edition of the Entretiens Jacques Cartier, the Faculty of Fine Arts at Concordia is bringing together Canadian and French researchers and industry leaders in the field of digital game studies and game design for a free conference, "Experiencing Stories with/in Digital Games", on October 1st.

The conference will present four panels with academic speakers and game designers/writers engaging in focused discussion on their respective games: Assassin's Creed (Ubisoft), Mass Effect 2 (BioWare), The Graveyard (Tale of Tales) and Amnesia: The Dark Descent (Frictional Games).  The evening will feature a keynote presentation by David Cage, founder and CEO of the Paris-based studio Quantic Dream and lead designer for Omikron: The Nomad Soul, Fahrenheit and Heavy Rain. This keynote is co-presented by IGDA-Montreal.

Attendance is free, but you must register to attend:

IGDA Toronto Chapter Game Developer Studio Series

By Rebecca Phoa

The IGDA Toronto Chapter Game Developer Studio Series is part of a new initiative launched by the IGDA Toronto Chapter to familiarize anyone with an interest in video games with Toronto game developers.

Who's got talent in the Canadian video game industry?

It's time to nominate your peers (or yourself!) for excellence in game development. Submit who you think should be recognized as the best of the best from the West to the East coast of Canada.

Everyone in the industry is encouraged to nominate their peers for a Talent Award in one of the following categories:

• Animator of the Year
• Audio Professional of the Year
• Designer of the Year
• Programmer of the Year
• Producer of the Year
• Visual Artist of the Year
• Emerging Talent

Nominations are free and you can nominate as many people as you like. Deadline is September 2nd.

The full rules, instructions and the nomination form are available via:

http://www.talentawards.ca/site/en/categories/nominations

The Mount Royal Game Society is looking for "presenters from all walks of the world of game development: artists, coders, writers, musicians, designers, indies, studios" for TIME ATTACK, an evening of Pecha Kucha-style microtalks, Thursday, August 18th, 2011 from 7-11pm at Eastern Bloc (7240 rue Clark).

Got a rant? Need to express your love? Or share your latest brilliant theory? Check their web site for more info!

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This blogger fell asleep and missed April's meeting of the Mount Royal Game Society minds. But luckily, April no-shows bring May Meetups, and the next meeting of MRGS at Brasserie Artisanale l’Amère à Boire (2049 rue Saint-Denis, 3rd floor) is TOMORROW, May 4th, 2011.

What's the theme? (No, "May" isn't a theme.) From the MRGS web site: "Fresh off the release of Rebirth, Monsieur Daniel-David “Guert” Guertin will regale us with tales of woe and less-woe from his last few projects, both as part of a team developing iPhone games, and on his own most latest project. Most latest? Oh woe."

The usual nice, smart people and random, delectable home-baked goods are expected to make an appearance, as well.

Elite 2011 will be taking place from May 30 to June 3, 2011 at the NAD Centre.

                    Friday, April 29th 4:00 pm - 9:00 pm

                        ~ Click on image above for details ~

LEEF is a professional development event where game designers and developers and learning professionals explore the evolving use of games, simulations and virtual worlds for learning and performance.  In its third year, the forum is unique because it is small, experiential, social and affordable. If you are new to serious gaming, or looking for new environments where gaming is taking hold, LEEF convenes a diverse crowd and will present ideas and opportunities to help you break into this rapidly growing gaming genre.

LEEF has nationally recognized speakers and is refreshingly cutting edge, while still being practical and applied.  This year’s focus includes an introduction to the concept of gamification and how it will change the nature of learning and work.

In Talking Trash about Toy Story 3, RenderMan Technical Artist, Dylan Sisson, will reveal strategies he used to shade and light vast piles of technically challenging trash for the climactic scenes of Toy Story 3.

Starting this February, Dirty Rectangles will begin month meetups at the Avant Garde Bar in downtown Ottawa. These Show and Tell styled meets will be a chance for you to come and see what's new in the Ottawa game development scene. Each meetup will start with the showcasing of a couple games being made around Ottawa, afterwards we'll open the stage up to any one that would like to show something off. It could be a final build of a game, or a small slice that you'd like to get some feedback on! It's an open mic, anything goes. We'll have a projector and computer on hand to displaying the goods.

The February meetup will feature 2 games before the open mic starts.

Welkinhold by Owen Deery and Gabriel Verdon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yMKw7gcxGg

Montreal Tech Watch has a nice summary article on Montreal's first participation in the annual Global Game Jam, including a peek at Sumi-E, the judges' "choice" game of the event. Also, Gamasutra has a global overview. And, of course, you can play all 1500 games if you like

Como parte del proceso de renovación continua del capítulo de la IGDA México, se han hecho algunos cambios a los lineamientos de la asociación con respecto a los que estuvieron vigentes durante el 2010, para entrar en vigencia a partir de este 2011 (el cual se deja como archivo adjunto en PDF, a disposición de toda la comunidad).

Así pues, a través de la presente se hace una invitación formal a todos los miembros de la comunidad que tengan quieran hacer un cambio en beneficio de la comunidad local, y estén interesados en conformar parte del nuevo comité para este 2011, para que se postulen como candidatos y puedan enviar sus propuestas al correo de la asociación (mexico (arroba) igda.org).

Las personas interesadas deberán compartir con el resto de la comunidad la siguiente información:

a) Cuál es su compromiso con la comunidad durante su periodo activo en el comité?

b) De qué forma piensa alcanzar ese objetivo?

For those of you who may be familiar with it, CityBusiness New Orleans released an article today about the current state of the digital media tax incentive program meant to entice folks to relocate or start game, and other digital media, development in Louisiana.  They were kind enough to ask your humble chapter coordinator for a few words.  Of course, it was our very own Reactor HD developer Jameson Quave who got the lead and the picture.

You can check the text of the article here at Dolan Media Newswire.  If your a subscriber, you can see the pretty version at CityBusiness.

Next week, Montreal will play host to two major industry events: the Montreal International Game Summit (November 8-9) and the Unite 2010, the Unity user conference (November 10-12).

Check the respective sites for more details, including a joint discounted registration rate.

In case you weren't already aware, the gaming industry in Montreal rocks and now the ESA has released a bunch of info along with a promotional video that makes Montreal sound like it's THE place to be.

The spectacular Video Games Live concert tour is returning to Montreal on April 30th, 2011, at Place des Arts.

Tickets go on sale to the public starting November 4th. Game industry friends and family can gain early access via this dedicated link and by using the "GANON" as the promo code.

Video Games Live is an immersive event created by the game industry featuring the best game music performed by top orchestras and choirs combined with synchronized lighting, video, live action and audience interactivity.

Congratulations go out to NOLA's favorite speedy cephalopods, as TurboSquid announces a new business deal with France's Allegorithmic to sell "substances" for Autodesk's 3ds Max and Maya 3D modeling packages.  For more details, check out the press release:  http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=585479

On August 25th, people from Montreal's growing gaming industry gathered at Terrasses Bonsecours for an event put on by EDC and Sony. For more photos, check out IGDA Montreal's new Flickr photo group.

Sony Computer Entertainment American is hosting a networking mixer event on August 25th. Co-hosted by Export Development Canada, the event is open to all developers who register (no charge). The mixer starts at 6pm and will run until 9pm, at the Terrasses Bonsecours, in the Old Port of Montreal.

Sony's 3rd-party PlayStation team would like the opportunity to meet local developers/studios and discuss business opportunities and technical topics.