Blog Archives
Stereotypes in Gaming: Where is the Line?
“I’m like my mother. I stereotype. It’s faster.” – Ryan Bingham, Up in the Air
A few weeks ago I was at a party, and I made a joke to non-white friend based on a certain, less than pleasant racial stereotype. They were not impressed. I did not, of course, mean it in earnest, but that’s by the way. Much as I want to believe, we don’t live in a post-racial world.
I picked up Guacamelee this week and was immediately captivated. Who wouldn’t be? It’s a beautiful looking Castlevania-ish platformer with nimble gameplay. Most importantly, it’s overflowing with charm: charming characters, bad and good, charming environments, charming music, even charming boss fights. If I were writing a review, it would probably be titled: “The Charmingly Charming World of Guacamelee.”
But what’s so charming about it? Read the rest of this entry
The 2013 Canadian Videogame Awards Red Carpet Gallery
Michael Mando (Vaas in Far Cry 3) at the CVA Red Carpet.
As you might have read in one of our earlier posts, April 20th was the night of the fourth annual Canadian Videogame Awards. And like many award shows, there’s a customary red carpet gala for the presenters, nominees, and special guests. Fellow JTM editor Lee Guille and I were there to cover not only the event itself but the red carpet as well.
The event saw the CVA’s host and Deus Ex: Human Revolution voice actor Elias Toufexis, Mass Effect 3′s Jennifer Hale and Mark Meer, Far Cry 3′s Michael Mando (voice of the crazy Vaas), Electric Playground’s Victor Lucas, and many more. One thing was for sure, the Canada’s game community, developers, publishers and fans all came to support the Canadian video game industry’s night of celebration.
Check out the CVA 2013 red carpet gallery after the break.
Electric Playground’s Victor Lucas Talks CVA, Elias Toufexis, and Indie Games
The fourth annual Canadian Videogame Awards (CVA) took place on Saturday April 20th and showcased the great Canadian talent behind some of the biggest games of 2012. From Ubisoft’s Far Cry 3 to Klei Entertainment’s Mark of the Ninja, Canadians were able to meet and celebrate the people that collaborate to make these great games.
We recently had a chance to talk to Canadian Videogame Awards Co-founder and Electric Playground host Victor Lucas just before the awards ceremony where he discussed the CVA, choosing Elias Toufexis as the host, and the rise of Indie Games. Check out the full interview with Victor after the break. Read the rest of this entry
IGDA Faces Public Resignations After GDC Party Controversy
Yet again, it seems like the video game industry’s taken slow step forward and two quick hops back when it comes to equality in the work place. And this time, it led to the IGDA facing public resignations of a number of their prominent industry members.
This week many game industry professionals and hopefuls are attending the largest video game professional focused event in the world: Game Developers Conference. This event, better known as GDC, features panels, workshops, networking events and in the evenings, industry sponsored parties.
Last night at the International Game Developers Association event sponsored by YetiZen, a company specializing in funding social and mobile game development, attendees were treated to more than just food and alcohol, but also scantily clad dancers. More on this story after the break. Read the rest of this entry
The Social Power of Videogames – Our Experience At Games Without Frontiers
On March 9, 2013, JTM Games was proud to be a part of UVIC’s Ideafest 2013 – Games Without Frontiers, a rare event where professors, grad students, undergraduates, high-school students, local game designers/studios and curious citizens of Victoria gathered to explore, discuss, and marvel at the power of video-game technology in bringing people together to improve the world. To be more specific, Games Without Frontiers infromed citizens of the positive effects the industry has to bring to health research, education, and social change.
A great number of Victoria, BC-based game studios and tech companies like Dactyl Applications, KANO/APPS, InLight Entertainment showed up to Games Without Frontiers to demonstrate their newest and latest creations. And even Oregon-based 2 Player Productions screened their popular documentary “Minecraft: The Story of Mojang” to the UVIC community.
JTM Games (Lee Guille and myself) were at Games Without Frontiers to host the Mini-Indie Game festival to inform non-gamers of the most innovative, experimental games of the last few years. In addition, we hosted two Q&A sessions; one with Papo & Yo Creator Vander Caballero and the other with the up-and-coming Matt Cohen, the developer of the indie hit Paranormal. (We’ll be posting both interviews on the site soon!)
Check out a detailed recap of our experience (including trials and learning experiences) during Games Without Frontiers after the break. Read the rest of this entry
Canadian Videogame Awards Nominations Now Open
Great news for Canadian gamers today; nominations for the Canadian Videogame Awards have been opened today. Sponsored by Future Shop, the Canadian Videogame Awards or the CVA is an annual event that celebrates the best the Canadian game industry has to offer. If you’re a fan of the Canadian videogame industry, Vancouver is the place to be April next year as developers, publishers, and industry personalities are set to gather and celebrate the industry’s best.
The call for nominations (for games developed in Canada) are now open to the public and will close on February 1, 2013. Hit the jump to find out the Canadian Videogame Awards categories. Read the rest of this entry
And The Winners Of The Canadian Videogame Awards Are…
April 21st marked the third consecutive Canadian Videogame Award ceremony; a once-a-year event that honours and celebrates the best developers and publishers Canada has to offer. From best original music, to most innovative, the night was full of emotions, humour, and Canadian pride.
As reported earlier, Capybara Games’ Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP won five awards; matched only by Eidos-Montreal’s Deus Ex: Human Revolution with five awards of their own. I was honestly surprised that Ubisoft Montreal’s Assassin’s Creed: Revelations only took home the award for Best Visual Arts, but considering the competition (especially Superbrothers and Deus Ex) it was still a big win.
Another big surprise win was EA Sports’ FIFA Soccer ’12. The game was awarded the public’s choice for Game of the Year, winning over Deus Ex, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Fight Night Champion, and Superbrothers. Considering the FIFA franchise has, over the last few years taken the “best soccer game” title from Konami’s Winning Eleven series, and the fact that FIFA Soccer games sell by the millions worldwide, this choice made a lot of sense.
Check out the full list of all the winners and nominees after the break. Read the rest of this entry
No Layoffs Incoming Says EA: Company Responds To Report
EA has finally responded to a report found on StartupGrind claiming they had confirmed through multiple sources within the company that Layoffs were abound and 500 to 1000 people were to be left without work as a result of poor Star Wars: The Old Republic and Battlefield 3 sales. The company has issued the following statement to MCV denying these claims.
Help JTM Games Become A Better Video Game Site
As you guys well know, there are millions of other videogame industry sites on the internet; and of course it is quite the difficult task to differentiate our work from all the others.
JTM Games wouldn’t even be online if it weren’t for you guys, our awesome readers.
That’s why I would like to hear your opinions on what would make JTM Games a better blog. Cast your vote in the poll, and share with us your thoughts in the comment section below.
A Rebuttal To Jennifer Hepler’s Attackers
If you’re a fan of BioWare games and have your fingers on the pulse of internet drama, you already know about the cyber-bullying of BioWare writer Jennifer Hepler.
Instead of running through the whole story here, take a read through The Mary Sue’s excellent recap.
If you’re a tl;dr sort of person, basically a couple of people chose to get offended at some comments Helper made in a 2006 interview about her job and a little game she was working on called Dragon Age: Origins. Their beef? Hepler publicly stated that she wasn’t much of a gamer and put forward that combat in games could be skipable just as cutscenes, puzzles and dialogue often are. Read the rest of this entry
