If you were strong enough to have eschewed the allure of last week’s Torontoist Gamercamp preview piece because you don’t like playing video games, congratulations! Your resistance allowed you to miss out on some pretty sweet cupcake action on Saturday. Way to go!

On the other hand, for those of you gamers who wanted to go but were worried that it wasn’t “indie” enough for your liking…well, you lost out on both the baked-goods-eating and video-gaming fronts.

Mark Rabo and Jaime Woo share a hearty laugh over the mad ass-whooping they're going to unleash upon all who dare to oppose them. Photo courtesy of Jaime Woo.

If snacks and unlimited arcade freeplay are relevant to your interests, you might want to read on…

This Saturday (and on Ossington, no less), there will be a one-day gaming event that has set itself apart as a departure from the business-oriented competitive conferences that have taken place in the past couple of months. For just fifteen dollars, you can spend the day hanging out with like-minded gamers and chatting with some cool Toronto-based game developers—oh, and did we mention the unlimited arcade freeplay? I guess we did, but…unlimited arcade freeplay!

Jaime Woo, Gamercamp co-organizer (and former Torontoist contributor), wants Saturday’s micro-conference to bridge the gap between game makers and gamers in the burgeoning Toronto scene. “There has been such an increase in ease of access for both the developer and the gaming public,” he explains. “With the greater computing power, more independent game makers can now give it a go and make polished games ready to market. Then, with more platforms than ever to distribute your game, whether it be Facebook, or the iPhone, or Microsoft Live, the barriers to access have dropped significantly.”

The schedule for this first iteration of Gamercamp begins at 1 p.m. with the requisite snacks and meet-and-greet, followed by what appears to be a pretty sweet lineup of Toronto-based demos and speakers, including Mare Sheppard and Raigan Burns of Metanet Software fame, Michael Todd from Spyeart, and, if that weren’t enough, Nathan Vella of Capybara Games will be rounding out the hat trick of gaming goodness with a keynote address. After a few more demos and a tasty dinner, Gerald Darcy from the Replay Arcade Museum will talk about the importance of history in gaming, and then it’s time for the 1UP party with…wait for it…unlimited arcade freeplay!

As opposed to other conferences’ focus on the business side of gaming, this one-day event will instead provide a casual environment in which gamers can explore the Toronto gaming scene in a way that is almost unheard of—with a focus on the games themselves.

“We’re not too into the business side, but we see a momentum to Toronto’s gaming industry,” says Mark Rabo, Gamercamp co-organizer. “Everyone talks about how Ubisoft and Rockstar are coming to Toronto and, yes, funding and tax credits play a part in it, but it’s also the sheer talent that is here. Those companies wouldn’t come if they didn’t believe a strong talent pool was here to support their businesses.”

“Honestly, it still shocks me that an idea that came to us five months ago, fuelled by our passion, is now coming to fruition with such a cool itinerary,” Jaime enthuses. “I think it would have been a hundred times harder in another city. Toronto is definitely an exciting place to be for gaming right now. We’ve brought this to life at exactly the right time.”

Gamercamp takes place this Saturday, November 21, at the Lower Ossington Theatre. For tickets and more information, visit Gamercamp.ca.

(Posted on torontoist.com on November 17, 2009.)

Gamercamp…mmm, baby…Gamercamp…

Okay—so it may not be every couple’s bag—but if unlimited old-school arcade freeplay and listening to Nathan Vella speak turns you on (and why shouldn’t it?), you might want to venture out to the ironic wilds of Ossington Avenue this weekend…

When I first heard about Gamercamp (was it from NextGen Player? Toronto Thumbs? I think it was both), I filed it away in the back of my head as something Dave and I might want to check out. But when co-organizer Jaime Woo contacted me directly to discuss the details, I took a bit more time to check out the Gamercamp site—and the more I saw, the more interested I was—so I decided to ask him and his co-organizer, Mark Rabo, for a bit more info about the event…

***

Mark: Both Jaime and I are pretty big gamers and we saw a lot of events that were on the technical or business side of the video game industry. This city has some great talent that is definitely getting notice. Nathan Vella of Capybara Games will be speaking, and the company’s Critter Crunch was a phenomenal critical and commercial success.

Jaime: What inspired Gamercamp.ca was finding a new way to tell the story of Toronto’s gaming community: we wanted to show the creative process of developers, to get into the brains of the people who made these games and discover what clicked to make their games so addictive and fun.

Mark: And so, for example, Mare and Raigan of Metanet are talking about how they approach making videos like a rock band rather than as a movie studio. We think the topic is interesting and relatable to anyone who does creative things.

Jaime: We think there’s something for everyone at Gamercamp.ca. In addition to speakers [including Michael Todd of Spyeart as well], we also have demos for some very cool projects coming out soon, and people can see the Torontron, the indie arcade cabinet created by the gamer enthusiast association Hand Eye Society. People can also learn about the Replay Arcade Museum, which is set to be Canada’s first gaming museum—and it’s about time Canada got one.

Mark: We also have 1UP, our after-party, which we are throwing with Replay. We’ll have our own onsite arcade made up of over 20 legendary arcade games like Simpsons, Ninja Turtles, Mortal Kombat II, which attendees will have unlimited free play of for the night. It’s gonna be awesome.

***

Awesome, indeed. I know of one couple who will be there with bells on.

So if you want to spend this Saturday hanging out with myriad gamers (including Dave and me), snacking on snacks and hearing Toronto-based indie developers talk about their projects—and let’s not forget the freeplay-fest to follow—check out GamerCamp.ca for more info and tickets or, if you’re still not convinced, watch this extremely hip trailer (or gaze indefinitely at the gratuitous crotch-shot thumbnail…whatever floats your boat).

All photos courtesy of Jaime Woo from Gamercamp.ca.

(Posted on ACoupleOfGamers.com on November 16, 2009.)

When I arrived to the corner of York and Wellington streets in the heart of downtown Toronto for the Spirit Tracks preview yesterday, there were three handsome sights awaiting me: the aforementioned Momin Qureshi, our resident Single-Player Action correspondent and GameShark Senior Editor/Community Manager Jeff McAllister, and a cool old-timey streetcar.

As we boarded the “train” (okay—not a train), we were handed a DSi and a burlap sack. The sack contained a nice little snack and a Link toy (all Happy Meals past and future pale in comparison—and I think Jeff agrees), and the DSi (a loaner…boo) contained a preview level of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. As we toured the streets of Toronto, we got a chance to check out what this newest iteration of the Zelda series had to offer.

Now, I’ll admit that the previous version of Zelda for the DS (Phantom Hourglass) was a bit too hand-eye-coordination-tastic for me to play on my own, but it was fun for Dave and me to hand back and forth. This one, on the other hand, seemed more on my level; though the preview I played didn’t get too far into the track laying and train riding that seem to require more fine-motor skills to navigate, I had much grindtastic fun running around and tapping the hell out of enemies and breaking urns to collect the sweet, sweet loot inside.

Sorry…where was I? Ah, yes—the gameplay…

Though I didn’t have a chance to chat with Matt (the Nintendo Canada rep) about multiplayer/co-op modes (because I was too busy playing the game and peeking at the Link toy in my snack bag and taking pictures of Jeff and Momin and brushing burlap strands from my jacket), I’m disappointed to say that I was unable to glean anything from subsequent emails and research about anything beyond Spirit Tracks‘ single-player gameplay (though I’ll update this post if I hear otherwise).

Does this mean I won’t buy it? Well, in the sense that I wouldn’t refuse it as a birthday gift (hint, hint), I may not buy it for myself (hint, hint)—but I certainly am in the market, despite its lack of apparent multiplayer options (though the idea of co-op play with Link and the Phantom would be super fun), for a little something to while away the hours whilst Dave’s fragging around with his MW2 friends. To make a long story short (too late), consider the interest of this half of a couple of gamers sufficiently piqued. And Momin Qureshi’s brow attractively furrowed.

(Posted on ACoupleOfGamers.com on November 13, 2009.)

I hope he exists in real life, though… because I just bought a pocket watch from him.

Okay, it’s not so much a pocket watch as it is a pocket tree. But I digress.

From what I’ve gleaned through the regular stalkerish Google-esque avenues, the man behind the mask is one Thomas Girard, a twenty-five-year-old mild-mannered web developer by day who has called Toronto his home for the past three years.

You’re probably wondering what the hell this has to do with a site about relationships and gender-based gaming. Well, if you must know, he’s married. And he likes video games. Unlike some married gamers, however, sometimes he gets all artsy about it.

And this is one of the myriad results.

According to Steel Bananas, the catalyst that turned Girard’s vivid imagination loose upon the unsuspecting world of art was a gift from his wife. “It was a pair of felt robots mounted on paper and hung with ribbon,” he writes, “and I just loved it so much that I wanted to turn some of the images swirling around in my head into something physical.”

Okay. Before we go any further, let me be honest here. I’m not a fan of the art scene, especially in metropolitan settings like Toronto. In fact, I find many downtown artists pretentious and selfish (and I’d rather poke myself in the eye with a sharp stick than have to talk to one). But there was something about Thomas’ work (and his twitter pic) that evoked the word “whimsical” in a way that, refreshingly enough, did not make me want to punch him in the face.

Seriously. How can you hate a man who makes Shadow of the Colossus-inspired collage art?

So I asked him if I could pick his brain a bit whilst he was sitting in his apartment (or magical tree or wherever the hell he lives), adjusting the chain length of my newly purchased toy.

Robots are understandable as an artistic outlet. So are trees and whales and octopi. Even cats. But why video games?

Games have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Sort of a friend to the friendless in my younger years—and I know I’m not alone in that. Games are sort of the nerdy secret handshake of our generation. You can tell who is a nerd at heart when they recognize this [referring to the Bubble Bobble-inspired art shown on the previous page] and you know they went the full 100 rounds. Games are sort of unique for our generation (here, I assume you and I are of the same general age) [I'm older, but you're such a dear for thinking otherwise]; kids of the ’80s really grew up with games and game culture, so they’re as much a part of us as comic books were to our progenitors.  I guess games—as a subject manner—is as much a way to seek out my true nerdy friends as it is a sort of tribute to the defining media of our generation.

One of the main target demographics of our site concerns couples who game together. As a married man, how do video games factor into your relationship? (Does your wife share your passion?)

There’s nothing like gaming with your partner. It’s just great. While my wife isn’t a big gamer, she likes to watch me play—though she has been known to pick up a controller from time to time. We often enjoy an evening of Bust-a-Move or Mario Kart, and I’m trying to get her to take on the swarms of Left 4 Dead zombies with me. I recently bought Trials HD on XBLA, and she loves it. As a jaded adult gamer, it’s refreshing to see someone really enjoy themselves with whooping bouts of laughter and screams when playing a game. I think her fresh-faced prospective reminds me why I love the culture so much.

I think you should offer delivery of your work by an imaginary man in a bear head as a local shipping option on your Etsy site. May I be the first to choose that option for my pocket tree?

You may. I offer many avenues of delivery, including Ground-based Oxen-back Courier, Express Dirigible, and Buried Treasure with Map.

What’s with this soft and cuddly Pyramid Head here? Are you trying to make my brain explode?

Yes. Did it work?

All photos courtesy of imaginarythomas.com.

(Posted on ACoupleOfGamers.com on November 1, 2009.)

We must have been rare birds at the press event taking place on the third floor of the hip and warehousey Burroughes Building on Queen West, waiting patiently for our turn to speak to Matt Levitan, director of marketing and public relations for Sony Computer Entertainment Canada—not as a couple of fanboys (or fanboy + girl, in this case) looking to score a peek of this holiday’s latest digital distractions, but as citizen journalists genuinely concerned with the state of game development and how it relates to the growing industry here in the city. At least, for the purpose of this post, that is…

“We’ve had an office in Canada since we launched the PSone (which was in 1995), but it’s always been sales, marketing, operations, distribution, public relations… we actually have a few companies that make some games for us, but, unfortunately, they’re based in Vancouver,” Matt explains in a quiet moment between media assaults. “But what we’re starting to see now is that there’s more of an opportunity for people to start developing games here in Toronto.”

Of course, this prompts the inevitable question of Ubisoft’s planned exodus to Hogtown and how it will change the landscape of game development in the city. (You know it came up. And you know you want an answer.)

“Certainly, Ubisoft wasn’t the first to jump on board; a little-known fact is that there’s also Rockstar Toronto (they made some games here as well)—and Silicon Knights, which is not too far away in St. Catharines,” Matt replies. “I think we’re going to start to see a few more pop up because there’s a really big gaming community in Toronto.” (In other words, he did an excellent job of maintaining that coy, elusive air of mystery that has surrounded Ubisoft’s plans to set up shop in our fair city since it was announced earlier this year. Very well—you win this round, Levitan.)

When the discussion becomes more general, however, Matt’s reticence begins to fall away, and his passion for gaming becomes evident. “There are a lot of developers, and a lot of them have to go to Montreal or to Vancouver (or other areas) to find work. We’d love to keep that talent here in Toronto where we really feel it serves the Ontario government best and where we can start creating some great games here on our own.” He’s referring, of course, to the recent tax incentives put in place to bring more studio interest to the province. “But also, I remember why I got into this business; a lot of it had to do with the fact that I love games (and the development of games) and, though I’m a marketing/PR guy, part of me has always loved the creation of games and always wanted to be more involved in that… I love the development cycle and, being a Sony ‘lifer,’ so to speak, I’d love to see it take place.”

Of course, the promise of a burgeoning games industry in Toronto doesn’t just affect would-be designers and developers (and excite directors of marketing and public relations, apparently); in fact, many well-known bloggers were out in full force at the event, including Paul Hunter from NextGen Player, Shaun Hatton from Toronto Thumbs (dressed as Cobra Commander, no less), Steve Tilley from Load This, and even Zack Cooper and Bryan Calhoun from Got Game. Other interesting press sightings included a tall drink of water from Naked News making the rounds with her microphone (clothed, unfortunately), but the hands-down highlight was watching Bill Hutchinson from CTV News wailing on a plastic drum set.

Jeff McAllister, senior editor and community manager of GameShark and a most gracious guide to Torontoist, is a regular fixture at these events. “Sony has certainly shown it has some heavy hitters in their lineup for the near future,” he says of Tuesday’s showcase. “There were some brilliant games being shown, and I can’t wait to get my hands on these titles.” And what of the free Playstation-branded scarf we received upon our entry? “They know how to treat Canadians. It is, indeed, a pretty sweet scarf,” he chuckles, rubbing his hooded eyes blearily. Though there was much fun to be had, it has been a long day, and we are being shooed out to make way for the public portion of the evening.

All told, the Sony Playstation Preview Event was a most interesting glimpse into an industry poised on the brink of making a definite impression on Toronto’s tech landscape. With more events on the horizon hoping to capitalize on this underdeveloped hotbed of creative designers and developers, only time will tell if Toronto will, indeed, become the next Vancouver of gaming. To make a long story short (too late): if you’re looking to launch a career in the field of interactive entertainment, you might want to get on this train before it sets off for AwesomeTown.

(Posted on torontoist.com on October 8, 2009.)

Sari Ruda, managing director of Vortex, has been involved with the concept for the five years (and various incarnations) of its existence. “We are so proud of our lineup for this year’s boot camp and competition,” she enthuses when contacted for a sound bite for this year’s event, “and that our efforts have enabled Ontario’s entrepreneurs to find success with their game concepts.”