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Toronto's Kolody Releases First-Ever, Bluetooth-Powered, Screen-Share, Multi-Player iOS Game

As someone who really got into mobile communications during the early days of the continued QR Code craze—where the lastest statistics report that 20 million Americans scanned a QR Code in the United States in October 2011, representing about 7.5% of the population, up from about 5% in June 2011—you can only imagine my excitement that a Canadian company was doing something innovative with another mobile communications technology (bluetooth) and your iDevices as seen in Game On: Finance's Canadian Interactive Showcase. 

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Quibids is Insanely Popular in Canada and has Incorporated Gamification

The slightly controversial penny-auction site Quibids has become the 83rd ranked site in Toronto and the 97th ranked site overall in Canada according to Alexa over the past three months. 

Does winning items for mere pennies or a few dollars sound too good to be true? Some Canadians would call it a scam as it can be quite difficult to win auctions due to sheer competition and the seemingly random times when wins are granted. The lower in value the item, the easier it is to win. However, Quibids adds 10-20 seconds to the clock every time a bid is placed providing the opportunity for someone else to come in and place their $0.60 bid.

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GameON: Finance Keynote lineup includes Canadian Albert Lai

Now entering its fifth year, Interative Ontario's GameON:Finance connects the games industry’s leading players to new business opportunities in the interactive entertainment industries.

Taking place next week on January 17/18th in Toronto, GameON:Finance is North America's largest forum for digital game entrepreneurs and investors. The two day event feature three keynotes, panels and intensive sessions about funding opportunities in the digital games space.

Keynote details have now been announced and the lineup includes Canadian Albert Lai - have a read.

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EDGE Wants to Turn Videogame Developers into Entrepreneurs

In January, the G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education and  Interactive Ontario will co-launch EDGE. The workshop-based program, which stands for Education for Digital and Games Entrepreneurs, is designed to educate digital entrepreneurs with the non-technical essentials of the digital and gaming industry, including skills in business that are needed to make key business decisions, skills in training, leadership and administration.

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Canadian Videogame Awards to Return This Spring; Nominations Now Open

Canada will once again gather on the West Coast this spring to celebrate its world-class video game developers at the third annual Canadian Videogame Awards ceremony. Set to take place in Vancouver on April 3, 2012, The Canadian Videogame Awards will be held during the International Digital Media Summit. Canada has the third-largest videogame industry in the world—for tons of cool stats on our country's gaming space, check out this infographic.

"As we head into the holiday season," said Victor Lucas, co-host and executive producer of The Electric Playground and Reviews on the Run, "and videogames are high on everyone's wish lists, I'd really like Canadians to recognize just how much incredible interactive entertainment was made this year in this country."

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Trouble in Farmville: Zynga's Shares Sink on Opening Day [UPDATED]

When LinkedIn went public, the markets went mad. The stock surged an incredible 150%. More recently, Groupon went public—and, despite a soured reputation, the company's share price managed to shoot up 50%. Even Pandora surged on day one.

Zynga, the last major tech IPO of the year, did not repeat this feat. In fact, the Farmville maker's share price actually sank on day one, from $10 to $9.50, and even further into the red during after-hours trading.

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GameON: Finance 2012 looks at Accelerators and Massive Damage

GameON: Finance is North America's top business forum for the interactive entertainment industry, connecting developers, innovators, investors and industry leaders. And it's returning to Toronto in January.

Delegates will gather for two days of keynotes, case-studies, lectures and panel discussions providing insight on topics like emerging opportunities in game project financing and deal-making across platforms.

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Ottawa's RocketOwl Wants You to Clean Up Trash in Eco-Social Game GreenSpace, Now Out of Beta

RocketOwl, an Ottawa-based startup game developer, has launched GreenSpace, an "eco-conscious social game." Currently playable for free on Facebook, with upcoming releases on Google's Android platform and Apple's iOS platform, GreenSpace is set in the distant future and sees users explore and discover the world while engaging with other players. Over time, players clean up trash to unveil a beautiful green utopia—"the future is tidy," the game's slogan reads.

“With GreenSpace, we set out to bring the best of competitive play to audiences around the world in a fun and social way,” said Graeme Barlow, CEO. “We want to provide a meaningful experience to all of our players through gaming."

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Electronic Arts Enters the Daily Deals Space (Sort of)

Electronic Arts has entered the daily deals space. Sort of.

The maker of many epic games, the company has launched EA Daily Deals, a month-long event where mobile games will be free or sharply discounted every day until January 2nd. For example, today's "hot deal" is Fantasy Safari for the iPhone, and it's free.

Other deals include Need for Speed SHIFT (free) and FIFA 10 (65% off). Deals include games for the iPhone, iPad, and Android.

Microsoft to open major game studio in Victoria, BC

Microsoft is opening a major game design studio in downtown Victoria early in the new year that could employ up to 60 people.

In an exclusive interview with the Times Colonist, the technical director of the project said Victoria was chosen for its strategic proximity to Microsoft headquarters in Redmond and for its "livability," which will help attract the best and brightest in creative, production and design in the global gaming industry.

Microsoft has been remodelling former government office space on the top floor of the Dogwood Building at 1019 Wharf Street, at the foot of Fort Street, over the past several months.

The facility is to be called Microsoft Studios Victoria.