A new Canadian study has tried to take an objective look at video games as learning tools, particularly since the medium is so popular among children and teens.

Under the headline "The Video Game Debate: Bad for Behaviour, Good for Learning?", the Canadian Council of Learning article cites several sources for its analysis, going back as far as 1991. It begins by acknowledging the popualrity of video games (citing U.S. numbers) as well as looking at whether video games can be helpful or harmful.

While some studies seem to go in with predetermined conclusions, this one seems to sit on the fence in its early analysis:

Frequent and unrestricted use of recreational video games may compromise academic performance. Several studies have shown that students of all ages who spend more time playing video games have lower grades than their peers who devote less time to video gaming. This type of correlation should be interpreted cautiously: while research implies that playing video games causes students to perform poorly in school—it could also be the case that students who do poorly in school are more inclined to play video games. Interpretive issues aside, devoting long hours to recreational video game playing clearly does not contribute to academic achievement. (Ed.: emphasis added)

While the study acknowledges the potential tie to violence and aggression, the opposite was also studied, citing video game advocate James Paul Gee's argument that video game players become engaged in powerful forms of learning because:

• They engage players in a problem-solving cycle similar to that in experimental science, based on hypothesis, experimentation, deduction and renewed experimentation.
• Players can customize games to suit their learning styles, encouraging creativity (e.g., designing new skate parks in Tony Hawk skateboard games).
• Players are able to view the world through multiple identities.
• Players are encouraged to take risks and try new things.

The study goes on to examine various types of video games and discuss their possible usefulness as educational tools. In the end, the article concludes:

The tremendous popularity of video games means they have enormous potential as learning tools that capture students’ attention and fire their imaginations. Harnessing that potential requires careful attention to design features and appropriate training for teachers. The understanding of links between video games and learning is still very much at a nascent stage both with regards to game design and effective delivery. As video games in education are gaining attention, it becomes more and more critical to understand why and how games can affect students.

The study comes at a time when Canadian Heritage has funded $375,000 for the creation of a video game and web site to teach "First Nation" youth about their heritage. Tracy Lavin, principle researcher for the CCL article, said:

"It is important to utilize all the resources at our disposal to enhance student learning in any setting. It makes sense to draw on students' fascination with video games in order to expand their learning opportunities and improve their learning outcomes."

The Canadian Heritage game is in open beta and is being developed by BlackCherry Digital Media.

Former Quebec Premier Bernard Landry has dubbed tax credits implemented for multimedia development companies in the Canadian province as an enormous success, reports The Montreal Gazette.

Landry (pictured left), speaking at the Montreal International Games Summit, claimed that the initiative also helped change Quebec’s economic makeup, stating, “Thirty years ago, our main exports were minerals, hydro-electricity and lumber. Today, we export airplanes, train parts, and video game.”

Of course Landry is also credited as introducing the tax scheme, which currently refunds qualified companies up to 37.5 percent of labor costs. Landry claimed that the cost of the program to taxpayers was earned back in five years.

He added:

Textile imports from China killed our textile industry. But (textile workers) were making $12 an hour. Video game developers make on average $60,000, and give back to the economy in the form on income taxes.

Cheating is always a problem in school, and one that most educational videogames are not immune to.

In creating its latest title—a game designed to teach the history of biology—Toronto-based Spongelab Interactive was concerned about walkthroughs being posted online by those who had already completed the content. Their solution was to hire programmer Alex Maslov, a Centennial College graduate, to make the game dynamic and randomize content.

Maslov’s task took him four months and resulted in a “cheat-proof” educational title. He also landed a new job—Maslov is now employed by Spongelab’s sister company InViVo Communications.

The unnamed title is due to enter beta testing next spring towards a 2010 mid-year release.

ITBusiness.Ca has a video and short story on the subject up on their website.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and the Entertainment Software Association Canada (ESAC) have issued public kudos to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and York Police for the pair’s latest efforts against the sale of pirated and counterfeit goods at the Pacific Mall in Markham, Ontario.

Raids on October 29, 2009 followed a two-month investigation into illegal activities at two retail outlets in the mall and resulted in the seizure of two autos and the home of one of the store owners. Manufacturing equipment used to make the counterfeit items was also seized, in addition to nine firearms. Three people were ultimately arrested.

Danielle Parr, Executive Director of the ESAC, commented:

Game piracy is a serious problem that costs the entertainment software industry millions of dollars each year. Law enforcement raids against notorious pirate retailers like those in Pacific Mall send a clear message that trafficking in pirated game products is illegal and will not be tolerated.

The Pacific Mall is indeed “notorious,” having been raided a host of times over the years. The RCMP seized over $800,000 worth of counterfeit DVDs in 2005 and over 49,000 counterfeit DVDs earlier this year.

Ontario is launching three new programs designed to aid Ontario-based interactive development companies.

Backed by a provincial investment of $605,000, Interactive Ontario will see the following programs enacted:

•  ONtheEdge –a training curriculum targeting video game entrepreneurs to provide them with business skills tailored for the industry.
•  GamesID - will provide market intelligence, marketing and promotional support to video game companies by disseminating industry research and information and seeking domestic and international partnerships.
• Ontario Video Game and Digital Media Investor Network - designed to connect video game and digital media developers with Canadian and international investors.

Sandra Pupatello, Minister of Economic Development and Trade, stated, “As a government, we are committed to working with the industry to generate investment and create high-value jobs for Ontarians.”

Ontario says that its local digital media industry generates around $1 billion annually. Digital Extremes, Silicon Knights, DreamCatcher Interactive, Koei Canada and BattleGoat Studios are among those that call Ontario home.

Via IndustryGamers

In a move to make the roads of Canada safer, Advertising Standards Canada has handed down a ruling that ads cannot depict cars exceeding the speed limit, car chases in a residential setting or other unsafe driving practices.

A story in Canada's Globe and Mail details the ruling and clarifications to existing guidelines It also gets comments from various car manufacturers about their ad policies and how the new rules may affect them.

But where it gets interesting is a paragraph later in the story:

And some of the worst offenders are not even in the car business. An ad for the new Forza Motorsports 3 video game – which is rated E, suggesting it is acceptable for all ages – features cars swerving out of control, rolling over, and smashing into each other. Some car industry executives point to Hollywood movies and even tire manufacturers as airing unsafe depictions.

In looking closer at the ruling on the ASC site, the clarification seems directed at motor vehicle advertising and not at virtual world racing or games. We have contacted ASC to see if video game publishers would be prohibited from advertising any type of unsafe driving in their games, which could eliminate advertising for many rally or racing games. We'll post an update if and when we get an answer.

Update: Janet Feasby, vice president of standards for the ASC, repsonded back to our inquiry about video game ads, and as suspected the guidelines were designed for ads showing the depiction of driving cars and other motorized vehicles and not to the depiction of driving in products such as a video game.

However, she did offer a clarification:

Clause 10 (Safety) of the Code applies to the advertising of any category of product. It states that: “advertisements must not without reason, justifiable on educational or social grounds, display a disregard for safety by depicting situations that might reasonably be interpreted as encouraging unsafe or dangerous practices, or acts.

 

If ASC received a complaint from a consumer alleging that driving or racing scenes in a commercial for a video game could encourage unsafe behaviour, ASC would review the commercial against Clause 10. And, as directed by Interpretation Guideline #1, “in assessing the impression likely to be conveyed by an advertisement, ASC will take into consideration the use and application in the advertisement of the elements of humour and fantasy.”

They may not be sold near a checkout stand, but video games sales are growing in Canada because more and more Canadians are buying them on a whim, according to a recent NPD study.

According to an article in the Finanacial Post, 40% of Canadians who purchased a video game said they did so on impulse within the last six months. However, while they have been buying games, the average cost of the games they are buying has dropped almost $15, from $42.97 for a planned purchase to $27.19 for a spontaneous one. Used games were the biggest winner, although online purchases of dowloadable content were not tracked.

According to the article:

"Clearly gamers are becoming much less reluctant to spend on games," said Matthew Tattle, group manager for The NPD Group. "One would think it is a little unusual to see impulse purchases during a recession but it's clear that hardcore gamers will find a way to satisfy their need for something new, different and enjoyable."

How about you ... Are games an impulse buy or a set item in your budget?

Mediacorp Canada’s 10th annual list of the Top 100 Employers in the Great White North includes two game development companies.

It should be no surprise, of course, that BioWare made the list. The Alberta-based developer made the list because of such employee-friendly perks as referral bonuses (up to $1200), free breakfasts, free on site gym (with saltwater pool), top maternity leave benefits, seven days off during the Christmas season and seven-week long paid sabbaticals for veteran employees to help them avoid burnout.

Ontario-based Digital Extremes gained a spot in the Top 100 due to tuition subsidies (up to $2500 per year), liberally granting a new employee vacation time based on past work experience and maternity benefits. The Unreal Tournament co-creator also added over 30 new positions in the past year.

Grades will be assigned to each Top 100 entrant later this month.

Thanks Goose!

Kids Help Phone, a Canadian counseling service for youths, has released results of a survey it conducted into online gaming habits.

Entitled Online Gaming: Child’s Play or Obsession, the survey collected data from 2,793 respondents, of whom 63% were aged 14 years or younger and 64% were female. 59% percent of those polled indicated that online gaming gets in the way of their school work, while 47% indicated that their parents do not, or may not know what games they are playing online.

The study noted that respondents from Northern Territories (the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut) spent more time gaming online and were more likely to be unable to quit gaming on their own versus youths from the rest of Canada. Why? According to one respondent from the region, “Cause [kids] don’t have anything else to do.”

The report includes advice aimed at both parents and gamers themselves to assist in responsible gaming, including putting the family’s computer in a central location of the house for monitoring purposes and encouraging parents get their kids to stop playing online games at least a half an hour before bed.

The report also notes some benefits of gaming:

Despite some negative press in recent years, online gaming does offer young people benefits, such as improving memory, building knowledge, developing better eye-hand coordination, etc. It also offers youth who are isolated (either geographically or socially) a quick and, to an extent, safe way to connect with others.

The full 44-page report (PDF) can be downloaded here.

As the Canadian government undertakes a public consultation on copyright issues, the head of game publishers lobbying group ESA Canada has penned an op-ed on the issue for Straight.com.

Not surprisingly, Danielle Parr argues for technological protection measures (TPM) and against mod chips (which are not currently illegal in Canada). Parr writes:

For the video-game industry, TPMs are not only used to prevent piracy and cheating (e.g. “modding” game code to give an unfair advantage over other players); they also enable access to a greater range of features and options that would otherwise be unavailable. Things like parental controls... “trial” or “demo” versions of games, and new digital distribution platforms like Valve’s Steam, Xbox Live Arcade, or the PlayStation Network, all provide greater choice and access for consumers...

By ensuring that consumers have a variety of digital offerings to choose from, legal protection for TPMs allows market forces to protect consumer interests, so if a consumer does not like the conditions of sale or terms of service for one digital product or service, they can simply take their business elsewhere. Failing to protect TPMs under the law effectively means that the government is dictating the business model, which is bad news for business and for consumers.

Those commenting on the Straight.com piece, however, don't seem to be buying Ms. Parr's arguments. As I post this, there are 15 comments, all of which are critical of the ESA Canada boss's op-ed.

GFOX: Danielle Parr, and the [ESA Canada] are completely out of touch on this issue. By failing to bend to an American lobby group such as the ESA I hardly think that the government of Canada can be seen as "dictating" any particular business model... The ESA's [penchant] for freely spewing unsubstantiated and exaggerated statistical data with the sole intention of striking fear into the hearts and minds of lawmakers is appalling...

NerdOfAllTrades: I agree that measures should be taken to prevent piracy, but punishing your loyal customers with TPM, which will only mildly inconvenience real pirates for the few hours it takes them to remove it... will only make people want to buy fewer PC games.
 
Sébastien Duquette: DRM is a failure... I really don't like Parr's fear-mongering tone. The industry of video game is flourishing, without DRM inforcement

Will: The video game industry has claimed to be on the brink of collapse due to piracy since the 1980s, and yet it somehow continues to grow bigger and more profitable... There will always be free riders who don't pay for their copy, but that isn't relevant. It's how many games you sell, not how many you don't sell that matters... This control-freak mentality... serves only to create hostility between the industry the customers...

AWJ: once you throw in an anti-circumvention law like the American DMCA, your platform monopoly becomes a state-enforced monopoly... Danielle is even arguing is that if the government doesn't give Microsoft and Nintendo and Sony the state-enforced monopolies they want, then it's "dictating the business model". If nothing else, I admire her chutzpah...

WayneB: Let me get this straight - [DRM] is an advantage to the consumer? What a bald faced lie.

Idle: This is a disgusting show of contempt for canadians brought to you by the ESA "of Canada".

GP: In the photo at left, Parr is seen at ESA Canada's Ottawa Day 2009 lobbying event.

The Montreal Gazette reports that a $10,000 lawsuit filed against the game publisher by the bishop of the Raëlian Church has been thrown out.

Raëlism is a UFO-based religion founded in 1974. From the newspaper story:

Daniel Chabot had sued for moral and exemplary damages claiming he was discriminated against based on religion...

 

Chabot had argued before [Judge] Lachapelle that his training program at Ubisoft was cancelled after it was discovered he was a member of the Raëlians.

According to Raëlism's Wikipedia entry, the government of France considers it a cult.

Telefilm Canada, a cultural agency of the Canadian government, has provided grant funding to several independent game projects, reports Gamasutra.

Recent recipients include DeathSpank ($536,069), a game under development by Ron Gilbert of Monkey Island fame and upcoming XBLA title Fez ($73,682) from Polytron.

Other recipients include N+, Eets Chowdown and It's Emotional.

The grants are considered "repayable advances," which means that they must be repaid out of profits. However, if a game loses money there is no requirement to repay. Releasing a title with both English and French versions scores a 10% discount on repayment

The Ontario city of Sault Ste. Marie plans to support development of a speech therapy game to the tune of $50,000, according to The Sault Star.

The money from the city's economic development fund will be awarded to Algoma University, which is partnering with the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute to build a game studio devoted to developing health-oriented games.

Council member Steve Butland called the project "different and darn near cutting edge for Sault Ste. Marie."

In Canada, the government has decided to consult with its citizens on copyright issues. To that end, an official site has been launched.

University of Ottawa law proessor Michael Geist, however, sees both opportunity and threat to average Canadians in the new government initiative:

While Canadians can ensure that the government understands that copyright matters and that a balance is needed, some groups will undoubtedly use the consultation to push for a return of a Canadian DMCA like Bill C-61.

 

The recording industry has already said that bill did not go far enough. That means we could see pressure for a Canadian DMCA, a three-strikes and you're out process, and the extension of the term of copyright to eat into the public domain.

Geist has been an outspoken critic of efforts to push U.S.-style copyright restrictions into the Great White North. To help Canadians stay current on copyright issues, the law prof has launched Speak Out on Copyright and has a related Twitter feed.

Via: boingboing

Recent news that the government of Ontario plans to grant $263 million to assist video game publishing giant Ubisoft in the creation of a game development studio in Toronto has generated a good bit of controversy.

Supporters maintain that Ontario is investing in job creation while critics see a government handout to a company that is profitable, foreign and in the business of creating violent games.

But Brad D. of ExGamer.net looks at the deal from the game addiction perspective. In last week's podcast, Brad comments on the new marriage between Ubisoft game makers and Ontario bureaucrats:

The government of Ontario has just made a massive investment in the firm Ubisoft... When we see massive infusion of cash, let's say in... casinos, we always see that matched with public education programs around the potential dangers of excessive gambling...

 

When I see a quarter-billion dollars being invested by the government in the video game industry, it raises a couple of eyebrows. While I'm thrilled to see jobs in any industry that will be high-paid and lasting, I am concerned that the government is not matching that with some kind of investment in education on the risks of excessive [video game] usage.

The recent news that the government of Ontario would fork over $263 million to Ubisoft for a new studio in Toronto remains controversial. In today's Globe & Mail columnist Marcus Gee is beside himself over the decision:

With a budget deficit of $18.5-billion, your provincial government is strapped - but not so strapped that it can't find a quarter of a billion in the pocket lint to pay some Frenchmen to set up a new video-game studio...

 

Ubisoft executives say they are in love with Toronto... But game developers are a footloose bunch, jumping from place to place in search of talent and government handouts... Who is to say they won't jump across the pond when the [U.K.] tax picture changes. Or when currency-exchange rates make Canada less desirable...

 

That quarter-billion has to come from somewhere, much of it from good Toronto businesses that don't have the buzz factor... Their tax burden will rise, and their business will suffer, while the cool kids in the video-game industry collect government cheques.

Meanwhile, David Olive at The Star seems cautiously optimistic about the Ubisoft deal:

Corporate welfare is tough to justify at the best of times... Could there be better uses of public money than developing the next generation of Assassin's Creed... And at a cost of $329,000 for each of the up to 800 workers to be employed by the new Ubisoft Toronto?

On balance, the investment is probably wise...

In yesterday's GamePolitics coverage we took note of an editorial in Canada's National Post which slammed the Ontario government's recent announcement that it would grant Ubisoft $263 million for the publisher's new Toronto studio.

Canadian blogger Eli Green offers the opposite view, however, claiming that the deal is a good one for Ontario because it will boost the local economy. In an opinion piece for Comic Book Bin Green writes:

To begin wit... Torontonians, or anyone else from the general vicinity, looking for a position with the [Ubisoft] will no longer have to make the... six hour jaunt to Quebec... That means more talent stays within Ontario, which, naturally, is beneficial for the province as a whole.

There is something far more important happening here though... an investment of this magnitude, in this industry, from the government of Ontario was long overdue... If the government plays its cards right, the Ontario video game development community should continue to grow and thrive, giving a nice boost to the economy, and local talent will continue to be just that – local.

It's not just important news for Ubisoft, it's important news for Ontario.

GP: In the pic, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty (right) and Ubisoft CEO Yannis Mallat seal the deal...

When Ontario's Premier Dalton McGuinty (left) announced on Monday that the provincial government planned to give $263 million to Ubisoft to offset the cost of opening a new game studio in Toronto, some eyebrows were raised.

Game industry types seemed understandably pleased, but an editorial in the National Post expresses shock and dismay over the amount of money involved and the fact the that those funds are going to a highly profitable company:

Ontario gives $263 million to company that makes $111 million in profit. Smart. Weren't we supposed to have learned something from the recession? Apparently not...

It’s bad enough that companies with terrible balance sheets get cash from taxpayers, but encouraging software companies that make money to play the same game is something else again. If you're losing money, Ontario wants to support you. If you're making money, Ontario wants to support you.

Commenters to the editorial were, by and large, not receptive to the plan, either.

- Soooo, do the math: That's 80 jobs per year. At a cost to the taxpayer of........ wait for it......................... $328,750 EACH !!  WHAT A "DEAL" !!

 

- Let's call a spade a spade: Ontario liberals pissing away $300.000 per job created. You know what? I am not paying any more taxes. That's it... Why paying taxes, if everything I pay is getting just given away to the foreign businesses? I'd rather move to Honduras...

A few commenters, like the one below lauded the deal, however:

The author of this article clearly misses the point.  The $263M "invested" by the Ontario government are in the form of tax breaks over ten year as an incentive to set up shop here, so no cash outlay.  Further, the tax breaks are kind of a moot point since these taxes wouldn't have been paid anyway had UbiSoft not set up shop.  The fact that they're spending $500M to open a studio, clearly they'll be here for a while, thus creating more jobs... 

The Canadian province of Prince Edward Island is currently home to an office of Longtail Studios, a development house started by Ubisoft co-founder Gerard Guillemot.

But, as reported by CBC, the firm is apparently relocating to Nova Scotia. Last week all 23 employees were offered comparable positions in a proposed new location in Halifax. P.E.I., however, is not giving Longtail up without a fight.

Innovation Minister Allan Campbell told CBC:

I am concerned with the possible loss of these positions on P.E.I. I've asked staff in my department to put together a package that is attractive to the company and that incites them to remain here on P.E.I.

Why Nova Scotia in particular has targeted this particular company, I'm not sure about that.

A package of tax breaks and subsidies which P.E.I. previously granted to Longtail expires later this year. Campbell said that talks aimed at keeping the developer in the province have been ongoing.

Longtail, which primarily develops games for mobile platforms, is based in New York City. According to its website, the developer also has maintains an office in Quebec City.

The provincial government of Ontario will make a massive investment into a new Ubisoft studio, reports Toronto's National Post.

Premier Dalton McGuinty (Left) announced today that Ontario will sink $263 million into Ubisoft Toronto over the next 10 years. Ubisoft itself plans to invest more than $500 million in the project.

A projected increase of 800 jobs is a large part of the Ontario government's motivation to invest in the new studio, which will be Ubisoft's fourth in Canada. Said McGuinty:

Our world is one where you can borrow capital, you can copy technology and you can buy natural resources. But to build a high wage and a high standard of living you need talent. By investing in Ubisoft, we're building Ontario's economy now and for the future.