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It’s all fun and games at annual ProtoTO game-testing convention

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Game designer Pam Walls closes her eyes and uses a marker to draw what looks like a cowboy — leaning over a stick figure on a table — on the erasable white board she is holding in her hand, while the other players seated near her watch intently.

When it comes time to guess which title she has picked to draw — A Startling Revelation — Walls says the image is supposed to be Indiana Jones digging up an archeological treasure and there’s laughter when player Kevin Farnworth says he thought it was someone killing Dracula in his sleep.

From left to right: Game designer Erica Hayes-Bouyouris, volunteer Kevin Farnworth, vendor Sherri Cormier and game designer and ProtoTO convention founder Pam Walls test out her new game, Everyone's a(n Art) Critic, at the ProtoTO game-testing and design convention.
From left to right: Game designer Erica Hayes-Bouyouris, volunteer Kevin Farnworth, vendor Sherri Cormier and game designer and ProtoTO convention founder Pam Walls test out her new game, Everyone’s a(n Art) Critic, at the ProtoTO game-testing and design convention.  (Patty Winsa / Toronto Star)

“(Professor Abraham) Van Helsing said ‘wait ‘til morning,’” says Farnworth of the fictitious vampire hunter from the Dracula novel, explaining why he mistakenly thought the title of Walls’ drawing was Wait Until Morning.

It’s all part of the fun at ProtoTO, the annual game-testing and design convention in Toronto, which was held at the Ramada Hotel on Jarvis St., south of Carleton St. on the weekend.

Walls founded the convention after participating in a playtest event in Orlando, Fla., in 2016, which helped hone her trivia game — Hold That Face — which was eventually picked up by Hasbro.

“When you have an idea you test it out and see how the players respond,” says the 33-year-old, “and then you can change it to make it a more fun experience.”

This year’s conference attracted about 80 game designers, up from 52 in its first year. A number of publishers also attended, such as Spin Master and Outset Media, companies that produce and distribute games. Walls pitched four new concepts to them, including a co-operative trivia game called Facts Machine and a speed charade game on Friday.

Walls says she draws on her skills as an events co-ordinator for U of T’s faculty of architecture to organize ProtoTO.

The convention drew more than 200 people in all, many of them participants — called game testers — who joined sessions for two to three hours to play and test a designer’s game. At the end, a designer can ask for feedback on aspects of the game, such as the time it took to play or the clarity of the instructions.

Walls was testing her latest prototype, called Everyone’s a(n Art) Critic, a game where a player has to draw an image, based on a title, and the other players try to guess which title it is. The player whose turn it is to draw does it with their eyes closed.

“You can’t make it obvious,” says player and fellow board game designer Erica Hayes-Bouyouris. “You’ll give away points to everybody else.”

Hayes-Bouyouris, an elementary school teacher, has designed a number of games that have made it into production such as Roar: King of the Pride, a survival board game. Her new card game, Ghostbusters, will be released this fall. She gave the keynote talk at the conference on Friday.

Walls has been working on her current prototype for more than a year. She grew up in Calgary playing board games with her family, who ignored the instructions to games so routinely that they made a new name for the ones they created: Walls rules.

She says her parents helped her come up with many of the titles in her current prototype, such as “Golden Years,” “Cosmic Movement” and “Clear Vision.” And the family still plays board games when they reunite for holidays in Kelowna, where her parents moved after retiring.

Walls moved to Toronto in 2008 and became interested in board game design. She says Toronto has a surprisingly large and active community of game designers that includes Christopher Chung (Lanterns) and Hayes-Bouyouris, and she began testing her games at designer nights at Snakes & Lattes and 401 Games, where she sometimes got brutally honest advice.

One designer told her: “Don’t focus on this game. Your other game is better,” says Walls.

That “other game” was the one liked by Hasbro.

Patty Winsa is a Toronto-based data enterprise reporter. Follow her on Twitter: @PattyWinsa

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Anglais

Nostalgia and much more with Starburst XXXtreme

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Get a taste of adventure with Starburst XXXtreme based on the legendary NetEnt Game. The nostalgic themes are sure to capture fans of the classic version as they get treated to higher intensity, better visuals, and features. The most significant element of the game is its volatility. Patience will not be an essential virtue considering the insane gameplay, and there is a lot of win potential involved. It retains the original makeup of the previous game while adding a healthy dose of adrenaline. 

Starburst Visuals and Symbols

The game is definitely more conspicuous than before. The setting happens over a 5-reel, 3-row game grid with nine fixed win lines, which function if a succession from the left to the right reel is present. Only those players that that attain the highest win per bet line are paid. From a visual standpoint, the Starburst XXXtreme slots illustrates lightning effects behind the reels, which is not surprising as it is inherited from the original version. Available themes include Classic, Jewels, and Space. The game is also available in both desktop and mobile versions, which is advantageous for players considering the global pandemic. According to Techguide, American gamers are increasingly having more engaging gaming experiences to socialize to fill the gap of in-person interaction. Starburst XXXtreme allows them to fill the social void at a time when there is so much time to be had indoors. 

Starburst XXXTreme Features

Players get to alternate on three features which are Starburst Wilds, XXXtreme Spins, and Random Wilds. The first appears on reels 2,3, or 4. When these land, they expand to cover all positions while also calculating the wins. They are also locked for a respin. If a new one hits, it also becomes locked while awarding another respin. Starburst XXXtreme offers a choice between two scenarios for a higher stake. In one scenario with a ten times stake, the Starburst Wild is set on random on reels 2,3, or 4, and a multiplier starts the respin. The second scenario, which has a 95 times stake, starts with two guaranteed starburst wilds on reels 2,3, or 4. it also plays out using respin game sequence and features. The game also increases the potential with the Random Wilds feature to add Starburst Wilds to a vacant reel at the end of a spin. Every Starburst Wild gives a random multiplier with potential wins of x2, x3, x5, x10, x25, x50, x100, or even x150.

The new feature is sure to be a big hit with the gaming market as online gambling has shown significant growth during the lockdown. AdAge indicates the current casino customer base is an estimated one in five Americans, so Starburst XXXtreme’s additional features will achieve considerable popularity. 

What We Think About The Game

The gambling market has continued to diversify post-pandemic, so it is one of the most opportune times to release an online casino-based game. Thankfully Starburst XXXtreme features eye-catching visuals, including the jewels and space themes. These attract audience participation and make the gameplay inviting. The game also has a nostalgic edge. The previous NetEnt iteration featured similar visuals and gameplay, so the audience has some familiarity with it. The producers have revamped this version by tweaking the features to improve the volatility and engagement. 

That is characterized by the potential win cap of 200,000 times the bet. Starburst XXXtreme does not just give betting alternatives for players that want to go big. The increase of multipliers also provides a great experience. If the respins in the previous version were great, knowing that multipliers can go hundreds of times overtakes the game to a new level. 

Players should get excited about this offering. All of the features can be triggered within a single spin. Whether one plays the standard game or takes the XXXtreme spin route, it is possible to activate all of the features. Of course, the potential 200,000 times potential is a huge carrot. However, the bet size is probably going to be restricted and vary depending on the casino. It is also worth pointing out that a malfunction during the gameplay will void all of the payouts and progress. Overall, the game itself has been designed to provide a capped win of 200,000 times the original bet. 

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Anglais

‘We’re back’: Montreal festival promoters happy to return but looking to next year

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In downtown Montreal, it’s festival season.

In the city’s entertainment district, a musical act was conducting a sound check on stage Friday evening — the second day of the French-language version of the renowned Just For Laughs comedy festival. Tickets for many of the festival’s free outdoor shows — limited by COVID-19 regulations — were sold out.

Two blocks away, more than 100 people were watching an acoustic performance by the Isaac Neto Trio — part of the last weekend of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, a celebration of music from the African continent and the African diaspora.

With COVID-19 restrictions continuing to limit capacity, festival organizers say they’re glad to be back but looking forward to next year when they hope border restrictions and capacity limits won’t affect their plans.

Charles Décarie, Just For Laughs’ CEO and president, said this is a “transition year.”

“Even though we have major constraints from the public health group in Montreal, we’ve managed to design a festival that can navigate through those constraints,” Décarie said.

The French-language Juste pour rire festival began on July 15 and is followed by the English-language festival until July 31.

When planning began in February and March, Décarie said, organizers came up with a variety of scenarios for different crowd sizes, ranging from no spectators to 50 per cent of usual capacity.

“You’ve got to build scenarios,” he said. “You do have to plan a little bit more than usual because you have to have alternatives.”

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Anglais

MELS new major movie studio to be built in Montreal

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MONTREAL — MELS Studios will build a new film studio in Montreal, filling some of the gap in supply to meet the demand of Hollywood productions.

MELS president Martin Carrier said on Friday that MELS 4 studio construction will begin « as soon as possible », either in the fall or winter of next year. The studio could host productions as early as spring 2023.

The total investment for the project is $76 million, with the Quebec government contributing a $25 million loan. The project will create 110 jobs, according to the company.

The TVA Group subsidiary’s project will enable it to stand out « even more » internationally, according to Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau. In the past, MELS Studios has hosted several major productions, including chapters of the X-Men franchise. The next Transformers movie is shooting this summer in Montreal.

Péladeau insisted that local cultural productions would also benefit from the new facility, adding that the studio ensures foreign revenues and to showcase talent and maintain an industry of Quebec producers.

STUDIO SHORTAGE

The film industry is cramped in Montreal.

According to a report published last May by the Bureau du cinéma et de la télévision du Québec (BCTQ), there is a shortage of nearly 400,000 square feet of studio space.

With the addition of MELS 4, which will be 160,000 square feet, the company is filling part of the gap.

Carrier admitted that he has had to turn down contracts because of the lack of space, representing missed opportunities of « tens of millions of dollars, not only for MELS, but also for the Quebec economy. »

« Montreal’s expertise is in high demand, » said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who was present at the announcement.

She said she received great testimonials from « Netflix, Disney, HBO and company » during an economic mission to Los Angeles in 2019.

« What stands out is that they love Montreal because of its expertise, knowledge and beauty. We need more space, like MELS 4, » she said.

There is still not enough capacity in Quebec, acknowledged Minister of Finance, the Economy and Innovation Eric Girard.

« It is certain that the government is concerned about fairness and balance, so if other requests come in, we will study them with the same seriousness as we have studied this one, » he said.

Grandé Studios is the second-largest player in the industry. Last May, the company said it had expansion plans that should begin in 2022. Investissement Québec and Bell are minority shareholders in the company.

For its part, MELS will have 400,000 square feet of production space once MELS 4 is completed. The company employs 450 people in Quebec and offers a range of services including studio and equipment rentals, image and sound postproduction, visual effects and a virtual production platform.

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