by Fred Hasson Executive Director Redbedlam, and Chair EGDF OnLine Grouping.

As wide-eyed newbies cotton on to the industry they not long ago turned their noses up at, statements such as, ‘Its bigger than the film industry’ get trotted out with repetitive cringeworthiness.

Judgements based on a little bit of knowledge can often be worse than none, and for 8 years British civil servants and government have been the first to prefer to swallow hubristic rhetoric than believe the evidence placed in front of them, particularly if it gave them a neat way out of showing any support for an industry that is still pilloried in the press for cheap sensational headlines. The combination of this and the bare knuckle wing of the UK games industry has meant another rendering of the charge of the UK industry light brigade.

From Backbone Magazine - Three years ago David Hawkins spent more than two hours a day crammed into a crawling Vancouver bus. He jostled and was jostled, breathed other people’s air and stared out the windows at rush-hour pedestrians who sometimes made faster progress than the commuters trapped in the bus.

Hawkins was fed up and ready to ditch this rush-hour purgatory. Today, by telecommuting and shifting his hours, Hawkins now spends less time at his office and accomplishes a great deal more. Full Story

MT. ROYAL, NJ – July 2, 2009 – The International Game Developers Association (IGDA), the world’s largest organization serving the individuals who create digital games, today announced that Joshua Caulfield has been named the association’s new executive director. Caulfield brings more than a decade of association leadership experience to the new position. In his new role, Caulfield will work closely with the elected board to further the IGDA’s goals of advancing the careers and enhancing the lives of game developers everywhere.

For Immediate Release

(Toronto, June 30, 2009) - Interactive Ontario (IO) is pleased to welcome Darko Milivojevic as Vice President, Industry Development, to its growing team. In this new role, Darko will be responsible for representing Ontario industry stakeholders’ interests, and increasing their visibility, on a national and international level.

Richard Wah Kan, Founder and Former President and CEO of DreamCatcher Interactive Inc. joined us yesterday for another installment of IO's gTalk series at the Ontario Investment and Trade Centre. Speaking to Ontario game developers and other supporting industries, Richard gave the audience some valuable insights about the world of video game publishing and the marketing mathematics involved in getting your game on the shelf.

Toronto, June 24, 2009 – Today, Social Game Universe announced the availability of Hollywood Tycoon™, a brand-new tycoon/strategy game that in the first week has already shot up the charts into its first top five list. It’s a fun and addictive casual game where players immerse themselves in the creative world that drives the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, while amassing untold riches and box office glory.

From The Globe and Mail - A few months from now, an upstart music channel will make its debut on cable television in more than one million Canadian homes and, in doing so, Aux TV will carve out a place for itself in broadcasting history.

At some point in September - the date has not yet been set - Aux TV will become what is believed to be the first Internet broadcaster to be converted to an actual television station in Canada about a year after it was created online. (Full Story)

Now in its tenth annual edition, PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Global Entertainment & Media Outlook is a consistent, comprehensive source of global analysis for consumer/end-user and advertising spending. Full Story

Monday 22nd June, 2009/... The Edinburgh Interactive Festival today announced that Kristian Segerstrale, CEO and Co-founder of Playfish, and respected industry consultant, Margaret Robertson, are both confirmed to speak at this year’s event. Segerstrale and Robertson join an impressive list of guest speakers: including, among others, Peter Moore, President of EA Sports and Peter Cowley, Managing Director of Digital Media for Endemol UK.