Local Man Continues Gaming Spirit In Peterborough Communities For Over 42 Years

Ever since 58-year-old Dave MacIssac started to play games when he was 16, he’s been a mainstay for a variety of Peterborough gaming communities since 1981.

MacIssac as a Dungeon Master in the back of his business, Hughman Games, for a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. He has also hosted several games at Phantasm, a sci-fi and fantasy role-playing convention that occurs annually in Peterborough. Photo by David Tuan bui.

MacIssac has been involved in the community, playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, World of Warcraft and more.

He started playing the popular fantasy role-playing tabletop game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) when he was 16. It started as a club in the Peterborough Public Library and moved its way over to PCVS (at the current Peterborough Alternative & Continuing Education building). MacIsaac has made lifelong friends through playing D&D and several other games. He says they become an outlet to meet and socialize with new people while being able to explore your imagination and creativity.

“It's a world of imagination and imagination is limitless,” explained MacIssac. “There's always somebody who wants to play that hasn't tried it and they have a buddy that comes in and then you have a whole new set of people. You can run the same old scenarios over again but it's new faces that don't know what's coming.”

MacIssac’s club members eventually shifted from D&D to the trading card game Magic: The Gathering (MTG), released in 1993. MacIssac began playing in 1994 with his friends and club members.

One of his first jobs in the gaming industry was at the now-closed Jeff’s Cards & Comics as a manager in 2000, first located at 655 Parkhill. Rd. W. The store sold both MTG and D&D products. It hosted weekly MTG tournaments and held D&D nights at its establishment.

In 2004, MacIssac also worked at his brother’s internet café called E-Lan Games in the Black Diamond Plaza in Peterborough. It allowed customers to pay for time to use their computers to surf the internet and play computer games solo or together through a local area network. The café closed in 2009.

Jeff’s Cards and Comics relocated to 422 George St N. in 2007 (at the current trading card store Grey Guardian Games) that opened an internet café on the upper floor. Two years later, MacIssac got into the online role-playing game World of Warcraft (WoW) and helped foster a community of gamers in the area with the shop as an outlet.

Since Jeff’s Cards got sold in 2016, MacIssac looked for a new outlet to reach out and maintain the gaming community. He opened his own internet café called ‘Hughman Games’ located at Brookdale Plaza on Chemong Road in 2019. He named it in honour of his brother Hugh, who passed away from a brain tumour in 2012. The business offers internet and gaming services and a venue to play D&D.

“I think it's critical in this day and age — especially with devices and everybody can hide in their rooms — you need to be with people in person,” explained MacIssac. “It allows for social activity, something that young kids today are probably missing partly because Covid shut them all in and it's a good idea for them to get out.”

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Peterborough Celebrates Projects That Receive Funding From Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation

Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) provided $1,588,620 to the City of Peterborough in Fiscal Year 2022 as its share of gaming revenue; receiving $8,687,987 since the gaming site opened in October 2018.

photo courtesy of the city of peterborough.

Mayor Jeff Leal met with Ontario Lottery and Gaming and Great Canadian Entertainment, which operates Shorelines Casino Peterborough, at Quaker Foods City Square on Friday to recognize how the funding is being used in the community.

“The Province shares its gaming revenues to support municipal investments in community infrastructure. By investing the OLG revenue in facilities such as the refrigerated outdoor skating rink for residents to enjoy throughout the winter and family-friendly splash pads for summertime fun, the City is enhancing the quality of life and wellbeing for the community,” says Mayor Jeff Leal.

The City used $677,909 from its OLG revenue to help pay for the construction of Quaker Foods City Square, which is a family-friendly community space that includes a refrigerated outdoor skating rink in the winter and water play features in the summer. The City has also used OLG revenue to support building new splash pads, its contribution toward the construction of the Canadian Canoe Museum, Central Area Community Improvement Plan initiatives, and the expansion of the City’s trails and cycling network.

In 2023, the City plans to use $1.8 million from the OLG revenue to invest in the City’s urban forest, including tree planting and maintaining the health of the community’s urban forest canopy.

“OLG is proud to be a vital part of Peterborough for more than 4 years and we look forward to continuing to build on that support. Each and every year 100 per cent of OLG profits are invested in Ontario,” says Kathleen Devine, OLG’s senior municipal relations manager. “From healthcare, to education, to community festivals, OLG’s profits are hard at work in Peterborough and all across our province. And, we appreciate the contribution of gaming site employees at Shorelines Casino Peterborough in making life in Peterborough that much richer. When you play at an Ontario casino, you play for Ontario.”

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Local Boy Crowned Winter Chess Tournament Champion By Ninja Academy

Nolan Middel has been crowned the Winter Chess Tournament Champion held by local dojo Ninja Academy announced Thursday.

MIddel (middle) holding his trophy after becoming champion of the winter chess tournament is seen holding his trophy for the tournament with judoka Georges David-Gnahoui (right) and Sensei Paul Teleki (left). Photo courtesy of Ninja Academy.

“All matches were so captivating to see young minds at work, thinking several moves ahead and strategizing with precision, it was amazing to witness,” exclaimed Paul Teleki.

“The most common attribute amongst the competitors was their courage,” explains David-Gnahoui. “To throw themselves into the tournament, considering everything that is happening in society right now, is a great achievement.”

Middel interests contributed to his success in the tournament according to Teleki including mathematics, creative writing, martial arts, swordsmanship and illustration.

The young champion also hosts a Youtube account called “KingletCrown Tada” that features several videos of the popular game “Minecraft” and other creative building toys.

Registration for the Academy’s Summer Chess Tournament is now open.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Martial Arts Academy Training Peterborough Chess Minds

Training the mind is just as important as training the body for Ninja Academy as they will host an all-ages summer chess tournament announced on Friday.

Georges David-Gnahoui (top) teaches a chess lesson to a young student. The Ninja Academy was formed in 2015 by founding Sensei Paul Teleki and operates in partnership with the Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre. Photo Courtesy of Ninja Academy.

Their first tournament will be held during the week of August 30th to September 3rd. Coaching will be provided for participating learners.

Ninja Academy students and parents requested the tournament with coaching from Georges David-Gnahoui.

“Students have been working diligently to test their chess skills and I am happy to see their competitive attitude,” he said.

Students are now eager to expand their skills beyond their peers into the wider community and the tournament is spread out over the week to accommodate safe competitive spaces according to the release.

The Academy has 140+ students, 5 youth Ninja Leaders and apprentices. Photo Courtesy of Ninja Academy.

Depending on the weather, matches may be held at local parks or covered spaces. The academy is providing tutoring opportunities to people who register for the tournament.

Awards will be given to the winners while all competitors will earn a certificate of participation. Every match will be video recorded for review purposes, without the faces of participants and to allow families to watch the match remotely.

“During the lockdowns, chess has become a growing opportunity for our students and this will also help them to compete and grow in other areas as well,” says David-Gnahoui.

The Ninja Academy coaches students towards competitive Judo podiums. They said chess will sharpen the minds of students to support their competitive martial arts.

Registrants will be grouped into their age brackets and competitors will be selected at random to compete.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Peterborough Video Game Studio Announces Release Of One-of-a-Kind Senior Rom-Com Dating Game

Local, independent game studio Bloom Digital Media has announced its highly-anticipated rom-com game Later Daters will be released on April 16th.

The quirky, one-of-a-kind game, created by Bloom Digital Media founder Miriam Verburg, follows romance in a retirement community and will be released on Steam, Itch.io and the Nintendo Switch.

Founder Miriam Verburg

As a visual novel set to span several episodes, Later Daters allows users to play as a senior and interact with eight characters in the community.

Players can customize the character’s look, name, romance history, and gender from the pet companion who will accompany them on romantic adventures to the avatar and dating history. 

The company is putting the finishing touches on the first three episodes, showing how love can bloom late for the game’s seniors. The second series of episodes of Later Daters will be released later this year.   

The Innovation Cluster startup released the award-winning LongStory game in 2014, and since then has had more than one million downloads combined on mobile and Nintendo Switch.

Visit the Later Daters website here, and watch the trailer below…

In Later Daters, play as octogenarian so you don't die alone, or just get your kicks in while the getting is good. Remember, if the chairs are rockin' don't come knockin'. Coming to Switch, Itch.io and Steam April 16, 2020. Wishlist on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1040390/Later_Daters/ Later Daters theme by: Veda Hille.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

PTBO Game Jam 05 Takes Place March 14th & 15h At Fleming College With Opportunities For People Of All Ages

PTBO Game Jam 05 will take place Saturday, March 14th to Sunday, March 15th in a fan-favorite conference space at Fleming College’s Kawartha Trades & Technology Centre (559 Brealey Drive).

Powered by the Peterborough-based game development studio dotBunny, the Fleming Computer Club, the Pinnguaq Association and Fleming College’s School of Trades and Technology, PTBO Game Jam 05 is a weekend-long hackathon-style video game development event. The jam will see video game programmers, designers, artists and more gather to plan, design and create video games in a 32-hour marathon.

PTBO Game Jam is three events in one, with opportunities for people of any age and skill level to explore the world of video game development. It includes:

-> the Pinnguaq Association’s Youth Educational Block, which specially focuses on introducing youth under the age of 16 to making video games with free technology geared directly to them.

-> an Adult Educational Block geared at people aged 16 and over. The’ll take attendees from zero to hero with industry standard development toolsets to create a quick simple video game that can be expanded on at the game jam itself.

-> those blocks build up to the star of the show the Jam itself, which starts Saturday, March 14th at 9 a.m. and continues until 5 p.m. Sunday, March 15th.

Admission to PTBO Game Jam 05 is free. Pre-registration is required here and click the Register button there to join. Prior registration is required for each event you plan to participate in!

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Local Game Developer Canuck Play’s “Doug Flutie’s Maximum Football 2019” Launches On PS4 & Xbox One

Peterborough-based video game development startup Canuck Play has officially released its third title Doug Flutie’s Maximum Football 2019. The game celebrates Canadian football, and is available on PS4 and Xbox One.

“The response for Maximum Football 2018 was phenomenal, and this title brings even more elements of Canadian Football to life, including having Doug Flutie as a character in the game,” says the President of the company David Winter. “Many players have expressed their enthusiasm to try it out and our team has been very excited for this moment to come.”

Photo courtesy Innovaton Cluster

This is another important step for the Peterborough-based company as both Xbox One and PS4 have significant market shares in North America, with PS4 holding a 57 percent market share and Xbox One at 27 percent in January 2019.

Maximum Football 2019 features multiple game options between Canadian, College, and US Pro football. Gamers will also have the ability to play full seasons, hone skills in practice mode, customize team and players, full post-play replay with free camera control, multiple player body styles and game weather that impacts game play.

As a client of the Innovation Cluster, David A. Winter has worked in its downtown incubator in Peterborough to make Canuck Play a reality, officially launching their first game installment Canadian Football 2017, followed by Maximum Football 2018.

"It is an incredible milestone for Canuck Play to have achieved their third certification for Xbox One and second for Playstation 4 with the release of Maximum Football 2019," says John Gillis, President and CEO of the Innovation Cluster. "David has worked tirelessly to bring this third installment to life, that has disrupted the sports genre of the gaming industry."

The public can purchase Doug Flutie’s Maximum Football 2019 directly from the Xbox One and PS4 platforms. 

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here. Watch our PTBOCanada Love video here.

Doug Flutie Becomes Brand Ambassador For Peterborough-Based Canuck Play’s Maximum Football Title

Canuck Play, the local video game company that has gained international coverage for its one-of-a-kind football games, has announced that Doug Flutie has come on as an ambassador for their Maximum Football franchise.

Considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Flutie will be a brand ambassador for the only video game on the market that allows gamers to play with US College, Canadian, and U.S. professional styles of play. Doug Flutie’s Maximum Football will feature Doug as a playable character and include multiple new game play features.

“I’m basically a kid at heart who lives for playing sports in person or on the screen,” says Flutie. “This partnership gives me the chance to join the video game space and I’m looking forward to helping grow the Maximum Football brand. What drew me to Maximum Football was the innovative concept of including three different styles of football in the game.”

Canuck Play (a client of the Innovation Cluster) and partner Spear Interactive (an indie game publisher based in Hamilton) are excited to have Flutie come on board. “His accomplishments at all levels and styles of gridiron football are well known, and he is the obvious natural fit for our title,” says David Winter, President of Canuck Play.

Canuck Play has developed their games within Peterborough, launching their first title here in July 2017.

“This is a game changer for this game development company,” says Michael Skinner, President & CEO of the Innovation Cluster. “Doug Flutie embodies the Canuck Play brand and we are excited to see a local company bringing on such a prominent figure in their industry.”

Maximum Football 2018 is now available on PlayStation and Xbox digital download stores.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here. Watch our PTBOCanada Love video here.

Peterborough Game Developer's Maximum Football 2018 Now Available on PS4 & Xbox One

Peterborough-based boutique video development startup Canuck Play, which develops games with the aim to celebrate Canadian culture, has officially made Maximum Football 2018 PS4 and Xbox One certified. The game will officially be released on both PS4 and Xbox One on July 31st.

“This an amazing milestone for us,” says David A. Winter, President of Canuck Play. “We have been working for months both day and night to make this a reality for our player base. A lot of little pieces go in to being passed for certification.”

Canuck Play President David A. Winter

Maximum Football 2018 features multiple game options between Canadian football, American football, and College football.

Gamers will also have the ability to play full seasons; hone skills in practice mode; customize team and players; full post-play replay with free camera control; multiple-player body styles; and game weather that impacts game play.

As a client of Peterborough-based Innovation Cluster, Winter and Vice-President Sheryl Loucks combined their background of game developing and administrative skills to make Canuck Play a reality—officially launching their first game installment Canadian Football 2017 last year in July for Xbox One and PC Desktop, also being approved for PC distribution through Steam.

Throughout the past year, Canuck Play has grown a rabid fan-base. Since its launch last year, their games have been sold in 12 countries.

You can purchase Maximum Football 2018 directly from the XBox One and PS4 platforms.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here. Watch our PTBOCanada Love video here.