By Web Editor Antony Stevens
Brenda Gershkovitch, co-founder of Vancouver-based game development studio Silicon Sisters, spoke at VIU last Tuesday in an open lecture. Pulling from her ten years of experience within the industry, Gershkovitch offered a feminist perspective on game design, and shone light on her studio’s decision to turn down development on the now $100 million earning game Kim Kardashian: Hollywood.
Gershkovitch opened the lecture with a picture of herself in the ‘80s’ as a child playing Frogger in Nanaimo’s long defunct Electric Playground arcade.
“I was the ...
The horror comedy genre is hard to nail. You need the right amount of humour, horror, and sometimes absurdity to pull the whole production off. Young Frankenstein holds onto that mantle, and Shaun of the Dead set a new standard back in 2004. The genre continues to produce gems here and there that are perfect for a good laugh and a fright factor. Tucker & Dale vs. Evil works hard to be one of these gems and does a good job of earning that title.
Poking fun at your usual teen and cabin horror films, Tucker & Dale is the story of two well-meaning hillbillies who unintentionally ...
By contributor Elijah Lavin
The Evil Within is a AAA horror game, meaning that it was made by a big name company with a large budget, that was released October 2014. The game is considered psychological survival horror, and it definitely lives up to that title.
You play as Sebastian Castellanos in the beginning, a gritty detective who, of course, has a dark angst-ridden past. Sebastian, his partner Joseph Oda, and rookie Juli Kidman get a call to a brutal mass murder at a local mental hospital. There, a white-hooded figure sets off a chain of supernatural events, leaving the city ...
Nick Sagan’s Idlewild is a hidden gem in the sci-fi genre and deserves to bring Sagan’s name out from under his father’s shadow. Blending The Matrix and Minority Report gives you the bare bones core of the story, and yet Idlewild stretches to be so much more during the whole story.
The main narrator of the story, Halloween, wakes up suddenly with only two details he remembers: someone tried to kill him, and one of his peers is already dead. Using Halloween’s own amnesia as a way to explore the strange world, readers find themselves in what would usually be a cheap parlour trick. But ...
By contributor Brendan Barlow
“In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds…and remembers.” - via imdb.com
I will declare my bias up front, and say that I have been itching for Guillermo del Toro to make another horror movie ever since I saw Pan’s Labyrinth, and I will also confess that I wasn’t the biggest fan of Cronos or The Devil’s Backbone, though I admit that both films are beautiful to ...
After making it through the Federal Election Campaign—78 days that felt more like nine months, which is about the time it takes to grow a baby—I think we can all use a Unicorn Chaser. For those unfamiliar with the concept, Unicorn Chaser is a term coined when, after scanning social media and news headlines filled with violence, injustice, and gore, one needs to scrub their mind with pleasurable images. Often, but not always, it involves baby animals. It’s kind of like taking a shot of whiskey followed by a swig of beer (in this analogy, the unicorn is the beer). It’s like a palate ...
By contributor Sebastian Barkovic
Conservatives are fickle creatures, especially around election time. One example is the new tip line they proposed if brought back into power. You must be thinking, “Tip line? What sort of tip line? Like drinking and driving, wild fires, illegal dumping?” Unfortunately not. I am referring to a tip line for reporting minorities that you find just a tad barbaric for your taste. Yes, absorb this information and take in the scene. Prime Minister Harper didn’t exactly word it that way, but there is no doubt in most rational Canadians’ minds about his true ...
VIU offers many services to help get you through the school year. Maybe you’ve heard about some of them, but for one reason or another have yet to utilize these services. Maybe you don’t know yet what VIU has to offer. For each issue of The Navigator, this column will feature a service offered through the university and explain why you should take advantage of it.
How much easier would university be if there was someone guiding you through every step of your essay? What if someone helped you brainstorm or pick a topic, write a strong thesis statement, develop ideas, organize and ...
By Chantelle Spicer, contributor
This semester has really piled on some intense readings, challenging me emotionally and intellectually. Sometimes I really need to take a break from this and, rather than turning to Netflix, I find myself snuggling up with some of my favourite literature from childhood. First on the list is White Fang by Jack London. As a child I loved that book for its great story about a wolf; as an adult, I am able to see it from so many different angles, deepening my love and appreciation of the classic. First published in 1906, White Fang examines an environment, ...
By contributor Tomi Lawson
The city of Nanaimo is planning to replace the fallen trees in Colliery Dams Park.
According to a City of Nanaimo news release, horticultural crews from the city have gathered pine cones from Douglas fir, Grand fir, and Western Red cedar trees. They have also gathered big leaf maple seeds and cuttings for the project.
500 trees are expected to grow from the pine cones, and 100 from the seeds and cuttings.
Toby Seward, acting GM and Community Development and Protective Services, said, "In order to reinstate as many trees as possible in Colliery ...
Remembrance Day provides a time to reflect on and appreciate those who have lost their lives and fought in conflicts for the benefit of Canada’s people. The majority of Canadians don poppies as they acknowledge this over several weeks.
Between October 4 and November 11, the names of more than 519 thousand soldiers killed in the First World War appear, one by one, on a digital screen in Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) Welcome Centre (bldg. 300).
VIU has joined the World Remembers project, an international remembrance, education, and reconciliation project initiated by Canadian ...
By Reid Eccles
After a three-game road trip the Nanaimo Clippers were back at Frank Crane Arena Saturday night to face the Wenatchee Wild. It was the start of a five-game home stand for the Clippers and the first time the Clippers and Wild have faced off since the Wild’s induction into the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) this season. The Clippers sported their pink alternate jerseys in honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The Clippers’ captain Devin Brosseau opened the scoring five minutes into the 1st period on an early 5-on-3 powerplay redirecting a saucer pass from ...
By contributor Reid Eccles
The Chilliwack Chiefs were in Frank Crane Arena on Sunday, October 18th, with the intention of defeating a tired Nanaimo Clippers squad that’d taken a loss to the Wenatchee Wild the night before, but the Clippers’ showed no signs of fatigue.
The Clippers opened the scoring with three minutes left in the 1st period when Matt Creamer tucked in a cross crease pass from DJ Petruzzelli. The second assist going to Charley Borek.
In the 2nd period the Chiefs get into some penalty trouble. After a high-sticking minor set the Chiefs down a man Clippers forward ...
Above: VIU’s Model UN club at the UBC MUN conference last January.
Scatterings of students in suit jackets lean over laptops, making alliances, arguing their opinions, and nodding along as they listen to one another. At their tables sit placards with the names of various countries.
One of the goals of the world’s largest intergovernmental organization, the United Nations, is the achievement and maintenance of peace. VIU’s Model United Nations club (MUN) will be attempting to do the same as they address the issues surrounding “Global Unrest: War, Violence, and Terrorism” by role ...
It is time to exterminate the litter bugs — in a non-violent manner, of course.
A new anti-littering campaign has been launched, entitled Keep Nanaimo Clean, that will paint the city with reminders to keep the streets and trails clean. With the help of the increasingly environmentally conscious population, the campaign aims to eliminate the still troublesome littering of fast food wrappings, cigarette butts, drink containers, and dog waste.
A press release issued by the City says that posters carrying the Keep Nanaimo Clean message will be seen in bus shelters and on the side of ...
Vancouver Island’s largest shopping centre will be receiving a $17 million makeover, co-owner of Woodgrove Centre Ivanhoé Cambridge announced September 24.
In a press release from Ivanhoé Cambridge, Woodgrove Centre General Manger Julia Dow highlights the major elements of the renovation:
The food court will be completely reconfigured and renovated, allowing for increased seating capacity. The modern update will include recycling infrastructure, electric charging stations, and much more.
Guest services will be relocated and increased in size by about one thousand square ...
Some are in it for the tricks, some for the treats. Others do it for the excuse to put on another identity for a night. Occasionally, these identities spark controversy.
“In general, Halloween is about shocking people in some way — transcending cultural norms,” said VIU sociology professor Jerry Hinbest. “It usually is not about going ‘too far,’ but controversial is a common theme.”
The Halloween costume business is substantial; according to Statistics Canada, $21.6 million worth of costumes were manufactured in Canada in 2011. Each year, a few costumes pop up in stores that are ...
Have you ever felt haunted—haunted by things you wished you’d said? Especially when the wittiest of retorts pops in to your head at the bus stop, well beyond the point of being any use whatsoever. There’s a phrase for that—a French one that verily rolls off the tongue: “l'esprit d'escalier.” English speakers sometimes translate it as “staircase wit,” but I prefer the more lyrical translation, “the Spirit of the Staircase.” It’s said to come from philosopher Denis Diderot, who described the predicament when, at a dinner party, he felt overwhelmed by a remark against him. He was only able ...
Editor’s note: this is not to brag, boast, or show off—I merely want to share the trials and tribulations that occurred over the weekend of Thanksgiving. I want to give thanks to the three dinners I was involved in, and the familiar familial farces.
Day one: Saturday
After moving my immediate family’s Thanksgiving to Monday, I learn that my partner’s family has also scheduled theirs for the same day. Much to my delight, my schedule now includes a “linner” at 1 p.m., and my family’s dinner at 5:30 p.m.
Day two: Sunday
The day before, I am told that his mother intends to roast ...
The VIU Young Greens had their club status revoked by the VIU Students' Union (VIUSU) on Thursday, just days before the election, due to violation of club policy.
The VIU Young Greens invited candidates Paul Manly and Elizabeth May to visit the campus on September 8, which was deemed to be inappropriate by the VIUSU, according to their policy. After being put on probation, the club continued to hold campus events with Manly. This was in violation of a rule that states political candidates cannot visit VIU unless all candidates have been invited.
“During an election, clubs can’t ...
One of Canada’s greatest running events is set to celebrate its 45th anniversary on May 1, 2016. Now with a variety of races for runners of all kinds, the BMO Vancouver Marathon now has a Full Marathon, Half Marathon, Marathon relay, 8KM, a Kids Run, and a new 2.5 KM walk, coming a long way since it’s humble beginnings back in 1972.
"For the first marathon, we had just a few organizers, but only 32 runners. All had to see the start physician and have a brief physical exam to make sure we could make the distance," says Jack Taunton, co-founder of the original event. "Today's marathon ...
By contributor Ben Chessor
The Nanaimo Clippers have begun with a solid start for the 2015-2016 British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) season. After falling just two wins shy of the league championship last season, the Clippers look poised to take another run at the Fred Page Cup.
This season looks like it will be a rebuilding year for the Clippers who were set to lose a number of impact players due to age restrictions and school commitments. However, the team’s outlook for the season changed when it was announced that three core members of last year’s Island championship would be ...
This is the second in a contributor column by Zoe Lauckner. Check back next issue for the latest in Mental Health issues.
Here we are—it’s the fifth week of the term, papers are due and mid terms are happening. Feeling overwhelmed yet? You’re not alone.
Admittedly, self-care is one of my least developed qualities, and is often the last on my priority list. I have to remind myself that self-care is a journey, a constant learning process, and that the alternative really isn’t so appealing. University is a time of great stress, there’s no avoiding it. What we can do is learn how to ...
By contributor Debi Brummel
Thinking about making the Date Kisses recipe for the next potluck? Did you know you can get free nuts for the picking? Nanaimo’s native hazelnuts usually fall in late August and September, followed by walnuts in late September and October.
This historic coal town’s founding citizens planted what they needed to get their families through the wet winters; and especially in old neighbourhoods like Harewood. Many are just left to feed the birds and squirrels these days; make friends with your nutty neighbours and work out a deal to harvest their unclaimed ...
