The future of digital industries in Alberta got a shot in the arm on Wednesday when CE3C and Digital Alberta brought Laurie Gloge from Global Game Jam and Luis Berumen from StartUp Weekend to speak to a packed room at the Alberta College of Art + Design. More than 40 students heard about two events coming up in the new year: Global Game Jam (January 27-29), and StartUp Weekend (February 3-5). Students were excited about the opportunity to interact with real industry professionals and exercise their ACAD skills in a real, applied context. Global Game Jam pairs artists, designers and technologists to create computer games in a 48 hour marathon. StartUp Weekend matches creatives with business mentors to create project pitches for a real life Dragon’s Den and the opportunity for investment to create a new start up venture. Registration for Global Game Jam starts Thursday, November 17th.