Game Developers Conference 2008 - (Page 1) Dear Friends, The game industry is gathered here this week to adapt to and capitalize on changing rules. It used to be that console transitions and the budgetary arms race set the agenda, yet consumers are devouring games of all kinds everywhere. Visual fidelity, authenticity tuning, and gameplay depth manifest in our AAA titles and our main conference schedule, but the trend of casualization also shows that charmingly low fidelity but fun game experiences, perhaps extended by intuitive peripherals, are just as important to the mass audience. At the same time, the market of game creation itself is growing. High profile entertainment giants are building transmedia properties that more often than not include games to extend their devoted audience’s experience. But even this phenomenon is dwarfed by the dramatic expansion of the category of people actually creating games. Independent game developers have surmounted barriers to entry to become a powerful revitalizing force, with potential along a rough continuum between Flash and console downloadables. Furthermore, web developers are grabbing immense databases of players on social networking sites or just within a browser, with far less investment than our iconic MMOs. And pioneers within our own game industry are on the verge of empowering the vast untapped potential of usergenerated content, turning gamer into developer. It would appear that while the extension of the playing field is blue ocean, the extension of the creating field is more akin to unlimited black space. As our universe continues to expand at an ever-increasing rate, GDC’s charter to illuminate the potential with learning, inspiration, and networking becomes ever more imperative. In order to continue to fulfill these core values, we have dramatically expanded our Monday and Tuesday content to account for changes within and without our familiar references. We’re debuting our Worlds in Motion Summit, and restoring our Game Outsourcing Summit, alongside our GDC Mobile, Casual Games Summit, Serious Games Summit, and Independent Games Summit. Combine this two-day deep dive with our trademark 25-threaded main conference and you have a full week of GDC to ensure that this time of change becomes your time of opportunity. Cheers, ExECuTIVE DIrECTOr GAME DEVElOpErS COnFErEnCE® Jamil Moledina Table of Contents 4 5 9 13 15 17 19 20 Conference-at-a-Glance General Information Special Events Career Pavilion Game Career Seminar Game Developers Choice Awards Independent Games Festival Event Partners 23 29 39 42 44 46 49 55 Advisory Board GDC Mobile Casual Games Summit Game Outsourcing Summit IGDA Education Summit Independent Games Summit Serious Games Summit Worlds in Motion Summit 59 61 69 73 79 93 95 103 GDC Keynotes Tutorials Audio Track Business & Management Track Game Design Track Group Gatherings Production Track Programming Track 111 115 123 159 182 Vision Track Visual Arts Track Speaker Bios Exhibitor Descriptions Game Connection For complete information on GDC 2008 sessions and speakers, go to www.gdconf.com The CMp Game Group, programmers of the Game Developers Conference, reserve the right to make changes to the program and speakers, or to cancel sessions if enrollment criteria are not met, or when conditions beyond its control prevail. All sessions, excluding Tutorials, are filled on a first come, first seated basis. Arrive early to ensure a seat! recording devices and cameras, still or video, are prohibited. Due to safety concerns, no one under the age of 18 (including infants in strollers) will be permitted on the premise at any time during the Game Developers Conference. Visit www.gdconf.com for daily coverage of GDC 2008 1 http://www.gdconf.com http://www.gdconf.com/?cid=GDC08_showguide
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