Game Developers Conference 2008 - (Page 52) Serious Games Summit tuesDAY, FebruArY 19 Microsoft esp: taking fliGht simulator from game to serious game shawn Firminger (Aces studio - Microsoft game studios) 9-9:50am Microsoft fLight simuLator is Microsoft’s longest continuously shipping product. Since its initial launch in 1982, Microsoft has continued to invest heavily in building fLight simuLator’s capabilities and realism. In 2006 Microsoft released the current version of this best selling entertainment title, Microsoft fLight simuLator X (FSX). With its growing code base, extensive world content database and newly released API, FSX was poised to move beyond entertainment to become a commercial visual simulation platform, something that many customers and partners had requested for years. Recognizing this outgrowth from one of its top entertainment franchises, in January, Microsoft launched Microsoft ESP into the emerging commercial desktop simulation and training space. In this session Shawn Firminger, studio manager for Microsoft’s ACES Studio, will detail the story behind the platform and how the connection to a retail game is fueling their foray into the world of simulation and training. Attendees will learn not only about the ESP platform, but the challenges faced in converting an engine for a desktop simulation entertainment product into one that can be integrated into mission critical practices and data streams that abound in its target userbase. pDwii: using novel interfaces to promote physical rehabilitation & Achieve Quantifiable results bob Hone (red Hill studios), Wolf schuster (red Hill studios) 10-10:30am Demonstrates the technical feasibility, therapeutic effectiveness, and safety of an innovative computer-based training program aimed at developing stronger gait and balance for patients with Parkinson’s Disease. PDwii is currently being developed by Red Hill Studios and the UCSF School of Nursing, with funding by the NIH. Quantifiable results are being used to track patient progress and are being integrated into the patient’s overall regime. Results will be used to benefit further innovations in the field of games for health. in year two of a three-year, internally funded, Sandia commitment. In this session, the project lead will provide a post-mortem of the project’s year one. After providing a demonstration of the game grounD truth, the speaker will give the audience an in-depth look of the three things that went right and wrong. What went right: 1) Systems approach to game design; 2) Engage Subject Matter Experts early and often; 3) University Collaboration. What went wrong: 1) Contracts; 2) Staffing “churn”; 3) Late engagement of other partners. This talk will end with highlights for current research objectives to include: emotionally driven non-player-characters and adaptive training scenarios. Serious Games Summit coffee break 11-11:10am the GrounD truth of game technologies for Homeland security training Donna Djordjevich (Homeland security systems and Development center, sandia national Laboratories) 10:30-11am Emerging, changing modes of attack using weapons of mass destruction (WMD) within DHS and DoD threat scenarios require new approaches to examining detection, mitigation, and response options. To educate and train decision makes in the modes of attack and response options specific to their unique requirements we proposed the use of game-based training simulations. This would place multiple participants in the center of the simulation and allow their decisions to influence scenario evolution in a responsive environment. Exploratory live, “fire-drill,” training is too expensive to use for awareness gathering and passive, paper-based, training does not present the trainee with experience to effectively face future challenges. This research is aimed at constructing immersive, interactive, gaming environments that allow trainees to interact within the context of a virtual scenario populated by non-player characters and embedded with specific learning objectives. This project is currently serious game World reports: part ii (Japan & canada) Akira baba (the university of tokyo), nobushige Hichibe (the university of tokyo), Jim parker (university of calgary/cpsc), shinsuke tomiyasu (the university of tokyo) 11:10am-12:10pm Around the world more and more regions are developing their own unique serious game projects, research, culture, and industry. In an effort to keep up on the world of serious games we’ve invited prominent serious game community leaders from their respective regions to provide some critical updates on what is taking place in key regions such as the U.K., France, Japan, Korea, and Canada. Many of these regions have recently held major meetings that included presentations on serious games. A special goal of these reports will be to highlight how people inside and outside of each region can better network to resources located there helping to expand the connections between various geographic centers of serious games activity. Come increase your worldwide prospective on serious games and learn how to plug into the growing community. Lunch 12:10-1:40pm 52 Visit www.gdconf.com for daily coverage of GDC 2008 http://www.gdconf.com/?cid=GDC08_showguide http://www.gdconf.com/?cid=GDC08_showguide
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