Austin GDC Program Guide 2008

September 15-17, 2008 A ust i n C onvent i on C ent er • A ust i n , TX SESSIONS – WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 TEChnOlOGy & SErvICES – lECTurE DESIGn – lECTurE AuDIO – lECTurE Reaching Beyond wow: Facebook and the Keys to Social Play Nicole Lazzaro (XEODesign, Inc.) 9:30 - 10:30AM | Room 5 Social networking and media sites such as Facebook are emerging platforms for games and ideal experimental playground for social games. While viewing and commenting on people’s photos are one of the most popular activities, games on Social Media sites will soon drive a lot more of the daily traffic. After the viral success of tilt, we wanted to see what would happen if we attached one of our iconic ultra light experimental casual games to a social network. In this presentation we’ll share new XEODesign research on the emotions behind viral distribution, emotion, and social play. Wake Up and Smell the Metrics! A Rant on Metrics-Driven Development in Online Games Darius Kazemi (Orbus Gameworks), Larry Mellon 9:30 - 10:30AM | Room 4 We live in Darwinian times as the traditions of the old boxed goods industry shift online, investigating entirely new ways of reaching and retaining customers. But in many ways we have retained the old mentalities of guessing and hacking our way to success or failure. Running an online game is a service, and we have unprecedented access to customer and operational data. This session presents a business case on applying metrics to lower recurring costs and make games stickier based on measured data, not risky guesses. WrITInG FOr GAMES – lECTurE Creating Foley for Games Mark Petty (Gearbox Software) 1:30 - 2:30PM | Room 10 Foley techniques in today’s games can often be the catalyst to creating real world environments for the player, immersing them in a moving sound experience that feels realistic, massive and true to real life. This session discusses Foley recording, asset creation and implementation during the development of Gearbox Software’s most recent title BrotherS in armS: hell’S highWay. BuSInESS & MArkETInG – lECTurE Engaging Customer Service – an MMO Perspective Grant Wei (Cryptic Studios) 1:30 - 2:30PM | Room 6 MMOGs require many points of interaction between customers and the publisher. MMOG customers interact directly with the publisher from the very beginning, as they register their accounts and enter their subscription information, but these actions only scratch the surface of the customer experience. This session explores these opportunities drawing specifically from a customer service viewpoint from previous MMOGs. BuSInESS & MArkETInG – SESSIOn Deepening Player Immersion with Jungian Symbolism Stephen Brock Schafer (Digipen Institute of Technology) 9:30 - 10:30AM | Ballroom B Games speak the same symbolic language as advertisements and dreams. We will use excerpts from games, films, and advertisements to demonstrate how symbols tell covert stories. As game players begin to perceive well-written submerged stories, they become psychologically immersed in them. According to Carl Jung, a dream speaks in a story-based symbolic language to communicate information from a “submerged” collective unconscious. Interactive storytellers can use Jungian principles of symbolism to tell immersive stories that unfold beneath the symbolic surface of a game. WrITInG FOr GAMES – lECTurE SOCIAl nETWOrkInG & COMMunITy, lECTurE Why Are Games That Suck So Popular on Social Networks? Blake Commagere (Indie Developer) 9:30 - 10:30AM | Room 9 You’ve seen or heard of game after game that is gathering millions of players on social networks. The creators clearly have no professional game design experience and for that matter some of these applications are so feature light that they barely qualify as games. This session intends to explore the behaviors of social network users and how to create games that fit those behaviors and expectations. Maybe even games that don’t suck. NOTE: this session contains profanity and humor. Innovative Ways to Launching New Games Online Maria Domoslawska (Exponential Interactive Inc.) 1:30 - 2:30PM | Room 8A/B Sponsored by Exponential Interactive Inc. You’ve created a new game — how are you going to reach your audience? Online media is being embraced by marketers; predictions for 2008 online advertising spend for game promotions will be at least several hundred million. From display and in-text advertising to the use of behavioral targeting and social media, this session demonstrates how to identify and engage users and optimize your campaign to drive sales and increase brand awareness. DESIGn – lECTurE Linearity is Hell: Achieving Truly Dynamic Stories in Games Andrew Stern (Procedural Arts) 9:30 - 10:30AM | Room 3 Game writers have the most dynamic and interactive medium for stories at their fingertips, but have yet to fully tap the power of non-linearity in their stories. This session will suggest how game writers can eventually escape this linearity hell, and reach the holy grail of truly dynamic story. A vision of a day in the life of game writers of the future will be presented, suggesting details of their work process. Warning: this journey may be painful. Cold, hard truths will be revealed. Attendees may be afraid of what they see, or what they must become. kEynOTE TEChnOlOGy & SErvICES – SESSIOn Sustaining Player Engagement by Designing for Intrinsic Need Satisfaction Scott Rigby (Immersyve, Inc.) 1:30 - 2:30PM | Room 5 This session presents specific motivational needs that, when satisfied in the MMO player, are proven predictors of enjoyment, value, and sustained subscriptions. New data from thousands of players worldwide highlights not only how core game features and content support these needs, but how a game’s design influences critical dynamics in groups & guilds that can enhance or cut short a player’s satisfaction and engagement. Numerous game examples will be reviewed, and practical (and scalable) measurement strategies will be given. Security in MMORPGs Will LaSala (VASCO Data Security) 9:30 - 10:30AM | Room 8C Sponsored by Vasco Data Security In this presentation, we will discuss how 2-factor authentication can help protect MMORPGs accounts from hacking, help the game publishers keep their customer base from eroding, reduce monetary losses and re-establish trust with their players. Is That It? Next Gen Audio Jason Page (SCEE) 11AM - 12PM | Ballroom A See page 6 for full session description. Audio Business & Marketing Game Design Social Networking & Community Technology & Services Writing for Games 15 https://www.cmpevents.com/GDAU08/a.asp?option=C&V=1&cid=AGC08_PGWPX2

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Austin GDC Program Guide 2008

Austin GDC Program Guide 2008 Contents Conference-at-a-Glance General Information Conference Overview Advisory Board Keynote Speakers Conference Sessions Game Career Seminar Worlds in Motion Summit Austin GDC Events Austin GDC Evening Events Speakers Sponsors & Media Partners Exhibitor Directory Expo Hall Map & Exhibitors

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