Austin GDC Program Guide 2008

SESSIONS – WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 DESIGn – rOunDTABlE DESIGn – lECTurE WrITInG FOr GAMES, lECTurE Taking the Grind out of the MMO Grind Christopher Cao (SOE) 1:30 - 2:30PM | Room 7 Why do MMOs have a grind, anyway? Who’s idea was this? John and Chris believe there are plenty of alternatives that could keep MMO players happy as they advance their characters. They offer their insight into this nagging issue, and suggest ways to address it. SOCIAl nETWOrkInG & COMMunITy – lECTurE New Interfaces, New Gamewriting Opportunities Chris Baker (Wired Magazine), Charles Bellfield (3DV Systems), Randy Breen (Emotiv Systems Inc.) 1:30 - 2:30PM | Ballroom A The Wii proved that innovative controllers can change the nature of games, as well as the job of game writers. In this session, we will examine two innovative controllers, then move into a broader discussion of new forms of interactivity. Emotiv Systems will demonstrate the use of its neuroheadset that detect a player’s facial expressions and emotions. 3DV Systems will demonstrate the use of its Z camera, which is capable of sensing movement in three dimensions. Everything I Need To Know About Virtual Worlds, I learned at Theme Parks Patricia Pizer (USC School of Cinematic Arts) 3 - 4PM | Room 5 For more than 50 years, theme parks have been creating worlds for thousands of simultaneous “players” intended for play and entertainment. We can draw on these best practices for creating compelling spaces: issues such as quality of experience; narrative flow; party-dynamics; crowd control and user retention. As each new VW comes online, it struggles with these perennial issues; this careful analysis of Best of Breed provides designers with a different, but well-developed, perspective in this creation process. DESIGn – SESSIOn Organic Fans: Free-Range Community Leadership for the Novice Andie Grace (BurningMan.com), Rebecca Newton (MindCandy.com) 1:30 - 2:30PM | Room 9 Developing a volunteer Community Leader program requires thorough planning, perseverance and patience. Balancing legalities and personalities can be a high maintenance and costly task, with little chance of proving the value of the program to your stakeholders. However, the benefit of engaging and rewarding your active users with a sense of product ownership is crucial to your success. This discussion will examine online Community Leader programs while addressing the legal, financial and social implications unique to developing, implementing and managing an online volunteer program. TEChnOlOGy & SErvICES – lECTurE HoRdes of oRCs: A Case Study in Automating Gameplay Balance Nathaniel Bogan (+7 Systems), Christian Force (+7Systems), Jon Frisby (MrJoy, Inc.) 3 - 4PM | Room 8C Sponsored by +7 Systems horDeS of orCS™ is the first game to employ the +7 Balance Engine®, which uses real-world player data to automate gameplay balance over time. This post-mortem discusses MrJoy’s goals and what was achieved. We cover the snags that were encountered, and the lessons learned from them. We present both quantitative and qualitative results, including metric charts and player reaction. SOCIAl nETWOrkInG & COMMunITy – rOunDTABlE AuDIO – lECTurE New MIDI-Based Game Audio Techniques Chris Grigg (MMA, Beatnik), Tom Savell (Creative Labs Advanced Technology Center) 3 - 4PM | Room 10 Attendees will be introduced to the 3D MIDI Controllers standard for positioning & moving sound sources in the 3D field, the HD Protocol for MIDI Devices which is a major international reengineering project to modernize and future-proof MIDI itself, and the Interactive XMF content format standard for portable interactive audio & MIDI. A view of how to judge the plusses & minuses of using public standards vs. proprietary technologies will be presented. Time permitting, a brief overview of the standards process will be incorporated, touching on how attendees can participate in the creation and evolution of these and future standards. BuSInESS & MArkETInG – lECTurE Making a Web-Based MMO in Your Attic With Shockwave Gene Endrody (Maid Marian Entertainment) 1:30 - 2:30PM | Room 4 Come see how a slightly insane husband and wife team made an MMO in their attic that attracts over a million unique players every month. SherWooD Dungeon is a popular web-based 3D fantasy MMO created with Adobe Director. This talk includes a technical overview of using Shockwave for webbased MMO delivery and covers the approaches we choose for SherWooD – some of which actually worked! Topics include procedural content creation, strategies for optimizing content and a short demonstration of Sherwood’s island generator. Breaking the Mold to Build Better Online Experiences for Children Mark Hansen (LEGO Group) 3 - 4PM | Room 7 This session will address factors affecting development of virtual environments for children and what will be required in the future of the kid’s MMO industry. Roundtable participants will reconsider the definition of “MMO” as they address topics such as online safety, gameplay features and community. Hansen will lend his expertise from lego univerSe on breaking the RPG mold to deliver quality entertainment to children. SOCIAl nETWOrkInG & COMMunITy – lECTurE Managing Copyright Issues in Videogames and Virtual Worlds Sean Kane (Drakeford & Kane LLC) 3 - 4PM | Room 6 This lecture will generally examine the current state of applicable copyright laws in the US and internationally. It will discuss the various forms of works that may be subject to copyright protection including, but not limited to, literary, musical, artistic and dramatic works, sound recordings and films, as they relate to the relevant videogame and virtual world environments. Finally, the presentation will cover the differing treatment of the interplay of player and developer rights as have been decided by the US & Asian courts. Cracking the Consumer Control Code: Effective Strategies for Advertising in the Social Media Landscape Lauren Bigelow (WeeWorld Inc.) 3 - 4PM | Room 9 Consumers are in control in the evolving social media landscape. Viral marketing and advertising on mobile phones, online video sites and virtual worlds are gaining attention as agencies are pushing marketers to increase budgets, or allocate budgets for the first time, to those tactics. What are the 16 Audio Business & Marketing Game Design Social Networking & Community Technology & Services Writing for Games https://www.cmpevents.com/GDAU08/a.asp?option=C&V=1&cid=AGC08_PGWPX2 http://MindCandy.com

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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