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 – MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 TEChnOlOGy & SErvICES – Full-DAy TuTOrIAl BuSInESS & MArkETInG – lECTurE How to Manage Your Online Business During Growth and Decline John Donham (Metaplace.com), Rich Vogel (BioWare) 9:30 - 10:30AM | Room 7 Managing an online game is very challenging at launch and supporting one is not easy either. As a developer, you have the ability to dramatically affect the life of the service. Could your product live for five to ten years? This talks goes into the basics of maintaining an online service and an online game – from defining the terms of the industry, to explaining what you need to understand and know about your customers, to methods of maximizing customer acquisition, converting customers, converting retail customers into subscriptions, and retaining the greatest numbers of subscribers throughout its lifecycle. DESIGn – lECTurE the cost and benefits, implementation details, performance/scalability/compatibility, as well as the response of the player community. WrITInG FOr GAMES – lECTurE Developing Games With Open Source Technologies 9 - 5PM | Room 9C Sponsored by Sun Microsystems, Inc. and the Project Darkstar Community Open source technologies bring cutting edge innovation, source code accessibility, rich community support, and a pricetag that can’t be beat to developers in every industry — including the online game industry. In this one day mini-track you will learn first-hand from leading game developers and technology providers about open source game engines, tools, and server technologies that are changing the economics of online game development today. See page 22 for full agenda. AuDIO & DESIGn – lECTurE The Future of Time - Time as a Storytelling Tool in Video Games Kevin Shortt (Ubisoft Montreal) 9:30 - 10:30AM | Room 3 Stories are all about anticipation. And it’s through time that these answers are revealed. Time is often seen as something linear, but is that in fact the case? Especially when considering video games, we are always twisting and bending time in story. Kevin’s talk will examine the ways video games have played with time to tell meaningful stories to audiences. His talk will consider ways games bury the story in a character’s past and how games leap across time and merge time periods. kEynOTE Music and Sound as Game Design Tools Simon Amarasingham (dSonic, Inc.), Brian Gomez (Alchemic Productions) 9:30 - 10:30AM | Room 10 Break out of the loop! Music and sound in games can be more than just a soundtrack – they can be an integral part of game design, an aspect often overlooked by both game designers and audio designers alike. Presented by an audio director and a game designer, both industry veterans, the largely untapped resource of audio as a tool for game designers is explored. Drawing from examples of games old and new, ideas are extrapolated to open a brave new world of possibilities for game-play, player-feedback and emotional immersion in the game. BuSInESS & MArkETInG – lECTurE Endgame: How to Build High-End Gameplay for Your Most Devoted Players Damion Schubert (Bioware Austin) 9:30 - 10:30AM | Room 5 One of the most crucial aspects of massively multiplayer is also one of the maligned – what gameplay is available for your most devoted players once they finish your primary gameplay arc. This talk focuses on elder game mechanics such as raiding and city sieges while discussing why they are important and compelling, which design subtleties must be considered when designing them, and the dangers of overthinking them. SOCIAl nETWOrkInG & COMMunITy – PAnEl At Their Service: Making a Difference by Putting Players First Lane Merrifield (Club Penguin) 11AM - 12PM | Ballroom A See page 6 for full session description. AuDIO – lECTurE Blazing the Trail for Hot Game Dialog DB Cooper (DB-Cooper.com), Marianne Krawczyk (Monkeyshines Entertainment) 1:30 - 2:30PM | Room 10 The best directing is writing. Dialog is an increasingly crucial part of games, and the desire to create good dialog is an ongoing concern. Writers and voice artists are looking to create a balance among authentic-sounding conversation and dialog that explains game mechanics or furthers the plot. This lecture will examine the model of movie and TV dialog, its unique requirements, and other spoken resources for videogames. BuSInESS & MArkETInG – lECTurE The Psychology of The MMO Gamer Moderator: Em Stock (Sony Online Entertainment) Sean Dahlberg (EA Bioware, Austin), Dr. Samuel Gosling (University of Texas), Troy Hewitt (Flying Lab Software), Dr. James Pennebaker (University of Texas) 9:30 - 10:30AM | Room 9 How people behave online versus in the real world is one of the most intriguing phenomena ever to hit the Internet. Without fear, gamers will do and say things they would never dream of when interacting in person. What are the best practices when mediating and mitigating these bizarre behaviors? Join community relations experts and real world psychologists as they jump in and explore the psychology of the online gamer. TEChnOlOGy & SErvICES – lECTurE Measuring & Metrics: The Online Gaming Audience Edward Hunter (comScore) 9:30 - 10:30AM | Room 6 This lecture will discuss the changing landscape that is the online gaming audience. Covered topics include the current demographic and behavioral trends of the online gaming audience by segment; hard-code, middle-core, and light or casual online gamers. An exploration of current approaches and practical methodologies for gaining useful insight into what online gamers spend time doing both online and offline - when they are not playing online games. What offline purchasing and lifestyle habits set them apart from other audiences? How does the online behavior differ from the norm? Comparing Virtual Property Models A Business and Legal Perspective S. Gregory Boyd (Davis & Gilbert) 1:30 - 2:30PM | Room 6 This lecture will survey the various types of virtual property business models currently present in online worlds, including both games and social networks. The survey will compare and contrast virtual property structures in the U.S. and abroad, analyzing the game design, revenue, and legal consequences of each. The presentation will also include a brief survey of known legal issues surrounding certain types of virtual property models and a discussion of the growing number of patent applications in the virtual property area. Postmortem: Deferred Shading in Tabula Rasa Rusty Koonce (NCSoft) 9:30 - 10:30AM | Room 4 An in-depth look at the use of deferred shading in an MMO client. This lecture reflects on the decision to use deferred shading in taBula raSa including: Audio Business & Marketing Game Design Social Networking & Community Technology & Services Writing for Games 7 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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