• Lynda Brown, President, New Media BC
• Dr. Gerri Sinclair, Executive Director, Masters of Digital Media Program at the Great Northern Way Campus

PANEL A: MANAGEMENT TRACK

Publishing: What you need to know to get a Game published
As the game industry continues to mature and expands into new markets, opportunities are arising for new content creation and distribution. This panel will speak to the needs and challenges of successfully developing and publishing in the game industry.

1. Steve Bocska, Joint CEO, Hothead Games
2. vRob Edgar, Broker, Union Entertainment
3. Ron Moravek, COO, EA Canada
4. Danielle Michael, Pacific Mergers and Acquisitions

PANEL B: TECHNOLOGY TRACK

Multi-Threading Advanced Design Techniques
The latest consoles allow for unprecedented power in the hands of developers. This panel will talk about strategies and techniques used to harness technology and push games to the next level.

1. Andrew Brownsword, Senior Software Engineer, EA Black Box
2. Mark James, Radical Entertainment
3. George Dolbier, Chief Technology Officer, IBM

PANEL C: DESIGN TRACK

Designing Interactive Emotion - How to use Technology to Deliver Emotional Experiences
Recent developments in game technology allow players to engage in more powerful experiences than ever before. This panel speaks to the current and future state of game narrative and how developers can elicit an emotional response in their audience.

1. Helmut Kungl, President XYZ-RGB Inc.
2. Jean-Angelo Beraldin, Research Officer, Visual Information Technology
3. Munir Haddad, Technicolor Interactive Services
4. Frank Vitz, Art Director, EA

PANEL A: MANAGEMENT TRACK

Workforce Optimization: Investing in Human Capital
As the game industry expands into a global marketplace and reaches a level of maturation, we have many lessons learned in development practices and quality of life. Topics covered include team sizes, development practices and approaches to studio and team structure.

1. Jason Della Rocca, Executive Director, IGDA
2. Leah Rubin, Vice President, Human Resources, Radical Entertainment
3. Douglas Tronsgard, CEO, Next Level Games

PANEL B: TECHNOLOGY TRACK

The Hurdles and Challenges of Being a Mobile Developer
Mobile gaming presents its own set of unique challenges in the development and deployment of content. This panel will discuss effective strategies for production and delivery methodologies involved in mobile game development.

1. Wolfgang Hamann, President/CEO, Koolhaus Games
2. Neil Closner, President, Cascada Mobile
   Abstract: In a mobile gaming market where the top 20 game titles generate over 93% of mobile game revenues, mobile game developers and publishers need to find ways at the application development stage to effectively address the "last mile" of content delivery in order to get content to consumers and generate much needed revenue.
3. Gary Toste, Senior VP Product and Customer Delivery, Tira Wireless
   Abstract: One of the greatest challenges to the successful deployment of mobile gaming continues to be getting content from developers into the operators decks. Thinking needs to evolve to the next level, looking at the entire process of content porting and deployment.

PANEL C: DESIGN TRACK

Effective Pre-production:
With games costing in the $20 million dollar range, how can studios effectively answer the questions about the game before spending the bulk of their title budget. Effective pre-production can help a studio manage risks with their titles, with key issues being worked out before going into full production. What methods can be used in visualizing and testing out a concept?

1. David Elton, Senior Designer, EA
2. Sean Smillie, Designer, Action Pants
3. Jonathan Dowdeswell - Producer, Relic Entertainment
4. Clay Jensen - Creative Director, EA Black Box

1. Adobe - Leveraging Flash on the Mobile Platform: by Duane Nickull, Senior technical evangelist

   Abstract: This session will discuss the use of Flash Lite on the mobile platform for delivery of games. Duane will also look at the future roadmap and explore various opportunities for games developers to leverage this ubiquitous platform. Some major technical advances in recent years for various codes will also be explored to help attendees realize the huge advances made on the platform.

2. A Different Games Development Model: By Josh Holmes, VP, General Manager and Founder, Propaganda Games - a Disney Interactive Studio.
   Abstract: With the term "stagnation" increasingly associated with the interactive entertainment industry, developers and publishers are faced with the challenges of redefining the industry and bringing innovation back to the game landscape. This workshop will discuss the current limitations inherent in the standard industry business model, and suggest a new school of thought that focuses on taking risks, developing cross-genre games and emphasizing a studio's creative assets.
3. Advanced Animation Techniques: Autodesk® 3ds Max® and Autodesk® Maya®: By Michel Kripalani, Sr. Games Industry Manager, Autodesk, Inc. plus Guest Speakers from Midway

   Abstract: These day's character animators have many options for creating advanced animation rigs. What's the best route to take and what are some new, unique techniques that may be beneficial to your pipeline? This session covers the primary advanced character animation techniques across Autodesk software, detailing the pros and cons of each approach. It will then cover advanced production techniques in 3ds Max and Maya as well as new pipelines and techniques available when integrating Autodesk MotionBuilder. Even seasoned character animators will gain insight from this informative session.

PANEL A: MANAGEMENT TRACK

Ancillary Business Opportunities - Games moving into other entertainment
"With videogames now taking a larger slice of the entertainment pie than the movie business, this panel will explore how the subjects of video games can translate to other forms of entertainment, including movies, television and animation. Are videogame properties adaptable to other forms of entertainment? And how can entertainment properties become strong videogames?"

1. Rick Mischel, CEO, Main Frame
2. Ian Verchere, Producer/Creative Director
3. Catherine Warren, President, Fan Trust Entertainment Strategies
4. Chris Bartleman,Partner, Studio B Productions

PANEL B: TECHNOLOGY TRACK

Believable Character Animation: Beyond Rag Doll Physics
Believability in game worlds has become a dominant theme with the newest generation of games. Developers have responded to player expectations for graphics and technical enhancements by increasing the visual quality of titles, and it follows that animation must also adapt to a higher level of realism. This panel will discuss how advances in carefully integrated functionality create compelling aesthetic results.

1. Mike Swanson, Studio Art Production Manager, Gas Powered Games
2. Eric Armstrong, Senior Animation Director, EA Canada
3. Dean Wadsworth, Founder/Lead Animator, Krabbitsoft Studios

PANEL C: DESIGN TRACK

Massively Multiplayer
Massively multiplayer titles carry a particular set of development considerations due to their intricate nature. This panel will discuss a wide range of issues, share their experiences and insights into creating a successful product in this challenging genre.

1. John Doyle, Producer, EA Black Box
2. Shane Herrera, Art Development Director, Cryptic Studios
3. Gene Enrody, CEO, Maid Marian Entertainment Inc.
4. Gary Lam, Creative Director - Nexon Publishing NA

PANEL A: MANAGEMENT TRACK

Best Practices and Lessons Learned - How to get financing for games development and publishing
Insights and personal takes on navigating the business of raising capital and successfully negotiating with various models of publishing and distribution.

1. Neal Clarance, Partner, Ernst & Young
2. Howard Donaldson, Vice President, Studio Operations, Propaganda Games
3. Vlad Ceraldi, Joint CEO, Hothead Games
4. Steven Hnatiuk, Partner, Yaletown Venture Partners

PANEL B: TECHNOLOGY TRACK

Applying Agile Methodologies to Game Development
Agile is the new buzzword in managing increasingly large development teams. But what is it really? This panel will discuss new approaches in team structure and the experience of deploying Agile methodology in a development cycle.

1. Tarrnie Williams, General Manager, Relic Entertainment
2. Dan Irish, CEO, Three Wave Software
3. Philippe Kruchten, Professor of Software Engineering, UBC
4. Steve Adolph, President, WSA Consulting

PANEL C: DESIGN TRACK

Designing, Training, Teaching and Learning Environments for the New World
How are people being trained for tomorrow? This panel will discuss the current focus of these teaching and learning environments and why this provides benefits for industry.

1. Dr. Gerri Sinclair, Executive Director, Masters of Digital Media Program, Great Northern Way Campus
2. Dr. Ron Burnett, President, Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design
3. Dave Warfield, Head of Game Design, Vancouver Film School
4. Mike Ockenden, Academic Director, Game Art Design / Visual Game Programming, Art Institute of Vancouver

1. Intellectual Capital for Game Companies: By Chris Bennett and Dave Spratley, Davis and Company's video game law group; Patent and Trademark Agents
   Abstract: This workshop will provide a general overview of Intellectual Capital in video games, together with a discussion of how to protect, register and enforce IC rights. It will include industry examples showing how some game companies got it right, and how some got it wrong. The workshop will include some discussion on how IC fits into major game contracts and development/publishing agreements.
2. Now You Have a Game so What About Marketing? - Mark Netter, Director of Business Development, Zannel
   Abstract: This workshop will cover the evolution of games marketing including emerging media, and offer options to get attendees thinking how they can effectively use them. The speaker runs content business development for Zannel, a mobile entertainment start-up in San Francisco and Los Angeles, which went live in March as a ground-breaking new way to market content such as games seamlessly across hundreds of mobile devices and the Web.
3. In-Game Advertising: Yoav Tzruya, COO, Exent Technologies
   Abstract: In-game advertising has opened the door for developers to create cost-effective games. With innovation from new technologies that push the boundaries of in-game advertising by enabling insertion of in-game ads in old and existing game titles, developers can deliver an entertaining and mutually beneficial gaming experience to consumers.