2009 Game Design Expo

December 16, 2008 – Vancouver, BC – The third-annual Game Design Expo 2009, hosted by Vancouver Film School (VFS) and set for February 7 and 8, 2009, has sold out its Saturday Industry Speaker Day for the third year running – nearly two full months before the event.

It came as no surprise that seats at Industry Speaker Day on Saturday, February 7 (Vancity Theatre at the Vancouver International Film Centre) sold out quickly, with Clint Hocking, Creative Director at Ubisoft Montreal (Splinter Cell, Far Cry 2), as the headlining keynote as well as a strong industry lineup of designers and producers from top companies like Epic, Insomniac, Microsoft, Nexon, Radical, and panelists from BigPark, EA, Propaganda, Relic and more.

Game enthusiasts who have missed out on tickets still have the chance to hear from leading minds in the industry at the free Game Design Open House on Sunday, February 8, including exclusive presentations by representatives from LucasArts, Big Fish Games and Vicarious Visions.

A special Women in Games panel featuring panelists from Deep Fried Entertainment, Hydrogen Whiskey Studios, Hothead Games and EA will coincide with the launch of the inaugural Women in Games $30,000 scholarship to VFS. Other scholarship opportunities will be announced at the Sunday Open House.

And throughout the day, visitors will be able to experience the acclaimed one-year VFS Game Design program firsthand – test-driving student- and alumni-created games, and enjoying sample classes like Level Design and Storytelling taught by expert VFS instructors.

The Open House is expected to fill to capacity again in 2009, so those interested are strongly encouraged to register soon. Event details and registration are available at gamedesignexpo.com.

Game Design Industry Speaker Day

Saturday, February 7, 2009, 9am-6:30pm

Vancity Theatre

at Vancouver International Film Centre

1181 Seymour St. Vancouver, BC

VFS Game Design Open House

Sunday, February 8, 2009, 9am-5pm

Vancouver Film School

390 West Hastings St

Vancouver, BC

VFS is proud to partner with the following event sponsors to realize Game Design Expo 2009: G4techTV, EA, Ubisoft, Annex Pro, Big Fish Games, Obsidian Entertainment, Radical Entertainment, The Georgia Straight, Biz Books, Vancouver Siggraph and Women in Games International, Vancouver.

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Game Design Expo 2009 Schedule

Day 1: Industry Speaker Day - Saturday, February 7, 2009

For the full schedule, visit gamedesignexpo.com.

Day 2: Game Design Open House - Sunday February 8, 2009

Featuring two complete sessions with sample classes (Flash Gaming & Pixel Art, Level Design, Storytelling), hands-on gameplay throughout the day, and the following industry speakers:

My First 90 Days at LucasArts

Matt Manuel, LucasArts

10 Secrets to Designing Instantly Enjoyable and Addictive Games

Nick Newhard/Jake Birkett, Big Fish Games

Design Through Prototyping

Brandon Van Slyke, Vicarious Visions

Women in Games Panel & Scholarship Announcement with panelists Brenda Bailey (Deep Fried Entertainment), Krissie Franco (Women in Games International & Hydrogen Whiskey Studios), Tara Mustapha (Electronic Arts), Susannah Skerl (Hothead Games), moderated by Noelle Hunt Bennett (Big Fish Games)

Seating is extremely limited for the industry speaker presentations and those wishing to attend these presentations are strongly encouraged to register soon.

About Game Design Expo

Game Design Expo is an annual event for game industry professionals and enthusiasts hosted by Vancouver Film School’s Game Design program. Since the inaugural event in 2007 and continuing through the sold-out 2008 weekend, Game Design Expo has played host to such industry luminaries as Don Daglow, Ron Gilbert, and Eric Zimmerman, and creative leaders from companies like Bungie, Activision, EA, BioWare, and Crystal Dynamics/Eidos.

About Game Design at Vancouver Film School

Vancouver Film School, founded in 1987, offers a proven education for everything in the entertainment industry. With 13 production-oriented programs and a unique one-year education model, VFS prepares students to join the creative economy. Students in the one-year Game Design program train to be part of any video game development team by learning all aspects of game design, from visual storytelling to level design principles to the production process, ultimately creating playable games themselves.

Our professional faculty and expo speakers are available for print, television and radio interviews upon request. For more information, please contact:

Thuy Khuc, Public Relations Coordinator

Vancouver Film School

+1 (604) 631.3563 or toll free in North America 1.800.661.4101

tkhuc@gamedesignexpo.com