GAME INDUSTRY VETERANS DISCUSS GAMING HISTORY, SERIOUS GAMES, AND WHO HAS THE FASTEST ENGINE AT GC DEVELOPERS CONFERENCE 2007

News by GamesIndustry International Contributor

Published on Aug. 21, 2007

Leipzig, Germany - August 21, 2007 - This year's GC Developers Conference (August 20-22), Europe's leading platform for game developers, closed its second day with a keynote panel on the 10th anniversary of the hit game Age of Empires. Other highlights from the day included a special panel on the growing topic of Serious Games, and a session featuring the leading game engine technology companies going head-to-head.

Games have evolved over the past 10 years, and all of the members of the Age of Empires team have benefited from the experience of making the groundbreaking real-time strategy game. Team members Bruce Shelley, Brian Sullivan, and Tony Goodwin brought their stories of the early days of the project, to the last minutes of completing the game, to life for a crowd that filled almost two additional overflow rooms.

"Today, topics covering the full spectrum of design and development were presented by some very esteemed game industry experts," commented Frank Sliwka, project director of GCDC. "The feedback from attendees on day two of the show has been phenomenal and we feel we have created a conference that truly gives developers the forum to exchange ideas, learn from their peers, and have an impact on the game industry."

The Serious Games panel showed that the topic is becoming very popular, with serious games pioneers Pamela M. Kato, founder and president of The GameRx, Bob Bates, secretary of IGDA/member of GCDC Advisory Board, Noah Falstein, CEO of The Inspiracy, and Doug Whatley, founder and CEO of BreakAway Games, educating and inspiring attendees. Their session highlighted the growing number of government and educational contracts, and the need for training that resonates with a new generation of people. Illuminating games that use innovative game features, and discussing what works, this panel of experts had answers for anyone looking to getting into the serious games market.

Also on Tuesday, the Game Engine Panel, consisting of Mark Rein (Vice President, Epic Games), Bruce Rogers (CTO, Cryptic Studios), Doug Binks (R&D Manager, Crytek) and John O'Neill (Director of Business Management, Vicious Cycle), was held. The panel discussed the important decision of whether to build your own engine, or license one that has already been proven successful. The panel examined the benefits and challenges of licensing an engine, questions to ask during the decision process, and what to look for in support after the decision has been made.

The conference's final day, Wednesday, August 22, will include sessions from Tim Schafer (Double Fine Productions), Brian Sullivan (Iron Lore), and Teut Weidemann (Consultant Online Entertainment), among other speakers.

CONTACTS:

Europe

Stephan Reiss, Press Officer, GCDC

+49 (0) 341 - 678 8186

s.reiss@leipziger-messe.de

North America

Sean Kauppinen, Kohnke Communications

+1 415-777-4000

sean@kohnkecomm.com

Contact for sponsors, speakers and participants:

Frank Sliwka, Project Director, GCDC

+49 (0) 341 - 678 8288