GEC

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GAME DESIGN / PRODUCTION

DISCIPLINE: Game Design | Production
SESSION NAME: Tenets of Game Design
GUEST SPEAKER: TBA
FORMAT: 30 - 45 minutes for lecture and Q&A with crowd

TOPIC SYNOPSIS:
The speaker will identify the natural skills, game knowledge, and basic education needed to pursue a game design / producer career. Moving on, the speaker will identify required higher education, software knowledge, communication skills and industry experience that the position requires. The speaker will show which entry level jobs best lead to game design, and how to perform in those jobs that makes lead game designers take notice. Later in the session, the speaker will round up with specific tasks a future game designer can do to create an employment/demo portfolio. Finally, the speaker will briefly illuminate the immense planning required for even a small game project.

TOPIC TAKEAWAY:
Student attendees and new professionals will learn the education, experience, and diligence needed to become a game designer. Industry professionals and those wishing to move into game design from other industries will learn what it takes to get noticed, and what to improve upon in their current portfolios.

INTENDED AUDIENCE:
Level designers, industry professionals, programmers, game testers and junior producers are encouraged to attend. Students are encouraged to take note of educational choices and personal determination that is required to early employment in game design.

GAME TESTING / QA

DISCIPLINE: Game Testing | Quality Assurance
SESSION NAME: You got game? Show me how, step by step
GUEST SPEAKER: TBA
FORMAT: 30 - 45 minutes for lecture and Q&A with crowd

TOPIC SYNOPSIS:
The speaker will begin with the difference between a game player and a game tester. The speaker will explain their view of the top 5 best practices and top 5 mistakes that a game tester can do that leads to failure and unemployment. Core concepts of quality assurance, basic terminology, and a basic outline of an average work week for a game tester will be covered. The speaker briefly list what tech savvy skills you need to have to be a good tester and personal ethics to make you a responsible team member.
Before finishing, the speaker will list some of the traits that make Lead testers successful. The speaker will round up with specific examples or the typical test cases that attendees may go home and "practice" with their games at home.

TOPIC TAKEAWAY:
Student attendees will know how to bridge the gap from game player to game tester before they even apply for their first job. Students will also get an idea of how to "practice" at home with the games they have.
Experienced attendees will hear an industry veteran speak on the expected skills and behaviors, as well as Dev team expectations. Game designers and producers will learn the QA view on game production, and the common frustrations and roadblocks of their testers.

INTENDED AUDIENCE:
Students and beginning professionals are the target audience. Producers, game designers, programmers, and team leads from all disciplines are encouraged to attend to gain insight into their QA teams.

ARTS / DESIGN

DISCIPLINE: Art
SESSION NAME: Expanding Artistic Vision
GUEST SPEAKER: TBA
FORMAT: 30 - 45 minutes for lecture and Q&A with crowd

TOPIC SYNOPSIS:
The speaker will outline good personal and professional traits for people considering the artistic path, as well as the typical stumbling blocks. Primary content creation software that an artist should be able to use, as well as a list of the more challenging technical skills and software used in game development will be listed. The speaker will briefly outline the traditional mediums used in the early development of a project. The speaker will list other industries or jobs that an artist may get employment in while waiting for their break in games, followed by a short list of entry level positions to aim for.
Later in the session, the speaker will explain the challenges in conceptualizing a game vision, and fitting it into a framework of gameplay and level design. The speaker will wrap up with their opinion of the specific software and middleware knowledge needed in the upcoming years.

TOPIC TAKEAWAY:
Art students, and new art professionals will come away with required software skills, formal education, and behaviors that lead to employment. Other disciplines may learn the typical frustrations and stumbling blocks an art team faces, and how to maximize their team's productivity in relation to the art team.

INTENDED AUDIENCE:
The intended audience are art students, general students and new art professionals. Game designers, producers, marketing professionals, as well as musicians and audio engineers are strongly encouraged to attend. Any attendee who works directly with an art team is encouraged to attend.

PROGRAMMING

DISCIPLINE: Programming
SESSION NAME: Code writing in game development
GUEST SPEAKER: TBA
FORMAT: 30 - 45 minutes for lecture and Q&A with crowd

TOPIC SYNOPSIS:
The speaker will lay out the software knowledge, coding skills, and other requirements that every game programmer should know. Moving on, the speaker will briefly speak about working conditions that are standard for programmers in the game industry today. Programmers will learn how best to work with their team members and leads, when to challenge someone else's code, and overall best practices that make for a good team member. Finally, the speaker will speak from personal experience about challenges of taking a designer's vision, putting it into code, and dealing with complications of releasing games on multiple platforms.

TOPIC TAKEAWAY:
Student attendees and new professionals will gain a wealth of real world knowledge and educational resources. New professionals and programmers wishing to transfer their skills over to the gaming industry will learn the many coding disciplines that must be mastered and inter-weaved to release a great title. All attendees will learn how to get the best performance from themselves and team members on a personal and professional levels.

INTENDED AUDIENCE:
Student and professional programmers, as well as game testers are the intended audience. All disciplines, especially game designers and producers are encouraged to listen to the programmer view of the production process, and learn how to best work with their programming team.

HUMAN RESOURCES / EMPLOYMENT

DISCIPLINE: Human Resources | Employment
SESSION NAME: Checklist for employment
GUEST SPEAKER: TBA
FORMAT: 60 - 70 minutes for lecture and Q&A with crowd

TOPIC SYNOPSIS:
The speaker will begin by going through the personal, professional, and communication skills that every game company expects of applicants. The speaker will briefly identify what students and new professionals can do to gain experience in their discipline before that important interview. Going through some statistics, the speaker will show which disciplines have the most jobs, salaries, work hours, and other human resources subjects.
The speaker will move on to resume/portfolio building specifically for the gaming industry, and show the most common mistakes that put your resume in the trash bin. For industry veterans, the speaker will cover resume re-writing for those looking to change positions, or move up in the ladder. The speaker will cover the best practices of networking, and recommend written and online resources for those looking to polish their networking. Finally, the speaker will go through successful behaviors during interviews, and the proper way to follow up with the developer if you don't get hired the first time around.

TOPIC TAKEAWAY:
Student attendees will come away with a basic outline of their educational and technical goals for their intended career. All attendees will learn specific tips that will lead to employment, healthy networking, and planning your career. All attendees will gain insight into successful resume and interview strategies. Attendees who have not chosen their career path will learn about the jobs in demand, and the many of the entry/middle level game jobs available that are not promoted in pop game culture. Team leads, industry veterans, and those who must interview new hires will get a fresh look at their responsibility in the hiring process.

INTENDED AUDIENCE:
Every attendee is strongly encouraged to attend. A great resource for student - intermediate professionals, and a sharp reminder for industry professionals for what potential employees are required to have before the interview even starts.

Topic specifics may change as we work with our expert speakers.
Final shceduling will be set near end of 2008.

Not registered yet?
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