Come to GDC for expert advice on building the next big eSport

Game Developers Conference officials are serving up an all-star lineup of eSports talks by expert speakers at GDC 2015 to meet the needs of contemporary game developers, and today they're excited to highlight a few notable talks on the topic.

These sessions will be part of the GDC eSports Summit, just one of eight that will take place Monday, March 2nd and Tuesday, March 3rd at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA during the first two days of the conference.

It's easy to see that eSports are important, but how do you actually build one? How do you design a game to be competitively rigorous, strategically diverse, heavily skill-based, entertaining to play and exciting to watch? Get an expert answer by attending "Building A Sport: The Design Philosophy of League of Legends."

During this hour-long session, Riot Games' Ryan "Morello" Scott will discuss the design and balance philosophy that has nurtured League of Legends into an eSport with veteran game designer and NYU Game Center director Frank Lantz.

Plus, MIT educator TL Taylor and eSports researcher Jesse Sell will break down the emerging arena of collegiate eSports -- with a particular focus on how developers can interact with and support the collegiate eSports scene -- in "Carrying Through College: The Current Climate of Collegiate eSports." The pair will analyze sports and student club structures, as well as the anatomy of a collegiate eSports club, and offer strategies for how developers can help support a sustainable amateur infrastructure for campus eSports.

Finally, carve out some time to see the "Community Level Design for Competitive CS:GO" session hosted by experienced community level designers (and competitive eSports players) Salvatore Garozzo and Shawn Snelling. The pair will focus on the subtle aspects of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive level design which have proven critical to creating a successful, popular, and well-designed experience for professional players. It should prove a rare opportunity to hear top-tier members of the eSports community analyze what makes a level good enough to stand the test of time (and high-level competitive play.)

For more info on these and all other announced talks, head over to the GDC 2015 Session Scheduler, where you can begin to build your conference week and later export it to the up-to-the-minute GDC Mobile App, coming soon.

Also, conference officials look forward to announcing more GDC 2015 sessions spanning a diverse array of game industry issues in the months ahead.

For now, don't miss the opportunity to save money by registering early -- the deadline to register for passes at a discounted rate is January 21, 2015. GDC 2015 itself will take place March 2-6 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

For more information on GDC 2015, visit the show's official website, or subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, Twitter, or RSS.

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