2008 Worlds In Motion Summit At Austin GDC Announces Full Schedule

Author: by Staff

The organizers of the Worlds In Motion Summit at Austin GDC have announced the full schedule outline for the market-leading conference on virtual worlds and social gaming, to be held on September 16th and 17th following its successful debut at Game Developers Conference in February. The Summit will take place at the Austin Game Developers Conference in the Austin Convention Center, and will map the broadening of the worldwide business market through the expansive and growing social game networking space. The Worlds in Motion Summit, presented by Think Services’ leading media outlet in the space, WorldsInMotion.biz, is of particular value to those looking to successfully leverage their content and brands into interactive online worlds. The schedule for the two-day Summit is as follows: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16th First Day Keynote The Worlds In Motion Summit’s first day will be kicked off by a signature, yet to be revealed keynote from a major, high profile online world provider – watch for an announcement soon. In-World Advertising Case Study Speakers: Teemu Huuhtanen (President, North America, Sulake Inc), Jonathan Epstein (CEO, Double Fusion) Advertising in online worlds is an increasingly important part of monetizing games – with possibilities including in-game billboards, contests, and more. In this case study, we’ll hear from the creators of Habbo and their advertising partners at Double Fusion, uncovering how in-game advertising works for them, how to reach your audience without turning them off, and all the advantages and pitfalls of advertising in this new medium. Panel: The State of Facebook/Social Network Gaming Speakers: Frank Lantz (Creative Director, Co-founder, Area/Code), Charles Wetmore (Development Manager, Zwinky), Shervin Pishevar (CEO, Social Gaming Network) Facebook and social network-based gaming are a rapidly burgeoning market segment. But what’s the reality of making games that fit into the infrastructure of existing social websites? What are the benefits and difficulties with creating social games on Facebook and other sites? The creators of standout Facebook title Parking Wars and other notable market experts weigh in. Panel: Second Life: Where Do We Go From Here? Speakers: TBA Possibly the standout early virtual world is at somewhat of a crossroads – still appreciated for its flexibility and ease of allowing businesses and external creators to make things in it, but stymied by adverse press and hype claims. So – is it worth building a presence for your company in Second Life? Are companies that do so getting value from these projects? Our panel will dissect the good, the bad and the ugly of Second Life as a tool for building a brand experience in the virtual space. Case Studies: User-Generated Content In Online Worlds Speakers: Raph Koster (President/co-founder, Areae); Corey Bridges (co-founder, executive producer, Multiverse); Daniel James (CEO, Three Rings) This set of three sequential mini-sessions will reveal how a new breed of online worlds allow user-created content – whether from businesses or individuals, moving the power of the online platform from the developer to the end user in a drastic new way. Therefore, senior representatives of the online spaces Metaplace, Whirled, and Multiverse will be joined with a user of their own platform to discuss what has been successful and the challenges they’ve faced together in these unique partnerships. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH Second Day Keynote The second day of the Worlds In Motion Summit will be kicked off by a keynote from a major tech company in the virtual worlds space – watch for an announcement soon. Case Studies: Business Use of Virtual Worlds Speakers: Michael Rowe (Manager, 3D Internet, IBM), TBA Online experiences are becoming increasingly important from an entertainment point of view. But how will enterprise companies utilize this new medium to reach their objectives? In a case study, IBM’s Michael Rowe will discuss the pluses and minuses companies currently face in collaborating, training, and evolving business practices via the virtual world space – delving into the business and productivity opportunities for all firms considering using virtual worlds to work smarter and faster. Panel: The State of Kids Virtual Worlds Speakers: James Bower (Founder, Numedeon/Whyville), Kyra Reppen (SVP/General Manager, Neopets), TBA One of the biggest success stories in the online world space are the ones created for kids and tweens, in terms of both funding and user numbers. But what issues are unique with this special audience? What makes them successful? How do you go about designing the virtual space with the young in mind? What is the extent of parental involvement and how are educational elements successfully integrated? Expert panelists will unlock their successful strategies and answers to these unique questions. Dunder Mifflin Infinity: A Case Study in Using Game Mechanics to Drive Community Behavior Speakers: Stephen Andrade (SVP Digital Development, NBC.com), Rajat Paharia (Founder/CEO, Bunchball) Status, competition, reward and achievement are concepts that the game industry has used for years to increase engagement and drive behavior in games. Now these same concepts are making the leap to the web. Join Rajat Paharia of Bunchball, and Stephen Andrade of NBC.com, as they discuss how Bunchball’s Nitro meta-gaming platform is being used to drive user behavior and increase engagement on Dunder Mifflin Infinity, a social networking and user-generated content site for fans of NBC’s hit TV show The Office. Panel: The Future Of The Metaverse Speakers: Sibley Verbeck (CEO, Electric Sheep Company), TBA Where do we go from here? What online/virtual world applications will be built and highly successful in the next few years? This standout final session will include visionaries from the online world space presenting a roadmap timeline on efforts with virtual worlds. Each panelist will provide their ideas for lowering barriers to innovation, and a base analysis for their predictions on the uncertain but enticing future of the metaverse. Overall, the Summit will examine the results that both independent start-ups and established Fortune 500 companies can derive from actively participating in the virtual world space. It takes place alongside Austin GDC itself, which includes an Online track packed with high quality technical and other talks from MMO and online companies such as BioWare, Sony Online, NCSoft and many more. Additional information on Austin Game Developers Conference and registration details can be found on the Austin GDC homepage, and 'early bird' registration ends on July 31st.