Future Play To Return In May 2010, Calls For Speakers

The annual Future Play conference in Vancouver will be back this May, staged at the Vancouver Convention Center for the second year in a row, say event organizers. Future Play is hosted by Saul Ste. Marie's Algoma University, with support from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. It aims to offer an environment where researchers and educators can network with industry professionals and government representatives alike -- the ultimate goal, it says, is to "advance the game industry" through its focus on three themes. These themes are development in the future, the long-term impact and application of games, and development talent in the future. Speakers at Future Play have in the past included Stormfront Studios' Don Daglow and Second Life creator John Lester. Organizers say that this year's attendees can look forward to hearing from university researchers from around the world. Over the years the Future Play conference has featured many renowned keynote speakers from the gaming field, including: Don Daglow of Stormfront Studios; Academy Award winner and inventor of Perlin Noise, Dr. Ken Perlin; and John Lester, the creator of Second Life. This year's conference speakers will include researchers from a number of universities from across North America and around the world. The event is currently accepting speaker proposals, abstracts and research papers, and submissions must be received by March 15. Registrants and interested parties can find more information at the event's official site.