Speakers Announced For WIGI Seattle Game Conference

Representatives from Women In Games International have revealed the names of several speakers who will present at the recently announced Women in Games International-Seattle conference. Entitled "The Balancing Act: Game Industry Careers and Quality of Life", the half-day event aims to identify quality of life issues and discuss methods for coping or balancing the demands of the industry and a healthy life. The conference is scheduled from 1 pm to 7 pm on Saturday, September 16 at Microsoft in Redmond, Washington. Bonnie Ross, Director of Production for Microsoft Game Studios, will begin the conference with her keynote address, entitled “Quality of Life and the Successful Game Industry Career,” which will focus on her own career as a games producer and executive, her own experiences managing teams in this demanding industry, networking and other strategies for women in the game industry, and how these experiences can be applied to the careers of others. She will be introduced by Todd Holmdahl, corporate vice president of the Xbox Gaming and Platform Group. Other speakers scheduled for the event include Lisa Waits (head of Nokia SNAP Mobile), Paula Fellbaum (HR director for Relic Entertainment), Tami Borowick (senior producer at Real Networks), Morgan Romine (Frag Doll and community manager, for Ubisoft), and Heather Sowards (media producer for Sony Online Entertainment). Panel and roundtable topics will include "Quality of Life: Practical Problem-Solving”, “The Counselor is In: Expert Advice on Game Careers”, “Quality of Life - War Stories from the Trenches (and How We Solved Them)”, “Breaking In: How to Acquire The Skills and Get That First Job”, among others. “Microsoft has a passion and commitment to attracting and retaining women in the gaming industry and puts resources and efforts around this initiative,” commented Karen Wilkins-Mickey, diversity staffing program manager for Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division. “Supporting Women in Games International at the Microsoft Redmond campus is one of the many ways we show our commitment to diversity. It is necessary that we not only say that this is important but we also do something about it.” The Women In Games International Conference Seattle will be held at Microsoft, at the RedWest Campus, Building A, and further information can be found at the organization’s official website.