Spector, MGS's Fryer To Keynote MIGS 08

Organizers for the 2008 Montreal International Game Summit announced several keynote speakers for the video game industry event, which is scheduled to take place November 18-19 in Montreal. Disney-Junction Point Studios president and creative director Warren Spector, whose past game credits include Deus Ex and Thief: Deadly Shadows, will deliver a keynote presentation titled "Gaming's Renaissance." Spector plans to discuss how the innovators of today are different from past innovators, as well as what has to happen to sustain the industry's current burst of innovation and creativity in the context of commercial game development. Microsoft Games Studios executive producer Laura Fryer, who has worked on Crimson Skies, Fighter Ace, and Gears of War is slated to present "Production for People." With her keynote, Fryer intends to "examine the desire to produce results as a fundamental human need." She will also suggest methods for enabling people to "achieve their goals without selling short the fundamental pleasure of creativity." Grand Theft Childhood authors Cheryl Olson and Lawrence Kutner will present the findings of their research into how teens and their parents perceive, react, and respond to video games for their presentation titled "Grand Theft Childhood? Real Data on Video Games and Violence." Frontier Development's David Braben was also previously announced as a keynote speaker. He will discuss new technology trends and business models, and make predictions on the sixth generation of consoles in a session entitled "Planning For The Future." MIGS is supported by numerous local organizations including Canada Economic Development, the Quebec Ministry for Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade (MDEIE) and the Quebec Ministry of Culture and Communications. Interested parties can find further information on MIGS at its official site.