Women In Games Conference Keynote Speakers Announced

The Women in Games Conference, first announced in December 2005, has announced a keynote speaker for the event in San Francisco. Linden Lab senior VP of Community and Support Robin Harper will deliver the keynote address, called "From the Virtual to the Real: How Second Life created an online world and community that strongly appeals to women, and how the virtual world has changed the real life of women participants." "From its beginnings, Second Life has always attracted a significant number of female residents, many of whom have prospered in the virtual world to become its chief builders, land owners and wealthiest citizens," said Harper. "I'm looking forward to sharing some of our lessons learned with the audiences at Women in Games International to dispel common misconceptions and hopefully encourage greater involvement by women in gaming and other creative digital environments such as Second Life." Other confirmed speakers include John Romero, members of the Ubisoft's Frag Dolls, Brenley Brotman, Senior Recruiting Manager, Lucasfilm; Gina Centoni, SVP of Product Marketing; (M)forma; Don Daglow, CEO, Stormfront; Nicole Lazzaro, President, XEO Design; Mitzi McGilvray, General Manager for Casual Games, Slam Dunk Productions; Elisabeth Marty, HR Director, Linden Lab; Heidi Perry, Vice President of Marketing, PlayFirst; Nicky Robinson, Technical Director, Limelife; Jessica Tams, Director of Partner Development, Trymedia Systems; and Margaret Wallace, CEO, Skunk Studios. Some confirmed panel and presentation topics include "Games for Women," about developing games that appeal to a female audience; "Games by Women," about how to succeed in the game industry; and "Women who Play," about the play styles and online reception of female gamers. The convention will be held at the Fort Mason Conference Center, Landmark Building A, located at the Presidio in San Francisco, California. Further information can be found at the organization’s official website.