Future Play (conference) line up

[jillduffy]

Future Play 2007: Full program of sessions and speakers
www.futureplay.org

Pre-Conference Seminar: Wednesday November 14
Project Management Training Seminar for Game Development Professionals – Heather Chandler
Training Seminar 9 am – 5pm
A full-day practical and essential training in leading production teams through all phases of game development. Cost is $350 for the full, one day seminar and includes lunch, refreshments, and your personal copy of "The Game Production Handbook".

Future Play 2007: Research. Play. Share

Thursday November 15
7:30 – 8:45, Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:45 – 10:00, Conference Welcome and Opening Remarks, Opening Keynote: Dr. Constance Steinkuehler
10:00 – 10:15, Refreshment Break
10:15 – 11:45, Research Paper Presentations

Workshop 1: Game Accessibility 101
Workshop Leaders: Michelle Hinn, Eelke Folmer, Kevin Bierre
The Members of the IGDA Game Accessibility SIG will share their knowledge of accessible mainstream and serious game design, presenting the latest in accessible research and design and issues facing disabled gamers. Attendees will also have the chance to get some “game time” in during the workshop, playing accessible games during a breakout session called "accessibility arcade." Workshop runs until 4:45

11:45 – 12:45, Lunch – John Lester, Linden Labs

12:45-4:45 Workshop 2: Machinima
Workshop Leader: Ingrid Moon
The realm of machinima ranges from "frags" – recordings of a player's experience in first-person shooters – to dramatic, original cinematic works. Many of these videos come from a love of a particular game or fictional world, and can be classified as a form of "fan fiction." The bond between a game and its players can be strengthened by encouraging players to engage the game world through enhanced filmmaking tools and relaxed licensing strategies....

Research Paper Presentations
Workshop 1: Game Accessibility 101 (continues)
All afternoon sessions will break for 15 minutes at 3pm

4:45 – 5:45, Keynote Speaker: Dr. Mia Consalvo
6:30 – 7:45, Research Poster Presentations & Welcome Reception
6:00 – 7:45 Canadian Games Studies Association Annual General Meeting


Friday November 16
7:30 – 8: 30, Continental Breakfast
8:30 – 9:30, Keynote Speaker: John Nordlinger
9:30 – 10:15, Research Paper Presentations

IGDA Writers’ SIG
Moderator: Kimberly Ann Sparks
We aim to build a community of game writers, to promote the art and craft of game writing to the industry, to educate game developers about writers and game writers about game development, and to work towards better narrative in games. Our membership includes writers, those who hire and work with writers, and those who want to be writers.

Workshop 3: Serious Game Design
Workshop Leader: Brian Winn
In this hands-on workshop, attendees will explore the potential spectrum of serious games, from mini-games to massively multi-learner games. Attendees will examine issues in serious game design while being introduced to the “Design, Play, and Experience Framework”...

Keeping Pace with Industry Innovation
Game development practices have changed in the industry since 2003, some subtly, some drastically. How have these changes altered the content and process of academic instruction? Each panel will identify a significant change in the game industry in the past five years and talk about how this has informed their own curriculum design and practice. Discussion about tested approaches and possible future variations is encouraged.
Moderator: Susan Gold, IGDA

10:15 - 10:30, Refreshment Break
10:30 – 11:45, Research Paper Presentations

Workshop 3: Serious Game Design (continues)
Panel Discussion 1: "The Chilling Effect"--Are game studios self-censoring?
Chair: Bill Kapralos
Panel: Tudor Carsten, Eric Boosman, Cord Smith, Danielle Parr
With the recent government legislation/interference in many places across the world regarding the content of video games, a lot more pressure is now on the studios to ensure that they meet with the guidelines and ratings in place. Many studios know that if they do not remove certain content from games, it will not get picked up in a dozen US states ...

11:45 – 1:00, Lunch and Keynote Speaker: Espen Aarseth
1:00 – 2:15, Research Paper Presentations

Workshop 3: Serious Game Design (continues)
Understanding Patents for Interactive Entertainment
Presenter: Greg Silberman
Traditionally, entertainment properties have been protected by copyright and trademark law. However, as today's predominant forms of entertainment become more interactive and technology centric, there is an increasing need to consider patents as part of the overall intellectual property strategy. For video game developers, the most valuable asset they hold is the intellectual property rights embodied in the technology and content they develop...

Workshop 4: Experiential Game Creation: From Activist Theatre to Serious Game Design (participation is limited)
Workshop Leader: Lori Shyba
In this lecture and participatory workshop, activist theatre art and game developer Lori Shyba will set out the principles and facilitate games of Forum Theatre, thereby familiarizing serious video game designers with techniques that can liberate creative ideas for games with social impact.
Recognized by UNESCO as a "tool for social change", Forum Theatre harnesses theatre's ability to represent real life conflicts through the art of storytelling...

2:15 – 3:30, Research Paper Presentations

Workshop 4: Experiential Game Creation: From Activist Theatre to Serious Game Design (continues)
Panel Discussion 3: Players Gaming the Play, Toolsets, and Creativity in and around Games
Chair: Stephen Jacobs
Panel: Richard Rouse III, Katherine Isbister, Geoffrey Long

3:30 – 3:45, Refreshment Break
3:45 – 6:00, Research Paper Presentations
Workshop 4: Experiential Game Creation: From Activist Theatre to Serious Game Design (continues)

Workshop 5: Sensor Networks as Input Devices (AKA: Dance Dance Evolution)
Workshop Leaders: Anthony Whitehead, Nick Crampton, Kaitlyn Fox, Hannah Johnston
This workshop an examination into the creation of sensor networks that include wearable computing devices, camera and microphone networks, inertial devices and other classical input devices as a whole input system to radically change the way players play the game. We have initially created a small sensor network of accelerometers that you "wear" and play games that take the entire sensor network into account. ...

7:30 – 9:30, Future Play Games Competition Judging and Awards Presentation
Please join the judging panel and the games competition teams for the highlight of the Future Play Conference – the Games Competition Judging and Awards Reception. You will have the opportunity to play the games, talk to the games creators and vote on the People’s Choice Games Competition Award.

Saturday November 17
7:30 – 9:00, Continental Breakast
9:00 – 10:00, Keynote Speaker – John Hopson
10:00 – 10:15, Refreshment Break
10:15 – 11:30, Tackling Serious Games Challenges: Serious Games are Seriously Fun
Presenters: Brian Winn and Nathan Gunn
In spite of their proven success and effectiveness as experiential learning tools, few would argue serious games (also known as educational games or games that teach) have yet to meet their full potential, either at home or in the classroom. To be sure, sales of educational software in the U.S. have actually fallen from a peak of $605-million in 1999 to less than $130-million in 2005. ...

Panel Discussion 2: Games for Immersive Learning in other Subjects"
Chair: Mike Katchabaw
Panel: John Nordlinger, Kurt Squire, Constance Steinkuehler, Sara Robbins, Brian Burton
Games and virtual worlds can captivate and totally immerse the participant in their environment. This level of immersion has been recognized as a potentially useful learning environment for students. This panel aims to discuss advancements in immersive learning and show real world examples of such immersive learning techniques.

Harder Lessons
Beyond curriculum content, the game industry is rife with unwritten rules, conventions, and challenges that daunt many a lesser mortal. How else could we be preparing students for the professional challenges that they will face in their game development careers? ...
Moderator: Philip Tan, MIT

11:30 – 12:30, Closing Keynote: Frans Mayra, and Conference Wrap Up