Agenda

Brenda Bailey Gershkovitch

C.E.O. Silicon Sisters Interactive Inc.

Bailey Gershkovitch has founded two studios, Deep Fried Entertainment with five partners in 2005, and Silicon Sisters Interactive with Kirsten Forbes, in 2010. Silicon Sisters focuses on quality games for women and girls, and recently published "School 26" (a game for tween girls) on Apple and Android, with the PC and Mac to follow. Silicon's Sisters is currently working on an irreverent Facebook game for women like them. It won't involve planting or baking. Games for us!

C.E.O. of Silicon Sisters Interactive, Bailey Gershkovitch is an avid believer that games are cultural artifacts, and as such, are vastly under-serving us by being limited in their reach and subject areas. Bailey Gershkovitch dreams of a day where quality, highly entertaining games are available to all segments of society, and thinks the current state of the games industry at once both helps and hinders that objective.

Never contented with normal, in 2009 Bailey felt a burning need to acquire a second last name, inducing a spelling crisis among games conference registrars and bloggers around the globe.

Dave Bezahler

Blitzoo is a 22-person social games studio in Vancouver dedicated to creating original IP on Facebook and other social networks. Our first title, Party ON, entered a limited beta test May 1. A reformed lawyer, Dave has spent the past seventeen years building Web-centric companies and products that fuel his passion for finding innovative ways to inspire action, share information, or just provide fun. Prior to joining Blitzoo, Dave was Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Ayogo Games, Inc., where he helped create some of first Facebook and iPhone games for Electronic Arts and Monster Games, among others. Prior to that, Dave was VP, Client Innovation for Blast Radius, where he was responsible for architecting and delivering digital experiences for Electronic Arts and Nintendo, as well as other leading brands. Dave is originally from Brooklyn, New York.

Rick Davidson

Rick Davidson is a CEO, Game Designer, Life Coach, amateur Stand-Up Comedian, below-average hockey player and staunch believer that games can make the world a better place. Rick's 6 year adventure in the video game industry has seen him hold leadership roles in Production and in Design at Backbone Entertainment and Next Level Games before going Indie and founding Inspirado Games late in 2009. The 7 to 10 person company has two philosophies - to make games which are Meaningful, and to work remotely from anywhere in the world... preferably under an umbrella on the beach... on a tropical island... where it never rains. He holds a Masters Degree in Organisational Psychology, a Diploma in Game Design and a Certificate of Goodsportsmanship from "The Emergency" - his Division 7 North Vancouver Duffer's beer league hockey team. He is Australian. He likes BBQs.

Andrew Gracie

Andrew has been instrumental in helping many of the largest Facebook mafia, farming, and restaurant type apps tweak their game mechanics to maximize monetization through the creation of the correct sources and sinks that promote high volume virtual currency spend by users. Andrew was previously Senior Game Analyst at Super Rewards, a Virtual currency payment provider and was part of the company from the early days of social network monetization growing the company from 4 to over 70 employees. As Chief Strategist at dimeRocker who focus on helping game developers with their web services, to deploy and monetize their games on Facebook providing advice and expertise to developers looking to bring their games to the social web and mobile. Prior to working in social games Andrew formed his own Film Production Company in the UK, producing multiple commercial projects and docs.

Jason Bailey

Jason has built a handful of successful internet business over the past 15 years. The best known one being Super Rewards, a virtual currency monetization platform for online games. As the founder of KITN Media he bootstrapped Super Rewards from zero revenue to a 100mm run rate in just over 12 months. He successfully sold the company to Adknowledge, one of largest online advertising marketplaces, in July of 2009.

Jason has investing in and/or is mentoring many local companies in the gaming space including DES Games, Compass Engine, and OverInteractive Media.

Transmedia & Connected Experiences

Founded in 1992, Behaviour is Canada's largest independent video game creation studio, employing 350 talented people. Globally recognized for its ability to develop games based on intellectual properties owned by third parties, the company also creates original content for co-production, publishing and distribution through partnering deals. While third-party development constitutes the company's core business, the rise of digital content creation and distribution has generated new business models and additional opportunities for independent developers. With a platform diversification strategy well in place and a focus on Transmedia connectivity, Behaviour is one of the few independent studios well prepared to "go connected". In this presentation, Jamie Leece, Senior Vice President of Business Development, will give an overview of how Behaviour came to be, what strengths it created over the years and where the future begins.

Jamie Leece

Jamie Leece has been involved with the business aspects of the video game industry for more than 20 years. Before joining Behaviour (formerly A2M), he was President and Founder of Rainmaker Games, where he provided strategic advisory services to prestigious clients, including MTV Games, Major League Baseball Advanced Media and Croteam. Jamie has held positions at LucasArts, Interplay Productions and was President of Take2 Interactive's label Gotham Games. He has published and/or licensed such products as Max Payne, Duke Nukem, Halo, Conflict: Desert Storm, Celebrity Death Match and Piglet's Big Game.

Musing About Cloud

One hundred years from now, the announcement of the first cloud computing model for video games at GDC 09 (OnLive) could be seen as the end of the classic video game era, ushering in a model of business for the industry where the console wars are a long forgotten antiquity of the past.

This session will give an in-depth perspective from one of the worlds largest independent game developers, Silicon Knights, on how cloud technology will affect and shape game development, for better or for worse. It will answer such questions as:

Denis Dyack

Denis Dyack is the founder and president of Silicon Knights. He oversees the creation and development of games, and continues to further the growth of the company. Dyack is a noted authority on interactive software development and offers valuable insight into the process of designing next-generation games that appeal to the masses. Under Dyack's direction, Silicon Knights has evolved into one of the world's largest independent interactive software developers.

Dyack (B. Phed, H. B.Sc, M. Sc.) founded Silicon Knights in 1992 after publishing Cyber Empires in 1991. Since that time, Silicon Knights has moved from creating PC games to premiere AAA console titles, such as Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain for the original Playstation.

Working with Nintendo as a second party, Silicon Knights created the critically acclaimed Eternal Darkness. Together with Nintendo, Silicon Knights worked with Konami to create another critically acclaimed game, Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes. In 2008, Dyack and his team released Too Human for the Microsoft® Xbox 360.

Dyack is one of the creators of Eight: The Hamilton Institute for Interactive Digital Media. Dyack is also a member of the Peter Drucker Society and advises several universities and colleges, including MIT and Brock University.

New Business Models - How to Self Fund Development

There are many moving parts in the game industry from the changing distribution landscape to the evolution of the independent developer. With these changes come new and exciting opportunities to take ownership of projects, but they all require one thing: funding. In this panel discussion, we will hear from developers and finance specialists about innovative strategies to fund projects. Find out what models are working now and how to execute them. We will take a look at a recent project created and owned by local developer Big Sandwich Games and financed by RBC with support from Export Development Canada.

Lance Davis

Lance Davis has been a Chartered Accountant for 25 years and he has worked extensively with a variety of emerging technology firms over the past 20 years to provide them with the tools and resources required to execute their business plans including financial projections, negotiation and provision of banking facilities, equipment and leasing facilities and scientific research and experimental development tax filings. Lance has previously served as CFO for Radical Entertainment, Relic Entertainment, and Barking Dog Studios/Rockstar Vancouver. His area of expertise is in the realm of garnering financing and providing business structure to the companies he has been involved with. His experience in the technology industry provides Slant Six Games with the strong business foundation it requires to achieve its goals. In addition to his expertise in the financial realm, Lance contributes to Slant Six Games by working closely with senior management to provide direction for the Company, and to assist with all aspects of the administrative functions.

Warren Tsoi

Warren has experience working with Knowledge-Based Industries (KBI) in both Toronto and Vancouver. His Bachelor of Arts (Honors in Economics) degree from Queen's University, ON, has enabled him to develop a keen understanding of business solutions. As a Digital and Interactive Media specialist, Warren can understand the unique challenges and issues you face - from raising the funding necessary to kick-start development to managing project-driven cash flows in a quick-changing market landscape. Warren is committed to creating quality relationships with his clients by combining unparalleled customer service with sound business advice. He has access to a broad network of partners within RBC and beyond that he can call on to meet his clients' unique needs.

Tyler Sigman

Tyler Sigman is the Design Director for Big Sandwich Games in Vancouver. A specialist in systems design and strategy, Tyler's videogame credits include HOARD, Age of Empires: The Age of Kings (DS), Monster Lab, Sonic Rivals, and more. He is also an active boardgame designer his latest game Crows? is published by Valley Games and was released at the 2010 SPIEL game fair in Essen, Germany. Tyler is the author of numerous game design feature articles on Gamasutra.com, and also maintains an expert blog there.

Tyler holds a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from Cal Poly, and is currently studying for his MBA from Colorado State University. He's continually surprised at how much systems design relevance there is in both.

Tyler believes one of the most challenging parts of videogame design is figuring out how to maximize design iterations under the pressure and momentum of costly development. To this end, he always enjoys sharing tips about low-fi prototyping.

Doing DLC Different: FIFA Ultimate Team and Lessons Learned

For the last couple of years, console games have been experimenting with DLC and new digital business models, taking advantage of opportunities presented by increasing console connectivity and DLC delivery channels. FIFA (the world's biggest sports game) is no different, and in the process, stumbled into digital success with FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT), a microtransaction-based game delivered digitally within FIFA.

This talk will focus on the history of DLC in FIFA, the birth of FUT, and some of the lessons learned along the way. Success doesn't come overnight (but involves many late nights) - it's a bumpy road. Paul has been leading FUT since it launched in March 2009 and will share stories of success & failure, and the lessons he and his team have learned along the way.

Paul Hossack

Paul Hossack is the Group Producer for the FIFA Ultimate Team franchise (FUT), a microtransaction-based game delivered digitally within FIFA. In this role, Paul is responsible for the creative and strategic direction of development and live management of FUT, helping lead the transformation of EA towards a more digitally-focused business.

Paul has been leading development teams in EA SPORTS' FIFA business since joining EA over 7 years, with a heavy focus in online experiences for the last 5 years. Prior to that, Paul worked for The Boston Consulting Group in Canada and Mexico, where he provided business strategy advice to senior exec at Global 1000 companies. He also worked in business development at a software company. A soccer fan (Liverpool supporter), volleyball player, and Ottawa native, Paul and his wife make their home in Vancouver.

Growing Your Game Studio Using Social Media Marketing

Start-ups in any industry often face one big challenge: getting their name out there. No matter how talented your team is; among hundreds of similar companies, it's difficult to raise awareness, generate revenue opportunities or create client relationships without proper marketing. However, it can be equally difficult for start-ups to invest in high-cost traditional marketing methods. How can you grow your game studio's name and still cut yourself a paycheque? Enter social media marketing.

Whether you're new to social media or want to improve your marketing strategy, learn all about how to use this powerful, cost-effective and often creative tool. Topics discussed include why your studio doesn't necessarily need a Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and a million other pages, how to find new business opportunities and how to conduct effective marketing communications using social media channels.

Matt Tanner

Matt is the Business Development Manager for Snowed In Studios: an emerging video game and interactive media development studio in Ottawa. Holding a Bachelor's degree in International Business, Matt specializes in social media marketing, marketing communications and business development.

By applying effective marketing strategies in the growth of Snowed In Studios and including social media, Matt has created a positive brand, more engaged relationships and increased the studio's visibility. This has increased the company's profitability, client base and portfolio. In under a year, the studio has grown from zero to half a million dollars in revenue with no signs of slowing down.

So you want to be a ... Game Programmer?... Game Artist?... Game Designer?

This talk will give an overview about what video-game programming is today, as well as provide advice and resources for the up-and-coming developer. Like many industries, there is domain-specific knowledge that people in the industry all know and are familiar with, but newcomers have to learn. To address this, there will be a discussion of typical systems and practices that are and are not commonly known outside the industry.

This lecture will also detail the various and growing number of resources available to anyone interested in video-game development. Employing practical experience and using real-world examples, this talk will give new and aspiring developers an insight into their potential future career, and how to better prepare for it.

Kelly Zmak

Kelly Zmak was the President of Radical Entertainment from July 2005 to March 2010. Kelly has over 25 years of game industry experience with positions spanning from Quality Assurance to President. Over the years, Kelly has worked for many companies including Hasbro, Panasonic, Acclaim and Activision.

Kelly has been running small and large scale development studios since 1994. Over his career he has shipped 300 + titles, generated billions of dollars in revenue and has managed and mentored some of the best talent in the industry.

Since leaving Radical Entertainment, Kelly has been working as an Advisor and Consultant while enjoying the time away from a regular office schedule.

Karl Schmidt

Karl Schmidt is a programmer at Relic Entertainment. Although he graduated with a BSc from Simon Fraser University in 2009, he has 5 years of professional involvement in the game industry. His credits include Company of Heroes, Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts, Dawn of War 2, Dawn of War 2: Chaos Rising, Dawn of War 2: Retribution, and Space Marine. Throughout his career, he has worked in the areas of: UI, gameplay, tools, optimization, and rendering.

David Patch

David has been involved in the computer game industry since the mid-90's. He attended the California College of Arts and Crafts in the San Francisco Bay Area, then landed his first job as an entry-level animator. David has served as Art Director on the Tron games, The Sims, SimCity, and LEGO Island. He is currently at Ubisoft Vancouver working on undisclosed titles.

Clint Forward

Clint Forward is a Canadian Game Designer with over 10 years experience and is currently Radical Entertainment's Senior World Designer. His main focus is creating a living, breathing world for Prototype 2. Before joining Radical he was a Designer at Backbone Entertainment and a Lead Designer at Blackbox Games, where he provided Design and AI scripting for NHL 2K. Clint is extremely passionate about video games and has been playing everything he can get his hands on since 1978.