Game Design Expo Unveils 2009 Lineup
Vancouver Film School to Host Weekend with Game Industry Luminaries – Ubisoft’s Clint Hocking Announced as Keynote
November 18, 2008 – Vancouver, BC – Building upon the sold-out 2008 event, the third-annual Game Design Expo, hosted by Vancouver Film School (VFS), Canada’s premier post-secondary entertainment arts institution, is shaping up to be even bigger and better. Set for February 7 and 8, 2009 at the Vancity Theater at the Vancouver International Film Centre, the weekend will be headlined by Clint Hocking, Creative Director at Ubisoft Montreal (Splinter Cell, Far Cry 2), a popular speaker at industry events, and will feature an exciting lineup of talks and panels with the leading minds in game design.
The event begins with Industry Speaker Day on Saturday, February 7, aimed at game industry professionals and enthusiasts alike. Hocking’s keynote will pave the way for presentations by designers and producers from top companies like Epic, Insomniac, Radical, and Relic. An industry panel with panelists from EA, Obsidian, Propaganda, and more will round out the day.
Tickets to Industry Speaker Day are CDN $75 for the full day and are expected to sell out quickly when they go on sale today, November 18, 2008. For ticket purchases and the latest information and schedule, visit gamedesignexpo.com.
The second day of the Expo, Sunday February 8, will see VFS open the doors to its Game Design Campus for a free, day-long Open House. Sunday’s program is a hands-on look at the acclaimed one-year program at VFS, providing visitors the opportunity to test-drive student- and alumni-created games, take sample classes, and meet faculty and students.
In an event first, the 2009 Game Design Open House will host a special Women in Games panel which coincides with the launch of the inaugural Women in Games $30,000 scholarship to VFS. Other scholarship opportunities will be announced at the Open House as well. Also for the first time, the Open House will include exclusive presentations by representatives from LucasArts, Big Fish Games and Vicarious Visions, giving attendees fascinating insight into the industry from the frontlines.
Those interested are strongly encouraged to register early for the Open House before it fills. Event details and registration are available at gamedesignexpo.com.
Game Design Industry Speaker Day
Saturday, February 7, 2009, 9am-6:30pm
Vancity Theatre – 1181 Seymour Street Vancouver BC
VFS Game Design Open House
Sunday, February 8, 2009, 9am-5pm
Vancouver Film School – 390 West Hastings Street Vancouver BC
VFS is proud to partner with the following event sponsors to realize the annual Game Design Expo 2009: G4techTV, EA, Ubisoft, Annex Pro, Big Fish Games, Obsidian Entertainment, Radical Entertainment, The Georgia Straight, Bizbooks, and Vancouver Siggraph.
Game Design Expo 2009 Speaker Schedule
Day 1: Industry Speaker Day – Saturday, February 7, 2009
Clint Hocking Creative Director, Ubisoft
Matt Searcy Lead Designer, Nexon Publishing North America
Scott Dossett Senior Animator, Epic Games
Ellen Beeman Lead Producer, Microsoft Game Studios
Drew Murray Lead Designer, Insomniac Games
Kelly Zmak President, Radical Entertainment
Panelists
Rory Armes (Electronic Arts), Chris Avellone (Obsidian Entertainment), Clint Hocking (Ubisoft), Josh Holmes (Propaganda Games), Wil Mozell (BigPark), Tarrnie Williams (Relic Entertainment) and Moderator: Victor Lucas (Creator/Executive Producer/Host, Electric Playground, Greedy Productions Ltd).
Day 2: Game Design Open House – Sunday February 8, 2009
Industry Presenters
Matt Manuel VP of Production Operations, LucasArts
Nick Newhard Lead Designer/Producer, Big Fish Games
Jake Birkett Lead Programmer/Designer, Big Fish Games
Brandon Van Slyke Game Designer, Vicarious Visions
Women in Games Panelists
Brenda Bailey (Deep Fried Entertainment), Krissie Franco (Hydrogen Whiskey Studios), Tara Mustapha (Electronic Arts), Susannah Skerl (Hothead Games) and Moderator: Noelle Hunt Bennett (Creative Talent Recruiter, Big Fish Games).
About Game Design Expo
Game Design Expo is an annual event for game industry professionals and enthusiasts hosted by Vancouver Film School’s Game Design program. Since the inaugural event in 2007 and continuing through the sold-out 2008 weekend, Game Design Expo has played host to such industry luminaries as Don Daglow, Ron Gilbert, and Eric Zimmerman, and creative leaders from companies like Bungie, Activision, EA, BioWare, and Crystal Dynamics/Eidos.
About Game Design at Vancouver Film School
Vancouver Film School, founded in 1987, offers a proven education for everything in the entertainment industry. With 13 production-oriented programs and a unique one-year education model, VFS prepares students to join the creative economy. Students in the one-year Game Design program train to be part of any video game development team by learning all aspects of game design, from visual storytelling to level design principles to the production process, ultimately creating playable games themselves.
