Final Group of #DICE19 Roundtable Leaders Announced
9 new roundtable topics have just been announced! Join leaders from as they share their thoughts on the future of the video games industry. Generously sponsored by Virtuos Games, roundtables facilitate new networking opportunities that will enrich the attendee experience with compelling topics which will be explored from the varied perspectives of table participants. This is an excellent networking opportunity paired with premier idea sharing. Click here for more information on the Roundtables.
Tina Amini
Editor-in-Chief of Games, IGN
How to engage with an increasingly invested community.
The video game community has evolved and expanded. Over the last decade, our audience’s growing voice has translated into an undeniably growing influence that has often impacted developers and even the design decisions they make. That voice has found modern footing online in the form of content creation and social networks that have amplified them and, in turn, affected the opinion of the majority. In 2019, how will we adapt to those higher stakes where messaging is even more convoluted and information spreads (and sometimes distorts) at a relentless speed?
Chris Charla
Senior Director, ID@Xbox
TBD
TBD
Blair Durkee
Special Projects Consultant for Gaming, GLAAD
Marketing for Everyone: Selling Games to LGBTQ Players
While games have become more diverse over time, marketing trends haven't quite kept up. Even the most inclusive games are still marketed almost exclusively to what’s widely considered the "core gamer" demographic, 18 to 35 year-old straight men. But is this what’s really best for the bottom line? Or are we leaving dollars on the table – and players in the shadows? In this discussion, presented by GLAAD, we'll discuss the benefits of marketing and selling games to an underserved yet passionate group of consumers--the LGBTQ community.
Gilles Langourieux
CEO, Virtuos
How (and should) emerging hot topic technologies such as cloud and AI influence the way we design and play games.
The Cloud and AI Advancement – two technologies that are rapidly beginning to influence the way we think about, design, and develop games. They allow for worlds of infinite size/scope as well as the means to populate them with compelling features, details, and characters...but do we really want and need that? Do we have more, or perhaps less expansive worlds that genuinely satisfy players than we did 10 years ago, and more importantly ones that appeal to a truly global audience?
Amir Rao
Studio Director, Supergiant Games
What is Creative Ownership?
As individuals working on game teams, we all want to meaningfully and personally impact the end result, and have real agency over our craft or discipline, if not the project as a whole. How do teams go about balancing product cohesion with individual creative investment? How do we reconcile creative control over areas of expertise with meaningful collaboration? Our roundtable will explore these and other questions as we discuss organizing and directing our teams with an eye toward how creative ownership fits into the picture. We'll exchange processes, stories, and suggestions for fostering authentic, effective creative output.
Sibel Sunar
CEO, fortyseven communications
Communications for the Rest of Us
So you have a game/company/product that doesn't have a traditional marketing campaign or doesn't have easy pre-launch hooks. How should you think about PR? Why do it? What do do? Come hear about and share ways to think about communications when you have to get visibility for products and companies that don't neatly fit in traditional press cycles, or don't have pre-launch audiences.
Tracey Thompson
Assoc. VP, Global Communication, Bethesda
Keep ‘em Coming Back for More: Effective Audience Engagement in the Digital Age
At Bethesda we know that in order to engage players, and keep them engaged in any meaningful way, we have to keep them entertained. Let’s talk about the importance of creating a strong social presence and a voice that reflects your individual brand, how to build (and rebuild) trust with players by talking with fans (not AT them), how to use PR to story-make (vs. story tell), and ways to create compelling content - all of which bridge and bolster tentpole assets and most importantly, keep them coming back for more.
Sean Vanaman
Game Developer, Valve
Video Game Development Conundrums
Every video game project is a collection of creative and technical trade-offs. In this round-table hosted by Sean Vanaman from Valve you'll tangle with a collection of implausible, outrageous conundrums in an attempt to discern what's most important to you about making video games. Conundrums include: Would you rather work have to work on a game for ten years with a team of three or work on a game for one year with a team of thirty? Or, more diabolically: would you rather be forced to give up the use of your preferred game engine or give up the use of Google?
Vince Zampella
CEO, Respawn Entertainment
Making Games at Respawn
At Respawn it's important to us that our developers can own their work and be encouraged to challenge what's expected, iterate and take risks. This can lead us to unexpected and sometimes chaotic places, but also where we find great gameplay. Vince will lead a discussion with attendees why Respawn focuses on putting gameplay first and the balance of taking risks while staying on track.