THE INDUSTRY
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TheFunded.com. FUNDING: WHAT EVERY BUSINESS PERSON NEEDS TO KNOW
 Adeo RESSI Founder TheFunded.com Learn how to raise millions of euros or dollars for your idea. Building great games takes capital. The best entrepreneurs rely on investment to help them get off the ground, but taking investment is a tricky game that you can lose. Learn the rules and the strategies to win. MAXIMIZE REVENUE WITH NEW BUSINESS MODELS
Alex ST JOHN CEO WildTangent Online game publishing veteran and WildTangent co-founder and CEO, Alex St. John, will demonstrate the most effective ways for developers of all sizes to make the most money through achieving the proper blend between advertising and traditional retail sales to maximize revenues. WildTangent has in its network more than 500 games from nearly 200 game developers giving the company valuable insight into what models are working and which are not. Whether you are new to the online space or consider yourself a seasoned veteran, this session is guaranteed to make you a smarter, wealthier developer. GOOGLE'S ADVERTISING INITIATIVES: WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE CASUAL GAMES COMMUNITY
Bernie STOLAR Games Evangelist Google Join Bernie Stolar Games Industry Evangelist at Google, in a session filled with stories and insight on what it takes to succeed in the casual gaming industry. Participate in a QnA as a member of the audience. The CHANGING FACE OF CASUAL GAMES
Chris EARLY General Manager Microsoft With Casual Games becoming more popular than ever Chris Early from Microsoft Games will discuss some opportunities on the horizon for Casual Game Developers THE OTHER EIGHTY PERCENT
John VECHEY Founder and Director Popcap Games John Vechey will be discussing the disenfranchised segment of the casual game market, nay the achille's heel of this great and wondrous new industry. With great passion John will wax eloquently about how the casual games industry seems to be ignoring over 80 percent of its potential audience by focusing on the twenty percent of the people who self identify as "people who play games." HYPE VS. REAL DEAL
Joel BRODIE Founder Gamezebo Mat ANNAL Founder Nitrome Arthur HUMPHREY Founder & CEO Last Day of Work Ron POWERS VP Content Business Development Oberon Media Matt SPALL General Manager Eidos Sean RYAN CEO Meez Because every good session deserves a sequel (or, in the case of the casual games industry, 2 or 3 or 4 good sequels), it’s Hype v The Real Deal, Part 2. Members of our elite panel will be queried on a series of key trends in casual games and have to publicly go on the record to proclaim whether that trend full of hot air or is as huge an opportunity as we think it is. Trends to be discussed will include: Flash Web-based games, Casual MMO’s, the trial-to-purchase Model, Advertising, Web 2.0, Subscription Discount Clubs, Eastern European Developers, WiiWare, Webkinz, Hidden object games, Games about fashion, and much much more! |
GAME DESIGN
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CHARACTER CASH OR FINANCIAL FICTIONS: THE ART AND BUSINESS OF STORY DEVELOPMENT IN CASUAL GAMES
Kenny DINKIN VP & Creative Director PlayFirst From ambitious restaurateurs and charming nannies to Victorian families and virtual islanders, the casual games category has rapidly evolved from jewel-swapping puzzles to an array of story worlds replete with quirky characters and their everyday struggles. Whereas three years ago characters may have been a controversial afterthought, today they are undisputed part of the formula for a hit casual game. Where is all this emphasis on story taking the business? In this lecture Kenny Shea Dinkin, PlayFirst’s creative director will first reprise key arguments from two previous lectures on the use of character and story in casual games and then, using Diner Dash: Hometown Hero Gourmet Edition as a test bed, he will explore the ways in which narrative and character development may prove to be our best and brightest on-ramp to genuinely connecting casual players with new roads to monetization – including serialized narrative, subscriptions, multi-play and micro-transactions. Kenny will draw upon character development fundamentals from other, more established media to explore what makes inventing casual characters a unique challenge. He will extend material from recent talks on this subject by addressing new questions facing the industry: How can casual characters help evolve the $20 business model? What makes a character powerful enough to outgrow a game and become part of an imagined community? What has PlayFirst learned as Flo and her Diner Dash friends have moved into multiplayer and micro-transactions and serialized sales? What principles should game designers, producers, marketers and artists be thinking about to keep a character genuine and well positioned for the long, faceted road ahead? WII MAGIC
Harvey ELLIOTT Head of Studio Electronic Arts Learnings from Wii development on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and how that will impact on future titles from EA, including insight into the challenges and opportunities presented by the Wiimote and what benefits are gained when traditional controllers, HUDs and GUIs are removed from game experience. A HELPFUL HINT: UNDER THE GAME DESIGN MICROSCOPE
Nick FORTUGNO co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer Rebel Monkey This game design microscope focuses on the "hint" and the use of in-game help. When are hints appropriate? How much information do you give up? And wait -- can't we just design our games so well we don't need hints at all? This talk tackles the topic by looking at examples of recent casual games and exploring the nature of riddles, intelligence and frustration. LIFE BEYOND "ME TOO"
Kevin RICHARDSON Producer Juan GRIL Creative Producer JoJu Games Vinny CARRELLA Director of Licensing Shockwave, MTV Networks Greg RAHN Composer & Sound Designer Soundmindz Right now, we’re churning a single game mechanic until it’s been smooshed into the ground. While its fiscally responsible and good to give players what they want, the opportunity to soar above the noise is always there. Let's challenge ourselves to innovate. THE PRAGMATIC DESIGNER
George DONOVAN CEO Gogii Games The Next Big Hit, Logically Speaking! You decide! DREAM WEAVING: DREAMING DREAM CHRONICLES INTO REALITY
Miguel TARTAJ CEO KatGames Ever have an idea for a game that excites and terrifies you at the same time? An idea that’s so completely convincing in your mind, but isn’t anything like the other games that typically grace the top ten charts? Join Miguel Tartaj, lead game designer for KatGames, as he talks about making his long-held dream come true -- the first casual adventure game to hit the industry and one of the biggest and most innovative hits of 2007, Dream Chronicles. Over a year before the first breakaway hidden object games hit computer screens, the team at KatGames had a dream: a game with an unproven mechanic in the casual space, a game deeply committed to building a story world, a game where every action the player took connected to a mysterious and compelling storyline. But this dream required pushing the boundaries of what they’d seen before -- art budget, performance, and player appetites would all be put to the test. “Dream Weaving” became a recurring theme for the team at KatGames, as they moonlighted on Dream Chronicles during other projects, hoping the game would one day get the funding and attention it deserved. Presented in post-mortem style, Miguel will talk about the decisions leading up to the development of Dream Chronicles, his quest to find a publishing partner, and the key learnings that he and his publisher, PlayFirst, unearthed during the creative process developing this well-loved and groundbreaking title. LET ME WIN! BEST PRACTICES FOR APPROACHABLE GAME DESIGN
Katie STONE-PEREZ Executive Producer Microsoft Approachable titles like Lego Star Wars, UNO, and Wii Sports have demonstrated the potential market for video games yet a huge number of games still alienate players by approaching game design with the coin-op mentality of trying to defeat the player. With more opportunities to reach out to users via sequels and downloadable content it becomes more critical for designers to adapt. In this course you will learn techniques and best practices to apply that will allow players to easily engage and re-engage with your title regardless of genre or the player’s skill, gender, experience, or free time. |
CATCHING THE CONSUMER
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Michael ZEISSER SVP Liberty Media Corporation Reinout te BRAKE Group Strategist SpillGroup Get your company noticed. Getting investment capital in the early stages one way to expand and grow your business, but another which often sees a higher payout for entrepreneurs is to brining on an investment partner for a stake of your company after you have made significant progress. Join us for a discussion with Reinout te Brake of Spill Group and Michael Zeisser of Liberty Media, two investors with two strategies: the purchasing of destinations into one portfolio and purchasing controlling interest in established companies. Spill Group has collected a portfolio of 30 game portals mainly located in Europe and receives over 60 million unique visitors each month. Liberty Media owns 50% of the Game Show Network, a popular television offering in the United States and dozens of other high-profile international companies in new media. Editor’s Note: A great follow-up to this session is Adeo’s at 2pm: Funding. Roy SEHGAL VP of Consumer Products and Strategy Shockwave & AddictingGames (MTV Networks) Jameson HSU Founder and CEO Mochi Media Derrick MORTON CEO Flowplay Christian P. BATIST SVP of Marketing Sulake Corporation The casual games market is evolving. New types of online game experiences are expanding the audiences for casual games and introducing new business/monetization models. This panel will look at the many directions in which online game content is growing, from daily/episodic content and short-session games to richer online gaming experiences such as casual MMOGs and virtual worlds. Hear from the creators, distributors and platform providers at the forefront of this evolution discuss how business models for online casual games—and the audiences that play them—will change in the future. DESIGNING AND MARKETING TO THE EUROPEAN CONSUMER
Brenden MCNULTY Director of Marketing Zylom RealNetworks Standing out in the European market is something which Zylom, with their deep focus on the European consumer, has focused considerable energy in constant research, beta boards and usability testing. This has a significant effect on how customers are approached including the acquisition of new customers, the messaging to contact them and the benefits of casual games which we highlight. This session will give an overview of how Real approaches the European market and how marketing and services are fine tuned based on the users and their preferences. A LOOK INSIDE CLUBPOGO
Andrew PEDERSEN Vice President and General Manager Pogo.com Explore how ClubPogo has captured the minds - and the pocketbooks of the mainstream consumer. VIRAL GAMES MARKETING
Michael KALKOWSKI Managing Director, Product GameDuell Why do some games become instant hits overnight, while other great games never really make it? What are the viral mechanisms at work here? In this session we will look at several case studies of successful viral games. We will explore how to use innovative game design and community tools to get the word out. By applying these techniques you will be able to market your games yourself and attract a large player base. You don't have to spend lots of marketing dollars. And you don't need to rely on big publishers and portals for your success.. ALL THE WORLD'S A GAME: HOW FUNWARE AND SOCIAL NETWORKING CHALLENGE THE CASUAL STATUS QUO Gabe ZICHERMANN CEO rmbr All the stickiest websites in history have been based on powerful, status-oriented meta games: eBay (a shopping game), Yahoo Answers (a research game) and Facebook (an affiliation game) just to name a few. While these applications were not explicitly designed as games, they point the way to a fundamental premise: people love to play and compete with each other in every area of their lives: both as distraction and intrinsic activity. This shift to Funware (the merger of games and web apps) portends that games will become more enmeshed with real life and less of a separate activity, while the web becomes more gamey. Driven partially by the rise of social networking, Funware creates tremendous opportunities and threats for the casual game industry. This session will explore the latest and greatest crop of Funware applications, and how innovative game design is reshaping the web from shopping to photosharing and beyond. It will also explore how the social networking meme creates new casual game design opportunities and challenges both from financial and creative standpoints, and how various players are responding. Finally, the session will endeavor to share tangible data from market research to help shape the discussion. Takeaway: Attendees will takeaway an understanding of the emerging Funware category, sample companies in the space, and their game design philosophy. Additionally, a discussion of Funware business models and innovation opportunities for casual game developers will be shared. Finally, some quantitative data will be shared about user habits as they relate to Funware applications and casual games. CUTTING THROUGH THE CLUTTER - HOW TO MAKE SURE YOUR GAME LIVES A LONG, HEALTHY LIFE
Paul THELEN CEO & Founder Big Fish Games Paul Thelen, CSO and founder of Big Fish Games, will explore the life cycle of a casual game. Not every game can be a top ten hit, and even top ten hits don’t stay in the top ten forever. Paul will share his views about creating games that stand the test of time, and how to employ business practices that maximize the value of your titles in the months and years after their release.
0 - 101: Games for Everyone
Ambra WELLBELOVED VP Shockwave, MTV Networks Games are a part of life, at every life stage. It’s important to consider every member of the family when developing games. From preschoolers playing games on their parents’ laps to teenagers playing online, from Mom’s taking a break to decompress to Grandparents playing games to keep their minds agile—there are multiple audiences to be served and games must be developed for users outside of the 35 to 50 year old female demographic. |
PRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT
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PASSION vs. FINANCIAL: VISIONS OF HALO IN A BEJEWELED MARKET
Ion HARDIE Producer Reflexive Entertainment Yaroslav YANOVSKY CEO Enkord Zach YOUNG Designer Reflexive Struggling to find the desire to make your “casual” market game when you really want to make the next great shooter? You’re not alone. More and more games are getting created that are trying to cash in on the casual craze, and more “hardcore” game projects are languishing unfinished and unreleased. How can you create the game you want to make and not “cross over to the dark side” of puzzle and seek-and-find gaming boredom? The answer may not be simple, but your goal sure is: You need to find something great in every game you make, regardless of the genre. If you’re bored making your game, you’ve got a big problem. Come join a discussion with 3 experienced developers who have crossed back and forth onto both sides of the dark and light sides of the casual game space in a sordid tale of bullets, explosions and match-3 puzzle goodness. PEGGLE CASE STUDY
Eric TAMS Game Developer PopCap Games Creating casual games for all demographics. Peggle EXTREME for the Orange Box on Steam was originally released on major online casual games portals frequented by middle-aged women. Explore how PopCap Games was able to adapt this game to a Half-Life loving audience. GETTING YOUR GAME ON REAL
Jeremy SNOOK Producer RealNetworks, Inc Overview of the developer-Real relationship, tips to increase their chances of game acceptance, and knowledge of the technical and production requirements needed to launch a game through Real’s worldwide services. IGDA WHITEPAPER WORKING SESSION
Brian ROBBINS Executive Producer Fuel Industries, Inc. The IGDA Casual Games SIG is currently working on a new version of our Casual Games Whitepaper. This session will be a chance to discuss what we're doing this year, provide input on areas we can look to improve, and find out more about how you can help make this as comprehensive as possible. "GOTCHAS" DEVELOPERS NEED TO WATCH OUT FOR WHEN NEGOTIATING A CONTRACT
Margaret WALLACE Co-Founder and CEO Rebel Monkey To be a successful developer in the casual game space these days takes more than knowing how to make great games for your audience. You also have to be savvy and well-informed on the business front. Anyone involved in deal negotiation will tell you there's a myriad of things to be aware of and consider. So what are some of the "gotchas" of contract and business negotiation every developer ought to think about before signing on the dotted line? This session explores common terms game developers may encounter when negotiating a deal in the casual game space. BRICK-AND-MORTAR RETAIL BUYERS
Max COWSERT Director of Product Development Topics Entertainment Buyers for brick-and-mortar retailers are the gatekeepers to reaching consumers with packaged casual games. They can be difficult to get to and their requirements in marketing and distribution create a maze of challenges for accessing this important revenue channel. In this session we will discuss how retailers rise and fall (some are growing, some are declining, and some are dead in the water), as well as current trends and attitudes towards casual games as a packaged media. Additionally, we will discuss how packaged goods are presented to retailers, how their decisions are made, and how to fulfill once a decision to purchase has been made. Editor's Note: Max will be available in the Patio immediately following the presentation for more detailed questions about retail buyers and specific questions about preparing your game for retail, so come with questions! "OUTSOURCING" IS SO 2005 - WE HAVE ENTERED AN AGE OF INTEGRATED VIRTUAL TEAMS Christopher NATSUUME Creative Director Boomzap Inc. Craig BRANNON Director of Development Legacy Interactive Bjorn BOOK CTO Gameshastra Today's teams exist more and more in the internet ether - and the trend is growing stronger daily. For better or worse, the sun never sets on a virtual international studio, and every studio becomes more virtual every day. Come hear from industry veterans and their experiences with virtual teams. Sections in this workshop include: 1) Case Study: Boomzap, who has been running a virtual studio across 3 continents for three years with information on how to best manage teams that never meet, yet must collaborate daily. Issues include developing "work at home" discipline for the team, communication issues, collaboration across time and space, and dealing with international teams and second languages. 2) Best Practices: When a company contemplates hiring an out-of-house person or team that may be hundreds or many thousands of miles away to assist in the game development, several things should be taken into consideration aside from the potential beneficial impact on your budget. Common benefits include improved work quality, flexibility in skills and a profound effect on schedule. Evaluating potential outsourcing vendors can be a tricky deal, and looking for the right match and screening them with as much scrutiny as you would a full-time in-house employee is paramount. Before entering into an outsourcing deal, it is critically important to create well-defined, mutually agreed-upon criteria of what is expected from the outsourced vendor. Because of potential differences in culture, language, geography and time zones, this documentation should be as specific and unambiguous as possible. Be sure to clearly define the scope, schedule and milestones for the project. Communicating regularly and freely with the vendor is also absolutely essential throughout the entire development process. 3) Outsourcing Gone Wrong: Outsourcing a Casual Game is difficult and risky, and never a magic bullet. Often studios are unprepared to handle development efforts thousands of miles away, when they are used to working with developers seated in cubicles down the hall. Managing an outsourced project presents massive cultural clashes and the risk of failed projects, especially if the studio is not prepared to deal with the project overhead, and the upfront project management planning inherent in the model. For those that are prepared and willing to take the risk, there are rewards in efficiencies and costs. This session will examine all the things that can and will go wrong, before successfully having your "baby" (aka your game) raised by unknown people in lands far away. We will also discuss cultural differences and trends in outsourcing between India, China, Phillipines and Canada. Note: "Outsourcing" is so 2005 is comprised of a group of sessions which will be in multi-session workshop format. |
GLOBAL MARKET OPPORTUNITIES
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Mariano SUAREZ BATTAN CEO Three Melons Luiz GONSALES Founder & General Manager Atrativa Latin America historically has been given little attention from the videogame industry due to low development activity and high levels of piracy. Recently, the acquisition of Wanako Games and Atrativa the region has started to turn heads as a viable business model with a number of companies focusing efforts on taking advantage of the casual games space. This along with a handful of world-class developers is creating a microcausm of casual games. Consumers are starting to pay attention to casual games in greater numbers, with non-traditional business models taking hold which are capturing consumer spending that in the past went to companies providing pirated software. THE NUMBERS GAME: DISTRIBUTION
Remco BRUINS Head of Business Development Zylom / RealNetworks Success in distributing casual games depends on a handful of variables. Access to IP, development capacity, distribution channels and technology to format to numerous devices are paramount in bringing casual games entertainment to the consumer. This session will explore distribution and syndication in the European market. KOREA: A NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR CASUAL GAMES
Steve JEONG Head of Game Business Development NHN Corp Asian game industry has shown impressive growth in the recent years and South Korea is at the heart of this fast developing market. Though Western and Asian markets have been slow to integrate gaming offering, in recent years we have witnessed some huge success of Western games in Asia market, such as World of Warcraft and Starcraft. Understanding more about Asian gaming culture and its business environment, there is high potential for the casual games to make even larger success in this interesting market. Come learn from NHN, the largest online casual gaming company in South Korea on how Western companies can enter the Korean market with partnerships with South Korean companies. ENTERING THE GLOBAL MARKET: COLLECTING EVERYONE'S MONEY
Rogier DE BOER Business Development Manager GlobalCollect Nils-Holger HENNING Director Marketing and Sales Bigpoint While your game may be set to challenge skills, excite imaginations and discover the world by overcoming the distance and cultural barriers, does it have a matching payment processing solution in place? For the game developers and publishers a well-thought-out global online payment solution is an integral part of their success. In order to maximize sign-up and/or increase renewal rates one needs to realize that the payment collection strategy needs to be based much on the local payment culture than just a pure reliance on the credit cards. Understanding the payment cultures and payment products available to your gamers worldwide will not only affect your sign-up and renewal rate but also will save costs and maximize your return on investment (ROI). BEST PRACTICES FOR MULTI-NATIONAL CASUAL GAMES SITES
Steve AUGUSTINO Partner Kelley Drye & Warren LLP Dr. Andreas LOBER Partner SchulteRiesenkampff Casual gaming is growing in popularity worldwide. As casual gaming providers expand their services to additional countries, differing legal environments and risks apply. In both the United States and the European Union, new regulations and new cases constantly require re-evaluation of gaming site operations. INTERNATIONAL PORTALS – CONTENT NEEDS AND TRENDS FOR 2008
Neal SINNO VP Business Development Game Trust Kris SOUMAS VP Interactive Lifetime Games Riccardo ZACCONI Director and Co-founder King.com Peter HOFSTEDE Manager Game Development Spill Group Bob SLINN Director of Entertainment Yahoo Europe We all know that the market for Casual Games is growing by leaps and bounds. But, how does this growth differ around the world? How do content needs for the leading international portals differ, based on the demographics they target? The panel members of this session lead some of most trafficked gaming portals in the world – representing North America, South America, Europe and Asia. This interactive session will be focused on each portal's "wins" and "bombs" of 2007, plus some insight on their strategic planning for 2008 and beyond. If you're a developer looking to find the biggest reach for your content – you will not want to miss this! EARNING EVERY PLAY: HOW THE MICROTRANSACTION MODEL DEMANDS A DIFFERENT PLAYER EXPERIENCE
Mathieu NOUZARETH co-Founder & President Boonty - Cafe.com Cooper MOO Vice President WorldWinner Alisa CHUMACHENKO Vice President IT Territory The casual games space is moving beyond "trial-to-purchase". While the download continues to be the primary business model, microtransactions and item buying are moving into the the mainstream. Hear from industry leaders in the virtual world and skill-based spaces how they survive and thrive on microtransactions BEST LEGAL PRACTICES: HOW TO GET TO THE BONUS ROUNDS WITH YOUR GAME
Dmitri DUBOGRAEV Founder Femida.us Alexandre KOLOSOVSKI Partner Femida.us 1. IP - creating, protecting and increasing its value 2. Typical shortfalls in the IP protection 3. Key issues in building a small company that can grow big: dealing with partners, developers, investors |
BEYOND MOBILE
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Don RYAN Senior Vice President of Publishing Oberon Media Don will provide an insight into how cross-platform ‘convergence’ will be critical to the success of mobile entertainment over the next 5-10 years in terms of growing awareness, accessibility and adoption. In particular, Don will share his vision on how cross-platform gaming will be the key driver to elevate mobile games to a widely penetrated, prevalent form of entertainment on-the-go in 2008. The mobile games industry is currently 5-10% penetrated. By leveraging cross platform gaming, mobile can take advantage of the hundreds of millions of eyeballs that log on to play online casual games, driving cross pollination of online casual games audiences to mobile. By utilizing the online platform for mobile, it will be easier for the consumer to access a broader range of casual games, with it currently taking 17 clicks to buy a game from carrier decks (Strategy Analytics). Cross-platform, triple-play gaming also allows consumers to play their favourite casual games ‘without boundaries’, on their screen of choice: mobile, TV and online, wherever they are. Advertisers can now launch interactive campaigns across all three screens around the world. Game developers and licensors can increase their brand presence across multiple platforms. ‘Triple-play’ gaming also addresses the fragmented way in which consumers consume media and entertainment. IS MOBILE DEAD OR JUST SLEEPING?
Patrick MORK Director of Marketing EMEA Glu Mobile Ilkka PAANANEN President of Studio Digital Chocolate Sami LAHTINEN Head of Mobile StudioRealNetworks (Mr. Goodliving) Come join us for a lively panel discussion on the state of the mobile gaming business. We'll tackle topics like what makes a great mobile game, the convergence of online and mobile gaming, the impact of touchscreen handsets and other new devices, the changing demographics of mobile game consumers, and panelists predictions for the 'breakthrough" trends of mobile gaming in 2008 and beyond. |
SOUND
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Matthew Lee JOHNSTON Producer & Sound Designer PopCap Games This session will juxtapose human-computer interface design theory with audio design in casual games. We’ll examine ways that audio has traditionally been used in interface design to communicate critical user information, implement emotion, and make technology more useable. Then we will look at three different casual games that use audio to communicate in different ways, and get to the root of what makes really great yet informative casual game audio design. PRODUCING EVOCATIVE CONTENT AND A MEANINGFUL AUDIOSCAPE
Greg RAHN Composer & Sound Designer Soundmindz Creating a game experience that engages the player is an important and challenging aspect of casual game development. Consistency supports suspension of disbelief, recognition evokes time and place, and subtlety aids in immersion. But casual game developers face special challenges when it comes to using audio to evoke responses. Producing audio for such hit games as Family Feud Online Party, The Poppit Show, and the Jewel Quest Series, each presented unique hurdles. This session presents a practical approach to facing these challenges, allowing you to keep file sizes down, performance tight, and still deliver a sonic experience that captivates the player. CREATIVE SYSTEMS THEORY IN AUDIO PRODUCTION
Kane MINKUS Managing Partner SomaTone Interactive Audio A conceptual framework for managing the creative process of anything, learn how the SomaTone Interactive Audio team uses this approach in the design, production & management of soundtracks for casual games. Having applied this in games like Mystery Case Files Series, Peggle, Dream Chronicles, etc., understanding this approach gives a powerful tool to keep the ideas fresh and creative, while also providing a strategic approach to each project, quick alignment of creative visions, and easily facilitate great team communication. We will compare and contrast the use of this system to traditional creative approaches and show the value of utilizing a framework for creative processes. Find out how to apply this theory in your own practices! |
ALL ABOUT ADVERTISING
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Brian ROBBINS Executive Producer Fuel Industries, Inc. As the casual games market continues to mature, brands and marketers will become an increasingly viable source of funding for game development. The most successful developers will be the ones who know how to meet the needs of advertisers while still creating compelling games. This session will provide in-depth information on how the branded content business works today, and how developers can position themselves to take advantage of this space in the future. Specific topics covered will include: * How advergame projects come to life * Pitfalls of working with brand-focused clients * Success metrics and why they matter * Review and approval processes Just because the game is helping to sell products, doesn't mean the developer had to sell their soul. In many cases, brands can be more willing to try new approaches and styles of gameplay than a typical publisher. Savvy developers can take advantage of this to explore games they otherwise would not be able to. ADVERTISING TO THE EUROPEAN CASUAL GAMES CONSUMER
Peter VAN DER HEIJDEN GM Advertising Sales Zylom / RealNetworks How do you monetize the casual gamer with advertising? This session will cover what is hot and what is not in building an ad-strategy around the target audience. Does reaching the European casual gamer require a local ad force? What are the key-drivers in a successful ad-strategy? Long term vs short term that is the question. THE ADVERTISER SIDE OF IN-GAME ADVERTISING
Ronnie LAVI Product Planning & Business Development Manager Eyeblaster More and more game developers, publishers and distributors include or consider including in-game advertising into their business model however only few are fully familiar with the advertiser’s side of the equation. Understanding the way advertisers and agencies operate and their needs is a key to fully capitalize on the opportunity in in-game advertising. In this session the audience will be able to learn about the advertiser’s perspective from Eyeblaster’s experience in serving interactive agencies worldwide. Combining this advertising knowledge with experience in the casual gaming space, the sessions will discuss questions such as: 1. What advertisers and agencies consider and look for when they buy media and how in-game can become attractive for these agencies? 2. The business model of in-game advertising and the different partners involved 3. The in-game potential and what to be aware of in order to fully exploit the opportunity 4. How does in-game advertising should affect game design 5. How not to compromise on user experience to allow high campaign performance for advertisers The session will include data and case studies for further demonstrations. ADVERTISING ISN'T LIMITED TO ADS
Chris HOUTZER Senior Director, New Media RealNetworks Advertising isn't limited to ads. Brand immersion is an effective method of reaching audiences while keeping them entertained. The gaming business is a $24 billion industry, the key is to tap into this market. This session provides market intro (size, growth rate, demographics) and a survey of casual game platforms (PC, console, handheld, mobile). You will learn all the major methods to reach into the gamer populations, from gamer Web sites and in-game ads to live and online events. ADVERGAMES: THE HOLY GRAIL FOR BRANDS?
Chris KEMPT Founder Kempt Ltd The gigantic ROI that a good sponsored game can generate for an advertiser means that there is increasing interest from brands in this medium making it a potentially lucrative revenue stream for games developers and publishers alike. In this session we look at where the business opportunities lie, what works, what doesn't and why, how to reach an audience and how to measure success. |