Game Career Seminar

Friday, September 18, 2009

Programmed by the Game Developers Conference® (GDC), the Game Career Seminar, taking place Friday, September 18, 9:30am to 5:30pm at the Austin Convention Center, is a one-day program designed for students and individuals interested in learning how to build a career in the video game industry.

Learn more about the Game Career Seminar Pass here.

Game Career Seminar Session Highlights

9:30-10:30am
Keynote Ballroom E
A New Social Era for Games: How Your Friends Are Changing the Way the World Plays Games
Keynote: Sebastien de Halleux (Playfish)

Playfish shares the secret formula behind the innovative social games it has created which are attracting tens of millions of players every month. This session will describe the tectonic shift currently transforming the game industry and how it affects distribution and monetization. Learn ways to harness social emotions to drive catalog-free distribution, how to profitably run high-quality free game services, and gain insight on why your friends are the key to succeeding in this new social era.

11am-12pm
Room 12AB
Resumes, Cover Letters and Websites
Speaker: Jim Rivers ( Obsidian Entertainment)

The Hiring Manager for Obsidian Entertainment will detail, step by step, how to effectively market yourself to game companies. How do you write a resume and a cover letter? What should you have on your website (and what shouldn’t you!) that will get you noticed by HR? This session is designed to foster questions so bring them and they will be answered.

1:30-2:30pm
Room 12AB
How I Dumped Electricity and Learned to Love Design
Speaker: Brenda Brathwaite (Savannah College of Art & Design)

Two years ago, after playing a run of games that both looked and played the same, digital game designer Brenda Brathwaite shut off her computer and consoles and began to consume dozens of non-digital games from all over the world. Soon, she returned to her native paper prototyping and eventually started work upon a series of six intentionally non-digital 'gallery games' each designed to explore a difficult topic. The result of this trek proved incredibly eye-opening and rewarding for her as a designer and culminated in the highest praise for a game she had ever received for a game. In this lecture, Brathwaite shares with other designers what she learned from our brothers and sisters in that other medium when she cut the cord and learned to love design.

3-4pm
Room 12AB
Your Game Career – Thinking Long Term
Speakers: Cecelia Harris (Rainbow Studios), Michael Nichols (THQ/Vigil Games), Lindsey McQueeney (38 Studios and Big Huge Games)

Game industry HR reps & recruiters from Big Huge Games, Vigil Games, THQ and more discuss where to go and how to grow once you have your foot in the door. You landed your dream job at your favorite game company and want to grow? You took the job at your not so favorite company just to get the experience and now what? Lively discussions with those in the know ensue in this interactive panel. Open to vigorous Q&A.

4:30-5:30pm
Room 12AB
Surfing Chaos: How to Read the Market and Adapt to the Constantly Changing Landscape for Jobs
Speaker: Matt Scibilia (Critical Mass Interactive Inc)

Do you need to work for a big corporation? Or even a small indie studio? Or can you go it on your own? Delve into the world of "contract" and "outsourced work" career development. We will discuss current market conditions related to landing a full-time or contract position in the industry. We will discuss resume and demo strategies to ensure that you are noticed and heard when trying for that particular job. We will also discuss the need for strong, ongoing series of reconnaissance and network strategies to rise above the noise and be noticed as a viable candidate. We will look to the audience for particular situations and challenges they are facing and address specific recommended steps to success. We will address full-time, part-time and contract outsource issues during this session.

Click here to view all sessions.

Register for a Game Career Seminar Pass

Get into Games! Taking place on Friday, September 18, this full day program is designed for students and individuals interested in learning how to break into the video-game industry.

This Game Career Seminar Pass Includes:

• Access to the GDC Austin Game Career Seminar (Friday)
• Access to Game Career Seminar hosted events at GDC Austin
• Access to the GDC Austin Expo Floor (Friday only)

The Game Career Seminar Pass DOES NOT grant you:

• Access to over 120 sessions including lectures, panels, roundtables, and keynotes
• Access to Summits and Tutorials
• Access to all GDC Austin hosted events
• Access to Conference Proceedings (available online)

Pricing:

• Friday only - $99