Content NOW

Outspark Announces Massive Expansion to Fiesta Online

contentnow — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:12:31 +0000

Hey all, I just dropped exciting news for you about Fiesta’s upcoming expansion, the Expedition to Adealia. Juicy details can be found in the press release: http://game-newswire.com/index.php/the-news/520 along with spectacular screens of the magical landscape and wicked characters. Look closely – there’s a mystery in the darkness that has yet to be revealed. Can you guess what it is? Clues abound in our Road to Adealia series at 4pm PT weekdays leading up to launch. Join in the fun at www.facebook.com/outsparkfiesta.com, create your character at fiesta.outspark.com and quest along.

Expedition to Adealia Announced - Fiesta Online News at MMORPG …

www.mmorpg.com/…/Fiesta-Expedition-to-Adealia-Announced.html

1 hour ago – Outspark has the Expedition to Adealia expansion is on its way for FiestaOnline. According to devs, players will face off against new monsters …
Expedition to Adealia AnnouncedFO Fiesta Online News …

www.mmorpg.com/…cfm/…/Expedition-to-Adealia-Announced.html

1 hour ago – Outspark has the Expedition to Adealia expansion is on its way for FiestaOnline. According to devs, players will face off against new monsters …
Fiesta Online | Game development | Press release

www.develop-online.net/press-releases/80648/Fiesta-Online

1 day ago – login: press [br designtimesp="20024" /]password: zDmvwcfT [br designtimesp=" 20025" /]location: /Fiesta/Adealia Expansion Screenshots.rar …
Fiesta Online: Expedition to Adealia Announced » Online Game Tales

onlinegametales.com/…/fiesta-online-expedition-to-adealia-announce…

1 hour ago – Outspark has the Expedition to Adealia expansion is on its way for FiestaOnline. According to devs, players will face off against new monsters …
Outspark Announces Massive Expansion For Fiesta … - Gamasutra

www.gamasutra.com/…/Outspark_Announces_Massive_Expansion_F...

2 hours ago – location: /Fiesta/Adealia Expansion Screenshots.rar. Media Contacts Martine Paris, Outspark, Director, PR & Marketing Chip Smith, Outspark …
How Dot MMO works – « DotMMO.com

games.dotmmo.com/mmorpg/541.html

3 hours ago – Set to launch this winter, the Expedition to Adealia expansion …“Following the wildly successful release of Fiesta’s Trickster class earlier this …
Game Coins | Fiesta

www.gamecoins.com/fiesta/

Fiesta. Platforms: Publisher: Outspark; Genre: Role Playing Game, Massively … and please see the post for pri… view; The Road to Adealia GM_WishBone: Why …
PC Gaming – All PC gaming Needs

mypc-gaming.info/

Outspark has the Expedition to Adealia expansion is on its way for Fiesta Online. According to devs, players … Fiesta Online: Expedition to Adealia Announced …
New Content Coming to Fiesta - Page 9 – Outspark Forums

outspark.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3815568

9 hours ago – New Content Coming to Fiesta General Discussion. … As for the Road toAdealia: I wonder if this map will just be an empty passageway to the …
Gamers Base

gamers-base.com/

Outspark has the Expedition to Adealia expansion is on its way for Fiesta Online. According to devs, players will face off against new monsters and discover the …

#SFMT SF MusicTech with Cage The Elephant’s Lincoln Parish, Bob Weir…

contentnow — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 01:55:22 +0000

Brian Zisk’s high flying SF MusicTech is back in town at the Hotel Kabuki tomorrow for a rock ‘em sock ‘em day of star-studded panels, parties and schmoozing. Even Cage The Elephant’s Lincoln Parish and Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir will be dropping by to share best kept secrets. Tim Westergren of Pandora kicks it off in the morning. By far, one of the best music conferences of the year. Here’s the guide:

8:30 – 8:50am	Registration & Breakfast
8:50 – 9:15a Sakura Room	Welcome & Opening Remarks Brian Zisk - Executive Producer, SF MusicTech Summit Tim Westergren - Pandora Media, Inc. Chief Strategy Officer & Founder
9:20–10:20a Sakura Room	When Should I Get Permission? Moderator: Anu Kirk - MOG Michael Robertson - MP3tunes Darryl Ballantyne - LyricFind Dave Porter - 8tracks
9:20–10:20a Spring Room	Investing in Music Technology Companies Moderator: Peter Delevett - San Jose Mercury News Larry Marcus - Walden Venture Capital Mark Montgomery - FLO {thinkery} Patrick Mahoney - SF MusicTech Fund Hany Nada - GGV Capital
9:20–10:20a Osaka Room	Hot Topics in Music Licensing Moderator: Cecily Mak - Rhapsody Lisa Tiver - RightsFlow Philippe Perreaux - Restorm Bryan Calhoun - SoundExchange David Kostiner - Counsel LLP
10:20–10:30a	Coffee & Tea Break
10:30–11:30a Sakura Room	The Lack of Disruption in Music Technology Moderator: Dave Allen - NORTH Jesse von Doom - CASH Music David Ewald - Uncorked Studios Alex Ljung - SoundCloud Roy Christopher - University of Texas at Austin Corey Denis - TAG Strategic
10:30–11:30a Spring Room	Elevator Pitches Starring YOU! Host: Brian Zisk - SF MusicTech Summit All are welcome to stand up and present an up to 1-minute pitch about their company or idea, to connect with others who may want to work with you.
10:30–11:30a Osaka Room	The Future of Charts Moderator: Michael McGuire - Gartner Research Alex White - Next Big Sound Kyle Bylin - Billboard Richard Sussman - Nielsen
10:30–11:30am Garden Room A	Community Conversation: Ask an Attorney Host: Eric Ferraro - LeClairRyan Host: Antone Johnson - Bottom Line Law Group All are welcome to join a Q&A and enlightening discussion.
11:30–1:00p	Lunch Break
1:00–2:00p Sakura Room	New Products, Technologies & Demos Host: Eliot Van Buskirk - Evolver.fm Matt Schlicht - Tracks.by Neil Vineberg - Thinglink Bill Wilson - National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) Jaclyn Ranere - The Orchard Harold Lee - Rock Prodigy Mike Vann - GET IT Mobile
1:00 – 2:00pm Spring Room	Mobile Moderator: Ted Cohen - TAG Strategic Christina Calio - Microsoft, Media & Entertainment Group Matt Schwartz - Verizon Wireless Jeff Hughes - Omnifone Peter Berg Steffensen - Moodagent Steve Jang - Schematic Labs / SoundTracking
1:00 – 2:00pm Osaka Room	DIY Instrument Builders Moderator: Dave Wessel - UC Berkeley, CNMAT Tim Thompson - Artful Codger Sasha Leitman - Stanford University, CCRMA Moldover - Custom Instrument Builder Bart Hopkin - Windworld
1:00–2:00pm Garden Room A	Community Conversation: Google Summer of Code Host: Carol Smith- Google, Open Source Programs Rob Kaye - MusicBrainz All are welcome to join an enlightening discussion with industry thought leaders for a productive exchange of ideas and opinions.
2:00 – 3:00 PM Sakura Room	New Products, Technologies & Demos Host: Eliot Van Buskirk - Evolver.fm Mark Willsher - MusicAllyPro Larry Goldberg - TuneWiki Albin Serviant - Bopler Games by MXP4 Mike More - Headliner.fm Joel Resnicow - Rexly
2:00 – 3:00pm Spring Room	Turning Fans into Guerillas Moderator: Catherine Enny - Guerilla Management Ethan Kaplan - Murmurs.com Aaron Ray - The Collective Nate Lew - Indaba Music Greg Lucas - Creative Allies Jeff Marois - Fanrank
2:00–3:00pm Osaka Room	New Technologies for Musical Self-Expression Moderator: Jay LeBoeuf - Imagine Research Prerna Gupta - Khush, Inc. John von Seggern - Native Instruments Doug Wright - Sonoma Wireworks Jeff Daniel - StarMaker Interactive
2:00–3:00pm Garden Room A	Community Conversation: Building a Musician Community Host: KC Turner, KC Turner Presents All are welcome to join an enlightening discussion with industry thought leaders for a productive exchange of ideas and opinions.
3:00 – 3:30 PM Imperial Ballroom	Afternoon Snack Break
3:00 – 3:30 PM Sakura Room	A Conversation With Bob Weir Bob Weir, Tamalpais Research Institute (TRI Studios) Grateful Dead / Furthur Dennis “Wiz” Leonard, Tamalpais Research Institute (TRI Studios) Host: Laurie Segall, CNN
3:30 – 4:30pm Sakura Room	Building Apps Moderator: Lee Martin - SoundCloud Danielle Morrill - Twilio Dalton Caldwell - App.net Brad Serling - Nugs.net Bram Cohen - BitTorrent Taylor McKnight - SCHED.org / The Hype Machine
3:30 – 4:30pm Spring Room	Using Social Networks Effectively Moderator: J Sider - RootMusic Jack Conte - Pomplamoose Zoe Keating - Cellist & Composer Lincoln Parish - Cage the Elephant
3:30 – 4:30pm Osaka Room	Electronic Music Moderator: Andrew Smith - XLR8R Chris Smith - Om Records Zack Darling - Zack Darling Creative Associates Peter Siciliano - Beatport
3:30–4:30pm Garden Room A	Community Conversation: Non-Profits in Music Host: Casey Rae-Hunter, Future of Music Coalition Host: Mike Fernandez, Little Kids Rock All are welcome to join an enlightening discussion with industry thought leaders for a productive exchange of ideas and opinions.
4:30 – 5:00pm Imperial Ballroom	Afternoon Break
4:00 – 4:50 PM Sakura Room	A Conversation With Slightly Stoopid Miles Doughty - Guitar, Bass, Vocals Kyle McDonald - Guitar, Bass, Vocals Host: David Downs - Freelance Journalist
5:00 –6:00 PM Sakura Room	Where Are We Going? Moderator: Jaunique Sealey - Atom Digital Ty Roberts - Gracenote Jack Isquith - Slacker Radio Gabe Adiv - TuneUp Media Julie Lee - VEVO Seth Goldstein - Turntable.fm
5:00 – 6:00pm Spring Room	Interviews Host: Chris Hansen - BAMM.TV Host: Hisham Dahud - Hypebot Neel KetKar - Rovi Dave Dederer - The Presidents of the United States of America / Hewlett-Packard / Audiosocket Joe Satriani - Guitarist / Chickenfoot
5:00 – 6:00 PM Osaka Room	HTML5 Moderator: Doug Rayburn - WhoBet, Inc. Chris Martin - Pandora Peter Siciliano - Beatport Todd Berman - Rdio Marcos Lara - AudioVroom HTML5 Panel sponsored by: Beatport
5:00 – 6:00 PM Garden Room A	Community Conversation: Virtual Goods Host: Sibley Verbeck, The Electric Sheep Company Host: Blake Commagere, DeezGames All are welcome to join an enlightening discussion with industry thought leaders for a productive exchange of ideas and opinions.
6:00 –8:00 PM Imperial Ballroom	Cocktail Party! Sponsored by: LyricFind Pandora R&B Cellars Rosenblum Cellars
8:00PM –10:00PM Yoshi’s Jazz Club	Official After Party! Sponsored by: Eventbrite BitTorrent

#PAX Prime/The Guide

contentnow — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 15:59:55 +0000

PAX Prime is on and coming off the heels of an action-packed GamesCom, fans are going to have much to play. It all begins this Friday, 8/26 with Halo Fest celebrating 10 years, tournaments, panels, parties. The weekend is sold out but there will be tons of coverage from IGN, Game Spot, Machinima, Wikia, Destructoid, Kotaku, Joystiq, etc. We’re just getting started. Below is the first post of the guide. Stay tuned for links, uh formatting, and more:

NCsoft Panel about New Game

NCsoft Presentation Theatre
Friday 10:00am – 10:45am

Panel Presentation by Carbine Studios Staff

Halo: Anniversary

Pegasus Theatre
Friday 10:00am – 11:00am

The team responsible for the 2011 reimagining of the classic Xbox title peel back the cover on the process behind bringing Halo: Anniversary to gamers on the 10th anniversary of Halo: Combat Evolved.

Panelists include: Dan Ayoub [Executive Producer], Dennis Ries [Producer], Frank O’Connor [Franchise Development Director], Kevin Grace [Franchise Manager]

We Study Games…Professionally: Academic Research and Game Studies

Kraken Theatre
Friday 10:30am – 11:30am

Are you interested in studying how games work or the effects they have on people? This group of academic researchers will talk about their projects, recent game studies research and take audience questions. Working in the industry isn’t the only way to turn your interest in games into a job; this panel will even show sweet ways to approach a research paper about games. Join us for a discussion of the state of the art in academic games research.

Panelists include: Todd Harper [MIT], Shawna Kelly [USC/Intel], Mark Chen [University of Washington], Roger Altizer [University of Utah], Christopher Paul [Seattle University], Nathan Dutton [Ohio University]

PAX Prime 2011 Keynote: David Jaffe

Main Theatre
Friday 10:30am – 11:30am

Best known for his work on the God of War and Twisted Metal series, we welcome David Jaffe as he delivers the keynote for PAX 2011.Note: If you don’t make it in, DON’T PANIC…this session will be streamed into Wolfman Theatre.

What They’re Saying About You: How Marketing Segments and Targets Gamers

Raven Theatre
Friday 10:30am – 11:30am

In 2007, Wil Wheaton told PAX that no matter what or how we play, we are all part of the “Gamer Tribe”. But how does the industry divide us up? Come hear from veterans of the publishing, media and advertising worlds on how marketing plans are developed and data like demographics, psychographics and segmentation are built around you.

Panelists include: Ed Davis [Gaming Account Lead, AKQA], Pete Hines [Vice President of Marketing and PR, Bethesda Softworks], Paul Caparotta [Regional Sales Manager, CBS Interactive / GameSpot]

1UP Oddcast Live at PAX

Serpent Theatre
Friday 10:30am – 11:30am

Violence, Boobs, and Nostalgia — are those really the only way games can be sold to us? The 1UP Oddcast crew invites PAX attendees to witness and discuss the most awkward and embarrassing ways games from 2011 are trying to appeal to a core audience. Whether it’s another shooter differentiating itself with offensive content, or Nintendo banking on the memories of our childhood, we’ll explore the various aspects of games that make us laugh, cringe, or even embarrassed to show our friends. The session would include videos of some of gaming’s most glaring offenders for the hosts to riff on, but also allow the audience to participate in a live twitter feed in which the best comments would be included throughout the show.

Panelists include: Tina Sanchez [Community Manager, 1UP], Sam Kennedy [Editorial Director, 1UP], Alice Liang [Associate Managing Editor, 1UP], Chris Plante [Editor, The Daily]

Video Games and Comics: A Natural Partnership?

Unicorn Theatre
Friday 11:00am – 12:00pm

2K Games and Digital Extremes, the team behind The Darkness II, and Mark Silvestri, one of the brains behind The Darkness comics, talk about the challenges and triumphs of making a video game that goes beyond the idea of “spin off”. Come chat with them about their startling design decisions and how they brought the comic book narrative into a video game and as they discuss the challenges of meshing the disparate and passionate fan bases The Darkness has.

Panelists include: Ron Davey [Lead Environment Artist, Digital Extremes], Sheldon Carter [Project Director, Digital Extremes], Seth Olshfski [Producer, 2K Games], Marc Silvestri [CEO, Top Cow], Elizabeth Tobey [Sr. Manager, Interactive Marketing, 2K Games]

Penny Arcade Q&A

Main Theatre
Friday 11:30am – 12:45pm

Make sure to get there early for this one, as it’s one of the most well attended panels of the show. Two mics on stage, two mics in the crowd. Line-up for your questions and Gabe and Tycho will do their best to accommodate!EULA: No “who would win in a fight” questions, and if you’d like to get something signed, there’s a venue for that! (Sunday from 11:30am to 1:30pm in the Queue Room).

Note: If you don’t make it in, DON’T PANIC…this session will be Live Streamed into Wolfman Theatre.

The Angry Video Game Nerd Panel

Pegasus Theatre
Friday 11:30am – 12:30pm

He’s going to take you back to the past with a panel to remember. The Angry Video Game Nerd, James Rolfe, and friends talk AVGN, the nerd movie, Cinemassacre.com, and more. Ask the nerd your most pressing questions. Come for the hilarious retro gaming humor, stick around for the world debut of the next “Nerd” video, and leave still wondering when he’s finally going to review “ET.”

Panelists include: Ryan Schott [Developer, Cinemassacre Productions LLC], Kevin Finn [Writer, Evil Empire Entertainment], James Rolfe [President/"AVGN"/Director, Cinemassacre Productions LLC]

Halo Community: Fragging, Forge, and Flowers

Halo Fest Theatre
Friday 12:00pm – 1:00pm

Kick your PAX weekend off right by hanging out with some of Halo’s most dedicated Community leaders. Panelists include Louis Wu of halo.bungie.org, Adam Grumbo of 405th, Goose Checka of GrifballHub, HC Redemption of Halo Charts, CMNeir of Halo: Reach Tricks, and Dust Storm of Podtacular. There is a Community meet-up immediately following in the Waypoint Lounge.

Resumes, Cover Letters and Websites

Kraken Theatre
Friday 12:00pm – 1:00pm

How many times have you submitted your work to a game studio only to get a rejection letter or no response at all?If this is the case please come to our Resumes, Cover Letters and Websites panel where Jim Rivers Hiring Manager for Obsidian Entertainment, Lindsey McQueeney Internal Recruiter for Big Huge Games/38 Studios and Dino McGraw Manager of Global Staffing for Foundation 9/Double Helix will explain step by step how to write a resume, cover letter and layout a website for submission to a game studio.

We will cover tips and tricks on how to get past the front line of defense of the game industry.

Panelists include: Dino McGraw [Manager of Global Staffing, Foundation 9/Double Helix], Lindsey McQueeney [Internal Recruiter, Big Huge Games/38 Studios], Jim Rivers [Hiring Manager, Obsidian Entertainment]

The Art of the Table: GMing Beyond the Basics

Raven Theatre
Friday 12:00pm – 1:00pm

You’ve sat behind the screen before. You’ve run your players through adventure after adventure. Once you’ve learned the rules, what comes next for a truly good game master? Plot, character, and setting are vital, but what about often overlooked parts of the equation? What exactly is the social contract between players and game master? How is spontaneous improvisation managed? Who really controls the flow of the gaming table? Come dig deeper into what makes a good RPG and what turns a good GM into a great one.

Panelists include: Ben Mandall, Jeff Fasenfest [Go Daddy]

The Harridan’s Guide to the Game Industry

Serpent Theatre
Friday 12:00pm – 1:00pm

From macro to micro, more of a case study than a topical discussion, this panel focuses on the careers of a handful of women in the game industry – detailing how they got into the industry (and how they’d recommend others do it today), how they stayed in the industry (economy = FAIL), what drives them the most crazy about working in games, and why they fight to stay there. Features Emily Diehl (producer, Undead Labs), Michelle Juett (art unicorn, Ska Studios), Annie VanderMeer Mitsoda (game designer, DoubleBear Productions), Linsey Murdock (game designer, ArenaNet), Kate Welch (web developer, ArenaNet) and Fryda Wolff (sound designer, Turtle Rock Studios).

Panelists include: Zoe Curnoe [Development Director, EA Vancouver], Kate Welch [Web Developer, ArenaNet], Annie VanderMeer Mitsoda [Game Designer, DoubleBear Games], Michelle Juett [Art Unicorn, Ska Studio], Fryda Wolff [Sound Designer, Turtle Rock Studios], Linsey Murdock [Game Designer, ArenaNet], Emily Diehl [Producer, Undead Labs]

PC Gamer Presents: The PC in 2011 and 2012

Unicorn Theatre
Friday 12:30pm – 1:30pm

We did a crazy thing. We got tired of the world’s most popular gaming platform not having a formal presence at gaming conventions. So we did something about it. For one special hour, we’ve gathered PC gaming’s best minds and producers and “Voltroned” them together into a giant presentation-giving robot of unlimited power.Rally up as we roll out the red carpet for the platform with the most fans (see what we did there?) and reveal unannounced secret projects, and exhibit world-first live demos from EA, Guild Wars 2, Minecraft, GOG.com, Sony Online, and still more. Hosted by the team that’s been yelling about PC gaming for 15 years, PC Gamer.

Panelists include: Logan Decker [Editor-in-Chief, PC Gamer], Evan Lahti [Senior Editor, PC Gamer], Josh Augustine [Assoc. Editor, PC Gamer], Tyler Wilde [Assoc. Editor, PC Gamer]

Rooster Teeth

Main Theatre
Friday 1:00pm – 2:00pm

You are cordially invited to attend a panel of highbrow entertainment and sophisticated revelry. Join the Rooster Teeth guys and girls as they show off never before seen videos from Red vs. Blue, RT Shorts and a few other surprises. Consistently rated the “Most Entertaining” panel in its theater during its time slot, the Rooster Teeth showcase is an absolute don’t-miss experience. Like being born and eating food. It really is that important; it will change every single aspect of your life, even the parts that you were cool with. Umm… this is starting to sound a little desperate now, so we’re just going to stop typing this.

NCsoft New Game Demo

NCsoft Presentation Theatre
Friday 1:00pm – 1:45pm

Panel Presentation by Carbine Studios Staff

Nik and Dylan Present: Dylan and Nik Crush Your Dreams

Kraken Theatre
Friday 1:30pm – 2:30pm

Nik Davidson has shipped 5 major MMOs, leading design teams on 3 of them, lectured at ten major conferences, winning GDC Austin ’10. Dylan “ExoByte” Mayo has started his own trading card game company, was involved with the birth of the casual PC market, and currently works for Pokémon. More importantly, despite all that, you’ve never heard of either of us! Between the 2 of us, we’ve done roughly everything you can in every aspect of electronic and tabletop gaming. Let us tell you how to _really_ break into the game industry, and why you’re a damn fool if you want to! Learn why no one will steal your game idea, _besides_ it’s probably terrible! Learn from our mistakes, run while you have time, save yourself!

Panelists include: Nik Davidson [Founder, Critical Hit Consulting], Dylan Mayo [Game Design Manager, The Pokémon Company]

Make a Scene with Telltale Games

Raven Theatre
Friday 1:30pm – 2:30pm

Have you ever dreamed of being a creative force in the world of video games? Well, based on previous ‘Make a Scene’ panels in years gone by, that’s unlikely to happen, but you CAN be a part of making something unique and possibly quite mirthsome. Is that a word? Direct the Telltale Games team in the creation of a scene including characters from Back to the Future – The Game: choose the dialog, record the lines and then sit back as they work their magic to bring your ideas to life on the big screen! AJ LoCascio (the voice of Marty McFly) will be on hand to lend his unique talents, but please, no flash photography or sudden movements. He startles easily.

Panelists include: Sean Vanaman, Jake Rodkin

IGN: Don’t Hate Us Because We’re Beautiful (GameScoop Live Podcast)

Serpent Theatre
Friday 1:30pm – 2:30pm

We realize some people think of IGN as the McDonald’s of video game sites. Let us explain why we’re more the In ‘N Out of game sites – we deliver delicious burgers of entertainment with hidden religious propaganda! The IGN Game Scoop! crew (Daemon Hatfield, Greg Miller, Anthony Gallegos, plus other special guests) is here to discuss everything IGN does right and wrong. All IGN lovers and haters are welcome.

Panelists include: Anthony Gallegos [Editor, IGN Entertainment], Greg Miller [Executive Editor, IGN Entertainment], Daemon Hatfield [Senior Editor, IGN Entertainment]

What’s Next for Waypoint

Halo Fest Theatre
Friday 2:00pm – 3:00pm

Community Manager bs angel gets the scoop on the future of Waypoint from the team behind it.

GameTrailers.com Presents: Bonus Round LIVE!

Unicorn Theatre
Friday 2:00pm – 3:00pm

The renowned video game discussion show featuring the biggest names in the industry goes LIVE, for the third year in a row! From debating the most important topics the industry faces, to challenging the convention of the business, Bonus Round has always been known for rallying the facts, the insight, and the future forecasts. In this live discussion, our panel tackles the most relevant industry topics and also gives you a chance to take your questions straight to Geoff Keighley and our esteemed industry insiders!

Panelists include: Geoff Keighley [Host, MTV Networks / GameTrailers], David Jaffe, Ken Levine, Todd Howard

Omegathon Round 1

Wolfman Theatre
Friday 2:00pm – 3:00pm

You know what’s worse than having a blue shell come out of nowhere to wipe you out 20 feet from the finish line? Having a blue shell come out of nowhere to wipe you out 20 feet from the finish line…in the first round of the Omegathon. Oh yes, it’s Mario Kart: Double Dash. We are bad people.

The Guild Wars Live Game: From Inception to Live Update

NCsoft Presentation Theatre
Friday 2:30pm – 3:15pm

Join live team Lead Designer John Stumme, Designers Robert Gee and Andrew Patrick, Programmer Joe Kimmes, and QA team members Zack Nickerson and John Forman for detailed insights into the content design and creation process of the Guild Wars live game. They’ll talk about how each member of the Guild Wars live team contributes to a game update like the new Winds of Change update, and provide hints of things to come!

Wil Wheaton!

Pegasus Theatre
Friday 2:30pm – 3:30pm

Wil Wheaton first came to PAX in 2007, when he gave the keynote address that your parents won’t stop making you listen to in the car. In 2008, he returned for a panel that asked and answered the burning question, “Can Wil Wheaton really be a panel all by himself?” This year, Commodore Wil Wheaton welcomes you aboard the USS AWESOME for 60 minutes of story-telling, lingerie-dodging, mirth-making, myth-making, iconoclasting, and the obligatory burning-questioning … ing.

1UP Presents: Retronauts vs. Your Fondest Memories

Kraken Theatre
Friday 3:00pm – 4:00pm

Retronauts is all about reliving our fond memories of classic games as we stroll through the medium’s history, but sometimes we let our rose-tinted glasses get in the way of objectivity. Well, this episode of 1UP’s live podcast is designed to rectify that. For one hour, we’ll be asking our reader to name their favorite games ever and clinically (albeit lovingly!) explaining exactly what’s wrong with those games. Fair’s fair, though; we’ll be opening the session by talking about our own personal favorites, so there’ll be plenty of time to excoriate our own poor taste. No cow is sacred! Please join us for this cathartic session of objectivity and perspective.

Panelists include: Jeremy Parish [Editor-in-Chief, 1UP], Nich Maragos [Atlus], Chris Kohler [Editor, Wired], Jeff Green [PopCap]

Video Game Music Goes Mainstream

Raven Theatre
Friday 3:00pm – 4:00pm

What was once commonly dismissed as “beeps and bloops” back in the day is now a veritable industry of its own. Video game music is drawing more attention, revenue and acclaim, even getting its own category in the Grammys. Careers in game music are more viable than ever, in large part due to the boom in indie, downloadable and mobile games. Come and hear a wide range of perspectives on game music as “mainstream”, from artists who perform, write and help popularize game music.

Panelists include: David Lloyd [owner, OverClocked ReMix], Luke Esquivel [owner, Wave Theory], Raheem Jarbo [owner, Random A.K.A. Mega Ran], Danny Baranowsky [owner, dB soundworks], Larry Oji [other, OverClocked ReMix]

Getting Past Forums: The Future of Community

Serpent Theatre
Friday 3:00pm – 4:00pm

The days of throwing a forum on a website and calling it ‘community’ are over. Facebook Integration, YouTube Uploads, Twitter Updates, User Generated Content, and more are causing the way we think and participate in the community to change at an incredible pace. In this panel we talk to various community managers about how community has changed since they started and where they think the next steps will be.

Panelists include: Kimi Matsuzaki [Senior Community Developer, Ubisoft/Red Storm], Gabriel Graziani [Senior Community Developer, Ubisoft], J Goldberg [Community Manager, Volition], James Stevenson [Senior Community Manager, Insomniac Games], Collin Moore [Community Manager, Sucker Punch]

Then and Now: How Competitive Gaming Has Changed

Unicorn Theatre
Friday 3:30pm – 4:30pm

Then and now, original competitive gamers who began during the classic arcade era and modern competitive gamers talk about what it was like starting out in an industry where playing games for a living was something new and unheard of and where today it provides different challenges. Attendees can learn about what the classic gamers who started the world of professional gaming are now and about challenges faced and overcome through the years.

Panelists include: Sanford Kelly [Empire Arcadia], TriForce Johnson [Council of Gaming Legends/Empire Arcadia], Ben Gold [Council of Gaming Legends], Billy Mitchell [Council of Gaming Legends], Todd Rogers [Council of Gaming Legends]

Change at a Moment’s Notice… User Interface

Wolfman Theatre
Friday 3:30pm – 4:30pm

UI Design, Art and Programming are the most integral parts in the development of a game and often the most overlooked. Great UI and a strong technical foundation can make a game whereas bad UI can destroy even the best of projects. Prevent this travesty by joining the WB Games UI team in a discussion where you’ll learn to become a troublemaker with multiple personality disorder who can speak the ever changing language of interface design and make enjoyable relevant experiences for their users.

Panelists include: Ted Snook [UI Engineer, WB Games], Stephen Whetstine [Senior UI Artist, WB Games], Jim Ingraham [Art Lead UI, WB Games], Tyler Carpenter [UX Designer, WB Games]

The Art of City of Heroes Freedom

NCsoft Presentation Theatre
Friday 4:00pm – 4:45pm

Join Matt “Positron” Miller, Gilbert “El Topo” Martinez, and Nate “Second Measure” Birkholz as they discuss the rich tradition of art in the world’s number one Super Heroic MMORPG, and how they’re continuing to innovate with City of Heroes Freedom.

Halo Universe

Pegasus Theatre
Friday 4:00pm – 5:00pm

Over the past decade Halo has touched millions of people around the world. Come be a part of the 10th anniversary celebration as we welcome some of the people who helped bring the universe to life. Panelists include Franchise Development Director Frank O’Connor, Franchise Manager Kevin Grace, Pete Stacker (Captain Jacob Keyes), Tim Dadabo (343 Guilty Spark), and Steve Downes (Master Chief).

Musical Guests Panel

Kraken Theatre
Friday 4:30pm – 5:30pm

Join a mix of our musical guests as they tell stories about their experiences as geek rock icons, what it’s like to have an Internet fanbase, the games and other influences they’ve had along the way, and what you should and shouldn’t do if you’re interested in starting up a band in this genre.

Designing and Publishing a Tabletop Roleplaying Game

Raven Theatre
Friday 4:30pm – 5:30pm

Many tabletop roleplayers have dreams of designing and publishing their own roleplaying game. In this panel, tabletop designers Vincent Baker, Elizabeth Sampat, Jake Richmond, John Harper, and Ben Lehman will take you step by step through the process of game development, playtesting, marketing, printing, and fulfillment; talking about their own experiences and pitfalls along the way.If you have a game in progress, whether a simple idea or a finished draft, please bring it along.

Panelists include: Ben Lehman, Elizabeth Sampat, Vincent Baker, Jake Richmond, John Harper

How The Hell Do I Get My Foot In The Door?

Serpent Theatre
Friday 4:30pm – 5:30pm

So you’re over just playing games – you want to work on them. That’s awesome – but how do you get started? How do you get industry experience without having worked in the industry before? Is there one straightforward path to making a career in videogames? Join a few folks from around the industry as they offer insight into nontraditional paths into the industry, resume writing tips, interview strategies, networking, and much more. Find out what recruiters and managers are looking for in new hires as well as how to leverage experience you may have towards getting that awesome gig you’ve been eying.

Panelists include: Lisa Mason [Software Development Manager, The Nerdery], Sam Houston [Online Content Manager, Playfish - EA], James Stevenson [Senior Community Manager for Insomniac Games, Insomniac Games], Lindsey McQueeney [Manager of Talent Acquisition, 38 Studios LLC/Big Huge Games], John Drake [Director, Communications and PR, Harmonix Music Systems, Inc], Jim Rivers [Hiring Manager, Obsidian]

Retrogame Roadshow: Are Your Old Games Actually Buried Treasure?

Unicorn Theatre
Friday 5:00pm – 6:00pm

Television shows like “Pawn Stars” and “Antiques Roadshow” have captured the imagination of Americans who would love to find a priceless collectible at a yard sale. There’s just one thing missing — classic videogames. No longer. Bring the rarities from your collection, and you’ll have a chance to come up on stage and have your games appraised and evaluated by our handpicked panel of experts. Along the way, the whole audience will learn some fascinating tidbits about gaming history!

Panelists include: Frank Cifaldi [Writer, Freelance], Mike Mika [Producer, Other Ocean], Chris Kohler [Editor, Wired.com], Steve Lin [VP of Operations, OpenFeint]

@XboxSupport: Customer Support in 140 Characters or Less

Wolfman Theatre
Friday 5:00pm – 6:00pm

What is the Elite Tweet Fleet? Come meet and chat with members of Microsoft’s @XboxSupport Twitter handle about the joys and challenges of providing support for Xbox and Xbox LIVE in less than 140 characters. Members of the Tweet Fleet and Forums Support team will be on hand to answer questions and discuss helping customers through social media.

Panelists include: James Degnan [Microsoft], Rob Hultkrantz [Microsoft], Jamie Clark [Microsoft], Jesse Gamble [Microsoft], Khoa Nguyen [Microsoft], McKenzie Eakin [Manager, Microsoft]

The ArenaNet Community Team

NCsoft Presentation Theatre
Friday 5:30pm – 6:15pm

Join ArenaNet Community Team members Martin Kerstein, Regina Buenaobra, and Stéphane Lo Presti as they discuss ArenaNet’s philosophy and approach to community. They’ll discuss what they do on a daily basis as community managers and provide insights into the field of community management from the perspective of managing the Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 communities. If you’ve ever wanted to know more about what community managers do-and specifically what ArenaNet’s community managers do-this is the panel for you!

Kris and Scott’s Blamimation ALIVE!

Pegasus Theatre
Friday 5:30pm – 6:30pm

You’ve heard the stories. You’ve even seen the legends on Penny Arcade TV. But how does the Blamimation team of Scott Kurtz (pvponline.com) and Kris Straub (chainsawsuit.com) hold up in person? Not great… if you were expecting bullshit. Watch live onstage as Kris and Scott coax eight irreverent, dumb and oft-profane minutes into a full hour for your entertainment! With these two, it’s not as hard as it sounds.

Hollywood Squares, Game Design Edition

Kraken Theatre
Friday 6:00pm – 7:00pm

Nine games industry experts take the stage in this PAX exclusive Hollywood Squares style gameshow. Join in the fun through audience participation while you learn the inside scoop on a variety of game design topics.

Assassin’s Creed Revelations – LIVE ON-STAGE DEMO AND TOBUSCUS PERFORMANCE

Main Theatre
Friday 6:00pm – 7:00pm

Join members of the Assassin’s Creed Revelations development team for a live on-stage demo of the thrilling fourth installment in the critically acclaimed entertainment franchise. Be part of the first audience in the nation to see all new gameplay of the single-player campaign, starring the wiser and more lethal master assassin Ezio Auditore, as he makes his journey to Constantinople. The panel will close with a special guest musical performance of the LITERAL Assassin’s Creed Revelations Trailer by Tobuscus!

Can Mommy & Daddy Come Over to Play? – The Truth About Being a Gamer Parent

Raven Theatre
Friday 6:00pm – 7:00pm

Can I please play for just a little bit longer?” This is a familiar sentence uttered in households around the country. But what if it’s the PARENTS saying that and not the kids? Does having kids REALLY change your life THAT much? And what if video games ARE your job? How do you balance both? Come join our panel of precocious parents as we share our stories of being gamer parents and how we learned that having kids doesn’t mean the games have to stop. Being a parent just means we’ve reached a whole new level of gameplay. (Plus, kids mean we have built-in co-op players!) Our Gamer Parent panel will include: Jeff Green of PopCap Games, Justin Korthof of Robot Entertainment, Jessica Shea of 343i & others with Stephanie Bayer of Microsoft Game Studios moderating.

Panelists include: Jessica Shea [Community Manager, 343i], Justin Korthof [Community Manager, Robot Entertainment], Jeff Green [Director of Editorial & Social Media, PopCap Games], Stephanie Bayer [Customer Engagement Lead, PopCap Games], Jamileh Delcambre [Free Agent of Awesome, Underemployed], Christa Charter [Freelance Marketing/Community Manager]

It’s About All of Us: A Follow Up To PAX East’s The Other Us Panel

Serpent Theatre
Friday 6:00pm – 7:00pm

At PAX East 2011, a group of panelists got together to hold a discussion about gender and video games. Using reactions to Abbie Heppe’s review of Metroid: Other M, the panel and audience participants discussed issues of gender, sexuality, race, class and other topics as they relate to gaming communities. For PAX Prime the panelists are reconvening to open up a broader discussion about improving our industry, communities, and the culture of video games. We’ll be checking in w/audience participants from the first panel and discussing events that have occurred since PAX East. Topics covered will include: defining industry vs. fan experience, accountability, community improvements, defining trash talk vs. harassment. Audience participation will be highly encouraged at this panel.

Panelists include: Eric Pope [Community Manager, Harmonix Music Systems, Inc.], Justin McElroy [Reviews Editor , Joystiq], Yesenia Cisneros [Tester, CompuCom Games], Jennifer Kye [Freelance, Freelance], Arne Meyer [Sr. Community Strategist at Naughty Dog, Naughty Dog], Abbie Heppe [Community Manager, Respawn Entertainment]

Major Nelson Radio: Live!

Unicorn Theatre
Friday 6:30pm – 7:30pm

Join Major Nelson, e, lollipop and Stepto as they record the weekly Major Nelson podcast live! You never know what special guests are going to drop by, what prizes will be handed out, or what crazy questions they will get from the audience during the Q&A. Join the entire cast for an unforgettable hour of dysfunction.

Omegathon Round 2

Wolfman Theatre
Friday 6:30pm – 7:30pm

Have you played Bananagrams? It’s like Scrabble only not boring and for old people. Perhaps you do not believe us when we say letter tiling is Omegathon worthy, even if it’s of an extreme nature, but we can assure you we’ve devised a way for this round to not only be exciting… BUT DEADLY.

Mega64 Based Panel

Pegasus Theatre
Friday 7:00pm – 8:00pm

Mega64 is here, we’re gonna do some things. We’ll let you ask some questions, let you ask their face. We got new vids, yeah.

The PAX 10 Panel: Part 1

Kraken Theatre
Friday 7:30pm – 8:30pm

The PAX 10 is a showcase of independent games to be exhibited at PAX. Our group of 50 industry experts have culled a selection of games into what they collectively feel are the ten best in regard to gameplay and overall fun-factor. Join the creators of those games LIVE and on stage! Questions will be asked! Answers may appear! And you will get a chance to talk to these up and coming indie game superstars. This panel will feature the creators of Antichamber, Fez, Snapshot, Vanessa Saint-Pierre Delacroix & Her Nightmare, and Word Fighter.

Movin’ On Up 2: How to Make It (or not) in Videogames Journalism The Sequel

Raven Theatre
Friday 7:30pm – 8:30pm

We are back for our annual panel where we tell you how you’re doing it wrong, what you are doing right, and then John and Chris get into an argument about game reviews. We’ll drop knowledge on how to get your site or your writing noticed, how to run into the “right” people, and how to just get started in the first place – all straight from the PR folks you want to get in touch with and videogames journalists who have gone virtual unknowns to writing for some of the biggest sites or publications out there. Three out of four panelists agree that this is THE panel to attend if you are looking to get started in videogames journalism or want to get a leg up over the rest of the writing hacks out there. We’ll also dedicate a good amount of time to answer to your questions, so come prepared!

Panelists include: Arne Meyer [Community Strategist, Naughty Dog], John Drake [Director of Communications and Brand Management, Harmonix Music Systems], Chris Kohler [Game|Life Editor, Wired.com], Patrick Klepek [News Editor, Giant Bomb]

Submitting for Success: Tips to Develop a Freelance Illustration Career

Serpent Theatre
Friday 7:30pm – 8:30pm

This panel, led by Wizards of the Coast Art Directors, will be divided into three parts:Part 1 – Submissions will cover building a strong portfolio, how to solicit your work, and how to avoid pitfalls and avoid not getting the job.

Part 2 – Congratulations, you got the job! Now what? Topics covered include contracts, deadlines, and professional courtesy

Part 3 – Q&A with Art Directors

Crabcat Industries Presents: Revenge of the Cosplayers

Unicorn Theatre
Friday 8:00pm – 9:00pm

Here at Crabcat Industries, we know that cosplayers are a vital part of any convention. Your picture gets taken, you end up on G4TV segments, and your costume becomes someone’s internet meme. But how often are you appreciated for the hours you spent sewing on your grandmother’s broken machine, or those glue gun burns? You know they’re the worst! Holly will talk about professional level costuming techniques that you can do in your garage! Join us for nonsensical fun and the inevitable moment when Jessica calls cosplayers ‘Shamans’. Just wait for it. Also, there will be explosions (note to fire marshal: there will be no explosions… but there will be a costume contest!).

Panelists include: David Shapiro, Hilary Shapiro [Gunnery Chief, Crabcat Industries], Jessica Merizan [Executive Officer, Crabcat Industries], Holly Conrad [Commander, Crabcat Industries], Sean Walsh

Friday Night Concerts

Main Theatre
Friday 8:30pm – 1:30am

Break out your cell phone and handheld gaming screens and get ready to rock out to the Video Game Orchestra, MC Frontalot, Metroid Metal, and the Minibosses.Note: If you don’t make it in, DON’T PANIC…the concerts will be streamed into Wolfman Theatre.

The Giant Bomb Variety Hour

Pegasus Theatre
Friday 8:30pm – 10:30pm

The world’s most dangerous website returns to the Penny Arcade Expo with new thrills! New chills! New tales from the halls of videogamedom! Along with the Giant Bomb crew comes a cavalcade of new guests and old friends who will reveal their inner-most secrets and offer you a five-step program to pure game industry power! Want to make your own games? Want to purchase your own games? Interested in puppet shows? All of these topics will be covered in filthy, dirty detail.

Panelists include: Jeff Gerstmann [Editor, Giant Bomb], Ryan Davis [Editor, Giant Bomb], Brad Shoemaker [Editor, Giant Bomb], Vinny Caravella [(Video) Editor, Giant Bomb], Patrick Klepek [News Editor, Giant Bomb]

The Totally Rad Show LIVE!

Raven Theatre
Friday 9:00pm – 10:00pm

Come checkout an exciting live version of TRS!

Panelists include: Jeff Cannata [Host, TRS], Dan Trachtenberg [Host, TRS], Alex Albrecht [Host, TRS], Meg Campbell [Camera, TRS]

Twisted Pixel Variety Hour

Serpent Theatre
Friday 9:00pm – 10:00pm

Twisted Pixel presents the games that make us Twisted. We have 5 games so we will provide info on all of them and how they came to be. Some topics will be what it’s like to be a smaller developer, and how we got to be where we are. We will also touch on how our game ideas came to be. We will discuss the recently released Ms. Splosion Man, follow up to our 2009 award winning Summer of Arcade title Splosion Man. We will also delve into our soon to be released Kinect title The Gunstringer which will be released as our first retail title on September 13th. We will do a contest giveaway for 1 or more lucky attendees, as well as swag giveaways. Chainsaw will perform a live song from one of our games, and we will do a Q&A with the developers.

Panelists include: Mike Wilford [CEO, Twisted Pixel], Matt “Chainsaw” Chaney [Lead Programmer, Twisted Pixel], Jay Stuckwisch [Marketing Director/2D Artist, Twisted Pixel]

The LoadingReadyRun Panel

Unicorn Theatre
Friday 9:30pm – 10:30pm

LoadingReadyRun, producers of Unskippable, CheckPoint, Feed Dump, ENN & Daily Drop, and organizers of the Desert Bus for Hope fundraiser, will delight and amaze you with new videos and answers to your questions! Come hang out!

Fallout: Nuka Break Fan Film Screening and Q&A

Raven Theatre
Friday 10:00pm – 12:00am

Wayside Creations presents the first public screening of their popular Fallout fan film, Fallout: Nuka Break. Afterwards, join the creator/lead actor Zack Finfrock and the rest of the cast in an open mic Q&A about the making of the film, as well as talking about fan films in general and the art of bringing the Fallout universe to the real world!

Panelists include: Zack Finfrock [Creator/Lead Actor, Wayside Creations], Tybee Diskin [Actor], Aaron Giles [Actor], Melaine Wagor [Producer]

I Got Next Screening and Q&A

Serpent Theatre
Friday 10:00pm – 11:30pm

Love fighting games? Check out “I Got Next,” a feature length documentary on the fighting video game scene. “I Got Next” follows four prominent players within the fighting game community, Justin Wong, Ryan “Gootecks” Gutierrez, Joe “iloveu” Ciaramelli and Mike Ross through their experiences in the scene during release of Street Fighter 4 in 2009, which has caused a resurgence in the fighting game genre and a rekindling of the East Coast/West Coast rivalry that had died down in years past. Join director Ian Cofino, with Mike Ross, Ryan Gutierrez and Justin Wong afterward for a discussion and Q&A of the film and the community.

Panelists include: Justin Wong [Community Representative, Nexon], Ryan Gutierrez [Producer, Cross Counter TV], Mike Ross [Producer, Cross Counter TV], Ian Cofino [Director, I Got Next]

LoadingReadyRun Movie Night!

Unicorn Theatre
Friday 10:30pm – 11:30pm

Join the whole LRR crew for some of our favourite vids and other fun stuff. We’ll all be there to hang out and answer your questions. If you missed talking to us during our panel, we’d love to see you here.

ArenaNet Artists Review Your Portfolio

NCsoft Presentation Theatre
Saturday 10:00am – 10:45am

Are you an aspiring game artist? Would you like pointers about how to improve your portfolio? At this session, ArenaNet artists will be on hand to review portfolios that include 2D and 3D art. Get advice on how to put together an awesome portfolio that will get you noticed, and tips on how to improve your art so you can get your foot in the door of the games industry. Bring your best work!

The Yogscast – Digging a Hole

Pegasus Theatre
Saturday 10:00am – 11:00am

One man, one dwarf… The Yogscast are the runaway hit of the UK webcasting scene, bringing their irrepressible humour, Jaffa Cakes and gaming experience ‘to a world they did not understand’. Millions of viewers have watched them struggle (and sometimes fail) with WoW, Minecraft, Portal 2, Rift and Fable III. Here, the Yogscast are streamed live from the UK to explore the world of Minecraftia, answer questions, and maybe even sing a song about digging a hole. Starring Simon and Lewis, with the cast of Shadow of Israphel, and hosted from the floor by Dr Esther MacCallum-Stewart.

Panelists include: Hannah Rutherford [Owl Keeper, Yogscast], Simon Lane [Miner, Yogscast], Lewis Brindley [Spaceman, Yogscast], Esther MacCallum-Stewart [Host, The University of Chichester / DiGRA]

Journeyquest Season 1 Showing and Panel

Raven Theatre
Saturday 10:00am – 11:30am

From the makers of The Gamers, and Dorkness Rising comes the 1st Season of JourneyQuest! See the new fantasy based web series created by Writer/Director Matt Vancil. Panel and Q & A afterwords discussing the pros and cons of working outside the studio system, how to go about releasing a web series, how to land major Hollywood talent to give your project a step up, and exciting news about Season 2!

Panelists include: Beau Prichard [Publicist, ZOE/Dead Gentlemen], Brian Lewis [Performer, Dead Gentlemen], Matt Vancil [Director/Writer, DG], Jen Page [Performer, DG], Tony Becerra [Publicist, ZOE/Dead Gentlemen], Christian Doyle [Performer, Dead Gentlemen], Samara Lerman [Assassin, JourneyQuest], Kevin Pitman [Glorion, JourneyQuest]

Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin’

Kraken Theatre
Saturday 10:30am – 11:30am

For the first time ever, the entire cast of the not-quite-hit web series “Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin’” will be at PAX Prime. Ashly, Anthony, Justin and Papa Burch will be available to answer questions (such as, “do you guys know that Papa Burch is the best part of your stupid show?”), tell stories (such as, “that time we realized Papa Burch was the best part of our stupid show”), and premiere a brand-new episode of HAWP (probably including Papa Burch).

Panelists include: Justin Yngelmo, Ashly Burch, David Burch, Anthony Burch, Ashley Davis

Make a Strip

Main Theatre
Saturday 10:30am – 12:00pm

Ever wonder what goes into making a Penny Arcade comic? Join Gabe and Tycho in the Main Theatre and take part in creating Monday’s HILARIOUS comic.

Infinite Respawn: How Gaming Can Keep & Save Your Relationship

Serpent Theatre
Saturday 10:30am – 11:30am

Video games have been the scapegoat for many of society’s ills, but not enough is being said about how video games are creating positive, happy, and loving relationships between families, partners, and married couples. Join us as we share not just tips but funny anecdotes and personal stories of gaming sessions that help bring people closer, including the saving of a fractured relationship. Have stories of your own to share, come to the panel and bestow the story on your fellow PAX following.

Panelists include: Chris Brown [Site Owner & Host, The Married Gamers], Christa Charter [Trixie Enterprises], Aubrey Norris [Deep Silver], Dan Amrich [Activision], Elizabeth Parmeter [Editor-In-Chief, GamingAngels], Zachary Snell

The Journey of Taitale Studios

Unicorn Theatre
Saturday 11:00am – 12:00pm

How A Teenager Created An Indie Start-up That Created The World’s First True MMORTS – A conversation with Founder and CEO, Nick Talmers Nieuwoudt and Curtis Silver of Wired.com’s Geek DadsLearn the story of Nick Talmers Nieuwoudt, who went from South African Olympic hopeful to winning Crysis tournaments and meet the world class team that was willing to take on the daunting challenge of creating Novus Aeterno, the world’s first seamless and persistent MMORTS. Spend an hour hearing a truly inspirational story of adversity and how overcoming personal obstacles can lead to big ideas and achieving great things.

City of Heroes Freedom is the Future!

NCsoft Presentation Theatre
Saturday 11:30am – 12:15pm

City of Heroes Freedom is coming! Join the Paragon Studios Development Team as they talk about the bold changes coming to the world’s leading Super Heroic MMORPG with the launch of City of Heroes Freedom and Issue 21. Matt “Positron” Miller, Nate “Second Measure” Birkholz, Gilbert “El Topo” Martinez and others discuss why Freedom is the Future for City of Heroes.

PC Gaming is (Not) Dead

Pegasus Theatre
Saturday 11:30am – 12:30pm

Join Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan for a live presentation of Razer’s new, groundbreaking project for PC Gamers worldwide. If you were impressed with Razer’s Switchblade concept, which won the Best of CES 2011 People’s Voice Award, wait until you get a load of what Razer has in store for you at PAX Prime. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience first-hand, the hottest thing to redefine the industry. The official worldwide announcement will be made during this session at PAX Prime, and don’t miss your chance to win epic Razer gear! Q&A session to follow the presentation.

Panelists include: Min-Liang Tan [CEO, Razer]

Bungie: Hatching the Cosmic Halo Egg

Halo Fest Theatre
Saturday 12:00pm – 1:00pm

At this year’s PAX, Halo Fest is enormous! But ten years ago, it only took a small core of ambitious Bungie developers to fill the Halo universe with life. In this panel, the birth mother and father of Halo-Joseph Staten and Marty O’Donnell-along with a handful of Bungie alumni discuss the origins and development of the Halo franchise, and field your questions from the Community.

The Agony and Ecstasy of RPG Writing

Kraken Theatre
Saturday 12:00pm – 1:00pm

More than any other genre, role-playing games are known for their story – such that their success may entirely depend on it! But how do you wrangle scripts that may clock in at thousands of lines? How do you organize complex webs of character choices? And how do you manage to create unique and memorable characters after you’ve already made dozens?! Join an array of game writer/designers to hear them share their knowledge and tales of triumph and tragedy.

Panelists include: John Gonzales [Writer, Warner Bros], Travis Stout [Writer/Designer, Obsidian Entertainment], Annie VanderMeer Mitsoda [Content Designer, ArenaNet], Brian Mitsoda [Creative Director, DoubleBear Productions], Jeff Grub

OC ReMix: Making Sweet, Sweet Love to Video Game Music Since 1999

Raven Theatre
Saturday 12:00pm – 1:00pm

You like video game music? Koji Kondo? Nobuo Uematsu? Of course you do, they’re awesome. Come on down and celebrate the greatness of VGM with OC ReMix founder David “djpretzel” Lloyd, head judge Larry “Liontamer” Oji and OCR’s elite staff of video game music ninjas! Whether you want to create OC ReMixes, compose for indie & pro video games, or just listen to badass game music, we’re here to bestow advice and recommend awesome music. Get the scoop on upcoming OC ReMix albums from games like NiGHTS, Mega Man X, Donkey Kong Country 3 & Final Fantasy 9! You can also win FREE limited edition physical copies of our Sonic the Hedgehog album: The Sound of Speed (Sonic 1, son!), AND other merchandise for people that are awesome at our SECRET CHALLENGE. Come rock out with us and win some swag!

Panelists include: Justin Medford [Judge, OverClocked ReMix, LLC], Jimmy Hinson [Composer: Mass Effect 2, Wall of Sound inc], Larry Oji [Community Manager & Head Submissions Evaluator, OverClocked ReMix, LLC], David Lloyd [Founder & President, OverClocked ReMix, LLC], Stevo Bortz [Staff, OverClocked ReMix, LLC]

Discover the Forgotten Masters

Serpent Theatre
Saturday 12:00pm – 1:00pm

For every one game you know and love, ten are forgotten to time. While most of these “lost” games are, to be perfectly, brutally honest, unplayable monstrosities, there are more diamonds in the rough than one might expect. Join us for some “gaming archaeology” as we explore the surprisingly elegant mechanics of a number of games you’ve likely never heard of (and should probably steal ideas from), games like Sopwith or Outlaw! Game design has come a long way, but there are still lessons from the past that are perennially forgotten. Experience the best of the lost, first-hand!

Panelists include: Brandon “Rym” DeCoster [Producer, GeekNights], Scott Rubin [Host, GeekNights], Emily Compton [Lead Artist, Muse Games]

How to Run Your Own Gaming Website and Win at Life

Unicorn Theatre
Saturday 12:30pm – 1:30pm

Why do most new gaming sites fail? If you’ve ever thought about creating your own, have trouble running one, or just want a damn job at one, I have a lot to say. Over the last 5 years I’ve grown my personal blog into Destructoid.com, an independent gaming community that reaches over 4 million every month. My presentation also features insights from the founders of IGN, ScrewAttack, GiantBomb, CheapAssGamer, and TheEscapist.I will waste no time on vague motivational crap: Topics include what to focus on first, technical set-up, working with PR people, growing traffic, avoiding stupid mistakes, taking necessary risks, making money, and how to break out from the pack — followed by the usual rowdy Q/A session.

Panelists include: Yanier Gonzalez [Founder, Destructoid], Sean St Clair [Moderator, Glyde], Craig Skistimas [CEO, ScrewAttack], Tara Long [Host, Revision3], Nick Chester [Editor-in-Chief, Destructoid]

From 0 to Indie in 5 Easy Steps

Wolfman Theatre
Saturday 12:30pm – 1:30pm

Want to make video games but not quite sure where to start? Curious to see what goes into making those great indie games you love? Interested in hearing developers argue about a secret-sauce list for making delicious video game burgers? Then come to our talk and learn the 5 easy steps* for getting started and creating that indie masterpiece. *Note: 5 easy steps may not be steps, easy, or 5. No refunds. Funny hats welcome.

Panelists include: Chris Harvey [Co-Founder, DrinkBoxStudios], Jake Kazdal [Art Director, Haunted Temple Studios], Matt Gilgenbach [Co-Founder, 24 Caret Games], Eitan Glinert [Fire Chief, Fire Hose Games]

NCsoft Panel about New Game

NCsoft Presentation Theatre
Saturday 1:00pm – 1:45pm

Panel Presentation by Carbine Studios Staff

Guild Wars 2: Designing a Cooperative Experience

Pegasus Theatre
Saturday 1:00pm – 2:00pm

In this in-depth presentation, Guild Wars 2 Lead Designer Eric Flannum and Lead Content Designer Colin Johanson will take a look at the history of player vs. environment (PvE) in massively multiplayer online games. Has PvE been about player cooperation or competition? Where is the PvE format headed and what impact will it have on future games? Eric and Colin will discuss how they are developing Guild Wars 2 as a cooperative PvE experience, and will break down how each aspect of system and content design can either encourage or discourage cooperative gameplay. Using specific examples from their development history, they will illustrate both successes and failures of different PvE design approaches. Anyone interested in the future of MMO gaming shouldn’t miss this panel!

Panelists include: Eric Flannum [Lead Designer, ArenaNet], Colin Johanson [Lead Content, ArenaNet]

Ask the Dungeon Master

Kraken Theatre
Saturday 1:30pm – 2:30pm

Being a great Dungeon Master requires a variety of skills. Part referee, part storyteller, and part actor; the art of the Dungeon Master is in combining all of these talents to become a superhuman, D&D-propelling package. Join a team as they discuss various tips and tricks to bring the best adventure to your players, as well as ways to make them equal participants in the story. A Q&A session will follow the panel discussion.

Panelists include: Chris Perkins, Chris Tulach, Greg Bilsland

The Ivory Tower: BA, MA, PhD in Games Studies WTFBBQ?

Raven Theatre
Saturday 1:30pm – 2:30pm

Dozens of trade schools already teach how to make games. Did you know that you can also study games from an academic perspective?Whether it’s a film major studying Alan Wake, or an anthropologist analyzing the cultural aspects of gaming, the study of games has gained increased popularity in universities the world over, even becoming its own standalone discipline. This panel of uber-nerds will discuss: What use is this academic research to gamers and/or developers? How can you become a games studies scholar? What kind of research needs to be done–and what’s just fluff?

Panelists include: Elisa Melendez [Frag Doll Cadette, Ubisoft], Avery Alix [Product Manager, PopCap Games], Morgan Romine [Frag Doll Captain, Ubisoft]

Gamers Doing Good, How Video Games Change People’s Lives

Serpent Theatre
Saturday 1:30pm – 2:30pm

The AbleGamers Foundation will present a panel on how video games can change people’s lives for the better. From managing depression to making a stay in the hospital more bearable, games have the power to make things happen. AGF will partner with 2 or 3 gaming charities to highlight our missions and to share how we use games to make everyone’s world a better place.

Panelists include: Johnny Richardson [Developer, Jack Morton Worldwide], Ryan Sharp [President , Get Well Gamers], Ben Heckendorn, Mark Barlet [President, AbleGamers Foundation], Stefanie Doctor Shea [Gamers Outreach], Kari Toyama [Fight Like a Girl]

Halo: Building a Universe of Toys and Collectibles

Halo Fest Theatre
Saturday 2:00pm – 3:00pm

Meet some of the biggest names in the toy and collectible industry and get an exclusive first look at upcoming Halo products! Get the scoop from fan favorites McFarlane Toys, MEGA Bloks, and NKOK.

Irrational Games

Unicorn Theatre
Saturday 2:00pm – 3:00pm

In 2007, the BioShock review in The Los Angeles Times concluded, “Sure, it’s fun to play, looks spectacular and is easy to control. But it also does something no other game has done to date: It really makes you feel.” Those last few words really struck a chord with the development team. How can a game express the complexities of a relationship between characters? How can the player interact, feel and become emotionally connected to them? In 2012, Irrational Games looks to provide the answers with the stars of BioShock Infinite, Elizabeth and Booker Dewitt. Join Ken Levine (Creative Director, Irrational Games), Troy Baker (Voice of Booker DeWitt), and Courtnee Draper (Voice of Elizabeth) as they discuss the evolution of Elizabeth and Booker as characters, as well as their relationship in-game and its impact on the player’s experience.

Panelists include: Ken Levine [Creative Director, Irrational Games], Troy Baker [Voice of Booker DeWitt, Irrational Games], Courtnee Draper [Voice of Elizabeth]

Omegathon Round 3

Wolfman Theatre
Saturday 2:00pm – 3:00pm

Are you a swiftly falling block of four colors? Do you generate hypnotic rhythms in sync with player actions? No? Well then the Omeganauts do not give two shits about you.

Goddess of Destruction: First Look

NCsoft Presentation Theatre
Saturday 2:30pm – 3:15pm

Be one of the first to experience Lineage II: Goddess of Destruction before it releases this fall. You’ll see the overhauled newbie zone, the process for trading up to more powerful Awakening skills, what happens during Awakening, plus a few other surprises! This will be the first-ever showing in English of this much anticipated Fantasy PVP MMO, including a Q&A session with the games producer and the community manager. You can find more game info at www.lineage2.com. All attendees will receive a 6″ plushie and 30 free days of Lineage II: High Five as a thank-you gift.

A Panel on Panels: Creating the Comic Inspired Cutscence of inFAMOUS 2

Pegasus Theatre
Saturday 2:30pm – 3:30pm

Come and see how we create our distinct comic inspired cutscenes. Starting from the script to storyboarding to inking to composite and post production. We are going to cover it all. You will get to see some never before versions of cutscenes. Here is a trailer on the style we are going to be talking about, inFAMOUS 2 2D Comic Cutscene. We will also have some special treats for those that show up, so this isn’t something you want to miss! Join Dave Malloy (Video Production Creative Lead), Jance Allen ( Composimator), Mike Haney (Senior Artist), Edward Pun (Digital Penciler), and Collin Moore (Community Manager) for an hour of fun.

Fat, Ugly or Slutty: Exposing Harassment in Online Gaming

Kraken Theatre
Saturday 3:00pm – 4:00pm

This panel is NSFW! It’s also a little disturbing… and maybe a little funny. We’ll laugh at some of the ‘spirited’ things that online gamers are saying to one another, as well as discuss some of the issues with harassment in gaming. Join the staff of FatUglyorSlutty.com as we debate some of the finer points of John Gabriel’s “Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory”.

Panelists include: Grace (gtz) [Co-founder, FatUglyorSlutty.com], Jon (inklesspen) [Co-founder, FatUglyorSlutty.com], Jennifer (likeOMGitsFEDAY) [Co-founder, FatUglyorSlutty.com], Morgan Romine [Frag Doll Team Captain & PhD Candidate, Ubisoft & UC Irvine]

Game Development Secrets Exposed: Everything You Wanted To Know

Raven Theatre
Saturday 3:00pm – 4:00pm

Sausages and video games. People say that if you love them, you don’t really want to know how they get made. If you’re unwise enough to ignore that warning, then this is the talk for you!Commercial game developers these days aren’t allowed to say anything honest to the public without it being filtered through ten layers of PR and marketing people. That means every time you hear about a game, you hear the same bland bull about “commercial realities,” and “unexpected constraints,” and “DRM to enhance the user experience,” and “cracking open the skulls of our users in order to feast upon their tender brainmeats, while giving their credit cards to the Russian mafia.”

In this talk, Morgan Jaffit (ex Irrational, Relic, Pandemic now indie dev) tells you all about how the sausage is made!

Panelists include: Morgan Jaffit [Director, Defiant Development]

Behind the Scenes with League of Legends: Dominion

Serpent Theatre
Saturday 3:00pm – 4:00pm

Description: Join members of the Riot Games development team behind the exciting new game mode for League of Legends: Dominion. Available hands-on at PAX, Dominion is an all-new capture-and-hold game mode for the uber-popular multiplayer online battle arena. This panel will break down the nuts and bolts of Dominion, providing an exclusive peek into the design and development of the mode, followed by an extensive Q&A where Summoners can ask their most burning questions about the soon-to-be-released feature.Panelists: Travis George, Producer; Richard Hough, Designer; and more! (other panelists TBD)

Panelists include: Travis George [Producer, Riot Games], Richard Hough [Designer, Riot Games]

Halo Universe Fiction

Halo Fest Theatre
Saturday 3:30pm – 4:30pm

Join Frank O’Connor and Kevin Grace as well as special Halo guests Greg Bear and Karen Traviss for a discussion of the first 10 years of Halo and what’s coming next!

Acquisitions, Inc: The Last Will and Testament of James Darkmagic I

Main Theatre
Saturday 3:30pm – 5:30pm

Jim Darkmagic receives a magical missive, informing him that his grandfather has died. There’s to be a reading of the Last Will and Testament at the family estate. Not long after the family convenes, wackiness ensues.Join Gabe, Tycho, Scott Kurtz and Wil Wheaton as they guide Jim Darkmagic, Binwin Bronzebottom, Omin Dran and Aeofel “Al” Elhromane through an unscripted Dungeons & Dragons adventure before a live audience.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Unicorn Theatre
Saturday 3:30pm – 4:30pm

Game Director Todd Howard guides you through the world of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in this exclusive PAX demo running live off the Xbox 360.

Character Art in Guild Wars 2: Creation and Iteration

NCsoft Presentation Theatre
Saturday 4:00pm – 4:45pm

Character design in MMO games draws players in and gets them invested in both the game world and their own characters. Designing compelling, unique races and characters while making them a cohesive part of the world’s lore is critical for creating an immersive game experience. Join ArenaNet character artists, including Kristen Perry, as they dive deep into character and racial design in Guild Wars 2. Using specific examples, the artists will take a look at what it takes to create compelling character designs, discuss design challenges and how they overcame them, and provide insight into their creative process.

GameTrailers.com Presents: Hello Fellow Babies! – Pach-Attack! LIVE

Kraken Theatre
Saturday 4:30pm – 5:30pm

Michael Pachter. Yes, he’s real. Yes, he’s here. And yes, you can ask him your burning questions at this exclusive panel! Pach-Attack! has taken the web by storm, and since it was debuted on GameTrailers.com, the smarmy seer has become a household name, with video views over 5 million. Here at PAX, this is your chance to challenge the analyst’s legendary wit and have your game industry questions answered live at this exclusive interactive panel. Plus, what’s this about special guests dubbing themselves the “Grumpy Old Men of Gaming”…? Find out!

Panelists include: Michael Pachter [Host, Wedbush Security / GameTrailers]

Raising Kids (Girls, Even) as Gamers

Raven Theatre
Saturday 4:30pm – 5:30pm

Gaming with your kids is a deeply excellent part of parenting. Instant bonding, plus it teaches them problem-solving, and even makes them shut up. But it’s also a challenge: some spouses don’t understand why games are important (if you’re in a mixed gamer/non-gamer marriage). Some kids want to play violent games, or lame girly games that AREN’T VIOLENT ENOUGH. Plus games are addictive, and kids aren’t always emotionally ready to handle it when it’s time to shut down and log off for the night. Hell, a lot of adults aren’t. When do you start your kids on games? What games do you play with them, and what do you play them on? And how do you handle the hard parts?

Panelists include: Lev Grossman [Senior Writer, Time]

AppNation LIVE!

Serpent Theatre
Saturday 4:30pm – 5:30pm

Appaholics represent! What happens when you get two unofficial Apple app fiends together with some of the gaming industry’s most opinionated reviewers? Chaos… and quite a few laughs. Come join us as we discuss portable gaming’s clunkers, hidden gems, and outright disastrous attempts at game making on the iPhone and iPad. Join Aaron Morris (Apple, Appnation), Seven (Appnation, Raid Warning), Richard Mitchell (Joystiq), and Jeff Cannata (Weekend Confirmed, Totally Rad Show) for some off the record rants and reviews.

Panelists include: Richard Mitchell [Host, Joystiq], Jeff Cannata [Host, Weekend Confirmed], Aaron Morris [Host, Apple], Seven DeBord [Host, Apple]

Halo Anniversary Campaign Discussion

Halo Fest Theatre
Saturday 5:00pm – 6:00pm

Can’t get enough Silent Cartographer? Does Assault on the Control Room make you weak in the knees? If so, this panel discussing the reimagining of the classic single player Campaign is a can’t-miss!

We Make Xbox and Xbox LIVE. Ask Us Anything

Unicorn Theatre
Saturday 5:00pm – 6:00pm

What does it take to work on Xbox? How do we determine what cool features to add? What was it like in the early days of creating Kinect? Who has the highest Gamerscore? Ask us anything. We mean it! Join an expert panel moderated by Xbox LIVE’s own Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb as the people who work on creating the Xbox itself, as well as Xbox LIVE, take your questions.

NCsoft New Game Demo

NCsoft Presentation Theatre
Saturday 5:30pm – 6:15pm

Panel Presentation by Carbine Studios Staff

BioWare Mythic – Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes

Pegasus Theatre
Saturday 5:30pm – 6:30pm

Meet and talk with the developers behind BioWare’s newest title from the legendary Warhammer franchise, Warhammer Online:Wrath of Heroes. Get a sneak peek into an all new PvP Arena Game that goes back to the Dark Age of Camelot roots with dynamic three faction combat, epic 18 player battles where strategy rules, and you can change the course of any conflict by choosing a new hero mid-game. Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes has unpredictable squad based arena combat that makes you want to say goodbye to the grind. Are you tough enough?Developers will be walking you through the design process of character creation and be bringing the rich Warhammer lore to life through new characters designed especially for Warhammer Online:Wrath of Heroes. Attendees will also Vote on which hero they’ll want to see first after launch and have a chance to get added to the Closed Beta for this upcoming Play4Free title. Followed by a Q&A with the developers for this BRAND NEW GAME.

Panelists include: James Casey [Producer of WAR, Bioware], Ken Holley [Web Developer, Bioware], Nate Levy [Senior Designer, Bioware], Amber Turner [Senior Designer, Bioware]

Brothers to the End – A Gears Community Panel

Kraken Theatre
Saturday 6:00pm – 7:00pm

Join a panel of key Gears community members as we discuss our expectations for Gears of War 3, the universe of Gears and possible future directions for the franchise. We’ll also be throwing in an added mix of terrible Maria jokes, Gears of War product giveaways and a bunch of special guests for good measure.

Panelists include: George Lampard [Production Lead, DotSwoof], Justin Korfoth [Community Manager, Robot Entertainment], Liam Ashley [Lead Manager, Gears Community Online Network], Dan Rowntree [Events Coordinator, Gears Community Online Network]

Nerdcore Hip-Hop

Raven Theatre
Saturday 6:00pm – 7:00pm

Who says nerds can’t rap? Through harnessing the power of the Internet and rapping from the heart about what’s really meaningful to them, these artists have made a name for themselves, even seeing financial successes in a dwindling industry without following the traditional music business model. Find out about the origins of nerdcore from the godfather himself, MC Frontalot and learn where artists see themselves going forward.

Panelists include: Kyle Murdock [Producer, Engineer, Neosonic Productions], Karl Olson, Billy The Fridge, Damian Hess [CEO, Musician, Level Up Records and Tapes], Raheem Jarbo [Musician, Producer, RandomBeats LLC]

The Return of The Reverse Q&A with The Harmonix Community Team

Serpent Theatre
Saturday 6:00pm – 7:00pm

The Harmonix Community Team spends a lot of time answering questions about Rock Band & Dance Central, but what happens when they get to question a captive audience at PAX? Part focus group and part interrogation, this panel promises to turn the idea of a traditional Q&A on its head. Harmonix employees will kick off discussion by sharing secrets about your favorite games, unveiling features for upcoming titles and maybe even announcing a new project… assuming it hasn’t all been leaked already.You may be wondering: “What kind of questions will be asked?” and “What kind of cool new things will they announce?” and “Will this be as big a disaster as the time they did this panel at PAX East?” All valid questions, but you’ll have to attend to learn the answers!

Panelists include: Annette Gonzalez [Community Manager, Harmonix Music], Eric Pope [Community Manager, Harmonix Music], John Drake [Director of Brand Management, Harmonix Music], Aaron Trites [Manager: Community Development, Harmonix Music]

The PAX 10 Panel: Part 2

Unicorn Theatre
Saturday 6:30pm – 7:30pm

The PAX 10 is a showcase of independent games to be exhibited at PAX. Our group of 50 industry experts have culled a selection of games into what they collectively feel are the ten best in regard to gameplay and overall fun-factor. Join the creators of those games LIVE and on stage! Questions will be asked! Answers may appear! And you will get a chance to talk to these up and coming indie game superstars. This panel will feature the creators of A Flipping Good Time, Atom Zombie Smasher, Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony, Solar 2, and Splatters.

You Call That Fun?!

Wolfman Theatre
Saturday 6:30pm – 7:30pm

You Call That Fun?!We all have opinions…and man how they vary. Nonetheless, most of us know a fun game when we see it. But, what is it that really makes a game fun? On the flip side, what type of games do you start playing but have to walk away from because they just don’t have “it”? Join game designers Frank Savage (Jumala), Jeff Pobst (Hidden Path Entertainment), Mark Subotnick (Intel) and Mark Griffin (OnLive) as they discuss the path to fun and ponder questions such as: What gameplay elements elevate a game’s fun factor? What are the deal breakers? Open dialogue encouraged!

Panelists include: Frank Savage [CTO, Jumala], Jeff Pobst [CEO, Hidden Path Entertainment], Mark Subotnick [Business Development Manager, Intel], Mark Griffin [Sr. Technical Acct. Manager, OnLive]

SQUARE ENIX Presents…

Pegasus Theatre
Saturday 7:00pm – 8:00pm

SQUARE ENIX Presents…Join Square Enix and Airtight Games as they reveal a top-secret joint project. Meet the development team, including Creative Director Kim Swift (Portal, Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2) and the rest of the Airtight Games team, and hear them explain how they’re bringing an incredibly fascinating and quirky game to life.

Panelists include: Kim Swift, Chris Madden, Matt Salladay, Mark Pottorf, Tom Smurdon

Games and Books: Will Their Mutual Enmity Burn Forever?

Kraken Theatre
Saturday 7:30pm – 8:30pm

Do gamers read? Do readers game? The answers are yes and yes, obviously. But most people consider games and books to be hereditary enemies. So what do gamers read? What do we look for in books? Which novelists really ‘get’ games (Orson Scott Card, Neal Stephenson, Greg Egan?) and which don’t? Which try to and fail miserably? What are the good game novelizations, and which ones are ass? Have any books been successfully adapted as games (Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter, etc.)? Why/why not? What do books do for you that games can’t, and vice versa? Join bestselling novelist and Time book critic etc. etc. [Maybe we can get Rothfuss to come out for this one. And/or Mark Laidlaw.]

Panelists include: Lev Grossman [Senior Writer, Time]

Education Through Play

Raven Theatre
Saturday 7:30pm – 8:30pm

The modern education system has failed. We’ve watched it collapse around us. Many of us wish there was something we could do. There is: game.In this room we’ll be spending the day with some of the best educators and game designers from around the country discussing how we can improve education through play. Everyone is welcome (parents, teachers, students, designers, and players) to have an open and honest conversation about how we can use everything we’ve learned about creating joy in games to improve our schools and better prepare our society for the future.

All games teach, so why shouldn’t learning be something every child loves?

Panelists include: James Portnow [CEO, Rainmaker Games], Lee Sheldon [Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute], Dan Floyd [Pixar], David Samuelson [EVP Director Games & Augmented Reality, Pearson]

Flying a Pride Flag

Serpent Theatre
Saturday 7:30pm – 8:30pm

Slowly, but surely, it’s becoming mainstream to identify as a gamer in modern society. Meanwhile, the same thing is happening for queer identity. Yet, within gay culture, gaming is generally looked on as a fringe activity; and amongst hardcore gamers, it’s very common to hear people trash talking with homo-unfriendly insults. How’s an average gaymer supposed to get along? Join Link Hughes, an openly gay game designer at CCP Games, as he explores the current state of queer gaming – from the perspectives of the queer developers who make the games you love, to the hardcore gaymers you’ve played with online.

Panelists include: Link Hughes [Game Designer, CCP Games]

Weekend Confirmed

Unicorn Theatre
Saturday 8:00pm – 9:00pm

Weekend Confirmed returns to the PAX Prime stage to record a special show in front of the live audience. Join Garnett Lee as he hosts his fifth year of podcasting from PAX with Jeff Cannata, Xav de Matos, and
special guests including John Davison, Jeff Green, and other esteemed friends. Get your PAX “confirmed” with a PAX edition of “Whatcha Been Playin?” and bring your questions for an open mic version of the
Warning. Start your Sat night at PAX off in style with Weekend Confirmed.

Panelists include: Jeff Canata, Garnett Lee, Luke Smith, Xav De Matos, Jeff Green, John Davison

Saturday Night Concerts and Round 4 of the Omegathon

Main Theatre
Saturday 8:30pm – 1:30am

Not only will you have the chance to enjoy the audible pleasures of Paul and Storm, JoCo, and Supercommuter, but the concerts will be kicked off by Round 4 of the Omegathon.Note: If you don’t make it in, DON’T PANIC…this round of the Omegathon and concerts will both be streamed into Wolfman Theatre.

PAX After Hours with Scott and Kris

Pegasus Theatre
Saturday 8:30pm – 10:30pm

Send the kids to bed and ready yourself for a PAX tradition like none other. The late-night programming block once again yields control to hosts Kris Straub and Scott Kurtz (Blamimations, The Scott and Kris Show) for their much-talked-about talk show after hours. Will there be stories from the biz? Celebrity interviews? A musical guest? Someone help us out here, we honestly don’t know and we’re scared.

Creating a Xanatos Gambit: All Paths Lead to Victory

Raven Theatre
Saturday 9:00pm – 10:00pm

Sure, you play chess, go, and several RTSs. But, how strategically do you really think? Join Dr. Chris Hazard (president of Hazardous Software, creators of the time travel RTS Achron) on a discussion about the principles of strategy in gaming: from game theory, to foundations of trust and reputation, to strategic revelation of information, to how others’ beliefs affect your best strategy. No math background required.

Panelists include: Chris Hazard [President/Founder, Hazardous Software Inc.]

Dragon Age – The Future

Unicorn Theatre
Saturday 9:30pm – 10:30pm

Join BioWare and members of the Dragon Age development team as they discuss the Dragon Age franchise with a look back at what has been done so far and a look ahead to what you can expect in the future. BioWare staff and Dragon Age team members will be on hand to answer questions and to give a look at what is still to come for Dragon Age.

FRAG Movie Screening

Raven Theatre
Saturday 10:00pm – 11:30pm

Description: As a documentary covering the lives of pro-gamers, FRAG sheds light on the world of pro-gaming. Pro-gamers, referred to as cyber-athletes, face the same problems that professional athletes face, making decisions that can affect them for the rest of their lives. As gaming spreads not only as a hobby, but as a profession, FRAG reveals some of the secrets behind one of the biggest sports industries in the world that many know nothing about. Judd Saul plans to be on hand after the screening to sell videos/answer questions as well.

Panelists include: Judd Saul [Executive Producer, Cohesion Productions]

King of Chinatown Movie Screening

Serpent Theatre
Saturday 10:00pm – 11:30pm

King of Chinatown isn’t a documentary about a video game, it’s a STORY about a player and his manager struggling to make a living playing video games. It is a story about their relationship through the rise of Empire Arcadia and Justin Wong’s fame. It covers a two year period, which ends in their eventual breakup. If you ever wanted to know the whole story and what this all was about, here is your chance, and even if you have no idea who these people are, you will find their tale an interesting one.

Panelists include: Jordan Levinson [Executive Producer, PsychoCrusher Production], Mary Gole [PsychoCrusher Production], Illych O. Reyes [PsychoCrusher Production], Walter Day [Founder, Twin Galaxies, Twin Galaxies], Victor Pinter [PsychoCrusher Production]

Escapist Movie Night

Unicorn Theatre
Saturday 10:30pm – 11:30pm

Meet the stars of The Escapist’s Loading Ready Run, Extra Credits, Unskippable and more at The Escapist’s Movie Night. You’ll see never-before-seen videos from The Escapist’s most popular web series, including Zero Punctuation and The Big Picture. Plus see favorite episodes from Extra Credits, Unskippable, Daily Drop, Feed Dump, Escape to the Movies, Miracle of Sound, Jimquisition, No Right Answer and more, hosted by Extra Credits’ James Portnow, Loading Ready Run and the staff of The Escapist.

Penny Arcade – The Series: Season 2

Kraken Theatre
Sunday 10:00am – 11:00am

Come meet Vantage Point, the guys behind Penny Arcade: The Series Season 2.
They’ll talk about their filming experiences and showcase some never-before-seen footage.
Ask them questions, offer them praise, shine their shoes.

Panelists include: Van Blumreich, Adam Croft, Patrick Smith, David Pencil

Halo 4

Main Theatre
Sunday 10:00am – 11:00am

Here is your first chance to see and hear from the 343 Industries team that is creating the exciting next chapter in Master Chief’s heroic story. Be there as we kick off the next 10 years of Halo!

Panelists include: Frank O’Connor [Franchise Development Director, 343 Industries], Josh Holmes [Creative Director, 343 Industries], Kiki Wolfkill [Executive Producer, 343 Industries], Kenneth Scott [Sr. Art Director, 343 Industries], Sotaro Tojima [Audio Director, 343 Industries]

Supporting the Communities Within the Community

NCsoft Presentation Theatre
Sunday 10:00am – 10:45am

Every online game needs a strong community! Join NCsoft community managers to learn how they see to the needs, wants, and expectations of the diverse groups that play online games, and how they leverage what players love about their games into focused community engagement.Regina Buenaobra, Guild Wars 2; Martin Kerstein, Guild Wars 2; Andy Belford, City of Heroes Freedom; and Staff from Carbine Studios

Geek Parenting

Pegasus Theatre
Sunday 10:00am – 11:30am

What’s the right age to introduce your kids to The Hobbit? RPGs? Xbox Live?How can you help your kids with the bullying and name-calling that sometimes comes with being a nerd or geek?

How will YOU deal with the first time your kid frags you?

These, and many other questions will be answered by the Geek Parenting panel, made up of geeky parents, including New York Times bestselling author Ken Denmead, editors and writers from GeekDad.com and GeekMom.com, Asha Dornfest of Parenthacks.com, Rael Dornfest, Engineer at Twitter, and more.

Panelists include: Cathe Post [Core Contributor, GeekMom.com], Michael Venables [Core Contributor, GeekDad.com], Rael Dornfest [Twitter Engineer, Twitter.com], Asha Dornfest [Owner/Editor, Parenthacks.com], Ken Denmead [Publisher, GeekDad.com], Dave Banks [Core Contributor, GeekDad.com], Jonathan Liu [Senior Editor, GeekDad.com], Curtis Silver [Core Contributor, GeekDad.com]

The Hidden Value of Punching Trees: Minecraft & the Future of Game Culture

Raven Theatre
Sunday 10:30am – 11:30am

Minecraft has exploded in the past year to become one of the most popular and recognized video games amongst fans and the industry — and it all started as an indie side-project developed by one guy, Markus Persson (aka. notch). While Minecraft has become infamous for its petrifying Creepers and a 1:1 scale copy of the Starship Enterprise, the game also reveals a lot about the future of game development and game culture in the Internet era. PhD researcher Alex Leavitt looks at the development and spread of Minecraft to explain the cultural and social implications of this indie title gone viral: from the insane passion for a game that still isn’t finished to the careful creation of a game with millions of playtesters. A panel for Minecraft newbies and seasoned tree-punching veterans alike.

Panelists include: Alex Leavitt [PhD Researcher, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California]

Testers vs. The Game, Round 2

Unicorn Theatre
Sunday 10:30am – 11:30am

Looking to become a Videogame Tester? We’ve got our panel of veteran Game Testers back for another round, ready to spill the Truth and answer your questions. If you want to know what it’s really like, or what it really takes, then THIS IS THE PANEL FOR YOU. We’ll discuss the current state of the ‘art’, and what we believe the future holds. When we’re done ranting & riffing, we’ll open the panel to questions from the audience. Want to know what we think of these so called ‘Video Game Schools’? Come ask us. Want to know if it’s worth finishing your college degree? Come ask us.

Panelists include: Bex Bradley [SDET, MGS (AOEO)], Kevin Darby [Lead SDET, MGS (Kinect)], Chris Chamberlain [SDET, MGS (Gears3)], James Costello [Tester, Big Fish Games], Michael Jorgensen [STE2, MGS (GTO)]

Omegathon Round 5

Wolfman Theatre
Sunday 11:00am – 12:00pm

As you have perhaps seen, Round 5 of our Omegathon is none other than Portal 2. Confused as to how Portal 2 could be construed as a competitive game? Of course you are. That’s because Portal 2 is not a competitive game. Yet we will have competitors who will be competing in this competition using Portal 2. It’s almost as if we have a little something extra up our sleeves. Hrmmm.

Xbox talks 10 years of Halo

Halo Fest Theatre
Sunday 11:30am – 12:15pm

How does a new multiplayer service prepare for the Halo juggernaut? Just how wrong were the projections for concurrent players? Which panelist thought that an FPS on the console could not possibly be any fun? Join founding members of the Xbox team, Doug Hebenthal and Jerry Hook, as well as Eric Neustadter (“e”), Larry Hryb, Xbox Live’s Major Nelson, and Stephen “Stepto” Toulouse to discuss how Halo helped shape Xbox Live.

What Women Really Want

Kraken Theatre
Sunday 11:30am – 12:30pm

Join Trina Schwimmer, founder of GamingAngels.com; Kathleen de Vere, star of LoadingReadyRun; AJ Glasser of Inside Social Games; and Tracey John, regular contributor to The Daily, as they discuss what they embrace in female fictional characters and why these attributes are important. They will identify their favorite characters and how they would like more heroines with similar attributes integrated into Geek culture. This fresh, positive approach to female characters shouldn’t be missed. Moderated by Susan Arendt, Senior Editor of The Escapist.

Panelists include: Susan Arendt [Senior Editor, The Escapist], Christa Carter, Brittany Aubert, Kathleen De Vere [Actor, LoadingReadyRun], AJ Glasser [Journalist, Inside Social Games], Brittany Aubert [Associate Producer, 5th Cell]

NCsoft New Game Demo

NCsoft Presentation Theatre
Sunday 11:30am – 12:15pm

Panel Presentation by Carbine Studios Staff

This is Only a Test – The Tested Podcast Goes Live!

Serpent Theatre
Sunday 11:30am – 1:30pm

The sweaty nerds who deliver a heaping helping of technology news every Thursday are coming to PAX and podcasting LIVE. That’s right, we’re leaving the basement, grabbing an umbrella, and coming to PAX Prime. Come listen to Will Smith, Norman Chan, and Gary Whitta share their feelings on general technology news, including the latest on smartphones and tablets, upcoming game hardware (handheld, PC, living room, and smartphone/tablet), coffee tech, and science news. At the end of the show, the podcast gang will delve deep into topics they know very little about in the weekly edition of fake outtakes. Punch and pie!

Panelists include: Gary Whitta [Podcast Sparkplug, Tested], Norman Chan [Editor, Tested], Will Smith [Editor, Tested]

X-Play Live!

Pegasus Theatre
Sunday 12:00pm – 1:00pm

Through 13 years, three name changes, and over 1,000 episode X-Play has persevered as the most watched video game show on television and was almost nominated for a Primetime Emmy. Each episode is packed with brutally honest reviews, hands-on demos, and the occasional off-hand reference to early David Cronenberg movies. Join Adam Sessler, Morgan Webb, Blair Herter, Kristin Adams and the X-Play crew for their LIVE event. They’ll take questions from the audience, reveal world exclusive behind the scenes stores, and mock whoever dares ask about their infamous “Crisis Core” review.

Making Art from Art

Raven Theatre
Sunday 12:00pm – 1:00pm

Remixes, VGM, Turntablism, Nerdcore, Fanart, Parodies, Rule 34, Fanfic–what common thread runs through all these things? The fact that they are art made from other art. The raw materials for the stunning original compositions, paintings, mixes, and lyrics in fan-created media are drawn from other creations powerful enough to illicit a creative response. From the funk samples that created hip-hop to heavily referential comics and films like Scott Pilgrim, this has become ubiquitous in popular art. What are the philosophical, legal, and artistic implications of this borrowing of copyrighted material? What should they be? From the success of MegaRan 9 and Black Materia to the tragic failure of the infamous fanfic “My Immortal,” we’ll discuss the good and the bad, the legal and the “of dubious legality”, and where homage becomes infringement.

Panelists include: C0splay [Nerdcore Emcee, Death*Star], Bill Beats [Deejay, Turntablist, Producer], MC 117 [Parodist, Songwriter], MC3PO [Nerdcore Emcee, Death*Star], Klopfenpop [Remixer, Emcee, Producer], Random [Emcee, Producer], The Missing Link [Former Webmaster of ZeldaBlog, fanfic author]

Destructoid Live

Unicorn Theatre
Sunday 12:00pm – 1:00pm

Last year, Destructoid Live rocked your face with the world exclusive announcement of BIT.TRIP FATE, a Deadly Premonition sandwich contest and more male flesh than a gamer should ever be forced to see. This year, we’re going to be even better. Jim Sterling, Nick Chester, and Hamza Aziz lead the festivities as the world’s hottest independent gaming blog hosts the funnest panel you’ll find at PAX Prime … probably …

Panelists include: Yanier Gonzalez [Founder, Destructoid], Jim Sterling [Reviews editor, Destructoid], Nick Chester [Editor-in-chief, Destructoid], Hamza Aziz [Community manager, Destructoid], Max Scoville [Dtoid Show Host, Destructoid]

Doing Good with Games

Wolfman Theatre
Sunday 12:30pm – 1:30pm

Come together with your fellow gamers as we dive into a crazy experiment to share our common love of adorable baby animals… or rather games, with others. Join your fellow panel attendees as we brainstorm to create a program that will inspire ourselves and others to use any and all games as a force for good. Will we promote gaming charities, a game service organization or dare we found a gaming religion. Our imagination and the laws the government imposes are the limit. So do you haz what it takes to do good with games?

Panelists include: Jarrod Wolkowitz [Gameschool Department Head, STAR, Inc.]

Halo Anniversary Multiplayer

Halo Fest Theatre
Sunday 12:45pm – 1:30pm

Want to get all the nitty-gritty on Halo Anniversary’s Multiplayer? Do you have questions about the Reach Title Update? If so, this is the panel for you!

Extra Credits

Kraken Theatre
Sunday 1:00pm – 2:00pm

Ever wanted a mailbag episode of Extra Credits where they specifically answered your questions? Ever wanted an opportunity to discuss games with them (or just tell them they’re pretentious gits . Now’s your chance!Expect a design seminar, a discussion of the medium, an investigation into art…but most of all, expect a dialog, live and open to all, where we can really talk about how to make the medium better.

Because games matter!

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There may also be celebrity guests, special announcements and a secret screening…shhh…

Panelists include: Allison Theus, Sam Dassler

Breathing Life into a World: The Lore and Writing of Guild Wars 2

NCsoft Presentation Theatre
Sunday 1:00pm – 1:45pm

In this panel, ArenaNet game designers and world-builders Jeff Grubb and Ree Soesbee will join writers Sean Ferguson and Scott McGough to discuss how they make Guild Wars 2 come alive by creating compelling game lore and writing the everyday interactions players have with other characters while adventuring. How do game designers collaborate with writers to build a cohesive game world? You’ll find out in this informative, thought-provoking panel.

Pitch Your Game Idea

Pegasus Theatre
Sunday 1:30pm – 2:30pm

You’ve got 45 seconds to deliver your idea to our panel of experts. The top three pitches will be picked for prizes and swag! (Please note that this is an open forum — there’s nothing keeping anyone, judges and attendees alike, from stealing your ideas! If you’re not comfortable with this, please don’t pitch your idea!)

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Make Art for Indie Games

Raven Theatre
Sunday 1:30pm – 2:30pm

In the recent past the primary options for artists who want to join the game industry have seemed limited. Choose a specialty, get a job at the lowest rung of a big company, move your way up the ladder. But with the rise of indie games other paths for artists are becoming more and more available. Hear three artists, a musician, and an art director who have found their niches in the indie scene talk about what it takes to set out on your own, work with small teams, and the fun and challenge of such tasks as taking on an entire art pipeline yourself. Panelists: Brendan Mauro (Cogs, Natural Selection 2), Derek Yu (Spelunky, TIGsource.com), Aubrey Serr (Wolfire Games), Danny Baranowsky (Super Meat Boy, Cave Story 3D), Kris Piotrowski (Capybara Games)

Panelists include: Kris Piotrowski [Creative Director, Capybara Games], Aubrey Serr [Lead Artist, Wolfire Games], Danny Baranowsky [Owner, dB soundworks], Brendan Mauro [Lead Artist, Lazy 8 Studios], Derek Yu [Owner, Mossmouth]

Embrace the Chaos – Standard Action: the Webseries

Unicorn Theatre
Sunday 1:30pm – 2:30pm

Plan? What plan? When producer Joanna Gaskell and director Rob Hunt set out to make gamer webseries Standard Action, they did it in a most unconventional way. The web is a fast-paced medium, and in keeping with that energy, each episode of Standard Action’s first season was written, produced, edited and released in 3 weeks, allowing production and characters to grow and change as the season surged forward. Despite the controlled chaos, production value is high, and episodes feature everything from complex prosthetics to special effects. Learn why Standard Action chose this dynamic path, how they pull it off, and watch selected episodes! Panelists include: Producer/Writer/Actor Joanna Gaskell, Director Rob Hunt, Prod. Designer Carla Miller, and Costume Designer/Actor Edwin Perez.

Panelists include: Rob Hunt [Director, Phasefirefilms], Joanna Gaskell [Producer/Writer/Actor, Mightyjoanna Productions], Edwin Perez [Costume Designer/Actor], Vanessa Driveness [Costume Designer/Associate Producer], Carla Miller [Production Designer]

Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Force is Strong with This One

Main Theatre
Sunday 2:00pm – 3:00pm

The master storytellers at BioWare and LucasArts have worked together to create an immersive experience with Star Wars: The Old Republic. The Old Republic team will be in full force at PAX this year, with a new presentation showcasing the development and progress of this genre changing story-driven MMO! Expect new reveals, exclusive gameplay footage, and a Q&A with attendees. Join us!

Kids, Video Games, and Psychiatry II: Electric Boogaloo

Wolfman Theatre
Sunday 2:00pm – 3:00pm

Video games continue to be a polarizing and sensational force in the media, but what many don’t know is that they are also the subject of contentious debate in the scientific community. An update to the popular presentation at PAX 2009, Dr. Tyler Black (Psychiatrist, BC Children’s Hospital) will present a comprehensive review of the people, narratives, and science that play into the current controversy over the effect of video games on children. Come see how the media distorts scientific reports! Hear what the science is actually saying! Verily, behold the spectacle of Jack Thompson!

Panelists include: Tyler Black [Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, BC Children's Hospital]

Insider Insight: Awesome Video Game Data

Kraken Theatre
Sunday 2:30pm – 3:30pm

Did you know that demos can hurt game sales? That the average piece of downloadable content is released 116 days after a game’s release… but 60% of gamers want to purchase DLC within the first 30 days of the games release? That only 2% of games released on the Wii have a mature rating? That the average price of retail games went up $1.36 in 2010? The proof is in the research. EEDAR president Geoffrey Zatkin presents a tour de force romp through video game industry data, patterns and trends, covering topics including Achievements, Downloadable Content, ESRB Ratings, Multiplayer, Review Scores, and Zombies. Guaranteed to raise your game industry IQ by at least 4.2 points.

Panelists include: Geoffrey Zatkin [President & COO, EEDAR]

ArenaNet Artists Review Your Portfolio

NCsoft Presentation Theatre
Sunday 2:30pm – 3:15pm

Customer Support in Games: Everything the Lawyers Let Us Tell You

Serpent Theatre
Sunday 2:30pm – 3:30pm

Ever have an issue and need support with a game, platform or online service? Wonder what it takes to put that together globally? Join Randolph from Activision, Mike from Microsoft, Craig from Sony, and Roger from PopCap to discuss the support platform for some of the most important names in gaming, lessons learned, how to have the best support experience (and why it sometimes isn’t the best) and of course some funny stories along the way. There may be prizes and cake. *The cake is a lie.

Panelists include: Mike Westerhold [Xbox LIVE Supportability Program Manager, Microsoft], Randolph d’Amore [Manager, Service Planning & Readiness, Activision], Roger Henty [Customer Support Lead, PopCap], Craig Eastman [Senior Manager, eServices, SCEA], Mark Auld [Senior Supportability Program Manager, Microsoft]

Inside Gearbox Software

Pegasus Theatre
Sunday 3:00pm – 4:00pm

Gearbox is back with their yearly panel at PAX Prime! Get a behind the scenes look at all the Gearbox Software titles including Borderlands, Duke Nukem, Brothers in Arms, and Aliens: Colonial Marines. And what is a Gearbox panel without exclusives, surprises, and of course pizza!

D&D Through the Ages

Raven Theatre
Sunday 3:00pm – 4:00pm

The D&D game has changed over the years as it has grown from an underground phenomenon to one of the defining pillars of modern fantasy. Join us as we look at D&D through the lens of its rules. With each new edition, the game has changed and shifted to deliver the best fantasy gaming experience of its day. What changed, how has the game improved, and has it lost anything over the years?

Panelists include: Greg Tito [Games Editor, The Escapist], Ed Stark [Game Designer, Wizards (retired)], Mike Mearls [Game Designer, Wizards], Zeb Cook [Game Designer, Wizards (retired)], Keith Baker [Journalist, Freelance]

The Sorting Workshop

Unicorn Theatre
Sunday 3:00pm – 4:00pm

Writing Workshop: Journalism, PR, Community Managers
Industry vets inflict writing on attendees to determine where in the industry an aspiring writer belongs. A game developer and publicist kick things off with a 10-minute product demo that you get 20 minutes to write up. Then a panel of journalists, community managers, and publicists sort your writing samples into which field it ought to be in based on tone, content, and accuracy. You won’t be graded, but you might be mocked with dramatic readings of your sample. Whatever happens, you’ll have a chance to make industry contacts and learn the difference between writing for journalism, for community management, for marketing, and for PR. Bring pens, pencils, and a surface to write on (we recommend the PAX guide) — we’ll provide the rest.

Panelists include: AJ Glasser [Lead Writer, Inside Social Games, Inside Network], Susan Arendt [Senior Editor, The Escapist], Dan Amrich [Social Media Manager, Activision], Sue Bohle [Founder, The Bohle Company], John “Seg” Seggerson [Content Programmer, Telltale Games]

Red Vs. Blue Table Read

Halo Fest Theatre
Sunday 3:15pm – 4:00pm

Join Burnie Burns, Gus Sorola, Matt Hullum, Joel Heyman, and Jason Saldana, the voices of The Galaxy’s Dumbest Recruits, as they attempt to learn their scripts to record an episode of Red vs. Blue.

Dick Jokes and Die Hard References: The Life of a Freelance Game Journalist

Wolfman Theatre
Sunday 3:30pm – 4:30pm

You’ve heard how to get a gig in the game journalism biz, but what do you do when you finally arrive? Freelance writers Andrew Hayward, Andrew Groen, Taylor Cocke and Mitch Dyer explain why struggling to pull in a paycheck is awesome. Want to steal their jobs? Ask Official Xbox Magazine Editor in Chief Francesca Reyes, GamesRadar EIC Gary Steinman, @Gamer Executive Editor Andy Eddy and PlayStation: The Official Magazine Associate Editor Scott Butterworth what they look for in a freelancer, and how their minions stay in good graces.

Panelists include: Andy Eddy [Executive Editor, @Gamer Magazine], Andrew Hayward [Freelance Writer, Self-Employed], Mitch Dyer [Freelance Writer, Self-Employed], Taylor Cocke [Freelance Writer, Self-Employed], Francesca Reyes [Editor in Chief, Official Xbox Magazine], Andrew Groen [Freelance Writer, Self-Employed]

Magic: The Gathering World Building Panel

Kraken Theatre
Sunday 4:00pm – 5:00pm

Magic Concept Illustrator Richard Whitters.
Come and talk with the Magic creative team and get insight into how they build new worlds for the Magic multiverse. Get preview of the world of Innistrad, the setting for this year’s fall Magic release. You’ll see new art, new cards, and you’ll even have a chance to pick up some Magic swag!

Panelists include: Mark Purvis, Brady Dommermuth, Jeremy Jarvis, Richard Whitters

Guild Wars 2: Designing Dynamic Systems and Content

NCsoft Presentation Theatre
Sunday 4:00pm – 4:45pm

In this discussion panel, ArenaNet systems designers and content designers will come together to talk about their roles in the development of Guild Wars 2. Learn more about how the dynamic event system works, ask questions about the combat system and skills, and gain insight into what it takes to design core mechanics in MMO games. ArenaNet Systems Designers Isaiah Cartwright and Jon Peters, Lead Content Designer Colin Johanson, and Lead Designer Eric Flannum will discuss creating dynamic events and how this differs from creating quests in traditional MMO games, as well as offer other insights into content design in Guild Wars 2. Have you ever wanted to know more about how game mechanics and game content are designed in Guild Wars 2? This is the panel for you!

Gaming as a Lifestyle

Serpent Theatre
Sunday 4:00pm – 5:00pm

Flying in the face of criticism against video games and their ruination of lives, this panel will address the topic of living a life made richer by playing games. From how to keep your job while supporting a game-playing habit, to making your game-playing habit your job. Graham Stark, Jeff Green, Ian Dorsch and James Portnow will share secrets and personal stories, deflate hype and participate in a detailed Q&A. Moderated by Russ Pitts, Editor-in-Chief of The Escapist.

Panelists include: Russ Pitts [Editor-in-Chief, The Escapist], James Portnow [CEO/Developer, Rainmaker Games], Ian Dorsch [Musician - Zero Punctuation, The Escapist], Jeff Green [Journalist/PR, PopCap], Graham Stark [Writer/Actor, LoadingReadyRun]

Running Xbox LIVE

Unicorn Theatre
Sunday 4:30pm – 5:30pm

Ever wonder what it takes to run a world-wide entertainment service? Join members of the Xbox LIVE operations team as we walk you through the history and present of Xbox LIVE. Learn about the early days of the service, see what it’s like to prepare for a major game launch, get a look inside how teams making the hardware and software have to take into account how it all comes together on Xbox LIVE, and how we take into account safety and enforcement. Hear some great stories over the past 9 years of the service. We promise we won’t get too technical on you too! (PLEASE NOTE: This presentation will not include Q&A as we encourage you to join us for our separate open Q&A session)

Omegathon Final Round

Main Theatre
Sunday 5:30pm – 6:30pm

Bear witness to the Final Round of the Omegathon and let us bid thee farewell.

Writers’ Round Table: You Want to Be a Game Writer? What’re You, Nuts?

NCsoft Presentation Theatre
Sunday 5:30pm – 6:15pm

Every studio has them, every game needs them, but where do writers come from-and what exactly do they do, anyway? Join writers from Paragon, ArenaNet, and Carbine Studios for real-life tales from the game writing trenches!John Hegner, Paragon Studios; Bobby Stein, ArenaNet; and Staff from Carbine Studios

#Google+ Zynga+ = Android Geek Gamer Moola

contentnow — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 01:01:21 +0000

Posts popping everywhere from “Go away Google+” to hot or not faceoffs between Mark Zuckerberg and Sergey Brin. Devs tweeting: ”#G+, I can make what???” Angry Birds, Sudoku, Edgeworld, Dragon Age Legends riding the coverage train. Break knocking it out of the park with their Google+ primer. The material so rich, it’s a great day to be a blogger.

So what’s the promise of Google+:

- Scalable, flash mob live streaming in hangouts
- The ability to edit drunk posts from last night
- No social gaming mechanics spamming feeds

The likely targets are those early adopter, android geek, PC gamers who are active on all things Google and view Facebook as dark and oppressive. Less likely to onboard are their iPhone-loving monetizable mommies with that yummy head of household $$$ who live on Facebook with family scrapbooks, childhood friends, kids networks, gaming and animated chat (ahem Sims Social, I’m still at EA, thatsa plug)

Will Google+ trip up Facebook world domination ambitions for reaching a billion before IPO? No, only Facebook can do that. If Facebook moves quickly, seeds and embeds credits on the upper right hand corner of every page, allows in-video micropayments of programming after sampling, they will become the world’s largest broadcaster and economy. They moved to do this today with a real-time app activity ticker and have made it clear they have no intention of rolling over. Stats from this article put Facebook at 200mm+ gamers, the top 80 games with 1mm+ active users, Zynga with the most at 258mm monthly active users. iWin, maker of Family Feud, increased maus by 40% over last month and is up 30 employees this year. Deal or No Deal now has 900,000 maus. Kabam has grown from 20 people last year to 500+ this year in 4 offices on 3 continents. 9 of 10 Kabam players play daily, and play on average for 3h/d. GSN, maker of Wheel of Fortune, grew from 4.8mm maus at the end of 7/10 to 7.5mm 7/11, up 60% and has tripled its social game team over last year.

So as the forces of good and evil battle it out, open vs. closed, messy vs. awesome, we the people will benefit.

Stay tuned. It’s only the beginning.

#SDCC Comic-Con!!! The Guide

contentnow — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 13:53:12 +0000

Mayhem descends on San Diego today and I just can’t wait!!! It’s time for Comic-Con!!! Blockbuster movies, TV premieres, AAA games, classic comics – the ultimate love fest for fans of pop. William Shatner, Chevy Chase, Adam West, Richard Hatch, Colin Farrell, Matt Groening, Elijiah Wood, Bill Pullman, Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Lucy Lawless, Chuck Lorre, Zach Whedon, Wil Wheaton, Kevin Smith, Stan Lee, Wes Craven, Pee-wee Herman, Alex Albrecht, Adam Baldwin, Joel McHale, Alex Borstein, Seth Green… If you didn’t get a pass (like the second they went on sale), bummer, it’s sold out! And IGN, Wikia, Spike/MTV have their lists. But that doesn’t mean you’ll miss it all. Monsters and Mages – dress as your favorite creatures, mix it up with celebs, and party on rooftop pools and in the streets. You don’t need a pass to check out the Star Wars scene at the Hilton Gaslamp, and there’s tons of coverage and parties to crash everywhere.

Watch for an exciting day tomorrow from Reckoning (ahem, blatant plug for my game) starting at Noon at the Convention Center in Room 25ABC as we host comics legend Todd McFarlane (Spawn creator and master of iconic action figures), BHG Art Director Tim Coman and his team of dev stars as they present Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning: Bringing Worlds to Life, From Concept to Pixel showcasing the artistic process of creating an award-winning epic open world fantasy role playing game. Lots of fun and surprises in the queue as we play around with the Reckoning Hammer and give away Limited Edition Destiny Cards, and more. Adam Sessler of X-Play moderates. Date and time of the G4TV and GameSpot broadcast will post here. Then from 5:30-7pm, head over to the BioWare Star Wars – Mass Effect blitz-o-rama where my EA pals have taken over the Hilton Gaslamp. There, on the promenade, will be a killer meet and greet with Todd McFarlane and the BHG devs who will be signing a collectible Todd McFarlane Limited Edition Poster. Guaranteed to be a wicked good time as we’ll be showing something special on the big screen. Oh and there’s so much more but far be it from me to be a spoiler. You’ll get it all at facebook.com/reckoningthegame and @reckoninggame so be sure to follow!

#E3 Best of E3 2011: Reckoning’s Got The Noms!!!

contentnow — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 22:14:42 +0000

Of course I’m plugging my own game. Winner of GameTrailers’ Best New IP and RipTen’s Best RPG with 8 Best of E3 noms, Reckoning had an amazing show and I promise you this, the fun has just begun. Chock full of live dev chats, BCD tours, gameplay trailers, cinematics, an awards cam, fan challenges, random rewards and so much more, party with us on www.facebook.com/reckoningthegame as we quest toward SDCC.

Yes, I’m still a fan monetization guru tracking key industry trends, but I’m also the global lead for social, online and community marketing for the 2012 AAA epic action fantasy RPG GotY Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and you should know that I’m completely biased. The Reckoning E3 Trailer we just released is going to blow you away. Immerse yourself in our vast, enchanted open world and follow the hero’s story as he rises from the dead and changes the destiny of Amalur forever. Then help us win the YouTube E3 Trailer Challenge by clicking thumbs up here.

From the genius of dream team NY Times best-selling author R.A. Salvatore, comic legend-cult icon-Spawn creator Todd McFarlane, Oblivion/Morrowind’s Ken Rolston and World Series champ Curt Schilling, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a brand new single-player open world RPG that combines intense visceral third person action combat with deep exploration, expansive character development, and immersive storytelling in a unique universe. Gamers are mysteriously resurrected from the dead, without a fate and thrust into a bloody conflict between multiple races, factions, and alliances as they battle to stop evil forces that threaten to destroy the world. It’s the one game where you can be the badass mage customized the way you like it with fate-shift kills, ribbon-slicing chakrams and an endless gallery of weapons, armor, tats and piercings. Big bosses, unrelenting monsters, dangerous dungeons, magical doors, spellcasting, teleporting, NPCs you care about and those damn chickens. Everything exists for a reason….

Coming to Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, find out more at:

www.reckoning.com
www.facebook.com/reckoningthegame
www.twitter.com/reckoninggame
www.youtube.com/reckoningthegame
reckoning.wikia.com

Blogging Digital Media Events Worldwide

contentnow — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 18:03:17 +0000

Now never miss another digital media event be it social, mobile, gaming, film, tv or music. With Content NOW’s comprehensive industry events calendar, quickly find dates and locations of all the places you need to be to get your business done. Whether its GDC, E3, PAX, Comic-Con or SXSW, it’s all here with an ever-current analysis of the ecosystem for the production, distribution and monetization of entertainment across all connected devices.

Martine Paris
Editor, Content NOW

GAMING
PAX Prime/Halo Fest
Google+
Comic-Con
Best of E3 2011
PAX Recap
GDC 2011 SXSWi PAXEast C2E2
Game Release Calendar
RIP Guitar Hero
#PAX Prime 2010
#AGDC/PlaySpan Monetization Forum, Guide
Engage! Expo, Virtual Goods, Engage! Toy Fair
Social Gaming Summit
Virtual Goods Summit
LA Games Conference, II
SDForum Games Conference
DMLF GamesLaw
GDC, DICE 2010

VIDEO
WonderCon 2011
What Hollywood Needs To Know To Get In The Game
NATPE LATV10 VidCon
WonderCon 2010 Disney
TVOT Platform Smackdown
Beet by the Bay: Online Video Distribution, Analytics, Monetization
NATPE Market Guide, I, II, III, IV
Digital Living Room Guide, PlayStation/The Next HBO
HRTS Hitmakers Guide
SD Forum Business of New Media Guide
Streaming Media West, II, Guide, Roku
NewTeeVee Live
Digital Media Conference West 2010
Digital Hollywood, The Guide
Easy to Assemble Premiere
Battle of the Network Stars
NYTVF, IFP, ADWK, Guide
Westdoc
HRTS Digital Chiefs
NATPE LATV Fest
PGA Produced By
Connections
CES I, II, III, IV, V
Boxee Dev
AO Hollywood
NAB Show
Mediaweek’s Upfronts
Future Of Television West
Digital Media Summit, Pathway To Fame
Cable Show, SXSW/MIPTV, Media Summit
DMLF/YouTube-Veoh, YouTube Live
OTTcon
Hollywood Factory: You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger
Future of Film Guide, Summary
AFM Thinking Outside The Box Office, Guide
Animation of Disney Pixar’s Up
Epix Debuts
IFP Filmmaker Conference
New Video: When Do We Eat
BAWIFM Women of Pixar
San Francisco Film Society
RiP Remix Manifesto
Wondercon, II, Comic-Con to CES/Thoughts on 3D
Oscar.com, Sundance

MUSIC

SF MusicTech 11
SXSW 2011 SXSW 11 Recap
SXSW 2010
Bandwidth, II
SanFranMusicTech, Fall 09 Guide, Press Panel
DMLF Rock Star
Industry Noise, Midem, NAMM
MIDEM Guide

MOBILE
CTIA
DiscoveryBeat Guide
Mobilize
MobileBeat
Mobile Monday
Art Institute Mobile Marketing
Commonwealth Club Mobile World
VLAB Mobile Ecosystem
iPhoneDevCamp
Verizon Developers Conference
PayPal Platform Preview
EconSM, Crunchies
WWDC

SOCIAL
SXSW 11 Recap
Social Media Week
Ypulse
TWTRCON
140 Characters
TeenTechTitans
CrunchUp
WOMMA
UGCX

FUNDING
Future of Money & Technology
Sheppard Mullin VC Outlook: Draper, Chang, Lasky, Hornik
AlwaysOn Summit at Stanford, II
AlwaysOn Venture Summit Guide

TECH
PayPalX
Supernova, Summary
SD Forum Business of New Media
Apple/Rock n Roll/Steve Jobs is Back in Black
Macworld, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, 2010, I, iPad
Churchill Club/Browsers
Maker Faire
TiECON, TED, CES, D7
SF Auto Show

#WonderCon/Get Your Geek On Superhero

contentnow — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 17:35:01 +0000

San Francisco is about to have some fun of its own as WonderCon roles into town next weekend April 1-3 at Moscone with cast meet and greet previews of all of Hollywood’s action-packed summer blockbusters, graphic novels, action figures, portfolio reviews, costume brigades and so much more. SUPER! The programming grid is up here. We’ll be stopping by to blog our top picks. Follow @contentnow.

#SXSW Serendipity, Stamina, Survival

contentnow — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 02:13:00 +0000

SXSW was insane.

At my Future 15 presentation, I had the stage between Ben Relles, YouTube’s Next New Networks founder, and Evan Spiridellis, Jib Jab Founder, and focused my talk on counting clicks for conversion and capitalizing on the moment of monetization. But I didn’t shock the monkey until I called out a prediction that after the IPO, Facebook will flip the switch, seed its billion users with ready-to-spend wallets native on every page, and become the world’s largest broadcaster, retailer. Global domination – end game – Facebook! Making FB shares on SecondMarket more attractive by the day.

Then I got into a very public and intense debate with Sir Bob Geldof on the destructive nature of filters. The audience seemed mesmerized by the elegance of this man’s delivery and confused his legend with being in the band Pink Floyd rather than in the movie The Wall. But I couldn’t just be a witness, I had to call him on what he was arguing for – a muzzle on the voice of the people. I said you made it in an era of A&R, now everyone can be a star. He said, it’s all garbage. I said who is to judge, fans make the celebrity. He said, you’re wrong and bloggers are bunk, I looked around for Mike Arrington, and said you’re wrong, just wait til Sean Parker buys Warner Music Group, he then said you’re wrong and I got the mic, well it went something like that, they got it on audio. More impressive keynotes were Chris Poole of 4chan, Felicia Day of The Guild and now Dragon Age Redemption (Yes FTC, I work for EA), and Seth Priebatsch of SCVNGR (although I missed that one).

It was schwag-o-rama on the trade show floor with QR codes everywhere. One guy was scanning every code he could find, I asked him what information was it taking from his phone, he said I don’t care email, cell number, whatever, it’s all public – certainly an interesting insight on what a fan is willing to give up for items of perceived value. Best of Schwag winners were I Heart Radio for their snowboard hat, matching tee and headphones, Mississippi music for its harmonica, and Aquent for its gorgoeous Dickies Jacket. Honorable mention went to The Creative Circus whose Scribbly Lion tee was stolen proving just how nice it was.

Lastly, there were the interviews I didn’t get, uh but sort of did, including Boxer Rebellion, Chikita Violenta, Dreaming In Stereo, Experimental Aircraft and Foo Fighters. I have the pics to prove it but I doubt I’ll ever post the complete text. After a very wild encounter with Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters at 3am at the Four Seasons when my iPhone froze on a tweet and set in motion a series of cascading events, the only interviews I got around to publishing were with Mister Heavenly, http://www.spinner.com/2011/03/20/mister-heavenly-honus-honus-sxsw-2011/ and DeVotchKa, http://www.spinner.com/2011/03/19/devotchka-sxsw-2011/

TIPS:

You really have to plan SXSW in advance, RSVP to everything, enjoy lines, love food trucks (yum), believe the rumors (most are true, the rest are funny), bring earplugs, sunhats, respirators (if sensitive to smoke), and noise-cancelling headsets (even for the best of the Austin hotels). But when you arrive, know that you’ll make it to nothing and have to seize the story where it gets you like when Conan O’Brien suddenly appeared before me after I was nearly knocked out in the elevator of the Four Seasons by a grouchy ole man swinging his cane. No kidding.

During SXSWi, you could throw a taco and hit a notable – within a one block radius I bumped into Rainn Wilson (The Office), Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn, Greylock, Groupon), Tom Conrad (Pandora), reps from Saul Zaentz Fantasy Studios, the owner of Pulse, and the Squarespace guys (whose free BBQ truck queue was the most interesting). Many thanks to my SF friends for making SXSW Interactive a place where I knew people. Really enjoyed the Diggnation party at Stubbs with VJ Mike Relm and it was great catching up with Jay Adelson (Rev3, Digg, SimpleGeo), Mark Friedlander (SAG New Media) and Mark Gantt (Sony Crackle’s The Bannen Way). Yet, as smart as people are at SXSWi, I was surprised to be the only one wearing a Pi shirt on 3.14. By contrast, at SXSW Music I pretty much knew noone and found myself clinging to my SPIN friends until I ventured away from Hotel San Jose and made new friends amidst the tattoed and pierced skinny jeans crowd at W.

Even on the flight from PAX to SXSW where my plane had mechanical failure and a mid-air medical emergency which turned the flight back to Boston where then a passenger panic and nationwide JetBlue computer crash grounded us for hours, I got to bond with a VC and filmmaker, and made it on the VIP list for the SXSWi Crowdtap party.

As it turns out some of the bands do check Twitter for sentiment as the MTV Vintage VJ who interviewed Duran Duran asked “Why didn’t you play Rio? Reflex?” and other questions straight off the stream. So watch what you tweet if you don’t want to hurt feelings.

You know there was so much more I’m exhausted remembering it. Never made it to Power Plant and that was ok as the big surprise was Kayne, not Radiohead as retweets about them at a food court with Lindsay Lohan and Michael Cera had everyone rofl….

Loved blogging SXSW for Spinner and hope to do it all over again next year.

#PAX Good Times For Gamers

contentnow — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 23:45:56 +0000

Day One of #PAXEast is heading into darkness but the partying has just begun with all night VGM concerts, flicks, tourneys and panels. If I wasn’t flying out to SXSW at 6am, well I’d be right there in the mix too.

If you’re a gamer, you got to go to PAX. Best known for PAX Prime in Seattle in the summer, PAX East is only in its 2nd year is already selling out, and that’s in it’s new digs at BECE with a capacity of 24,0000 a day…or something like that. These core fans don’t mind the lines or trading emails or cash for schwag, or stuffing dollar bills into a kiosk to raise money for classicarcademuseum.org. The music is awesome, all indie rock and 8-bit 80s pop. The expo floor is covered with eye-popping booths from major labels, EA (now my employer), Rockstar, Bethesda, 2K, THQ, Capcom, Ubisoft, WB, as well as Pokemon, Alienware, Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft and IGDA. Standouts were Duke Nukem’s chandeliers, Ubisoft’s Child of Eden demo, Shift 2 racing chairs, Star Wars The Old Republic theatre, Alienware tourneys, giant floating Pikachu overhead, 3DS hands on with launch titles, and so much more.

There were many first time demos only the live audience could experience, and fans were encouraged to cheer at the elements they wanted more of. Lines turned into schwag-aways and FB photo ops. I admit I entertained fans of Reckoning (my game) by given them the games’ super badass ten ton hammer to swing around. Community managers and the gaming press dominated the well-attended panels. And when it was time to crash for food, there was a Rock Band lounge full of talented karaoke-ists. My favorite part though was the classic arcade and classic console lounges. For lovers of old technology, these time warped hangouts were the end all. I’ll link to the twitpics later but you can follow the stream @contentnow #PAX #PAXEast.

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