Game Education Summit North America 2011 - Presentations by Track
Now Viewing All Tracks
GES 2011 has been rescheduled to August 24-25, 2011. It will still take place at DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond, WA, and will be co-located with the Serious Play Conference. Please check back to this page, as Program updates will be available soon.
| Author or Panel Moderator | Presentation | |
|---|---|---|
 Claude Comair Founder and President DigiPen Institute of Technology |
Keynote - The Anatomy of a Video Game Curriculum Presentation Summary: The keynote presentation will review the importance of the creation of simulation curricula for the game and entertainment industries, and the anatomy of DigiPen Institute of Technology’s degree programs.Mr. Comair announced during the European Simulation Symposium (ESS) 1996 in Genoa that the Higher Coordinating Education Board of the State of Washington had granted DigiPen Institute of Technology the right to |
Keynote Speakers Wed, 2011-08-24 09:30 - 10:30 |
| Author or Panel Moderator | Presentation | |
|---|---|---|
 Steve Reid Managing Director Ubisoft - Red Storm |
Teaching "Art for Games" from a Development Perspective Presentation Summary: While games are definitely an art form, game art is a production task that requires specific business skills to ensure that each product reaches its most important goal... customer satisfaction. This outline represents the foundation blocks for Steve Reid's Art for Games class in collaboration with Wayne Community College where he will be a guest instructor. There are several differences between |
Curriculum Development Track Wed, 2011-08-24 10:45 - 11:45 |
 Christopher Erhardt Academy of Interactive Entertainment |
Middleware: The Pros and Cons of Utilization for Teaching Students Programming Presentation Summary: Teaching students all they need to know to be proficient and confident coders, ready for industry or for becoming the next entrepreneur starting a successful independent team, seems like an impossible task when we are trying to cram every bit of information into their brains within 3 - 4 years.Middleware offers great tools for allowing rapid understanding of the higher |
Curriculum Development Track Wed, 2011-08-24 12:45 - 13:45 |
 Roberto Dillon Assistant Professor, DigiPen Institute of Technology |
Teaching Game Analysis the Pragmatic Way: The 6-11 Framework Presentation Summary: This session will introduce an original model for game analysis and design, the 6-11 Framework, and share the actual in-class experience and feedback gained so far at the DigiPen Institute of Technology-Singapore, where it is successfully being taught at undergraduate level.The lecture will start by justifying the need for a pragmatic approach to game analysis and design, both in the |
Curriculum Development Track Wed, 2011-08-24 14:00 - 15:00 |
 Terrence Masson Director of Creative Industries Northeastern University |
Interdisciplinary Collaboration Presentation Summary: Professionals and academics from every discipline are increasing their collaboration between research, curriculum and game production around the world. Terrence will speak to his 20 years of successful collaborations as well as exciting new trends. Based upon his interdisciplinary experience working in films and games, and leading the new interdisciplinary team-based game program at Northeastern University, this presentation will highlight |
Curriculum Development Track Thu, 2011-08-25 10:15 - 11:15 |
 Craig Caldwell USTAR Professor University of Utah |
Components of a New Masters Program: Incubator, Entrepreneurship, Game Studio Partnerships and Hitting the Ground Running Presentation Summary: Building upon the success of the undergraduate games program, University of Utah started a Masters program with the input and partnership of its nearby game companies (EA, Disney Interactive, etc.) in Salt Lake City. In its pilot year, getting the components (Arts, Game Design, Programming) right was critical; as well as doing the research, creating space, obtaining seed funding, implementing |
Curriculum Development Track Thu, 2011-08-25 11:30 - 12:30 |
| Author or Panel Moderator | Presentation | |
|---|---|---|
 Andrew Hogue Assistant Professor, Game Development & Entrepreneurship, University of Ontario Institute of Technology |
A Problem-Based Learning Approach to Teaching Game Development Presentation Summary: In this paper, we propose a problem-based learning approach to teaching game development that focuses on developing critical thinking in game design while enabling students to strengthen their skill-proficiency. We have seen increased motivation as the students understand the relevance of theory presented in their “seemingly irrelevant and disjointed” university courses. This paper demonstrates how to effectively integrate a problem-based |
Education Track Wed, 2011-08-24 10:45 - 11:45 |
 Jen Sward Associate Dean, Game Software Design and Production DigiPen Institute of Technology |
Balancing Education and the Player: The Creation of a Game Design Program Presentation Summary: Creating any new program is a challenge: finding the balance of general education to specific knowledge to core courses it difficult even for a traditional program such as Computer Science or Liberal Arts. For creating a program for the game industry, we have the additional challenge of balancing that traditional academic knowledge with occupationally specific knowledge and directly applied skills. |
Education Track Wed, 2011-08-24 12:45 - 13:45 |
 Jinghua Zhang Assistant Professor Winston-Salem State University |
Developing a Gaming Concentration in the Computer Science Curriculum at an HBCU Presentation Summary: In this session, Dr. Jinghua Zhan proposes a unique gaming concentration program to reenergize computer science education at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU), an HBCU. Nationally, many gaming concentration programs in the computer science (CS) curriculum have been successfully developed. Nevertheless, to our knowledge, none have been established at any of the HBCUs. The gaming concentration in computing curriculum at WSSU |
Education Track Wed, 2011-08-24 14:00 - 15:00 |
| Author or Panel Moderator | Presentation | |
|---|---|---|
 Tom Higgins Product Evangelist Unity Technologies |
The Changing Games Industry: Multiplatform is a Must Presentation Summary: With the advent of truly powerful handheld devices like smart phones and tablets, developers are under increasing pressure to target an increasingly diverse range of platforms. In order to prepare students for success in the games industry, it is vital to provide them with the ability to design and develop content for the desktop, the web, for consoles and the |
Technology and Management Track Wed, 2011-08-24 10:45 - 11:45 |
 Mark Sones Education Manager & Business Analyst GameSalad |
Learning plus Playing: Customizing Interactive Lesson Plans Presentation Summary: Classrooms are becoming more and more interactive-focused. There has been a wave of software development products built around the ability of teachers to design and implement their own games and activities based on their unique lesson plans. In this session, GameSalad’s education manager, Mark Sones, will explore the benefits, difficulties, and options with bringing this form of lesson building to |
Technology and Management Track Wed, 2011-08-24 12:45 - 13:45 |
 Linda Sellheim Academic Segment Manager Autodesk |
Next Gen… What’s All the Fuss About? Presentation Summary: Teaching the next generation of computer animators, game developers, visual effects and visualization specialists is an incredible responsibility. Not only do educators need to satisfy their students’ insatiable curiosity and encourage innovation, but they also need to ensure they’ll be competitive when it comes to finding a job. In addition to meeting/exceeding student needs, application of 3D and gaming technologies |
Technology and Management Track Wed, 2011-08-24 14:00 - 15:00 |
 Zack Larson Chief Strategy Officer design3 |
Replacing Textbooks: Enhancing Game Courses with E-learning Tools Presentation Summary: There are a series of common problems that game development educators face:1. Educators find themselves spending the entire class time teaching remedial steps (“click here, then click here”), not having enough time to cover the essential theories and concepts of what it means to make a game.2. Students are required to purchase expensive textbooks that are difficult to follow and |
Technology and Management Track Thu, 2011-08-25 10:15 - 11:15 |
| Author or Panel Moderator | Presentation | |
|---|---|---|
 Corey Dangel Co-Founder Detonator Games |
What Indie Game Studios Look for in Game Program Graduates Presentation Summary: Smaller, independent, studios have very different requirements when it comes to recruiting game program graduates. And the independent game studios represent a large and growing job market for graduates. Representatives from several independent game studios will participate on this panel, highlighting the specific needs of independent studios and helping attendees to understand how to prepare their students for careers in |
Industry Track Wed, 2011-08-24 12:45 - 13:45 |
 Paula Fellbaum HR Nexon |
What Large Studios Look for in Game Program Graduates Presentation Summary: HR professionals with experience at several large studios will participate on this panel. Don't miss what is sure to be an informative discussion on what studios are looking for -- qualities, qualifications, abilities, skill sets -- in graduates from game degree programs and how HR execs & hiring managers assess graduates when deciding if they are a fit for the studio's organization. |
Industry Track Wed, 2011-08-24 14:00 - 15:00 |
 Paul Furio Technical Director Novel Inc. |
Massively Social != Massively Multiplayer Presentation Summary: Writing a single monolithic game server and a complex, tightly integrated game application may have worked well in the past, when online games supported multiplayer experiences in the dozens. Even with sharded servers, it's difficult to provide rich experiences for hundreds of thousands of players in the same game world. Games are moving past this Client-Server model into a new |
Industry Track Thu, 2011-08-25 10:15 - 11:15 |
 Brian Schneider Director of University Relations Zynga |
Success Factors for Graduates Joining Traditional vs. Social Game Development Teams Presentation Summary: This panel session will appeal to educators interested in evaluating current curriculum and possibly expanding or tweaking class components to enable students to succeed regardless of which type of game development students are interested in. Brian Schneider will lead the panel and will compare/contrast the success factors and recommendations for graduates joining traditional console/PC game development teams versus social game development |
Industry Track Thu, 2011-08-25 13:30 - 14:30 |
| Author or Panel Moderator | Presentation | |
|---|---|---|
|
Jen Sward Associate Dean, Game Software Design and Production DigiPen Institute of Technology |
Alumni Panel: Experiences of Recent DigiPen Graduates Presentation Summary: Graduates from DigiPen Institute of Technology will discuss their experiences in transitioning to and working in the video game industry, what helped prepare them, what didn't, and recommendations for game program instructors & administrators. Facilitator:Jen Sward, Associate Dean, Game Software Design and Production, DigiPen Institute of Technology; 2011 GES North America Advisory Board MemberPanelists:Anthony DeLuca, Producer, Activision PublishingEvan Lewis, UI Engineer, |
General Session Wed, 2011-08-24 15:15 - 16:15 |
 Mona Ibrahim Principal Attorney |
Intellectual Property Ownership in Education Presentation Summary: In recent years, we've seen a boom in academic programs emphasizing video game development. These programs have become "incubators" for potentially valuable intellectual property. Strictly speaking, this is by no means the first time academia has produced valuable entertainment properties. However, unlike other fine arts programs, "video game education" has in many cases become analogous to the divestiture of student |
General Session Thu, 2011-08-25 09:00 - 10:00 |
| Author or Panel Moderator | Presentation | |
|---|---|---|
 Asma Naz Research Assistant, Doctoral student University of Texas at Dallas |
Architecture Design & Game Design: A Symbiosis Presentation Summary: This paper presents a comparative analysis between Architecture and Game Design methods. Game design and architecture, though vastly different, are both fields of design that share common design generators, such as ‘core concept’, ‘narrative’ and ‘user experience’. This commonality creates a relationship between game design and architecture that has the potential to become symbiotic. At the same time, the narratological |
Research Track Thu, 2011-08-25 11:30 - 12:30 |
For past conference information, please visit:
- 2010 - GES at University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts Interactive Media Division, Los Angeles, California
- 2009 - GES at Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- 2008 - GES at Southern Methodist University, Dallas Texas
Follow Game Education Summit via Twitter
web construction: gb2world.com, llc