Independent Games Summit 2008 lineup announced
It’s easy to get caught up in the mainstream and forget there’s another side to gaming, but the independent gaming scene is no longer taking the backseat as the game industry surges forward. The Independent Games Summit is the haven for the budding indie dev and gamer, and for 2008, operators CMP have lots planned for the GDC-related event. First up: what the veteran indie game developers are to discuss during the 2008 IGS.
Commemorating alongside the Game Developers Conference’s (GDC) Independent Games Festival (IGF), the Independent Games Summit (IGS) is the highlight of the year for the independent gaming and development scene. After announcing the speaker lineup for IGS 2008, operators CMP hit the press waves once again to announce the conference’s lineup of discussions.
While much of the event’s highlights will be taken up by speaker delegates Dylan Cuthbert of Q Games, Alec Holowka and Derek Yu of Bit Blot, Kyle Gray of Electronic Arts (together with Kyle Gabler of 2D Boy), and Tracy Fullerton of USC Interactive Media, a great majority of the event will revolve around the following panels and topics:
- Spreading Your Message As An Indie Developer – discussions on how to grab the attentions of the mainstream gamers
- Innovating In The Casual Market – discussions on how complicated games can attract casual gamers
- Contracting Vs. Indie: The Showdown – discussions on going independent versus grabbing contracts from other game studios
- Ninja Ways: An N+ Postmortem – a report on how N was delivered to consoles, complete with budget metrics and logistics
- Making Better Games: An Independent Game Manifesto – independent game developers of indie gaming hits share how indie games could be considered great
- An Indie Reality Check – a world retrospect opinion discussion on how the gaming industry sees the indie gaming scene
- The Web Game Renaissance – discussions on how web games can still be profitable and lucrative in the indie scene
- A Jonathan Blow Lecture
- Juggling Licensed, Original Indie Game Development – discussions on how indie game studios can manage the IP pool and allocate resources effectively
- Postmortem: Torpex’s Schizoid
- Unique Knobs For Indie Games – discussions on the practice of in-house technology development as opposed to using middleware solutions
- The Indie Lifestyle – full-time independent game developers talk time management, development from home, and their lifestyle
The Independent Games Summit 2008 is scheduled to hit San Francisco this February 18-19, 2008 at the Moscone Theater. Access to the IGS are granted to holders of a GDC 2008 Summits Pass or the all-encompassing GDC 2008 All Access Pass.