When: Monday 4 & Tuesday 5 March 2013, 9am–5.30pm
Where: Soundings Theatre, Museum of New Zealand - TE PAPA Tongarewa
Cost: Admission fees apply
Game Masters - The Forum is a 2-day professional forum which brings together game developers, artists, educators, researchers, and filmmakers. The goal of the forum is to share knowledge and expand awareness of game development opportunities - both in New Zealand and abroad. Game Masters - The Forum will cover a wide range of topics, including those relevant to the game development industry and discussion of videogames as a cultural phenomenon.
Subjects include Transmedia, Community Engagement, Games as Art, Serious Games, and Game History. The Forum will also explore challenges and opportunities for local industry, including alternative funding models, marketing and distribution for iOS/Android, transmedia (multi-platform storytelling), brand-building, and design post-mortems from top local studios.
International speakers confirmed for the event include:
Masaya Matsuura, of NanaOn-Sha (Japan)
Creator of videogame titles such as PaRappa the Rapper (1996), and Vib-Ribbon (1999). Masaya Matsuura is the acknowledged father of rhythm-based videogame games. As a designer and musician, he is motivated by games’ potential for delivering exciting new experiences. In a session that will be part presentation part performance, he shares his history, his philosophy on games development, and his thoughts on the future.
Luke Muscat from Halfbrick (Australia)
Luke Muscat and his team of just six people at Halfbrick are behind some of the hottest, most well known, and best-selling mobile games of all time, including Fruit Ninja, Jetpack Joyride, and Monster Dash. In the last two years alone, Luke’s games have been downloaded more than 300 million times.
Local keynote speakers include Mario Wynands - the Director of Sidhe / PikPok, New Zealand's most successful and prolific developer and publisher of games across a wide range of platforms.
Presenters and panelists listed:
- Stephen Knightly - Chair, NZ Game Developers Association
- Camilla 'Milla' Koutsos - Community Manager, Sidhe Interactive/PikPok Games
- Alan Bell - Site Editor, NZGamer.com
- Helen Stuckey - Curator / Researcher
“Game Masters - The Forum is really an opportunity to take a look under the hood of videogame development,” suggested Helen Stuckey - a curator, researcher, and member of the Game Masters Industry Advisory Board. “It’s a chance to hear strong local and international speakers, to reflect on other ways to do business / make games, and an opportunity to consider the future of games themselves.”
Join New Zealand and international industry leaders for stimulating discussions about games and entertainment, serious games for change and education, and games as an art form.
Attendees from industry, education, government, and the general public are all welcome, however tickets are strictly limited and there is no scope to expand the venue - early booking is advised. Ticket prices start at $130 for both days, and numerous options are available - including student discounts, single day passes, and an expanded industry-specific option through which attendees will have opportunities to network with the forum’s special guests.
For more information, refer to the Game Masters The Forum page. To book, or to find out more about the ticketing options, see the forum registration page.