I assume everybody has heard about X|Media|Lab on Serious Games which will be in Sydney on Friday June 12th. Independent registration is $99 and well worth your money.
http://www.xmedialab.com/?q=node/278
X|Media|Lab "Serious Games" at the Sydney Film Festival is a partnership with the ABC TV and Screen Australia initiative linking documentary filmmakers and games developers to produce new modes of factual productions: don’t make a documentary, make a game!
X|Media|Lab "Serious Games" Keynote Conference Day:
Hear from the world’s leading “Serious Games” and “Documentary” experts:
* Noah Falstein - President, The Inspiracy (San Francisco)
* Ondi Timoner - Director of Multiple Internationally Award Winning Documentaries DIG! and WE LIVE IN PUBLIC Director/Producer, Interloper Films (Los Angeles)
* Ian Bogost - Founding Partner, Persuasive Games; Associate Professor at Georgia Tech (Atlanta)
* Lee Sheldon - Video Game Writer & Designer; Professor at Indiana University (Indianapolis)
* Michel Mol - Director of Innovation and New Media, Netherlands Public Broadcasting (Amsterdam)
* Joshua Harris - Internet Pioneer, Artist (Los Angeles, Sidamo)
* Courtney Gibson - Executive Head of Content Creation, ABC TV (Sydney)
* Dr. Yusuf Pisan - Assoc. Professor and Director of Games Studio, University of Technology (Sydney)
* Mandy Salomon - Senior Researcher, Smart Services Cooperative Research Centre (Melbourne)
* Stephen Sewell - Multi-award winning Writer (The Boys, The Blind Giant is Dancing); Director (Sydney)
* David Hewitt - Creative Director, Tantalus Interactive (Melbourne)
* Alana Valentine - Multi-award winning Writer (Parramatta Girls, Run Rabbit Run) (Sydney)
* Keren Flavell - Co-Founder, Treet TV (Melbourne)
* David S Vadiveloo - Director, Writer, Producer, Community Prophets (Melbourne)
* Morgan Jaffit - Head, The Impossible Changing Brain Foundation (Brisbane)
* Cath Godfrey - General Manager, Higher Education and Media Divisions
McGraw-Hill Australia/New Zealand (Sydney)
* Robert J. Spencer - Founder, Interzone (Perth)
The Keynote Conference Day will showcase the perspectives of each of the International Mentors and invited Australian industry experts and academic researchers.