July 20th, 2004 (12:00am) - The Game Initiative announced today the conference program and speakers for the first annual Women’s Game Conference (WGC), taking place September 9-10, 2004 in Austin, Texas. Speakers include leaders in the game industry, representing game hardware manufacturers, developers, publishers, and educators. The conference program discusses the top issues facing women in the game industry including, gender inclusive game design, women as consumers of games and career paths for women. The full program can be found online at the conference web site www.womensgameconference.com. Early registration is open until August15, 2004.
"The time is right and the number of women in the industry has grown large enough to support an effort like this. We will use this as an opportunity to develop positive plans to address many of the issues facing women in the industry today," said Sheri Ray, Women’s Game Conference Steering Committee Chairperson.
"The average age of gamers is 29, the core demographic is 18 to 35, and a third of game players are women," said Christopher V. Sherman, Executive Director of the Women’s Game Conference and The Game Initiative. "Getting more women involved in creating games fosters a diversity of ideas, which leads to new types of games and, ultimately, new players. This is about expanding the industry."
Women’s Game Conference 2004 Schedule
Thursday, September 9, 2004
9:00am - 9:45 Welcome and introduction of Keynote
10:00am - 11:00 Identifying The Top Issues Facing Women in The Game
Industry Today
11:30am - 12:30pm Getting to the Top: Senior Industry Decision-Makers
Discuss Their Success
2:00pm - 3:00 Work Session on Top Issues
3:30pm - 4:30 Work Session and Report Out
Friday, September 10, 2004
9am - 9:45 Introduction and Keynote
10:00 - 11:00 A Gamer’s Life (how quality of life issues affect women and how we can improve it)
11:30 - 12:30 The right Man For The Job Maybe Be A Woman… But How Do We Find Her?
2:00pm - 3:00 It’s What’s Inside that counts: Content and the female audience
3:30pm - 4:30 Women in Game Journalism
4:30pm - 5:00 Closing remarks: Where do we go from here?
Attendees will hear from industry leaders and have the opportunity to network extensively at the Women’s Game Conference. The casual nature of this event allows attendees an unprecedented opportunity to gain valuable contacts and explore new ways to expand the business and create a thriving the work environment. The conference is open to anyone interested in the game industry, including existing professionals, industry executives and persons interested in getting into the game business.
Confirmed Speakers Include:
Carrie Shepherd, Managing Editor, GMR
Cindy Lum, Managing Editor, Xbox Nation
Clarinda Merripen, Director of Operations, Cyberlore
Dana Jongewaard, Managing Editor, Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine
Ellen Guon Beeman, Live Team Producer, The Matrix Online, Monolith Productions
Gordon Walton, Sony Online Entertainment, VP & Executive Producer
Hank Howie, President, Blue Fang Games
Jennifer Tsao, Managing Editor, Electronic Gaming Monthly
Kathy Schoback, Vice President, Content Strategy, Infinium Labs
Kiki Wolfkill, Microsoft
Kirsten Forbes, Producer, Radical Entertainment
Kristen Salvatore, Managing Editor, Computer Gaming World
Laura Fryer, Director, Advanced Technology Group, Microsoft Corp.
Linda Powers, HR Director, NCSoft
Margaret Wallace, CEO, Skunk Studios
Mia Consalvo, Assistant Professor, School of Telecommunications, Ohio University
Raph Koster, Chief Creative Officer, Sony Online Entertainment
Sandra Powers, Turbine Entertainment
Shannon Loftis, Group Program Manager, Microsoft
Sheri Graner Ray, Steering Committee Chairperson, Senior Game Designer, Sony Online Entertainment
Tina Cruz, Director of Human Resources, Pandemic Studios
TL Taylor; Assistant Professor, IT University of Copenhagen
Early Registration for the two-day event is open and can be accessed by logging on to www.womensgameconference.com/register. Early registration for professionals prior to August 15 is $125. After August 15th the price is $145 for professionals. Onsite registration price is $175 for professionals. Early registration for students prior to August 15 is $85. After August 15th the price is $110 for students. Onsite registration price is $135 for students. One day passes are also available. Conference Registration gains access to the WGC, technology pavilion and the Austin Game Developers Conference, the definitive multiplayer online game development conference, which runs concurrently.
Conference sponsors include Activision and Mary-Margaret.com. Media partners include Business Wire and GameDev.net.
