The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Announces Speaking Sessions, Feature Into the Pixel Art Exhibit at PAX East
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences is pleased to announce its debut at PAX East 2012, a three-day game festival for tabletop, videogame, and PC gamers. The AIAS brings to the PAX East Naga Theatre some of the most recognizable and passionate game makers of our time from the prestigious D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit to interact with fans and reflect on the past, present and future of games.
Additionally, many PAX East attendees will have a first glimpse at the seventeen pieces from the 2011 Into the Pixel art exhibit. The Into the Pixel exhibit will be displayed in the South East Lobby on level one of the convention center.
Presented by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, the two sessions will be live streamed via Twitch.tv:
- Best of the 2012 D.I.C.E. Summit: Friday, April 6th, 2:30pm - 3:30pm
Richard Hilleman, chief creative director, Electronic Arts, will present his session titled: “Games as a Language” and will share how a Hippy, a Chinese World Champion, a New Hampshire Engineer, and two Nobel Prize winners invented the modern video games business, by accident.
- Epic Games: Past, Present and Future: Saturday April 7th, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Fans of the Gears of Wars franchise will have a chance to get personal with Epic Games Design Director, Cliff Bleszinski and President, Mike Capps. Listen as they answer 10 questions from their biggest fans on topics relating to design, inspirations and the secrets to staying around for 20 years! Following the 10 questions, Martin Rae, President, AIAS, will get even more in-depth with these two on the past, present and future of this EPIC studio.
View the official release here.
Check out the PAX East Schedule here.
Seamus Blackley And Arcade Era Icons Revealed As D.I.C.E. Summit Thursday Keynote
Video games took the stage for the first time 30 years ago on January 18, 1982 in a TIME Magazine cover titled “GRONK! FLASH! ZAP! Video Games Are Blitzing the World.” This story brought to light the golden age of the arcade era, signaling a burgeoning industry was coming of age.
This week a TIME Magazine feature story reveals Seamus Blackley’s new venture, Innovative Leisure, Hot Tub Time Machine. Seamus brings together a group of arcade era heroes to create social games in collaboration with talented, young designers. Bringing with him to the 2012 D.I.C.E. Summit are Rich Adam (Missile Command), Ed Logg (Asteroids, Centipede and this year’s AIAS Pioneer Award recipient), Ed Rotberg (Battlezone), Owen Rubin (Major Havoc).
The AIAS is thrilled to stage Innovative Leisure’s first appearance during “The New Arcade” panel, which serves as the Thursday Keynote (February 9) during the 2012 D.I.C.E. Summit conference. “The New Arcade” keynote will feature Seamus Blackley as a moderator for a panel featuring these four icons. They will discuss how the games industry has evolved the past 30 years from a coin-op industry to its current manifestations – and in some ways comes full circle – in the casual, social era.
View the VentureBeat story here.
2012 D.I.C.E. Summit Announces Two Final Sessions
The AIAS is pleased to announce additional confirmed speakers for the 2012 D.I.C.E. Summit. The final two events will include a solo session from one of the most innovative and forward thinking marketers today and a panel comprised of three of the great minds in the industry:
- “Staying Around, Playing Around” with Mike Capps, Epic Games, Ted Price, Insomniac Games & Frank Pearce, Blizzard Entertainment on Thursday February 9, 2012 from 4:15 to 5pm. In this session, Mike, Ted and Frank will discuss what it takes to survive for 20+ years in the game industry while maintaining growth and original content. Join in as they take us from creative to administrative and interpersonal levels of collaboration.
- “Check Raise 360” with Alex Lieu, Chief Creative Office at 42 Entertainment on Friday February 10, 2012 from 10:30-11am. In this session, Alex will explain his unique approach to entertainment and how we can harness the elements converging upon the multi-platform world we live in today. By creating real-world connections, we can bring users to a new level of interaction and participation.
View the full list of speakers and the final schedule here.
View the official press release here.
Check out the speaker bios here.
2012 D.I.C.E. SUMMIT ANNOUNCES “HOT TOPICS” SESSIONS;
NEW SPEAKERS REVEALED
Kicking off the conference on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 prior to the Wednesday Keynote Opener, will be the “Hot Topics” sessions co-moderated by Adam Sessler, host of G4’s X-Play and Perrin Kaplan, Zebra Partners. The three debates will feature:
- “Is the Publishing Model Broken?”: Michael Pachter, Wedbush Morgan and Jesse Divnich, EEDAR
- “Mobile vs. Console”: Perrin Kaplan, Zebra Partners and Gabriel Leydon, Addmired, Inc.
- “Game Journalism”: Adam Sessler, host of G4’s X-Play and Jamin Warren, Kill Screen Magazine
Additional speakers added to the 2012 line-up include:
- Sefton Hill, Co-founder and Game Director, Rocksteady Games who led the creative direction of the highly acclaimed Batman: Arkham City and Batman: Arkham Asylum. His session topic is titled, “Escaping the Asylum”
- TJ Galda, Senior CG Supervisor, Electronic Arts leads art production and has worked on two Academy Award nominated films, Over the Hedge, Kung Fu Panda, Fantastic Four, and many more. His session topic will cover “Nonlinear Story Telling: Crafting a New Genre”
View official press release here.
15th Interactive Achievement Awards Finalists Revealed + GameSpot Media Partnership
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) is pleased to announce the finalists for the 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards (IAAs). More than a hundred titles were played and evaluated by members of the Academy’s Peer Panels. These panels, one for each award category, are comprised of the game industry’s most experienced and talented men and women who are experts in their chosen fields. Thank you to our peer panelists for volunteering your time and energy!
Additionally, the AIAS is proud to reveal its exclusive partnership with GameSpot for the 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards (IAAs) and the D.I.C.E. Summit. GameSpot will provide live streaming video of the awards ceremony, as well as exclusive online content from the D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit sessions that take place throughout the week.
View the 15th IAA official release.
View the GameSpot media partnership official release.
View the complete list of finalists here.
BETHESDA’S TODD HOWARD ANNOUNCED AS D.I.C.E. SUMMIT 2012 WEDNESDAY OPENING KEYNOTE SPEAKER
The AIAS is pleased to announce that Todd Howard, Game Director and Executive Producer at Bethesda Game Studios, will be opening the 2012 D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate and Entertain) Summit at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas as its Wednesday keynote speaker on February 8, 2012. Howard will discuss game development and the player experience, in the keynote session titled “Why We Create, Why We Play.”
View the official press release here.
MORE SPEAKERS REVEALED FOR THE 2012 D.I.C.E. SUMMIT
The Academy confirms additional speakers for the D.I.C.E. Summit:
- David Jaffe, game director/designer/co-founder at Eat Sleep Play, best known as the lead designer, co-writer, and game director of the original God of War and for co-creating and directing the Twisted Metal series
- Seamus Blackley, former head of Creative Artists Agency’s games division and father of the Xbox
- Dr. Delores M. Etter, Texas Instruments Distinguished Chair and executive director, Caruth Institute for Engineering Education Southern Methodist University will be discussing the importance of innovation
- Anita Frazier, entertainment industry analyst, The NPD Group, will be providing data and information on “Consumer spending and behavior on video games content in the U.S. and Europe
Click here for more information.
2012 D.I.C.E. Summit Speaker Spotlight Q&A
The Academy is pleased to present another 2012 D.I.C.E. Summit Speaker Spotlight Q&A. Read about Tomonobu Itagaki’s session topic he is preparing for the D.I.C.E. Summit and the artistic cornerstones that have influenced him. Additionally, find out what American film motivated him to continue designing games when he was thinking about quitting.
Click here to read the interviews.
ACTIVISION PUBLISHING CEO ERIC HIRSHBERG ANNOUNCED AS 2012 D.I.C.E. SUMMIT FRIDAY KEYNOTE
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) today announced that Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc., will be its Friday keynote speaker at the 2012 D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate and Entertain) Summit at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas on Friday, February 10, 2012.
Hirshberg became Chief Executive Officer of Activision Publishing, a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard in September 2010, where he oversees the company’s operational management including its studio, product development functions and consumer marketing activities. Prior to joining Activision, Hirshberg served as co-chief executive officer and chief creative officer at Deutsch LA. During his 13 years leading the company, he was responsible for building the Deutsch LA office into one of the most prominent and respected creative firms in the country with a reputation for creating noteworthy multimedia creative campaigns that have delivered great marketplace results, and were often adopted into popular culture.
View the official press release here.
AIAS INDUCTS EPIC GAMES’ TIM SWEENEY TO ITS HALL OF FAME; CONFIRMED TO SPEAK AT THE 2012 D.I.C.E. SUMMIT
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) has announced that Tim Sweeney, founder and chief executive officer of Epic Games, will be the 16th inductee into the AIAS Hall of Fame, and will be taking the stage for the first time at the 2012 D.I.C.E. Summit. Tim is respected throughout the industry for his technological innovations, advancing many of today’s highly successful PC, console and mobile games. Tim’s development of the Unreal Engine and award-winning franchises such as the “Gears of War” and “Unreal Tournament” series have been catalysts in the evolution of gaming.
The AIAS Hall of Fame is bestowed on game creators who have been instrumental in the development of highly influential games and moving a particular genre forward. These individuals demonstrate the highest level of creativity and innovation, resulting in significant product influence on a scale that expands the scope of the industry. The 2012 Hall of Fame Award will be presented by Epic Games Vice President Mark Rein at the 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards on Thursday, February 9, 2012 at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas. The Awards will be hosted by actor, comedian and game enthusiast, Jay Mohr.
More information on Tim at Kotaku’s exclusive interview.
View the official press release here.
2012 D.I.C.E. Summit Speaker Spotlight Q&A
The Academy is pleased to present our 2012 D.I.C.E. Summit Speaker Spotlight Q&A. Learn about the topic Richard Hilleman is preparing for D.I.C.E. and what he’s up to during his free time. Also be sure to check out one of the nation’s most acclaimed songwriter, composer, and arranger – Glen Ballard – and read about what inspires him.
Click here to read the interviews.
FIRST SET OF SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED FOR 2012 D.I.C.E. SUMMIT
To kick off early registration, the Academy is proud to reveal several of its speakers for the 2012 D.I.C.E. Summit:
- Tomonobu Itagaki, co-founder and CTO, Valhalla Games Studios Co., Ltd., world-renowned game designer who created the game franchises “Dead or Alive” the next gen “Ninja Gaiden” and the forthcoming “Devil’s Third” to be published by THQ, will be speaking on “What We Talk About When We Talk About Games”
- Richard Hilleman, Chief Creative Director, Electronic Arts, will be speaking on “Games as Language”
- Glen Ballard, president, Augury, Six-Time Grammy® Award winner and Oscar-nominated producer/songwriter and arranger will be speaking on “Greater Than The Sum: The Miracle of Collaboration”
- Isaac C. Gilmore, managing partner, 3SJ Tactical Solutions, previously a non-commissioned officer in the United States Navy where he was a member of SEAL Team 7
Click here for more information.
