March 23 & 24 (Monday & Tuesday)

Through new user interfaces and more dedicated resources to the segment, casual games have become more advanced, and advanced games have become more accessible. The game industry as a whole is making clear efforts to appeal to the vast population beyond core gamers. At the Casual Games Summit, professionals and experts discuss hot topics in the casual games sector such as: keys to making a simple yet addictive game, originality and innovation, international opportunities, casual games in the console sector.

Check back for session updates!

Casual Games Summit Advisors

Kenny Shea Dinkin
Vice President & Creative Director
PlayFirst

As one of the first management team members and executive producer at PlayFirst, Kenny directed content strategy and oversaw game production for the first 24 PlayFirst titles. Now as vice president and creative director, he drives the portfolio’s aesthetic considerations guiding game design, art, audio, character, and story development for all PlayFirst games, which include DINER DASH, CHOCOLATIER, WEDDING DASH and DREAM CHRONICLES. Kenny brings over a decade of success in designing, directing, and producing a wide array of award-winning consumer products and interactive platforms. Prior to joining PlayFirst, Kenny was the worldwide head of product design for The Learning Company/Broderbund, where he was creative lead for a portfolio of premiere children's software brands, including READER RABBIT, CARMEN SANDIEGO, and KIDPIX as well as licensed properties such as SCOOBY-DOO, STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE, BATMAN, POWERPUFF GIRLS, and ARTHUR. A visual artist, writer, musician, game designer, and avid comic book reader, Kenny was also the co-creator of the critically acclaimed, top-selling brand THE CLUEFINDERS. Kenny earned a bachelor's degree in History from Brown University and an M.F.A. in Fine Arts from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Design.

 

Steve Meretzky
Senior Designer
Blue Fang

Steve joined Blue Fang, developer of the bestselling ZOO TYCOON games, in late 2006. Steve has been designing games since 1982, starting with the legendary adventure game company, Infocom. His titles there included PLANETFALL, THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY (a collaboration with Douglas Adams), LEATHER GODDESSES OF PHOBOS, and ZORK ZERO. He co-founded Boffo Games, where he created HODJ 'N' PODJ and THE SPACE BAR. He was creative content director for five years for the tournament skill game site WorldWinner.com, where he continues to serve as an advisor. Prior to joining Blue Fang, Steve was lead designer for Floodgate Entertainment, and has also done consulting work for Activision, Blizzard, Disney, EA, Harmonix, Hasbro, Legend, and many others. Steve is a former member of the Board of Directors of the IGDA; he co-founded Post Mortem, the monthly gathering of Boston-area game developers; and he is a co-organizer of the annual Game Designers Workshop.

 

Dave Rohrl
Freelance Producer/Designer

Dave is one of the most experienced and respected producer/designers in the casual game space. Over the last seven years, Dave has a unique mix of experience and skills that make him highly qualified to offer insight into many areas of the industry—he has worked in the PC casual space in developer, publisher, and portal operator roles and he has a strong track record as a game designer, producer, and business leader. Among Dave’s accomplishments in the casual space are conceiving and launching Pogo To Go, Pogo.com’s downloadable game channel; founding and managing PopCap Games’ San Francisco development studio; and creating some of Pogo’s best known and loved products including WORD WHOMP, TUMBLE BEES, and CASINO ISLAND. In all, Dave has produced and designed more than 20 published casual games and served as executive producer on another eight. He is currently working as a freelance producer/designer for multiple clients including Electronic Arts’ SIMS label. Prior to his work in the casual game space, Dave enjoyed a successful career as a producer/designer of edutainment titles for THE LEARNING COMPANY.