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2010 GDC Summit Call for Submissions
Topics | FAQs | Summit Descriptions
The Summit Call for Submissions Closed November 13, 2009
The 2010 Summits solicits proposals from speakers with deep industry expertise and innovative ideas from particular emerging areas of the game industry. Please read the submission criteria closely, we have provided a list of topics & guidelines to help you.
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Speakers for the AI, IGDA Education, and Localization Summits are selected by invitation only.
Topics
The Summit advisors are seeking proposals on the following topics. These topics are the foundation of the programs this year. Feel free to submit your own original ideas for consideration as well.
GDC Mobile/Handheld
GDC Mobile/Handheld is the premier professional conference for the creators, publishers, and distributors of portable games, both for consoles and mobile phones. This year GDC Mobile/Handheld 2010 will cover both successful business strategies and the nuts and bolts of development on mobile phones (BREW, Java, Symbian, Android, Windows Mobile, and more), as well as newly added support for portable consoles (PSP/PSP Minis, DS, DSi)!
Game Design/Programming
- Using touch screen in game design
- Beyond the iPhone: designing games for all smart phones
- Case study: unique solutions to interesting problems
- Targeting
- Using Location ID and GPS to create location-based games
- Web to mobile: linking mobile games to online games; making games more social
- The fine art of "tuning" a mobile game: how to achieve the optimal play experience after the development work is done
- Multiplayer game design and development
- An honest assessment of tools and SDKs for mobile formats.
- UI programming: making the most of scarce real estate
- Middleware/formats: market overview, case studies
- Location-based games: leveraging GPS for augmented reality gaming
Deals & Distribution
- 10 Tips for deals with publishers
- How to maximize a publishing deal: what can you ask for and what can you expect to get?
- The road from Gold Master to the consumer
- Essential marketing tricks of the trade for developers
- Where’s the money? The economics of the ‘free’ app
- Carrier decks vs. carrier portals, a reality check
- Distributing your game direct to consumers
- Leveraging media brands to market mobile games
- Detailed information about a hot regional market
- New models for mobile game publishing, distribution, marketing and merchandising
Production
- Porting: delivering game SKUs across multiple OSes, handhelds, etc.
- How porting has changed with smart phones and touch screens
- Asset management for multi-SKU titles
- Team management in multiple international locations
- Tips and techniques for coping with non-compatible software environments
- Checklist: 10 things you must do to ensure successful delivery of your title
- Successfully budgeting a mobile title
- In-house or external? Which makes more sense in any given scenario?
iPhone Games Summit
Business- Advanced level proposals recommended
- How do social games impact the iPhone ecosystem?
- Marketing in a new digital world: When old strategies and tactics don't work anymore
- Managing direct relationships with your customers
- In app purchase: What works, What doesn't?
- 15-20 minute mini-talks that discuss one or two unique things you learned about making iPhone games or learned about the iPhone market
- How to make a blockbuster title
- Game Postmortems-lesson learned
Technical- Intermediate & Advanced level proposals recommended
- Optimization of complex 3D apps and engines
- Advanced Open GL ES techniques
- Memory optimization and strategies
- Touch interface techniques and design
- Innovative use of accelerometer
- Networking
- Audio solutions/performance
- Real-time processing of microphone data
- Technically focused game postmortems
- Use of existing engines/middleware (unity, cocos2d, chipmunk, box2d,…)
Independent Games Summit
- Indie Business - how to make money, manage teams, and run a company without going insane
- Promotion & Marketing - how to get noticed when the "Marketing Department" = you
- Design and Philosophy - deep dive into design techniques, for example: constraints, rapid prototyping, tools
- Case Studies and Postmortems - inspirational talks that demonstrate what worked, what didn't, what surprised you and made you wiser
Social & Online Games Summit
The Social & Online Games Summit will cover casual, social networking, and online games.
- Convergence: social worlds and SNS games are merging (Meez & MySpace, Creating games for social networks (Facebook, MySpace, hi5, Bebo)
- Building success in the children’s gaming market
- How to design for maximum virality
- Successful design elements for virtual spaces
- Monetization success stories
- Survey of current business models
- Choosing a technology for your online world: Flash vs. browser plugins vs. downloadable tech
- Using licensed media (brands) in online worlds – why, how, and what works?
- Retention in online worlds – what makes people hang around and keep playing games? Is there an endgame?
- How do you acquire users for your online world successfully and practically?
- All SNSes are not the same: differences between the social networks and why they matter.
- Future crossplatform trends: Mobile? Augmented? Embedded?
- Key metrics. What are the key performance indices? MAUs vs DAUs, the coefficients, and ARPU/ARPPU, and more
- Instrumenting your title: the web way of doing it
- Is game design irrelevant to social games, or is it all about metrics?
- Social platforms on the web: using Facebook Connect, OpenSocial, RPX, etc.
- From Product to Service: fundamental shift in game design and distribution
- Who is playing? What new audiences are SOG attracting and how are these expanding the industry
- Lessons on retention from virtual worlds and MMOs
Casual Games Topics
Business
- Is innovation possible anymore in the downloadable casual marketplace?
- Have casual games gotten too un-casual?
- The creative process at work: generating 60 casual game ideas in 60 minutes.
- The untapped casual gamer audience and how to reach them.
- Today’s hardcore game players: tomorrow’s casual game players?
- Outsourcing as part of casual game development.
- Successful business strategies for the mature market
- What criteria do publishers use when deciding which games to fund?
- How do portals decide which games to distribute?
- How can you optimize marketing reach for your portal?
- How to survive as a indie, mid-size and large developer in this market
- Community building and nurturing
- Maximizing use of portable gaming devices, microtransactions, connected consoles, in-game advertising, user-generated content and other forward thinking mechanisms.
Art & Design
- Successful game postmortems
- Design techniques and principles
- Tools & Engines
Serious Games Summit
- Given its location at GDC – we are looking especially for talks that have strong connections to the commercial entertainment games industry (including indie games) be it a hardware connection, off-the-shelf game engine, modding, hybrid studios, use of a COTS entertainment product, etc.
- Be short but potent – we’re looking for most talks to be 20-30 minutes. We’re especially looking for talks that make good STORIES and offer strong but well argued (with examples) opinions that can galvanize our audience. While the summit will have 1-2 panels the chances based on available slots for panels is very low.
- When research oriented we want evidence based research that speaks to if the project was effective and what elements of the PROJECT’S design not just the product’s design were possibly responsible for its effectiveness.
Specific areas of interest include:
- New business models and design patterns that offer new directions for the next wave of serious game projects – especially talks that look at commercial opportunities for serious games to broad consumer audiences especially those that bypass various b2b/sponsor oriented business models.
- Case studies of games that clearly are breaking the mold in terms of production, design, and effect on their users
- New uses for games not given enough attention to date – especially talks that can showcase a range of titles and projects to provide a summary view of a particular niche.
- NEW unannounced serious game oriented startups – that have robust product demonstrations and unique stories, and if possible evidence based research to show their effectiveness, to share about how they came to be
- Research looking at the use of commercial off-the-self games for purposes beyond entertainment and their current success or failure with strong explanations that provide developers with new applicable knowledge
- Mobile projects – an area that seems ripe for strong presentations given iPhone/iPod, Android, DS/DSi, PSPGo opportunities
- Social network based games or games that build new social networks toward a specific purpose. This can’t include any game that involves Zombies, vampires, or gangsters.
- Games for the Web using technologies other then Flash. Not that we hate Flash, we love it, but where’s the love for AJAX? How about Unity? OpenLazlo? Etc…
- Games for unique audiences and challenges in reaching them that might help with other unique but different audiences. Especially under-served audiences.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When is the submission deadline?
- When will I be notified of the status of my submission?
- What makes a good submission?
- What do I need to provide in my submission?
- What are the session formats?
- What do the GDC Summits expect from speakers?
- What is the selection process?
- What are the benefits of speaking?
- How do I propose a vendor-specific session?
- How should PR Reps submit for their clients?
- How do I avoid "timing out" while I am submitting?
- Who should I contact with additional questions?
Q: When is the submission deadline?
A: November 13, 2009-Midnight PST
Q: When will I be notified of the status of my submission?
A: You will receive an automated email response once your submission is received.
We will notify you of the status of your submission in January 2010. If you do not hear from us, please contact Jennifer Steele at jsteele@think-services.com.
Q: What makes a good submission?
A:
- Incomplete submissions and submissions that are commercial or marketing in nature will not be considered.
- To have your proposal reviewed by the advisors, complete the form in its entirety.
- Write your abstract so that it is easily understood. Concise, precise language and a discernable thesis will also help your chances in the review process.
- The advisors will read many abstracts. Get to your point as quickly as possible. Consider what the proposal is about. Why is it interesting? How is it important to game development? What will game developers get out of the session?
- Please write in third person present tense. For example, "This lecture focuses on 3D graphics." Not, "I want to talk about 3D graphics."
Q: What do I need to provide in my submission?
A: The submission form will request these eight key items:
- Contact information
Full contact information and a short biography are required. - Session Title
A concise, descriptive title of no more than 8 words. - Presentation description
A description of your presentation as you would have it appear in the conference program in 100 words or less. - Session takeaway
In 40 words or less, describe what attendees will learn from your session. - Extended abstract/Outline
In 500 words or less, provide a description of your presentation in greater detail. - Presentation Materials
List the elements you will you use to illustrate your talk, i.e., code samples, demos, video clips, etc - Screenshots or Videos
The Advisors would like to see demos, images, or any documentation that supports your submission. - Past Speaking Engagements
If applicable, list the conferences, the title of the lecture, scores, and references. If you can provide references for these lectures, include a name and contact information.
Q: What are the session formats?
A: The final length and format of accepted sessions will be determined by the advisors. Please select what you feel will be the most appropriate.
- Lecture: 20-minute, 30-minute, or 60-minute
Lectures are issue-oriented, provide concrete examples, and contain both practical and theoretical information. We generally prefer only one speaker but we may accept two if you can demonstrate the second person is necessary. Postmortems and case studies are included in this category.
- Panel: 60-minute
Panels take many different viewpoints on a topic or issue and combine them in one venue. Debate among panelists (with very different opinions) is welcome and audience participation time should be accounted for. We prefer 60 minute time slots and panels of no more than 5 people.
Q: What do the Summits expect from speakers?
A: Preparation is one of the most important factors in delivering a successful talk. Please keep the following in mind when you propose to speak:
- The proposed outline you submit now must match the talk you actually present at the Summit.
- We suggest that you commit AT LEAST 20 hours to prepare for your session
- We strongly encourage that you rehearse the delivery of your session for it to be effective; preferably in front of your peers (one tip is to video tape yourself speaking then review it. This is also a great way to practice pacing and timing)
- Your presentation materials must be completed and submitted to us four weeks before the conference.
- Allow Think Services to record and distribute copies of your presentation.
- The submitter also agrees to be available to present his/her session during any day of the Summit.
Q: What is the selection process?
A: We will email you a confirmation when we receive your proposal. If you do not receive this confirmation, contact Jennifer Steele at jsteele@think-services.com. The advisory board will review submissions in the coming months and you will receive a notification in January as to the status of your proposal. These four criteria are considered when rating the submissions:
- Concept: This is the basic idea of your proposal. Is it interesting? Is it relevant? Will it be beneficial for game development professionals to hear? There's plenty of room for innovative ideas and also the tried and true.
- Depth: Has the idea in your proposal been well considered and fleshed out? To what extent will the audience gain insight? The more in-depth, the better.
- Organization: Are your ideas organized in a fashion conducive to presentation in front of an audience? Will the advisors "follow" what you are trying to say? Organization helps!
- Credentials: How do your credentials qualify you to speak on the topic you've proposed?
Q: What are the benefits to speaking?
A: The benefits to being a Summit speaker include:
- Complimentary All Access Pass
- Extensive exposure
Your name and presentation featured in our conference program and web site and other marketing outreach. - The opportunity to influence your peers and community
- Invitation to the GDC Speaker Party
Q: How do I propose a vendor-specific session?
A: We want our talks to be opportunities for professional game developers to share their ideas and experiences. Proposals that are commercial or marketing in nature will not be considered. In general, content specific to proprietary products and technologies is considered sponsored material. The Summit advisors and conference management reserve the right to exercise their editorial discretion. If you would like to publicize a product, please contact our sales team for information on exhibiting and other vendor opportunities, including sponsored sessions.
Q: How should PR Reps submit for their clients?
A: If you are a PR representative submitting on behalf of a client, please list the client as the speaker and provide all of their contact information in addition to yours. Without the speaker details, the submission will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed.
Q: How do I avoid "timing out" while I am submitting?
A: The online submission page will "time out" if it remains idle for more than 10 minutes, causing an interruption in the process, and an incomplete submission that will not be reviewed. To avoid this, click on "Extend Current Session" (located at the top of this page next to your name) so that you have ample time to complete all the steps of the submission form.
Q: Who should I contact with additional questions?
A: Please contact Jen Steele at jsteele@think-services.com with any additional questions.
