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AGDC 08: The Secret to Storytelling in MMOs

Akela Talamasca — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, MMO industry, Massively Meta, Academic, Massively Event Coverage

At the Austin Game Developers Conference, we sat down to a one-man panel held by James Portnow, of Divide by Zero Games. His topic was "The Secret to Storytelling in a Massively Multiplayer Environment", and it was well worth our time.

James' main point was to collect the various servers, or shards, into one continuous world, and how that would affect the idea of composing an overarching storyline. We've compiled a breakdown of James' panel here, condensing his hour-long talk into what we think are his most salient points. Remember, most of these statements are not actual quotes unless specifically pulled out as such. Read on to learn more about "The Secret to Storytelling in a Massively Multiplayer Environment".

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AGDC 08: The Secret to Storytelling in MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Sep 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AGDC 08: The Importance of Learning Style and Gender in MMOs

Akela Talamasca — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Academic, Massively Event Coverage

We spent a little time at the Austin Game Developers Conference this year and walked away with our heads full of game-related knowledge. Not least of this came from a panel held by Sheri Graner Ray, the computer game industry's leading expert on the subject of gender and computer games.

She began by dividing learning styles into types, and explaining how closely gender relates to the different styles. She then went on to discuss how important it is for game tutorials to include the different styles of learning at the risk of losing potential players. We've compiled a breakdown of Sheri's panel here, condensing her hour-long talk into what we think are her most salient points. Remember, most of these statements are not actual quotes unless specifically pulled out as such. Read on to learn more about "The Importance of Learning Style and Gender in MMOs".

Continue reading AGDC 08: The Importance of Learning Style and Gender in MMOs

AGDC 08: The Importance of Learning Style and Gender in MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Icarus Studios demos iPhone MMO software this week

Samuel Axon — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, Mobile

Icarus Studios -- developer of Fallen Earth and the associated Icarus Platform virtual world development tools --announced via press release that this week it is demonstrating its 3D MMO platform running on Apple's iPhone at the Austin Game Developers Conference.

The demo is modest -- a "360-degree panoramic tour of a sample virtual world location." Users control the camera with the phone's accelerometer. Apple recently threw down the gauntlet, saying that the iPhone and the iPod Touch platforms are "the best portable device for playing games." No reason that future can't include MMOs, right?

The iPhone client is scheduled to launch in Q1 of 2009. Does this mean that within months everyone on the New York subway, the Chicago El, and the London Underground will be immersed in a never-ending, time-sinking quest for teh phat lewtz?

Icarus Studios demos iPhone MMO software this week originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ZeniMax Online is hiring at Austin Game Developers Conference

Shawn Schuster — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Real life, Business models, Economy, Events, real-world, MMO industry

If you're a talented game professional and you're planning to attend the Austin Game Developers Conference this coming week, you may want to head on over to booth 100 and speak with ZeniMax Online Studios (which has a brand-new official site). As they've just announced, ZeniMax will be looking for potential employees with experience in Art, Programming, Design, Server Technology, Customer Support, QA and Marketing. Despite the fact that ZeniMax is located in Hunt Valley, Maryland, this may be a great opportunity for those developers in the Austin area who have suffered through the area's recent set-backs.

ZeniMax Online is the sister company of Bethesda Softworks, most famously known for their development and publishing of the Elder Scrolls Series and the upcoming Fallout 3. However, don't mistake their association with Bethesda to any connection with the Fallout MMO, which is currently in development by Interplay.

ZeniMax Online is hiring at Austin Game Developers Conference originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Austin Game Developers Conference previews the evolving face of MMOs

Michael Zenke — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Events, real-world, Academic

Worlds in Motion has continued to announce some of the highlights of the upcoming Austin Game Developer's Conference. We've previously talked about featured speakers like Nexon's Min Kim, and interesting events showcasing the collaboration between casual gaming and MMOs. These newest events continue to explore some topics we've returned to several times before here at Massively. The business side of massive gaming, for example, will be explored in a panel entitled Evolving Business for MMOs. Speakers will include Turbine Business Development VP Robert Ferrari, CCP CEO Himlar Veigar Pertursson, Funcom Business Development VP Nicolay Nickelsen, Nexon America director Min Kim, and ImaginVenture SA COO Jessica Mulligan.

Other talks will include tips for the changing face of MMO business models, focusing on free-to-play and RMT models. Another will discuss some of the challenges of running a Beta test, with hands-on knowledge from Keneva's Jonathan Hanna. Check out the full listing of MMO-related talks and panels over at the official AGDC website today.

Austin Game Developers Conference previews the evolving face of MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AGDC announces first keynote address

Michael Zenke — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Events, real-world, Academic

The Worlds in Motion site notes that the first keynote address has been announced for this year's Austin Game Developer's Conference. Last last month the first speakers, such as Damion Schubert and Min Kim, were announced for the MMO-focused event. This week the event's first keynote has been announced, and it's very different from your average early-morning droner. Fans of The Office rejoice! The folks behind the Dunder Mifflin social networking game will be offering up ways of "driving user behavior and increasing engagement".

Other events announced include a technical discussion on Tabula Rasa's shading technology; that's an in-depth session aimed at MMO developers looking for cost/benefit tradeoffs. Probably the most exciting announced talk this week is Nick Fortugno's talk entitled What Your Mother and Your Ten-Year Old Can Teach You About MMOs. He gave a similar lecture at this year's IMGDC event, previously discussed here on the site. Interested parties will get early bird status through August 27th.

AGDC announces first keynote address originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 07 Jun 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Austin Game Developer's Conference announces speakers

Michael Zenke — Sat, 31 May 2008 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Events, real-world, Academic

This year's Austin Game Developer's Conference, slated for early September, sounds like it will be a good one. Though the ION 2008 event was a fantastic MMO-focused design and development thinktank, AGDC traditionally fills that roll. CMP (the event's organizer) has announced some of the speakers that will be participating in the event. The list includes industry heavyweights like Nexon America's Min Kim, BioWare's Damion Schubert, and Cryptic's Gordon Wei.

We're particularly interested in Mr. Schubert's talk. Last year his Zen of Online Game Design discussion was one of the highlights of the conference, and his discussion for this year sounds equally engaging. Entitled "Endgame: How to Build High-End Gameplay for Your Most Devoted Players", it would seem to be tackling one of the issues that a lot of MMO players find very pressing. Make sure to check out the descriptions of the events, and if you're thinking of going make sure to register soon. Early registration is only open through the end of July. And, of course, you can look forward to extensive coverage from Massively.com; we'll be at the event in force!

Austin Game Developer's Conference announces speakers originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 31 May 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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