Gaming Innovators Converge in Rochester Sept. 7-9 to Design New Ways to Play

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The International Games Innovation Conference 2012 will be held on the campus of The Strong in Rochester. It is co-hosted by RIT’s School of Interactive Games and Media and the International Center for the History of Electronic Games at The Strong.

Gaming innovators, including Xbox co-creator Seamus Blackley, will convene in Rochester, N.Y., to inform and inspire at the fourth IEEE Consumer Electronics Society International Games Innovation Conference “Designing for Play” Sept. 7-9 on the campus of The Strong.

Co-hosted by Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of Interactive Games and Media and the International Center for the History of Electronic Games at The Strong, the conference extends a tradition that began in London in 2009, went to Hong Kong in 2010 and then to Orange, Calif., in 2011.

Attendees will engage in two-and-a-half days of keynote addresses, presentations on innovative research and the latest game technologies, networking opportunities with video game researchers and developers from around the globe and an opportunity to tour one of the world’s largest collections of video games at the International Center for the History of Electronic Games at The Strong.

“We’ve put together a powerful assembly of keynote speakers,” says Stephen Jacobs, associate professor in RIT’s School of Interactive Games and Media. “They cover the leading edge of thinking and practice on human interaction, education, business, game play and speculative fiction in relation to games. We’ve been able to bring them to Rochester, which is a world-class locale for game history and education, and is growing its own local games industry.”

Keynote speakers and topics include:

• Seamus Blackley, co-creator of the Xbox and president of Innovative Leisure, “From Arcades to Apps”
• Ian Bogost, professor at Georgia Tech and founding partner of Persuasive Games, “What Is Fun?”
• Cory Doctorow, columnist and co-editor of Boing Boing with Charles Stross, Hugo Award-winning science fiction and fantasy author, “Virtual Worlds and Their Discontents: Who Will Refuse to Enter the Matrix and Why?”
• Paul Reiche, co-founder and CEO of Toys for Bob, “The Skylander Story: Successfully Combining Toys and Video Games”
• Anthony Salcito, vice president for Microsoft Education, “GamiMUSTification: Transforming Learning to Drive 21st Century Skills”
• Ian Schreiber, game designer and co-author of Breaking into the Game Industry: Successful Careers from Those Who Have Done It, “Breaking into the Game Industry”
• Vincent John Vincent, co-CEO, president and co-founder of GestureTek Inc., “Engaging Interactivity Using Gesture Control Technologies”

“This is a unique opportunity to bring together leading game designers, educators, and innovators shaping the future of games and play at an institution devoted to showcasing and preserving the history of video games,” says Jon-Paul Dyson, director of the International Center for the History of Electronic Games. “The Strong is pleased to host this conference and provide attendees a rare behind-the-scenes look at ICHEG’s unparalleled collections of video games, other electronic games, game platforms and related artifacts.”

The conference also highlights a Friday night reception at The Strong, where attendees will be treated to unlimited video-game play in eGameRevolution, an exhibit that invites guests to play their way through the history of video games. Saturday night features a dinner and tour of RIT’s Center for Student Innovation and School for Interactive Games and Media. A Niagara Falls, N.Y., excursion and tour will be held Sunday for an additional $89 fee.

Registration fees are $500 in advance or $550 onsite for IEEE members, $550 in advance or $600 onsite for non-members and $50 in advance or $100 onsite for students. For questions about the conference or sponsorships, contact Stephen Jacobs at sj@email.rit.edu or 585-475-7803.

Seamus Blackley, co-creator of the Xbox and president of Innovative Leisure