Games are no longer about shipping software in a box. The market is moving to a service model where a game can change constantly over time through teh addition of new levels and new challenges. These games are also free to play so a new range of monetization models have been invented. This talk will use a case study approach to describe how design and then deliver games as a service.

Questions answered :
- How to develop and run games for Facebook and other social networks – How to market games virally and through traditional channels – What are the monetization options for “Free” services

In this talk I will report on the lessons learned from working with and studying an independent games developer that faced the fundamental choice of self-publishing its content vs. contracting a publisher for marketing and promotion activities. We here voices from the indie community that the publisher is dead, but is this really the case? I will shed light on this issue by reporting on my insights. Questions answered : – What are the costs of partnering with a publisher? – What are the benefits of partnering with a publisher? – Which marketing activities have significant impact on sales performance? – When should you team up with a publisher and when not?

We’re all gamers now. As the full realization of what games can achieve dawns, this sessions asks what is game design? Is it an art or a science? Is there a perfect process, or processes? Should we share our design knowledge in the interests of innovation? Using real-world design examples this talk goes in search of making game experiences better, by design.

Questions answered :
What is game design? Is it really design, or software development? Is there a ‘perfect process’ that suits all design problems? If there is, what is it? If there isn’t, should we try find one by sharing successful design processes? And just why are many game designers so secretive about their craft?

It seems counter-intuitive, but traditional drawing skills are ever more important for the games industry, despite the increasing technology. Drawing is to an Artist what literaccy is to a writer, numeracy to a mathematician and musical score to a Musician. Without a solid ability in the craft of drawing, an artist cannot communicate ideas, tell compelling stories and persuade customers to play games. Without drawing, the games industry will not flourish.

Questions answered :
A passionate plea to put traditional drawing centre stage in the education system. Why is drawing important to the games industry? What do we mean by traditional drawing? How do we teach drawing? Can anyone learn to draw, or is it a mystical gift from the Gods?

What’s the key to creating fun but genuinely engaging games on factual and even controversial subjects? How do you reach new audiences with your educational games?

A talk about how government can learn from Angry Birds, discussing the importance of gaming techniques in promoting greater engagement in governance and democracy.

Questions answered :
1) How can government engage citizens better in the era of digital democracy? 2) How can games design influence how future democracy is designed?

Games can do much more than just entertain. This Micro-talk highlights the power of ‘games with purpose’ and how they can be used to engage audiences on subjects like death, drug-addition and mental health.

It’s time to move away from the safe margins of our screens and experience the sensations of the good old tangible real world. As the boundaries between the real world and what we used to call digital are blurring, we have the unmissable opportunity to innovate, combining creativity and technology to define new emotional experiences and new ways for people to interact with each other.

Questions answered :
From the Mind-controlled Scalextric to EELS, a 3D projection mapping multiplayer game. An overview on B-Reel’s approach to experimental technology, storytelling and the tangibleness of interactive experiences.

Using Microsoft’s Kinect technology the Gamelab team have developed the first stages of a gesture recognition system game for kids with learning disabilities

Questions answered :
Designing Games for Learning for SEN.

Boss Level are building games that you can play with your friends and family, via your PC at work, your mobile phone on the bus and then on your TV at home i.e. the same game played from ‘the cloud’. During the talk Nick will explain the thinking behind the technologies used, the challenges faced and some of the solutions adopted.

Questions answered :
- Is HTML5 a viable platform and if so, who for and why ?
- I want to do the same – how do I do it ?
- Some thoughts on design and best practice.

How can we harness the urge for play to make the world a better place? How to designing gameful applications.

Gamification – how to Designing gameful applications

· Choosing a platform, one or all?

· Expansion & diversification

· Creating awareness

· Driving customers to your app

· Improving app rankings

Mobile computing has opened the doors for many new types of personalised interactive experiences. When experience designers know so much about what a user is doing at at time, they can tailor the content to fit perfectly into the users life. This talk will look at some of the ways RjDj has explored this with apps such as Inception the App and Dimensions. For instance by creating sonic experiences which change when you are still, quiet, running, during the night, or when its full moon. Questions answered : What can make content relevant to peoples lives? How can we make digital content have real value again? What is the future of distributed music beyond the recording?

The Quantified Self movement is getting lots of interest, with new devices (Nike Fuleband, Jawbone Up), websites (Tic Trac, Track Ignite) and apps appearing. Most products and services are designed from the point of view of the technology; not the end user. How can things be designed from the user’s perspective, being simple to use an beautiful in order to attract the non-geeks? We’re having a try with uMotif.com and would like to share our story Questions answered : Is Quantified Self going to become mainstream? How to attract the non-tech geek? Does uMotif have an interesting approach?

The future of the television screen is interactive and will be used in conjunction with a number of other devices. TV will have to change and become more social. Who are the big players in the social TV space and who is winning across the globe?

Questions answered :
What is the future of broadcasters? How do social networks play a part in the television space?

Games are increasingly being used as a method to teach people about complex systems. While it’s easy to claim you’re being innovative by creating a game that embodies your message, it’s a lot harder to make a game that really does it. Join us as we dive into and tackle the problems of making serious games that are both fun and informative.

Questions answered :
How do you take a message and turn it into a game? If you’re a game designer, what are the best practices for working with nonprofits? If you’re a nonprofit, what are the best practices for creating games and working with designers?

- IP and merchandising – what every start-up needs to know (and every investor will expect).

- Privacy issues for on-line start-ups – what needs to be done in the early days?

- Mobile devices and apps – terms of use, getting the details right.

- Gambling regulations.

- Unfair trading/advertising.

· Reasons for success

· Targeting audiences

· Raising awareness and creating advocates

· The value of conventional marketing and PR

· Blogging and user generated promotion

· Apps and discoverability

uKinect – gesture recognition games – HAssel Inclusion, Gamelab

Building Massively Multi-Platform, Multi-Player Games – Boss Level Games

Telfication – What Games Can Learn From TV – Somethin’ Else

It’s become clear that Generation G wants to play with content, and if it’s not interactive and playful, then content is not working hard enough to engage with the modern audience.
A panel session exploring the ramifications of these trends for the games space.

We as humans are tuned in, or so we think. However certain effectors such as context and emotion can effect our decisions and judgement. This is especially prominent in a GAME like environment.

From social gaming to full on retain commerce design, learn how to design your experiences to enhance engagement and increase factors such as acquisition, monetization and retention.

I’ll take you through how certain behaviour heuristics can effect how we consciously and unconsciously perceive the digital environment.

Not just for Game designers, but for brands and retailers who want to engage there customers through unconscious thinking.

Tom Chatfield, author and thinker, will talk about the use of games and also how to thrive in a digital age.

How does crowdfunding operate in the UK and how can it work for your games business? Dan Wood from games trade body Ukie will give you a run through of what you can and cannot do with crowdfunding in the UK and then Matt Wieteska from Six to Start will give insight into how they’ve made crowdfunding successfully work for them.

Fancy something completely different? Despite its incredible growth, the game industry is still dwarfed by the size of the television industry, in terms of time and money spent. What can games learn from television to help them find a larger and more mainstream audience, as well as find whole new areas to exploit? Here, Mark Sorrell, Development Producer for award-winning creative agency Somethin’ Else, takes you through an unusual way of looking at this problem, painting a picture of a future for gaming that takes what are often seen as television’s weaknesses and turns them into gaming’s strengths.

Questions answered :
Why is television such a dominant force in entertainment culture? How can games

A Headline I have been waiting for: “Future TV Disruption – Forbes says it’s Worth Half a Trillion Dollars For Internet Companies”. The intersection (media convergence) of TV, Gaming, Social, and the Web is the space that I work and love to revel in. And am happy to share my thoughts. From Apple TV to Zeebox – Connected TV to Social TV – there’s massive changes on the horizon. How can tech startups participate in the some 200 billion pounds in global TV ad spend that coming up for grabs?

Questions answered :
What is the next big thing? How will TV and the Internet intersect? What’s Connected or Smart TV? What’s Social TV? What’s Multiplatform Engagement? What’s Transmedia? What are TV Apps?

Mainstream TV is finally starting to embrace the power of social media and the effect it has on the shows we love. But what else can be done, other than putting a hashtag on the credits? Well, plenty… Telegraph Hill, the company behind the online strategy for The Voice UK (BBC One), Hollyoaks (C4) and Free Speech (BBC Three) share their experiences of making active online communities around some of the nation’s biggest TV shows. Covering live drama events, Twitter-powered opinion trackers and community building on social platforms, Telegraph Hill will share the definite dos and deadly don’ts of this burgeoning area of the industry.

Questions answered :
How do you turn a passive TV audience into active online fans? What is the best way to build and satisfy an online community? What is social media best practice for a mainstream audience? How can new technology and methods evolve an old medium like television?