Two seminal figures in video game history, John Romero (Doom, Quake) and Steve ‘Slug’ Russell (Spacewar!), will kick off IndieCade’s 2012 Professional Conference Friday ‘ Sunday, Oct 5 – 7, 2012 in downtown Culver City during the annual IndieCade Festival. Crowdsourcing and alternative funding will be demystified by a panel of veterans from companies such as Double Fine Adventure, Kickstarter and Humble Bundle.
In the first of three interlinking keynotes, John Romero, whose games helped found a videogame genre, will have an informal discussion with ‘Slug’ Russell, the man who helped invent the videogame, period. A Conversation with Russell & Romero will commemorate the evolution of modern games in light of Spacewar!’s 50th anniversary and Romero’s entrance into next generation social games.
The other keynotes will feature a lively discussion between indie icons Eric Zimmerman (Rules of Play) and Bernie DeKoven (The Well Played Game) exploring games’ impact on culture and expression, as well as multidisciplinary talk by Mary Flanagan (Tiltfactor Lab) that will illuminate the current state of indie games.
The panel Indie Kick Bundle Fund: A Discussion about Funding Your Games and Making Money will provide the collective insight of Cindy Au (Kickstarter), John Graham (Humble Bundle/Wolfire), Greg Rice (Double Fine) and Nathan Vella (Capy/Indie Fund), moderated by Aaron Isaksen (Indie Fund/AppAbove Games).
Other speakers include critic Anna Anthropy and game designer Bennett Foddy (Oxford University). The 2012 IndieCade Professional Conference will feature three days of panels, salons and networking opportunities including a day-long workshop geared toward developers. Conference attendees have access to Festival activities as well as to VIP receptions such as the IndieCade Red Carpet Awards, Oct. 4, 2012, hosted by Felicia Day.
This year’s conference program is being overseen by Richard Lemarchand, lead designer of the award-winning Uncharted series; Tracy Fullerton, chair of the Interactive Media Division at USC; and John Sharp of Local Number 12, Assistant Professor at Parsons The New School for Design.
Registration is open via Brown Paper Tickets or through the IndieCade website at www.indiecade.com . The full conference (including the Red Carpet Awards) costs $350 in advance and $400 at the door. Group rates are available.