Audio Designer / Media Molecule

Les Ateliers du Jeu Vidéo 2011
Lundi 10 Janvier 2011
10h30 : Kenny Young (lecture live), Audio Designer / Media Molecule (Little Big Planet)
http://www.mediamolecule.com
Audio: Part of the cake, or just the icing?
Abstract of the presentation
Sound and music are often bolted on to a project at the last minute. By this stage there is no
opportunity for the audio to influence any of a game’s features, and this prevents the player
experience from reaching its full potential. In this presentation, Young will analyse and
explain why this happens, strategies for preventing it and why you should care. Covering
sound, music and voice, with an emphasis on the integration between audio personnel and
every other development discipline, this is essential information for all students aspiring to
create the most engaging interactive entertainment experiences.
Speakers biography
Kenny is from Edinburgh, Scotland, and lives near London working at Media Molecule, where
he is responsible for the audio experience in their games, most recently LittleBigPlanet and
its imminent sequel. Before joining Media Molecule Kenny was employed as a sound
designer at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's London Studio where he worked on over
a dozen titles. Prior to this he studied music technology as an undergraduate and went on to
gain an MA, with distinction, in sound design. Kenny is an active member of the game audio
community, sits on the Game Developers Conference Audio Advisory Board, has been a
BAFTA juror and speaks regularly at conferences and Universities all around the world. In
2005, Kenny set up www.gamesound.org as a resource for those wishing to learn more
about sound for games.
Presentation of the company
Media Molecule are a small talented team of people based in Guildford, who were brought
together by fate, destiny, and recruitment agencies, and who love nothing more than
making innovative and creative video game doodads for you to play with. Also, ice cream.
14h30 : Mia Consalvo (VC Ohio), Visiting Associate Professor, Comparative Media Studies
Massachusetts Institute of Technology http://cms.mit.edu/
The Everyday Life of Games Online
Abstract of the presentation
Half of all traffic to Facebook is to play social games such as Frontierville, City of Wonder and
Mafia Wars. Yet social games (and many casual games) stand accused of being nothing more
than Skinner boxes, designed without regard to artistic merit, created simply to keep people
clicking and (for 1-2% of those clickers) purchasing virtual currency. This talk explores the
landscape of social and casual games from a critical perspective, focusing in particular on
how cheating works (and doesn’t) in social/casual games, and how gender creates new
frameworks for understanding the role of play in contemporary culture.
Speaker’s biography
Mia Consalvo is Visiting Associate Professor in the Comparative Media Studies program for
2009-2011. She is currently serving as the President of the Association of Internet
researchers, and she is on the steering committee of Women in Games International. Her
current research examines several topics, including the role of Japan in the formation of the
videogame industry, the culture of social and casual games, and women's gameplay. Her
work has been published in Cinema Journal, Critical Studies in Media Communication, and
Games and Culture, among others. She is also the author of Cheating: Gaining Advantage in
Videogames from MIT Press, and is co-editor of the forthcoming Blackwell Handbook of
Internet Studies.
Presentation of the company
The MIT Comparative Media Studies (CMS) program is committed to the art of thinking
across media forms, theoretical domains, cultural contexts, and historical periods. Our work
encourages the bridging of theory and practice, as much through course work as through
participation in faculty and independent research projects.
14h30 : Kenny Young : Workshop Live
Audio Designer / Media Molecule
16h : Harvey Smith (VC Texas), and Raphael Colantonio, Game Directors / Arkane Studios
www.arkane-studios.com
The value of passion
Abstract of the presentation
Harvey Smith and Raphael Colantonio run us through their parcours: how they started, how
they met, how they shared a passion that led to a creative collaboration and an acquisition
by Bethesda Software. Harvey and Raphael went through a succession of good moments and
difficult moments that they call ‘near successes’, they explain the value of being passionate
and persistent, striving for one clear vision.
Speaker’s biography
Raphael Colantonio and Harvey Smith are game designers who are currently co-directing an
unannounced project at Arkane Studios, working across offices in Lyon and Austin. They've
been making games professionally since 1993, with a focus on immersive first-person games
with detailed environments, story and RPG features. Colantonio is the founder, CEO and
Creative Director at Arkane. Under his direction, Arkane created Arx Fatalis and Dark
Messiah of Might and Magic. Over the years, he has worked with Electronic Arts, Valve,
Ubisoft and 2K. In 2005, Colantonio expanded Arkane, opening a new office in Austin. At Ion
Storm, Smith was lead designer of the award winning game Deus Ex, which received a BAFTA
ward in 2000, and project director of Deus Ex: Invisible War. He was studio creative director
at Midway Games (Austin) and lead designer of FireTeam at Multitude. Smith won the Game
Design Challenge at GDC 2006 with his concept "Peace Bomb", a game pitch aimed at
winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Both Colantonio and Smith have spoken at numerous game
conferences, and are passionate about immersive, highly interactive games with simulation
elements.
Company presentation
Founded in 1999, Arkane has offices in Lyon, France and Austin, Texas. The company's first
passion is making first-person games that are immersive and deep. Arkane released its first
game, Arx Fatalis, in 2002. With its innovative magic system and rich, cohesive
environments, Arx earned the studio major awards, including a nomination as Rookie Studio
of the Year at the GDC awards 2003.After Arx Fatalis, Arkane created Dark messiah of Might
and Magic, garnering the IGN Reader's Choice for the Best PC Action Game of 2006 for its
innovation in first-person melee combat. Arkane has also contributed to many AAA games
including Bioshock 2 and Call of Duty World at War multiplayer. In August 2010, Arkane
Studios became a part of the ZeniMax family, together with Bethesda and id Software.Today
Arkane continues to innovate and expand, embracing new design concepts and game
technologies while staying true to its passion for creating deep, immersive environments.
16h : Kenny Young : Workshop Live
Audio Designer / Media Molecule
----------------------------------------------------------------Mardi 11 janvier
10h30 : Jurie Horneman (live), Game Designer et Auteur freelance
www.mipumi.com
Game production in a nutshell
Abstract of the lecture
In this lecture I will explain the basic principles of game production and why they matter to
programmers, artists and game designers, and not just to producers or project managers. By
understanding a few key ideas, you can analyze your own work and that of others and avoid
needless rework and lost time. As a practical example, I will explain how you can develop 13
Nintendo DS games in one year, plus why you would want to do so in the first place.
Speaker’s biography
Jurie has been working in the games industry since 1991, first as a programmer, then as a
producer and designer. He has worked for companies such as Rockstar Games, Kalisto
Entertainment and Blue Byte.He is currently the creative director of Mi'pu'mi Games, an
independent development studio he co-founded in 2009.
Company presentation
Mi'pu'mi Games was founded in 2009 by four ex-Rockstar Games developers. Their goal: to
create kick-ass games for any platform in sight, and for budgets that are much, much smaller
than that of GTA IV.
10h30 : Kenny Young : Workshop Live
Audio Designer / Media Molecule
14h30 : Markus Montola (lecture live), Researcher University of Finland
Pervasive Gaming: Designing Mobile Gaming Outside the Box
Abstract of the presentationThe lecture is a look at gaming outside the box, covering both
the theory and design of pervasive games. Pervasive games are games that are played on the
streets, that merge with players' everyday lives and interact with outsiders. While a number
of smartphone technologies can be used in such games, the lecture is rooted in the history
of such games, from treasure hunts to street adventure games.
Pervasive Games for Mobile Phones
Abstract of the workshop
In the workshop, the student teams create design concepts for pervasive games, thinking of
the possibilities of the current smartphone technology. The concepts are not only locationbased games but also incorporate physical action, spatial architecture, cultural context
and/or non-players. The emphasis is on concepts that are both innovative and could be
viably created for current platforms.
Ethics of Pervasive Games
Abstract of the discussion / presentation
This lecture is based on example cases of ethical issues of pervasive games. The students
debate the different sides of example cases where pervasive gaming has caused problems or
been in conflict with the outside society. Ultimately the question is about boundaries
ofgameplay: If you may punch in the boxing ring, what does that mean for pervasive
gaming?
University presentation
The Game Research Laboratory in the University of Tampere is a top facility for culturally and
qualitatively oriented games research and part of a new Department of Information Studies
and Interactive Media (previously Hypermedia Laboratory).
14h30 : Kenny Young : Workshop Live
Audio Designer / Media Molecule
16h : Markus Montola (workshop live)
Researcher University of Finland
Workshop : "Persuasive Games for mobiles phones"
16h : Kenny Young : Workshop Live
Audio Designer / Media Molecule
----------------------------------------------------------------Mercredi 12 janvier
10h30 Florent Maurin (live), Chef de projet Recherche et Développement pour Lemonde.fr
/ MIA (Le Monde Interactif)
www.lemonde.fr
Les newsgames : ce que les jeux vidéo peuvent apporter au journalisme.
Résumé de la présentation :
Le journalisme est, aujourd'hui, un métier qui doit faire face à des défis, se réinventer pour
être en phase avec les nouvelles pratiques et les nouveaux usages du public. Le jeu vidéo est
une de ces nouvelles formes, particulièrement intéressante de par sa nature profondément
interactive. Est-il possible d’utiliser cette forme pour faire comprendre une actualité
complexe ? Quels sont les exemples déjà existants, et atteignent-ils leur but ? Quelles
pourraient être les pistes à suivre ? Quel est l’intérêt de recourir au jeu pour informer ?
Quels sont les risques ? Autant de questions sur lesquelles se penche une équipe du
Monde.fr qui, en collaboration avec KTM Advance et l'Ecole de Journalisme de Lille, conçoit
actuellement un jeu vidéo à portée journalistique qui sera publié en 2011.
Présentation de la société :
Le Monde Interactif (MIA), est une Société Anonyme, filiale à 66% de la Société éditrice du
Monde (SAS) et à 34% du Groupe Lagardère. Elle a été créée en 1998 au sein du groupe Le
Monde pour assurer le développement et l’exploitation de ses activités numériques. Le MIA
édite le premier site d’information français, Lemonde.fr (créé en 1995) ainsi qu’un site
d’information « laboratoire » grand public, Lepost.fr (créé en 2007). Le MIA est composé de
deux rédactions, d’un service de développement informatique, d’un service marketing
spécialisé dans l’étude des usages en ligne et d’une régie Internet (i-Régie). Aujourd’hui, le
MIA se définit à la fois comme un éditeur de médias grand public et comme un laboratoire
sur le front des nouvelles formes de réalisation et de diffusion de contenus d’information à
forte valeur ajoutée.
14h30 : Kenny Young : Workshop Live
Audio Designer / Media Molecule
16h : Markus Montola (workshop live)
Researcher University of Finland
Workshop : "Persuasive Games for mobiles phones"
16h : Kenny Young : Workshop Live
Audio Designer / Media Molecule
----------------------------------------------------------------Mercredi 12 janvier
10h30 Florent Maurin (live), Chef de projet Recherche et Développement pour Lemonde.fr
/ MIA (Le Monde Interactif)
www.lemonde.fr
Les newsgames : ce que les jeux vidéo peuvent apporter au journalisme.
Résumé de la présentation :
Le journalisme est, aujourd'hui, un métier qui doit faire face à des défis, se réinventer pour
être en phase avec les nouvelles pratiques et les nouveaux usages du public. Le jeu vidéo est
une de ces nouvelles formes, particulièrement intéressante de par sa nature profondément
interactive. Est-il possible d’utiliser cette forme pour faire comprendre une actualité
complexe ? Quels sont les exemples déjà existants, et atteignent-ils leur but ? Quelles
pourraient être les pistes à suivre ? Quel est l’intérêt de recourir au jeu pour informer ?
Quels sont les risques ? Autant de questions sur lesquelles se penche une équipe du
Monde.fr qui, en collaboration avec KTM Advance et l'Ecole de Journalisme de Lille, conçoit
actuellement un jeu vidéo à portée journalistique qui sera publié en 2011.
Présentation de la société :
Le Monde Interactif (MIA), est une Société Anonyme, filiale à 66% de la Société éditrice du
Monde (SAS) et à 34% du Groupe Lagardère. Elle a été créée en 1998 au sein du groupe Le
Monde pour assurer le développement et l’exploitation de ses activités numériques. Le MIA
édite le premier site d’information français, Lemonde.fr (créé en 1995) ainsi qu’un site
d’information « laboratoire » grand public, Lepost.fr (créé en 2007). Le MIA est composé de
deux rédactions, d’un service de développement informatique, d’un service marketing
spécialisé dans l’étude des usages en ligne et d’une régie Internet (i-Régie). Aujourd’hui, le
MIA se définit à la fois comme un éditeur de médias grand public et comme un laboratoire
sur le front des nouvelles formes de réalisation et de diffusion de contenus d’information à
forte valeur ajoutée.
14h30 : Markus Montola discussion-presentation / live
Researcher University of Finland
"Ethics of persuasive games"
18h : Noah Falstein, President / The Inspiracy
New Media - New Design?
Abstract of the presentation
The games industry is in the midst of an explosion of new possibilities. Facebook and other
social games get the most attention, but many other recent or new technologies and
specializations are also gaining ground, like phone/pad gaming, serious games/gamification,
location based GPS games, motion sensor games, and more. Which elements of game
design remain constant and which must adapt to the new technologies and business
models?
Speaker’s biography
A professional game developer since 1980, Falstein was one of the first ten employees at
Lucasfilm Games/LucasArts Entertainment, The 3DO Company, and Dreamworks Interactive.
He was the first elected chairman of the IGDA and wrote the Game Developer Magazine
design column for six years. Current projects include serious games, GPS-based gaming, and
the new Facebook game "Beachtown"
Presentation of the company
The Inspiracy is a freelance design and production consultancy, in continuous operation
since 1996. Providing the design consultation by Noah Falstein and a variety of as-needed
specialists in design and development of both entertainment and serious game titles, The
Inspiracy's clients have included Disney, Hasbro, LucasArts, Sega, KTM Advance, Cryo, Shell
Oil, Cisco, Intel, Microsoft, and Citibank .
----------------------------------------------------------------Jeudi 13 janvier
10h30 : Teut Weidemann (live), Online & Social Media Specialist / Online Entertainment
www.teut.net
"Free to play" games, how do they work?Monetization in "free to play" games.
Spaeker’s biographyTeut started working in the industry as early as 1987 and published over
100 titles on various platforms. Working for Lucas Arts, Rainbow Arts, Apple, Ubisoft,
Bigpoint and his own development company Wings Simulations for 10 years his most
acknowledged titles would be Katakis, Turrican, MUDS, X-Out, Panzer Elite, Söldner - Secret
Wars, and recently Settlers Online for Ubisoft and Nadirim Online for Digital Reality
Company presentationTeut consults companies and developers who wish to enter or
enhance their games for the online market. He covers free to play online games as well as
social games on Facebook and consults in all areas of monetization, operations,
development, technology, design and community management
14h30 : Naomi Clark (VC East Coast), Creative Director / Fresh Planet
http://www.freshplanet.com/
The Social Games Phenomenon
Abstract of the presentation
In a few short years, moving at the speed of the internet, games played on social networks
have become a dominant force in the international games industry. Some of the most
popular games in human history are played on social networks such as Facebook, and new
game genres are appearing. How new are these forms of play? What relationship to they
bear to well-understood facets of game design and experience, and what can we learn from
them? Most of all, what makes this form of entertainment compelling and successful?
Speaker biography
Naomi Clark has been designing and producing games since she started building virtual
worlds as a teenager. After editing the landmark webzine Word, where she helped create
Sissyfight 2000, an early multiplayer web game, Naomi went on to produce sites and games
for LEGO, including a multiplayer racing game and a virtual building tool. In the last decade,
Naomi has worked with studios like Gamelab, Blue Fang, and Rebel Monkey on projects like
the casual game Miss Management, Zoo Kingdom on Facebook, and Gamestar Mechanic, a
website where kids create games. Naomi is currently living in New York, developing web and
mobile concepts for LEGO and designing social games for Fresh Planet.
Company presentation
FreshPlanet is a young gaming company based in Manhattan, building fun games for smart
people on the iPad and Facebook. FreshPlanet was founded by serial entrepreneurs and
gaming veterans who bring substantial expertise from the social online gaming industry, and
is led by Mathieu and Romain Nouzareth, founders of the online game distribution service
Boonty and casual gaming site Cafe.com.
16h : Neil Schneider (VC Canada), Executive Director of The S-3D Gaming Alliance (S3DGA) ,
http://www.s3dga.com http://www.mtbs3d.com
Etat de l’art et perspectives
Speakers biography
Neil Schneider is the founder and Executive Director of The S-3D Gaming Alliance, the official
voice and standards body for stereoscopic 3D gaming. Sample members include Electronic
Arts, Panasonic, Blitz Games Studios, and more. Mr. Schneider also owns and operates
Meant to be Seen, the leading consumer website focused on stereoscopic 3D gaming.
Working closely with gamers and game developers alike, Mr. Schneider is a respected expert
in this area.
Company presentation
With CES 2011 just behind us, Neil Schneider will talk about the 3D industry's latest
innovations and developments, and discuss how they relate to gaming. He will then share
unpublicized results from the latest U-Decide Initiative, the largest study of gamers, the
demand for 3D technology, and the gaming experiences that will ultimately sell in 3D. U-
Decide was made possible by S3DGA, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Panasonic, Blitz Games
Studios, Zalman, Computer Power User, and SteelSeries.
16h : David Coombes, Platform Research Manager, Developer Support / SCEA
Introduction to Stereoscopic 3D Rendering
Abstract of the presentation
This presentation will cover the techniques used to generate stereoscopic 3D game content.
It will also cover the display options that are available as well as some practical tips for
optimization.
Speakers biography
David has worked at Sony Computer Entertainment since 1995. He started as a developer
support engineer in London and after a stint in first party development he returned to
developer support in Foster City to work on the PS2. Since then he has worked on launching
the PSP and PS3 platforms. Currently he spends most of his time making training materials
and researching future technology
16h : Alan Price (VC Canada), CTO EA Canada
Speaker biography
Alan Price is Chief Technical Officer for EA Canada, one of the world's largest and most
successful game development studios. In this role, Alan oversees the engineering and
technology strategies for several leading EA SPORTS franchises. Additionally he serves as a
mentor to other leaders in EA's technology community. Alan was the Technical Director on a
number of successful EA SPORTS franchises and prior to EA, his career spanned several
technology-based industries. This included positions with Rockwell Software in Vancouver
(factory automation) and with D.E. Shaw and Company in Japan (financial sector). He also
worked in the formative years of the video games industry with Radical Entertainment in the
early 1990's.
Company presentation
Electronic Arts (Canada) Inc ("EAC"), based in the development studio located in Burnaby,
B.C. EAC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Electronic Arts Inc. ("EA") which is headquartered
in Redwood City, California, and is the world's leading interactive entertainment software
company with revenues of $3.65 billion in fiscal 2010. EA maintains major development
studios and operations in Canada in several locations including Burnaby, Edmonton, and
Montreal. EA has an employee base in Canada of approximately 2,400 people. EA's products
developed at EAC have significant overall impact on EA's success, including franchises like
FIFA Soccer, EA Sports Active, Fight Night, NHL and many more.
16h : Frank Vitz (VC Canada), Senior Art Director/CG Supervisor at EA
18 h : Heiko Hubertz (VC West Coast), CEO / Bigpoint
"The Keys to International Success with Online Games"
www.bigpoint.net
Abstract of the presentation:
Conference attendees will receive an intimate look into Bigpoint’s meteoric rise, from the
company’s beginning in Germany, to its rapid growth throughout Europe, and recent
expansion into North America. Attendees will gain valuable insight into the online gaming
industry through Bigpoint’s experience, and receive an overview of several next-generation
browser games, such as Battlestar Galactica Online and ToonRacer.
Speaker biography
Heiko Hubertz is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Hamburg-based Bigpoint
GmbH and San Francisco-based Bigpoint Inc. Founded in 2002 in Düsseldorf, Bigpoint has
become the world’s largest portal for browser games and ranks among the top three gaming
portals worldwide. Hubertz started Bigpoint GmbH by developing the first game, Hockey
Manager, himself. Over the course of his career, Hubertz has won several executive
leadership awards, including the 2009 Stevie® International Business Award for “Executive
of the Year in Europe” and second place as Internet Businessman of the Year in 2007.
Bigpoint has also received many industry awards, including the Deloitte Technology Fast 50
and a Red Dot design award in 2009. As a business advisor and mentor, Hubertz is personally
committed to promoting and supporting young start-up companies, such as Young Internet
GmbH (panfu.de), tamola GmbH (tamola.de), and Easybill GmbH (easybill.de)
Company presentation
[Bigpoint (www.bigpoint.com) is an online-game developer, publisher, and content provider
for large media concerns. Bigpoint’s games are played by over 150 million people in more
than 35 languages, are free-to-play anytime, anywhere, and require no download or
installation. The company’s portfolio includes high-quality games, which until now have only
been possible with PC-installed (DVD) or console titles Bigpoint employs over 500 people
who hail from over 35 countries. Headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, Bigpoint has
additional locations in Berlin, San Francisco (Bigpoint Inc.), and Malta (Bigpoint
International). Bigpoint’s many distinctions in the industry include the “Fastest Growing
Larger Company” and “Uniqueness of Offering” prizes at the 2010 Media Momentum
Awards, as well as the MTV Skyscraper Award for extraordinary achievement in game
development. For more information, please visit www.bigpoint.net.
----------------------------------------------------------------Vendredi 14 janvier 10h30 : Matias Myllyrinne (CEO) or Lasse Sepanen (COO) (live)
Remedy Entertainment (Alan Wake) www.remedygames.com
Leadership in an innovative studio
Abstract of the presentation
The talk will focus on the principles of leadership in an innovative expert organization. We
will look at some theories lightly, but mostly we will discuss what has worked for Remeyd
and what I have seen work elsewhere. We will talk about leading experts and teams,
communication, autonomy vs. control and the intrinsic motivation of developers as
passionate and talented experts. Leading a studio, a department or sub team is very
different to traditional top down management or methods that apply to repeated processes
or well defined problems. Entertainment, art and software prototypes (cause that what most
games start out at) require a different set of rules and philosophies to work.
Speaker biography
As one of the key figures behind the company's success, Matias is responsible for handling
Remedy's business affairs. Matias has played a key part in building the company and helping
us create better games as well as positioned Remedy strategically to benefit from the
success of our work. Since joining the company in 1999, he has helped build Remedy into
one of the world's leading independent game developers. Matias holds an MBA from the
Helsinki School of Economics. When he's not playing or working on the company's next
business move, Matias can be found travelling with his wife and two sons.
Company presentation
Remedy Entertainment Ltd. is a privately held developer based in Espoo, Finland. Founded in
1995 the company's mission has been to become a renowned developer of state-of-the-art
action games (Death Rally, Max Payne series and Alan Wake). Utilizing innovative ideas,
quality content, cutting edge technology as well as a magic mix of talented people, Remedy
is a very well respected Industry leader. The fantastic Remedy game Death Rally was
published in 1996 and sold in excess of 90,000 units. The award-winning Max Payne was
released in 2001 and totally revolutionized the action game genre with cinematic combat
sequences fuelled by groundbreaking use of slow motion and dramatic narrative-driven
gameplay. The Max Payne series have sold over 7 million units to date worldwide.
Psychological action thriller Alan Wake was released in May 2010 with two add-on content
released later this year. Critics and fans have praised the game by its stunning and authentic
atmosphere, chilling storyline and intense cinematic thrill ride of dreams and reality.