GDC Canada organizers have revealed initial Game Career Seminar lectures for the May 6th-7th Vancouver event, also adding a Main Conference lecture by Disney and ex-Radical execs on the harsh 'new realities' of making major console games.
As well as already-announced emerging market lectures from Zynga and the Diner Dash creator and other recently debuted talks from Obsidian, Blizzard, Telltale, and Blue Castle Games execs and creators, the event is starting to debut details on this year's Game Career Seminar.
Held on Friday, May 7th, and a one-day program designed for students and individuals interested in learning how to build a career in the video game industry, the first two GDC Canada Game Career Seminar lectures have debuted via the event's Schedule Builder, as follows:
- In a GCS keynote entitled 'From Air Guitar to Video Games Live (and PBS!): A Conversation with Tommy Tallarico', veteran video game composer and Video Games Live co-creator Tommy Tallarico will talk to Victor Lucas about his career in the industry, from Earthworm Jim through the present day, and his work to popularize video game music -- giving helpful hints and tips for those looking for a longlasting career making video games.
- In a practical Game Career Seminar lecture, 'Preparation (Don't Give Us a Reason to Reject You!)', Obsidian Entertainment's Jim Rivers, the hiring manager for the Fallout: New Vegas and Alpha Protocol creators, explains of his lecture description: "Every convention, college or job fair people ask me one question. How do I get my foot in the door? I always answer 'Preparation!'... So I invite you to learn what to do to become prepared, and not give us a reason to reject you."
In addition, several new Main Conference lectures have been announced, including a key new panel featuring Disney's Howard Donaldson and ex-Radical head Kelly Zmak, called 'Console Games – New Realities Require New Strategies to Win'. As the introduction notes: "With average development budgets skyrocketing to $20+ million and established blockbuster titles costing $40+ million, profit margins are down." Therefore: "The ante for a hit title has gone up. If your title is not in the top 20 today, you probably are not making any money. As a result, it's tougher to get new funding green lit if you don't already have an established franchise." The talk will discuss the key ingredients for success in this tough market.
New GDC Canada tracks will also focus on hot game industry topics including digital distribution, social games, and iPhone games, with a full schedule of announced lectures now available. GDC Canada, presented by Reboot Communications and the UBM Techweb Game Network, will also host evening networking events, as well as an expo hall.
More information on the 2010 GDC Canada event, including pricing specifics, lectures announced to date and registration deadlines are available on the official GDC Canada website.
