More speakers for GDC Austin announced

GDC Austin takes place September 15-18, and you already know that Blizzard and Sony Online will be there, but so will others.

Here's a list of the recently announced speakers and what they will be discussing:

• Craig Alexander , VP, Product Development, Turbine: MMOs to Consoles – Challenges, Opportunities and Emerging Trends
• Brandon Barber, VP Marketing, Zynga: What Are The Stickiest Design Models and How Are They Monetized?
• Bill Dalton, Technical Director, BioWare Austin: Come and See the Elephant - Challenges Encountered Growing an MMO
• Raph Koster, President, Metaplace: Games are Math: 10 Core Mechanics That Drive Compelling Gameplay
• Jeffrey Kesselman, Chief Technology Officer, Rebel Monkey: The Monkey Wrench: Design and Architecture of an Online Environment
• Jesse Schell, Faculty, ETC Carnegie Mellon, CEO, Schell Games, Laralyn McWilliams, Creative Director, Sony Online Entertainment, Matthew Schwartz, Senior Designer, Cartoon Network: Reaching A New Demographic: Kids AND Their Parents
• Craig Sherman, CEO, Gaia Online: Next Phase of Casual Games: How to Make the Free-To-Play Model Work for You
• Richard Weil, Director of Community Relations, Cartoon Network, Rebecca Newton, Head of Safety, CrispThinking.com: Kids and Gaming-One Year Later. Still Keeping up with your ABCs?

The full press release is after the break.

GDC AUSTIN 2009 TO FEATURE SPEAKER ROSTER MADE UP OF VETERANS AND PIONEERS OF CONNECTED GAMES

Attendees to Have Access to Key Learnings and Wisdom from Respected Leaders of the Virtual World, Online Social Network and MMO Communities

Early Registration Discounts End August 13th

SAN FRANCISCO – August 11, 2009 – The Game Developers Conference® Austin (GDC Austin) will focus on the online gaming space with a suite of speakers from BioWare Austin, Sony Online Entertainment, Cartoon Network and many other influential players in the world of connected games. GDC Austin will host three days of content centered around the evolution of online gaming, the growing importance of social networking platforms for building and promoting successful titles, and the burgeoning business opportunities on the horizon. Presented by Think Services, GDC Austin also includes four two-day summits—the Game Writers, Game Audio, iPhone Games and Independent Games Summits. The event takes place at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas September 15-18, 2009. Conference goers wanting to take advantage of early registration discounts should register online by August 13.

Among the many notable sessions taking place at GDC Austin are BioWare technical director Bill Dalton’s talk on the complexities and struggles of developing massively multiplayer online (MMO) titles and Cartoon Network’s Richard Weil’s session on the financial complications of online games for younger children. Other topics include viral growth tactics, best practices for creating sticky game designs, harnessing community feedback to improve game design, micro-transaction security, and developing recognizable IP that appeals to all generations of gamers.

Featured speakers include:

• Craig Alexander , VP, Product Development, Turbine
MMOs to Consoles – Challenges, Opportunities and Emerging Trends

• Brandon Barber, VP Marketing, Zynga
What Are The Stickiest Design Models and How Are They Monetized?

• Bill Dalton, Technical Director, BioWare Austin
Come and See the Elephant - Challenges Encountered Growing an MMO

• Raph Koster, President, Metaplace
Games are Math: 10 Core Mechanics That Drive Compelling Gameplay

• Jeffrey Kesselman, Chief Technology Officer, Rebel Monkey
The Monkey Wrench: Design and Architecture of an Online Environment
• Jesse Schell, Faculty, ETC Carnegie Mellon, CEO, Schell Games
Laralyn McWilliams, Creative Director, Sony Online Entertainment
Matthew Schwartz, Senior Designer, Cartoon Network
Reaching A New Demographic: Kids AND Their Parents
• Craig Sherman, CEO, Gaia Online
Next Phase of Casual Games: How to Make the Free-To-Play Model Work for You

• Richard Weil, Director of Community Relations, Cartoon Network
Rebecca Newton, Head of Safety, CrispThinking.com
Kids and Gaming-One Year Later. Still Keeping up with your ABCs?

“One of the unique challenges of GDC Austin is staying ahead of the next trend in the ever changing online gaming space. We have seen the industry expand and morph from MMOs to virtual worlds to online social networked free-to-play casual MMOs,” says Izora De Lillard, event director at Think Services Game Group. “This September, we are proud to present a program focused on the lessons you need to harness current opportunities and the inspiration to develop the next breakthrough.”

Learn more about the complete listing of speakers and sessions for GDC Austin 2009 at www.GDCAustin.com.

About the Think Services Game Group
A core provider of essential information to the professional game industry, the Think Services Game Group offers market-defining content, and drives community through its award winning lineup of print, online, event and research products and services. These include Game Developer Magazine, Game Developer Research, the Webby Award-winning Gamasutra.com, GameCareerGuide.com, WorldsInMotion.biz and other Gamasutra Network websites, the Game Developers Conference®, the Game Developers Conference® Austin, the Game Developers Conference® Europe, the Game Developers Conference® China, the Game Developers Conference® Canada, GDC Mobile, the Game Career Seminars, the Independent Games Festival and Summit, and the Game Developers Choice Awards. To learn more, visit www.tsgamegroup.com.

About Think Services, a division of United Business Media
Think Services connects specialized communities worldwide using educational events, consulting, training, certification, membership, and innovative media. Providing comprehensive opportunities for people to learn from, network with, and inspire each other, Think Services builds strong brands and works within communities to foster a unique affinity with its products and services. The division's flagship products include the Game Developers Conference, the Webby Award-winning Gamasutra.com, Game Developer magazine, the International Customer Management Institute (ICMI), and HDI. Think Services is a subsidiary of United Business Media, a global media and marketing services company with a market capitalization of more than $1.6 billion.