News
gTalk with Ian Bogost, Dec 10th
You are invited to a gTalk seminar hosted by nGen and Interactive Ontario on Wednesday, December 10th. gTalk is a games industry speaker series and networking event that takes place in various locations across southern Ontario. December's gTalk session features Ian Bogost of Persuasive Games and the topic is:
Lessons in family play and experience design from the Atari VCS
In 1977, the Atari Video Computer System (VCS, aka Atari 2600) attempted something very similar to what the Nintendo Wii and other platforms are trying to do today: to get friends and families, including the very young and very old, to play videogames at home. The circumstances were very different in the mid-1970s, since videogames were usually played in taverns, arcades, and bowling alleys -- places popular among young adults. Far from being mere historical footnotes, lessons from Atari VCS titles like Yars' Revenge, Pac-Man, and E.T. show us how to look for the essence of experiences that might be popular for family play, by seeing how designers did so successfully, and unsuccessfully, when placed under much tighter technical constraints than we experience today.
Event Timeline:
6:00pm - Pre-event networking
6:30pm - Presentation
7:15pm - Q&A
7:30pm - Networking reception
8:30pm - Event ends
Event Location:
1 St. Paul Street (corner of St. Paul and William streets) St. Catharines, ON
To Register:
The cost of registration is $25. Please click here to register via Interactive Ontario:
GameOn partners include Brock University and Niagara College. Students of these institutions are entitled to a discounted student rate of $17.50. These students should click here to register:
About Ian Bogost
Ian Bogost is a videogame researcher, critic, and designer, as well as an author and an entrepreneur. He is a professor at Georgia Tech University, a Founding Partner at the video game studio Persuasive Games and a Board Member at Open Texture, an educational publisher. Ian is also the author of Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System
About gTalk
gTalk is a games industry speaker series and networking event that takes place in various locations across southern Ontario. Each gTalk event will feature presentations by one or more prominent games industry speakers. Following the presentations, attendees will have an opportunity for Q&A and networking. Over the course of an evening, speakers and audience members will explore relevant industry themes in an informal setting.
About IO
IO is a not-for-profit industry trade organization committed to the growth of the Ontario interactive digital content industry. IO represents over 200 interactive digital media companies and stakeholders including game developers, mobile content producers, e-Learning companies, education / training institutions, broadcasters, unions and guilds.
About nGen
nGen fosters synergies between creative and enabler enterprises, local arts and culture industries in Niagara, as well as the educational programs, research and development expertise, and infrastructure at Brock University and Niagara College. Other partners include the Ontario Media Development Corporation, Interactive Ontario, Regional Municipality of Niagara, City of St. Catharines, Niagara Economic Development Agency and Niagara Enterprise Agency.
The gTalk series is part of a larger "GameON" (GameOntario) effort by Interactive Ontario to connect and promote the Games Industry in Ontario. GameON is made possible through the Entertainment and Creative Cluster Partnerships Fund, administered by the OMDC, on behalf of the Ministry of Culture.
