Session Information
| Title | An Industry At Middle Age |
| Presenter(s) |
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| Time | Saturday, October 20, 1:00p-2:00p |
| Location | Ballroom |
| Format | Keynote |
| Description | It's 2012, and Pong turns 40 this year. Commercial video games are now officially at middle age. I read once that middle age does not bring on a crisis of mortality, so much as a crisis of meaning: 'I've lived this far... what has it all meant?' I see the commercial industry at just this state - and I have a privileged view, being one of a cohort of people who have aged in lock step with this wonderful business.
Join me for a highly personal journey through the games industry's first 40 years, culminating in GlassLab, an exciting bit of R&D, but also a passion project, a product of an industry at middle age... some Meaningful Play. The keynote sponsor is by Electronic Arts. |
Michael John ("MJ") has been a senior Creative Director at Electronic Arts for over four years, coming on the heels of close to 20 years designing highly successful commercial video games. As an industry elder, MJ has been a leader in training and mentoring EA's design community, as well as leading various R&D projects. Most recently, MJ has taken on the position of General Manager of the "GLASS Lab," an unprecedented cooperative effort between the Gates Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and EA to create educational games.