Casual Games Forum

Tandem Events announced today that Harvey Elliott, VP and GM, EA Casual, Electronic Arts, will give the opening keynote presentation at the Casual Games Forum to be held in London later this month.

Harvey, responsible for the Harry Potter ^TM videogame franchise and management of the EA Bright Light Studio where the Harry Potter games were developed will give a talk entitled “There is No Such Thing as a Casual Game or a Casual Gamer".

Posing thought-provoking questions such as “Why does everyone persist in trying to pigeonhole the Casual Gamer or to define a Casual Game?” Harvey will argue that casual games simply don't exist - you either play games or you don't, that you can create games that appeal to a specific type of gamer but the word "casual" is misleading and potentially dangerous. And is "game" even the right word any more?

“There are few people better qualified than Harvey to open this debate, so we’re delighted that he’ll be providing such an insightful, thought-provoking and potentially controversial keynote,” commented Andy Lane from Tandem Events ”and judging by the rest of the line-up, this forum is going to prove really valuable for anyone who’s interested in this particular sector.”

Other highlights include John Chasey, Chairman of Finblade, whose session “So You Want to Start a Casual Games Studio?” will offer valuable insider tips from his own successful entrepreneurship to would-be casual games tycoons.

This event is called a forum for good reason – it encourages discussion, for example, the panel debate on The State of the Industry will see a panel of industry experts including Ben Parfitt editor of casualgaming.biz and Oliver Kern from Oberon Media, address questions such as which business models will grow in prominence in 2010? Can casual gaming keep attracting advertising? Will consolidation produce a super-set of casual companies that dominate the industry?

On a more practical note, Nicholas Lovell offers a guide to finding the levers that will supercharge your business, in his presentation – “Using Analytics to drive ROI”. He will show how every developer can and should track their key metrics, tweak their game and predict the profits that will follow.

The day will be split in two by a special networking lunch: "Solving the Industry's Problems in an Hour!" This will see delegates team up informally to explore an exciting new area in the casual games business or fix an unresolved issue - offering delegates a unique opportunity to swap insights, anecdotes and business cards.

The event will be hosted by OneBigGame's Martin de Ronde and conclude with a networking drinks reception for all speakers and delegates.

The Casual Games Forum is at The Cumberland Hotel near Marble Arch on Thursday 29 October 2009. Delegate passes cost £345 and can be booked at: www.casualgames-forum.com

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About Tandem Events: Tandem Events has over 20 years of experience in organising market-leading exhibitions, conferences and events across a number of industry sectors, including the Develop in Brighton, Develop in Liverpool, Evolve, GAMES:EDU, Games Marketing Forum and Games Grads.

For more information, please contact:

Ali Wynn

Tandem Events

T: +44 (0) 20 7405 4500

E: ali@tandemevents.co.uk