FarmVille boss added to GDC Canada 2010
IUGO business development director and Diner Dash creator also in attendance
Bill Mooney, the general manager of FarmVille and vice president of publisher Zynga, has been announced as a speaker at the forthcoming GDC Canada 2010 event in May.
Mooney's talk is entitled "Building Social Games: Games at the Speed of Light" and will see him discuss the rise of the social gaming market, viral propagation and the market's low barriers to entry. Mooney will use key examples from the success of titles such as Mafia Wars and FarmVille.
Also due to talk at the event is IUGO business development director Sarah Thomson, who will give the talk "A Tale of 14 Apps: IUGO's App Store Journey". Using iPhone titles such as Toy Boy Diaries and Zombie Attack! as reference, Thomson will discuss the pros and cons of working on the App Store and which factors contribute to an app's success or failure.
Meanwhile, Playmatics co-founder Nick Fortugno (creator of Diner Dash) and Media Shifters' Andrew Mayer will give a speech entitled "The Art of Conversion: How to Manage Players through Your Game Service". The pair will discuss new digital models of monetising players and converting them into "viral advocates".
GDC Canada 2010 is due to run from May 6 to 7 in Vancouver. Further information can be found at the official website.