GDC Europe reveals summit sessions

Organisers of GDC Europe have announced new details of this year's summer summits, including Independent Games, Social Games, Smartphone & Tablet Games, and Community Management programs.

Taking place alongside the main conference, the four summits are one-day programs focusing on specific subjects. The Independent Games Summit will feature a number of notable indie speakers, with discussions on game design philosophy, distribution, business, and marketing.

Thomas Grip of Frictional Games will provide a session highlight, with a talk entitled Evoking Emotions and Achieving Success by Breaking All the Rules, in which he will discuss the unconventional design choices involved in creating Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

The Social Games Summit will encompass Facebook gaming, web-based online games, downloadable persistent MMOs and related subjects. As already announced Paul LaFontaine from Playdom and John Earner of Playfish UK will provide session highlights.

Sessions highlights for the Smartphone & Tablet Games summit will come from March Hehmeyer from Fishlabs and Matthias Hellmund of Exozet, with presentations entitled From iOS to Android - Galaxy on Fire 2 Does the Green Robot and Board Game Mobilization - What's Now, What's Next, respectively.

The Community Management Summit is being co-organised by Two Pi Team, who have worked on titles such as Warhammer Online and Rift. A session highlight for the summit will come from Kai Bodensiek (Brehm & v.Moers), entitled Allmighty Ban-Hammer or What Are Your Rights - and Obligations - as a Community Manager.

GDC Europe is due to run from August 15 to 17, alongside the annual gamescom trade and public event in Cologne, Germany. All Access, Summits & Tutorials, Student All Access and Student Summits & Tutorials pass holders will have access to the summit sessions.

Further information is available at the official website.