Pac-Man creator to open Festival of Games 2010

Toru Iwatini, the creator of arcade classic Pac-Man, is to open the Festival of Games 2010 event in The Netherlands with a keynote speech.

Iwatani is now a professor at Tokyo Polytechnic University and will demonstrate his teaching skills at an exclusive workshop for game design students at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam.

The Festival of Games is primarily aimed at developers, publishers and investors but comprises several related attractions, including an international matchmaking event, an exposition, a career fair and a showcase for new talent.

Other speakers at the festival include Gaikai's David Perry, Eidos' Ian Livingstone, Allan Yu of ngmoco, Kelle Santiago of thatgamecompany and Martin de Ronde of OneBigGame.

"The Festival of Games is all about the latest developments in technology, business and game development, but we are also here to pay tribute to the rich heritage of the games industry," said event co-programmer Matthijs Dierckx-Kuijper.

"Iwatani-san delivering the opening keynote continues a tradition that began with Ralph Baer’s speech on a previous Festival. Baer is the inventor of the game console. These industry legends show our devotion and dedication to this remarkable industry," said Seth van der Meer, chairman of the Stichting Nederlandse Gamedagen which organizes the Festival.

The festival takes place on June 3 and 4 at the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht. Further information can be found at the festival's official website.