Speakers and Sessions Confirmed For Edinburgh

Monday 17 July 2006/... The content committee for this year's Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival (EIEF) has today confirmed the conference schedule, which offers a diverse and thought-provoking set of speakers and sessions.

Chris Deering, chairman of EIEF06, said: "Now in its fourth year, EIEF has always broken new ground by looking at the culture and impact of games. Unlike other conferences that examine the technologies or unravel business methodologies, EIEF explores the intangible, indefinable and unquantifiable. It seeks to understand not the now but the future. What this means in real terms is a schedule filled to the brim with passionate speakers who are not afraid to go out on a very small ledge to take a leap of faith in front of a discerning and often critical audience."

For more information on content, events and how to book, go to http://www.eief.co.uk.

Monday 21st August:

Keynote - View From The Top - the challenges of next gen

David Gardner, Executive V-P and COO of EA's World Wide Studios, Electronic Arts.

David's breadth and depth of experience in the games industry with the world's leading signals the breed of expertise and forward thinking that will characterise this year's festival.

Games That Heal - the medicine of interactive software

Ben Sawyer, Serious Games

What if the best medicine wasn't laughter and pills - but games? It's a little known fact that interactive software is now routinely used in hospitals and endorsed by doctors. With the conference kicking off at the Royal College of Physicians we take the opportunity to examine how games are being used to help patients with conditions ranging from cancer to post-traumatic stress disorder.

Public Service Programming

Ofcom, the regulator for TV, radio, telecoms and wireless communications is mooting a new media Public Service Publisher with funding in the millions - but should it be for TV programmes only? This lively session will explore the potential avenues available to the computer and video games sector.

So You Think You Know Games?

Nick Parker, industry analyst, Parker Consulting

A dynamic session that will challenge your preconceptions about the games industry and provide delegates with a chance to test the breadth of their knowledge of the industry on the conference interactive voting system.

Mobile Tournament

A short session testing everyone's ability to play mobile phone games. Mobile has long been touted as the next big thing in gaming but how many people working in the business have ever even played a mobile phone game? This session sorts the men from the boys, the winners from the wannabes.

Green Blood vs Red Blood

Age ratings, censorship and issues relating to violence and sex in content have affected all media at some time. As computer games graphics and HDTV lead to photo realism this will almost inevitably change the way that the censors rate games content. Lots of examples and debate with input from the BBFC, the VSC and the hardware manufacturers.

Tuesday 22nd August

Machinima - the potential of hybrid authorship

In the midst of the current User Generated Content revolution, Machinima (the making of movies using game engines) is one of the most inspiring, exciting and dynamic UGC creation mechanisms of all. Find out just how far Machinima has gone into the mainstream and yet has managed to retain its rebellious and experimental approach. Featuring a world premiere live machinima performance from Rooster Teeth, the creators of Red vs Blue.

When Alice Met Elvis

A unique melding of the latest thinking on true convergence and how it impacts on the creative process. With contributions from author Kate Pullinger who will unveil the World Premiere of the third part of her Inanimate Alice series, a unique kinetic experience, part game, part novel, part movie, and the founders of Velvetelvis who will share their experiences in trying to encourage the "fusion" of all potential commercial elements - film, games, music, web, books - at the very beginning of a new project, to create new paradigms of creative expression.

Games That Make Me Cry

Margaret Robertson, Editor, Edge magazine

Games aren't art because games can't make you cry. It's an old argument, but one Margaret Robertson, editor of Edge, doesn't accept. Not least because she's ready to own up to something the rest of us won't admit: games already make her cry and she's not ashamed to say so. But how do they do it, and why does it matter that they can?

Edinburgh Faces The Music

Tommy Tallarico

Video Games Live is an immersive audio and video concert experience celebrating the very best in game music. The creator of Video Games Live will be looking at the future of music within th context of interactive entertainment. Why do players form deeper relationships with game music than is usual in other media? Does game music have a mainstream cultural future?

More Magic Emotions

Back by popular demand, Ken Perlin will be taking the foundations of last year's presentation on embuing virtual actors with the ability to express emotion and motivation to a new level with a captivating and engaging session which will explore the current cutting edge of research in truly directable virtual actors.

Learning isn't a game

A highly visual and stimulating presentation which will showcase the latest and most innovative ways in which games, learning and education co-exist.

Please note: this programme may be subject to change.

The EIEF06 program of events consists of:

Visit the official website at www.eief.co.uk

About EIEF06

The Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival EIEF) is managed by a committee drawn from all areas of the industry, including publishers, developers and the two industry trade bodies; The Independent Game Developers Association (TIGA) www.tiga.org and the Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) www.elspa.com.

About ELSPA

ELSPA (The Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association) was founded in 1989 to establish a specific and collective identity for the computer and video games industry. Membership includes almost all companies concerned with the publishing and distribution of interactive leisure software in the UK. ELSPA's activities include: Official Chart and Industry Reports, Anti-Piracy UK and EU, PR and Communication, and Government Lobbying. More information all these activities can be found at http://www.elspa.com.

About TIGA

TIGA (The Independent Game Developers Association)is the trade association which represents the business,commercial and political interests of game developers.Its members are both independent and in-house studios of companies producing for games consoles, PC handheld, and mobile and iTV games. TIGA aims to benefit its members' businesses and creative interests by encouraging a better climate for investment in games, best business practice, dialogue and favourable terms with publishers and by lobbying for government support to the industry. www.tiga.org