Women in Games International Announces Keynote Speaker in Dallas

Thursday, April 6, 2006---Dallas, TX---Women in Games International, a non-profit organization in the interactive entertainment industry, today announced their keynote speaker for their next conference, Women in Games International-Dallas. Denise Fulton, Head of Studio for Midway-Austin presents, "The Best Defense...Why Gender Doesn't Matter (As Much As You Might Think)." Her keynote suggests looking past the issue of gender and focusing on individual accomplishments of women.

Women in Games International-Dallas, titled "Advancing Your Career in Game Development: The Women's Perspective," is scheduled 1 pm to 6 pm on Saturday, April 22 at the SMU-in-Legacy campus in Plano. Hosted by leading game design school , The Guildhall at SMU, this half-day conference consists of an opening keynote address, panel discussions with top experts in the field, round-table discussions and a post-conference networking reception. Game industry professionals from Austin, Dallas and elsewhere are participating as panelists and roundtable speakersby discussing statistics, game genres and careers in game development. The title sponsor role is held by Microsoft Game Studios.

Peter Raad, Executive Director of The Guildhall at SMU, offers "Peter Raad, Executive Director of the Guildhall at SMU, states "The Guildhall is excited to be hosting this event with WIGI. Having been created by the game industry, we are dedicated to promoting diversity in its workforce, which we strongly believe impacts creativity and innovation in games for all of society."

Panel topics include "Breaking In: How to Acquire The Skills and Get That First Job, focusing on the necessary skills for an entry level development job in the game industry; "An Array of Career Options, designed to address the variety of careers available in the game industry, ranging from game design, art, project management, support, marketing, and sales; and, "The Ultimate Challenge: Balancing Work and Personal Life," a timely discussion on challenges facing people in the game industry in achieving a work/live balance, and resolving quality of life issues.

Sheri Graner Ray, Executive Chair for Women in Games International, states, "WIGI is thrilled to have this opportunity to present these topics in Texas. I'm also looking forward to getting together with other women in the Texas game industry!" Sheri is an acclaimed game design book author and senior game designer in Austin, Texas.

Other featured speakers include: Don Daglow, President CEO, Stormfront Studios; Lori Durham, Vice President of Operations, Aspyr; Lisa Farina, Content Designer, Sony Online Entertainment; Sam Lewis, Cartoon Network, Lead Designer; Karen McMullan, Game Designer, Ensemble Studios; Mike McShaffry, Head of Studio-Austin, Breakaway Games; Spencer Zuzolo, Executive Director, GameCamp and many more.

The Women In Games International-Dallas conference will be held at the SMU-in-Legacy campus, Building 3, located at 5236 Tennyson Parkway in Plano, Texas. Attendance is $45 for general attendees, $35 for WIGI members and $30 for students with I.D. Space is limited, so interested attendees are encouraged to secure their spot by registering online today at www.womeningamesinternational.org.

About Women in Games International

www.womeningamesinternational.org

The Women in Games International Conference series has been created as a forum to discuss a wide range of issues related to women in games. Sponsors include title sponsor Microsoft Game Studios, gold sponsor Microsoft Casual Games, silver sponsor Ubisoft, bronze sponsor Austin Game Developers and series sponsors Game Developers Conference (GDC), International Games Developers Association (IGDA), Mary-Margaret.com, Girls in Games, ThemePark Studios, WomenGamers.com and BusinessWire. This event is presented in cooperation with the Women in Games Conference in the U.K.

For more details regarding Women In Games International, contact PR Committee Chair Fiona Cherbak at Fcherbak@womeningamesinternational.org, visit their web site at www.womeningamesinternational.org, or contact Morgan Ogburn, ThemePark Studios, 512/916-9633 or morgan@themeparkstudios.com, for more information..