10th Annual Game Developers Conference Online in Austin, Texas Reveals New Summits, Advisors and Opens Call for Submissions

SAN FRANCISCO, April 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The call for submissions to present lectures, panels, full day tutorials and roundtable sessions at the 2012 Game Developers Conference® Online (GDC Online) is open now through midnight PT on Wednesday, May 2. The tenth annual edition of the conference is presented by the UBM TechWeb Game Network, and will take place over three days, October 9-11, 2012 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, TX.

GDC Online focuses on development of connected games including social network titles, free-to-play web games, kid-friendly online titles, large-scale MMOs, and beyond. Submissions should address the most pressing development challenges for online and connected games with submissions related to the following tracks: Business & Marketing, Design, Customer Experience, Production and Programming.

GDC Online welcomes new members to its advisory board this year: Bill Dalton, Technical Director at ZeniMax Online, community expert Valerie Massey, iWin Vice President Laralyn McWilliams and Robert Zubek, Principal Software Engineer at Zynga all join the event's board for 2012. 

The call for submissions is also open for the standalone summits at GDC Online 2012, which this year includes the return of the ever-popular Game Narrative Summit and the Smartphone & Tablet Games Summit, alongside two new summits, the Game Dev Start-Up Summit and the GDC Gamification Summit.

The new Game Dev Start-Up Summit presents a comprehensive step-by-step look at the issues, challenges, and realities of a new game studio as it forms and gets off the ground. The growth of social, online, free to play, and other niches and genres have created unprecedented opportunity for entrepreneurs. This one-day program will identify the challenges and arm attendees with knowledge that can, together with creativity and passion, help new ventures succeed.  Attorney Jim Charne will serve as the Summit's advisor.  Charne has provided legal representation for clients in all phases of the computer software and videogame industry since the mid-1980s, and has been chair of the Legal and Business tutorial at the Game Developers Conference since 1998.

The new Gamification Summit at GDC Online will discuss the debatable and sometimes problematic process of building game-like incentives into non-game applications, to address issues like productivity, health, marketing, and customer engagement.  The day-long program will bring fresh discussions about the integration points between games and technology and highlight inspired, successful case studies from today's forward-thinking businesses.

"It is our goal to serve the most current, pressing needs of the game development industry with every one of our events, which is why this year's GDC Online introduces new summits and brings more industry leaders on board to help program the event," said Meggan Scavio, general manager of all Game Developers Conference events.  "With the exponential growth of the connected game space meaning more opportunity for developers of all sizes, we are very excited to see the wide variety of submissions from long-established developers to the start-ups!"

For more information about GDC Online, including the submissions guidelines and conference topics for the Call for Submissions, please visit GDCOnline.com.

About the UBM TechWeb Game Network 
A core provider of essential information to the professional game industry, the UBM TechWeb Game Network offers market-defining content, and drives community through its award winning lineup of print, online, event and research products and services. These include the Game Developers Conference®, the Webby Award-winning Gamasutra.com and network of sites, the Game Advertising Online ad network, the Game Developers Conference® Online, the Game Developers Conference™ Europe, the Game Developers Conference™ China, Game Developer Magazine, the Game Career Seminars and GameCareerGuide.com, the Independent Games Festival and Summit, and the Game Developers Choice Awards.  Visit: www.jointhegamenetwork.com.

About UBM TechWeb
UBM TechWeb, the global leader in technology media and professional information, enables people and organizations to harness the transformative power of technology. Through its three core businesses – media solutions, marketing services and paid content – UBM TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed brands and media applications in the technology market. More than 14.5 million business and technology professionals (CIOs and IT managers, Web & Digital professionals, Software Developers, Government decision makers, and Telecom providers) actively engage in UBM TechWeb's communities and information resources monthly. UBM TechWeb brands includes: global face-to-face events such as Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat and Enterprise Connect; award-winning online resources such as InformationWeek, Light Reading, and Network Computing; and market-leading magazines InformationWeek, Wall Street & Technology, and Advanced Trading. UBM TechWeb is a UBM plc company, a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion.  Visit: www.ubmtechweb.com.

SOURCE UBM TechWeb Game Network