Game Developers Conference Online Opens in Austin, Texas

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The Game Developers Conference® Online (GDC Online), the premier game developer event focusing on online and connected gaming opens today at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas for four days of networking opportunities and a comprehensive suite of sessions. GDC Online 2010 (formerly named GDC Austin) will host keynote addresses by industry trailblazers and luminaries Brian Reynolds of Zynga, Greg Canessa and Matt Versluys of Blizzard Entertainment, Heiko Hubertz of Bigpoint, and Raph Koster of Playdom/Disney.  GDC Online also sees the introduction of the Game Developers Choice Online Awards, the first event of its kind honoring both excellence in new titles and the rich history of past titles in the online gaming space.  GDC Online features a variety of sessions for industry professionals and prospective developers, including visionary business development talks, deep-dive technical sessions on crafting online games, specialized summits on emerging sectors, and an expo hall featuring leading publishers, tool-vendors, and service providers for online games.  GDC Online takes place at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas from Oct. 5-8, 2010.  For more information on the event, visit the official website: www.gdconline.com/.

GDC Online welcomes more than 140 lectures, panels, keynotes and roundtable discussions, presented by 190 industry-leading speakers and an energetic expo floor with more than 85 exhibitors and 30 sponsors.  The keynote addresses at the event include:

GDC Online will host the first annual Game Developers Choice Online Awards, which is the sister event to the well-respected Game Developers Choice Awards at GDC in San Francisco.  The Choice Online Awards recognizes the rich history, technical excellence and continued innovation in the arena of online games.  The Choice Online Awards takes place Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010 at 6:30 pm.

"The GDC events in Austin have always been inspired by the independent and creative spirit of its host city, casting a light on emerging technology and trends – this year is no different," says Izora de Lillard, GDC Online event director. "With the introduction of the Game Developers Choice Online Awards, we can fully recognize the work of talented online developers, and help inspire aspiring developers who will create the next great social networking title, epic MMO or brand new genre we've yet to imagine."

New to this year's conference are key standalone summits, including one and two-day events on iPhone and iPad gaming, 3D stereoscopic games and the video Game Narrative Summit.  These specialized sessions present key in-depth business and technical advice and help to foster community-building in these major up-and-coming areas of the game industry.

For a complete list sessions and speakers or general event information for GDC Online 2010, please visit http://www.GDCOnline.com.

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