Offerpal Hosts Forum on the Future of Social and Mobile Gaming at GDC 2010

FREMONT, Calif., Feb. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Offerpal Media (http://offerpalmedia.com), the leader in virtual currency payment alternatives, today announced it will be hosting a forum during the Game Developers Conference 2010 in San Francisco, CA. The half-day forum, titled "Social and Mobile Gaming: What's Next?," brings together many of the industry's most senior executives and visionary thought leaders to debate the future of social and mobile gaming. The event occurs on Friday, March 12, 2010, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. PT at Moscone Center South Hall, Room 310, with a networking reception to immediately follow.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Michael Arrington, Editor, TechCrunch
• Jeremy Liew, Managing Director, Lightspeed Venture Partners
• Trip Hawkins, CEO, Digital Chocolate
• Peter Relan, Co-Founder and Chairman, Crowdstar
• Vish Makhijani, COO, Zynga
• Christa Quarles, CFO, Playdom
• John Earner, General Manager, Playfish Europe Studios
• Arthur Chow, COO, 6 waves
• Neil Young, CEO, ngmoco
• Bart Decrem, CEO, Tapulous
• Aaron Wong, Sr. Product Manager, Zynga Mobile
• Lee Linden, Co-Founder, Tapjoy
• George Garrick, CEO, Offerpal Media

"The social and mobile gaming industries ballooned in 2009, thanks in large part to the emergence of virtual goods business models," said George Garrick, CEO of Offerpal Media. "But is all this growth sustainable, or are we experiencing a bubble? And if so, what can we do to keep it from popping? Our forum at the GDC will bring together more than a dozen of the industry's top visionaries to debate the future of the industry and help decide where we go from here."

The "Social & Mobile Gaming: What's Next?" forum will feature two panels. The first, on social gaming, will be moderated by Michael Arrington of TechCrunch and will ask tough questions of panelists from Zynga, Playdom, Crowdstar, Playfish and 6 waves about what they think it will take for their industry to double in size this year, as many have predicted, and what threats could derail the industry as it grows. The second panel, on mobile gaming, will be moderated by Jeremy Liew of Lightspeed Venture Partners and will ask panelists from Digital Chocolate, ngmoco, Tapulous, Zynga, Playdom and Tapjoy how to overcome challenges to the distribution, user experience and monetization of free-to-play games on mobile platforms.

The forum is open to all attendees of GDC 2010. While there is no fee to attend, attendees must be registered with GDC 2010. For more information on "Social & Mobile Gaming: What's Next?," please visit http://www.offerpalmedia.com/gdc. To register for GDC 2010, please visit http://www.gdconf.com.

If you're interested in speaking with Offerpal at GDC 2010, visit booth 2212 or contact Matt McAllister at [email protected] to schedule an appointment. Media interested in speaking with Offerpal should contact Jennifer Parson at [email protected].

About Offerpal Media

Offerpal Media is the leader in virtual currency monetization for online games, virtual worlds and social networks. The company's turnkey payment platform gives consumers the opportunity to earn virtual currency for free by taking part in targeted advertising offers, shopping at big-brand retailers, completing online surveys, watching videos or otherwise engaging with brands.  Since its launch in 2007, Offerpal has issued more than 1 trillion virtual points to over 165 million consumers across 2,000 publishers. The company is headquartered in Fremont, California. Investors include Interwest Capital, North Bridge Venture Partners, and D. E. Shaw Ventures. For more information, visit www.offerpalmedia.com.

SOURCE Offerpal Media