Video Game Industry Influentials Place Their Bets at the 2010 D.I.C.E. Summit

LAS VEGAS,  Feb. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The video game industry's most well-known and renowned leaders are coming together in Las Vegas for the 2010 D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit® which kicks off today and continues through February 19 at the Red Rock Resort & Casino. The three-day conference includes nearly 20 sessions led by some of the most influential and creative minds in the interactive entertainment industry.  The D.I.C.E. Summit® 2010 will host the 13th annual Interactive Achievement Awards® ceremony on February 18, where industry leaders and members will pay tribute and recognize the individuals and products that contribute to the growth of the interactive entertainment software business. Comedian, actor and spirited game enthusiast, Jay Mohr will return for his fifth year as host. The Independent Film Channel will stream the Awards as well as film the show for a TV broadcast to follow.

The dynamic conference incites an incredible line-up of high-profile dynamic industry leaders who discuss topics relevant to the current and future state of the industry, developing trends and key issues facing publishers and business leaders. The conference program features sessions led by influentials shaping the industry, including:

• Stephen Wadsworth – Disney Interactive Media Group, President
• Bobby Kotick – Activision, CEO
• Chris Taylor – Gas Powered Games, CEO and Creative Director
• David Crane – AppStar Games
• Greg Short – Entertainment Design And Research, CEO
• Joe Madureira – Vigil Games, Co-Founder and Creative Director
• David Adams – Vigil Games, Co-Founder and General Manager
• John Schappert – Electronic Arts, COO
• Randy Pitchford – Gearbox Software, President and CEO
• Richard Garriott – Portolarium, VP & Creative Director
• David Jaffe – Eat Sleep Play, Founder
• Tim Schafer – Double Fine Productions, Founder
• Geoffrey Zatkin – Electronic Entertainment Design And Research, President and COO
• Adam Sessler– Host "X-Play" and Editor-in-Chief G4TV.com
• Dan Connors – Telltale Games, CEO, Director and Founder
• Jamin Brophy-Warren – Killscreen Magazine, Editor
• Navid Khonsari – iNK Stories, Writer, Director and Producer
• Manveer Heir – Raven Software, Lead Designer
• Richard Lermarchand – Naughty Dog, Game Designer
• Stephen Macknik – Barrow Neurological Institute, Director of the Laboratory of Behavioral Neurophysiology
• Susana Martinez-Conde – Barrow Neurological Institute, Director of the Laboratory of Visual Neuroscience
• Matias Myllyrinne – Remedy Entertainment, Ltd., Managing Director
• Steve Perlman – OnLive, Founder and CEO  
• Brian Reynolds – Zynga Game Network, Chief Game Designer
• Jesse Schell – Carnegie Mellon University, Professor of Entertainment Technology
• Dmitri Williams – Annenberg School of Communication, Assistant Professor
• Mike Yuen – Zeebo, INC., Senior VP, Content and Services

"This year's speaking line-up is one of the most exciting, prestigious group of people we've convened thus far," said Joseph Olin, president, AIAS. "Each year at the D.I.C.E. Summit we look to challenge these already creative, brilliant minds with our speaker line-up with issues and topics that are beyond their normal scope – I think we've successfully achieved that this year." 

Pioneer Award Recipient:

During the Interactive Achievement Awards, David Crane, one of the most successful designers of entertainment software and co-founder of Activision, will receive the AIAS'S first Pioneer Award.  The Pioneer Award recognizes contributions made by the original men and women whose efforts helped to create the interactive entertainment industry that we know today.  

Lifetime Achievement Award:

AIAS will honor Douglas Lowenstein, founder of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), as the Academy's third recipient of the prestigious honor.  The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the contributions outside of game-makers who had the belief and vision to build the interactive entertainment industry.

Hall of Fame Inductee:

During the Interactive Achievement Awards, Mark Cerny, distinguished game legend behind several successful titles including, Spyro the Dragon, Rachet & Clank and Crash Bandicoot, will be the thirteenth game-changing inductee into the Academy's esteemed Hall of Fame.  As one of the organization's highest honors, candidates are annually voted on by the Academy's Board of Directors.  The Hall of Fame is bestowed upon individuals who've contributed a significant advancement within the industry while demonstrating proven success and leadership.    

Special Events:

In addition to the conference sessions and the Interactive Achievement Awards, the AIAS will host several other activities during the three-day event:

• Steve Wadsworth, president of Disney Interactive Media Group, will be giving the opening keynote address, "Redefining The Interactive Audience" on Wednesday, February 17, from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.  
• The 7th Annual D.I.C.E. Summit Golf Tournament: The tournament will be held on Wednesday, February 17 at the luxurious Bear's Best Golf Course.
• The GigaMedia Presents the 5th Annual Poker Tournament in the Rocks Lounge at the Red Rock Resort.  The tournament will be held on Tuesday, February 16.  
• Opening Night Party: This year, the welcome party will take place on Wednesday, February 17 at the Red Rock Bowling Lanes and will include Starlight Charity Bowl.
• Interactive Achievement Post-Awards Party: The post-awards party will take place at the fabulous Cherry Nightclub. Party goers can enjoy music, dancing, cocktails and hors d'oeuvres to celebrate the Interactive Achievement Awards winners.  
• Into the Pixel™ (ITP) Exhibit and Auction, presented by Intel: ITP is an exploration and celebration of the art of video games.  The exhibit enables published game artists to be reviewed and recognized by the public and by their peers.  ITP features a representative sampling of video game art, selected by a panel of jurors from a field of submissions. For the first time in the exhibit's history, the auction will be available for bids on eBay, with proceeds benefiting the Academy scholarship programs.
• The Indie Game Challenge is an initiative by the Academy, Gamestop and the Guildhall at the Southern Methodist University to support the independent games movement by providing aspiring game developers – professional and non-professional – to showcase their skills and have the opportunity to present their game to top publishers.  The winners will be announced February 19 at the Indie Game Challenge Awards ceremony.

2010 D.I.C.E. Summit® Sponsors:

The D.I.C.E. Summit 2010 key sponsors include: IFC-TV®, Microsoft Game Studios, Nintendo, Sony Computer Entertainment America, G-Net Media, Electronic Arts, Electronic Entertainment Design and Research, Hansoft AB, Gigamedia, MTV Networks, Crytek, Day 1 Studios, Intel, Infernal Engine, Nvidia, Microsoft Games for Windows, Insomniac Games, Unreal Tournament, Boesky & Company, The Guildhall at SMU, The Strong National Museum of Play, UK Trade & Investments, Alienware, Noodle House, PR Newswire, Mary Margaret Network, GameIndustry Biz and industrygamers.com.

About the D.I.C.E. Summit®:

The D.I.C.E. Summit is a high-level interactive entertainment industry conference that brings together the top video game designers and developers from around the world and business leaders from all the major publishers to discuss the state of the industry, its trends and the future.  The three-day event will be held in Las Vegas, at the upscale Red Rock Resort, February 17-19, 2010.  Please visit http://www.dicesummit.org for more information.

About the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) was founded in 1996 as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of the interactive arts.  The Academy's mission is to promote and advance common interests in the worldwide interactive entertainment community; recognize outstanding achievements in the interactive arts and sciences; and conduct an annual awards show (Interactive Achievement Awards) to enhance awareness of the interactive art form.  The Academy also strives to provide a voice for individuals in the interactive entertainment community. In 2002 the Academy created the D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit, a once yearly conference dedicated to exploring approaches to the creative process and artistic expression as they uniquely apply to the development of interactive entertainment. The Academy has over 20,000 members, with the board comprised of senior executives from the major videogame companies including BioWare/Pandemic, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony and Ubisoft. More information on AIAS and the D.I.C.E. Summit can be found at http://www.interactive.org  and http://www.dicesummit.org.

SOURCE Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences