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FIRST NATIONAL WOMEN’S
GAME CONFERENCE TO TAKE PLACE
SEPTEMBER 9-10, 2004 IN AUSTIN, TEXAS
New Event Focuses on
Women Working in Computer and Video Game Industry,
How Women Are Portrayed in Games and Women as Gaming Consumers
AUSTIN, Texas, May 17, 2004 - The
Game Initiative announced today the Women’s Game Conference (WGC), a new
conference focusing on women in the computer and video game industry, will
take place September 9-10, 2004 in Austin, Texas. The conference will
focus on a variety of women’s topics in the computer and video game
industry including examining career paths for women in the industry and
issues related to working in the industry as women as well as how women
are portrayed in games and women and girls as consumers of games.
The Women’s Game Conference also announced
a Steering Committee comprised of leading women in the game industry,
representing leading game hardware manufacturers, developers, publishers
and educators, who are guiding the creation of a powerful and influential
WGC program. The conference is open to anyone interested in the game
industry, including existing professionals, industry executives and
persons interested in getting into the game business. The conference in
advance is $125 for professionals and $85 for students. The conference web
site is
http://www.WomensGameConference.com
The WGC 2004 Steering Committee includes:
• Ellen Guon Beeman, Live Team Producer,
The Matrix Online, Monolith Productions
• Mia Consalvo, Assistant Professor in the School of Telecommunications,
Ohio University
• Laura Fryer, Director, Advanced Technology Group, Microsoft Corporation
• Sheri Graner Ray, Senior Game Designer, Sony Online Entertainment
(Committee Chairperson)
• Kathy Schoback, Vice President of Content Strategy, Infinium Labs
Biographies for committee members are
provided below.
“This comprehensive program is a positive
step forward for the industry and could not have taken place several years
ago,” said Sheri Ray, Women’s Game Conference Steering Committee
chairperson. “Conference participants will be able to discuss the industry
and focus on the evolution of the business going forward. Participants
will identify trends and discuss how to continue to expand the industry.”
Attendees will hear from industry leaders
and have the opportunity to network extensively at the WSC. The casual
nature of this event allows attendees an unprecedented opportunity to gain
valuable contacts and explore new ways to expand the business and create a
thriving the work environment.
“The Women’s Game Conference fits with The
Game Initiative’s mission to serve as a leader in assisting in the growth
of the computer and video game industry by serving the needs of the people
in the business,” said Christopher Sherman, Executive Director of the Game
Initiative. The Women’s Game Conference will be held concurrently with the
Austin Game Conference, the definitive multiplayer online game development
conference.
Women’s Game Conference Steering
Committee Members
Ellen Guon Beeman
Live Team Producer, The Matrix Online
Monolith Productions
Ellen Guon Beeman has worked as a designer, writer, and producer of
computer and videogames since 1989, for companies including Microsoft,
Disney, Electronic Arts, Sega, and others. She is currently the Live Team
producer for The Matrix Online at Monolith Productions.
Mia Consalvo
Assistant Professor in the School of Telecommunications
Ohio University
Mia Consalvo is an assistant professor in the School of Telecommunications
at Ohio University. Her research focuses on digital games--including game
players and the game industry. Her research has been published in the
anthology The Video Game Theory Reader; journals including Television &
New Media; Feminist Media Studies; and the Journal of Communication
Inquiry. She is currently doing research on women gamers, and is writing a
book about cheating and how it has affected the game industry and players
perceptions of how to play games.
Laura Fryer
Director, Advanced Technology Group
Microsoft Corp.
As Director of the Xbox® Advanced Technology Group (ATG) Laura Fryer is
responsible for making Xbox the ultimate platform for game developers.
ATG's services to the worldwide video games industry include proactive
support for programmers, content creators and content services; as well as
helping game designers, producers, artists, musicians and sound designers
realize their creative visions.
Fryer joined the Xbox team in May 2000,
becoming responsible for much of the day-to-day management at ATG. During
the Xbox project, she cultivated worldwide Xbox Developer Support, created
the Xbox Advisory Board, and ran Xbox game developer events (a.k.a. Xfests)
around the globe. In 1995, Fryer became one of the first members of
Microsoft Games Studios (MGS). During her tenure, she was the leading
producer in MGS shipping six games in five years. Her best-known titles
are Crimson Skies, Fighter Ace, and Pinball Arcade. As one of the founders
of MSN Zone.com, Fryer is an expert on Internet and multiplayer gaming.
Besides conceiving and producing the first Microsoft release for Zone.com,
she also produced Fighter Ace 1.0, Microsoft’s first massively multiplayer
game.
As one of the founders of the annual “Women
in Gaming” sessions at the Game Developers Conference in 2000, Fryer is
dedicated to fostering the role of women in the video game industry.
An avid gamer, Fryer enjoys taking "video
game vacations" to play video games in marathon all-day sessions. Her
other hobbies include playing the guitar and violin, drawing, juggling and
reading.
Sheri Graner Ray
Senior Game Designer
Sony Online Entertainment
(Steering Committee Chairperson)
Sheri Graner Ray is Sr. Game Designer with Sony Online Entertainment and
author of the book, "Gender Inclusive Game Design-Expanding the Market."
She has served as the co-chair for the Women in Game Development SIG of
the IGDA for 4 years and has been a spokesperson for the female game
player for many years. Before coming to Sony, she served as President of
her own studio, Sirenia Software, and before that as Director of Product
Development for Her Interactive, where she began her research into females
and computer games. She has also worked for Origin Systems as a writer and
designer on the Ultima PC series.
Kathy Schoback
Vice President of Content Strategy
Infinium Labs
As the content strategist for the Phantom gaming service, Kathy Schoback
oversees relationships with game publishers and developers worldwide,
including title selection, prioritization, negotiations and lifecycle
management. She has spent previous lifetimes at Eidos and Sega, as well as
at the Game Developers Conference as part of the show management team. In
addition to serving as IGDA chairperson, Kathy is also co-chair of the
IGDA Business Committee.
About The Game Initiative
The Game Initiative is chartered with the
growth of the computer and video game industry by serving the needs of
companies and people involved in producing interactive entertainment
software and hardware for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal
computers and the Internet. The Game Initiative assists in growing the
game industry through events, public awareness, information and supporting
programs. Game Initiative events include the
Austin Game Conference, the
Women’s Game Conference
and the How to Break
into the Game Industry national conference and resume workshop series.
More information about the Game Initiative can be found at
http://www.TheGameInitiative.com.
For more information:
Chris Sherman
512-633-5341
chris@WomensGameConference.com
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