Fantastic Fest, the amazing-sounding genre film fest in Austin, has added a game component and invited me to be on their advisory board. As if that wasn’t flattering enough, they’re flying me out to speak on a few panels.
“Declaration of Independents”
Thursday, September 23
3:00pm
Few outside those working inside the indie game circle realize how wide-reaching and “successful” it truly is. With loads of blogs devoted to the scene and millions of downloads each year, a vibrant undercurrent of game developers are thriving and working without bureaucracy, utilizing accessible software and various lo-fi techniques to pump the games out. From inspiration to design and publishing, how do you make a game by yourself, and why?
SPEAKERS
Moderated by Brandon Boyer, Chairman, Independent Games Festival
Derek Yu, game developer and illustrator, Editor-in-Chief of TIGSource
Jonathan Blow, game designer, partner in the Indie Fund
Jim Munroe, novelist, game designer
“Wizard Takes All”
Saturday, September 25
4:30pm
What is it about computer games and magic? Magic and computer games have been linked from the very beginning when Fantasy themed, text-based, Multi-User Dungeons started popping up on mainframes in the 1970s. Generations of gamers have crawled their way through Adventure, Wizardry, the Ultimas, Bard’s Tale, King’s Quest, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Everquest, and World of Warcraft. Dungeons and Dragons, Magic the Gathering, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and most recently Harry Potter have snatched the brains of children and adults alike. Why are magic and medieval fantasy such prominent themes in our media landscape? What do 20 million role playing Elves know that we don’t?
SPEAKERS
Moderated by Eddo Stern, Artist, Associate Professor at UCLA Design Media Arts Department
Sheri Graner Ray, Studio Design Director for Schell Games, writer and designer on the Ultima series
Jim Munroe, novelist, game designer
Tom Hall, Creative Director at KingsIsle Entertainment
One response to “Fantastic Arcade Panels (Austin TX.)”
holy Crap,
Did you just say Wizardry, I remember being in High School playing this game on my father’s 386 machine.
We were on Level 10, if you know anything about this text based game with static graphics, you know this was a feat to be reckoned with. It was a concerted effort brought to fruition by me and my entourage. I left the 5.25″ floppy in the floppy drive and my father got pissed and crumpled it in front of me. I don’t think I have fully recovered.