THE EVENT
From 09 October to 11 October 2013, the first game development conference to take place in Arizona was held at the Phoenix Convention Center. Focused on the evolution and future of the industry, FIGCON 2013 explored issues we are facing and will continue to face as games progress onward.
Over the course of the event, we had:
In addition to the conference, we also partnered with UAT (our primary sponsor) to host the inaugural Noob Workshops (videos can be found here), a huge step forward for future partnerships and development of what Future Is Games can be.
Over the course of the event, we had:
- Over 100 attendees
- Talks and workshops from 15 different presenters, including: Dave Lang, Jason Manley, Rob Jagnow, Tadhg Kelly, and Chris Crawford
- An informative workshop from Chris Toepker on the topic of localization
- Showcases from local developers and artists
- A variety of activities, including the debut of live-action Pac Man and screenings of films about the game industry
- Live events: a game jam with teams from GameFounders, a podcast session from ChatterBox Video Game Radio, and a musical performance from Random, aka Mega Ran
In addition to the conference, we also partnered with UAT (our primary sponsor) to host the inaugural Noob Workshops (videos can be found here), a huge step forward for future partnerships and development of what Future Is Games can be.
FIGCON 2013 had lots of press coverage leading up to the event from outlets including: Gaming Blend, The Phoenix Business Journal, AZ Tech Beat, 8 Bit Brit, Lightning Octopus,and GeekNewsNetwork.net, not to mention a pretty cool letter from Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton!
We also had a recap interview with Geek 411, which you can check out in their Fall 2013 edition.
We also had a recap interview with Geek 411, which you can check out in their Fall 2013 edition.
THE FIGCON 2013 VAULT
Below, you'll find a list of our presentations recorded during the event. All of our talks are free to view!
- Dave Lang - "Launching Games is Hard!"
- Jason Manley - "The Truth About the Games Industry"
- Rob Jagnow - "Breaking the Rules: Lessons in Creative Game Design"
- Chris Crawford - "The Future Effects of Gaming on Human Cognition"
- Tadhg Kelly - "Emergence of the Microconsole"
- Chris Toepker - "Why the Future is Games"
- Raheem "Mega Ran" Jarbo - "A Life of Music and Games"
- Anabel Martinez and Allen Amis - "Video Game Cosplay: From Concept to Reality"
- Tristan Moore - "Reinventing the Wheel: Exploring Design Alternatives"
- Noah Dyer - "Time Management for Creative and Technical Professionals"
- Ben Reichert - "Growing the Games Industry in Phoenix"
- Ara Shirinian - "Deconstructing Free to Play" [Performed at Future Is Games but recorded elsewhere.]
- Zachary Snader - "UX, UI, and U!" [Performed at Future Is Games but recorded elsewhere.]
- Raheem "Mega Ran" Jarbo - Mega Ran LIVE!