Supervising Unit:
Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China
Endorsing Units:
Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture, Radio, Film & TV
Shanghai Municipal Economic and Informatization Commission
Organizing/Co-Organizing Units:
United Business Media (UBM)
Shanghai Municipal Information Service Industry Association
Co-Sponsoring Bodies:
Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC)
Keynotes
First 2010 Keynote Announced!
Bill Roper
Chief Creative Officer
Cryptic Studios
In his keynote address, Bill Roper will speak about the future of game development, bringing with him over 15 years of experience developing games.
Biography
Bill Roper has been a well-known figure in the worldwide gaming industry for 15 years. He personally represents the games he works on to the global gaming community and has built a solid reputation on his strong relationships with press, developers and gamers.
From 1994 to 2003, Bill produced numerous million-selling games and played a key role in the success of the Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo series. He oversaw and managed all external projects, coordinated internal development teams, and headed Blizzard's strike teams where he was instrumental in shaping the direction of the games. In 2003, Bill left Blizzard Entertainment to co-found Flagship Studios and Ping0 where he assumed the role of CEO. In less than five years the companies developed, released and operated their first online game, Hellgate: London, and had a second game, Mythos, in development.
Bill joined Cryptic Studios in November 2008 as Design Director. He is now serving as Cryptic's Chief Creative Officer.
Check back soon for more information on 2010 keynotes.
GDC China 2009 Keynotes
See who keynoted at last year's conference:
Min Kim
Vice President, Nexon America
"A Fantastic Westward Journey"
Once relegated to the continent of Asia, microtransactions have RECENTLY become an evolutionary catalyst for the North American games market. From social games to the iPhone, microtransactions are in high adoption by developers and consumers alike. Discover how Nexon has successfully navigated its fantastic westward journey and why the true opportunity lies just beyond the horizon.
Biography:
As vice president of marketing at Nexon America, Min is responsible for business development initiatives and game operations of Nexon published titles in the US. His current professional and personal goal is the successful introduction and adoption of the microtransaction business model in the US.
Prior to joining Nexon America, Min operated the successful launch of the Global Edition of MAPLESTORY as the Vice President of Global Business Development at Wizet Corp. Today, MAPLESTORY remains one of the world's top online games supported by a microtransaction business model. Min started his career in video games as a senior associate of business development at Nexon Corporation pursuing new business opportunities such as a social networking service, a board game business, and online game licensing.
Before joining the online games space, Min was an investment banking analyst in the media group of Salomon Smith Barney in New York. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics-Statistics from Columbia College.
Jordan Mechner
"Game designer, programmer, screenwriter, and creator of the widely acclaimed Prince of Persia Franchise"
"Prince of Persia: 20 Years From Game to Film"
Video game creator-turned-screenwriter Jordan Mechner discusses PRINCE OF PERSIA's 20-year journey from the Apple II to next-gen consoles to the big screen, and his own journey trying to reconcile personal ideals of game design, art and storytelling with the demands of creating and maintaining a strong brand in today's fast-evolving trans-media entertainment industry."
Biography:
Mechner's first hit game was Karateka (1984), written while he was still an undergraduate at Yale University. Prince of Persia, released in 1989, was noted for its fluid animation of human figures. Both titles were published by Broderbund. In 1993, he formed Smoking Car Productions, an entertainment software development group based in San Francisco. In 2003, Ubisoft released the fourth installment of the Prince of Persia saga, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, on which Mechner collaborated as writer and game designer. Mechner today divides his time between writing screenplays, graphic novels, and designing video games. He also wrote and directed two award-winning documentaries, including Chavez Ravine: A Los Angeles Story. He is writing the screenplay for a film adaptation of Michael Turner's Fathom starring Megan Fox. He is collaborating with artists LeUyen Pham and Alex Puvilland on a new graphic novel to be published by First Second Books in 2010.
