FrontierVille Design Chief Brian Reynolds to Keynote 2010 Game Developers Conference Online

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- UBM TechWeb Game Network, organizers of the Game Developers Conference® Online (GDC Online), will host Zynga's Chief Game Designer, Brian Reynolds to keynote the GDC Online (formerly GDC Austin) in Austin, Texas.  In his address entitled "Bears and Snakes! The Wild Frontier of Social Game Design," Reynolds will discuss the rapid growth and expanding audience of Zynga's FrontierVille and its implications for the future of social games.  GDC Online takes place at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas  from October 5-8, 2010.  Early registration discounts of up to 40% off conference passes end at 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 1.  Information about sessions and registration is available at www.GDCOnline.com.

Brian Reynolds' career has spanned more than 20 years of game development, from the critically-acclaimed strategy game development teams at Firaxis and Big Huge Games, to the  massively popular social game developer, Zynga East.  With a track record that includes such beloved titles as Civilization II, Alpha Centauri and Rise of Nations, his previous games have reached sales of 6 million copies sold worldwide.  Reynolds' first social game, FrontierVille, reaches 6 million players a day.  As Chief Game Designer for Zynga, Reynolds now applies his skills as a designer and programmer to the rapidly growing world of social network games, and with his colleagues at Zynga East in Maryland, has worked to expand FrontierVille, and begin planning a new social game franchise.

In his keynote address, "Bears and Snakes! The Wild Frontier of Social Game Design," Reynolds will explain how FrontierVille, true to its name, treads new territory by combining the classic techniques of traditional game design with the social gaming expertise that Zynga has gained from their infectiously popular FarmVille and Mafia Wars titles.  Reynolds will also confront the challenges of taking familiar social game models and making them more entertaining for gamers and non-gamers.  The keynote will look at ways that Zynga has tried to make traditional social game interactions "more social." With the massive gains and rapid progress of the social game space, Reynolds will offer his take on why games like FrontierVille are only the first step towards other exciting opportunities for fun games, and why the world of social games is such a great place to work and a promising place to be.

"Social games are increasingly attracting traditional game developers while also providing key learnings to leverage social features in all types of games," noted Izora de Lillard, Event Director, GDC Online. "We are proud to present Brian Reynolds at GDC Online with a talk that will inspire traditional and social game designers alike."

GDC Online takes place in Austin, Texas from October 5-8, 2010. Information about sessions and registration is available at www.GDCOnline.com.

About the UBM TechWeb Game Network

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