Henry Jenkins, MIT Professor, Renowned Author and Games Media Expert, to Keynote the Serious Games Summit D.C. 2006Jenkins to Address How Serious Games Designers Can Tap the Collective Intelligence and Participatory Impulses of Their ConsumersPRNewswire SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Henry Jenkins, one of the world's most influential game, film and media scholars, will delve into why games and games technology are the optimal interface in working with participatory media in a keynote address at this year's Serious Games Summit D.C. (SGS D.C.). Jenkins, the DeFlorz Professor of Humanities and Director of Comparative Media Studies at MIT, has spent his extensive career studying media and the way people incorporate it into their lives. Taking place Mon., Oct. 30 - Tues., Oct. 31 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA., the SGS D.C. provides a forum for game developers, buyers, and industry professionals to exchange ideas and advance the state of the art of serious games development. The conference agenda will touch on the broader use of gaming with sessions focusing on social change, e-sports, science, and human factors. The core segments of serious games -- military, government, healthcare, corporate training and education -- will also be addressed. Titled "Serious Games in the Age of Media Convergence and Collective Intelligence," Jenkins's session will describe a world where old and new media collide, where grassroots and corporate media intersect, and where the power of the media producer and the power of the media consumer interact in unpredictable ways. Jenkins will also discuss the shifts in the media environment, explaining how they are paving the way for the serious games movement. "We are honored to have Henry Jenkins, a leading expert in media studies, keynote this year's event," said Jamil Moledina, executive director, Game Developers Conference. "Developers and game commissioners will explore the central theme of how to solve problems through games when tackling projects such as learning beyond didactic teaching and effective model building." "In his speech, Henry Jenkins will showcase why gaming is arguably a better interface for participatory media culture than MySpace and YouTube," said Ben Sawyer, co-founder, Digital Mill, and SGS D.C. content chair. "It won't be long before games exceeds them and take participatory media to the next level." Henry Jenkins is the principal investigator for the MacArthur Foundation-funded New Media Literacies Project, which is helping to identify and foster core social skills and cultural competencies young people need to be full participants in the 21st century. He is co-founder and director of The Education Arcade, which is exploring the pedagogical potentials of computer and video games. At the 2006 Serious Games Summit D.C., the main goal is to explore the shared needs of all serious game sectors while also supporting specialized material. All presentations at the summit will focus on the core issues of assessing the effectiveness of serious games in achieving goals, innovation and technology breakthroughs, results on cost-effective development and regulations for serious games, and future prospects and market potential of game development. For more information about the Summit, please visit http://www.seriousgamessummit.com/. About the CMP Game Group (http://www.cmpgame.com/) A core provider of essential information to the professional game industry, the CMP Game Group offers market-defining content, and drives community through the Game Developers Conference, Game Developer magazine, the Webby Award-winning Gamasutra.com, the Serious Games Summit D.C., GDC Mobile, GDC Europe, the Independent Games Festival, the Game Developers Choice Awards, GDC London, the London Games Summit, GDCTV, GDCRadio, and the GDC Focus On event series. For more information, please visit http://www.cmpgame.com/. About CMP Technology (http://www.cmp.com/) CMP Technology is a marketing solutions company serving the technology industry. Through its market-leading portfolio of trusted information brands, CMP has earned the confidence of more technology professionals than any other media company. As a result, CMP is the premier provider of access, insight and actionable programs designed to connect sellers and buyers in ways that yield superior return on investment. CMP Technology is a subsidiary of United Business Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/), a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $3 billion. SOURCE: CMP Game Group CONTACT: Craig Sinel of fortyseven communications, +1-323-658-1200, Web site: http://www.seriousgamessummit.com/ Web site: http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/ Web site: http://www.cmp.com/ Web site: http://www.cmpgame.com/ |