GDC Online 2010 - The Short Course

After an exciting week at GDC Online, the online game developer's conference (Oct 5 – 8, Austin, Texas), I must confess that I am both exhausted (they are a very social set) and impressed with where the industry is headed. Although the misconception is still alive for some, online gamers do not all look like escapees from a Wayne’s World casting call. Au contraire; most online gamers look like, well, you and me. Depending on the gaming genre, you may now find yourself rubbing elbows with young professionals, stay at home moms/dads or your own middle-aged, albeit still youthful, parents while playing online (so...best to avoid too many in game discussions of your misspent youth).

It is a whole new world out there. And that world is getting bigger, thanks, in part, to online social gaming (who knew that virtual cows, crops or mob hits could be so much fun?) and mobile gaming. This is not to say that the traditional MMO is out, for there were many bright, shiny, new, beautifully crafted full-fledged massively multi-player games on display at the event. The graphics of these offerings were incredible and the game play was definitely designed to appeal to a wider audience.

It was an educational week for me and I am thankful to everyone who took the time to meet with us, offer an introduction or simply share their time. I am especially grateful to the other members of our panel, How Economic Context Affects Game Development from Start-Up to Grown-Up Companies, as well to the Canadian Consulate General Trade Commission that helped to put it together. I also appreciate the time and patience of the Metaverse Mod Squad group who were always on hand to answer questions and put things into perspective.

I am looking forward to the next gaming conference (E3, in June 2011), where I hope to add to the useful information garnered at this one, including:

• The mobile game development cycle is far shorter than the traditional game development cycle;

• Children are highly accomplished multi-taskers online; some having the ability to squeeze, on average, 11 hours of game play, social networking and media downloads into only 7.5 hours; and

• Game developers are oddly obsessed with zombies. Truly, they love unleashing them on other characters, sending them through obstacle courses, blowing them up, leaving them in odd places and giving them day jobs that require them to carry a briefcase in their cold, dead hands.

3Pod, Bigpoint, Kiip, PricewaterhouseCoopers, & Parks Associates address new strategies for entertainment companies at GDC

Parks Associates will moderate a special session at the Game Developers Conference Online (GDC), held October 5-8 in Austin, Texas. The session, “How economic context affects game development from start-up to grown-up companies,” will be held Thursday, October 7th, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m., and is sponsored by Canada at GDC, The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada and represented by the Canadian Consulate General Dallas.

The electronic entertainment industry is going through massive transformations: financial constraints, declining software sales, increasing success of the used games segment, growing percentages of digital sales, etc. This panel, moderated by Parks Associates’ gaming analyst Pietro Macchiarella, will investigate the importance of international economic contexts in supporting the interactive entertainment industry and new strategies for developers, including retail and digital distribution.

The panel offers perspectives from executives developing games in Canada and the USA. Participants include:

Frédérick Brassard, President, 3Pod

Nils Holger Henning, Chief Communications Officer, Bigpoint

Dean Morrison, Advisor, Entertainment & Media Practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP—Toronto
Brian Wong, Founder, Kiip

For information about this session or to reserve your seat, visit
http://www.parksassociates.com/events/industry_events/gdc_2010.htm.

Pecan Street Project Director to discuss Austin’s smart-grid demonstration and Energy Internet project at Smart Energy Summit

Parks Associates announced the Smart Energy Summit will feature a special session focusing on the Pecan Street Project, with a presentation from the project’s executive director Brewster McCracken on January 27, 3:30 p.m. Mr. McCracken will discuss the activities of the Pecan Street Project, which was awarded $10.4 million in federal stimulus money in November 2009 for its proposed Energy Internet project.

Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, hosted by Parks Associates in cooperation with Austin Energy on January 25-27 at the Hyatt Regency, Austin, Tex., focuses on the opportunities and challenges in residential energy technologies.

The Pecan Street Project in Austin, Texas, is a city-wide laboratory devoted to revolutionizing the delivery, use, and generation of energy. It provides a place where researchers and entrepreneurs can develop, test, and implement the urban power system of the future.

NIST efforts critical as U.S. consumers look to cut energy costs

Parks Associates announced today that George Arnold, National Coordinator for Smart Grid Interoperability, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), U.S. Department of Commerce, will deliver the afternoon keynote “NIST Smart Grid Interoperability Standards and the Home Area Network” at Smart Energy Summit.

Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, hosted by Parks Associates in cooperation with Austin Energy on January 25-27 at the Hyatt Regency, Austin, Tex., focuses on the opportunities and challenges in residential energy technologies and identifies business strategies for in-home energy monitoring and management systems.

Sessions will include research from Parks Associates’ Residential Energy Management project, which features nationwide consumer surveys and industry profiles to assess the market for energy-related digital systems and services. The most recent consumer survey reports 80-85% of U.S. households are willing to pay for in-home energy monitors if these solutions can lower their electric bills.

In his keynote on January 26, 1:45 p.m., Dr. Arnold will discuss the challenges that need to be addressed in developing the interface between the Smart Grid and the Home Area Network. NIST is coordinating the development of a robust, interoperable framework of technical standards that will help transform the nation’s electric infrastructure into an “energy internet.”

Dr. Arnold was appointed National Coordinator for Smart Grid Interoperability at the NIST in April 2009. He is responsible for leading the development of standards underpinning the nation’s Smart Grid. He joined NIST in September 2006 after a 33-year career in the telecommunications and information technology industry.

For the full press release, click here.

Smart Energy Summit addresses emerging market for in-home energy management devices and services

Parks Associates to host Residential Energy Management event in Austin

International research firm Parks Associates announced plans to host the inaugural Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, in cooperation with Austin Energy, on January 25-27, 2010. The event will feature expert speakers and analysts discussing the latest developments in residential energy management (REM) and the successful strategies capable of engaging consumers in new programs for energy conservation and cost savings.

The event, taking place at the Hyatt Regency in Austin, Texas, will feature market research from Parks Associates’ landmark Residential Energy Management service and real-world expertise derived from Austin Energy's Smart Grid, the largest working Smart Grid in the U.S.

Government initiatives and stimulus funds have stoked demand for REM technologies with their emphasis on energy conservation and greater efficiency in the home. Already over six percent of all U.S. meters are smart meters, and many U.S. utilities are announcing new deployments and pilot programs, which will push the number of smart meters to almost 50 million by 2012. This event identifies the business opportunities for in-home energy monitoring and management systems, accelerated by deployment of energy smart grids.

Early sponsors for Smart Energy Summit include Exceptional Innovation and OpenPeak. Andres Carvallo, CIO, Austin Energy, will present a keynote detailing his company’s experiences in developing and deploying its Smart Grid.

The event agenda will focus on the roadmap for the emerging in-home energy management technology market, offering consumer and industry research and strategic insight:

• Current status of REM and Smart Grid technologies
• Consumer interest in REM solutions
• Engaging the consumer: Strategies and tactics to communicate benefits successfully
• Leveraging applications: Think energy … and more
• Impact of government stimulus and green initiatives
• Technical and business requirements for succeeding in REM
• Business strategies for utilities, manufacturers, installers, and service providers
• Unit and revenue forecasts for Smart Meters and REM residential solutions

For more information, or to submit to speak at the event, visit www.smartenergysummit2010.com.