Gaming is part of the program(ming)

This community event is meant to be a platform for all those interested in developing games, and has the objective of linking up all the games developers in the whole of Austria and central Europe to discuss new technologies, design concepts, and game art styles, and to get to know other developers. 15 speakers will pass on their experience from the fields of technology, project management, game art, design and experience in industry and will demonstrate some 20 games. Johanna Pirker is anticipating more than 200 participants at the event. You can find a detailed description (and maybe even a last minute place) on <link http: gddg.gamedevgraz.at _blank int-link-external external link in new>gddg.gamedevgraz.at.

Bigger than Hollywood

The games industry is a creative, innovative and interdisciplinary play area. Titles such as <link https: www.youtube.com user assassinscreed _blank int-link-external external link in new>Assassin's Creed show that not just technology, art, design, management and music are sought after, but other disciplines also, such as history, are playing an increasingly important role. And the industry is growing. In the case of <link http: www.rockstargames.com iv _blank int-link-external external link in new>GTA<link http: www.rockstargames.com iv _blank int-link-external external link in new> 4, this videogame brought in more than the Hollywood blockbuster “Harry Potter”. In fact the industry is growing more and more! That’s why <link http: gamedevgraz.at de _blank int-link-external external link in new>the Game Development Graz Association and TU Graz are bringing games developers from the whole of Austria and central Europe to Graz for the first time.

Playful learning

Doctoral student Johanna Pirker conducts research at the Institute of Information Systems and Computer Media and specialises in Games Research, a discipline where users are encouraged to learn, train and work together with the help of motivating tasks. <link http: jpirker.com _blank int-link-external external link in new>Pirker has many years of experience in game design and development and has worked in the videogame industry at <link http: www.ea.com _blank int-link-external external link in new>Electronic Arts. Her research interests comprise, among others, games research, “gamification” strategies, human-computer interaction and e-learning.