Game Development and QoL in India (and What it Means for Game Developers in the US)

Speaker: Casey O'Donnell, PhD Candidate, RPI
Topic: Game Development & Quality of Life in India
Location: Brown's Brewing Co., 417 River Street, Troy, NY
Date: Wednesday, August 1, 6:30-9 PM

The rise of India, China, and South Korea as viable locations for game
production, and the increased use of offshore and inshore outsourcing
could have developers feeling like their worlds are eroding. But does
the process of globalization necessarily mean the descent of game
development in the US?

This talk will look specifically at game development studios in India
compared to those in the US. What kinds of studios are there? What is
the state of game development? How are they alike or different? What
is the state of relations between them? What do both have to learn
from the other? More broadly, what can this teach about the game
industry? And, finally, what does globalization mean for QoL here at
home?

"Learning to play Cricket with some of the guys from RedOctane. With a
tennis ball I'm an asset. With that crazy heavy leather covered thing,
I'm a liability."

Casey O'Donnell is a PhD. Candidate in the Department of Science and
Technology Studies (STS) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His work
examines the diverse forces and activities - laws, technologies,
collaboration, and workplace cultures, for example - that shape video
game development, and make it tenable in today's globalized economy.
His broader research questions, "What can the everyday worlds of video
game developers teach us about the "new" economy?" and "How do these
worlds differ across national and cultural boundaries?" links the game
industry to global processes.

Portions of his research have been supported by an NSF Grant (Award #0620903).