2008 Content Index

Below is a complete listing of all content available from the 2008 Leadership Forum. Enjoy!

DVD

28 conference sessions were recorded and are now available for purchase on DVD. The 5-disc set of hi-res video is priced at $99 (plus shipping). If you would like to purchase a copy, please email us via sales[at]igda.org and we’ll forward you the order form. Copies of the 2007 Leadership Forum DVD are still available as well.

Keynotes

Curt Schilling

MVP Leadership

- Curt Schilling – 38 Studios / Red Sox

Mark Cerny

Production Methodology: Past, Present and Possible Futures

- Mark Cerny – Cerny Games

studio heads panel

Studio Heads on the Hotseat

- Moderator: Jen MacLean – IGDA Board of Directors
- Mike Capps – Epic Games
- Brett Close – 38 Studios
- Tobi Saulnier – 1st Playable Producions
- Tim Train – Big Huge Games

Personal Leadership Track

The sessions in the Personal Leadership Track cover the personal skills we all need to be successful leaders.

Scott Crabtree

Truly Tapping Your Strengths

- Scott Crabtree, Intel

Don Daglow

Being a Pioneer: Staying Passionate About the Future of Games

– Don Daglow, Stormfront Studios
Jason Della Rocca

Book Review Jam

- Moderator: Jason Della Rocca, IGDA

David Edery

MBA Lessons, Applied

- David Edery, Xbox Live Arcade

Rodney Gibbs

GGD: Getting Games Done – 10 Lifehacking Tips for Producers

- Rodney Gibbs, Fizz Factor

Kathy Gibson

Workshop: Personality Analysis

- Kathy Gibson, Threewave Software

Manveer Heir

Leadership from the Trenches

- Manveer Heir, Raven Software

Kane Minkus

Leadership in Conflict: Navigating Through Choppy Waters

– Kane Minkus, SomaTone Interactive Audio

Michael Saladino

Workshop: Problem Solving and Root-Cause Analysis

- Michael Saladino, Pandemic Studios

Project Leadership Track

The sessions in the Project Leadership Track will focus on the nuts and bolts of game production.

methods panel

Methodology Cases: PMI / Agile / CMM PSP

- Moderator: Heather M. Chandler, Media Sunshine
- Karin Groepper Boosman, Aspyr Media
- Rich Vogel, BioWare Austin
- Tobi Saulnier, 1st Playable Producions

J.C. Connors

Making Lots of Small Games Without Going Crazy

- J.C. Connors, Griptonite Games

Curtis Creamer

Applying User Testing During Development

- Curtis Creamer, Bungie Studios

Jason Della Rocca

Project Management Idea Swap

- Moderator: Jason Della Rocca, IGDA

Game Prototyping And New Product Science

- Jamie Fristrom, Torpex Games

Mat Hart

Level of Detail for Project Planning

- Mat Hart, Ninja Theory

Clinton Keith

Myths of Scrum

- Clinton Keith

Tom Smith

Communicating Vision

- Tom Smith, THQ

Michael Waite

Working with Licensed IP

- Michael Waite, Amaze Entertainment

Management Leadership Track

The sessions in the Management Leadership Track cover broader scale topics that go beyond a single team or project.

Linda Bonanno

Reducing Turnover: Keeping Teams Intact Through Strong Leadership

- Linda Bonanno, Emergent Game Technologies

growth panel

Studio Growth Cases

- Moderator: Tim Gerritsen, 2K Boston
- Jason Coleman, Big Huge Games
- Shaun Himmerick, Midway Newcastle
- Kelly Zmak, Radical Entertainment

Jason Della Rocca

Management Idea Swap

- Moderator: Jason Della Rocca, IGDA

Rodney Gibbs

Civic Entrepreneurialism: Engaging the Community to Grow Your Business

- Rodney Gibbs, Fizz Factor

Michael Heilemann

The Due Diligence Process Revealed

- Michael Heilemann, D2C Games

Richard Hilleman

Organizational Development as a Game

- Richard Hilleman, EA

Mike McShaffry

Let’s Reboot the Developer/Publisher Relationship

- Mike McShaffry

Andrew Oliver

Training as a Productivity Multiplier

- Andrew Oliver, Blitz Games Studios

Stefan Posthuma

Managing an Engineering Community

- Stefan Posthuma, EA Black Box

Sponsored Lunch Sessions

The sessions presented during the lunch breaks are special sponsored sessions, and cover topics still related to leadership.

Torrie Dorrell

Girl on G.I.R.L.: A Call to Action

- Torrie Dorrell, Sony Online Entertainment

Patric Palm

Hansoft 5.3 Preview + Common User Patterns

- Patric Palm, Hansoft

charity panel

Charitable Efforts: Giving Back is Good

- Moderator: Tom Buscaglia, The Game Attorney
- Martin de Ronde, OneBigGame
- Robert Khoo, Penny Arcade
- Shonda Schilling, The Shade Foundation of America



“The IGDA Leadership Forum has, without question, the highest quality of content of any game industry event I have ever attended. As far as “”bang for the buck”" it is the best conference for producers and managers in our industry. Any studio looking to upgrade its production and management techniques should make this a must attend event for their studio’s production and management leads. The annual IGDA Charitable Foundation dinner is also not to be missed.”

- Tom Buscaglia, The Game Attorney


“I’ve had the pleasure of attending the IGDA Leadership Forum for 2 years now. The conference is small and focused, which is its greatest strength. Not only does it offer an excellent schedule with high quality speakers, attendees have many opportunities to connect with other developers. This networking and sharing of ideas is what gives someone the additional tools, and perspective to be better at their job. The IGDA Leadership Forum has had a huge impact on my career. Every year, I’ve come away with new friends and mentors, and new inspiration that I can immediately apply to create positive impact within my company. For such a low cost with such high return, I ask you this: How can you not afford to send yourself and your employees to the IGDA Leadership Forum?”

- Kim Sellentin, Associate Producer, Blizzard Entertainment


“I’ve attended the Leadership forum every year since its inception. It’s my can’t miss conference each year for a couple of reasons… 1. It’s a very personal conference, small enough to get to know everyone and large enough to attract great speakers. 2. The game industry tends to build leaders from with in, but being a great developer does not make a great leader. The Leadership Forum provides a wonderful opportunity to develop those traits and learn how others have gotten there. 3. Unlike some large events, this is a very focused conference. The topic is narrow enough to attract a lot of like minded people and broad enough to cross disciplines. I can’t recomend the Leadership Forum highly enoughto any producer, leader, or simply those in our industry seeking to be the best at their craft. ”

- Chuck Hoover, Studio Production Director, Schell Games


“If you’re a manager in the games industry, or you have managers reporting to you, you owe it to yourself to come out or send them to the IGDA Leadership Forum next year. Your competitors are out here trying to figure out how to get better at capturing the lightning and putting it in a package to ship out to customers. We desperately need better trained leaders in the industry, and this is a proven place where they can come and improve their skills. This year I found an insight in every talk to make me better at my job, and to help my reports become better at their jobs. I really don’t feel like I can afford *not* to go. Can you?”

- Brett Douville, Lead Systems Programmer, Bethesda Softworks
© 2011 International Game Developers Association

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