Jesse Schell, CEO, Schell Games, and Nolan Bushnell, Former CEO, Atari, will kick off the 2013 Serious Play Conference (SPC) Tuesday – Thursday, Aug. 20 – 22, 2013, with a keynote address at DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond, Wash.
Schell will discuss how the explosion of connectivity, mobile devices, and tablet computing has made simulations and serious games the fastest growing part of the game industry. He will address fundamental questions about what games do well, and how attendees can determine whether games can help solve a certain problem, as well how to do it most effectively.
Schell's 80 people studio creates educational and transformational games at Schell Games. He has taught Game Design at Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center since 2002.
Nolan Bushnell will discuss new tools to accelerate learning. He will describe how brain science, mashed with video game technology, drastically increases the speed with which students learn.
Bushnell founded Atari and designed the early technology. He served as CEO from 1970 to 1979. Currently he focuses on BrainRush Inc., developers of a game engine for learning.
SPC is a leadership conference where game developers can meet educators and heads of serious games programs in corporations, healthcare and government.
"Jesse and Nolan are two of the brightest minds in both the entertainment and serious games space," Sue Bohle, Executive Director, Serious Games Association said. "They will provide real world insights from their years of experience, which attendees can take back to implement in their own projects."
Pre-conference workshops for developers and professionals new to serious games will be held on Monday, Aug. 19 with the main conference Tuesday – Thursday, Aug. 20 – 22. Pricing details are located here.
Members of the Serious Games Association ($35 annual fee) receive $50 off conference cost.
