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Game Developers eXchange 2008 focuses on alternative and independent gaming Keynote speaker Eric Zimmerman to share his “independent game developer’s survival guide” ATLANTA – The Savannah College of Art and Design-Atlanta will host thefourth annual Game Developers eXchange April 10-11, 1600 Peachtree St.This year’s conference will spotlight alternative gaming and emergingmodes of design, production and distribution. Matthew Maloney, animation professor and academic director of theanimation program at SCAD-Atlanta, said, “We’re breaking away from theconstricted classification of gaming simply as ‘digital first-personshooters for teenage males.’ We are proud to have representatives fromvirtually every aspect of the games community involved in this two-dayevent.” Eric Zimmerman, game designer, educator, entrepreneur and co-founder ofGamelab, will be the keynote speaker at GDX 2008. Gamelab creates andself-publishes innovative single-player and multiplayer games that aredistributed online, on mobile phones and through retail, including thehit downloadable games “Diner Dash” and “Miss Management.” Zimmerman’s keynote address, “Going Indie: An Independent GameDeveloper’s Survival Guide,” draws from 14 years of experience to sharethe highs and lows of being an “indie” in the game industry. From cashflow to company culture, he will cover the tangibles and intangibles ofwhat it takes to survive. Along the way, he’ll address biggerquestions, such as what’s wrong with the game industry today, why otherforms of pop culture seem to have more independent creators, and whatmight be in store for the future of independent games. More than 20 industry experts will be on hand to share their expertiseand behind-the-scenes knowledge. Among this year’s list ofdistinguished guests: Brenda Brathwaite A 26-year veteran of the video game industry, Brathwaite is anaward-winning game designer and professor of interactive design andgame development at SCAD. In 2006, Brathwaite was named one of the “100most influential women in the game industry” by Next Generationmagazine and her peers. Greg Costikyan Costikyan is CEO of Manifesto Games, a start-up devoted to creating aviable path to market for independently developed games. At the mostrecent Game Developers’ Conference, he received the Maverick Award forhis tireless promotion of independent games. Chris Crawford Crawford has written five published books including “The Art ofComputer Game Design” and “Balance of Power.” He founded and served aschairman of the Computer Game Developers’ Conference, now known as theGame Developers’ Conference. Matt Dominianni Dominianni is the lead machinima director for The Electric SheepCompany, the top virtual worlds developer, and founder of ILL Clan Inc.As a founder of ILL Clan, an award-winning 3-D movie-making team, hecreated his first machinima short in 1998. He recently directedmachinima scenes in Second Life that appeared on “CSI: NY” on CBS, andwere seen by 11 million viewers. Tracy Fullerton Fullerton is a game designer, author and co-director of USC’sElectronic Arts Game Innovation Lab. Prior to joining the USC faculty,Fullerton was president and founder of the interactive television gamedeveloper, Spiderdance Inc., whose games included NBC’s “Weakest Link,”MTV’s “webRIOT,” the WB’s “No Boundaries,” History Channel’s “HistoryIQ,” Sony Game Show Network’s “Inquizition” and TBS’s “Cyber Bond.” GDX is a two-day event full of activities. Attendees can expectroundtable discussions, interactive gaming workshops, a reception and“Entelechy 2008” — SCAD’s annual student exhibition of interactive andgame design artwork. For the full list of speakers and to register to attend, visitwww.scad.edu/gdx.Early registration ends March 13. For moreinformation, call 404.253.2759 or e-mail gdx@scad.edu. About SCAD Named one of Kaplan’s “25 cutting-edge schools with an eye toward thefuture,” the Savannah College of Art and Design is a private,nonprofit, accredited institution with locations in Atlanta andSavannah, Ga., and in Lacoste, France. Undergraduate and graduatedegree programs also are offered online through SCAD-eLearning. Thecollege offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master ofArchitecture, Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master ofFine Arts, and Master of Urban Design degrees. For more information about the college, visit www.scad.edu,e-mailadmission@scad.edu,call 800.869.7223 or 912.525.5100 in Savannah, orcall 877.722.3285 or 404.253.2700 in Atlanta.

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