The 2008 ScreenBurn Festival
March 7 - 11, 2008
Austin, Texas

So you know what the Sceenburn Arcade is. And if you’ve ever been to a convention you probably know what the ScreenBurn panels are all about. But what this Core Conversation thing? We’re glad you asked!

Some of the most informative and productive discussions happen in between the panel sessions, in the hallways, the tradeshow, maybe even the bathrooms! This year the SXSW Interactive and ScreenBurn Festivals have made it easier for more attendees to participate in these hallway-type exchanges of information by letting them know what kind of discussion is happening when and where. So for all you ScreenBurners, be in Ballroom E of the Austin Convention Center on Monday, March 10th from 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM to take part in your choice of six concurrent round-table style discussions. With topics ranging from Do Virtual Worlds Need to be 3D? and What Can the Video Games Industry Learn From Alternate Reality Games? to Community & Loyalty: Gamers to Flamers, Lurkers to Workers, you’re sure to find something that lights you creative fire.

Click here for more information on all six discussions in that time slot as well as a complete listing of all 2008 SXSW SceenBurn panels.

The 2008 SXSW Interactive Festival has a treat for ARG fans! Game designer and future forecaster Jane McGonigal will deliver Tuesday’s keynote address at 2:00 PM in Ballroom A. Learn about the growing popularity of ARGs from one of the most innovative minds in this industry. A former lead designer at 42 Entertainment, the company that invented the genre of alternate reality games, McGonigal writes and speaks about the power of digital games, virtual worlds, and other immersive experiences to change reality and to shape our future. She is currently a senior researcher at the Institute for the Future and her newest design, the “World Without Oil” game, is a collaborative online simulation of a global oil shortage. There’s a reason MIT Technology Review named her as one of the world’s top innovators under the age of 35.

Click here to learn more about all 2008 SXSW Interactive keynote speakers.

Get ready! 2008 SXSW ScreenBurn features the ScreenBurn Arcade, exciting panel programming, and evening events. When and where do the fun and games take place?

If you’re interested in hands-on gaming, check out the line up in the 2008 Screenburn Arcade. There are tournaments and demos by the most innovative players in the industry to include: The Championship Game Series, Wikia, Seagate Technology, HP Voo Doo, Wizards of the Coast, GameCock, cdv Software, Dell, GameCamp!, and more. The Arcade runs Saturday, March 8 through Sunday, March 9 from 12 noon - 6 pm in the Austin Convention Center and is FREE and open to the public.

If you’re looking to learn from the most creative minds behind the games, check out the list of over 80 speakers covering the latest innovations in ScreenBurn panels and core conversations from Friday, March 7 through Tuesday, March 11. ScreenBurn evening events are also a great way to network and meet link-minded creatives in the growing industry. Both panel programming and evening events require an Interactive, Gold, or Platinum registration to attend.

With an Interactive registration, not only do you have full access to ScreenBurn Panels and Events, but you also gain admittance to all Interactive panels and Interactive events. Join us as we bring together new and experienced gaming industry to create the momentum of the future of games!

As Chief John Anderton walks down the street in the futuristic action pic Minority Report, holographic advertisements greet him by name, the unseen technology aware of his every move. We may be a lot closer than we think to the to the reality proposed in the 2002 blockbuster based on a Philip K. Dick short story. The entertainment industry, video games in particular, are harnessing the power of geolocation to create truly unique and personal experiences for the online gamer. And on Saturday, March 8th, SXSW Interactive is all over it with three ScreenBurn panels focusing on the rising popularity of the location-based gaming experience. Starting at 11:30 AM You Are Here: Gaming and User’s Geolocation in Web 2.0 will use three popular location based games, Plundr, MobZombies, and Phone Tag, as case studies to provide an overview of current location-based game development and the positioning technologies, like Wi-Fi positioning, IP location, and cell tower triangulation, used to make it all happen. Then at 2:00 PM Location-based Entertainment, Animating Overlooked Spaces will extend interactive space into the physical world as it tracks how LBE (location-based entertainment) can blur the line between real and virtual. And finally, as the digital landscape changes, so does the expectation of the audience. At 3:30 PM step into the alternate reality director’s chair with ARGs and the Future of Entertainment.

Click here for more information on these, and all 2008 SXSW ScreenBurn panels. And be sure to check out the panel schedule page for a full listing of the diverse daytime programming available at the 2008 SXSW Interactive Festival.