USC School of Cinematic Arts to Host 2010 Game Education Summit

The 2010 Game Education Summit , a conference where academics, policymakers and industry insiders discuss curriculum development, technological advances and teaching methodology in game education, will be hosted by the USC School of Cinematic Arts on June 15-16 in Los Angeles.

Expected to draw faculty from the leading game development programs at liberal arts universities and trade schools as well as game industry luminaries, the conference program will be designed to stimulate debate on the current state of game education and provide sessions that help instructors improve existing undergraduate and graduate programs. GES is a friendly, convivial event; in previous years it was not uncommon to witness, in-between sessions, attendees and speakers exchanging ideas over a cup of coffee.

“We’re thrilled at the potential for the Game Education Summit to bring together a remarkable group whose members are invested in the future of gaming, both as an evolving art form and an industry,” says Dean Elizabeth M. Daley, USC School of Cinematic Arts. “We have been committed to providing quality game education for over ten years now, and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to exchange ideas and spend time with scholars, industry members and others who share that commitment.”

GES USC follows two previous Game Path-produced conferences in Dallas, Texas at the Southern Methodist University and in Pittsburgh, at Carnegie Mellon University in 2008 and 2009. The USC School of Cinematic Arts has a full curriculum of courses for students interested in a career in console and mobile game development and offers both bachelors and masters degrees in Interactive Entertainment and Computer Science.

Suzanne Freyjadis, Director, Game Education Summit, is seeking proposals for presentations on the following topics:

  • Education (Curriculum, Accreditation, Methods, Integration, Diversity)
  • Course Development (Game Writing, Art for Games, Ethics and Games, Game Audio Design)
  • Administration (Starting a Program, Management, Collaboration, Grants, Funding)
  • Research (Serious Games, Literacy Games, Games for Health, Military and Other Research)
  • Industry (Partnership, Student Involvement, Internships, Entrepreneurship, Bringing Games to Market)

“The exponential growth of interactive media coupled with mass broadband adoption means that demand for game education programs will only increase,” says Freyjadis. “University and trade school game programs must keep up to date and facilitate networking. GES offers academics a great chance to network with each other and with industry professionals from the entertainment, government and education sectors.”

GES USC is now open for registration. For more information on the conference and call for speakers, visit http://www.gameeducationsummit.com

About Game Path Events

Game Path conferences are optimal networking and learning events giving attendees access to high-level executives and game creators from all over the world. In addition to Game Education Summit, Game Path produces Independent Game Conference East and West, Game Education Summit U.S. and the Game Investment Conference. For more information, visit http://www.gamepathevents.com/

About the USC School of Cinematic Arts cinema.usc.edu

Since 1929, the USC School of Cinematic Arts has fueled and mirrored the growth of entertainment as an industry and an art form. The school offers comprehensive programs in directing, producing, writing, critical studies, animation and digital arts, production, and interactive media, all backed by a broad liberal arts education and taught by leading practitioners in each field.