Women in Games International Conference at Microsoft in Redmond
Posted by: Aaron Lockard on September 05, 2006 5:49:35 PM (58 Reads)

Game Industry Leaders To Discuss Latest Quality of Life Topics

Looks Like the Women at Women in Games International has talked several other high-profile women to speak this fall well really September 16th. Sadly I was not invited since in the end I'm not a high-profile Woman in fact I'm not a woman at all. Well I hope all you wemen have fun talking about us men at your convention We know you will.

Press Release -
Women in Games International, a non-profit organization in the interactive entertainment industry, announced today additional speakers for their upcoming conference, Women in Games International-Seattle. Titled "The Balancing Act: Game Industry Careers and Quality of Life," the conference is scheduled 1 pm to 7 pm on Saturday, September 16 at Microsoft in Redmond, Washington.

Keynote speaker Bonnie Ross, Director of Production for Microsoft Game Studios, will demonstrate how to be Director of Production for one of the largest publishing teams in the game industry and also have a life. Entitled "Quality of Life and the Successful Game Industry Career," her keynote topic is focused on her own career as a games producer and executive, her own experiences managing teams in this demanding industry, networking and other strategies for women in the game industry, and how this can apply to your own career. She will be introduced by Todd Holmdahl, Corporate Vice President of the Xbox Gaming and Platform Group.

Other speakers include Lisa Waits (Head of Nokia SNAP Mobile), Paula Fellbaum (HR Director for Relic Entertainment), Tami Borowick (Senior Producer at Real Networks), Morgan Romine (Frag Doll and Community Manager, for Ubisoft), Heather Sowards (Media Producer for Sony Online Entertainment) and more. Panel and roundtable topics include "Quality of Life: Practical Problem-Solving," "The Counselor is In: Expert Advice on Game Careers," "Quality of Life - War Stories from the Trenches (and How We Solved Them)," and "Breaking In: How to Acquire The Skills and Get That First Job."

At this conference, WIGI will identify quality of life issues and discuss methods for coping or balancing the demands of the industry and a healthy life. The half-day conference consists of an opening keynote address, panel discussions and roundtables with top experts in the field, and a post-conference networking reception, sponsored by Microsoft Game Studios.

Karen Wilkins-Mickey, Diversity Staffing Program Manager for Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division, offers, "Microsoft has a passion and commitment to attracting and retaining women in the gaming industry and puts resources and efforts around this initiative. Supporting Women in Games International at the Microsoft Redmond campus is one of the many ways we show our commitment to diversity. It is necessary that we not only say that this is important but we also do something about it."

Conference sponsors include title sponsor Microsoft Game Studios, gold sponsor Microsoft Casual Games, silver sponsors Ubisoft and DigiPen, bronze sponsor PopCap Games and series sponsors Game Developers Conference (GDC), International Games Developers Association (IGDA), Mary-Margaret.com, Girls in Games, ThemePark Studios, WomenGamers.com and BusinessWire. This event is presented in cooperation with the Women in Games Conference in the U.K.

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