Sessions at SXSW Interactive 2011 about Online Gaming

View as grid

Friday 11th March 2011

• Avatar Secrets to Real Life & Love

  by Ramona Pringle

  After a recent shoot for PBS FRONTLINE’s Digital Nation, I looked at my colleagues-attractive, successful women-and was struck by a startling realization: We’re all struggling to find the right guy, yet MMO gamers seem to be finding true love. What’s going on?

  Time and again as an interactive media producer & professor, I've encountered gamers who’ve found their soulmates in-world.

  With digital citizens spending a staggering 3-billion hours a week in online games, what are they onto that the rest of us should know? How is the internet fostering our primal instincts? And how can we apply this magic to our real lives?

  Seeking answers, I challenged myself to look for love in one of the most unlikely places: World of Warcraft. My journey has me exploring the addictive pull of online worlds: the rush of adventure & the feeling of accomplishment at the end of a challenge.

  So how we can apply this allure to real life to reengage with the physical world? That’s the $3-billion question.

  In this presentation, I’ll reveal the 10 secrets that online games teach us about succeeding in life & love. I’ll share the harrowing trials & tribulations of heartbreak & hardware malfunctions, the sage wisdom gained in conversations over all-night raids, and the unlikely lessons about life, success, perseverance & communication I’ve learned along the way, from these digital gaming obsessions. You’ll walk out of this talk inspired and ready to play your way to real world happiness.

  LEVEL: Intermediate

  • Online Gaming
  • Relationships

  At 5:00pm to 6:00pm, Friday 11th March

  In Room 5ABC, Austin Convention Center

Saturday 12th March 2011

• Latin America: The Future of Online Games

  by Andy Kleinman, Esteban Sosnik, Juan Franco and Sergio Monsalve

  The video game revolution is expanding all over the planet. In the past few years, Latin America became a huge market for both video game development and consumption. From companies like Electronic Arts and Vivendi, to homegrown companies like Three Melons, Latin American developers have created a local industry that is becoming one of the most notorious and fastest growing in the digital world.

  We will discuss how some of these companies started, the secret to their success, their vision of the future, and everything that is happening today in the world of video games, online games, social games, etc.

  LEVEL: Beginner

  • Games
  • Latin America
  • Online Gaming

  At 5:00pm to 6:00pm, Saturday 12th March

  In Sabine, Hilton Garden Inn Austin Downtown