Sessions at SXSW Interactive 2011 about Games in Hilton Austin Downtown

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Sunday 13th March 2011

• Mobile Social Gaming: The Next Frontier

  by Volker Hirsch

  80% of the world population has access to mobile vs. only 23% with access to the Internet! Social interaction has revolutionized (online) digital media as it has opened new demographics and provides for a more compelling and relevant experience for users in addition to opening new tangents for search, recommendations, etc.

  The transformative power of social context was especially pronounced in gaming (cf. Zynga ["Farmville"] et al. who have grown into large businesses very quickly).

  The mobile landscape is significantly more complex than the Internet (dozens of platforms, hundreds of distribution channels, hundreds of jurisdictions), and the medium has indeed very different underlying dynamics (screen size and general form factor, input methods, mobility, use cases, etc). It is therefore vital to gain deep understanding about the underlying dynamics of both the medium as well as the users' approach in using that medium.

  It is essential to avoid a "Galapagos effect" where certain models only work on limited platforms (e.g. iPhone) or in specific territories (e.g. Japan). Only a fraction of the world's 5bn (!) mobile subscriptions are on iPhones or are in Japan, and one needs to look to tackle the fragmentation dilemma in order to unlock the enormous potential the largest medium in the world has to offer.

  This session will show the rationales that need to be applied to understand the medium and will outline paths to successfully address it.

  LEVEL: Intermediate

  • Games
  • Mobile
  • Mobile Games
  • Social Games

  At 9:30am to 10:30am, Sunday 13th March

  In Salon J, Hilton Austin Downtown

  Coverage slide deck

Tuesday 15th March 2011

• Music for Video Games

  As the SXSW Interactive Festival continues to grow, it often becomes harder to discover /network with the specific type of people you want to network with. Hence a full slate of daytime Meet Ups are scheduled for the 2011 event. These Meet Ups are definitely not a panel session -- nor do they offer any kind of formal presentation or AV setup. On the contrary, these sessions are a room where many different conversations and (and will) go on at once. This timeslot is for registrants to network with other SXSW Interactive, Gold and Platinum registrants who are interested in how music is involved in the gaming industry. Cash bar onsite.

  • Games
  • Meetup
  • Music

  At 3:30pm to 4:30pm, Tuesday 15th March

  In Room 616AB, Hilton Austin Downtown