RTF Gaming Symposium

Game on!

The Department of Radio-Television-Film invites you to join us for a day of celebration and inquiry into video games and esports which will include speakers, discussions, a screening of video game highlights, and an arcade of classic and contemporary hits.

Designed for faculty, students, and gamers, this one-day, free symposium offers a platform to investigate the academic implications and practical opportunities of gaming, which intersects with a wide range of areas such as storytelling, cinematic imagery, animation, audio design, broadcast production, game design, computer science, business, marketing, and more. 

Pizza, snacks, and beverages provided!

SCHEDULE
 

RTF Arcade
11:00 am - 1:00 pm   

Keynote Lecture by Rune Andersen, University of Agder, Norway
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm 

Why is esports important and how does it fit in with the academic approaches already in existence? Rune Andersen, Head of Program for Academic Esports at the University of Agder, Norway, will demonstrate the structure and possibilities they have created with their academic esports program, how the program has been received, and the potential for future developments in that area.

Paul Benjamin (Narrative Director at Jackalyptic Games) in conversation with Ben Bays
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Olympians of the Digital Age: Harmonizing Tradition with Esports Innovation -  Tobias Scholz
3:30 pm - 5:00 pm 

Panel on Game Development Opportunities
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm 
Marina Fontolan will moderate a discussion about game development.
Panelists include: 

• Rachel Citron, Powerhouse Animation
• Daniil M. Leiderman, Texas A&M University
• Lance Myers, UT Austin
• Artur Plociennik, Wargaming

Reception
6:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Enjoy pizza, snacks, and beverages 

EGaDS Showcase
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
The UT Electronic Game Developers Society presents a playable arcade of student-created video games.

---SPEAKERS---
 

Rune Andersen
Head of program for Academic Esports at the department of ICT at the University of Agder.

Paul Benjamin
New York Times bestselling writer with more than 15 years' experience writing, editing, and developing stories for video games, graphic novels, film, and TV. Writing and producing credits include DC Universe Online, Marvel Heroes, and Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Tobias Scholz
Associate Professor and head of research group for academic esports

---PANELISTS---

Rachel Citron
Head of Accounts/New Business at Powerhouse Animation Studios

Daniil Leiderman
Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University

Lance Myers
Lance Myers has been a professional artist, writer, and animator for over twenty years. His traditional animation work can be seen in the feature films Space Jam, Anastasia, Quest for Camelot, Prince of Egypt, and Richard Linklater's A Scanner Darkly. His essays and comics have been published in the Austin American-Statesman, The Austin Chronicle, JINX, and Powerball Magazine. He has also written and directed short subject films for HBO, MTV, Adult Swim, PBS, and Canada's Movieola. He lives in Austin with his wife and three kids, and teaches animation classes at The University of Texas

Artur Plociennik
Regional Publishing Director, Wargaming

EGaDs
EGaDS!, the Electronic Game Developers Society, is the primary game development student organization at the University of Texas at Austin. We are interdisciplinary and welcome all majors from any year to join. Whether you are a seasoned artist or programmer, or just starting out, anyone of any experience level can join EGaDs! We host a variety of events such as GDC² and Texas Game Jam for everyone interested in game development or the game dev industry!

Note: check out tomorrow's Esports Exhibition!