Opening Keynote: Game Designer as Change Agent

Note: I will revisit this entry to flesh out the notes, and make it more easily read. My apologies

Richard Hilleman, Chief Creative Officer for Electronic Arts

Keynote Synopsis and Speaker BIO

I expected the program to cover much more at how the Art changes the user. Unfortunately, the program focused on how EA transitioned and changed to meet new demands of the market, and how professional development opportunities have helped EA. Now that EA is so established, and makes as much as they do, and how many resources they have at their disposal, they are beginning to explore ways to use those resources to focus on more meaningful content, but not at the expense of fun.

Notes:

Creative Director, spends time be responsible for things he has no control over.

Begins presentation with an overview of people that work at EA, their experience, and what they like...they are all gamers: very competitive. He is reviewed EA's expansion into the International market. Moved from Amiga Commodore to other platforms, and then grew with consoles. Then transitioned from 2d to 3d. then they needed to become profit responsible--difficult when teams get so big. (Godfather at one point had 300 people on the development team.)

When you need to change, you have to change the rules that you work by, and the scoreboard message (goal, purpose).

Overview of "The creative Learders Program: 5 Sessions

• The gong Show (2 days to compose the game design and a model for development, and then do a sales pitch on that game).
• rapid devleopment of confidence
• launching of new IP initiaitves,

• Seeing is believeing: Managing Art Directors
  
• The raring Silence: A program arond audio and audio design: 5 scenes from the drunken master, and stripped out all sound. They had to write script and sound for the scenes.
  
• Listening Out Loud: Listening to audiences. A program involved listening to people about their products: video to show what customers thought. then had to
  
• It's all nuts and bolts: used lego mindstorms, day 1 navigate the robot around a box, then day 2, look at three lights and determine their status. People sometimes weren't successful as you needed to think ahead, you couldn't just solve the 2nd day in day 2.

This was followed by a review of the professional development program at EA, 18 - 24 months with very specific goals.

The professional devleopment programs has been key in creating change in the company.

All that's nice, but what about "changing the world."

Hilleman really likes the idea of Toymake as Hero from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Emergence of Interactive Models to facilitate understanding of change:

• Climate change models
• political models
• Organizational modes

Reviewed a quick synopsis of Mandela and the game that changed a country .

Your responsibleilty as a game designer:

• Have a message
• Undersatnd what you want to leave behind
• listening to the results and iterating
• Engage inthe Big Problems, and bring Ice Cream

Wouldn't it Be nice: from the move Amazing Grace and Chuck

You need to make games that are fun, if you want to educate, make money, and succeed.

EA is going to change the way the utilize their resources, to begin focusing a bit more on meaningful games. These will probably (but not certainly) be on Flash as a platform.

Ultimately, understand that you are trying to make something that will sell.