» Awakenings Serious Games Conference '07

The Northern Ireland Business and Innovation Centre (NORIBIC) in conjunction with Serious Games developers throughout Ireland , have come together to organize a conference to announce the Awakening of the Serious Games Industry within Ireland; The Serious Games Awakening Conference (SGA). To mark the event, Serious Games Industry veterans will provide a series of talks sharing their expertise in all areas of the Serious Games industry from both business and technical perspectives. We are contacting you, as we would very much like you to attend the event.

The theme of the event is industry inception. The key messages will be to announce the presence of the Serious Games industry in Ireland and to discuss...

• the challenges facing independent Serious Games Middleware Developers
• the changing and sometimes volatile nature of the Serious Games Business
• the advent of next generation Serious Games platforms technologies
• comparison of a typical entertainment games technology-based experience with a typical learning technology-based experience and the contrasts that arise

Finally, we will Showcase the ICECUBE project and launch Recall, Ireland`s first full 3D Serious game made here in Derry to promote peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland `s schools.

Event Format
The conference itself will take place from 9am - 6pm in the North West Regional College (NWRC) in Derry , Northern Ireland on Friday 26th October 2007. The format will be that of a conference with a series of Speakers from the Serious Games industry, followed by a round table panel discussion to end- an event not to be missed, so put the date in your diary. More detail of the programme of the day to follow.

Exhibits
During coffee and lunch breaks, an exhibition of Irish Serious Games Development and Middleware Companies will be available for attendee perusal. This will also be a chance to network for all attending the conference. The Educational exhibition will allow Educational Institutions to promote their games design and development courses and attract interested students. If you would like to exhibit at the conference, please mail us at sga@noribic.com. There is no charge to exhibit, and if we can accommodate you, equipment (e.g. tables, PCs, peripherals, etc.) will be provided.

Registration
Entrance to SGA`07 is free to all. However, as there are a limited number of places, registration is required through the Registration page on the website in order to secure your place. To take up your place, please visit the Registration page on www.noribic.com/sga before Sunday 14th October 2007. If you cannot make it for whatever reason, please contact us at sga@noribic.com to free up your place for as demand is expected to be high.

Serious Games Industry in Ireland
Over the last decade, Ireland has become one of the largest exporters of computer software in the world. However, the Serious Games Software development and application sector has received little attention from Industrial Development Agencies, Academia and Financiers in a market where we can make a Serious impact by leading the way, despite estimates that the US market will be worth $10.8bn (6bn) by 2007 (Source Financial Times, September 2006). The Serious Games Awakening Conference aims to place Ireland on the Serious Games Industry map and explore the challenges facing Ireland in this fast changing industry.
This event has been organized in association with The Northern Ireland Business Innovation Centre (NORIBIC), Digital Media Works Programme part financed by the European Union through the INTERREG IIIA Programme, administered by the North West Region Cross Border Group (NWRCBG). It is sponsored by NORIBIC, NWRC, a number of local and International companies and supported by the local enterprise agencies.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Wendy Gibbons
ICECUBE, NORIBIC