Rhianna Pratchett won Best Videogame Script at the 2008 Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards ceremony. She won for her work on Overlord, but was also up against herself for her contribution to the Heavenly Sword script. Codemasters has already announced that Rhianna will return to write the sequel to Overlord. Congratulations to all nominees!

courtesy of Rayna Anderson, Gameloft - Montreal

Last week at the MIGS (Montreal International Game Summit), Laura Fryer, Executive Producer of Gears of War 2, gave a keynote speech on creating a culture of production. "Production is for everyone," she announced. "It's not just for the producer. Everyone in the team should be focused partially on what the team needs to get done to get the game shipped." Her speech drew from her experiences at Microsoft Game Studios, where she personally would do whatever it took to get the job done, including building a server for automated testing so that others could do their jobs more efficiently.

courtesy of Rayna Anderson, Gameloft - Montreal

VGXPO Industry Mixer, co-hosted by IGDA Women in Games and Women in Games International

Saturday, November 22

5 pm to 8 pm

IGDA Women in Games SIG and Women in Games International are co-hosting a special industry mixer at VGXPO in Philadelphia. Free-flowing food, drink and door prizes will be offered to all East Coast Games Summit attendees, speakers, sponsors and VIP’s at the swanky Solefood Lounge, located at Loew’s, 1200 Market Street. Scheduled from 5 pm to 8 on Saturday, November 22, the mixer is free to attend. More info is available at www.vgxpo.com.

To kick off the inaugural year of the East Coast Games Summit, all conference tracks are offered at no expense to registered VGXPO attendees. In addition, all game industry trade members whom wish to participate in VGXPO and the East Coast Games Summit are encouraged to submit their credentials prior to October 10 for a free Industry Insider pass to VGXPO (e-mail industryinsider@vgxpo.com).

Many thanks to our sponsors!

Gold Sponsors

Mary-Margaret Network

Mary-Margaret Network: The destination for recruitment, staffing, career and consulting services in the global interactive entertainment industry. Mary-Margaret Network offers valuable resources to help companies and individuals stay apprised of industry trends. We place outstanding candidates, from C-level executives to individual contributors, in every department and profession. Since 1996, our focus on superior service to employers and candidates has earned us an unsurpassed reputation for recruitment management and career development.

Silver Sponsors

Big Fish Games

Big Fish Games is a provider of Internet media delivery software and services based in Seattle, Washington. Big Fish Games has several lines of business including distribution of downloadable casual games, ad supported free online web browser games, game development studios, e-greetings, and most recently a social networking site for casual game players for share opinions, invite friends, and earn cash for games their friends buy.

GameDocs, Inc.

With both large and small clients, GameDocs provides the highest level of experience at the most affordable price for video game documentation and packaging in the industry. We provide writing, copyediting, design, layout and localizations. GameDocs also designs new business pitch documents and other B-to-B materials.

GameJobs.com

Welcome to GameJobs.com, the leading employment site serving the interactive entertainment industry. This site helps connect game industry professionals with new career opportunities, and HR managers with a comprehensive solution for attracting qualified applicants. Use the links below to guide you as you begin your search. Employers and Recruiters: With the re-launch of our site, you now have access to our member profiles! Browse our resumes or post your own opportunity.

Obsidian Entertainment

Obsidian Entertainment is an entertainment software development company passionately dedicated to making high quality, next generation games for PC and console systems. Obsidian Entertainment was founded in 2003 by five game development veterans who've produced, programmed, and/or designed award-winning role playing games for the PC, Xbox and PlayStation®2 systems. Many of Obsidian's talented employees have worked on award winning products for companies such as Black Isle Studios, Blizzard Entertainment, Electronic Arts, Neversoft, and others.

5-foot Sponsors

2K Boston

Some of you might remember us as Irrational Games, the studio that brought you titles such as SWAT 4 and Freedom Force. Our name might have changed but we're still dedicated to creating evolutionary and immersing experiences for gamers. A lot has been happening at our little studio since BioShock launched and we became a part of the 2K family. We can't tell you exactly what we're working on just yet, but when we have some news, we'll announce it here, so stay tuned.

beamz

The beamz™ is the creation of beamz Interactive, a privately held firm based in Scottsdale, Arizona, founded by accomplished Hollywood musician, songwriter and producer Jerry Riopelle. This pioneering and multi patented invention inspires people to respond to and create rather than follow music by easily interacting with light and sound. This is NOT a simple loop player, random musical event generator, general midi engine or theramin. The product has six laser beams. Breaking any one of the beams with your hand triggers the system’s complex software musical algorithm to produce a unique musical outcome by playing streams of pre recorded musical notes, melodies or sounds stored on your computer. Every performance is a success because whichever beam you break, the music will always be harmonious. Users may also link two beamz systems for a collaborative jam session. 19 genres of music are avaialble including; ambient, blues, rock, metal, jazz, hip hop, reggae & classical. You can record and share your unique songs from your computer. Advanced performers can add their own recorded sound files.

GamerVixens

GamerVixens is the first social network dedicated to female gamers. Our mission is to empower and unite female gamers and female gaming groups. We offer a community where anyone can meet, compete, communicate, socialize and network.

Tencent Boston

Tencent Boston is an exciting new start-up with a focus on creating top quality online games. We are a division of Tencent Inc., one of the largest internet companies in China. For more than 350 million people, Tencent is the internet, encompassing portal, shopping, community, and entertainment services. We are right in the middle of one of the most dynamic and fast growing game markets in the world and our mission is to create large scale, free to play, online games for this market both in China and worldwide. Tencent Boston is located in Maynard, MA 15 miles west of Boston, one of the most desirable places to live, with easy access to a great downtown, universities, beaches, mountains, skiing, and most other quality-of-life features.

TFPSoft

TFPSoft, LLC is an independent developer of console, PC and coin-operated games located in sunny—very sunny—Phoenix, Arizona. We are a family-oriented company and we believe that there’s nothing quite like play for bringing people together.

78friends.com

From the acclaimed creator of the Golden Tarot deck, Kat Black, 78friends.com brings together online tarot reading and social networking for the first time. Get a reading, comment on the readings of others and learn more about tarot in a supportive environment. Let the faces of Kat's stunning new Touchstone Tarot guide you to add more meaning to your life, and to be more empowered in making the decisions that really matter.

Fusion Creative Studios

www.vgxpo.com
Sunday, November 23
12:30 pm to 1:45 pm
Hosted by IGDA Women in Games Special Interest Group

How has the game industry evolved in the last 5 years in terms of women on the job and women playing games? What we should expect over the next 5-10 years for women in the workplace and the marketplace? While women continue be a slim minority in the game industry workplace, the player populace is demonstrating a significant increase in female players. This session will explore the strides that have been made and the possible challenges ahead.

This panel of esteemed industry experts takes a close look at what women have accomplished in games and what happens next for female professionals and players alike. We will explore how the games industry has evolved in the last few years in terms of embracing more professional women in games, as well as catering more to the needs and interests of the female game consumer.

Our line-up includes a developer, a gamer, an editorialist and an educator, providing a broad representation of the many roles women fill in games: Gano Haine, Principal, The ONAG Group; Amber Dalton, PMS Clan Leader; Kim Callery, Game Design Program Chair, IADT-Detroit; and Jill Duffy, Editor-in-Chief, GameCareerGuide.com and Senior Contributing Editor, Game Developer. Moderated by Fiona Cherbak, Chair of IGDA Women in Games SIG.

Angels & Vixens is the brainchild of the founders of GamingAngels and GamerVixens. It’s their mission to bring together women from all aspects of the video game industry to network and have fun! Their party will feature music, giveaways, and more, taking place at the Broadway Bar in historic downtown Los Angeles, after day one of E For All Expo. You can find all details and RSVP here: www.gamervixens.com/party.