Austin Game Developers September 15-17, 2008 Austin Convention Center Austin TX

Call for Submissions Guidelines

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS IS NOW CLOSED

Introduction

The Austin Game Developers Conference is dedicated to online games, audio for games, and writing for games. If you have an idea, issue, or problem you'd like to share with your colleagues, the board of advisors would like to hear from you by April 16, 2008.

You may submit a proposal for consideration to one of three tracks: Audio, Writing for Games, and Online Games. The Online Games track has four subtracks: Business & Marketing, Design, Social Networking & Community, and Technology & Services.

Click here for descriptions of the tracks and topics.

The Austin GDC Advisory Board is looking for high-level, specific content that will fit into one of the tracks listed above. An extended abstract will be necessary for the advisory board to determine whether your talk will be a good fit. Concise, precise language and a discernable thesis will also help your chances in the review process.

If you are submitting a roundtable, please include the questions or themes you hope to address, and what the idea takeaway will be.

Panel sessions are discouraged from the submission process. Submissions that appear to be advertisements for specific products or services will not be considered.

SPEAKER EXPECTATIONS

Please read the submission guidelines and criteria before preparing a proposal.

Conference attendees expect excellence from our speakers. They will evaluate your class based on delivery, knowledge on the topic addressed, and the visuals presented.

Preparation is one of the most important factors in delivering a successful talk at Austin GDC. Please consider the following when proposing to speak:

  • The proposed outline must match the talk you present at Austin GDC
  • We suggest that you commit at least 6 hours to prepare for your session
  • We strongly encourage that you rehearse the delivery of your session for it to be effective; preferably in front of your peers
  • Your presentation materials must be completed and submitted to us four weeks before the conference

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: What is the submission deadline?
A: 5 pm PST, Wednesday, April 16, 2008.


Q: What makes a good submission?
A: To have your proposal reviewed by the Advisory Board, complete the form and include a syllabus/extended abstract. Incomplete submissions that are commercial or marketing in nature will not be considered.

Write your abstract so that it is easily understood. The Advisory Board will read several hundred abstracts. Get to your point as quickly as possible. Consider what the proposal is about. Why is it interesting? How is it important to game development? What will game developers get out of the session?

Concise language goes a long way. Use of conventional writing standards such as topic and supporting sentences also helps. Please write in third person present tense. For example, "This lecture focuses on 3D graphics." Not, "I want to talk about 3D graphics."


Q: What do I need to provide in my submission?
A: The submission form will require these five key items:

  1. Contact information
    Please provide full contact information and include a short biography.

  2. Concise presentation description
    A description of your presentation as you would have it appear in the conference program in 100 words or less.

  3. Intended audience and prerequisites
    In 40 words or less, describe what section of our audience would best benefit from this session. Is prerequisite knowledge necessary for understanding the content of the session?

  4. Session takeaway
    In 40 words or less, describe what attendees will learn from your session.

  5. Extended abstract
    Provide a description of your presentation in greater detail, absolutely no proposal will be considered without it. You can either enter your extended abstract in the provided text box. For submissions using the input box, please limit your expanded description to 500 words. For submissions using the file upload, limit your expanded description to one to two pages.

Session Formats

Q: What are the session formats?
A: There are two different conference session formats. They are:

Session
Duration
Description
Lecture
60 minutes
Lectures are issue-oriented, provide concrete examples, and contain both practical and theoretical information.
Roundtable
60 minutes
 Roundtables are small peer discussion groups led by one or two moderators and limited to a maximum of 50 attendees. Moderators should facilitate conversation and keep the flow of discussion moving. Do not lecture or dictate. Constructive controversy and debate are welcome in roundtables. Topics that are open-ended in nature and promote an exchange of ideas generally work best in this format.

Speaker Expectations

Q: What does the Austin GDC expect from speakers?
A: When you agree to speak at the conference, you're making a commitment to be well-prepared and to speak on the topic you've proposed. We expect our speakers to:

(1) submit a paper or suitable contribution for the conference proceedings, by the prescribed deadline;
(2) have adequate visual accompaniment to your speech
(3) to provide copies of slides or handouts for distribution in the classroom and
(4) allow our vendor to record and sell copies of your presentation

The submitter also agrees to be available to present his/her session during any day of the Austin GDC.


Q: What is the selection process for submissions?

A: We will email you a confirmation when we receive your proposal. If you do not receive this confirmation, contact Evelyn Donis at edonis@think-services.com. The advisory board will review submissions in the coming months and you will receive a notification in June as to the status of your proposal.

  • Concept: This is the basic idea of your proposal. Is it interesting? Is it relevant? Will it be beneficial for game development professionals to hear? There's plenty of room for innovative ideas and also the tried and true.
  • Depth: Has the idea in your proposal been well considered and fleshed out? To what extent will the audience gain insight? The more in-depth, the better.
  • Organization: Are your ideas organized in a fashion conducive to presentation in front of an audience? Will the Advisory Board "follow" what you are trying to say? Organization helps.
  • Credentials: How do your credentials qualify you to speak on the topic you've proposed?

A composite rating is then drawn from these four categories and then the decisions are made from them.

Q: What are the benefits to speaking?
A: The benefits to being a speaker include:

  • Complimentary registration
    -Includes breakfast and lunch
  • Extensive exposure
    - Your name and presentation featured in our conference program and web site
  • The opportunity to influence your peers and community

Q: How do I propose a vendor-specific session?
A: We want our talks to be opportunities for professional game developers to share their ideas and experiences. Proposals that are commercial or marketing in nature will not be considered. In general, content specific to proprietary products and technologies is considered sponsored material. The Advisory Board and conference management reserve the right to exercise their editorial discretion. If you would like to publicize a product, please contact our sales team for information on exhibiting and other vendor opportunities, including sponsored sessions.


Q: When will I be notified of the status of my submission?
A: You will receive an automated email response once your submission is received. We will notify you of the status of your submission in early June 2008. If you do not hear from us, please contact Evelyn Donis at edonis@think-services.com.

Q: What are the tracks and topics?
A: To view the tracks and topics please click here.

 

 
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