SGS GDC 2007 Sees Keynote From Square Enix's Ichiro Otobe

Organizers of the Serious Games Summit at Game Developers Conference 2007, a gathering of professionals who use games for non-entertainment purposes, have announced that Square Enix's chief strategist Ichiro Otobe will deliver the keynote address at this year's event. Officials note that Otobe's address, titled "Serious Games Squared," will detail the efforts, strategies, and risks that went into Square Enix's entry in the serious games sector, as part of its SG Lab partnership with textbook publisher Gakken, first announced in March of last year. Otobe will also discuss the company's approach to reconcile commercial entertainment economics with the realities, challenges, and opportunities of the serious games industry. The session will also feature demos of prototype games and titles currently under development. The 2007 SGS GDC, which will take place from Monday, March 5-6 at the Moscone Convention Center North in San Francisco, will include multiple sessions focusing on a wide variety of topics. The event will feature tracks devoted to serious games development in areas such as education, government, health, military, science, corporate training, and social change. In addition, the conference will include case studies on game-based solutions and simulations used within non-entertainment industries. In total, more than 40 sessions covering areas such as learning and instructional theory, game design, business models and deals will be presented. "I am honored and excited to deliver the opening keynote at the Serious Games Summit GDC," said Otobe. "The serious games market represents a new outlet for our skills as a game developer, and it means that we will be serving totally different customers. As such, there are many different kinds of hurdles that must be cleared in order for it to offer meaningful opportunities. I plan to speak about Square Enix's approach to these challenges, and hopefully provide both business and design inspiration for everyone interested in the uses of games beyond entertainment." For more information concerning SGS GDC, including speaker and registration information, visit the official website.