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As part of the E3 Expo's developer session coverage, a number of prominent game creators were "given the objective of creating a game with a neutral IP: E3 itself", and results included 'serious game' concepts for training developers.

Simon Carless, Blogger

May 15, 2006

1 Min Read

As part of the E3 Expo's developer session coverage, a number of prominent game creators were "given the objective of creating a game with a neutral IP: E3 itself", and the results of the theoretical pitch session, using Powerpoint slides but no actual implementation, included 'serious game' concepts for training developers. As written up by Frank Cifaldi for sister site Gamasutra, the jovial concept was explained: "Co-Studio Director of BioWare's new Austin MMO development studio Gordon Walton envisioned a serious game, codenamed simply E3 MMO, which was designed for developers and publishers to interact with and have meetings with each other, virtually. "When you're here, your time is completely monopolized," said Walton. "This is a way to find the right people to pitch to."" The pitch continues: "His game is envisioned as web-based, with an audience of both developers and publishers. "It's a very limited game, it's only for a few hundred people." Walton's E3 MMO would give publishers and developers automatic accounts as soon as they sign up to attend E3. He gave import to his game concept's moderated discussions, making sure all players are real, registered companies. The game would be entirely text-based, without graphics." Other concepts, though less training-related, involved NetDevil President Scott Brown pitching E3: The Game, and Gearbox's Randy Pitchford trying Game Developer Tycoon, and more information is available in the full Gamasutra write-up on the E3 session.

About the Author(s)

Simon Carless

Blogger

Simon Carless is the founder of the GameDiscoverCo agency and creator of the popular GameDiscoverCo game discoverability newsletter. He consults with a number of PC/console publishers and developers, and was previously most known for his role helping to shape the Independent Games Festival and Game Developers Conference for many years.

He is also an investor and advisor to UK indie game publisher No More Robots (Descenders, Hypnospace Outlaw), a previous publisher and editor-in-chief at both Gamasutra and Game Developer magazine, and sits on the board of the Video Game History Foundation.

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