The IGDA has made many strides to provide its members with the tools they need to become self-sustaining individuals in the video game industry. One of these tools also come in the form of the Game Leadership Summits, which give developers a chance to network with others within the industry, meet industry veterans, and listen to speakers on how to create a successful career. For this year’s Game Leadership Summit, industry veterans from Microsoft, Kongregate, and Blizzard will be attending this year’s event.
From Microsoft, former business manager, and current Certain Affinity chief operating officer, Mojdeh Gharbi, will be giving a speech on “Ways to Grow and Sustain a Successful Game Studio”. His lecture will be part of on of the summit’s mini-tracks, Founding and Leading an Independent Game Studio, which is part of the Management Excellence Track. Also on this track will be Blizzard’s former Hearthstone executive producer, Hamilton Chu, and he will be giving a talk on “Considerations Before Founding a Game Studio.” Also on the Management Excellence Track will be Kongregate CEO Emily Greer, Trion Worlds CEO Scott Hartsman, and Zynga managing counsel Teddy Joe.
The other major track that will be featured at the IGDA Game Leadership Summit is the Personal Leadership Track, which is more focused on the individual developer’s impact on themselves. Speakers for this track will include Hendrik Lesser, CEO of Remote Control Productions, Zoe Bell, lead producer at Big Huge Games, and Tim Borelli, animator at Thekla. In addition, there will be workshops for attendees, which includes two-hour workshops that aim to help developers transition from individual contributors to managers.
“Our planned talks will expose attendees to the best thinkers in management excellence and professional leadership in the industry,” said Jen MacLean, executive director of the IGDA, in a press release. “Sporting a very affordable price point, the Game Leadership Summit is just one way the IGDA is taking concrete action to improve the lives of game developers from all walks of life.”
The IGDA Game Leadership Summit will take place in Austin, Texas on Thursday, September 13, and it will run through until September 14. Passes for the event are currently on sale with early bird specials going on for both IGDA members and non-IGDA members.