Game Production Course for Game Development

Please pre-register online as space is limited and walk-in registrations may not be accepted.

This is a three-day workshop. Participants must attend all sessions to receive the completion certificate. Participants will be included in Future Play 2008 keynote presentations, meals and breaks, so you will be able to network in between learning sessions.

This workshop session is ideal for anyone who leads a game development team of any size. Those new to the leadership role will leave with new tools to help them keep projects on track, motivate team members, and conduct risk analysis. More experienced producers will also benefit from learning the production techniques and methods discussed.

Registration includes your copy of the Game Production Handbook, 2008 Edition.

This course is also worth 1.6 CEUs, a nationally recognized uniform unit of measurement in the United States. It is designed to permanently record an individual's non-credit continuing education accomplishments in increments of one CEU per 10 contact hours of instruction.

The Game Production Course is an interactive three-day workshop that is geared towards game production professionals, including production personnel, studio management, and team leads. Attendees will learn about ways to improve their production processes and management skills, network with other like-minded professionals, and learn from an experienced producer who has been working in the industry since 1996.

Registrants will learn about next-generation production cycles, including information on preproduction, production, postproduction, and testing. The session will discuss how to apply project management methodologies to game development, including Scrum, Personal Software Process (PSP), and PMP certification. The session also covers production techniques for keeping projects on track, such as utilizing cross-functional teams, prototyping game features, and conducting a risk analysis. Information on team-building and motivational techniques, like giving feedback, communication, and management challenges will also be presented. In addition, information on developer and publisher relationships will be discussed, including how to define milestones and accommodate scope changes.

Participants will also engage in interactive exercises in order to practice some of the techniques discussed – including creating a sample production plan, discussing production case studies, and practicing team motivation techniques.

Continuing Education Units : 1.6 Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

The CEU is a nationally recognized uniform unit of measurement in the United States. It is designed to permanently record an individual's non-credit continuing education accomplishments in increments of one CEU per 10 contact hours of instruction. All participants who complete the class will receive a certificate of completion that documents the CEUs earned by taking the course.

Multimedia producer, author, and entrepreneur Heather Maxwell Chandler is the founder and Executive Producer of Media Sunshine, Incorporated. After several years in the trenches of video game production at Electronic Arts, Activision, and Ubisoft, she started her own development studio and immediately started leveraging her expertise for clients like SDI Media, SouthPeak Games, Artificial Studios, PokerTek, and Psyonix Studios. During her eleven years on the front lines of the game industry, she has contributed to the production of over 35 games, including Monster Madness: EX, Two Worlds, Civilization: Call to Power, Heavy Gear II, Vigilante 8, and the first seven games in the Ghost Recon series (including Ghost Recon 2 and Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter).

She is the author of The Game Production Handbook and The Game Localization Handbook (which was nominated for the 2005 Game Developer Front Line Awards). She also writes Production Values, a column at Gamasutra.com, and her articles have been published in The Project Manager's Desk Reference, Third Edition and Secrets of the Game Business. In 2006, she became the chairperson of the IGDA Production SIG. Heather is a frequent guest speaker at colleges and universities, and has lectured at GDC, Future Play, and the Montreal Game Summit. She graduated with honors from Vanderbilt University and received an M.A. from the USC School of Cinematic Arts.