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09.30 - 10.00 Registration and Coffee
10.00
Welcome:
Martin de Ronde, Director, OneBigGame
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10.00 - 11.00 KEYNOTE SPEECH
There is No Such Thing as a Casual Game or a Casual Gamer
Why does everyone persist in trying to pigeonhole the Casual Gamer or to define a Casual Game? They simply don't exist. You either play games or you don't. There is no middle ground. Everything we make as developers is designed to appeal to someone (anyone) who plays games. Yes, we can create games that appeal to a specific type of gamer but the word "casual" is misleading and potentially dangerous. Shouldn't we be categorising games by the way that people play - alone, online 2-4 player, full on multiplayer, social co-op/competitive? And is "game" even the right word any more?
Speaker:
Harvey Elliott, VP and GM, EA Casual, Electronic Arts
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11.00 - 11.30
Coffee break
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11.30 - 12.15
So You Want to Start a Casual Games Studio?
Casual games have offered a unique opportunity for developers and e ntrepreneurs to grow entertainment companies in an exciting, expanding and fast-changing sector - without requiring the vast monetary or heavy initial staffing commitments of traditional interactive entertainment ventures. But to what extent does this remain true in today's more competitive and mature market, and how should the would-be casual games tycoon best proceed? This session offers invaluable insider tips from one of the UK sector's serial entrepreneurs.
Speaker:
John Chasey, Chairman, Finblade
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12.15 - 13.00
PANEL: State of the Industry Debate
Which business models will grow in prominence in 2010, and is the old download-driven model on the wane? Can casual gaming keep attracting advertising dollars - and how sustainable are models based on giving stuff away for free in a content-saturated, cash poor world, anyway? Will consolidation amongst the top dogs and well-financed entrants from outside the sector produce a super-set of casual companies that dominate the industry, as has happened in other entertainment industries? And when not thinking about such questions, what new games have our illustrious panel of industry heavyweights been playing?
Chair:
Ben Parfitt, Editor, casualgaming.biz
Panelists:
Kristian Segerstrale, CEO and Co-founder, Playfish ;
Matt Spall, Head of Product Development, Zatikka Ltd ;
John Chasey, Chairman, Finblade ;
Sandy Duncan, YoYo Games
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13.00 - 14.00
Networking Lunch: Solving the Industry's Problems in an Hour!
This will see delegates team up informally to explore an exciting new area in the casual games business or fix an unresolved issue - offering delegates a unique opportunity to swap insights, anecdotes and business cards.
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14.00 - 14.45
Fan-tastic Gaming: Building a Community Around Your Brands
The customer has always been right. But now the customer is also your company ambassador, you marketing force, the source of new ideas - and, thanks to the growth of social gaming, an essential component of the gameplay itself. In short, today's game fans are more like the crowds at a rock concert than the solitary couch potatoes of yesteryear. This session will detail how you can nurture and support this community without treading on its toes, and explain the vital role social networks can play in spreading the news about your games.
Xavier Louis, Director of Product Management, Playfish
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14.45 - 15.30
Feed The Funnel: Finding The Levers to Turn Users into Profits
Casual games are a funnel. You pour users in at the top (by brand marketing, word-of-mouth, viral gameplay or online advertising) and profits pour out the bottom. But only if you know how to get your users to sign up, enjoy your game and spend lots of money. Nicholas Lovell offers a practical guide to finding the levers that will supercharge your business. Debunking the jargon of cost per acquisition and lifetime value, of conversion rates and viral coefficients, he shows how every developer can and should track their key metrics, tweak their game and predict the profits that will follow.
Nicholas Lovell, Games Industry Consultant, GAMESbrief
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15.30 - 15.45
Coffee break
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15.45 - 16.30
Casual Games on the iPhone: Lessons for Success
iPhone owners have racked up over 2 billion downloads of the apps that have made Apple's phone a smash, and many have been games. But with 85,000 third-party apps available, success can seem a lottery. Stuart Dredge of Mobile Entertainment reveals how casual games are REALLY faring in this crowded market. What works and why, and what does it mean for your next iPhone release?
Stuart Dredge, Online Editor, Mobile Entertainment
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16.30 - 17.15
High Five! Casual Gaming's Problems Solved
Having brought together some of the sharpest minds in casual games for our networking lunch, we end the day by revealing your solutions to the industry's biggest problems -- and your ideas for where the best opportunities lie. Host Martin de Ronde will introduce and review the results of the brainstorming session, before we all head to the bar for a well-earned drink. (Or networking opportunity, as it's known to your boss...)
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17.15
Drinks Reception for all Speakers and Delegates
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