It’s almost time for PAX East 2014, and despite the upheaval in my personal and professional life, I will be there! Here’s where you can find me in Boston starting April 11:
Friday. April 10 at 3:30pm, Arachnid Theatre
The Audacity of #Hype: The Do’s, Dont’s & WTF’s of Modern Social Media
Social Media is a noisy world for brands and individuals alike. Whether it’s Twitter or YouTube, Facebook or Google+, there’s a whole world out there waiting for your brand, website, or thoughts. Join folks that work behind the scenes for Activision, Deep Silver, Gunnar Optiks, Harmonix, Sprint, and Ubisoft for a conversation on how to build and manage your brand, work with customers, balance personal accounts in the public eye, and avoid the pitfalls in the hectic social media sphere.
PANELISTS:
Dan Amrich [Community Developer, Ubisoft], Aubrey Norris [Director of Marketing & PR, Deep Silver], John Drake [Director of Publishing and PR, Harmonix], Dan Hevia [Editor-in-Chief, Project 510], Dave Oshry [Director of Marketing Strategy, Gunnar Optiks], Andrien Gbinigie [Community Developer – Assassin’s Creed Initiates, Ubisoft], Jake Baldino [Internet Video Personality, Pretty Much It]
Friday, April 10 at 6pm, Bumblebee Theatre
Three Old Guys Play Roguelikes
Join us for a history of Roguelikes from Rogue (1980) to Spelunky (2009-2013), including NetHack, FTL and other great games! We’ll take a look at the recent resurgence of Roguelikes, discuss our history with the genre, and you’ll get a chance to see just how embarrassingly bad we can be at a speedrun or three.
PANELISTS:
Eric Neustadter [Gaming Ninja, Xbox], Dan Amrich [Community Developer, Ubisoft], Jeff Green [Chief Consultant, Hit Detection]
Friday, April 10 at 8:30pm, Dragonfly Theatre
Game Show Night
Three hours of three live game shows for your amusement: Blankety Blank (aka The Match Game) hosted by Susan Arendt, Jeopardy! hosted by me (complete with lockout buzzers) and, a first for this year, Pyramid! hosted by Chris Kohler. Yes, the contestants come from the audience and, yes, there will be prizes.
Saturday, April 12th at 11:00am, Arachnid Theatre
Indie to AAA; What You Need to Know about Podcasting
There are plenty of how-to guides available for setting up a podcast. Hardware setup, RSS feeds, and iTunes submissions are easy. When it comes to the content of your show, that’s where you can make a name for yourself. The Indie podcast trio from “Press ‘A’ to Listen” team up with Activision’s own “One of Swords Podcast” to discuss how to give your audience their money’s worth, whether you’re funding it yourself or have corporate support!
PANELISTS:
Josh Smith [Host, Press ‘A’ to Listen Podcast], Steve Sickmen [Co-Host, Press ‘A’ to Listen Podcast], Bishop Tart [Co-Host, Press ‘A’ to Listen Podcast], Dan Amrich [Community Developer, Ubisoft/Host, Dan & Kat Talk], Katrin Auch [Host, Dan & Kat Talk]
Saturday, April 12th at 8:00pm in the Condor Theatre
Was I Wrong? Revisiting Controversial Reviews
Every game critic has That One Review that haunts them – too low, too high, or just plain unpopular in the eyes of the public. It’s enough to make the writer wonder if they really made a mistake or if the rest of the world is just nuts. A gathering of game reviewers past and present revisit That One Review to talk about their processes, what they did to weather the storm of controversy, the fallibility of human beings versus the assumed infallibility of the press, and ultimately how to handle criticism of criticism.
PANELISTS:
Dan Amrich [Community Developer, Ubisoft], Susan Arendt [Managing Editor, Joystiq], Chris Kohler [Editor, Wired Game|Life]
On Sunday at 10am, I expect to be in the Badger Theatre for Bowen Kerins’ pinball seminar. I’d also like to do our usual Great Dalmuti game on Sunday — let’s aim for 1pm in the tabletop freeplay area. Other than that, I’m wandering and having fun like everybody else.
If you see me, say hi! If you have a copy of Critical Path you want me to sign, just ask! If you want to buy a copy of Critical Path, I will have a few paperbacks in my bag for $15, but they’re heavy so I’m not bringing too many. Best way to get one is hit me up after one of my panels and have cash in hand!