Develop in Brighton: Editor’s picks

Tomorrow morning the Develop in Brighton Conference opens its doors to the great and the good of the global development sector.

If, like most at the show, you’ve got a schedule so packed with meetings and appointments you’re still not sure which sessions and panels to attend, Develop is here to help.

We’ve plucked nine sessions you shouldn’t miss, from the big name keynotes to the essential hidden gems.

OUR PICKS

Everyone’s Business is Business
09.30 – 10.15, Tuesday, July 10th
Room 5
We all know Valve is one of the world’s most innovative studios, but just how does it juggle making games, creating tech and serving as a retailer, community host and publisher through Steam? Valve’s director of biz dev Jason Holtman reveals all in an opening keynote that promises to lift the lid on the studio’s unique ‘no-management’ structure.

Where is the Money: Financing Options for Smaller Games
15:50 – 16:35, Tuesday, July 10th
Room 6
A wealth of experts from developers, investors and even management outfits offer an insight into how to secure the money to make your game, idea, technology, team and distribution mechanism a reality

Panel: Metacritic Killed the Video Game Score
14:50 – 15:35, Tuesday, July 10th
Room 5
In this special panel, which looks set to generate a wealth of debate, a number of experts including journalists and developers will discuss the merits of review scores and the impact of review score aggregation websites like Metacritic, which today even effect the minutiae of publishing contracts. If you’re attending, prepare yourself for heated conversation.

A Survivors Guide: 30 years in Video Games
09:30 – 10:30, Wednesday, July 11th
Room 2
Eugene Evans, VP and studio GM of EA Studio Bioware Mythic has worked in the games industry for a remarkable three decades, when he appeared in UK tabloid paper The Sun as ‘the whiz kid who owned a sports car but was too young to drive it’. In this keynote speech he is set to relate the lessons he has learned about adapting and staying relevant by taking the best practices of the past, avoiding fads, staying true to an IP and remaining ever optimistic of the future.

Lionhead’s Eventful Journey
12:00 – 12:45, Wednesday, July 11th
Room 4
Fable: The Journey has given a post-Molyneux Lionhead a chance to show what it can achieve without its infamous studio head, who now heads up indie 22Cans. In this talk studio creative director Gary Carr will discuss how the studio wants to add something completely different to the Kinect games portfolio with The Journey.

Panel: Marketing: Explore the Dirty Indie Secret
16:00 – 16:30, Wednesday, July 11th
Room 8
Part of the special Indie Track, this panel on marketing brings together a number of high profile indies and Scott MacKintosh, community manager of Blitz’s IndieCity.com initiative, and sets out to explore less talked about concepts such as managing your time with regard to marketing and development, when to start marketing and writing marketing plans, investigating the ‘dirty word that is branding’, and how it’s applied to indie marketing, social media and press releases.

Standing on the Shoulders of Giant Nerds
16:00 – 16:30, Wednesday, July 11th
Room 1
All up to speed on marketing indie games (see above)? Then why not head over to game designer Mary Hamilton’s look at how the ‘geekiest’ of activities – tabletop gaming, LARPing, fantasy role-play an so on – can teach digital games makers about collaboration, storytelling and games design?

The Audio Keynote
10.00 – 11.00 Wednesday, July 11th
Room 6
Codemasters’ director of audio Stephen Root deliver the keynote of the ever-fascinating Audio Track, where he will ponder lessons learned during a career spanning nearly two decades, talking about what inspires him and what he sees as the critical factors for today’s video games soundtracks.

Wellcome Trust Workshop: How Do You Make Science, Play?
15:15 – 16:15, Thursday, July 12th
Room 7
Lead by scientific body, charity and sometimes games commissioner, this hands-on workshop explores how contemporary science can be mined for compelling ideas by games developers, going from concept to design. Whether as the inspiration for a game or for content supporting a bigger game, this workshop will see you collaborating with top scientists from across the country to develop novel ideas.
Please note there is limited space available for this session. If you would like to attend, please email develop@wellcome.ac.uk, with subject heading ‘WORKSHOP’.

And if you still can’t make enough sessions, then check out the Develop Daily panels on Tuesday at 16.45pm and Wednesday at 15.45pm, when a wealth of experts will gather to mull over the theme, topics and technologies discussed throughout the conference days.

Click here to see the full schedule on the Conference’s official website.