Games colloquium part of Entretiens Jacques Cartier 2011

Français

Experiencing Stories with/in Digital Games

October 1 and 2, 2011
Concordia University
D. B. Clarke Theatre (Hall Building)
1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West
Montreal, Quebec, Canada

View video of David Cage's keynote address

As part of the 24th edition of the Entretiens Jacques Cartier, Concordia University's Technoculture, Art and Games (TAG) research centre is bringing together Canadian and French researchers and industry leaders in the field of digital game studies and game design for a colloquium in Montreal on October 1 and 2, 2011.

Academic framework
Despite the growing popular and professional interest in recent advances in game hardware, interfaces and game mechanics, the most successful video games continue to emerge from a fundamental concern with the medium as a means of telling and experiencing stories. This colloquium brings together academic game researchers, industry designers and students to discuss new approaches to the analysis and creation of interactive digital narratives.

By focusing attention on specific games, Heavy Rain (Quantic Dream), Assassin's Creed (Ubisoft), Mass Effect 2 (Bioware), The Graveyard (Tale of Tales) and Amnesia: The Dark Descent (Frictional Games), our discussion will push beyond the simple dichotomies that have characterized past debates about narrative design (open vs linear storylines, aesthetics vs playability) and will highlight the ways that games reframe and challenge traditional conceptions of narrative and player experience.

The first day of the colloquium is open to the public and we present four panels with academic speakers and industry commenters engaging in focused discussion on a single game.  The evening will feature a keynote presentation by David Cage, founder and CEO of the Paris-based studio Quantic Dream and lead designer for Omikron: The Nomad Soul (1999), Fahrenheit (2005) and Heavy Rain (2010). This keynote is co-sponsored by the Montreal chapter of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA).

Registration for this event is closed.

The Colloquium Program is outlined below.

Inquiries:
Lyse Larose
Facilitator, Research, International Relations and Graduate Studies
Faculty of Fine Arts, Concordia University
514-848-2424 ext. 5632
lyse.larose@concordia.ca

Image from Heavy Rain

Colloquium program
[Simultaneous translation will be available.]

Saturday, October 1
(Please note time-table changes below, updated on Sept. 26, 2011)
D. B. Clarke Theatre, Concordia University
1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. West, Montreal

8:45 a.m.
Opening remarks

Bart SIMON, Associate Professor, Director, Technoculture, Art and Games, Concordia University, Montreal (Canada)

Video: Bart Simon's Opening remarks.


9:00 a.m.
Panel A:  Assassin's Creed
(Click thumbnail image to enlarge.)

Darren WERSHLER, Concordia University Research Chair in Media and Contemporary Literature, Concordia University, Montreal (Canada)
Brian GREENSPAN, Associate Professor, English Department, Carleton University, Ottawa (Canada)
Corey MAY, Writer, Ubisoft, Montreal (Canada)

10:30 to 10:45 a.m.
Coffee break

10:45 a.m.
Panel B:  The Graveyard
(Click thumbnail image to enlarge)

Sébastien GENVO, Centre de recherche sur les médiations, Université Paul Verlaine, Metz (France)
Marcel O'GORMAN, Associate Professor, Director, Critical Media Lab, University of Waterloo, Ontario (Canada)
Auriea HARVEY, Data Director, Tale of Tales, Gand (Belgium)
Michaël SAMYN, Process Director, Tale of Tales, Gand (Belgium)

12:15 to 1:30 p.m.
Break for lunch

1:30 p.m.
Panel C:  Mass Effect 2
(Click thumbnail image to enlarge)

Jim BIZZOCCHI, Assistant Professor, Simon Fraser University/SIAT, Vancouver (Canada)
Nick MONTFORT, Associate Professor, Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston (U.S)
Jay TURNER, Writer, Bioware, Montreal (Canada)

3:00 to 3:15 p.m.
Coffee break

3:15 p.m.
Panel D:  Amnesia: The Dark Descent
(Click thumbnail image to enlarge.)

Bernard PERRON, Professor, Département d'histoire de l'art et d'études cinématographiques, Université de Montréal (Canada)
Samuel COAVOUX, Doctoral candidate, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon (France)
Thomas GRIP, Project Manager, Frictional Games, Helsingborg (Sweden)

4:45 p.m.
Closing remarks
Olivier MASCLEF, Consultant, Gamagora, Université Lyon 2 (France)

5:00 to 6:45 p.m.
Reception

7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Introductory remarks
Lynn HUGHES, Concordia University Research Chair in Interactive Design and Games Innovation / Researcher, Hexagram-Concordia and Technoculture Art and Games, Concordia University, Montreal (Canada)
Jason DELLA ROCCA, CEO, Perimeter Partners Inc., Montreal (Canada)

Keynote Speaker
David CAGE, Founder and CEO, Quantic Dream, Paris (France)

Video: David Cage's keynote address


Sunday, October 2 - Closed sessions, by invitation only
Integrated Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Complex (EV), 11th floor, Concordia University
1515 Ste. Catherine Street West, Montreal

9:00 a.m.
Coffee

9:30 a.m.
Opening remarks

Gilles LEVAVASSEUR, Research Engineer, Gamagora, Université Lyon 2 (France)

9:45 to 11:45 a.m.
Mentoring Round-Tables

Invited academic and industry presenters sit down with selected students to give them feedback on their game projects.

11:45 to 1:15 p.m.
Lunch

1:15 to 3:00 p.m.
Open Discussion


Scientific Committee

Quebec

Jason DELLA ROCCA, CEO, Perimeter Partners Inc., Montreal

Lynn HUGHES, Concordia University Research Chair in Interactive Design and Games Innovation / Researcher, Hexagram-Concordia and TAG (Technoculture Art and Games), Faculty of Fine Arts, Concordia University, Montreal

Bart SIMON, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology / Director of TAG (Technoculture, Art and Games), Concordia University, Montreal

Bernard PERRON, Professor, Département d'histoire de l'art et d'études cinématographiques, Université de Montréal

Darren WERSHLER, Concordia University Research Chair in Media and Contemporary Literature / Assistant Professor, Department of English, Concordia University, Montreal

France

Ludovic NOËL, Director, Pôle de compétitivité / Cluster IMAGINOVE, Lyon

Éric GALIN, Director, Gamgora, Institut de la Communication, Université Lumière Lyon 2

Sébastien GENVO, Maître de conférences, Université Paul Verlaine, Metz

Coordinator

Lyse LAROSE, Facilitator, Research, International Relations and Graduate Studies, Faculty of Fine Arts, Concordia University, Montreal