Some Thoughts on FuturePlays Past and Present

I have been digging up some quotes from people about FuturePlay and I thought I would post them here... (Yes, I know that is a lame introduction...)

Chris Swain:
“Future Play @ GDC mixes cutting edge thinking from the world of research and academia with the frontlines of creativity from industry and the indie-scene. A powerful concoction indeed.”

John Nicol:
“Future Play is a very important forum for Acron to in which to participate and help shape the future of the industry. Future Play is more than just about the game and game-play, it is about the underlying technology, how we use it to learn, to visualize and apply these developments and research activities to advance the state-of-the-art and apply it to other industry and learning metaphors. We are excited to be part of Future Play 2009.”

Jim Parker:
"I have a high regard for the role of Future Play in the game research and development vista in Canada. I was an early participant in Futureplay, since 2004 in fact, when it was still named the Game Technology Conference, and have been enthusiastic ever since. It has been the home of many innovations, such as the game contest in 2007 and in acting as host for the Canadian Game Studies Association in its early stages. What I think is important is that it is a broadly based conference, having participation from academics and industry, game studies and technology. There is nothing else like it in Canada, and I am excited to see it connect with GDC Canada this year."

Gardner Condon:
“Future Play is one of those rare opportunities where a diverse group of thought leaders are brought together to focus on the games industry. “

Eric Gagnon:
"Serious games are a rapidly changing industry. Future Play gives professionals an opportunity to get up to speed on all aspects of the industry, meet partners, and find new opportunities. I would not want to miss it for the world."

Duane Dunfield:
"Future Play has proven itself to be a great showcase of the quality of research, ideas and people that exist in Canada. I feel it is a valuable place to network with academic institutions and researchers around innovative game concepts, philosophy, and methodology -- especially pertaining to games for learning"

These all seem much better than my quote used a couple of years back "I met a lot of really smart people" (though that is also true. Hope to see you in Vancouver in May!