Last year, MTBS was very proud to co-present with Mark Rein, Co-Founder of Epic Games. We talked about stereoscopic 3D gaming complete with an S-3D demo of Unreal Tournament 3 on a giant 3D screen in front of about 700 people.
Mark Rein, VP and Co-Founder of Epic Games and
Neil Schneider, President & CEO of Meant to be Seen
That was a good start. Here is our confirmed panel for SIGGRAPH 2009:
The Masters Speak: Game Developers Weight in on True 3D Gaming
According to a survey of over 300 gaming professionals done by Gamesindustry.biz, stereoscopic 3D (S-3D) gaming is the most anticipated technology of 2009. At-home solutions include new glasses, 3D displays, head mounted displays, projectors, a wide range of 3D HDTVs, and more. Despite this industry’s long history, game developers have never truly embraced the technology. Times are clearly changing!
This round table discussion, the first of its kind, will feature gaming’s leading minds. Speakers will discuss the link between S-3D film and cinema, share some exciting technology demonstrations, and put forward ideas to get S-3D gaming to the next level and into customers’ hands.
Speakers include:
Neil Schneider, President & CEO
Meant to be Seen (mtbs3D.com), MODERATOR
Neil will be the S-3D gaming panel’s moderator. Meant to be Seen (MTBS) is considered to be the foremost authority group for stereoscopic 3D gaming, and has been featured in GAMEINFORMER, Joystiq, Gamesinudustry.biz, Wired, and more. As an advocacy group, MTBS represents the largest S-3D community in existence, and they have a track record for demonstrating demand for true 3D gaming through the voices of customers.
Habib Zargarpour, Senior Art Director
Electronic Arts
Habib graduated with distinction in Industrial Design from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena in 1992 where he discovered his passion for design in film. He got his start creating vfx for 3D stereo IMAX projects.
Habib has over 12 years of experience in the visual effects industry working on both games and film. Two of his projects, Twister and The Perfect Storm, have been nominated for Academy Awards in Visual Effects. Other memorable projects include the pod race sequence in Star Wars Episode I, Star Trek First Contact, Spawn, and Signs.
In his current role at Electronic Arts, Habib is responsible for the visual aspects of leading projects including production design and the overall look. His most recent work, Need for Speed Most Wanted, received a Visual Effects Society Award in 2006.
Nicolas Schulz, Graphics Engineer
Crytek GmbH
Before joining Crytek, Nicolas worked for many years as a researcher at the University of Augsburg. During that time he wrote several advanced rendering engines which focused on reducing code complexity by design. Furthermore, he has been heavily involved in various stereoscopic VR and AR research projects. Nicolas has all his life been enthusiastic about cutting-edge 3D technology and made his first encounters with graphics and engine programming at the age of 14.
Currently, Nicolas works as a graphics engineer at Crytek where he is involved in the development of CryENGINE 3, the next generation of Crytek’s highly respected game technology framework. As a member of the Engine Licensing Team, he also consults with CryENGINE licensees on projects they are building with the engine.
Most recently, Crytek demonstrated native stereoscopic 3D support in CryENGINE 2 and CryENGINE 3 at the Game Developers Conference.
Andrew Oliver, Chief Technology Officer
Blitz Games Studios
Andrew Oliver is the co-owner of Blitz Games Studios, a leading game developer that was founded in 1990. Its six divisions encompass mature titles (Volatile Games), Serious Games (TruSim), family titles (Blitz Games), in-house technology (BlitzTech) and downloadable games (Blitz Arcade) and its training division (Blitz Academy). With over 200 employees, it is one of the world’s largest independent video game developers.
Andrew is also a member of BAFTA, reflecting his ongoing interest in the future of entertainment, and has received an Honorary Doctorate of Technology (DTech) from Coventry University for his major contribution in technical aspects of the electronic games industry in the regional, national and international forum.
Most recently, Blitz Games Studios have taken a very aggressive leap into stereoscopic 3D gaming, and are launching Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao on XBOX and PS3. Invincible Tiger is arguably the first console video game designed to work with modern stereoscopic 3D displays.
You couldn’t ask for a more influential panel. Share your thoughts in our discussion forums! What questions would you like to see asked of the panelists?
Of course, this is just the beginning…