 |
Margaret Robertson - a historian by training, made the move into games journalism about five years ago, and has written for many specialist magazines, as well as mainstream publications like FHM, T3 and the BBC. For four years she wrote for, and ultimately edited, Edge, the world’s most respected videogame magazine, taking it to its highest readership in its 13 year history. During this time she also helped to run the Edinburgh games festival, spoke at a number of international conferences and served as a BAFTA judge and as a general spokesperson for the games industry in the U.K. Now, as a consultant, she advises companies like EA and Channel 4 on game design and industry trends.
Our Odyssey [Wednesday]
42 years ago, sitting on concrete step while waiting for a bus, Ralph Baer had an idea for a new kind of game. Two months ago, people around the world bought half a billion dollar's worth of just one of those games in just one week. The cornerstone of that extraordinary surge of growth was Baer's Magnavox Odyssey, the world's first game console. This unassuming brown box turned out to be the prototype for a new industry, a new technology and a new art form. It may seem almost prehistoric now, but the Odyssey had games representing nearly all the genres we know today, embraced family play, relied on elaborate peripherals and was conceived to offer educational value. So, 40 years on, has our industry lived up to Baer's vision? Or does he still understand games better than we do?
 Everything you always wanted to know
After dozens of sessions [Friday]
After dozens of sessions, hundreds of interesting conversations and thousands of new ideas, Margaret Robertson brings the festival to an end with a discussion of the main themes that have emerged over the course of event. A lively and thought-provoking chance to catch up on any highlights that you missed and to sow the seeds for next year's festival.
Everything you always wanted to know |
|
