UTD SGDA Announced 3rd Annual Computer Game Conf.

RICHARDSON, Texas (October 14, 2003) - The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) and the Student Game Developers Association (SGDA) is proud to announce the details of the third annual Computer Game Conference (CGC) to be held on October 24-26.

The conference is dedicated to the community of students and developers who share a common interest in furthering their careers. "The CGC," says SGDA President Brian Burleson, "is the largest game development conference held in Dallas," and is "host to over 20 developers from some of the most influential game companies of our time." The three day long series of speeches, workshops, and presentations will feature keynote speaker Doug Church, programmer and technical director of Eidos Interactive, "LevelLord" Richard Gray, level designer and owner of Ritual Entertainment, as well as a plethora of game development professionals from Dallas area studios. Industry speakers from several local companies will be sharing their expertise on level design, programming, digital art, business, and game design.

Four Official Game Development Competitions are a new feature at the CGC this year, giving students from around the world a once in a lifetime opportunity to showcase their work in front of industry professionals. "Aspiring student game developers and professional game developers now have a forum to come together and learn from each other," says Burleson. Previously selected entries in the areas of Level Design, Game Concept, Programming, and 3D Animation will be judged and critiqued by members of the local chapter of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA). Winners in these competitions will be awarded prizes donated by nVidia, Bawls, and Wordware.

The CGC also provides opportunities for more informal competition in the form of video game tournaments. Tournaments of Unreal Tournament 2003 and Soul Calibur 2 will be run as well as other games to be announced. Competitors in these tournaments will also be eligible to receive prizes from the aforementioned companies.

There is no admission fee and the Conference is open to the public. The event will be held on Friday the 24th from 11 am until 12 am, Saturday the 25th from 11 am until 1 am, and on Sunday the 25th from 12 pm until 6 pm in the Student Union Galaxy Rooms at UTD. For full details and directions, visit the CGC website at http://www.ComputerGameConference.com.