GameDevDinner – Serious Games

Meet, dine and drink with fellow experts from the field of serious games. Whether you call them applied games, educational games, citizen science games, health games, training games, awareness games, diversity and inclusion games, or social impact games, it does not matter.

As long as you do something (or are interested in doing something) with games other than pure entertainment, this is your dinner party!

We bring together all kinds of experts from the field of serious games, to inspire and connect on our field of work. There will be a three-course dinner, a panel discussion and time to mingle and network.

To make this valuable for everyone, we ask you to put three themes, challenges or topics to discuss in the registration form. We will make sure you meet people who’d like to explore these topics too. Interesting topics could be: new and upcoming technologies, learning & education, b2b solutions, social impact, diversity and inclusion, gamification techniques, and more (see the list below for more inspiration).

About the mingling dinner

During the 3 course dinner, we will place you on a table with a topic that corresponds to your interest. Sit down, shake each other’s hands and discuss the table topic. After every course, we’ll ask you to change tables. This way, you talk about different stuff with different people.

Kindly inform us (in the registration form) of any dietary requirements or restrictions you may have.

About the panel discussion.

After dinner, we’ll host a short panel discussion. This is mainly meant to liven up the conversation afterwards. If you want to be part of the panel (we have room for five people), let us know in your registration form and make sure you bring in some actual cases to talk about.

One of the biggest challenges of serious games is to get our games ‘out there’. Will your games be actually used by your intended audience or will they enter on another dusty shelf to be looked at?

How do you manage to get stakeholders on the same page? How do you implement the game in the right context and for the right audience? How do you measure success? These are the main questions we will discuss during the panel.

Program

• 17:00 Walk-in: get a welcome drink and mingle
• 18:00 First course: find your place and meet like-minded professionals.
• ±18:30 Main course: find another table and topic
• ±19:00 Desert: mingle in another configuration
• 19:30 Panel discussion: How to realize the actual use of serious games.
• ±20:15 informal drinks.
• 23:00 End of the event.

If you want to showcase your work. Bring a laptop or tablet and put it down during the informal drinks.

What do you get?

If you register you pay 80 euro (ex btw and registration costs). For this, you’ll receive:

• Welcoming drink
• 3 Course dinner
• One drink per course
• 3 drink tickets for the informal drinks

(basically it comes down to 7 drink tokens and dinner).

Addtional information

Payment method: you can register and pay through Eventbrite. Here you can pay with iDeal, creditcard and paypall (amongst others). You will NOT receive an invoice, the tickets of eventbrite should be enough for your accounting.

Cancellation Policy: You can cancel your registration up until december 17th. If you cancel afterwards or are unable to show up, we won’t refund your ticket. Cancelations should go through the cancellation system of eventbrite.

Accessibility: Depending on the amount coming, we will be placed either downstairs or upstairs. If we are upstairs, the space is not wheelchair accessible. The entrance to the city brewery is made of loose gravel. This makes it difficult for people in a wheelchair or people with limited mobility to access the entrance.

Dress Code: come as you please. This is an informal gathering, so no need to suit up 😀 (unless you feel comfortable in a suite ofcourse)

Parking or Transport.

By Car: Park in Berlijn Plein: https://maps.app.goo.gl/A2hiBzgYj5dnp45x5

By Train: Travel to Utrecht Leidsche Rijn. From there it is an 11 min walk to Roodnoot.

By Bike: type Roodnoot in your routeplanner and follow the instructions.

Inspiration for topics to discuss:

Game Design and Mechanics:

• Innovative game mechanics in serious games.
• Balancing fun and educational content in game design.
• User experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design for serious games.

Effectiveness and Impact:

• Measuring the impact and effectiveness of serious games.
• Case studies of successful serious game implementations.
• Challenges and solutions for evaluating learning outcomes.

Accessibility and Inclusion:

• Making serious games accessible to diverse audiences.
• Designing for inclusivity, including players with disabilities.
• Addressing cultural and language considerations in game design.

Technology and Platforms:

• Emerging technologies (e.g., VR, AR) in serious games.
• Mobile vs. desktop vs. console platforms for different types of serious games.
• Integrating serious games with learning management systems (LMS).

Content and Subject Matter:

• Creating serious games for healthcare and medical training.
• Environmental education through serious games.
• Serious games for social issues and advocacy.

Development Challenges:

• Overcoming budget and resource constraints in serious game development.
• Managing interdisciplinary teams in serious game projects.
• Legal and ethical considerations in serious game development.

Distribution and Outreach:

• Strategies for marketing and promoting serious games.
• Collaborations and partnerships with educational institutions and organizations.
• Distribution models for serious games (e.g., app stores, online platforms).

Engaging Stakeholders:

• Engaging educators, trainers, and learners in serious game development.
• Building support from decision-makers and stakeholders in various industries.
• Addressing resistance to incorporating games into educational or training programs.

Future Trends:

• Predictions and speculations about the future of serious games.
• The role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in serious games.
• Ethical considerations in the evolving landscape of serious games.

Funding and Investment:

• Funding opportunities for serious game projects.
• Pitching serious game concepts to investors and grant providers.
• Success stories and challenges in securing funding for serious games.