Closing Keynote added to Women in Games International Conference

Game Designer Ernest Adams Addresses Women in the Workplace

Tuesday, January 16, 2007---San Francisco, CA---Women in Games International announced today the addition of recognized game designer and author Ernestt Adams as keynote speaker at the Women in Games International-San Francisco conference. The conference is titled "From Production to Profit: Creating and Marketing Games for Women," and will be held at Electronic Arts in Redwood City, CA on Tuesday, March 6.

At this half-day conference, WIGI will discuss the future of game design and game marketing as the female player marketplace matures and expands. Ernest Adams, an accomplished game designer and published authority on a wide range of games industry topics, will close the conference with a keynote speech entitled, “Developing Backwards and in High Heels,” a phrase coined from the fact that actress and dancer Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did, only backwards and in high heels.

Adams will explore at the past and future of women in gaming: what they contributed to the early development of the medium and how they will change it in the 21st century. He will examine several different aspects of the question, including the way women are portrayed in games; women as designers and developers; and the wants and needs of the female player.

Adams offers, “Everyone knows that the game industry has ignored the female market for far too long, but many developers don't have any idea what to do about it. My keynote discusses how the roles of female characters, players, and game developers all relate to each other in gaming culture, and how this knowledge can be used to attract more women players. WIGI is the ideal organization to spread the message, as well as working to help women get ahead in the business. I'm honored to have been asked to speak at their conference.”

A game industry veteran, Ernest Adams is well-known as a freelance game designer, writer, and teacher, working with the International Hobo Design Group. He has long been interested in issues related to women and gaming. A widely-published journalist, Ernest has also published several significant books on the game design and working tin the games industry, including “Break into the Game Industry: How to get a job making video games” and “Game Design and Development: Fundamentals of Game Design.” Ernest is also the founder and first chairman of the IGDA, and established as one of its major tasks the goal attracting more women to the industry. His website is www.designersnotebook.com.

Sheri Graner Ray, Executive Chair of the WIGI steering committee states, “Through his writings and talks, Ernest Adams has served as the voice of vision for the game industry for many years. He has always been a strong advocate for women in games and celebrates their contributions to the industry. We know that the audience at our San Francisco conference will benefit greatly from his expertise and vision on these topics.”

Conference sponsors include platinum sponsor Electronic Arts, and series sponsors Game Developers Conference (GDC), International Games Developers Association (IGDA), Mary-Margaret.com, Girls in Games, ThemePark Studios, WomenGamers.com and BusinessWire.

The Women In Games International Conference–San Francisco will be held at the Electronic Arts campus, Milestone Auditorium, which is located at 250 Shoreline Drive in Redwood City, CA. Attendance is $45 for general attendees, $35 for WIGI members and $30 for students with I.D. Space is limited, so interested attendees are encouraged to secure their spot by registering online today at www.womeningamesinternational.org.