Friday (today, sorry for posting late): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-gOcL8AJEY

12:30 PM: That’s Edutainment!

What goes into making a game both entertaining and educational? Daniel Greenberg (George Mason University) hosts a discussion with creators Doug Herring (Mixed Up Fairy Tales, Castle of Dr. Brain), Robert Eric Heitman (Story Maker, Mixed-Up Mother Goose), Lori and Corey Cole (Mixed Up Fairy Tales, Castle of Dr. Brain), and remotely, Deborah Todd (Reader Rabbit, Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego) on the pitfalls and possibilities of edutainment titles.

1:45 PM: Narrative Design Chat

Join us for an hour-long discussion with prominent game developers Dave Gilbert (Unavowed, the Blackwell series), Cade Peterson (2064: Read Only Memories), and remotely, Charles Cecil (Broken Sword, Beneath a Steel Sky) and Emil Pagliarulo (Starfield, Fallout). Mat Van Rhoon leads the chat about their experiences and lessons learned while crafting stories for games.

3:00 PM: A Peek Inside Phantasmagoria 2

Lorelei Shannon (Designer/Writer) and Paul Morgan Stetler (Curtis, Lead) join Matt Aukamp and Anna Vigue to chat about putting all the pieces together to make the FMV cult favorite, A Puzzle of Flesh.

4:15 PM: The 7th Guest Retrospective

Join The 7th Guest creators Graeme Devine, George “The Fat Man” Sanger, and (remotely) Matt Costello as they discuss stories from creating the original CD-ROM horror classic, as well as the sequel, The 11th Hour. Led by Phantasmagoria 2‘s own Paul Morgan Stetler, you’ll hear tales about writing the puzzles, working with the actors to create haunting FMV scenes, and ask your own burning questions!

6:00 PM: Variety Show

It’s a veritable buffet of entertainment, with features including a trivia game show, a cosplay contest, and a number of live game-themed musical performances by Al Lowe, Erik Elsom, and Error 47.

8:30 PM: Late Night Panel

Follow along with Joshua Cleveland, Matt Aukamp, and Jackie Stewart as we watch a cut of Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties and take a deep dive into the… plot. This unscripted panel is sure to take quite the journey. Come for the panel, stay for the Afterparty!

9:30 PM: Afterparty

Once the distilled and fermented juices start flowing (and with a bar at the venue, you know they will!), it’s time to let our hair down for a live DJ set and sing ourselves silly at marioke (That’s exactly like karaoke, but with songs from our favorite video games!) The party runs until midnight.