Computer Game Conference to Hit Road

Hoping to encourage the growth of Northern California game software companies, the organizers behind the Computer Game Developers’ Conference in San Jose are taking their show on the road.

“Demo or Die” is the theme at this popular gathering of the top guns in the computer gaming industry. It’s also a chance for those trying to break into the field to network, swap secrets and find a place among elite programmers, designers and product managers.

“But it’s only once a year,” says Jennifer Pahlka, director of the conference. “We kept hearing from people that they worked in the same city but only saw each other at [the conference in] San Jose.”

So Pahlka and her fellow organizers decided to scale back the weeklong event and hold mini, one-day shows in eight cities. Starting in Boston in early September, the event stops at the Sequoia Conference Center in Buena Park on Sept. 27.

Several publishers will be showing off their wares, while the lineup of speakers ranges from Tim Morten, founder of Savage Entertainment, with tips on how to start a game company to Robert Huebner, director of technology for Nihilistic Software, on using technology to “bring life to the undead.”