14:15 – 15:00
The Dark Before the Dawn: a 2024 Industry Update
Shawn Foust

Synopsis: Explore the latest in the gaming industry at ‘The Dark Before the Dawn: a 2024 Industry Update.’ Join us for an engaging session where Shawn Foust delivers a captivating overview of employment trends, investment dynamics, and technological advancements. Uncover his insights on what lies ahead and how these transformative changes could shape the future of gaming

15:30 – 16:15
Past, Present And Future Of Adaptive Music In Video Games
Borislav Slavov, Composer and Music Director of Baldur’s Gate

Synopsis: Highlights:

• Evolution of game music

• Adaptive music as an active participant of the narrative

• Live demo on stage with audience and the future f game music

16:15 – 17:00
Keynote: Leading Creative Teams With A Vision
Sebastian Kalemba, CD PROJEKT RED

Synopsis: In my lecture titled “Leading Creative Teams with a Vision”, I will explore the critical role of vision in leadership. Starting with a brief introduction about myself and the importance of the topic, I’ll define what vision means in a leadership context and discuss its role in guiding and aligning a team’s work.

I will share a case study from one of my recent projects, providing an overview of the project’s goals, the vision I had, and how I communicated and implemented this vision within the team. This will serve as a practical example of how vision plays out in leadership.

Further, the lecture will focus on strategies for developing, communicating, and keeping a vision alive. I will share actionable tips, techniques, and strategies that I’ve used to effectively communicate my vision to my teams and keep it at the forefront throughout a project’s duration.

I will also tackle the challenges that leaders may face when leading with vision, and provide strategies for overcoming these challenges based on my own experiences.

The session will conclude with a Q&A segment where you’ll have the opportunity to ask any questions about my experiences and the strategies I’ve discussed. I’ll then wrap up with a conclusion reinforcing the main points of my lecture and sharing my final thoughts on the importance of leading with vision.

Whether you’re an aspiring leader or a seasoned one, this lecture will equip you with insights and practical strategies to effectively lead your team towards a shared goal.

17:30 – 18:00
BreakLeveling Up Communication In Game Production
Amy Chen, GameSim

Synopsis: In this presentation, we will explore the profound impact of effective communication in game production. Drawing from personal anecdotes and real-world production experiences, we’ll get into the nuances of fostering clarity, empathy, patience, and respect within diverse teams. Attendees will gain insights into overcoming common communication pitfalls that can arise in the game industry and learn practical strategies for enhancing collaboration across professional, geographical, and cultural boundaries. Whether you’re a seasoned industry professional or simply passionate about gaming, this talk will help improve your communication skills in any collaborative environment.

18:00 – 18:30
Survive To ’25? Is That What We Should Be Expecting?
Mihai Pohontu, Amber / Louis-Rene Auclair, Rocket Ride Games / Justin Berembaum, Xsolla.

Synopsis: Three industry veterans with a variety of backgrounds discuss the challenging state of affairs in the global games industry, and strategies for tackling this market, whether this is about indie studios or large game companies.

12:00 – 14:00
Women In Games Lunch(separate registration required)

Synopsis: Join us for a real talk about what it’s like to be a woman in the gaming industry in Romania. The participants will share their personal stories, bust common myths, and discuss the real challenges they face. We will discuss about:

Breaking down stereotypes about women in gaming. The challenges and obstacles they’ve overcome. Success stories of women making a big impact.

17:00 – 18:15
Workshop: Getting Started In The Game Dev Industry (In Romania) With: Alexandru Padure, Assist Software / Catalin Butnariu, RGDA

Synopsis: This interactive session is aimed at students who are interested in joining the game dev industry. Local industry veterans Alexandru Padure and Catalin Butnariu will go over the process of game dev and the various roles that comprise game development, as well as the various opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship that are available in the local industry in Romania.

11:00 – 11:45
Why We Play (And Make) Games
Catalin Butnariu, RGDA

Synopsis: What makes video games more “fun” than other forms of entertainment? When you think of memorable moments from your gaming life, what made you say “wow”? Were you part of the WoW Corrupted Blood Incident or the Fortnite concerts?
Join this lecture as we attempt to explore what are the pillars of engagement in video games, by looking at several awesome case studies.

11:45 – 12:30
Team Dynamics And How To Deliver Successful Products With A “People-First” Approach
Ionut Codreanu, Vlad Alexandru, Cristiana Serra, Madalina Niculae

Synopsis: What’s your approach to delivering successful products while keeping your team’s motivation and well being a priority?

Differences between blame culture and learning situations and adapting. Strategies to respect deadlines but also the people delivering them. Is team bonding more important than development time in the grand scheme of things? These are just a few questions we’ll be aiming to respond to during the panel.

13:30 – 14:00
The Problem Of Distribution For Mobile F2P Games
Bogdan Vlad

Synopsis: The Romanian IT industry has a history of manufacturing quality gaming products, but there is very little global distribution of these products coordinated here locally. This talk will focus on the problems, challenges and opportunities of building digital distribution for games built right here in Romania. If a product cannot find a customer willing to try it out and pay for it then it will eventually run into problems as a business. Only by combining great products together with efficient distribution can the local gaming industry succeed over the long run.

14:00 – 14:30
Investing In Games In Romania
Alin Stanciu, George Lemnaru, Catalin Butnariu

Synopsis: Join this panel to hear from representatives of an investment success story, as Alin Stanciu (Catalyst) and George Lemnaru (Green Horse Games) share their perspectives on the current landscape in the Romanian games industry, what investors are looking for and what studios should expect from a relationship with investors.

14:30 – 15:15
Creating Memorable Moments In Games
Fawzi Mesmar

Synopsis: In this talk, I’ll be going through the psychology of how players and people generally recall experiences and form memories. Then identifying what makes moments memorable and meaningful.

By conducting that analysis, I’ll go through methods to be able to deliberately be able to create moments that players will resonate with for a long time.

10:30 – 11:30
Workshop: Anatomy Of A Mobile Game (From An Engineering Perspective)
Marius Gherman, Amber

Synopsis: In this session, Marius will go over the building blocks of a mobile game and common practices for building such products. The session is recommended to students interested in game dev, but anyone is welcome to join.

11:45 – 12:30
Lecture:  “Exploring the Future of Game Design”  Mihai Gheza CEO and CO-founder, Machinations

Synopsis: Join Mihai Gheza, Co-Founder & CEO of Machinations.io, at DevPlay as he explores the dynamic evolution of game design. Drawing from his extensive experience in the tech and gaming industries, Mihai will share unique insights and trends shaping the future of game development. This talk will offer a fresh perspective on the role of AI, new technologies, and innovative tools in transforming how games are designed and experienced.