On June 19 in San Francisco, the 3rd annual GSummit will take place, bringing together thought leaders from top companies for 3 days of workshops, sessions, networking and fun. Since its inception, GSummit has been the place where some of the most thought-provoking and practical discussion of behavior change have taken place. We bring together scientists, academics, executives, teachers and individuals to share their Aha! moments, data and knowledge.
Without a doubt, it’s one of my favorite weeks of the year.
In 2012, we’ve gathered over 50 speakers, more than double the faculty of our NYC 2011 event. That means you won’t be able to see every speaker and discussion. Whether you’re attending or watching GSummit remotely, I wanted to put together a short list of talks you shouldn’t miss – and here’s part one. Of course, all of our speakers are amazing, and their stories meaningful to your business – but I want to highlight a few that are not to be missed.
Richard Bartle: the brilliant researcher behind the controversial Player Types will get in depth on player types and what you need to know as a gamification designer about how not to misuse them – and use them properly.
Jesse Redniss and Peter Blacker from NBC/Universal: one of the hottest topics is how to engage TV users from this powerful medium to their social graph. The “Second Screen” has a lot of promise when gamified, and the execs will share their experiences bringing gamification to one of the biggest media brands in the world.
Tim Vandenberg: A middle school teacher from central california who has turned his passion for Monopoly (he’s the US’s #2 seeded competitive player) into a classroom success. He teaches a class using monopoly as the centerpiece – and his story will inform and inspire you.
Beth Shiroishi, AT&T: The VP of Sustainability and Philanthropy joins us to discuss the Telecommunications giant’s recent investment in GameDesk – a nationwide program that reimagines education using games – and why a gamified strategy is important for all corporate social responsibility.
Tim Chang, Partner at Mayfield Fund: the most prolific investor in the gamification industry, and one of the midas list VCs, will discuss the investment case for gamification – where the opportunities and risks are for investors and startup founders in the next few years.
Clearly, with this many sessions and extraordinary speakers, it’s hard to choose a favorite – and based on your industry or interests, you may want to check out some of the others. For the full schedule, and to grab one of the remaining tickets, click here. I’ll be back shortly with additional recommendations.
Image (CC) – by Totoro’s Expy
