Newsroom

International Summit to focus
on the law and business of video games

DALLAS (SMU) — The Guildhall at SMU, the SMU Dedman School of Law and The Center for American and International Law will hold Game::Business::Law – an international summit on the law and business of video games – on Jan. 14-15, 2009.


Richard Garriott
Peter Raad

Video game legend and future astronaut Richard Garriott of NCsoft and Dr. Peter Raad of The Guildhall at SMU will serve as co-chairs of the event.

"Cutting-edge effects and great storytelling aren’t enough," says Dr. Peter Raad, executive director of The Guildhall at SMU. "Successful studios and developers know that gaming is a business … very big business. The legal issues are enormous for this industry and we are delighted to host this global event."

The summit will bring together global game industry leaders, investors, developers, publishers, and lawyers for two days to explore the latest trends in the games industry. Game::Business::Law will provide practical approaches for achieving success in the evolving marketplace of digital games.

"Digital gaming is one of the world’s fastest growth industries, creating new investment opportunities, social paradigms, business models, and a host of legal issues," says Xuan-Thao Nguyen, professor of law at SMU Dedman School of Law.

"Games take the law and finance where it has never been," agrees David McCombs, a partner at Haynes and Boone. "It’s not just hardware and software. Gaming businesses need to juggle the demands of user-generated content, free speech, online ownership, and new business opportunities."

The global gaming industry will jump from $41.9 billion in 2007 to $68.3 billion by 2012. The annual growth rate of 10 percent would best all other media sectors except for online advertising and access, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2008-2012. Last year, overall U.S. industry sales (which include not only software, but also accessories and hardware) were $18 billion, a new record, according to the NPD Group. NPD analyst Anita Frazier said this month that the U.S. is on track for sales in the $21-$23 billion range in 2008.

Industry Advisory Council members for the event include Dr. Amit Basu of SMU's Cox School of Business; Steve Nix of Id Software; Joseph Olin of Academy of Interactive Arts and Science; Patrick Pugh of PricewaterhouseCoopers, and David Riley of NPD Group.

More about Game:: Business::Law can be seen on the summit website.

About The Center for American and International Law:
The Center is a nonprofit institution founded in 1947 and dedicated to the continuing education of lawyers and law enforcement officials in the United States and throughout the world. Tens of thousands of lawyers and law enforcement officers from all 50 states and more than 125 countries have participated in its programs. The Center for American and International Law is located at 5201 Democracy Drive at Legacy Park in Plano, Texas. For more information about The Center, please visit online at www.cailaw.org.

About Dedman School of Law at SMU:
The Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University enjoys a strong national and international reputation, having produced successful leaders who live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, throughout Texas, across the United States, and in more than 70 countries. Dedman Law is among the top 25 most selective of law schools for admission in the United States. With a small entering class size in the day and evening programs, an outstanding teaching faculty with superb credentials, and numerous distinguished guest lecturers, we forge an invaluable link between legal theory and the reality of legal practice––providing one of the best legal educations in the country. For more information, please visit www.law.smu.edu

About The Guildhall at SMU:
The Guildhall at Southern Methodist University is the premier graduate video game education program in the US. Many of the school’s founders are industry icons, and classes are taught by industry veterans. In five short years, over 230 Guildhall graduates have worked at more than 80 video game studios around North America. SMU offers both a Master’s degree and a graduate Professional Certificate of Interactive Technology in Digital Game Development, with specializations in art creation, level design, and software development. For more information visit www.guildhall.smu.edu

Media contact:
Ron Jenkins
469-855-1574
jenkinsr@smu.edu.

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