Metaverse, VR, Blockchain. Technology is evolving faster than we can keep up, with new inventions and innovations around every corner. The gaming industry is becoming a complex ocean of ideas, opportunities, and tech.
Develop:Brighton is again at our doorstep, and it couldn’t come any sooner. To help navigate the gaming landscape, we’ve rounded up the top tech talks we reckon every developer and creator should attend this year; all run by some of the best minds in the industry.
Our crew will also be there this Summer. So if you fancy catching up this July, pop in a time in our calendar (otherwise, you’ll spot us at the beach, soaking in the sun). But for now, here are our top talks you should see next month.
Let’s dive in.
There’s Always Been a Metaverse
Sarah Brin, Business Development Manager at Media Molecule
Tuesday the 12th of July at 2pm
The metaverse is no new concept. It’s been getting a lot of attention over the last few months (and rightfully so). But we’ve had metaverses around us for years.
This topic caught our eye. Like everyone else, it’s been on top of our minds (for us, we’ve been thinking about how someone hosts it). This is why we’re so eager to see Sarah Brin’s session this July. During her talk, she’ll break down what the metaverse is and means for developers and separate the hype and gossip from what the metaverse could realistically become.
Get Immersed! Virtual Humans in Training and Collaboration in Virtual Reality
Tara Collingwoode, Lecturer of Computing and PhD Student at Williams Goldsmiths, University of London
Tuesday 12th July at 3 pm
We appreciate this is running at the same time as Brin’s talk, but we just couldn’t pick between the two (a job we’ll leave to you).
Image source: Virtual Humans film
In this session, Tara Collingwoode lifts the curtain on the research behind virtual humans. You’ll learn the design techniques behind Avatar realism, non-verbal communication, and immersion techniques. But we’re most interested in how virtual humans are being used for training purposes in virtual reality in both the Health and Gaming industry.
If you want to learn more about this surprising new trend, then make sure to stop by.
Blockchain’s Future in the Games Industry
Panel session on Tuesday the 12th July at 3 pm
- Nico Veerecke, Investor at BITKRAFT Ventures
- Benjamin Charbit, Co-founder and CEO at Darewise
- Maria Gillies, Product Manager at Hutch
Blockchain is no stranger to the game development industry. We’ve seen new apps and games hit the market in the last few years using this new technology. Both for the good and the bad.
Bringing together some of the top experts in the industry, this panel session aims to debunk some of the misconceptions behind blockchain, while tackling some of the known scams and get-rich schemes we’re seeing on the market today. If you want to learn more about blockchain, this session is for you.
Betterverse
Brenda Romero, CEO and Game Director at Romero Games
Wednesday the 13th of July at 3pm
We couldn’t resist another session around the metaverse. It’s a big topic and deserves a lot of attention. But in this talk, Brenda Romero is tackling some of the big, and arguably most important, questions around the metaverse.
Brenda is kickstarting the conversation around inclusivity in this new technology: what eople generally leave out historically left out and what we can do differently to include all audiences in the future. We strongly recommend popping by for this talk, and we’re thrilled to see this conversation taking off in the industry.
Terminal Velocity: How Backend Game Services Power Our Titles
Edwin Jones, Senior Server Engineer at Mediatonic
Thursday the 14th of July at 3 pm
We got pretty excited when we saw this session pop up. Fall Guys had an explosive launch when it first came out. And Mediatonic’s own Edwin Jones promises to chat about not only how they managed their successful launch, but also how they scaled Fall Guys over the last few years to host millions of players worldwide.
Image source: Fall Guys
This session will be a great insight for any multiplayer studio or developer looking to review their internal processes and setup. We can’t wait to see what secrets lie behind Mediatonic’s success.
Come chat to us at Develop:Brighton
Our team are making their way down again for this year. So if you fancy debating about the topics above, ranting about some of your favourite games, or getting serious and talking about servers, then pop in a time with us here. We’d love to catch up.
See you there.