Dr. Daniel Livingstone lectures in Computer Game Technology at the University of the West of Scotland, a core member of the team that prepared the university’s successful preparations for Skillset accreditation. Daniel is an active researcher, currently focussing on games-based learning, virtual worlds and educational technology – but with a background in Artificial Intelligence. Daniel’s publications include the co-authored volume “Biologically Inspired Artificial Intelligence for Computer Games” and the recently released co-edited volume “Researching Learning in Virtual Worlds” from Springer.

Daniel’s Learning Games blog can be found at http://lg.dlivingstone.com/

Carol Clark is a producer for Realtime Worlds. She studied information management before going on to employment at the University of Abertay Dundee, where she was further trained in project management. After working in the field for Scotland Online, Carol made the jump to the games industry, fulfilling her main passion to start producing video games. Following an initial year at Cohort Studios, she made her way to reputed Scottish development studio Realtime Worlds.

Saint John Walker is the Computer Games, Animation and Facilities manager at Skillset, the sector skills council for the creative media industries. Main recent projects include the acceleration of Skillset’s Computer Games accreditation programme to nine courses, and with his other hat on (Animation) a new Visual Effects skills programme.

Saint has been brokering new animation and computer games talent at the interface of education and industry for over twelve years, and joined Skillset from FDMX, the Film and Digital Media Exchange, where he was a founding member of ‘Games Eden’ (www.gameseden.org) the East of England’s games business networking organisation.

Saint was nominated for the Times Higher Education Awards in the Widening Participation category for 2007 and has been an external examiner for MA courses at two Skillset academies, the University of Wales (MA Animation) and University of Hertfordshire (MA Film and Media).

Maria N. Stukoff, Academic Partnership Manager, SCE Europe, manages SCEE’s academic programme and is responsible for driving PlayStations new talent initiatives through student programmes, competitions and industry partnerships.

Maria was the driving force behind the former NW game development network The Game Alliance Ltd. having worked closely with local game developers to promote the industry and in establishing links with education
She has 16 years experience working across the creative industries in concept development, interactive design and digital production, with a keen interests in mobile technology and interactive media.

Most recently Maria completed her PhD designing a large outdoor game employing mobile and wireless networking technology in collaboration the BBC Big Screen, Liverpool.

Grant Clarke is a lecturer in the Institute of Art, Media and Computer Games at the University of Abertay Dundee with a fifteen year history of working in videogames development for companies such as DMA Design, Codemasters and Electronic Arts.

David Brockbank has been teaching in Further Education for 30 years, and has been an external verifier for Edexcel for the last six years. He currently works for the Northern Regional College in Northern Ireland and is the course director for the BTec National Diploma in Creative Media Production (Games Development).

He has worked for Edexcel as a Unit writer for both Level 2 and Level 3 Diplomas, developing the new units for the computer games pathway in association with Eidos Wimbledon (now Square Enix) and their associated studios. As part of a staff development project he worked with Games Publisher Eidos Wimbledon as an Associate Producer, working on PC and Xbox Live Casual and Mobile Games such as Tomb Raider Legend, the first 3D Mobile version of the franchise.

He is currently writing units for the new HND in Computer Game Animation and Computer Game Design for Edexcel, hopefully to be released for first teaching in September 2010.

Nish Patel is the CEO of ConceptShare Inc., providers of the world’s leading collaboration solution for creative industries. He previously has founded a number of technology companies and taken on executive roles at fast-growth organizations in Canada and the USA. With a passion for winning by “making our customers and partners successful” you can often find Nish on a plane or train on his way to meet with and listen to the needs of some of the world’s top game studios, advertising agencies and digital media schools.

Stay tuned for speaker announcements and ticketing updates; we have some exciting speakers to announce and will also be offering discounts to TIGA and IGDA members.