About ScreenBurn at SXSW


Developers, artists, game enthusiasts, and industry leaders united Sunday afternoon for a battle of the minds at the ScreenBurn at SXSW Game Design Competition sponsored by USA Network. The competition for both categories was both heated and intense, creative and inspirational. While all of the finalists would make any game company proud with their imaginative and awe-inspiring creations, the judges and audience agreed upon two winners: Lance Myers in the Casual Game Design category for “Escape from Planet Zoo” and Patrick Cunningham in the AAA Game Design category for “Shadow Wars.”

This was simply amazing,” Myers said. “It’s surreal.”

I’m super stoked right now,” Cunningham said. “I’ve been trying to get into the video games industry and just having all these game companies come up to me with their cards is just a dream I’m living right.”

Nerds, geeks, and techies of varying shapes and sizes were in full force at ScreenBurn at SXSW's Dorkbot event last night, celebrating the art and slick stylings of being a dork – and that's a compliment of the highest regard. But how does one even begin to describe the inner workings of Dorkbot? Rodney Gibbs, CEO of Ricochet Labs and event organizer has you covered.

The ScreenBurn at SXSW Arcade has opened with a sweat-inducing fight to the finish! Well maybe not quite as brutal as attendees were expecting, but two companies are on hand to display their visions of the future right across from each other, eye to eye, in the heart of Exhibit 2 of the Austin Convention Center: Heatwave Interactive and Twist Education.



Heatwave Interactive brings the noise with their Facebook game Platinum Life," a rags-to-riches parable set in the hip-hop world where players decide if they want their in-game avatar to be the ultimate hero or the ultimate zero. Players choose from over 700 items to customize their character with, each granting specific points to several stats in the game that ultimately determines whether audiences love or hate you in rap battles against other artists. But if you're thinking this is just another game where style reigns over substance, brand manager Chris "Binky" Launius has some knowledge to drop on you.

ScreenBurn at SXSW knows that freebies and awesome “swag” can turn the tide of an event from being merely “meh” to an event being “AWESOME!” We favor the latter here at ScreenBurn, and while many of the industry panels and other events require SXSW Interactive Gold or Platinum passes, there are just as many that require only one thing: you!

That’s right, ScreenBurn at SXSW wants you to come experience all the wonderfully free social gatherings and industry events it has to offer. ScreenBurn at SXSW Arcade is held Friday, March 12 - Sunday, March 14, 2010 and is located on the first floor of the Austin Convention Center. This is your gateway into the world of the industry: what’s new, what’s hot, what are the next big things you absolutely have to take part in, and more! Once you’ve had your fill of free fun (how could you?), head on over to The Mohawk on March 12 for free fun of a different variety with “Visions,” a one-of-a-kind multimedia event combining cutting-edge, live, digital and traditional art performances from the top film, video game and classically trained artists in the art world.