SXSW ScreenBurn continues to grow with its own gaming campus this year at the Palmer Events Center. There will be game-related panels and speakers both at the Palmer and at other SXSW Interactive campuses. Interactive Campus Shuttles are available for SXSW registrants to get to and from the Palmer and other campuses. Purchase an Interactive, Gold or Platinum badge to attend.

Read more about our panels by visiting the ScreenBurn Blog.

SXSW ScreenBurn is sponsored by Alienware.

ScreenBurn Panels at Palmer Events Center: March 9-11

Saturday, March 10

11:00 | Journalists Discuss the Future of Games

Jamin Warren (KillScreen), Ross Miller (The Verge), Morgan Webb (X-Play), Matt Buchanan (BuzzFeed), N’Gai Croal (Hit Detection)

We've gathered the brightest and most opinionated minds from The Verge, G4’s X-Play, KillScreen and BuzzFeed’s new tech site to discuss emerging topics in video game development. Topics will include: how mobile/tablet could kill consoles, connectivity across all gaming platforms, movement-based interfaces, adaptable AI, games in education and game devices as cross-over consumer products untethered from consoles.

11:00 | Future of Game Development on Multiple Platforms

Michael Ritter, Colin Digiaro, Chris Dewolfe (Mindjolt)

This panel will be for all those developers and studios out there with great content but who need help getting their content discovered and monetized. You can hear it first hand from developers and publishers who, on a daily basis, review, monetize and market games across multiple platforms including Android, iOS and Facebook. This session is sponsored by Social Gaming Network.

12:30 | Alternative Funding for Game Development

Michael Shirley (National Endowment for the Humanities), Kellee Santiago (Indie Fund / thatgamecompany), Cindy Au (Kickstarter), Ted Regulski (Sony Computer Entertainment America), Matthew Kozlov (Moonshark, Inc.)

Independent game development is stronger than ever and this panel will highlight alternative sources of funding that are not dependent on the traditional publisher funding model. This informative panel will walk through examples of successful projects funded.

12:30 | Cloudy with a Chance of Gaming

Megan Wohlford (Rackspace), George Miranda (Electronic Arts), Ari Levy (Bloomberg News), Allan Leinwand (Zynga)

Over 25 years ago, Super Mario was the only one who could say he was gaming in the cloud, stomping Goombas, eating mushrooms and occasionally using extraordinary leaping skills to jump from cloud to cloud in search of Princess Peach Toadstool. Fast-forward to today and come hear from Zynga, EA Games and RightScale on how they are also gaming in the cloud.

3:30 | Live the Game: A Lifestyle with a Gaming Sense

Peter Swearengen, Tish Shute (Stupid Fun Club)

Swearengen and Shute, Producer/Designers of Stupid Fun Club Inc, will explore the cross pollination of games with life. They will talk about the intersection of transmedia experiences, personal gaming and social connectivity and explore how the next generation of mobile, local, social and lifestyle apps will create opportunities to experience life with a gaming sense.

3:30 | Bridge the Gap Between Casual vs. Hardcore Games

Jack Buser (PlayStation Home / Sony Computer Entertainment America), Scott Rohde (Sony Worldwide Studios)

Learn how developers are utilizing platforms such as PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Network to find a balance by creating both casual games with hardcore elements as well as hardcore games with social connectivities. PlayStation will also discuss why developers are turning to a platform like PlayStation Home to create more hardcore games.

5:00 | Surviving the Night: An International ARG Tell All

Brandon Schmittling (Cluster Media), Sam Lavigne (Situate), Sean Mahan (SFZero), Thomas Lotze (Grockit), Markus Hametner (Fin.io)

Each year thousands participate in the ARG "Journey to the End of the Night", a free, non-sponsored, community-supported race through cities. Based on SFZero's model of collaborative gaming, Journey has grown into an international phenomenon and continues to fascinate new players year after year. This panel unites game organizers to discuss the motivation, planning and concepts behind each event.

5:00 | Games 4 Change: Great Power, Great Responsibility

Asi Burak (Games for Change)

Burak will make an impassioned case for using digital games for social impact and learning, with an overview of the latest trends, core challenges and success stories from around the world. Attendees will learn about the field at large and how Games for Change succeeds in engaging supporters such as former VP Al Gore and Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Sunday, March 11

11:00 | Unpacking the Myth of the Intuitive

Matt Boch (Harmonix Music Systems)

Over the past few decades, QWERTY keyboards gave way to an incredible diversity of interfaces. These devices are regarded as "natural" or "intuitive", but this marketing-speak is insulting to users; if they don't get it, are they "unnatural" or stupid? Using case studies from Engelbart, Miyamoto, Dance Central, Boch will arrive at a new set of goals for interfaces.

11:00 | User Research: Lessons from Borderlands

Matthew Armstrong (Gearbox Software), Stephanie Puri (Gearbox Software)

User research was vital to the success of Borderlands. Puri (User Research Manager) and Armstrong (Creator/Designer/Director of Borderlands) share concrete examples from the development of Borderlands that demonstrate how anyone with a need for information and some creative thinking can get the feedback they need with the resources they have.

12.30 | Indie Games, Indie Film - DejaVu

Phil Fish (FEZ), Adam Saltzman (Canabalt), Wiley Wiggins (Dazed and Confused, Thunderbeam), Lisanne Pajot (Indie Game: The Movie), James Swirsky (Indie Game: The Movie)

Nearly two decades ago, independent film ushered in a wave of new voices, new stories and a new way of looking at the industry. Fast forward to present day and independent games are reinvigorating an industry in the same way. The parallels between these respective moments in time are quite strong. In an age of online distribution and accessible technology, the independent artist of today would seem to have quite a bit more weighted in their favour ... or do they?

12:30 | eSports: Enabling Gaming as a Profession

David Ting (IGN Entertainment), Jung Won Chae (GOMTV Korea), Kevin Lin (TwitchTV)

There is no question in our minds that eSports is the next major sport that will be followed by millions of people. Gone are the physical requirements to become an athlete – mental agility and strategic thinking are the ruling attributes of the virtual world. Panelists will look at why and how eSports can become the next major Internet phenomenon and create a new class of sports celebrity.

3:30 | The Power of Contemplative Play

Ben Cerveny (Bloom), Robin Hunicke (thatgamecompany), Justin Hall (ngmoco:))

Let's forget about "gamification" for a second and look at where unstructured play can take us in digital experiences. The networked entertainment system, already the site of much of the culture around gaming, is branching out to offer all sorts of different media experiences. How can play help make sense of this new landscape?

3:30 | Video Games: The Supreme Court and What’s Next

Michael Gallagher (Entertainment Software Association)

A recent landmark victory before the Supreme Court in the case of Brown v. EMA/ESA affirmed that free speech protections apply to video games as they do to other forms of creative expression. Entertainment Software Association President and CEO, Michael Gallagher, will discuss what the Supreme Court decision means for video games and artistic expression and what is next for this industry.

5:00 | Social, Mobile, Location-Based Games

Mike Ouye and Pete Hawley (Red Robot Labs), Andrew Hsu (Airy Labs), Gregory Trefry (Gigantic Mechanic), Heather Sorensen (Plugged In PR)

There is a lot of buzz around the intersection of social, mobile and video games. On this panel, mobile game developers will talk about creating truly social games in the challenging geolocation and educational arenas. They will discuss how they built their companies and platforms and what design hurdles they need to overcome to attract today’s mobile gamer.

5:00 | Taking a RISK: From Board Game to Facebook

Spencer Brooks (Electronic Arts), Brad Graeber and Megan Kluck (Powerhouse Animation Studios)

Panelists will explore some of the current issues facing game production through a case study of EA’s Risk: Factions. This panel will address some of the perceived differences between console games and social games and will attempt to answer questions about the future of social games in regards to Flash-based production methods.

Gaming Panels at other SXSW Interactive campuses: March 9-13

Friday, March 9

3:30 | Gamify and Socialize: Beyond the Buzzwords

Bing Gordon (Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers)

Gordon knows how to spread magic dust: Look anywhere from Amazon to Zynga. A master of disruption, he's blessed with 20/20 vision into all things gaming and social. Go beyond the buzzwords as BusinessWeek's Brad Stone probes his razor-sharp mind and famous wit to understand why gamification and socialization have moved into the mainstream - and into our bloodstream. Featured Sessions (Austin Convention Center).

5:00 | A Crash Course in Becoming SuperBetter

Jane McGonigal (SuperBetter)

In 2009, a mild traumatic brain injury changed the way that game designer Jane McGonigal thought about everything - literally. You'll hear about the game's first clinical trials, and get a crash course in getting SuperBetter yourself: Find out how to turn weak social ties into allies.Featured Sessions (Austin Convention Center).

5:00 | Why Happiness is the New Currency

Brian Wong (Kiip)

Moments of joy... moments of happiness. One fundamental key part of how the web has evolved has involved emotion. We no longer engage in actions; we "like". What's even more obvious is what we're supposed to feel. In this session we'll hear from companies in the mobile and web space that have harnessed emotional power to drive their businesses with the currency of happiness. Featured Sessions (Austin Convention Center).

Saturday, March 10

11:00 | Fight Back Against Hack: Protecting Consumer

Brian Parlotto (InComm)

The convenience of digital content such as online games has spurred the growth of online purchases, but the protection of financial information is a chief concern for consumers and should be for developers. Brian Parlotto, SVP of gift card and digital content at InComm, will discuss the best practices for game developers to protect consumers from fraud, build loyalty and drive market growth. Emerging (Hilton Austin Downtown).

12:30 | Building Great Games in HTML5

Erik Möller (Opera Software)

This is the story of how a Win/Mac/iOS game was ported from C++ to HTML5, making it run on desktop, mobile and even TV browsers. Challenges encountered and lessons learned will be shared and hopefully the discussion will make the process easier for anyone else building games in HTML5. The panel will also talk about a new exciting open source project allowing you to leverage WebGL and COLLADA in your 3D games. Workshops (Radisson Town Lake).

5:00 | Mobile Games: The Secret Sauce Is Social

Eiji Araki (GREE International)

Smartphone growth in America is ushering in next generation mobile gaming that is social at its core. Araki, with 5 years experience in social gaming, will discuss key user behavior and game mechanisms. The discussion will focus on 3 essential parts of a game: user acquisition, engagement, and monetization in the context of both game design and social design. Emerging (Hilton Austin Downtown).

5:00 | Rethinking Gaming Addiction in Psychotherapy

Mike Langlois (Harvard Medical School)

When gaming or technology is mentioned at all in therapy, it is usually only as an addiction or liability, never as a powerful innovation. But psychotherapy has passed the point where learning about technology is negotiable. This workshop aims to critique the idea of gaming as addiction & further, discuss how understanding and using video games may improve therapeutic outcomes. Better Tomorrow (Austin Convention Center).

Sunday, March 11

9:30 | Can Gaming Make the World Better?

Samantha Skey (RecycleBank), Gabe Zichermann (Gamification Co.), Jen Groff (Learning Games Network), Adam Bosworth (Keas), George Weiner (dosomething.org)

Let’s face it—games make our lives more fun, but can they also make a positive impact on the world? Over the past year we’ve seen an influx of start-ups and organizations using gaming mechanics and incentives to engage, educate, motivate and make a measurable impact. In this discussion, panelists will discuss if gaming for good can actually drive large-scale change. Better Tomorrow (Austin Convention Center).

9:30 | Fixing Broke(n) Governments Through Serious Games

Luke Hohmann (The Innovation Games Company)

In January 2011, more than one hundred San Jose, CA citizens prioritized critical budget issues using a variation of the Innovation Game® Buy a Feature. Sponsored by the Mayor, the Budget Games engaged and informed citizens as they negotiated complex budget issues. Attendees will learn to conduct Budget Games based on this model, along with learning why games are better than alternatives such as traditional polling. Government and Global Issues (AT&T Conference Hotel).

Monday, March 12

11:00 | Designing Games for Documentary

Susana Ruiz and Peter Brinson (USC), Tony Walsh (Phantom Compass), Ashley York (Take Action Games), Cindy Poremba (Kokoromi)

We've drawn together a group of the most well respected and active designers in the field to guide participants through the process of designing games for documentary that people actually want to play. Let's share early ideas, initial concepts, and works-in-progress as we go through the process of evaluating and developing documentary or non-fiction video games. Convergence (Austin Convention Center).

11:00 | This Spartan Life: Frag Me Gently

Josephine Dorado and Chris Burke (This Spartan Life)

Acclaimed "talk show in game space," This Spartan Life will conduct live interviews "under fire" in the game Halo. Described by Wired Magazine as "a mash-up of The Charlie Rose Show & Doom," TSL combines engaging interviews with the frag-fest of video games. Dodging virtual bullets in the mixed reality of SXSW and Halo, panelists will discuss the extension of game culture, filmmaking and the importance of play. Culture, Science and Play (Driskill Hotel).

11:00 | Play Time?: Kids and Game-Based Learning

Drew Davidson (Carnegie Mellon University), Sara DeWitt (PBS KIDS Interactive)

There is talk about the promise of games in education, but has anyone proven educational outcomes from informal gaming? Panelists will share effective gameplay mechanics for teaching kids, discuss how challenges and rewards influence outcomes, and present theories for skill-scaffolding. Learning and well-designed games share important traits for motivation – like fun, frustration, failure and flow. Health and Education (AT&T Conference Hotel).

12:00 | Integrate the Best of the East into Social Gaming

Charles Park (Gaia Interactive)

Park, co-founder of Gaia Interactive, will break down how the social gaming market is growing and maturing, and how companies can develop the right combination of game dynamics to attract the universal 'social gamer. Gaia Interactive has partnered with top gaming producers around the globe to create mobile and social games. Late Break and Future15 (Hyatt Regency Austin).

5:00 | Don't Shoot the Player While They're Learning

Katie Salen (Institute of Play / DePaul University)

Game designers deal daily in the currency of transformation of places, practices and perspectives. This talk will delve into a set of tasty truisms gleaned from professional game designers about what happens to the transformative potential of play when approached from the perspective of learning. What they have to say will both surprise and inform. Featured Sessions (Austin Convention Center).

5:00 | Move to Get Moved: Better Living with Motion Sensors

Katherine Isbister (NYU-Poly / NYU), Matt Parker (Lumalus Inc), Syed Salahuddin (Babycastles), Diane Tucker (USC's Creative Media and Behavioral Health Center)

All major game consoles and most smart phones now have movement sensors and cameras capable of motion detection are everywhere in our daily lives. This panel will show and discuss examples of playful movement-based experiences on a range of platforms that take on challenges such as reducing math anxiety, building trust and connection, and making login so pleasurable we want to do it often. Late Break (Hyatt Regency Austin).

Tuesday, March 13

9:30 | What Left 4 Dead Can Teach Us About Kids Games

Carla Fisher and Anne Richards (No Crusts Interactive)

Children have unique cognitive and physical developmental needs that can be challenging for game designers. Explore age-by-age developmentally appropriate game ideas and mechanics as well as learn to draw inspiration for new ideas from your favorite general audience games, including Left 4 Dead, FourSquare and Plants vs Zombies. Design and Development (Austin Convention Center).

9:30 | Gaming Tools Kids Want to Use

Ward Tisdale (AMD), Alexander Repenning (University of Colorado), David Gerding (Columbia College Chicago), Virginia McArthur (Zynga ), Tamara Hudgins (Girlstart)

What kids like to use for game development may surprise you. Come hear what they like, why the like it and how new tools need to be built to meet the demands of future game developers. Join a conversation about authorship, identity, creativity, and the tools kids really use for developing serious and social games. Gain insight on elements of game tools that kids would use - if they existed! Health and Education (AT&T Conference Hotel).

12:30 | Leveling Up: The Advance of Chinese Online Games

Lisa Cosmas Hanson (Niko Partners)

Come hear Hanson, Managing Partner of Niko Partners, The Leader in Asian Video Game Market Intelligence, discuss the innovation, excellence and possible points of weakness of the leading Chinese online game operators as they embark upon the quest of taking their talents to the rest of the world. Government and Global Issues (AT&T Conference Hotel).

3:30 | Bringing the Box Office to Players: Ads in Gaming

Manny Anekal (Zynga)

Social games always face the challenge of engaging players in a meaningful way without annoying them or detracting from the online experience. In this panel, Anekal will draw on his experience of creatively integrating online ads in social games and discuss practical ways that brands have turned to social gaming to develop immersive campaigns - and the serious risks of doing it wrong. Branding and Marketing (InterContinental Stephen F. Austin).

5:00 | Let’s Play: Motivate Healthy Behavior Using Games

LeslieSaxon (USC Division of Cardiovascular Medicine), Michael Fergusson (Ayogo Games), Adam Penenberg (Fast Company Magazine), Noreen Kamal (University of British Columbia MAGIC lab)

When it comes to health and wellness programs, patient engagement is often the coveted yet elusive brass ring. So how could something seemingly trivial like games improve patient engagement and consequently, health care outcomes? Explore how health is social and how playing games with others can keep us engaged and motivated when it comes to changing our behavior in positive ways. Health and Education (AT&T Conference Hotel).

Top photo by Stephanie Schultz