I had the privilege of attending the DICE Summit in late February in Las Vegas for the first time. It is a somewhat exclusive event for high-rollers hosted by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS).

I was curious as to what the vibe was going to be like.Surprisingly, folks were quite upbeat. One agent, repping AAA titles/developers, said that they are still insanely busy meeting the demands of the publishers. Hinting that there will always be a demand for top quality games and talent. Nice. Though, EA’s CEO John Riccitiello gave a somewhat sobering talk on tactics for tough times. Wow, he looked tired up on stage (see photo below)…

In fact, it seemed like it was business as usual for most attendees. Doing deals, lining up content, etc. Several stated that the current tough economy was serving as a good excuse for companies to trim fat/waste. Others noted that the massive profits from past years mainly just hid all the inefficient processes and bad decisions of the past. Meaning, business is still good, but we need to be a lot smarter about it now.

Despite the overall business as usual vibe, there were a few heretics discussing new models and approaches to the business. Gabe Newell’s opening keynote on Valve’s move to a service model of entertainment was particularly enlightening and inspiring. Gabe easily demonstrated the benefit of taking a more proactive - and direct - role in engaging with your customers instead of relying on intermediaries. Industry veteran/guru David Perry also had a lot to say about the move away from single-player games as the norm and the future of the free-2-play model.

The awards portion of the event was fun. I got to be a presenter and see things in action behind the scenes. Jay Mohr was hilarious, though perhaps not always appropriate/respectful at times…

Anyway, some photos:


AIAS president Joseph Olin kicks off the conference.

 


Tom Wudjek (Autodesk) attempts to visually capture the “visual fight club” discussion.

 


Gabe Newell (Valve) showing off his impressive curves!

 


Torpex dudes Jamie Fristrom, Bill Dugan and Richard Garfield endure the chilly opening party.

 


Jun Takeuchi (Capcom) explores the challenge of cross-cultural games.

 


As a non-game industry speaker, Randy Jackson’s perspectives on building communities (real ones!) was fascinating.

 


A tired looking Riccitiello.

 


Into the Pixel art up for auction.

 


Fresh from space travel, Richard Garriott chats with Daniel Arey and David Perry on their way to the red carpet.

 


Epi’s dapper dua Cliff B. and Mike Capps.

 


Behind stage at the awards ceremony, queuing up for my turn to present the visual arts awards.

 


Bruce Shelly inducted into the Hall of Fame.

 


Todd Howard (Bethesda) claiming best RPG for Fallout 3.

 


Alex Evans (Media Molecule) collects 8! trophies for LittleBigPlanet awesomeness. Kudos.