Evergreen Events, the organizer of the 2011 LOGIN Conference, announced today that Ultima creator Richard Garriott will be the keynote speaker at the event. Garriott will be speaking on May 17, with a focus on how social gaming can be improved by learning from previous trends, including the rise of single-player titles in the '80s and the advent of MMO gaming in the 2000s.
“We are now in the midst of a new era of gaming, defined by cheap or free-to-play, virally spread, casually begun gameplay,” said Garriott. “Each grand era has grown the gaming market tenfold! Solo player games in the 80s and 90s sold to millions, MMOs are reaching to tens of millions; the gaming industry is dawning on — at long last — a truly global audience of both genders and all ages. What lessons of history are useful? What truly new challenges await us? What will casual online games look like in five years?”
“When it comes to all subject matters dealing with online game development, LOGIN clearly carved out a leadership position on the conference circuit. I’m looking forward to interacting with some of the most influential people in the games business in Seattle and in particular I’m interested in furthering the conversation about the future of social media online games,” he said.
In addition to creating and designing most of the Ultima series, Garriott was inducted in the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame in 2006. He is currently the vice president and creative director of social developer Portalarium, based in Austin, Texas.
"Richard is truly a visionary, not only in game development, but also in his goal for opening up space exploration to private citizens," stated Peter Freese, LOGIN Conference director. "I can't think of a more fitting and inspiring speaker to commemorate LOGIN's fifth annual conference. I'm thrilled to have him as our first keynote and can't wait to hear what insight and anecdotes he shares with attendees."
The 2011 LOGIN conference will be held May 16 to 18 in Bellevue, Washington.
