Cambridge, MA. On Thursday, March 10th, 2011 the 3rd annual MIT Sloan Business in Gaming Conference (MIT BiG) will take place at The Seaport Hotel in Boston. This year’s conference will feature a full day of panel discussions and keynotes with speakers from Blizzard, Capcom, Turbine, Harmonix, Rockstar Games and other leading game companies. MIT BiG brings together video game industry professionals, local entrepreneurs and leading Boston area students and MBA candidates to address the challenges and opportunities facing the industry now and into the future. Insightful talks and presentations from panelists and keynote speakers will be featured throughout the day. Opportunities to associate with various industry stakeholders will be ample for all attendees.

Richard Bartle, famous for co-writing the original Multi-User-Dungeon (MUD) and recent recipient of the prestigious Game Developers Choice award for Online Gaming Legend will be delivering the first keynote address of the conference. A second keynote will be delivered by Nikolaus Davidson, Design Director at Gazillion. Nikolaus has over eight years experience in online game development, having launched and nurtured multiple successful massively multiplayer online (MMO) games.

Tickets for the event are on sale beginning February 3, 2011. Early Bird Discount registration for MIT BiG ends February 28, 2011. This event is expected to sell out!

“Now in its third year, The MIT Business in Gaming Conference is quickly becoming the premier conference to discuss the business side of the video game industry.” Said Co-President Joy Koh. “We are proud of our talented line-up of speakers from AAA game studios, indie studios, and publishers and look forward to bringing all this incredible talent to Massachusetts for the conference.”

MIT BiG was started in 2009 by a group of MIT Sloan MBA students. Last year the conference expanded to include MBA students from Babson, Suffolk University, and Harvard Business School. The conference is organized by MBA students who have a passion for video games and are interested in learning about the business side of the industry.

For more information about the 2011 MIT BIG Conference, including speakers, sponsorship opportunities, venue details, and a business plan competition being hosted by Foley Hoag LLP, please visit our website.

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The 2011 MIT Sloan Business in Gaming Conference will kick off at 9am on Thursday, March 10, 2011. A light breakfast and coffee will be provided, as well as lunch and reception. We are excited to bring you eight great panels this year including:

* Rhythm, Motion and Immersion: How Technology is Changing Gaming

* Re-boot, Re-brand, Reach-Out: Marketing AAA Video Games

* Level Up. Have Social Games Overtaken Hardcore Games?

* Mass Effect 2: The New State of Gaming in MA

* The Bleeding Edge of Analytics in the Gaming Industry

* The Games Entrepreneurs Play

* Why So Serious, Games?

* Gaming On-the-Go

There will be a lunchtime and closing keynote featuring Richard Bartle and Nik Davidson. Following the closing keynote a reception will allow attendees to meet and discuss the day’s highlights.