The finishing touches are being put on the annual SIGGRAPH computer graphics and interactive techniques conference/exhibition, which will take place this year at the Los Angeles Convention Center August 5-9. The most recent announcement names Jane McGonigal, director of game research and development at the Institute for the Future (IFTF) as keynote speaker for the 2012 confab. McGonigal’s research at the Institute focuses on how games are transforming the way we lead our real lives, and how they can be used to increase our well-being.
“Jane McGonigal is an ideal keynote for SIGGRAPH 2012 as the perfect illustration of this year’s conference theme, “ said conference chair Rebecca Strzelec of Penn State Altoona. “Her vision, vocation and world-renowned accomplishments truly embody the collision, juxtaposition and interaction of art and science.”
McGonigal, who currently serves as CCO for SuperBetter Labs, is a visionary game designer and futurist, using alternative reality games to conduct research, build communities, connect with markets and solve real-world problems from curing disease to addressing issues of poverty, hunger and oil dependency. She has created and deployed award-winning games in over 30 countries and directed the world’s first massively multiplayer forecasting game, Superstruct, which brought together more than 7,000 future forecasters from 90 countries.
In addition, McGonigal is the author of the New York Times best-seller Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World. She has been named as one of 10 scientist with the best vision for the future by NYT; earned honors from Harvard Business Review for one of the Top 20 Breakthrough Ideas of 2008; named one of the Top 10 Innovators to Watch by Business Week; and one of the 100 Most Creative People in business by Fast Company.
