Register www.profuturists.org. Registration Rates: $449 for APF members, $549 non-members $200 students Hotel: The Grand Bohemian Orlando APF Gathering Rate: $169/ night Play Games, simulations, and the future. From a Gathering to a gamified experience During a three day period, APF members will: Explore a combination of expert content, experiences and sharing. Engage in conversations on the best practices and pitfalls of using specific tools. Experience simulation and gaming through playful practice. Gameplan. Day 1, May 2 nd : (p.m.) The Serious Business of Play: Participants learn how to seriously play through serious play. Tricia Garwood Team Leader, Instruction & Curriculum for Disney Internships and Programs Day 2, May 3 rd : Simulation- Current and Future Applications: Attendees venture on field trips into simulation. Dr. Randall Shumaker Director, Institute of Simulation and Training Eileen Smith Director, E2i Creative Lab Michael Carney Associate Director, E2i Creative Lab Dr. Elaine Raybourn Research Scientist, Sandia National Labs Day 3, May 4 th : Game Theory and Application: Content experts share presentations related to game concepts and design. Participants then experience the hard work of game design in a hands on workshop. (p.m.) Simulacrum After Party: Players immerse in an interaction based futures experience. Mary Flanagan Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor in Digital Humanities, Dartmouth College Starr Long Video Game Designer
Play Agenda THURSDAY, MAY 2 EVENING SESSION OPENING SESSION: THE SERIOUS BUSINESS OF PLAY Trish Garwood, Team Leader, Instruction & Curriculum for Disney Internships and Programs, will moderate our opening session. She will help set the stage for our exploration of the serious side of games and simulations. The evening will also feature cocktails and fun. FRIDAY, MAY 3 SIMULATION CURRENT AND FUTURE APPLICATIONS MORNING SESSION The Institute of Simulation and Training (IST) at the University of Central Florida will host our morning sessions. Founded in 1982, the IST is one of the nation s leading research centers for simulation, training, modeling, virtual, augmented and mixed reality research for both defense and commercial applications. IST employs more than 260 full-time researchers, support personnel and student interns. Our speakers and moderators for the morning will include: Dr. Randall Shumaker, Director Institute of Simulation and Training Eileen Smith, Director E2i Creative Lab Michael Carney, Associate Director E2i Creative Lab The session will begin with a tour of the IST and introduction to the work being done in the various IST labs. This cutting edge research center will provide a backdrop as we learn more about the future of simulation in a wide range of applications. We will wrap up the session with a discussion on how foresight practitioners might employ these tools and techniques to enhance their current practice.
FRIDAY, MAY 3 SIMULATION CURRENT AND FUTURE APPLICATIONS AFTERNOON SESSION The afternoon session will take place at the Department of Defense s Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative Lab. Dr. Elaine Raybourn, Sandia National Labs, and her team will lead the afternoon session. They will introduce us to the research they are doing on the development of virtual personal learning assistants and the nature of learning in future environments. Dr. Raybourn will present the results of her research into learning in virtual environments and offer her forecasts for future developments in the field. The session will conclude with an open discussion exploring the future of simulation and virtual learning. SATURDAY, MAY 4 GAMES: THEORY AND APPLICATION MORNING SESSION Critical Play Mary Flanagan, Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor in Digital Humanities at Dartmouth College, will lead the morning session. The session will focus on the increasingly important role games are playing in social change efforts. This will provide the background for our consideration of the larger impact serious games might have in the future. AFTERNOON SESSION Game Design for Futurists Starr Long, Video Game Designer, will share his secrets of great game design and lead the afternoon workshop that will focus on the practical application of game theory to the work of foresight. This session is guaranteed to bring out the designer in all of us. CLOSING SESSION: SATURDAY EVENING EVENT The Simulacrum The closing event will be a one of a kind immersive experience that brings to life the theories and ideas that we have explored during the gathering. We promise it will be an APF event worth remembering.
Speaker Bios Michael Carney is the associate director and creative designer at E2i Creative Studio. He began his career at the Media Convergence Laboratory as an Undergraduate Researcher. Working with a team of peers he looked at the possibilities of interacting with an animated character on live TV. Under the mentorship of Christopher Stapleton, Michael has grown into a key component at the Lab. As production manager, his responsibilities range from managing the multiple projects, maintaining the lab facility and equipment, and mentoring students on production projects. Currently Michael is the production manager on many exciting projects that will educate, entertain and encourage people to look at their future with an inquisitive curiosity. He also works closely with student interns to cultivate their passions in whatever aspect of digital media excites them. Coming from the Midwest, Michael brings his sense of community, appreciation of nature, and a high level of creativity. He relishes the innovative atmosphere and imaginative energy present at UCF. With the attitude that anything is possible, Michael shares his enthusiasm for creativeness and collaboration with the MCL team and Student Interns. Michael has a B.S. in digital Media and a M.S. in Modeling and Simulation, from the University of Central Florida. Mary Flanagan is an award winning game designer and author of Critical Play: Radical Game Design (2009, MIT Press). Flanagan pushes the boundaries of medium and genre across writing, visual arts, and design to innovate in these fields with her 'critical play'-centered approach. She researches and creates games at Tiltfactor, the theory/practice laboratory she founded in 2003 directed at social change play. Tiltfactor uses an evidence based investigation uses values in game design, implementing psychological principles to change hearts and minds about public health, the commons, and biases and stereotypes. Flanagan with collaborator Helen Nissenbaum has broken ground by investigating how games can be redesigned to prioritize human values, proving that using humanist principles to shape software development and guide the design process is a means of innovation. Flanagan s work has been supported by commissions including The British Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the ACLS, and the National Science Foundation. She serves on the faculty of the Salzburg Global Seminar & the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy Academic Consortium on Games for Impact. Flanagan is the Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor in Digital Humanities at Dartmouth College. Tricia Garwood is a Team Leader, Instruction & Curriculum for Disney Internships and Programs. She is responsible for leading a team of instructors and facilitators in California and Florida, overseeing design of new content and acting as a thought partner to catalyze creative thinking. Previously a consultant based out of Philadelphia, she has been researching creativity and innovation and facilitating to academic and corporate audiences for over 25 years. Starr Long has been making videogames for twenty years, partnering with visionaries like Richard Garriott and Lane Merrifield. Starr started his career at the legendary studio Origin Systems, where he was the Director of Ultima Online, the longest running MMO in history. In 2010, UO was inducted into the Online Game Developers Conference Hall of Fame, the first MMO to be so honored. In 2000 Starr co-founded Destination Games with the Garriott brothers, and later that year it was acquired by NCsoft. In 2008 Starr was named one of the Top 20 Most Influential People in the Massively Multiplayer Online Industry by Beckett Massive Online Gamer Magazine. In 2009 he joined The Walt Disney Company as an Executive Producer, where he produced the Disney Parent App for Facebook, 8 mini-games in Club Penguin, Club Penguin mobile 1.0, 5 Educational Game apps for ios, and the Disney Connected Learning Platform.
Dr. Elaine Raybourn is a social scientist with a Ph.D. in Intercultural Communication and an emphasis in Human-Computer Interaction. Elaine s greatest passion involves designing transmedia learning campaigns for personalized, experiential learning, collaborative virtual environments, social-process simulations, and serious games that hone creativity, intercultural communication competence, and adaptability. As early as 2003-2004 she led the development of an award-winning Government game title, Adaptive Thinking & Leadership. Her team s work was identified by the Defense Science Board Summer Study on 21st Century Strategic Technology Vectors as critical capabilities and enabling technologies for the 21st century that show promise. She has worked on transmedia for training and education since 2010. Elaine was an ERCIM (European Consortium for Research in Informatics and Mathematics) fellow and has worked at research laboratories in the UK, Germany, and France. Elaine was on the advisory board for the Game Developers Conference (GDC) Serious Games Summit from 2004-2007, Defense GameTech Program Chair in 2011, and is currently an Integrated Project Team (IPT) member of the I/ITSEC Training Subcommittee and Serious Games Showcase & Challenge as well as on editorial boards of the international journals Interactive Technology and Smart Education, Journal of Game-based Learning, and Simulation & Gaming. Elaine is a recipient of the Department of the Army Award for Patriotic Civilian Service, awarded to her by the U.S. Army Special Forces. Currently Elaine is on assignment from Sandia National Labs to the Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative, Office of the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Readiness), where she leads research teams investigating Transmedia Learning, virtual environments, adaptability, and next generation learners interactions with future learning technology such as personalized assistants for learning (PAL). Randall Shumaker directs the operations of the Institute for Simulation & Training. Previously Superintendent, Information Technology Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, he brings considerable expertise in human-machine interface and artificial intelligence to the institute and UCF. His personal research interests include artificial intelligence, biomorphic computing methods, and advanced techniques for software development. As a former Presidential rank Senior Executive, US Voting Member in the NATO IST Panel, and frequent reviewer and advisor for military research programs he has significant insight into military and high consequence civilian applications of technology. He has had significant success in transitioning successful research from academia into government and industry. Shumaker is the author of more than fifty scientific publications and is a frequent speaker on a variety of technical topics. He has served as a reviewer for several professional publications and for federal agencies including DARPA, DDR&E, ONR, NASA, and ARL. He received a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Pennsylvania, is a Professional Engineer, and a Commercial Pilot, SEL, MEL, IA. Eileen Smith is a 30-year veteran of informal learning in theater and science centers. Prior to UCF, she was Vice President of Exhibits and Public Programs at the Orlando Science Center, creating interactive science exhibits and general public and youth programs. Prior to OSC, she was Executive Director of Great Explorations, The Hands On Museum in St. Petersburg, FL. Ms. Smith has lead the development of an Experiential Learning Initiative as part of the Media Convergence Laboratory at the University of Central Florida s Institute for Simulation and Training. This initiative is studying how dynamic digital technology can create a rich environment for learning, and allow learning to transcend the traditionally silo environments of the museum, the classroom and the home. Ms. Smith is an instructor in the School of Visual Arts and Design, charged with engaging students in the story process of digital media - expressing their creativity, and broadening their perspectives on interactivity.