(10 April 2006 2:00 pm)

MUMBAI: CMP Game Group, in the US which hosts the Game Developers Conference (GDC), turns the focus to in-game marketing with GDC Focus On: Game Advertising Summit, to be held on 9 June, 2006.

The event in San Francisco will gather players from both the video game and advertising sectors to explore the viability of the in-game advertising space.

The aim of the summit is to provide objective, real-time data and insights on the potential investment value garnered from in-game advertising campaigns. Representatives from all segments of the market who
drive this new marketing medium will come together to outline the opportunities and challenges inherent to in-game advertising and investigate the best ways of executing such campaigns.

CMP Media regional events director Neil Kent says, "Our new 'GDC Focus On' series will allow attendees to utilise GDC's vast resources to dissect the most topical issues the game industry is wrestling
with and provide a deeper analysis on key subjects.

"The Game Advertising Summit will examine the
realities of in-game advertising for both the video game and advertising communities. At the end of the day, both constituents will have a deeper
understanding of what this new medium has to offer and if it should be included in their future business plans."

DThere will be a keynote by Microsoft's Xbox New Media and Franchise Development GM Kevin Browne. He will address questions, including how to capture the opportunities in-game advertising offers while enhancing gamers' experience of the medium

A session of analysts, including representatives from Jupiterresearch, Bear Stearns, and Parks Associates, will look at facts and statistics that affect business decisions to implement in-game advertising

A panel of ad agency executives will explore the corporate inclination to use video games as a new medium for messaging. There will also be a developer briefing with Electronic Arts' executive producer Kudo Tsunoda

There will be a discussion on current experiences and expectations for the future, featuring a panel of publishers such as Midway's Director of In-Game
Ads and Promotions, Sarah McIlroy, Activision's senior director of business development, Dave Anderson, and THQ's director of global brand
management, Dave Miller.

One discussion at the event will aim to differentiate each network providers' solutions, including technical boundaries and why now is the time for in-game advertising. Attendees will also be offeerd a research perspective on the challenges and potential solutions for creating a universally accepted currency for in-game advertising.