GEEKEND 2009 invades Savannah in Nov.

For 3 days in Savannah, Georgia self-professed “Geeks” from all walks of life will descend upon the city to, as the organizers say, “get their geek on.” This happening, the GEEKEND 2009, will happen at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in historic downtown Savannah, Georgia, November 6-8, 2009.
The three-day interactive conference is the first of its kind for Savannah. Organizers view GEEKEND 2009 as a fun, interactive networking style meet-up that embraces all things Geek. GEEKEND will bring together geeks of all ages, whether they are iPhone obsessed, Facebook savvy students, gamera or experienced Blackberry wielding IT pros.

There will be three days of expert panels, presentations and a slate of nationally recognized keynote speakers. Keynote presentations include graphic design guru David Carson from Ray Gun Magazine, Major Nelson (Larry Hyrb) of Xbox LIVE along with an impressive roster of panelists and speakers from Disney, Behance, Sudjam, Rails Machine, Brandeis University, Savannah College of Art and Design, Music Intelligence Solutions and a wide variety of interactive and creative movers and shakers.

The first annual GEEKEND is presented by New Moon of Savannah, The Creative Coast Alliance, BFG Communications, Music Intelligence Solutions, Creative Seed Initiative and Refresh Savannah. For more information, visit geekend2009.com.

Game Developers eXchange: Don’t Miss It

The Game Developers eXchange, a unique event that is disseminating information in real-time via Twitter and streaming video, is happening right now and you need to know more about it. Sponsored by the Savannah College of Art and Design , the Game Developers eXchange has brought together game developers, educators and students with experts who are sharing their wisdom about the game industry.

This year (the event is in its fifth year) the Game Developers eXchange is focusing on a trio of important topics including game art that focuses on aesthetics; game design that focuses on rules, system design, prototyping and immersion; and the synergy of level design as it relates to game and art design.

Today’s speakers include Andrew Bains, senior level designer of the “Gears of War” series from Epic Games and art-game genius Jason Rohrer, who will serve as keynoters for the event. Also speaking will be Jason Arnone, art manager at Harmonix; Richard Dansky of Red Storm Entertainment; Mark Nelson of Big Huge Games; and Brenda Brathwaite, a game designer and professor of game development and interactive design at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Those interested in watching this unfold live can visit www.twitter.com/SCADdotEDU or watch it as it happens on scad.tv. Andrew Bains will give his presentation at 5 PM EST on SCAD TV.

For a full list of speakers, check out the GDX Speakers page.