J.J. Abrams, Hollywood film director renowned for Cloverfield and the upcoming Star Trek Into Darkness, will be giving the keynote presentation at the D.I.C.E. Summit in Las Vegas on 6 February 2013, alongside Valve supremo Gabe Newell, the brains behind the Half-Life video game series.
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Science‘s prestigious gathering is focused on promoting and celebrating entertainment and creative culture in “our rapidly changing global theatre” and with Abrams and Newell spearheading this year’s soirée, the message should prove to be an interesting one.
The D.I.C.E. press release stated that “the two industry legends will meet in Las Vegas for a unique session titled, ‘Storytelling Across Platforms: Who Benefits Most, the Audience or the Player?’” which should be a fascinating discussion, especially as the press release also claims “each year, the D.I.C.E. Summit sets the tone for the year ahead in games and adding J.J. and Gabe’s shared insights is a natural fit as we see all forms of entertainment converge.”
This will be the 12th anniversary of the conference founded on the principles of “Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain”, which sees industry heads from across the interactive entertainment industry network and share ideas. The 16th DICE Awards as advertised in the above video will take place on the following evening of the 7th .
As much as it will be a celebration, it may also be that – more than ever before – eyes from beyond industry will be watching with interest, as the moral and cultural influence of video gaming continues to be under increasing scrutiny in the wake of last year’s Sandy Hook shootings.
No doubt, how that attention might be handled and addressed will be as influential as the creative inspiration.
