Roberts, Ian (Red Redemption, UK)

Topic: "Welcome to the big leagues: Turning a indie flash game into a commercial release"

Ian is the Creative Director on "Fate of the World" and Red Redemption and is one of the UK’s up and coming Creative Directors and Lead Game Designers having successfully designed both “Climate Challenge,” which debuted on the BBC’s web site BBC.com in 2007 and “Operation: Climate Control” which received its debut launch in July 2007 at Britain’s historic House of Commons. Ian is a native of Durham transplanted to Oxford with experience across a wide range of new media forms including award-winning video production and editing to 3D Graphics and website programming. These skills are combined with an in-depth background in media, film, literature and cultural research in the forms of academic study, writing, lectures and teaching. His “Guide to Media Editing” has been highly praised within the industry and is considered a classic resource. Ian is also credited with devising Red Redemption’s brand “Makes You Think.”

While acting as Lead Games Designer for Red Redemption, Inc, Ian has produced extensive web portals including the ClimateX.org for Oxford University, 3D art and web consultancy for “Dickens World” in Chatham, Kent and directed and edited academic multi-media presentation films for University College London. Ian has a BA in English from Oxford University and has acted as a games industry consultant for the UK Department of Trade and Industry.

Summary of presentation
Taking BBC Climate Challenge, a popular Flash game played by over a million developed by Red Redemption, that was designed for casual play in the lunch hour to Fate of the World a fully-fledge global strategy simulation game with over 40 hours of compelling gameplay and that features a full climate model was no easy task. Ian Roberts, Creative Director at Red Redemption will give you his unique perspective as he takes you behind the scenes access into how this was done. He will reveal the lessons learned and which things worked and which failed and how we took it to a global audience.