IDG World Expo, the firm that owns the Macworld Conference and Expo, has announced that the upcoming San Francisco show will include a Macintosh Games Pavilion. The company promises that the area "will provide the yearis first look at the best new games coming to the Mac in 2005." The pavillion will be located on the Macworld exhibit floor, and exhibitors include Aspyr Media, MacSoft, Freeverse and Ambrosia Software.
In addition to the exhibits, the Games Pavilion will feature a wide selection of games showcased in G5-equipped arcade. Titles include Doom 3, World of Warcraft, Myst IV, Call of Duty: United Offensive, Rise of Nations, Halo, and Unreal Tournament 2004. The Pavillion will also house a PowerMac G5-based tournament area for multiplayer gaming.
For creative professionals interested in getting started in the game industry, Macworld Conference & Expo features a one-day tutorial on Tuesday, January 11. The tutorial will be presented by Jeannie Novack, Founder & CEO of Indiespace. The workshop is designed to teach about the structure of the game industry, including its history, market demographics,?various platforms and genres. It will also cover aspect of game design, including storytelling, character development, gameplay, audio, and level and interface design. Finally, the program will include topics in the business of making games, including development team roles, phases in the game development process, marketing, entrepreneurship, and portfolio preparation.
IDG points out that the game industryis worldwide revenue exceeds $30 billion per year, and has surpassed film box office and music concert revenues in the U.S.
As always, TMO will be out in full force covering Macworld, which begins with Steve Jobsis keynote address on Tuesday, January 11, 2005.