Once considered “unhip” and “nerdy”, gaming has soared on the gust of innovation created by the ever-expanding web 2.0 bubble.

“Gaming is similar to writing, in that both are private, creative activities very different to watching films or reading books, which involve less input,” says
Play-write Lucy Prebble in a Telegraph article by Nick Collins.

Gaming has grabbed the attention of people all shapes and tech-savyness. From thrill seekers testing his or hers skills and strategic know-how to investors peering into the exploding trend with profitable intentions. The most appealing aspect of gaming is hard to explain if your not constantly reaching for your smart device, controller and/or mouse to play that next move or out-think your greatest nemesis!

For me, gaming is the grand stage in which I battle friends,family, and strangers by stretching my brain muscle on anything from Monopoly to Super Marios Brothers. Many gamers play a wide range of games on multiple platforms, but most associate themselves with a specific game or gaming type. I am a FPS, to the lamens that’s First Person Shooter. I found my gaming spirit over a decade ago in a game that truely rocked the world (at least rocked all us nerds sporting a coveted N64) called “Golden Eye”, a chapter of the James Bond spy series. I knew this type of gaming was special when my talent forced the neighborhood kids to play me 3-on-1. I use this example not to proudly boast my ultra-nerd persona but to demonstrate how contagious and addictive gaming can be. The gaming community is quite the niche environment where people participate in all sorts of games that specifically meet their personal entertainment and difficulty standards.

As you will read below, the gaming environment has grown so massive that predicting the future of this medium is difficult and a hapless effort for just one person to fathom. Listed below are my top 5 panels related to the future of gaming. Players and investors alike can benefit from the discussions starting on March 9th until closing talks on the night of the 13th.

1.
Cloudy with a Chance of Gaming March 10 @ 12:30
#SXCloudyWith

First up is a can’t miss event coined “Cloudy With a Chance of Gaming” with heavyweight speakers from cloud computing and the gaming world. This panel will be discussing a recent innovation called “Cloud Gaming” that has absorbed millions of users in the recent years. There will be no shortage of game-development expertise with from George Miranda of EA or Electronic Arts, one of the most succesful gaming companies of all time, and Allen Leinwand of Zynga, the web-gaming sensation stampeding through current gaming markets. On the other side of the discussion are cloud computing professionals Darryl Eaton of RightScale and Megan Wohlford of Rackspace to weigh in on the logistics of cloud gaming and much more.

2.
Can Gaming Make the World Better? March 11 @ 930am
#SXgame4good
Next up, I am very proud to present my “ultradochous” panel pick called “Can Gaming Make the World a Better Place?”. I for one feel a strong aclivity for any person or organization working to improve the world and not just to improve their bank account balance. George Weiner from Dosomething.org,
Gabe Zichermann from Gamification Co., Samantha Skey from RecycleBank, and others will be discussing the potential of gaming inacting large scale good by providing incentives to educate and motivate audiences. Come lend an ear and interact in what, for sure, will be a momentous occasion for gamers and philanthropists the same.

3.
Future of Game Development on Multiple Platforms March 10 @ 11am
#SXSGNSXSW
Most “Tech-ees” or Tech-Convention junkies will agree, this field innovates and updates so quickly that some subjects of conversation become out-dated while the conversation is still occurring. This is a little bit of an exaggeration, but the truth in the humor is technology moves so fast not a single person can stay completely up to date on everything a product or subject has to offer. ” Future of Game Development on Multiple Platforms” is a fantastic panel for those to catch the speeding technology train and stay (or try to) ahead of the development curve required to stay alive in the Technology environment. USA Today Tech Reporter Michael Snider and Chris Dewolfe and other froms SGN discuss how developers and game-publishing companies get their content discovered and derive profit.

4.
Boost Fundraising & Engagement with “Gamification”March 13 @ 3:30
#SXBoostFunds
There seems to be a phrase populating the air around progressive organizations that are looking for new ways to connect and generate funding through novel ventures; the word I’m talking about is “Gamification”. Before your mind strays into a fictional world involving Dr. Frankenstein and brand items, let me first say Gamification applies to corporate and non-profit organizations. Gamification involves connecting patrons with your organization on a whole new plane of marketing existence. This panel will be specifically discussing the Gamification benefits and process in order to equip noble non-profits and organizational fellows alike with a whole new arsenal of user-interaction and communication capabilities.

5.
Mobile Games: The Secret Sauce Is Social March 10 @ 5pm
#SXGREE
Last but certainly not least, a crucial discusion on social-media-aspect of mobile gaming. Eijia Araki of GREE International will be shedding light on a number of secrets about the link between the users and social gaming in which any related organizations can greatly prosper from. This is a solo panel will focus on essential parts of a game including user acquistion, engagement, and monetization among other subjects revealing the “secret sauce” of mobile gaming. GREE International is one of Japans most successful mobile game development firms and they can’t wait to tell you there secrets!

As you can see above, SXSWi is chock full of great gaming panels for all those who hold a connection with the medium. The future is bright for gaming, radiantly guiding the growth of interactive relationships between producers and consumers. I believe there are two interrelated reasons for the sudden exponential growth of gaming’s over the past 10 years:

1. Gaming accommodates a vast range of likes and entertaining value allowing millions of people to find their niche in the community (even if they are not proud of it)

2. The recent explosion of smart devices, internet availability and web applications connects dormant gamers to stimulating activities at a rate relative to the growth data transmission(a little exaggerated but not far off).

Whether your sipping energy drinks and pounding a keyboard for hours a day or shooting birds at pigs to pass the time in an elevator, millions upon millions of people commit acts of gaming everyday but few sit back and contemplate the greatness we posses at our finger tips; technologies that rival the sum total computing power all of NASA possesed when we landed on the moon. Imagine that for a second, the average smart device user holds similar if not greater computing power than ALL OF NASA back in 1969. Crazy.

Happy travels fellow gamers and creators, may your adventures be endless and your high-scores be unbroken.