Animation Summit, a property of Ghost Gaming and produced by Skillshot Media, will debut on Thursday, May 23, 2024 to promote professional development and celebrate the growing animation industry in Georgia.
The Animation Summit will be hosted at Skillshot Media at Uptown Atlanta, in partnership with the all-ages Geek Culture Convention MomoCon beginning the following day at the Georgia World Congress Center.
Animation Summit gathers leaders and students from across the animation ecosystem including 2D and 3D animators, visual fx artists, voice actors, producers, marketers and animation studios and IP holders. Announced event partners to date include MomoCon, ASIFA-South, Trap Sushi, Georgia Entertainment, SCAD, Georgia State Creative Media Industries Institute, Women in Animation Atlanta Atlanta Collective, Georgia Game Developers Association, Atlanta Esports Alliance, MOBIUS, and Atlanta Digital World Summit.
In-person and virtual Animation Summit tickets are now available at https://www.animationsummit.live/tickets
ATLANTA — Games Week Georgia will encompass a week of activities and events to celebrate all aspects of the gaming and esports industry in Georgia, December 11-17, 2023.
“Gaming is quietly the largest segment of the $2 trillion global entertainment industry,” said Todd Harris, CEO of Skillshot Media. “Games Week Georgia celebrates the gaming and esports industry, bringing together gaming leaders and experts from around the world alongside a week of consumer events, culminating in one of North America's largest gaming festivals — DreamHack Atlanta.”
The week will kick off at the Plaza Theater (December 11) with a special screening (film to be announced) and gaming panel with leadership from the film, music and gaming industry in Georgia. GirlGamer Atlanta (December 13) will feature women’s teams competing in Rocket League with a chance to represent the USA at the international finals. The annual Esports Summit (December 14) will return for a full day’s programming punctuating the thriving esports industry in Georgia and beyond. A VIP Creative Industry Mixer event (Thursday evening) will host the who’s who of film, music, and gaming around the theme of gaming, esports and digital entertainment. The annual SIEGE conference (December 14- 17), is the largest professional game development conference in the South and will take place as part of DreamHack Atlanta. The week will culminate with the return of DreamHack Atlanta (December 15-17) for the ultimate weekend of everything gaming and esports under one roof. See full details below.
“Hosting DreamHack in Atlanta isn't just about creating an event for the local games community, it's also about building and showcasing the Georgia games industry,” said Guy Blomberg, Senior Director of DreamHack Festivals – Americas. “We want DreamHack and Georgia Games Week to be an important beat on the national and global game industry calendar. There's so much talent and opportunity here, and we want to make sure everyone knows about it.”
As global esports has exploded, Georgia (and Atlanta) is often called the nation’s esports capital by some enthusiasts, including the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). According to the GDEcD, digital entertainment is a $550 million industry in the state, responsible for more than 12,000 direct and indirect jobs.
“A lot of people don’t realize that digital entertainment — video gaming more specifically — makes more money than the film industry globally,” said Asante Bradford, Senior Industry Engagement Manager of GDEcD. “Here in Georgia we have worked hard to cultivate the gaming industry, and I am confident saying that it will grow and thrive exponentially as this industry continues to flourish in our state.”
“Georgia's game industry is booming. Thanks to the Entertainment Investment Act, we have gone from five game studios to more than 160, with over 20 colleges in the state offering game development programs,” said Andrew Greenberg, Director of the Southern Interactive Entertainment and Game Expo (SIEGE). “This has become a major Georgia industry, as well as one of our most popular social pastimes. Bringing all these forces together creates a week of great events not to be missed.”
PLAZA THEATRE | FILM SCREENING & GAMING PANEL | DEC 11
In collaboration with DreamHack Atlanta, the Plaza Theatre will offer a special film screening (film to be announced soon) and a panel featuring leaders from the film, music and gaming industry in Georgia. Event tickets include access to attend DreamHack Atlanta. More details to be announced.
GIRLGAMER ATLANTA | SKILLSHOT | DEC 13
Celebrating women's competitiveness in esports and engaging young women in STEM/STEAM. The top four professional teams will compete in Rocket League onsite. The winning team will represent the USA at the GirlGamer International Finals in 2024. A limited number of free tickets are available for students as part of school field trips. More details HERE.
ESPORTS SUMMIT | SKILLSHOT | DEC 14
The annual Esport Summit will take place, punctuating the thriving esports industry in Georgia and beyond. Esports Summit provides global business leaders and educators a comprehensive view of the entire esports ecosystem, including networking opportunities, presentations from industry leaders, and workshops with some of the largest names in the esports and scholastic esports industry. Esports Summit tickets include a 3-day pass to attend DreamHack Atlanta. More details HERE.
VIP CREATIVE INDUSTRY MIXER | SKILLSHOT | DEC 14 (evening)
The popular evening affair will host the who’s who of film, music, gaming and broadcast around the theme of gaming, esports and digital entertainment. Including directors, producers, and studio executives across film, gaming, music & esports, the invite-only gathering is also an opportunity to honor elected political leaders and government officials to recognize their role facilitating Georgia’s digital entertainment economy. More details to be announced.
SIEGE | GEORGIA WORLD CONGRESS CENTER | DEC 14-17
This year, the annual SIEGE conference will take place as part of DreamHack Atlanta. SIEGE is the largest professional game development conference in the South to learn about game art, audio, business, design, esports, programming, VR and more. The event will also include a college fair for high school students interested in the Gaming industry on Thursday, December 14. SIEGE tickets include access to DreamHack Atlanta. More details HERE.
DREAMHACK ATLANTA | GEORGIA WORLD CONGRESS CENTER | DEC 15-17
DreamHack is returning to Atlanta for the fifth edition of its immersive, gaming lifestyle experience where the community comes to life. The festival weekends feature everything gaming under one roof as attendees experience professional esports tournaments, amateur and varsity gaming tournaments, world-famous bring-your-own-computer (BYOC) LAN party, cosplay championship, panels, art, activities, expo, screenings, and more. Tickets are available now at dreamhack.com/atlanta/tickets. DreamHack’s world-spanning phenomenon this year included a number of festivals in several cities around the globe, including the upcoming DreamHack Atlanta in December. In addition, DreamHack has just announced it will return again next year in October 2024.
Media contacts:
Melissa Sanders | 404.909.6726 | Melissa@TadpoleComm.net
Em Fergusson | 478.960.8045 | Em@TadpoleComm.net
The road to the Collegiate Esports Commissioner’s Cup has begun and will culminate with a live event May 7-8, 2022 at Gateway Center Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Select partners include Barbasol, Neustreet, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, CTRL, Reveal Suits, Futures First Gaming, and HomeTown Ticketing.
All CECC ticket holders will automatically be entered to win one of the spectacular experiences, including access to the Big Football Game in Glendale, Arizona February 2023, Atlanta Hawks Opening Night 2022, or an All-Expenses Paid Trip to Hawaii. Ticket holders must be present at the event to win a prize.
Produced by CSMG, ESPORTSU, and Skillshot Media, tickets to CECC are available now at www.cecc.gg for $15 weekend packages or individual day passes for $10 each. Prices increase after May 1. For more information, visit https://www.esportsu.gg, and follow on Instagram and Twitter @CeccEvents.
The esports tournament will feature 64 schools and 480 esports athletes from across the country competing in Overwatch® (the Overwatch Collegiate Esports Commissioners Cup), Rocket League, Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, Valorant and NBA 2K. As various season playoffs and qualifier events continue across the nation, multiple participating conferences already include ECAC, NECC, NJCAAE, ECC and Peach Belt, among others. In all, up to twenty conferences will receive bids for their winning teams to be announced in the coming weeks during the CECC “Selection Show”.
“This event will feature the most diverse and inclusive list of endemic organizations, conference partners, schools and sponsors participating in the premiere event in the history of collegiate esports,” said Angela Bernhard Thomas, EVP of ESPORTSU at CSMG. “To have this many stakeholders who share a common vision for creating a framework for the growth and sustainability of collegiate esports programs and the industry as a whole points to the importance of this event.”
CECC serves as more of a homecoming celebration of gaming rather than a stand-alone esports tournament, and will give attendees a unique festival experience featuring food trucks, live music, a career fair, professional networking, a cosplay costume contest and interactive onsite activations. CECC provides collegiate esports athletes, fans and academic institutions an annual platform for competition, career opportunity, and community.
“What March was for college basketball, May is for college esports!”, said Todd Harris, CEO of Skillshot Media. “Collegiate Esports is on the rise in the eyes of the general public, game publishers, distribution networks, sponsors and pro-team owners, as well as the universities themselves. With this year’s CECC, the nation’s top collegiate esports programs come together to compete across the most popular games.”
There is arguably no entertainment medium as globally loved as video games. From the early days of arcade games to consoles, and the virtual games dominating today, video games have always held a special place in the entertainment sector.
The gaming industry is ever-growing and has undergone some remarkable changes since its inception. Arcade games were the first to gain popularity, but Sony’s PlayStation has taken the gaming industry to new heights since the advent of the PlayStation 1. The PlayStation series is now in its 4th installment and alongside other consoles like Xbox, and Nintendo, as well as PC, have helped bring the gaming world the latest trend: Esports.
The team behind NJgames made an infographic indicating that despite its recent surge in market value, Esports has been around since the 80s, but owes it’s recent success to advancements in internet and technology, with improved internet connectivity and online streaming helping the growth of the industry.
The rise of Esports’ popularity has coincided with the release of fan favorite gaming titles which have helped attract even more fans and investors to the gaming sector. The total Esports audience is set to exceed 550 million by 2021, and revenue is also set to triple between now and then.
If your child is a fan of video games, they have likely played or are aware of multiplayer games. These types of games allow friends and strangers from anywhere in the world (as long as they can get an internet connection) to play together in a single game — with countless other games happening at the same time. If your child is a fan of multiplayer online games, and you’re wondering how to keep them safe without stinting their fun, here’s what you need to know.
Start and continue the Tech Talk. Private information about your child should remain, well, private. Their gamer tag should not reveal their name, age, or gender. They should never reveal where they live or what school they go to. Email addresses, phone numbers, photos of their face, and gaming account passwords are also off-limits. Be sure that your child understands you are always available to step in if someone makes them feel uncomfortable while playing a game.
Stranger danger is still something you need to teach your kids but in a new way. Your child should understand that they should never accept an invitation to communicate with another gamer they do not know on a non-gaming platform or app. Remind your child that a stranger is ALWAYS a stranger, even when online interactions may make them seem familiar. In the online world, you never truly know who is behind the screen. Most importantly, your child should never, EVER agree to meet up with a stranger offline.
Even as the intensity builds in a game, always remind your child to communicate with respect and empathy towards fellow players.
Set and share family time limits for gaming. Help your child proactively plan how they game. Watch your child’s gaming habits not from the number of hours played but by behavioral characteristics like withdrawal, compulsion, lying and a shift of values.
Understand the content of each game, before your child starts playing, and decide if it is appropriate for your child. Due diligence should include reading game reviews that may alert you to potential risks of each game or gaming platform. Depending on the age of your gamer, you may want to consider enabling some parental control options. Review what parental controls are available, especially the ones that further your child’s privacy while playing, are available in-game and on the gaming console your child uses.
Know that there is no pause button in live, online gaming! Asking your child to end an online game before a match is completed is akin to walking off the field in the middle of a Friday night football game.
Understand all the ways that strangers could interact with your child as they game. Many online games are designed with built-in voice/video/chat functions. As a parent, have conversations with your child about what he or she may hear, see, or experience in the gaming world. Also, let them know when they need to alert you for help. If your child encounters an incident that needs to be reported, make sure you know how to report inappropriate behavior that occurs on platforms and in games. This can include harassment, hate speech, and toxic language.
Make sure you know who your child is playing with and regularly review the nature of the communications.
The best way to learn more about online gaming is to play a game or two with your kids. Plus, you can show them their gaming world is not an alternative to real life, it’s just one fun aspect of it! In playing games with your child, you can also better explain your concerns to your gamer and in turn, they may develop a deeper understanding and respect for the limits you establish. Before you know it, you may find yourself understanding your child’s love of gaming and establishing quality time to level up together.
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This article was contributed by Savvy Cyber Kids — a nonprofit organization providing free resources to help parents, grandparents, teachers, and students navigate today’s digital world with cyber safety and cyber ethics in mind. By day, Ben Halpert is the VP of Risk and Corporate Security at Ionic Security, Inc. By night, he champions cyber safety and cyber ethics education throughout society. Learn more about Savvy Cyber Kids on their website, and be sure to sign up for free material about internet and digital safety.
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