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DragonCon 2010: MMO track listing

It's time once again for our yearly invasion of Dragon*Con in Atlanta, Georgia! While, yes, we will have several members of our team covering everything going on at PAX, Dragon*Con offers us a chance to get involved with the community and give back some of the love we get during the year. (Oh yes, and some of the snark too.) Of course, it doesn't hurt that Dragon*Con is also an enormous 4-day long party for just about everything any geek would ever be interested in!

If you've been wondering what's going on this year with the MMO track, which we'll be back to help with for our fourth year straight, then join us after the break for this year's panel listing! Also, for those friends who haven't picked it up (or anyone curious), the online pocket guide to the overall con is available for download.


- Thursday night

5:30 PM

The Dragon*Con MMO Track Staff meetup/mob

Sheraton: Savannah 1
A pre-con tradition! While the first hour is undoubtedly boring for anyone who isn't staff (generally it's paperwork and last minute setup checks) after the initial flurry of work, the group tends to morph into a food-hunting mob. So if you're an MMOer LFG PST, feel free to join us! (Note: bringing cash for MARTA fares is advisable as we may leave the immediate area in search of noms.)



- Friday

10:00 - 11:00 AM

Kickoff Gathering & Coffee Roast

Sheraton: Savannah 1 & 2
Grab your coffee and come roast the last year's MMO shenanigans. This is the place to find out what new shenanigans are in store for this year. Also, a little turtle told us that fan favorite World of Warcraft machinimist, Brandon M. "Oxhorn" Dennis, will be dropping by to say hello.


11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

MMO Roundtable

Sheraton: Savannah 1 & 2
Join our panel of industry insiders from various game companies as we discuss wide-ranging topics on all things MMO.


1:00 - 2:00 PM

Star Wars Combine Q&A

Sheraton: Savannah 1 & 2
Star Wars Combine is a browser-based MMORPG designed and run by fans that has been around for a decade. Curious for more details on this unique permadeath MMO, or looking to meet up with some of the community? You won't want to miss this one, then.


1:00 - 2:00 PM

Kid friendly MMOs

Sheraton: Savannah 3
Last year we heard one request many, many times: offer a panel on MMOs for parents and children to play together. We heard your call, and got to researching! Come join Krystalle from Massively.com as we tour through tons of MMOs and Virtual Worlds for kids of all ages.


2:30 - 3:30 PM

Free Realms

Sheraton: Savannah 1 & 2
According to the catchy theme song, "it's your world!" The team from Sony Online Entertainment will be on hand to show off all manner of cool things about their family-friendly MMO, and perhaps a hint of what the future may hold.


2:30 - 3:30 PM

New MMO Showcase

Sheraton: Savannah 3
Come by and drown your eyeballs in MMO trailers from far and wide. From big-budget titles to lesser-known indies, we've got all manner of eye candy, showing off a healthy sampling of what's coming to the MMOGsphere.


4:00 - 5:00 PM

EverQuest: Norrathian elders' gathering

Sheraton: Savannah 3
Our oldest MMO panel at Dragon*Con! The crew from Sony Online Entertainment is back to help us celebrate the 11th year of life on Norrath. (Wow, has it really been that long?)


4:00 - 5:00 PM

MMO Failures & Flops

Sheraton: Savannah 1 & 2
Cry havok, and let slip the snark of gamers! Join Kevin Stallard, Krystalle Voecks, and Sera Brennan as we toast to good ideas gone astray -- and snark on stuff that shouldn't ever have seen the light of day.


5:30 - 6:30 PM

Kingdom of Loathing Q&A

Sheraton: Savannah 1 & 2
An adventurer is you! Join the developers of Kingdom of Loathing as they discuss their experience taking a home-grown, satirical, browser-based MMO from hobby to profession.


5:30 - 6:30 PM

The Guild: Q & A with Jeff Lewis, Sandeep Parikh & Sean Becker

Sheraton: Grand Ballroom (A-F)
Want to know what it's like to star in an Internet smash hit? Curious about how they make the show come to life? Come and spend an hour with Jeff Lewis (Vork), Sandeep Parikh (Zaboo), and Sean Becker (director), and find out the inside scoop on this fan-favorite series.


7:00 - 8:00 PM

Breaking into the MMO industry

Sheraton: Savannah 1 & 2
Ever wished you could get a job creating worlds for people to play in? Meet the people who do it every day, and pick up some valuable advice from those in the know.


8:30 - 9:30 PM

Machinima for the Masses

Sheraton: Savannah 1 & 2
Join our resident track expert, Christina "Romily" Rollins, as she returns for yet another year! Friday's show features a treasure trove of award-winning machinima from all around the world.



Saturday

10:00 AM - 12:30 PM

Morning Coffee (and live SnarkCast!)

Sheraton: Savannah 1/2/3
Grab your Chick-Fil-A biscuit from the nearby food court, then join us for some freshly brewed snark as Kevin and Krystalle record a podcast! Special guest stars are slated to attend, but we're not going to give it away. Come out, come out, and see what's in store!


1:30 - 3:30 PM

AdventureQuest Worlds Meet & Greet

Sheraton: Savannah 1/2/3
Meet the team from Artix Entertainment who make this browser-based MMORPG. Win prizes! Punt Moglins! Watch never-before-seen movies! Sing along!


1:00 - 2:00 PM

World of Warcraft Q & A

Sheraton: Capitol Ballroom
Everything you wanted to know about World of Warcraft, but were afraid to ask. (Yes, that includes information on Cataclysm.) Guaranteed 100% spam-in-Local free.


2:30 - 3:30 PM

The Legend of Neil with Sandeep Parikh

Sheraton: Capitol Ballroom
Love Legend of Zelda? Then come check out The Legend of Neil! Written and directed by Sandeep Parikh. The Legend of Neil is a web-based series about a real-life slacker who gets sucked into a video game, with hilarious results.


4:00 - 5:00 PM

World of Warcraft: Addon kung-fu

Sheraton: Savannah 1/2/3
Join C.K. Knight, addon developer extraordinaire from Curse.com and Chad Tindale as they go through the ins and outs of what's best to use in certain situations, and how addons are made. From UI noob to addon designer, there's something for everyone on this panel.


5:30 - 6:30 PM

EverQuest II

Sheraton: Savannah 1/2/3
The SOE Community Relations Team will be on hand to answer your questions and tell you about what's coming up in EverQuest II!


5:30 - 8 PM

World of Warcraft: It's all fun and games until...

Sheraton: Capitol Ballroom
Our annual cornucopia of contests, sing-alongs, and other goings on from the world of Azeroth. Gnomes will fly!


7:00 - 8:00 PM

DC Universe Online

Sheraton: Savannah 1/2/3
Join the team from Sony Online Entertainment as they show off some of the myriad things you can expect in their upcoming game, DC Universe Online.


8:30 - 9:30 PM

More Machinima for the Masses

Sheraton: Savannah 1/2/3
Presenting the lighter side of Machinima. For this evening, Christina "Romily" Rollins will be sharing the finest comedic films using characters from your favorite MMO games.


10:00 PM - 3:30 AM

MMO Gathering of Heroes

Sheraton: Capitol Ballroom
Come and party with your fellow intrepid adventurers! DJ Apseth and DJ Etcet will be spinning dance music, so make sure those NPCs send you on a quest for the perfect party. Our sponsors, Artix Entertainment, Comcast, and Sony Online Entertainment will be on hand to party on, or come say hi to Sera and Shawn from Massively.com.



Sunday

10:00 - 11:00 AM

Morning Refueling

Sheraton: Savannah 1/2/3
Grab some coffee and join Kevin, Krystalle, special guest snarker Sera, and whoever else isn't fighting a hangover, for some laid back morning discussion on games and geekery.


11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Free & Freemium MMOs

Sheraton: Savannah 1/2/3
Massively.com's Krystalle Voecks will give you a guided tour of MMO's that are free to play, as well as discussing companies crossing over paid MMOs to the F2P space.


11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Watch The Guild with Vork & Zaboo

Sheraton: Capitol Ballroom
Watch selected episodes of the award winning Web series, featuring commentary from Jeff Lewis, Sandeep Parikh, and The Guild's Emmy award winning director, Sean Becker.


1:00 - 2:00 PM

Global Agenda

Sheraton: Savannah 1/2/3
Is it MMO or is it an FPS? Whatever the heck it is, it's a lot of fun to play! Come join the group from Hi-Rez Studios as they discuss Global Agenda, the game's recent Sandstorm update, and perhaps talk about their plans for the future of this high-octane hybrid title.


2:30 - 3:30 PM

World of Warcraft: The story so far...

Sheraton: Savannah 1/2/3
More lore than you can shake an epic weapon at. Find yourself wondering who Bolvar Fordragon is? We will tell you who's who, what's what, and why it matters in World of Warcraft.


4:00 - 5:00 PM

Guildie as Charged

Sheraton: Savannah 1/2/3
Want to run a successful raiding guild? Want to squash drama before it starts? Want to learn how to manage any size guild? We can show you how.


5:30 - 8:00 PM

MMO Trivia Contest

Sheraton: Capitol Ballroom
The Third Annual Quest For The Bling Gnome Trophy is hosted by local Atlanta geek trivia-meisters from Battle & Brew. Everyone is welcome to play. Teams of up to 10 players will compete for the honor of being this year's MMO know-it-alls!


5:30 - 6:30 PM

EVE Online: Life in New Eden

Sheraton: Savannah 1/2/3
Whether you're a solo prospector, or a nullsec vet, come share tips, tricks, and questions about EVE Online with the crew from CCP Games.


7:00 - 8:00 PM

City of Heroes: Give me spandex or give me death!

Sheraton: Savannah 1/2/3
Come and share your tales of heroism (or villainy) with Massively.com's Sera Brennan. Bricks-on-sticks, spandex, and capes are entirely optional.


10:00 PM - 2:00 AM

Kingdom of Loathing Party

Sheraton: Savannah 1/2/3
Calling all accordion thieves! Show up for the KoL costume contest, stick around for the nerdy music, games, and a chance to meet the developers!


Monday

10:00 - 11:00 AM

Legal issues in MMO gaming

Sheraton: Savannah 1/2/3
T.J. Mihill returns this year to answer questions on gold farming, scams, hacked accounts, and just who owns all of that virtual bling, anyway. From the Digital Millenium Copyright Act to other legal issues in Virtual Worlds, T.J. offers an inside look at the what is facing the industry and players.


11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

All things Guild Wars

Sheraton: Savannah 1/2/3
Join Shawn Schuster of GuildCast (and of course Massively.com) as he geeks out on all things Guild Wars. If you want to know more about Guild Wars 2, this is the guy to ask!


1:00 - 3:30 PM

Post MMOrtem Survivor's Gathering

Sheraton: Savannah 1/2/3
Assuming you're not somewhere hugging a pillow with a serious case of con hangover or on a plane back home, pop by and hang out with the Dragon*Con MMO track staff. Have a suggestion for the enormous 25th anniversary celebration at Dragon*Con 2011? Here's the place to let us know what worked this year and what didn't.