PDF File - SIEGE!

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Sorensen, Blake (Patent Attorney, Merchant & Gould)
Blake Sorensen is a registered patent attorney in the Atlanta office of Merchant & Gould with experience in intellectual
property licensing, drafting and prosecuting patent applications, writing patent opinions, and trademark registration.
Prior to joining the firm's electronics and computer law practice group, Mr. Sorensen amassed seven years of industry
experience in user interface design, statistical analysis software development, online computer game development and
management, and embedded systems development. He is a member of the Intellectual Property and Science and
Technology Sections of the American Bar Association and serves on the Virtual Worlds and Multi-User Online Games,
Open Source Software, and Information Security committees.
Stanley, Michael (Game Designer/Artist, Addo Games)
I am a graduate from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a bachelors degree in Interactive Design and Game
Development. I am well versed in many aspects of game design and am fluent with a number of 3D and 2D design
programs. I know the game design pipeline very well and have seen past projects all the way from start to finish. In the
past I have worked on both 2D and 3D game projects for Mattel, Qualcomm, Hi-Rez Studios and many of my own
where I have played the role of artist and/or game designer. I enjoy both art and game design and take a technical and
creative approach to each. I believe that these qualities led to one of my most significant achievements when, in 2011, I
was awarded "Best in Show" for the Game Design department at the Savannah College of Art and Design's Out to
Launch event. I am currently an employee of Addo Games where I work as a game designer and artist for Robots Love
Ice Cream - a super awesome, SHMUP inspired game coming out for the iPad. I am a very enthusiastic, zealous
individual whose puns will cause involuntary laughter on many occasions. Also, I have a weakness for vintage video
games.
Thomas, Deborah (Founder/President, SillyMonkey LLC)
Deborah Thomas has wanted to be a game designer for as long as she can remember. At every stage of her life, it
seems she has either studied games or worked with people who created games. Now, she is living her dream. Deborah
is the founder, owner and operator of SillyMonkey, LLC, a game-based learning business that works with corporate
clients to help their employees learn difficult concepts in a fun and memorable way through the playful but effective
use of board games, video games, flash games and virtual worlds that she creates. Deborah’s motto for SillyMonkey
sets three goals: “Learn fast, remember more and have fun doing it.” Deborah achieves these goals for her clients by
first taking the time to understand the needs and goals of the client and the employees. She then designs experiential
games and simulations that teach employees how to simplify workflow systems, understand the perspectives of their
co-workers and solve problems from the inside out. Her system provides the full spectrum of learning services from
analysis to implementation, including classroom-based and e-learning solutions as well as innovative training
programs. Deborah worked closely with Indigo and Stanford University researcher to design a debriefing feedback
concept, spatial learning and how to embed technologies to improve conceptual and spatial knowledge. Deborah’s faith
in games as an effective teaching tool is so strong that she would sneak innovative techniques and games into her
courses at different stages of her career. As a public education teacher at one of the worst performing middle schools in
the country, she drove her students’ SAT scores up 30 percent by using innovative educational techniques she created.
She applied that same passion for helping people retain learning objectives as a trainer for Fortune 500 companies by
facilitating and earning trainer of the year multiple times throughout her career. She also served as an operations
manager of technical classrooms. And as a course development manager at The Coca-Cola Company, she designed and
implemented Idea Central and Idea Bank. Now, as the founder of SillyMonkey, she uses the full spectrum of learning
services she has created through the years to develop high-visibility training initiatives in a playful but results-oriented
environment to benefit a global clientele of beverage,sales, manufacturing, safety, energy, pharmaceutical and finance
companies. Deborah is current president of the Atlanta Chapter of the Georgia Game Developers Association, a past
president of the North American Simulation and Gaming Association. She is vice president of Professional
Development for the Greater Atlanta American Society of Training and Development. She is a board member of the
Atlanta chapter of the Technology Association of Georgia Workplace Learning Society. And she is a board member of
the Georgia Game Developers Association and helping to design the Serious Games SIG. She is also a much soughtafter
speaker at gaming and training conferences. As hobbies, she enjoys reading, movies, rouge et blanc vino tastings,
studying improv and swimming.