Taipei, Taiwan, 31st October 2006 – VIA Technologies, Inc., a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions, today announced the unique “Couples, Computers & Gaming” event to be held in San Francisco on Saturday 11th November, a comprehensive look at the interaction of couples and gaming as the industry adapts to create, develop and promote games.
Designed to be entertaining as well as informative, the hosts of the “Dawn and Drew Show!” on Sirius Satellite Radio will be the comedic emcees for the event, team members from the all-female professional PC gaming team girlz 0f destruction will give couples from the audience hands-on training in the skills needed for pro gaming, and a prominent array of well-known industry figures, including John Broady of CNET Gamespot, analyst Rob Enderle, and Mary Schuyler, producer of the Desperate Housewives PC game, will discuss women and gaming, advertising, and the future of the gaming industry.
“The growth of the gaming industry and the professional gaming scene presents significant challenges to individuals in trying to manage time spent on the computer in a healthy way, particularly those with relationship or family responsibilities,” said Timothy Brown, Marketing Manager for VIA Technologies, Inc. “Couples, Computers and Gaming will explore those issues and their influence on the future of PC games.”
“40% of the Second Life membership is female, largely because, unlike a conventional ‘game’, Second Life is a virtual world that emphasizes social activity and creativity,” said Reuben Steiger, CEO of Millions of Us, an interactive marketing firm. “How we market and advertise these virtual worlds in the future will be important to their success and how couples fit them into our lives.”
“As avid pro gamers it’s difficult for us to understand why more women don’t play FPS games, but we can definitely relate to the problem of fitting serious gaming time appropriately into our relationships and lives,” said Jamie Pereyda, girlz 0f destruction Clan Leader. “This is the first multi-faceted event that examines these issues and how the gaming industry is growing and shaping our lives, so we’re delighted to be taking part.”
Prominent Industry Speakers
A range of well-known organizations representing various facets of the gaming industry will be represented, with the keynote address being given by John Broady of CNET GameSpot, followed by industry luminaries such as Gen Katz, editor of Games4Women, Kyle Machulis of Nonpolynomial.com, Sheri Graner Ray, author and chair of Women In Games International, Reuben Steiger of Millions of Us, Becky Young, creator of the Girls Gaming Network, Rob Enderle, principal analyst at Enderle Group, and Mary Schuyler of Buena Vista Games and producer of the Desperate Housewives PC game, among others.
Broad Cross-section of Industry Support
“Couples, Computers and Gaming” has gained support from a wide spectrum of gaming industry players, including Women in Games International(WIGI), Gamespot, Buena Vista Games, Millions of Us, Polywell Computers, and S3 Graphics.
This all-day event will be held at Ruby Skye in San Francisco, and is open to anyone with an interest in maintaining a healthy balance of gaming and relationships. Tickets are available at TicketWeb.com, and more information on the event may be found on the VIA website.
About girlz 0f destruction
The girlz 0f destruction is a 7-member, international all-girls PC gaming team hailing from seven different countries, who are widely regarded as the highest level professional female QUAKE™ 4 players, training for an average of five hours a day. With over 10,000 matches already played between them, last year’s total winnings for the girlz 0f destruction amounted to more than US$30,000.
When gaming, the girlz 0f destruction prefer to use VIA chipset-based systems with S3 Graphics Chrome S27 graphics cards, and they have been appointed the official VIA Chrome Ambassadors, reflecting the professional capabilities of the hardware. As part of their ambassadorial role, several of the girlz 0f destruction live in the VIA-sponsored “Home of Chrome” in Stockholm, Sweden, the world’s first 24/7 eSports training facility. To learn more about the girlz 0f destruction, please visit:www.girlzgaminghouse.com.
About VIA Technologies, Inc.
VIA Technologies, Inc. (TSE 2388) is the foremost fabless supplier of market-leading core logic chipsets, low power x86 processors, advanced connectivity, multimedia and networking silicon, and complete platform solutions that are driving system innovation in the PC and embedded markets. Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, VIA’s global network links the high tech centers of the US, Europe and Asia, and its customer base includes the world’s top OEMs, motherboard vendors and system integrators. www.via.com.tw
