Hi All, We're rapidly approaching the registration deadline for this workshop but there are still a few places available. Jase -- DIGITAL GAMES INDUSTRIES: Developments, Impact and Direction 19th-20th September 2003 ESRC Centre for Research on Innovation and Competition University of Manchester, Manchester, England. http://www.cric.ac.uk/cric/workshops/dgi/ Call for Participation The digital gaming industry is one of the more important recent examples of the phenomena of restless capitalism and creative destruction: new activities emerge from within to compete with older, more established, ones as rivals displace them or succumb to competitive pressures themselves. As these new activities become embedded in economic systems and old ones disappear there are profound effects on the structure of economies, as well as on production, consumption, demand, technology and employment. The study of the digital games industry allows us to gain new insights about innovation, the creation of new consumption and economic activities, the growth of business opportunities and the development of the market in terms of demand, consumption and supply. Against the current backdrop of a highly competitive economic environment of gaming platforms, leisure software and new game-enabled consumer technologies, the ESRC Centre for Research on Innovation and Competition (CRIC) is hosting a two day workshop on the socio-economics of digital gaming. The workshop will bring together international delegates from academic, policy and commercial circles for in-depth discussion on nature and characteristics of this emerging sector: the 'drivers', key 'players', the 'current state of play', and the impact of the industry on the modern economy and the framework of its evolution. Themes covered include: * Competitive processes and their regulation * The technology of gaming * Evolving new sectors * Role of venture capital and investment * Standardisation of technologies and markets, instituted economic processes * Inter-firm interactions and strategic alliances * IPR, licensing and piracy * Labour markets and mobility * Economics of demand and consumption * Evolution through success and failure A draft programme can be found at www.cric.ac.uk/cric/workshops/dgi/ Registration for this event in now invited. In order to facilitate high level discussion and debate participant numbers for this event and will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. The fee for the event is £150 which includes registration for both days of the workshop, two lunches, workshop dinner and all workshop documentation. We look forward to seeing you in Manchester. Stan Metcalfe Jason Rutter Ronnie Ramlogan -- Dr Jason Rutter ESRC Centre for Research on Innovation and Competition (CRIC), The University of Manchester, Harold Hankins Building, Booth Street West, Manchester, M13 9QH. UK PH: +44 (0) 161 275 6859 Fax: +44 (0) 161 275 7361 http://www.cric.ac.uk/cric/Jason_Rutter