Sid Meier, the Director of Creative Development and co-founder of Firaxis Games, will bring to bear over 25 years of experience in game design in the keynote address at the 2010 Game Developers Conference (GDC).  Best known for his work designing the genre-defining Civilization strategy game franchise, Sid Meier will present a keynote entitled "The Psychology of Game Design (Everything You Know Is Wrong)." 

In this rare address, Meier will describe how real-world, historical and mathematical facts cannot form the foundation of a successful game design.  Instead, Meier will argue, the driving force of a game’s design should be the psychology of the player.  The keynote address will take place Friday, March 12 at the Game Developers Conference, which runs from March 9-13 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco.

In his keynote, Sid Meier will draw illustrative examples from his canon to illustrate how the complexities of human psychology can inform game design more than the laws of logic, physics, or algebra.  In this development model, egomania, paranoia and delusion become part of the designer’s toolkit, as the player’s perception becomes the real reality, connecting gameplay to the player’s psychological experience.

Meier is a recipient of multiple video game awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2008 Game Developers Choice Awards and entry into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Science’s Hall of Fame.  His resume includes a plethora of pioneering and genre-defining titles, including 1991’s Civilization, which challenged gamers to balance city-planning, economics, education, military strategy and global diplomacy, as well as the critically acclaimed 2008 follow-up Civilization Revolution. His other titles have included Pirates!, a unique blend of action, roleplaying, and strategy, as well as RailRoad Tycoon, one of the first ’god’ games.

"It’s an honor to have Sid Meier, a true pioneer in game development, share his decades worth of insight at the 2010 Game Developers Conference," says Meggan Scavio, GDC Event Director, "We’re also delighted to welcome so many other high quality lectures from the industry’s leading developers."

That almost makes me want to empty the GDN coffers and fly 10,000 to attend!