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Sid Meier civilizing GDC 2010

Firaxis cofounder to deliver game design keynote address at San Francisco soiree on March 12.

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Two years ago, Firaxis cofounder Sid Meier picked up a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Game Developers Conference. The noted game designer earned the accolade after having worked in the gaming industry for more than 20 years, creating such venerated franchises as Civilization, Pirates!, Railroad Tycoon, and Alpha Centauri.

For this year's conference, Firaxis' director of creative development will again be showcased. Think Services, which runs the GDC 2010 show, announced today that Meier will deliver a game design keynote address at the event titled "The Psychology of Game Design (Everything You Know Is Wrong)."

Meier's keynote address will focus on the idea that "real-world, historical, and mathematical facts cannot form the foundation of a successful game design." The designer will argue that player psychology should be the primary factor in effective game design.

Behold: The creator of Civilization, Sid Meier.
Behold: The creator of Civilization, Sid Meier.

The keynote address will be delivered on Friday, March 12 as part of GDC 2010. Once again returning to the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, the event runs March 9-13. GameSpot will be on hand to cover the myriad game design sessions at GDC 2010, as well as the Game Developers Choice Awards.

Meier's keynote address won't be his first major presentation at GDC. In 2008, he was the interviewed in a major Q&A session about "standing the test of time in the industry." In it, he reminisced about the founding of Firaxis and development of his signature franchises. He also fielded questions about possible collaborations, ruling out any such joint effort with Sims creator Will Wright with a flat, "no."

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