The call for submissions is now open for the 2008 Austin Game Developers Conference (GDC). Submissions to present lectures and roundtable sessions will be accepted for review by an advisory board until Monday, April 14th.

Presented by Think Services, a division of United Business Media, organizers of the industry-leading Game Developers Conference (GDC), the Austin GDC is a three-day event taking place at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas September 15-17, 2008.

The Austin GDC focuses on three main tracks: Game Audio, Writing for Games and Online Games, each with its own theme: “Breaking out of the Loop;” “The Future of Storytelling in Games;” and “Breaking Down Barriers,” respectively. The Online Games track goes even further in depth, featuring five sub-tracks of its own, including:

o Business and Marketing

o Design

o Social Networking & Community

o Technology & Services

o Worlds in Motion (Virtual Worlds)

The Austin GDC advisory board includes two new members, Raph Koster from Aerea Inc., and Mark Terrano from Hidden Path Entertainment. The advisory board also includes 18 other industry experts, including: Midway’s Marc Schaefgen, Dolby’s Lori Solomon, Multiverse’s Corey Bridges, Bioware’s Rich Vogel and Gordon Walton, Susan O’Conner from Susan O’Conner Writing Studio, and several others.

“We are excited to embark on the next chapter of the Austin GDC,” says Izora de Lillard, Event Director of Austin GDC, “Our theme this year ‘Evolve to Win’ reflects the need for developers to challenge themselves to think ahead in terms of community, online games, writing and audio for games. This year’s conference program will not only reflect new trends and technology in the immediate future of digital entertainment, but also include thought leaders with unique insight towards the long term evolution of game development and the industry.”

Submissions are also being accepted for the Game Career Seminar which will be held in conjunction with the Austin conference.

For a detailed list of topics and to submit a speaker proposal, please visit the official Austin GDC website.