This year’s Hall of Fame featured more than 100 panels and presentations from industry professionals, Full Sail graduates, and Hall of Fame inductees. Many of these talks focused on emerging technologies as well as how new software and hardware developments are changing the entertainment industry.

Students interested in how technology is driving new developments in the gaming, film, and animation industries could attend several sessions discussing new technologies, different technical roles in the entertainment industry, and what changes they can expect to see in the next few years.

For “The Great Convergence: When Games, Film, Animation, and Technology Meet,” panelists and Hall of Fame inductees Jeremy Vickery (Founder and CEO of Lighting Mentor Inc.) and Sheena Fowler (Vice President of Strategic Engagements & Business Development at RED 6), sat down with Full Sail course director Andrew Byrd to explore how virtual production, simulation engines, and other revolutionary technologies are changing every facet of the entertainment industry.

At the panel “The World Needs More Tech Artists,” the moderator and panelists, including one of this year’s Hall of Fame inductees and Senior Technical Artist at Unity Technologies Caris Baker, sat down to talk about the important role tech artists play in the 3D industry.

“Why Digital Identity is the New Tech Firewall” featured Vice President of Technology at Proforma Michael LaPlante, Hall of Fame inductee and Senior Partner at Unity Technologies Elbert Perez, and course director Jack Norman discussing the importance of protecting your digital identity and how it ties in with protecting personal and corporate tech security.

Artificial intelligence and virtual reality have been hot topics in 2023. Several Hall of Fame 13 panels and presentations discussed how the entertainment industry’s approach to creating and experiencing art is shifting.

“Extended Reality and Simulation" (featuring Sheena Fowler and CEO and Co-Founder of Motion Sphere Beto Facci) and “Designing Land in the Metaverse,” (featuring Elbert Perez) discussed the untapped potential of extended and virtual realities.

“A Professional Perspective on AI Art” featured Hall of Fame inductees Aaron Cook (Producer at Bioware), Jayson Whitmore (Executive Creative Director at Laundry), and Nathaniel Howe (Founder of Nathaniel Howe Studios). The Hall of Famers sat down with Department Chair Tim Bowser to discuss the ethics, morality, and legality of AI art. Meanwhile, The panel “Digital Humans” discussed the challenges of creating photo-realistic human avatars and photos for social media, gaming, streaming, and other media platforms.

Gaming enthusiasts could attend several panels going over the intricacies of designing, developing, and playing games.

“The Secret World of Game Development Outsourcing” featured panelists Alejandro Garcia-Tunon (Director of Technology at Ghostpunch Games), Fernando de la Cruz (Program Manager at Aristocrat), and Hall of Fame members Grant Shonkwiler (founder of Shonkventures) and Jameson Durall (Advanced Senior Game Designer at Insomniac Games).

The industry professionals covered their experiences with outsourcing and collaborating with other game development studios. They also touched on how future game developers can take advantage of outsourcing throughout their careers.

Jameson Durall and Grant Shonkwiler also spoke at the panel “Leadership in Game Development” with Head of Technology at Insomniac Games and Hall of Fame member Shaun McCabe. The three panelists chatted about how to take on and thrive in leadership roles in the game development industry. They also touched on how the industry has evolved in the past 15 years.

User experience (UX) was also discussed in-depth during the panels “UX Research Strategies” and “Tech Tuesday: UI/UX for Games.”

Hall of Fame 13’s panel and presentation programming highlighted how important technology is in the entertainment industries, encouraging students and other attendees to learn about and take advantage of these evolving software and technologies.