SDCC: Atari Founder, J.A.R.V.I.S. Designer to Discuss The Future of Gaming

A recently-announced panel at Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) will take a look at where the gaming industry could be headed.

Gamifying Technology: The Future of Gaming will feature “the Godfather of Video Games,” Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese’s, alongside Hollywood creative director and 3D designer Zai Ortiz — creator of the J.A.R.V.I.S. hologram systems first shown in Marvel Studios’ Iron Man — in a discussion led by connected play specialist Valerie Vacante of Collabsco.

Together, Bushnell and Ortiz are the founders of X2 Games, through which they’ve released their first game, St. Noire, the world’s first murder mystery game powered by Amazon’s Alexa. Combining aspects of traditional tabletop gaming with new tech, St. Noire uses Alexa to provide cinematic sound and voice acting.

The panel will offer audiences a chance to hear perspectives from a pioneering founder of the video game industry, with insight on how game makers are bridging artistic storytelling with technical innovations as they move toward the future of gaming.

The panel will take place Thursday, July 18, from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in Room 6BCF.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.