Really well-delivered oratory makes you laugh and think at the same time – and enjoy both the laughter and the thought.

Tall top hat - soft voice Cutting edge of storycraft Ernest blew my mind! — Anonymous haiku submitted to the Game Developers' Conference website in 2006.

My lectures are a combination of observation, education, and motivation. I try to blend my insights about games with specific advice about how to achieve desired goals and a certain amount of passionate exhortation to think beyond the industry's traditional themes and genres. There's usually some history, philosophy, psychology, or anthropology thrown in to provide new ideas and a broader perspective on the issues that face us.

In English-speaking nations, I don't use slides much, because they're visually boring and they encourage the audience to read rather than listen; and often the point I want to make is too subtle to be conveyed with a bullet list. When I do use slides, I use them to give examples or quotations. On the whole I prefer props and visual demonstrations if they're appropriate for the material.

(In countries whose first language is not English I do use  PowerPoint so my listeners can read the same words that they are hearing. I am also careful to speak clearly and to use no idioms or slang.)

If you would be interested in having me speak at an event (developer gathering, company meeting, etc.), see the Articles and Lectures page under Consulting.


If you're wondering about that hat, click here.