Respected Navy defense researcher and wargame expert Dr. Peter Perla III will share the platform with Douglas Whatley, CEO, Breakaway Games, as keynote presenters on Monday, October 31, 2005, at this year’s Serious Games Summit D.C. in Washington D.C. The summit is a primary forum for experts within various fields to network, learn more and share information about the growing demand for games designed for practical applications.

The keynote session titled "What’s So Serious About Game Design? The Art or the Science?" will attempt to demonstrate how serious games require a combination of both art and science. Perla and Whatley will present ideas on how to establish a more scientific basis for defining, understanding and designing wargames.

Perla, director for interactive research, Center for Naval Analyses, has more
than 30 years of professional wargaming experience. After earning a Ph.D. from Carnegie-Mellon University, Perla joined the Center for Naval Analyses in 1977. Over the years, he has worked on several Navy campaign studies, designed a naval game, documented existing Navy wargames and led a study on the elements that go into such games and their appropriate usage. His involvement in Global War Game has turned him into a highly-regarded defense researcher.

"We’re excited to have Dr. Peter Perla share his vast expertise in wargaming with the rest of the game development community," Jamil Moledina, director of the Serious Games Summit D.C., said. "The keynote will highlight the fact that art and science go hand-in-hand when designing any type of game."

Doug Whatley is the primary driving force behind BreakAway Games, the leading company in simulation, modeling and 3-D visualization technology. Since the company’s inception in 1998, Whatley has worked with high-profile customers within the entertainment industry and in the Federal Government.

For more information, please visit www.seriousgamessummit.com