November, 2011 "Documentary Games"
doSHIFT Summit, November, 2011, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Matching documentary content to a game: What works and what doesn't. Moderated by Sasha Boersma, featuring Alex Jansen (Pop Sandbox), Tony Walsh (Phantom Compass), David Fono (Atmosphere Industries), Jim Munroe (No Media Kings).

October, 2011 "Digital Do-Gooders"

Planet in Focus Film Festival, October, 2011, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

"Digital Do-Gooders" panel discusses digital media, its application in activism and relevance to social issues. Phantom Compass founder Tony Walsh will discuss a few of the company's social issue games.

August, 2011 "The Pitfalls of Building Transmedia Projects"
ARGfest Conference, Bloomington, Indiana, USA

Tony Walsh participated in a panel discussion consisting largely of industry "war stories" with Andrea Philips, Rob Jagnow and Dee Cook.

June 11, 2011 "Games & Society"
BAVC Producers Institute Public Conference Day (San Francisco, USA)

Tony Walsh gives a rapid‐fire presentation on the social utility of games, including gamification

May 19th, 2011 "Pervasive and Alternate Reality Games"

Hand Eye Society Social (Toronto, Canada)

Mark Rabo, David Fono, and Tony Walsh co-present on pervasive and alternate reality games (ARGs).

February 25, 2011 "Convergence: Virtual production technologies in film, TV and gaming"

SIRT Previsualization and Virtual Production Conference (Toronto, Canada)

Executives and creative leads from game and film/television companies will discuss the convergence of film, television, and game projects within today's multiplatform delivery environment.  What do people mean by “convergence” and how is it affecting different sectors of the entertainment industry?  Panelists will discuss how projects are developed with multiple delivery platforms in mind, how digital assets are shared as part of the business model, and how a convergence strategy impacts technology choices and traditional project development cycles.

Panelists: Lui Francisco (Artistic Director, Bedlam Games); Steve Hoban (Founder, Producer, Copperheart Entertainment); Tony Walsh - Founding Partner and Creative Director, Phantom Compass. Moderator: Jennie Punter, Entertainment industry Journalist

January 8, 2011 "Gaming"

BAVC Producers Institute Public Conference Day (New York City, USA)

Tony Walsh gives a quick presentation on new developments in video game culture and technology.

September 13, 2010 "Storytelling in the Post-Digital Age"

SoCin / Social Cinema (Toronto, Canada)

In a 20-minute presentation followed by a short Q&A, game developer Tony Walsh will give an overview of today's game industry, focusing on current trends in publishing, distribution, game play and audiences.  Now, more than ever, music plays a key role in game purchasing, playing, and marketing.  Based on current trends, Walsh will discuss the next five years of gaming:  How will music's role in the game industry change, and how will the consumer landscape evolve?

Tony Walsh, Dave Lazar, Martin Best, Kate Raynes-Goldie, and Jennifer Hollett

Social games such as Farmville and World of Warcraft are powerful commercial forces, commanding millions of players and hundreds of millions of dollars. These games are designed for social play but don’t encourage social action. Enter a new breed of “serious” game that encourages players to reconsider their civic responsibilities, motivate activism, and facilitate interaction with all levels of government–even on the global stage. Inspired by the design of commercial hits, but with a wholly different agenda, collaborative serious games have the potential to enact real social change. Our panel explores the opportunities afforded by games for good, and the challenges faced by creators and players across multiple social platforms.

Tony Walsh (Phantom Compass) and Ken Eklund (Writerguy) argue the merits of story- versus system-driven games.

Gathering digital creatives, Todd Denis, Victoria Ha, James Milward and Tony Walsh, the panel will break out tales of the challenges & success strategies in designing groundbreaking interactive stories that stand alone or extend transmedia content across platforms.

Group session produced by Tony Walsh (Phantom Compass) in association with Doc/Fest, chaired by Adrian Hon (Six to Start), speakers included Cindy Poremba (Concordia University), Ashley York (Take Action Games), Matt Adams (Blast Theory) and Tony Walsh.

We already know games to be powerful storytelling and teaching tools, but can games be truly documentary in nature? What is a documentary game? How is this blended genre bringing filmmakers and game-makers together, and how does the truth present itself in a designed multimedia system comprising fact, story, and rules? A cross-disciplinary panel of experts discusses the theory and practice of documentary game-making, including financing, research, production and distribution. Additionally, the social impact and ethics of documentary games will be explored.

2009

"Documentary Games: Playing With The Truth?"
Digital Interactive Games Conference (London, Ontario, Canada)

Tony presents case-studies from the intersection of games and documentary media, including Alternate Reality Games, Serious Games, and games based on documentary films.  Practical documentary game design, development, cross-industry collaboration and funding models.

2009

"Are Social Virtual Worlds a Broadcast Killer?"
nextMEDIA Conference (Banff, Canada)

The success of the social online game genre is undeniable. Audiences worldwide are becoming participants and collaborators in collective interactive media experiences. Virtual worlds and alternate realities have become a proven method of extending worlds formerly limited to one-way broadcasts. Our panel of gaming experts will present case-studies of social games, sharing their views and predictions for the continuing cross-pollination of games and television.

2009

"Changing the Game"
BAVC Plenary Panel (San Francisco, USA)

Tony Walsh, CEO of Canadian game design firm Phantom Compass, and Ken Eklund, developer of the award-winning ARG World Without Oil unpack some of the most successful social change games and related creative experiments and provide a blueprint for filmmakers looking to get into "game space."

2009

"Serious Games And Factual Content"
DOC IT Conference (Toronto, Canada)

Panel looked at games as a means of more deeply engaging an audience in documentaries.

2009

Can Game Theory predict the outcome in politics, the economy and dating?

2008

"Docs and ARGs"
Doc/Fest (Sheffield, UK)

How documentary films and Alternate Reality Games intersect.

2008

In conversation with Jill Golick
Writers Guild of Canada (Toronto, Canada)

Phantom Compass founder Tony Walsh joined Jill Golick in conversation about writing for digital media. Part of the monthly "Writers Watching TV" discussion series presented by the Writers Guild of Canada, Tony spoke about some of his previous freelance writing projects and recent Phantom Compass projects for interactive platforms.

2008

"The Gaming (R)Evolution"
Innovation Salon (San Francisco, USA)

What if games that encouraged people to take action and/or solve real-world problems were developed in tandem with independent artists, non-profit organizations, advocacy groups and government agencies? When nearly 1 in 5 for-profit games fail, how can independent producers successfully create fun and meaningful play that successfully meets more than one bottom line.

2008

"What Can the Video Games Industry Learn From ARGs?"
SXSW Interactive Conference (Austin, USA)

2008

"Cross-Media Cross-Pollination: Mashing Up Video Games and ARGs"
SXSW Interactive Conference (Austin, USA)

2007

"New Media/New Meaning"
BAVC Plenary Panel (San Francisco, USA)

Multi-Platform Technology, New Media Innovation and Documentary Storytelling.

2007

"The Real, The Virtual, and The Mixed"
"TV can I introduce you to Games" Seminar (Sydney, Australia)

Tony Walsh joined Gary Hayes and Guy Gadney for an afternoon of presentations on TV and virtual worlds at the Museum of Sydney, Australia.

2007

"Digital Intimacy"
Integrated Media Festival (Toronto, Canada)

Walsh gave a brief presentation on the topic of intimacy in virtual worlds, engaging in conversation with fellow panelist Cynthia Loyst (Supervising Producer, SexTV) and attendees about how the intersections of broadcast TV and virtual worlds relate to intimacy.

2007

"Avatar-Based Marketing in Synthetic Worlds"
SXSW Screenburn (Austin, USA)

Synthetic, alternate worlds such as Second Life, There, and Habbo Hotel are populated by customizable, user-controlled avatars. These exciting spaces are increasingly being eyed as the next level in experiential marketing. Does a successful marketing effort target the user or the avatar? What are the best ways to capture and retain attention in a virtual world? Our panelists discuss the business, cultural, and ethical considerations of marketing to avatars.

2006

"ARGs and Virtual Worlds"
SL Future Salon (Second Life)

A discussion hosted inside SECOND LIFE about alternate reality games and virtual worlds

2006

"Productive Play"
Toronto Independent Game Conference (Toronto, Canada)

Blurring the boundary between working and gaming can create productive play. This 1-hour lecture compares and contrasts tasks associated with work and play, discusses 'the grind' associated with MMO play, and presents a case-study example of how airport screeners could become not only playfully productive, but more effective.

2006

"The Secret Sex Lives of Video Games"
SXSW Conference (Austin, USA)

Come explore the sordid past, passionate present, and stimulating future of sex in video games from the inside out. Warning: Sexually-explicit language and visuals.

2005

"Virtually True: Journalism and Blogging About Online Worlds"
SXSW Conference (Austin, USA)

Journalism and blogging about online worlds such as SECOND LIFE.

2004

"Breaking Into Digital Interactive Storytelling"
Ad Astra Conference (Toronto, Canada)

Panelists and New Media professionals Alastair Jarvis, Tony Walsh, and Jos Yule explain how theatre and tabletop gaming principles are transferable to digital interactive storytelling. Activities such as Improvisational theatre, interactive theatre, LARPing, adventure design and more are discussed as they relate to creating computer-facilitated interactive stories.

2004

"Who's Got Game?"
New Media Business Alliance iLunch Case Study Series (Toronto, Canada)

A panel concerning contemporary and future online gaming.

2003

"The Culture of Gaming"
Fresh Festival (Toronto, Canada)

"Discover the world of digital gaming from development to play. With Mark Moyes, Andrew Mactavish, Peter Marshall, and Tony Walsh."