The items range from pretty spiffy, like this signed copy of the Xbox 360 Collector's Edition Frontlines: Fuel of War, complete with t-shirt signed by the Kaos team, to the slightly less appealing, such as the book "Mobile 3D Game Development: From Start to Market." Hit the jump for WIGI's press release, or check out their auction page for the full list of swag up for grabs.

Women in Games International Launches Online Auction

eBay Auction Raise Funds for National Games Non-Profit

Thursday, November 20, 2008—Austin, TX— Women in Games International (WIGI) today announced their WIGI Celebrity Ebay Auction, a collection of over a hundred video games and game-related merchandise items - much of it signed by industry leaders - being auctioned to raise funds for Women in Games International.

If there's one thing gamers love more than games themselves, it's awesome game-related merchandise. That's why Women in Games International is happy to announce their 2008 celebrity auction, a collection of over 100 items generously donated by leaders in the video game industry - including Bungie, Microsoft Game Studios, Electronic Arts, and many other game companies.

WIGI auction items include everything from signed blockbuster games to game design books to hard-to-find vintage paraphernalia. You can check out their website for a full list of items. A few items that may pique the interest of bidders include Halo 3 high-quality black messenger bag with Halo figurine, books, and posters, signed special edition Xbox 360 copy of Frontlines with signed Kaos shirt, signed Gears of War messenger bag, Gears of War bottle opener, and An Inside Look at Gears of War 2 book, and much, much more.

To find the WIGI auction items online and starting the bidding process, visit: http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/silvar1_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_mdoZ, or just go to eBay.com and search for "2008 WIGI Auction." Bidding for the auction begins Saturday, 11/22, in conjunction with the Philadelphia event VGXPO. All proceeds go to support Women in Games International, a non-profit organization that has been working over the last four years to further the inclusion and advancement of women in the game industry.

Visit www.womeningamesinternational.org to see the complete auction item list. Just in time for the holidays, you can begin your bidding online for unique game gifts on Saturday, November 22.

"I'm hoping to be helpful to someone now who may be in a situation similar to the one I was in at Atari, said Bailey, " I often wish there had been a group of WIGI colleagues back then from whom I could have gotten advice!"

Women in Games International to present conference at Austin Game Developers Conference "She Got Game" Looks at Experiences of Women in the Interactive Game Industry

August 30, 2007—-Austin, TX—-Women in Games International will hold its next conference on Saturday, September 8 in Austin, Texas. Entitled "She Got Game," the conference will offer information on current trends in diversifying the games industry talent pool and how these efforts will impact the industry and its products in the future. This half-day seminar provides timely, useful information for women and men alike, as well as new and veteran game developers.

"She Got Game," presented in conjunction with CMP Game Group's Austin Game Developers Conference, will be held on Saturday, September 8, 2007 from 11 am to 5 pm. Speakers include industry experts from Amaze Entertainment, BioWare, Midway, NCsoft, Sony Online Entertainment, Ubisoft, and numerous other games industry companies.

"WIGI and its commitment to organizing these meaningful events is invaluable to the game community," said Izora de Lillard, Event Manager for Austin Game Developers Conference, "The impact of offering this level of information, community and expert information to an often overlooked sector of the industry has been profound. We're proud to be involved." Fiona Cherbak, Chair of WIGI's Strategic Alliances committee, adds "Co-locating this latest WIGI conference at the Austin Game Developers Conference creates a unique opportunity to supplement the overall experience of peers and professionals who attend the various games industry events in Austin this September. This promises to be the most abundant games-related event offering in Austin to date."

Keynote speaker is Dona C Bailey, Professor at University of Arkansas. She was one of the few female game programmers in the industry in the 80's, and was also the programmer and designer responsible for ever-popular Centipede game. "I'm hoping to be helpful to someone now who may be in a situation similar to the one I was in at Atari, said Bailey, " I often wish there had been a group of WIGI colleagues back then from whom I could have gotten advice!"

Bailey's keynote will focus on how women in the industry can cultivate powerful ideas, how to communicate those ideas effectively, and how to use artful creativity to perhaps broaden game audiences. Bailey is one of many other industry notables, visionaries and experts scheduled at the event. Her keynote speech will be offered in the morning, the event then moves on to a variety of panels after lunch and finishes the day with an array of roundtable discussions.

Topics vary to include issues of the past, present and future of women and their impact in game development, including panels such as "Diversity Equals Dollars: Why having a diverse development team is good for your bottom line." Industry experts will discuss how workplace diversity and environments have evolved in the games industry over the last 2 decades, what the experience is like now for people entering the industry, and why diversity equals profitability.

Another panel is titled "Her Virtual Life: Women and Online Games." With the statistics showing that MMO's are the second largest market for women gamers, industry experts will address how game developers can utilize this information to expand MMO content and game play. Roundtable discussions will include topics such as "Attracting and Retaining Female Players in Virtual Worlds," "Looking Good on Paper" and "Making Good Industry Connections."

Located at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, registration for "She Got Game" is $55 for general attendees, $40 for WIGI members and $30 for students with I.D. AGDC pass holders will be admitted for no charge, but must pre-register. Space is limited, so interested attendees are encouraged to secure their spot by registering online today at www.womeningamesinternational.org.