In all the AI discussions in recent months, it was very often about the impact of generative AI (ChatGPT, MidJourney etc.) on the creative process. But of course, the potential applications of AI in the music industry go far beyond that. Tools that e.g. suggest appropriate playlists based on biometric data or recommend which concerts you should definitely go to have been known for some time. But can you also organize a music festival using AI? At the Lokerse Feesten they think so.

Steven Latré is an AI expert by day and a festival organizer by night. He is vice president Machine Learning and AI at the research center imec (world leader in research on nanoelectronics and digital technology) and professor at the University of Antwerp. He is also a press officer at the Lokerse Feesten, but of course he also brings in his AI expertise.

AI already supports the organizers of the Lokerse Feesten today in a number of areas: from estimating or predicting ticket sales over modeling audience flows to more targeted deployment of marketing campaigns. But the possibilities go a lot further, as will be shown during this talk. In this talk we explain what AI is and - especially - what it is not, and how you as a festival organizer can build in practical tools to make more targeted choices.

Do festival organizers now also have to start fearing for their jobs? Steven Latré brings you the answer during Unwrap.

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Film Fest Gent is putting game music at the center of its annual concert this year for the first time. The Grammys presented a separate award for a game soundtrack for the first time last year. It's clear: the general public's interest in music in video games is growing rapidly.

Makes perfect sense, since music has long been one of the driving elements behind a successful game. The soundtracks of Assasin's Creed, Final Fantasy or The Legend of Zelda are fairly - um - legendary, and Belgian games like Space Pirate Trainer or Shredders also pay above-average attention to the right music at the right time.

What makes the connection between music and games so close? What makes a good game soundtrack? What do you need to have in house to be a good game soundtrack composer? That's what Ben Parker talks about during Unwrap. He is lead music producer at Laced, a UK-based company that specializes in creating or licensing music and audio for games. Laced has also been releasing game soundtracks on vinyl for many years, from Doom, Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Tekken or Far Cry, among others.

Well... The title says it all!

More information soon.

An inspiring and thought-provoking discussion on the current state of the gaming industry and where it's headed.  Sara Machado (Sumo Group) will share her experiences and practical insights to help break down some of the barriers keeping underrepresented groups out of the industry.

Key Takeaways:

🟠 Deepen your understanding of the current state of DEI and the disconnect between global gamer demographics and game developers

🟠 Grasp the critical role of recruitment in bridging the gap between diverse gamers and the industry's workforce.

🟠 Leave feeling inspired and empowered to make a difference and create a more inclusive industry for all. 

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More information soon

Could the real Belgian music tech startup please stand up? You won't get that many reactions when you raise this question. Successful music tech accelerator programs (like e.g. Wallifornia Music Tech) mostly attract foreign startups, and VC's aren't exactly lining up to invest in Belgian music tech.

What could be done about that? What framework conditions are needed for music tech startups to flourish? What policies do we want in that area, where are the investors, how do you nurture such an ecosystem from the bottom up, etc.? And what can we learn from other entertainment industries that are already further along in this area?

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Democrazy and 404 are opening a new concert hall centered on immersive audio & video, ISE and Camille are performing in Roblox, AB is working on an AR experience around 50 years of hip-hop and N9 is having heavy guitar bands perform in a gaming environment. All are examples of immersive, virtual or hybrid music experiences. Although we don't seem to be falling for it en masse yet, new forms of live music are becoming more commonplace.

At Unwrap, we explore the possibilities of immersive music. What exactly is immersive audio and how far along are we today? We'll hear from Steven Maes, owner of Motormusic studio and lecturer/researcher at PXL-Music. How can game technology be used to enhance music experiences? That's what Vicky Vermeulen tells us, head of research at the world-renowned game course Digital Arts & Entertainment at Howest. What tools do artists need to build immersive experiences, how can they experiment with them and what role can a concert hall play in this? Jos Feijen, director at Effenaar (Eindhoven) and driving force behind Hybrid Music Vibes, has a lot to say about that.

No, we are not going to just experience concerts in VR (we will prove that too during Unwrap with concerts and afterparties together with Wilde Westen), but we will explore what is already possible today and will be possible in the future.

To say that traditional revenue models in the music industry have been under pressure for some time is an understatement. Tensions between different stakeholders in the value chain often run high and discussions about fair pay remain topical.

If the current model is no longer sustainable, what should a new, healthy and diversified revenue model for artists look like? Are there revenue sources that are not sufficiently tapped today? How can the relationship between artists and fans be expanded to create more value? How do we deal with the opportunities and challenges presented by technological developments? And how will the current streaming model evolve?

Maarten Walraven (Music x, Water & Music academy) will discuss these questions in a panel including Michael Pelczynski (Forms + Shapes, former VP Strategy SoundCloud), Thijs Verhulst (Business Development Manager Benelux, Warner Music) and Rowan Brand (Director at Tribe artist management)

Two years ago everyone was still talking about metaverse, blockchain, NFTs and web3, in the past year AI has been the hot topic in just about every sector, including the entertainment industry. From "AI is going to make artists obsolete" to "AI helps advance the creative process like never before" and everything in between, discussions often flared high.

The AI landscape is changing at lightning speed, so taking stock is an impossible task. Yet Declan McGlynn rises to the challenge. Where are we today? What tools can be used at what stage of the creative process? What opportunities does AI present for music, and what pitfalls should we avoid? Declan answers these questions. He is a journalist, consultant and content creator in the field of music technology and has worked for Rolling Stone, Resident Advisor, Universal Music Group, DJ Mag, Native Instruments and Ableton. He also has his own music technology newsletter called Future Filter. For Water & Music, the research community around the future music business, Declan monitors all developments around AI.

This talk is for gaming industry professionnals to learn about the experience and obstacles of women and to better support them, from their student years to becoming active professionals. 

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This talk explores the intersection of game programming and emotional intelligence. By being kind to yourself, to the code, and to others, you can be more productive and implement future changes more easily. Topics include how to code well with others with a kind approach to feedback and specific approaches to game engineering to keep one step ahead of design changes, all with a sustainable mental health mindset.

Historical games are big business. Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty, Age of Empires, Europa Universalis, Ghost of Tsushima... in nearly every genre and every market history offers plenty of opportunity for making great games. But does it also come with ethical risks? After all, history is not purely fictional. Our own ancestors have lived through the past that we put into our games, and that past can stir up strong emotions. Your country's historical triumph might have implied the defeat of mine; my grandparents' prosperity might have entailed the poverty of yours. So how do you unlock the opportunities of historical game development without erasing or distorting the emotion-loaded pasts of other people?

Creating the video games industry in Africa requires an uncompromising passion, self-empowerment. In this talk, CEO of award-winning games company, Leti Arts, Eyram Tawiah tells the story of how Africa’s story can be told using games and comics. Eyram Tawiah is an African game developer. His love for comics and computer games helped to spur his interest to learn to program back in Junior High School. He wanted to make the comics he drew as a youngster, come to life on the computer screen. He is the co-founder and CEO of Leti Arts. 

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The relationship between web3 and games has seen some ups and downs and in this panel we want to explore the future of games in the newly web3 world.

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Join in on a panel on the ethics of AI, with Rami Ismail, Nika Nour, Russell Sng and Andrew Maximov.

There's never been a better time to start a games studio in Belgium than now - but you probably don't know half the things you need to avoid common problems, and to make the best of that opportunity. In this 45-minute talk, games industry ambassador & Vlambeer co-founder Rami Ismail will explain how to get from starting a studio to making your dream games.

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Join us for an amazing conference talk where we'll unveil the possibilities of AI-driven Non-Playable Characters (NPCs) in gaming. From the AI Character video by NVIDIA from Computex, exploring Skyrim's immersive characters upgraded with ChatGPT, and learning how and when to integrate AI NPCs into your projects with Inworld. Whether you're a developer or a gamer, this session promises to immerse you in the exciting future of gaming, where NPCs evolve into dynamic, intelligent beings, blurring the lines between virtual and reality. Don't miss out on this captivating journey into the next level of gaming experiences!

Combining the unique perspective of a veteran 3d artist and game developer, as well as a CEO of a generative AI company and a technical advisor in the class action lawsuit against Stable AI on the side of the artists, Andrew will provide a comprehensive overview of generative AI space today. During the talk, he will give pointers on which technologies teams should consider adopting right now and which could be a technical, ethical and legal minefield. We will also discuss what to look forward to or watch out for in the future and how to make sure that the future we are building is ethical and inclusive. And most importantly we'll cover how all of this is going to impact individual artists and developers and what is the best way to navigate this as an individual. Whether you are a veteran or just looking to join the industry.

The Digital Economy, companies producing mostly digital output, is growing.

Since 1995 its share in total Belgian GDP shot up from 2% to more than 5%.

If this trend continues, digital firms generate more added value by 2050 than the construction and manufacturing sectors combined.

A new economy entails new roles: Advisors, Builders, (content-) Creators and…Gamers.

What makes these gamers stand out?

How do they contribute to our welfare?

And shouldn’t we all play more games?

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While the thought of failing is scary to most, it is in fact a

necessary ingredient for success. How can we foster a tolerance for

failure in terms of taking risks and experimenting? Not only with

technology, but also our business models and design principles. If we

are failing, it means we are pushing the boundaries of what is

possible. This lively presentation will provide counter-intuitive

insight as to why success always starts with failure and how to best

go about innovating fearlessly.

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Could your next game treat my disease? Can it even prevent disease strikes?
In a fireworks of examples, I will introduce real world application of medication adherence via a shooter, vaccination efforts in Grand Theft Auto 5.

Next, I will show the first examples of actual games treating eye disease and attention deficit disorder (ADHD). Not for kids only. Subsequently I'll explain how gamification techniques and reward models are used to manage addictions but more importantly how we are on the verge of using them in extreme lifestyle management.

This way I introduce games as digital therapeutics and prevention enablers which will turn reactive sickcare into delightful preventive healthcare.
En route we show how elements from the entertainment industry reduce frictions in the patient journey and how Belgium is getting ready to introduce Baymax - from Big Hero 6 - as your future doctor. One you're about to design.

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As the world of media and entertainment rapidly evolves, it's becoming increasingly clear that the lines between traditional forms of entertainment and gaming are becoming more blurred. With major streaming services such as Netflix investing heavily in gaming, the landscape is changing fast, and it's an exciting time for those who are curious about the future of interactive entertainment.

Nika Nour, the Head of Partnerships at Genvid, is at the forefront of this revolution. She has been instrumental in forging relationships with game developers, publishers, and IP holders, with a particular focus on producing and publishing massive interactive live events (MILEs). Through extensive experience and leadership, Genvid Entertainment is helping to pioneer this new form of entertainment that merges games and media and is excited to share unique insights with audiences at Unwrap festival.

In her presentation, Nika will explore the convergence of media and gaming, and delve into the ways in which this changing landscape is transforming the industry. She will discuss the latest trends and developments, and highlight the opportunities that are emerging for game developers and other industry professionals. Whether you're a seasoned developer, a media professional, or simply someone with an interest in the future of entertainment, Nika's presentation is sure to be both informative and inspiring. Don't miss this opportunity to learn more about the exciting world of interactive entertainment from one of its leading voices.

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Game developers are embracing industry-wide transformation, with studios pushing the latest technology boundaries and delivering continuously updated gaming experiences that scale to tens of millions of players. AWS for Games aligns purpose-built game  development capabilities – including AWS services, AWS solutions, and AWS Partners – against six solution areas to help developers build, run, and grow their games: Cloud Game Development, Game Servers, Live Operations, Game Analytics, Game Security, and AI & Machine Learning.

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Massive environments, complex materials and effects, intense simulations and show specific requirements are not uncommon in VFX production. Dealing with these different complex aspects of production effectively requires specialized rendering software. This talk will give an overview of the rendering technology used in production at Wētā FX. The audience will get a deep dive into Gazebo, the real-time rendering software developed by Wētā Digital, which is used throughout the production pipeline, from on-stage pre-visualization all the way to compositing. This session will also discuss the challenges in real-time rendering for VFX and will highlight some of the similarities and differences between the technology used for game and VFX production.

Focused on the future state of the industry, Michael Pelczynski had architected, licensed and launched an award winning new economic model and fan-powered business. During his tenure at SoundCloud as Vice President of Strategy, Michael had delivered multiyear first-to-market licensing deals with major record labels while conceiving and developing artist-to-fan product tools that enhance the commercial value proposition. During his talk at Unwrap, Michael will walk through his journey and learnings from setting the vision of reshaping streaming, to architecting and developing Fan-Powered Royalties, harnessing the artist-fan relationships in product form and ultimately creating bold new commercial value for all creators that resulted in unprecedented licenses with the major labels.

Two Gentlemen (Micha Volders and Dijf Sanders) built doomed contractions for years and made unnecessary use of tortured toys. Today they get their beloved gameboys out of the rubble and as a duo they bring a scouring, thumping live set imbued with square marginality.