During the conference, the WGA will sponsor a "Schmooze Room" to encourage networking and provide opportunities for writers to demo new games and for the press to meet the games' creators. In the "Schmooze Room," visitors will be able to win games by WGA members by entering their business cards in a drawing. Also, the Guild will celebrate its third year at CGDC with a Chili and Beer Bash on Sunday evening.

Guild members will participate in programs in several of the conference's six tracks. The WGA itself will present "Writing By Design: The Critical Path to Great Gameplay," with members Roger Holzberg (creative director of Disney Interactive Entertainment), Larry Tuch (Carmen Sandiego), Terry Borst, Howard Cushnir (Obsidian), and Adam Wolff (Obsidian).

A seminar on "Building Virtual Game Worlds Online" will be delivered by Jeffrey Sullivan and Bruce Onder, whose Spycraft: The Great Game is nominated for a Spotlight Award for Best Script, Story or Interactive Writing. Other WGA member projects receiving Spotlight Award nominations are Terry Borst and Frank De Palma's Wing Commander IV, for Best Script, Story or Interactive Writing, and, for Best Adaptation of Linear Media, Goosebumps by the husband-and-wife writing team of Tony and Meryl Perutz and I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison.

In other programs, "The Magic of Writing Kids' Games" is explored by Matthew Costello (The 7th Guest), Tony and Meryl Perutz, and Deborah Todd (101 Dalmatians). Howard Burkons (Tank Girl) and Michelle Em (Return to Zork) explain "How to Write Interactive Fiction." "Original Content: R&D For The Breakthrough Title" is discussed by Larry Tuch. "Mass Market Interactive Entertainment: The New Art Form" is explored by Hal Barwood and Roger Holzberg (Steven Spielberg's Director's Chair). Katherine Lawrence (Inherit the Earth: Quest for the Orb) speaks on "The Art and Craft of Adaptations."

If history is any guide, one of the most popular events of the conference will be the Guild's Chili and Beer Bash on the evening of Sunday, April 27. The event will be held, as it was last year, at the Guild's Westin VIP suite (#1318). Among the writers expected to be in attendance are Carolyn Miller (Carmen Sandiego), Melinda Bell and Bruce J. Ford (The Night Before Christmas: Holiday Crafts & Activity Center), John Kuri (Dreggs), Lynn Rogoff (Pony Express Rider), Christy Marx (Conquests of the Longbow) and John Maccabee (Byzantine).

The Guild's participation at CGDC reflects the organization's commitment to promoting the role of the writer in the interactive entertainment industry. Throughout the year, the Guild offers seminars, distributes policy information to members and producers, and participates in panel discussions and special events. By providing a Northern California office, the WGA progressively meets the needs of interactive writers and their industry.

The Guild offers a simple, flexible agreement for interactive writing - the Interactive Program Contract. Companies sign this agreement on a project-by-project basis and are under no obligation to the Guild beyond paying the writer's pension and health contributions. In addition, writers may obtain Guild membership through employment covered under the contract. Recently, the WGA welcomed its first member who qualified entirely on the basis of on-line writing projects.