Nicole Lazzaro
President, XEODesign, Inc.

Nicole, founder and president of XEODesign, is an award-winning interface designer and the leading authority on emotion and the fun of games. Her seventeen years of research defined the mechanisms of emotion that drive play and reshaped the fun of over 40 million player experiences including Myst, the Sims, Diner Dash and smart pens. She has helped clients such as EA, DICE, Ubisoft, Monolith, Sony, The Cartoon Network, Playfirst, and Maxis explore new game mechanics and audiences. A frequent speaker, she enjoys sharing her research on "Why We Play Games." Prior to founding XEODesign in 1992, Nicole earned a degree in Cognitive Psychology from Stanford University and worked in film.

Lecturer: The Four Most Important Emotions of Game Design