Tech to the Future

Join us May 6, 2023 from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. at the Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Technology to explore the intersection of Esports, game design, and tech education. We are very grateful for our sponsors LG Electronics, SHI International Co., and UGC. You won’t want to miss Josh Tsui, director of Insert Coin, world premiere at SXSW 2020, and a key team member behind the creation of the Mortal Kombat game as our keynote speaker. He is the executive producer, director, creative director and leading innovations in entertainment and education. He is the co-founder of two video game studios, Studio Gigante and Robomodo, and he has collaborated with clients such as Activision, Microsoft, and Zynga on international IPs such as Tony Hawk, Mortal Kombat, and WWE. Additionally, he has been in a few video games...look closely at Lu Kang and Sub Zero!

You also won't want to miss best selling author Donald Hyun Kiolbassa (J.D., C.P.A.) who will speak about his book, The Tao of the Side Hustle. In addition to being the managing partner at his law firm, he is an avid martial artist. He was a gold medalist for the 2008 United States Wushu Team (not an Olympic sport), and he is the CGI motion capture martial artist behind the Mortal Kombat franchise nine, 10, and 11. He also wrote the book, Discover Your Dragon: Five Steps to The Victorious Life about how a teen-age boy overcame bullying with kung-fu, and learned practical self-help lessons at The Shaolin Temple.

We also have the amazing Won Kim joining us! He is a “triple threat” as he is an entrepreneur and a working chef at his restaurant, Kimski. He is a renowned graffiti artist, and an incredible high tech DJ who goes by the name, DJ-Genghiswon. He recently finished a show touring the country talking about Esports and food. You will not want to miss what he has to share. Bonus! He is going to show off his gear and DJ from 4–6 p.m. during our Smash Tournament.

Our panel, “Exploring the intersection of Esports, game design, and tech education” is sure to be informative and insightful. It features Jennifer deWinter (Illinois Tech), Todd McFarlin (University of Illinois), Courtney James (DePaul University), and Ashlyn Sparrow (University of Chicago). All speakers have many years of experience in higher education.

From industry, we are excited to welcome Solutions Architect Pat Blair, the AWS Deep Racer team, Community Engagement Director Steven Shaw from Verizon, and Solo from Ka-Pow School
There will be many activities for families and opportunities to:

Participate in a Smash Tournament, vote on CPS Minecraft builds, visit Artist Alley, visit the Company Showcase, play the active AR game HADO, Drone Golf with the Codrone (by robolink.com), cybersecurity capture the flag (by https://www.securecodewarrior.com/), play chess and other games, participate in a Beat Saber Challenge, enjoy Gundam Builds, participate in makerspace activities (3D printed game pieces, laser cut keychains, etc.), participate in a scavenger hunt by Illinois Tech’s AEnigma, learn more about the Bronzeville Esports League and more....Free t-shirts while supplies last!

There will also be a live stream of the event from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. on May 6.