We’ve rung the closing bell on Game Design Expo 2010! What a pleasure to host another successful, fun, and educational event – for the fourth year running – in sunny Vancouver.

Saturday’s Industry Speaker Day was a day of learning and connecting with the industry around us, beginning, appropriately, with a talk by United Front Games’ William Ho about user-generated content and the upcoming ModNation Racers – a game where the game designer and the gamer intersect. “Make a game for someone you love,” he told the audience, stressing the power and reach of the entire medium. Fun is ubiquitous.

Dave Warfield, Head of Game Design at VFS, introduced things at the beginning of the day: “It looks to be a great day.” And he was right – the Vancity Theatre was buzzing all day long.

Other highlights included a long live demo of Dead Rising 2, set to hit store shelves August 31st. We got to see this highly-anticipated sequel in action, with a special emphasis on weapon combinations like the electric rake, chainsaws duct-taped to a kayak paddle, and an unforgettable lawnmower move. Having Armando Troisi lift the cover off Mass Effect 2′s approach to interactive narrative and cinematics was also a treat.

The day concluded with a panel hosted by Reviews on the Run‘s Scott Jones. The subject: The Future of Gaming. The diverse group of designers and producers explored subjects like mobile games, distribution, innovation in controls (panel consensus – thought-controlled games are not where it’s at) and a question on the minds of anyone involved in the industry: Is Farmville the future?

On Sunday, we threw open the doors of VFS  for the Game Design Open House, inviting everyone to come by for a day of sample classes, arcades of student- and alumni-created games, and other assorted good times. Best of all, we announced all the details on our 2010 Women In Games Scholarship, as well as three other Game Design Expo Scholarships – you’ll be able to find all the details and apply starting Monday right here.

Thanks to all of our sponsors, speakers, panelists, and everyone who came out over the course of the weekend!

We’re going to have lots more for you coming up, including photo highlights, a rundown of the action at 2010 event, and more! Stay tuned to gamedesignexpo.com.