Panels

Guest and Community Panels

Want to know where video game artists and musicians get their inspiration? Looking to find out how programmers make those video games tick? Got a question for a video game remixer? Dying for some intelligent video game talk with folks that write game articles? Drum up a chat with our special guests at the discussions and get a better idea of what's going on behind the scenes. To ensure fairness to those who have waited in lines for panels, please be advised that it is our policy to clear each panel room between panels. If you'd like to watch the following panel you'll need to leave the room and return to the back of the line. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

We also accept applications for community-run panels! Panels applications for Super 2025 are open until October 15, 2024. Apply at the applications page.

Music And Gaming Education Symposium (MAGES)

What is the Symposium, and who are the MAGES?

We are MAGFest-ers with a taste for the serious and the innovative! We host educational content right in the heart of MAGFest in the form of roundtable discussions, lecture panels, and interactive workshops. MAGES panels and events focus on a wide variety of topics: game design, music theory, the relationship between game and gamer, the therapeutic benefits of music and games, the study of musical instruments, and game history are a small set of possible subject areas. We bring an interdisciplinary approach to our analysis of the role of music and games in society – as mediums of entertainment and beyond. We value vibrant discourse and are always looking for new presenters and new ideas.

Our panels are typically structured to represent views on any number of topics with presenters from academia, the music and tech industries, government, indie developers, cultural commentators, and our engaged and informed MAGFest audience. Academics, developers, writers, composers, artists, and fans are all welcome to join in the presentations and discussions that will be taking place all weekend. If you've made it to this page, this could be you!

If you would like to get involved with MAGES, we accept content proposals year-round through a dedicated Google form and ideas are vetted by the MAGES Department Heads, who have a combined thirty years of experience in education. If you have questions about the Symposium or wish to pitch an idea, send us an e-mail at mages@magfest.org! If we feel that your proposal fits within the theme(s) and mission of the Symposium, we will be in contact and send you the form link. You will also be invited to join our Discord server! Please note that this form does not replace the Panels submission process, which is required for all MAGES presenters.

We are currently accepting proposals for MAGFest 2026. If we accept your proposal, you will be directed to submit through the main MAGFest panels portal with the “MAGES” tag, signifying that you’re ready to join our awesome, academic, and frequently astonishing community!

Do you require ASL interpretation for our panels? Please email accessibility@magfest.org and we will do our best to accommodate.