2007 Annual Report

Welcome to the IGDA's 2007 Annual Report. The Board has decided to stick with our tree-saving format and present the below info in web-format only. In addition to summary comments from 2007 IGDA board chair Mitzi McGilvray, we report on our financial results, highlight accomplishments from 2007 and thank those who have made it all possible.

A Word from the 2007 Chair

Dear Members and Friends:

What a fantastic year it has been for the IGDA! Last year was busier than ever as the hundreds of volunteers came together to make our industry a better place to work.

When I joined the Board of Directors five years ago, we were a small team of six volunteers who met monthly by telephone. Since that time, the Board has grown to twelve elected members, has about six conference calls per year and managed to meet in person 3 times over the past several months! With the increased number of Board members, we've been able to form numerous sub-committees targeting specific goals for the IGDA.

For example, the Policy & Advocacy Committee worked to help the IGDA more quickly react to media issues in the game industry and has been more proactive in organizing advocacy efforts. Similarly, the Programs & Membership Committee was very busy last year as they worked to better structure our chapters so we can provide enhanced support to chapter leaders.

Also, of great personal pride, the IGDA Foundation was more formally launched near the end of 2007. The Foundation was established to support the mission of the IGDA through charitable, scientific and educational works.

As I near the end of my final year on the Board, I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to the many volunteers who have contributed countless hours to the organization. As a “lifer” in the game industry, I fully appreciate all of the effort and passion that is channeled through the IGDA. For one, the IGDA has made me more successful in my career. Thanks!

Mitzi McGilvray
- 2007 Chairperson, IGDA
- VP Casual Games, TikGames
mitzim -at- igda -dot- org

Simplified Financials and Statistics

These charts provide a snapshot of the IGDA’s financial health and overall progress. The simplified Income Statement outlines the revenue sources of the organization along with the various classes of expenditure for 2007, 2006 and 2005. Note these financials are presented in unaudited form.

Simplified Financials

Income Statement
January - December 2007, 2006, 2005 (US$)

Balance Sheet
As of December 31st 2007, 2006, 2005 (US$)

Statistics

IGDA Members

Registered Free User Accounts

Studio Affiliates

Industry Partners

'07 Highlights

Check the news archives, the press release index and the newsletter archives for a complete run down of news and updates from 2007. Here are some choice highlights from the year:

Leadership Forum :
In November 2007, we hosted the first ever IGDA Leadership Forum, with over 300 producers, team leads, and studio directors in attendance. The Forum focused on advancing the state of the art in game production and management through its two complimentary tracks; the Production Track and the Leadership Track.

LinkedIn and Facebook:
Jumping on the social networking bandwagon, the IGDA established groups at both Facebook and LinkedIn. Well, actually, the IGDA Facebook group was started by some proactive members (and had about 2000 users in it before we even knew). The open Facebook group now has nearly 5000 members in it. For more serious-minded developers, the members-only LinkedIn group has proven quite popular as well, with nearly 2000 members linked up.

Members-Only Party at GDC:
Once again IGDA held an annual party just for members, this time at GDC '07. A total of 1773 members RSVP'd for this event, which was held at the Roe Restaurant and Lounge in San Francisco. The lines may have been long, but the wait was worth it.

Credit Standards Beta:
Late 2007 saw the release of the beta Credit Standards Guide. Presented at GDC, the Standards have gotten a good deal of media attention, and strong positive reaction from developers. Much work continues on refining the Standards and gaining further acceptance...

Game Developers Choice Awards :
IGDA's role in presenting awards in cooperation with CMP enjoyed its finale with the presentation of the 7th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards at GDC. The IGDA and its members played a key role in recognizing achievement and innovation among peers via the Choice Awards. The Game of the Year award went to Gears of War, while the legendary Shigeru Miyamoto was recognized for a lifetime of achievement.

Eric Dybsand Memorial Scholarship:
The IGDA Foundation awarded Michael Kofman, an undergraduate at Full Sail, as the first recipient of the Eric Dybsand Memorial Scholarship for AI Development. The scholarship, awarded in memory of Eric Dybsand, the noted AI developer, author and lecturer who passed away in 2004, is awarded annually by a panel selected by the IGDA Foundation.

Chapters:
IGDA's global network of chapters continues to serve as a focal point for developers from around the world. In 2007, IGDA chapters worked to host over 150 total meetings! New chapters were established in Albuquerque, Bucharest, Caracas and Sao Paulo.

Special Interest Groups:
The IGDA's SIGs continued to do awesome work throughout 2007, enabling members to connect on myriad topics and issues of interest. Of particular note, the Game Accessibility SIG had a strong showing at the consumer-oriented E for All Expo, bringing broad awareness of the challenges that persons with various disabilities have in playing games. Another great example of SIG work was the Casual Games SIG's release of their Data Reporting Standards. Further, in 2007 two new SIGs were initiated for Localization and Outsourcing.

New Admin Office:
January 2007 marked the beginning of a new relationship with the TALLEY MANAGEMENT GROUP, INC., which provided a new home office to IGDA. IGDA thanks former Community Manager Rudy Geronimo and the individuals who spent time in the San Francisco office for their contributions to IGDA's growth. The partnership with TMG provides additional operational capacity and strategic support to ensure IGDA continues to grow and thrive.

Thanks!

A huge word of thanks and pat on the back to the 16,000 members who have faith in the IGDA, the 500+ volunteers that keep the engine running, the Studio Affiliates that push to get their people involved and the Corporate Partners that support the work of the org.

In particular, a big shout out to the MVP Award recipients from 2007: Chris Bateman, Jyri Ranki and Eric Zimmerman.