ryanarndt's blog

The US Supreme Court today ruled 7-2 that video games qualify for the same First Amendment protection as books, plays and movies. This is a significant ruling for our industry as it confirms the creative storytelling nature of our medium. It also supports the Amicus brief we filed with the AIAS supporting the EMA in this case. This case will likely have far reaching impact on the US Game Industry and the IGDA will be looking at this in more depth in the coming days. In the meantime join us in celebrating the strong support of our creative expression this ruling provides.

- The IGDA Board of Directors

UPDATE:

The International Game Developers Association joins the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences and the Entertainment Software Association in recognizing video game art through their Into the Pixel collection.

IGDA members are eligible to submit their video game art with the 2011 Into the Pixel collection unveiled at the E3 Expo in June 2011.

Now in its eighth year, the ITP has established itself as the one annual opportunity for computer and video game artists to receive critical review of their creative achievements by peers in the digital interactive and traditional fine art worlds. Submissions are now open and close April 15, 2011. Please visit www.intothepixel.com for more information on the submission process.

It gives me great pleasure to announce the election results for the IGDA Board of Directors. A total of 1,418 ballots were cast. Unfortunately we did not meet quorum (we fell 154 votes short), but we saw an encouraging increase in voter participation, with participation 18% this year, almost twice the 11% we had in 2010.

Since we did not meet quorum, the election was declared void and the Board this morning selected the new board members. As is custom, we decided to select the top five vote getters for the five available seats. Since one of the seats was only for a one year term (vacated by Gordon Bellamy upon taking the Executive Director position), the person with the fifth highest vote count was selected to that seat.

Selected to the four available 3-year seats:

Did you know only 220 more votes are needed to reach quorum?  That still means a good number of people haven't had their voices heard. In the final push for the Board election (closes on Friday, March 18 at 1159PM PST), every bit helps. Here is a  sample tweet, a facebook update, a video link, and a video embed code (for blogs) to use to help get the word out.

Its a simple copy paste and it can help ensure that your network is better heard and represented in the election results. Please get the word out on social networks, blogs and wherever your community meets.

Thank you for helping others get their voices heard!

Sample Tweet

Your voice is important! Vote in the @IGDA elections before they close March 18th. Check your inbox for the ballot! http://ow.ly/4g8pO

Facebook page update

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Thanks!

Ryan Arndt

IGDA Global Community Manager

The next Election for Board members is currently in progress with new candidates taking office on April 1st, 2011.

There will be five seats up for election, one more than the normal four seats elected annually. For complete details on the IGDA election process, view the IGDA Election Policies and Procedures Manual at http://igda.org/elections .  Elected Board members whose terms extend beyond April 2011 consist of the following individuals: Coray Seifert '13, Wendy Despain '13, Darius Kazemi '13, Jane Pinckard '13, David Edery ' 13, Jamil Moledina '12 and Tobi Saulnier '12. Appointed Board members Erin Hoffman, Rodney Gibbs, and Brian Robbins have terms through September 2011.

What an amazing year for Global Game Jam! With 169 sites in 44 countries and 6573 jammers creating 1479 games, it was the largest game jam ever!  For the 3rd year in a row, the Nordic Game Jam had the most participants, with 228 attendees, but they had fierce competition!  For more site statistics, visit: http://globalgamejam.org/status.

With sponsors Autodesk, Gamesalad, Intel and Gamespy, and a partnership with ACM, the Global Game Jam has been a great success for the IGDA and we are looking forward to Global Game Jam 2012!

All the games can be played for free here: http://globalgamejam.org/games/2011 

The IGDA and the team behind the Global Game Jam 2011 is proud to announce that Keita Takahashi, creator of games such as Katamari Damacy and Noby Noby Boy, will provide the video keynote via YouTube for GGJ 2011. Takahashi’s deconstructive and humorous talk is very different from previous years’ keynotes by Ste Curran (Zoe Mode) and Kyle Gabler (2D Boy).

“‘What Just Happened?’ was my initial reaction after watching the keynote,” says Gorm Lai, co-founder of the Global Game Jam. “Keita certainly delivers on the promise of a surprising and thoughtful talk for the industry.”

The keynote will be released via YouTube Friday, Jan. 28, at 5 p.m. local time in Auckland, New Zealand, just one of the Global Game Jam 173 locations registered by the IGDA or ACM, a participating organization, in 44 countries. The video will officially open GGJ 2011 because of time zone differences.

There has been recent news coverage concerning the “crunch” that developers at THQ’s Kaos Studios are currently enduring while they finish work on Homefront. The IGDA’s stance on this is very clear. We know, as has been well documented, that extensive overtime is not only ineffective from the point of view of productivity, but moreover it is destructive of employee morale. Studios engaging in excessive overtime injure the reputation of the entire game industry, preventing top talent from entering and remaining in game development, and harming the goodwill of other studios that work rigorously to ensure Quality of Life for their developers.

GDC Discount is Active

Game Developers Conference San Francisco Discount Paid IGDA Members are eligible for a US$75.00 Discount off of an All-Access or Main Conference pass.

To receive your discount, please submit your information including the type of pass you will be purchasing, to the form at http://igda.org/IGDA-GDC-Discount Your information will be individually processed and a discount code sent to you.Once you have received your discount code, you will be able to use it to purchase your GDC pass at http://gdconf.com

The Gamification Summit (January 20-21, 2011 San Francisco) brings together top thought leaders in game mechanics and engagement science for the first time. Hear what works and what doesn't in this dynamic and fast-moving field through case studies, workshops, keynotes and panels delivered by experts such as Gabe Zichermann (author, Game-Based Marketing), Amy Jo Kim (gamification guru) and Jane McGonigal (TED fellow, author debuting her new book) and network with other leaders in the space. Attend Gamification Summit 2011 and learn how game mechanics and the new science of engagement are rewriting the rules of brand marketing, product design and customer acquisition and get your business in the game.

JOIN HERE: http://www.igda.org/join

Warren Spector is the Prize!
Deadline Extended: IGDA Chapter that Brings in the Most New Members
By Nov.19 Wins Game Legend as VIP Meeting Speaker

LOS ANGELES – Oct. 12, 2010 -- The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) chapter that brings in the most new members by midnight PST Friday, November 19 (original deadline has been extended) -- will win game industry legend Warren Spector as a VIP speaker for a chapter event.

Spector, a master storyteller and designer for one of the most highly-anticipated games of the year, Disney Epic Mickey, is known for his innovative views on game design.