October 24, 2007
October Meeting Update - Education Round table discussion
This week! Wednesday from 6-9 pm we are having our Monthly meeting. It will be an
Education Roundtable with many wonderful discussions going on. We all hope you can make
it out for the evening. Some great door prizes are also to be had by our sponsors
Stardock, Wiley Publishing (books) and Apress, as if the awesome conversation to be
discussed isn't enough.
Unfortunately Dr. Laird cannot make it out, but Jacob Pollak will graciously take his
place. Jacob has been an Adjunct Professor teaching Multimedia design at Schoolcraft
College for several years now.
One change of note, the room we will be in is the 1011 IAVS (Borg Warner) auditorium (the
IAVS building is located in between the
Engineering Lab Bailing and the Mardigian Library - about 100 feet South
East of the CIS building). Here is a map of the campus:
http://www.umd.umich.edu/maps_directions/
Posted by RichElswick at 01:39 PM | Comments (0)
February 06, 2007
Wolverine Soft - Local Student Chapter of the IGDA hosts an event this weekend!
So our local student chapter at the University of Michigan is hosting a contest this weekend, well at least a 48 hour stress test of gaming development! I believe it is the 3rd time they have done this and I look forward to the results and some pics. Students from Sparta Soft will be going as well, so it is a MSU vs UofM thing again! I am sure they will let others in as well, but check out the competition page here:
Posted by RichElswick at 10:26 AM | Comments (0)
January 02, 2007
The year of the secret agent is upon us
Hi everybody,
By now you might have heard, I'm the new coordinator for IGDA Michigan (South). Some of us have met, some of us haven't, but we'll get to in time, I'm sure. I want to let you guys know about our plans for the year, lay out some calendar information, and even set up some meeting announcements. Settle in for a few minutes, won't you?
First things First
First up, I want to thank you all for sticking around, and welcome everyone who's new to the scene. (Speaking of, got a friend who isn't getting this email yet? Forward it on!) We've got some changes planned this year, and I think we're really going to do some awesome things with IGDA and gaming in Michigan in general. I'm very excited about what the year will bring. Of course, not everything is changing. Jay, Brian and Rich are still sticking around, and we're still going to have a fat pile of fun. But some things are going to be done a bit differently.
First up, starting in January we are going to be charging chapter dues. According to the member surveys we passed out at the last big meeting, it seemed that the majority of you were okay with a small membership fee to belong to IGDA SMich, so long as we made your membership worthwhile. So that's what we're going to do. The membership fee will be $25 per year, and those dues will go toward things like paying for venues, securing giveaways, bribing speakers and so forth. =)
Folks who donated prior to December 31, 2006 will be grandfathered in for the year. Rich has a list of those members already, so if you gave money in the past, then you're covered. Don't sweat it.
Secondly, we're going to be operating with a Board of Directors structure. The idea is that, with a core of officers responsible for various tasks, it takes the load off the main coordinator (yours truly) and makes things a lot easier all around. Jay, Brian and Rich will be on this board for the ensuing year, and I'm really glad they've agreed to do so. We are looking for a few other folks to join this board, we'll either be contacting you in the coming weeks, or if you (or someone you know) would really make a GREAT candidate, get ahold of us.
Finally, we're going to try to gear the chapter in a more professionally-oriented direction this year. That's not to shove aside all you students, which I realize makes up the majority of the chapter, but there are professional members here too, who I think could stand to get a little more out of their time and membership in the IGDA than we've provided them in the past. I think with our planned program, you students will also get quite a bit out of what's to come, so not to worry.
Meeting Announcement
Our first meeting of the year will be on January 16 at Dangerous Moves, the new motion capture studio in Detroit. Michael Bolden, the fellow in charge, (you may know him from the Games in Detroit meetup.com group) is going to show us how it all comes together.
Dangerous Moves is at 4925 Cadieux, just east of Warren Ave. Reports are that parking is not excessive, but it's recommended that we get there early. This is a joint meeting with SEMAfx, the official Metro Detroit chapter of SIGGRAPH, which for those not in the know are computer graphics professionals. This stuff applies to us both, so we are teaming up for great justice. Meet & greet starts at 6:30pm, and the meeting proper starts at 7:00pm.
Calendar of Events (tenative)
You know, originally we planned on doing an event every other month, and keeping things simple. But more and more, we got requests for this event and that event, and suddenly the year was full up. So we've moved to a 12 month calendar, with one event per month. Venues are still to be determined on some events, but there's time enough for that. Unless there's a particular reason, meeting nights will also be the first Thursday in each month. Save your weekends for your friends and families. Now, these aren't set in STONE, but as things stand, it looks like this:
January 16 - Motion capture presentation at Dangerous Moves MoCap Studio, Detroit
February 20 - Autodesk presents 3D Studio Max and Maya sessions, Schoolcraft College in Livonia
March 27 - Game Developer's Conference wrapup & Open Discussion with Flash book author Jamie Moller
April 12 - Rich Elswick presents a tutorial session on C#
May 10 - Discussion on the business of Xbox Live Arcade with Cristopher Boyer
June 10 - IGDA SMich Project Showcase, for Students and Professionals
July 12 - Microsoft presents XNA & Games on Vista sessions
August 9 - 3D Studio Max tutorial
September 27-29 - Midwest Gaming Conference
October 11 - Texture painting in Photoshop tutorial
November 8 - TBD
December 6 - TBD
You can plug this calendar into your feed reader:
click here for the feed
Or you can even use iCal/Thunderbird/Outlook 2007 with the ics link:
click here for the ics
We'll keep it updated as the days go on. Keep an eye on it.
Other things
Did you forget about the chapter website? (Clearly not, you're here after all.) It's at http://www.igda.org/smichigan/ and believe it or not, it does get updated. I'll personally be making more posts once I get access to it. In the meantime, you might notice a link to the chapter wiki. If you're registered at the IGDA website, maybe look into helping expand that into a really useful repository on all things IGDA SMich. These are things you should check out.
Anyway, that's the skinny. If there are things that really stick in your craw, or if there's something you'd like the chapter to get in on, get ahold of me or one of the board members, and we'll do our best to make something happen. It's your chapter after all, so we'd love it if you help us help you.
See you in January 007, your secret agent laser-gun spy watches will be handed out at the meeting.*
Best regards,
Cristopher Boyer
Chairman, IGDA Michigan South
*That is secret agent code for "secret agent laser-gun spy watches will not be handed out at the meeting." We're on a budget, here.
Posted by CristopherBoyer at 11:12 AM | Comments (0)
October 31, 2005
Future Play videos now available
Five keynote presentations and one panel presentation from Future Play 2005 is now posted online. All the sessions are great. For those that could not attend Future Play, I highly recommend checking them out. For those that did, you may want to watch them again! ;-)
You can find them at http://www.futureplay.org/news.php?ID=28.
Posted by BrianWinn at 08:24 PM | Comments (0)
October 07, 2005
Video game law and policy debate at MSU
On Friday, October 14th, there will be a unique and timely event held at the Michigan State Univesrity Union. The Quello Center for Telecommunication Management and Law and Intellectual Property & Communications Law Program at Michigan State University are bringing in the top researchers, industry representatives, and government officials to discuss the future of game content, law, and policy across two compelling panel discussions:
Panel Discussion: Game intellectual property law and policy
Time: 1:30-2:30pm, Friday, Oct. 14
Location: MSU Union Parlor CThe "Game intellectual property law and policy" panel will explore the unique intellectual property, copyright, and patent issues arising in the game industry as related to game developers, publishers, and players.
Moderator:
- Dr. Peter Yu, Associate Professor of Law & Director of the Intellectual Property & Communications Law Program, Michigan State University
Panelists:
- Prof. Bruce Boyden, Visiting Professor of Law, Michigan State University
- Trevor Fencott, President, Groove Games
- Greg Costikyan, CEO, Manifesto Games
- Greg Silberman, Partner, Technology, Intellectual Property & Outsourcing, Kaye Scholer LLP
Panel Discussion: Game content, ratings, censorship, and the first amendment
Time: 2:45-4:45pm, Friday, Oct. 14
Location: MSU Union Parlor CThe "Game content, ratings, censorship, and the first amendment" panel will be a lively debate on a controversial subject. The panel includes Dr. Henry Jenkins III, professor of comparative media studies at MIT who has written extensively on the benefits of video game, Dr. Craig Anderson, psychology professor at Iowa State University whose research shows there is a significant relation between exposure to media violence and aggressive behavior, Dr. Clay Calvert, professor of communications and law at Penn State University who argues that the recent legislation that restricts violent video game sales infringes on the First Amendment, Jason Della Rocca, executive director of the International Game Developers Association who advocates that digital games should not be treated any differently from other forms of art and creative expression, Dr. Kevin Saunders, MSU law professor and author of the recent book Saving Our Children from the First Amendment, and John Lazet, Chief of Staff to Michigan Senator Alan Cropsey who recently sponsored legislation that restricts the sale of violent video games in Michigan.
Moderator:
- Dr. Steve Wildman, Co-Director of the Quello Center for Telecommunication Management and Law, Michigan State University
Panelists:
- Dr. Henry Jenkins III, Friedlaender Professor of Humanities and Director of the M.I.T. Comparative Media Studies Lab
- Dr. Clay Calvert, J.D., Associate Professor of Communications and Law, Penn State University
- Dr. Kevin Saunders, J.D., Professor of Law, Michigan State University
- Dr. Craig A. Anderson, Distinguished Professor, Department of Psychology, Iowa State University
- Jason Della Rocca, Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association
- John Lazet, Chief of Staff to Michigan Senator Cropsey
These two panel sessions are part of the international conference on the future of game design and technology, called Future Play, taking place at the Michigan State University Union October 13-15. The Future Play conference, a unique international partnership between Michigan State University and Algoma University College, focuses on three main themes. The first theme, future game development, addresses academic research and emerging industry trends in the area of game technology and game design. The second theme, future game impacts and applications, includes academic research, emerging industry trends, and public policy related to the positive and negative impacts of games on individuals and society. Finally, the third theme, future game talent, is designed to provide a number of industry and academic perspectives on the knowledge, skills, and attitude it takes to excel in the games industry for students considering careers as game developers.
To take part in the conference, attendees must register online or at the event. However, attendance at these two special panel sessions are open to the community at large and registration is not required.
To find out more information about the conference and register, visit: http://www.futureplay.org
Posted by BrianWinn at 06:36 PM | Comments (0)
September 06, 2005
$50 discount on Future Play for IGDA members
Future Play 2005
October 13-15, 2005
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
http://futureplay.org/
Future Play is an international conference on the future of game design and technology which brings together academics, industry, and students to advance game design and technology through research, creative and experimental game design and development, and formal and informal discussion on academic and industry-related topics.
The Future Play conference focuses on three main themes. The first theme, future game development, addresses academic research and emerging industry trends in the area of game technology and game design. The second theme, future game impacts and applications, includes academic research and emerging industry trends focused on designing games for learning, for gender, for serious purposes, and to impact society. Finally, the third theme, future game talent, is designed to provide a number of industry and academic perspectives on the knowledge, skills, and attitude it takes to excel in the games industry.
Registration includes access to all conference events. Breakfast and lunch are also provided.
Registration is:
* $250 for non-IGDA members.
* $200 for IGDA members ($50 discount)
* $125 for students
Posted by BrianWinn at 11:41 PM | Comments (0)
June 29, 2005
Future Play 2005 in Michigan this Fall
Future Play 2005, the International Academic Conference on the Future of Game Design and Technology, will take place October 13-15, 2005 at Michigan State University. The Future Play conference focuses on three main themes. The first theme, future game development, addresses academic research and emerging industry trends in the area of game technology and game design. The second theme, future game impacts and applications, includes academic research and emerging industry trends focused on designing games for learning, for gender, for serious purposes, and to impact society. Finally, the third theme, future game talent, is designed to provide a number of industry and academic perspectives on the knowledge, skills, and attitude it takes to excel in the games industry.
A limited number of half price student-only registration slots are available for the conference, so act quickly if you are a student.
There is a call for games, papers, and posters if you wish to exhibit your design work or research at the conference.
There is also an independent game competition held at the conference. Michigan IGDA members, this is a great venue to exhibit your Made in Michigan games alongside games from submissions around the world.
Details are available at futureplay.org.
Posted by BrianWinn at 02:38 PM | Comments (0)
May 10, 2005
Complaints over some new legislation making the rounds in the Michigan senate
Bills sponsored by Senators Hansen Clarke and Alan Cropsey prepare the state of Michigan to take a much firmer stance on the sale of video games to young people. A number of hearings regarding these bills will be held this month to discuss them further; the next one is scheduled for May 6 at the Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, where representatives from local and national game developers are expected to testify against this pending legislation.
Specifically, the bills criminalize the sale of games rated ‘M’ for mature by the Entertainment Software Rating Board to anybody under the age of 17. Under one of the proposed amendments to the Michigan penal code, any individual who is found selling one of these games can be put in jail for up to a year and even fined up to $5,000. The idea behind these bills is that they are designed to protect our youth from “those who poison the minds of our young people,” Governor Jennifer Granholm said.
But Michigan’s local game development community contends that the proposed legislation is flawed on a number of levels.
“The bill indicts the game development industry on the whole,” said Cristopher Boyer, CEO of local video game publisher Variant Interactive, Co.
“When compared to other entertainment mediums which produce similar products, game developers are considered to be these villainous deviants with no moral compass,” Boyer said.
Currently, there is no law or legislation regulating the sale of movies, music or books containing questionable content.
The bills would also put unnecessary burdens on independent software developers, who would have to spend thousands of dollars more to have their game rated when they are only distributing their game on the Internet to credit card-bearing consumers.
“For independent developers, the cost of having your game reviewed could be more than what it costs to make the whole game,” said Gregg Seelhoff, Technical Director at Sophsoft, Inc. – a game development company in Michigan who makes solitaire games to sell on the Internet.
“It could put some people out of business,” Seelhoff said.
Local developers are also apprehensive of the bills when it comes to the growth of the industry, especially in Michigan. There is growing concern that such an attitude by the state’s legislators would create an inhospitable environment for game developers, making it harder to bring more members of the industry to the state. And as an industry that boasts domestic revenues of more than $7 billion per year and growing, local enthusiasts believe that it’s an industry Michigan can not afford to ignore.
“Rather than spending time trying to figure out how to censor games and put our young retail workers behind bars, I think it would be more appropriate for our State government to focus on generating new high-tech jobs by attracting the industry into the State," said Brian Winn, a professor in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University, and one of the coordinators of Southeastern Michigan chapter of the International Game Developer’s Association.
“I think its just another example of the politicians being out of touch with younger and college aged kids,” said Jay Semerad, another coordinator of the local chapter of the IGDA and founder of Red Leader Audio, a local music studio working exclusively with game development. He, like many others, believe that the state’s reluctance to better involve themselves with the game industry will cost them more than just economically.
“Why are they suprised when the kids want to get out of Michigan after graduation?” Semerad said.
Posted by BrianWinn at 12:05 AM | Comments (0)