IGDA Newsletter - February 2008

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IGDA Newsletter - February 2008
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Table of Contents
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0: A Word From Mitzi McGilvray

1: New Board Members: Brathwaite, Buscaglia, DeLoura, Train

2: Quick IGDA@GDC Recap

3: Event Action: DiME, ICE

4: Columns Update

5: Chapter Meetings/Reports

x: Logistical Bits & Unsubscribe Info
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0: A Word From Mitzi McGilvray
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Dear Members and friends,

GDC:08 is now behind us. It was a fantastic conference and was great to see many of you at the various IGDA organized events. We listened to your feedback from last year and hope you all noticed some great improvements over our GDC presence in previous years. This included a smoother running members-only party, better presence at the IGDA booth (gotta love the Katamari!) and more opportunities for everyone to interface with the board members. Please do share any thoughts you might have for improvements again as we move into our preparations for GDC:09.

On another note, this will be the last official newsletter intro you will receive from me as Chair. I've had a fantastic time helping lead the IGDA over the past year. I will continue my role on the board as Chair Emeritus and look forward to working with the newly elected board members in the upcoming term.

- Mitzi McGilvray
Chairperson, IGDA
VP Casual Games, TikGames



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1: New Board Members: Brathwaite, Buscaglia, DeLoura, Train
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Brenda Brathwaite, Mark DeLoura and Tim Train will be joining the IGDA's Board of Directors on March 1st for the start of the next term. And, Tom Buscaglia was re-elected to the board for another term. A hearty congratulations to each of them!

A formal press release to announce the new board members and results of officer appointments (ie, chair, secretary, treasurer) will be posted later in March. For now, FYI:
http://www.igda.org/board/elections.php



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** Ad: DiME - Diversity in Media & Entertainment Summit **
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March 29, Oakland, CA (San Francisco Area)

Diversity in Media and Entertainment (DiME) 2008 is a first of its kind summit, set to be held in The Historic Sweet's Ballroom in Oakland, California. DiME has been convened by a committed group of creators within the game, media and Internet industries, but open to everyone interested in the topic of diversity in all types of media and entertainment.

Panelists to include several IGDA Members & Diversity Representatives:
-- Joseph Saulter (African-American)
-- Sheri Graner Ray (Women)
-- Peter Leahy (LGBT)

Don't forget to register before February 29 to get the best rate! IGDA members get at 50% discount.

http://www.dime2008.com/
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2: Quick IGDA@GDC Recap
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The IGDA team is still mostly recovering from GDC week. So, we have to yet to pull everything together for a comprehensive recap. Expect a full recap in the March newsletter, meanwhile here are some tidbits to tide you over:

- The Katamari at the IGDA booth was quite popular...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDnMIj-fmy0
http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/21/seen-gdc-the-igda-katamari-ball-of-junk/
http://blogs.ign.com/DugBuzz/2008/02/21/81431/


- Susan Gold, Mike McShaffry, Wade Tinney recognized as MVPs for their volunteer contributions to the IGDA:
http://www.igda.org/community/volunteer_mvp.php


- IGDA Members-Only Party photos:
http://www.igda.org/gdc08/rsvp_gdcparty_08.php


- Jason Della Rocca, IGDA executive director, posted a GDC summary and photos to his personal blog:
http://www.realitypanic.com/archives/354



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3: Event Action: DiME, ICE
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Member discounts at upcoming events and related event action include:

- 10% member discount for ICE: Interactive Content Exchange in Toronto (March 26-28)

- 25-50% member discount for DiME: Diversity in Media & Entertainment Summit in Oakland, CA (March 29)


Full discount details and links available online:
http://www.igda.org/events/



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4: Columns Update
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Monthly columns have been updated:

Famous Last Words
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"Risk is the Hinge of Any Deal"
- What is the single unifying principal of contracts?
http://www.igda.org/columns/lastwords/lastwords_Feb08.php


Culture Clash
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"Magnificent Desolation - Shrinking open worlds"
- Exploring big open worlds vs small detailed spaces
http://www.igda.org/columns/clash/clash_Feb08.php


The Games Game
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"Smart Wannabe/Programmer Tricks"
- Career tips specifically for programmers
http://www.igda.org/columns/gamesgame/gamesgame_Feb08.php



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5: Chapter Meetings/Reports
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Complete list of chapter reports and upcoming meetings:
http://www.igda.org/chapters/updates.php


Japan
Friday, March 14 > Online Game & Community Service Conference
http://www.bba.or.jp/ogc/


Perth
Tuesday, March 4 > GDC Post Mortem
http://www.igda.org/perth/


Japan
Saturday, March 1 > GDC 08 Report
http://www.igda.jp/modules/eguide/event.php?eid=51


Portland
Thursday, February 28 > February Meeting
http://www.pagdig.org/?p=55


Philadelphia
Wednesday, February 27 > GDC Recap and Philly Game Jam Demo Night
http://www.igda.org/philly/archives/2008/02/february_2008_m.html


Silicon Valley
Wednesday, February 27 > SVIGDA Pizza Social Night
http://www.siliconvalleyigda.org/


Montreal
Report, January 30 > Montreal Rocks!
http://www.igda.org/montreal/archives/2008/02/montreal_rocks.html


Detroit
Report, January 30 > Detroit IGDA shows off at demo night
http://www.igdadetroit.org/?p=75


Pittsburgh
Report, January 29 > January 2008: Board Game Night
http://www.igda.org/pittsburgh/archives/2008/01/board_game_nigh.html


Perth
Report, January 29 > BioShock - The producer's perspective
http://www.igda.org/perth/event_08_01/08_01_Report.htm



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x: Logistical Bits
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-----------------------------------
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Or, you can update your newsletter subscription details via your MyProfile page:
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Thanks to our Partners
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The IGDA extends its sincerest thanks to all our Partners! Especially those who just joined us, or recently renewed their commitment to support the game development community:

- DeVry University
- IGN Entertainment - ModCenter.com
- University of Lincoln


Without their support the IGDA simply would not survive - let alone thrive.

Further details and a complete list of Partners are available online:
http://www.igda.org/partners



Contact Information
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Please contact us if you have questions, comments or input:
http://www.igda.org/contact.php

19 Mantua Road
Mount Royal, New Jersey
USA 08061


RSS Feeds for IGDA News and Chapter Updates
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The IGDA web site has RSS feeds for IGDA news (eg, org announcements, committee work, etc) and chapter updates (eg, upcoming meetings, event reports). Those using RSS readers can point to:

IGDA News: http://www.igda.org/igda_news_rss.php

IGDA Chapter Updates: http://www.igda.org/igda_chapters_rss.php

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