IGDA Newsletter - June 2004
===========================
IGDA Newsletter - June 2004
===========================
===========================
Table of Contents
===========================
0: A Word From Jesse Schell
1: IGDA News
- Lobbying Update: California-State Bills 1792 & 1793
- Indie Game SIG Rebooted
- Farewell Note from Liz Wakefield
- Columns Update
2: Chapter Meetings/Reports
3: From the Wires
- Independent Games Festival Announces 2005 Call for Entries
- ESRB West Coast Educational Seminars
- Hunt Valley game maker sensationally good to workers
- Gaming tries to shed boys' club image
- Game conference to focus on untapped female audience
- Girls as game designers: what choices do they make?
- Women want computers to be less "nerdy"
- Video game skills may give edge in life
- High Technology Institute: Gaming Technology Certificate
- Miyamoto Speaks At The Smithsonian
- Japanese gaming population rising, market falling
- China Cracks Down on Net Games
- Spot On: The Future of Entertainment Conference
- Playing Games With a Conscience
- Game publishers too reliant on licenses?
- Warner Bros. looks to reviewers to help ensure game quality
- The Game of Wife - Gay marriage comes to video games
- The Undead Zone - Why realistic graphics make humans look creepy
- Nostalgia Keeps Games Afloat
- In Video Games, Everything Old Is New Again
4: Logistical Bits
===========================
===========================
0: A Word From Jesse Schell
===========================
Dear Members and friends,
Some excellent news regarding California State Bills 1792 & 1793, as you'll
read below. Hundreds of IGDA members sent letters to their representatives,
making clear their opposition to this kind of government-run videogame
censorship, and it made a real difference.
In other news, this month marks a sad departure -- our own Liz Wakefield,
who has ably served the IGDA for so long, is moving on to new projects. Her
efforts with the IGDA have been an inspiration to all she has worked with
several chapter coordinators have said they could never have gotten their
chapter started without her help. It is partly due to her hard work with
the community that the IGDA is the thriving organization it is today.
Thanks, Liz!
The IGDA is all about developers helping developers. This means you! Is
there something you care about? Something in the industry you wish was
different? Well, get involved, and change things -- it's easy to do -- just
find a topic you care about, and start contributing
(http://www.igda.org/advocacy/) or just go to a chapter meeting
(http://www.igda.org/chapters/) and get involved. No chapter near you?
Start your own -- we'll help you do it. Not a member? Well, stop free riding
on everyone else's hard work and join (http://www.igda.org/join/)! Your
membership dues go to activities that help all of us. Is there something
else we can help you do? Let us know!
Remember -- the IGDA is here to help you make a difference.
Jesse Schell
Chairperson, IGDA
Professor of Entertainment Technology, Carnegie Mellon University
CEO, Schell Games
======================================================
Ad: SIGGRAPH 2004 Advanced Content for Game Developers
======================================================
SIGGRAPH 2004, August 8-12 in Los Angeles is an intense week of
cutting-edge research, new techniques, surprising technologies, and the
tools you need to succeed in the extremely competitive gaming industry.
Designers, artists, animators, and programmers will discover advanced
content that isn't available anywhere else as well as an Exhibition that
will empower every game development pro. Relevant content will be included
in 45 SIGGRAPH 2004 Courses, Papers, Panels, Exhibitor Tech Talks, and
Special Sessions. New for SIGGAPH 2004, one day passes are available.
http://www.siggraph.org/s2004/games
======================================================
============
1: IGDA News
============
Lobbying Update: California-State Bills 1792 & 1793
---------------------------------------------------
Late 2003, California Assembly member Leland Yee introduced two bills to
regulate games: AB 1792 to redefine violent games as harmful substance to
minors (ie, like alcohol and tobacco); and AB 1793 to segregate M games and
impose rules/fines on retailers.
In coordination with the ESA, the IEMA and other industry partners, the
IGDA worked to oppose these bills. The IGDA called upon it members in
California for grassroots outreach. Hundreds on IGDA members sent letters
of opposition to their representatives, helping them understand developer
concerns over the bills and the lack of respect/understanding of games as
an art form.
Yee's first attempt to pass the bills through the Arts Committee failed,
but he was given the opportunity to revise and resubmit. Due to pressure
from industry, Yee pulled AB 1792 completely and worked to amend AB 1793.
After many revisions, a heavily watered-down AB 1793 passed the General
Assembly and will now move on to the next stages of the legislative process.
This was an important (mostly) victory, as AB 1792 could have had a serious
crippling effect on developers' creative freedoms. Thanks to all the IGDA
members who played an important role on generating awareness amongst the
politicians of California.
For further details:
http://www.igda.org/censorship/
http://biz.gamedaily.com/search/whole_story.asp?ID=7009
http://www.igda.org/censorship/IGDA_letter-to-Yee_200402.pdf
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/04/05/BAGSB60LTD1.DTL
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/7832112.htm
Indie Game SIG Rebooted
-----------------------
The only inevitable things in life are death, taxes, and sequels, and the
Indie Game SIG proves no exception to that rule, coming back with a new
iteration.
The SIG has revamped its web site, and refreshed their dedicated mailing
list and online forum. They are actively building up their community and
seeking input on potential projects and initiatives to help the indie game
dev scene.
Jump online to join the mailing list and get active.
http://www.igda.org/indie/
Farewell Note from Liz Wakefield
--------------------------------
"IGDA Members and friends, June 21st was my last day at the IGDA.
In four and a half years at the IGDA, it has been my pleasure to help the
organization grow from an all but defunct state (in early 2000) to a
thriving association with a rapidly growing membership, 70+ chapters
worldwide, 50+ affiliated game studios, and committees that address issues
that directly affect the lives of game developers.
I am proud to have been a part of the IGDA's growth, but I am also excited
to move on to something new. I have accepted a position as Business
Director with a small nonprofit focused on nonprofit technology
professionals. I will miss the game development world and all the industry
friends I have made over the years.
I'm certain the IGDA will continue to thrive in the future, with the strong
leadership of Jason, Rudy, Alex, and the board of directors...
Best of luck, and it's been a pleasure working with all of you!
I'll be receiving email at 'liz at igda.org' for a while longer if you'd like to
drop me a line."
- Liz Wakefield, ex-Operations Manager, IGDA
Columns Update
--------------
Monthly columns updated for this month:
- The Ivory Tower:
Invading Spaces, Defending Territories
http://www.igda.org/columns/ivorytower/
- Famous Last Words:
The Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, and Royalties for Developers
http://www.igda.org/columns/lastwords/
- Culture Clash:
Reality Panic - Adapting to increased determination
http://www.igda.org/columns/clash/
- The Games Game:
Sympathy's Not Your Friend
http://www.igda.org/columns/gamesgame/
===========================
2: Chapter Meetings/Reports
===========================
Complete list of chapter reports and upcoming meetings:
http://www.igda.org/chapters/updates.php
Silicon Valley
Meeting, July > Will Wright and Lucy Bradshaw present: "The Sims 2" and
"The History of the Sims"
http://www.igda.org/siliconvalley/
Lyon
Meeting, July > Copyrights, patents, authoring in a videogame production
http://www.igda.org/lyon
Chicago
Meeting, June > Quality of Life White Paper Review
http://www.igda.org/chicago/next.htm
Japan
Meeting, June > Online Game SIG - "The frontline of Asian Online Game Industry"
http://www.igda.jp/modules/xfsection/article.php?articleid=41
Southern Michigan
Report, June > MoCap with iSeeSoft Studios / E3 wrap up
http://www.igda.org/smichigan/Jun04/report.htm
Colorado
Report, June > E3 Slideshow and Graphics Tools Meeting Summary
http://www.coloradogamedev.org/20040607.html
Montreal
Report, June > Exploring Quality of Life, and the EA Inside Scoop...
http://www.igda.org/montreal/reports/summary_Jun04.htm
Phoenix
Report, May > Quality of Life discussion
http://igda-phx.org/resources.php?id=15
=================
3: From the Wires
=================
News stories and articles from around the web...
Independent Games Festival Announces 2005 Call for Entries
http://www.gameinfowire.com/news.asp?nid=4591
ESRB West Coast Educational Seminars
http://www.esrb.com/seminars_2004.asp
Hunt Valley game maker sensationally good to workers
http://tinyurl.com/2zmn6
Gaming tries to shed boys' club image
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5113554
Game conference to focus on untapped female audience
http://tinyurl.com/2fu2q
Girls as game designers: what choices do they make?
http://www.ludonauts.com/archives/000052.shtml
Women want computers to be less "nerdy"
http://www.indiemagazine.co.uk/cgi-bin/news.cgi?id=2651§ion=3
Video game skills may give edge in life
http://tinyurl.com/2o58x
High Technology Institute: Gaming Technology Certificate
http://www.austincc.edu/techcert/Video_Games.html
Miyamoto Speaks At The Smithsonian
http://www.1up.com/article2/0,2053,1597208,00.asp
Japanese gaming population rising, market falling
http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/04/26/news_6094601.html
China Cracks Down on Net Games
http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,63724,00.html
Spot On: The Future of Entertainment Conference
http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/04/05/news_6092885.html
Playing Games With a Conscience
http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,63165,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_3
Game publishers too reliant on licenses?
http://tinyurl.com/35omh
Warner Bros. looks to reviewers to help ensure game quality
http://tinyurl.com/2gsh8
The Game of Wife - Gay marriage comes to video games
http://slate.msn.com/id/2098406
The Undead Zone - Why realistic graphics make humans look creepy
http://slate.msn.com/id/2102086
Nostalgia Keeps Games Afloat
http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,62975,00.html
In Video Games, Everything Old Is New Again
http://tinyurl.com/3gmp5
==================
4: Logistical Bits
==================
Thanks to our Partners!
-----------------------
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:
- A K Peters
- Avid Alienbrain
- Microsoft Research
- Secret Level
- Softimage
- Sony Computer Entertainment America
- Xbox
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
Newsletter Subscription
-----------------------
You can update your subscription details via your MyProfile page:
http://www.igda.org/membership/myprofile.php
If you need help, contact us.
IGDA Membership
---------------
Your support is critical to the success of the IGDA, and our industry.
There are dozens of reasons to join the IGDA, ranging from personal career
advancement to more lofty industry-wide goals.
What are you waiting for? Join today.
http://www.igda.org/join
Contact Information
-------------------
Please contact us if you have questions, comments or input.
http://www.igda.org/contact.php
-------
- end -
-------
IGDA Newsletter - June 2004
===========================
===========================
Table of Contents
===========================
0: A Word From Jesse Schell
1: IGDA News
- Lobbying Update: California-State Bills 1792 & 1793
- Indie Game SIG Rebooted
- Farewell Note from Liz Wakefield
- Columns Update
2: Chapter Meetings/Reports
3: From the Wires
- Independent Games Festival Announces 2005 Call for Entries
- ESRB West Coast Educational Seminars
- Hunt Valley game maker sensationally good to workers
- Gaming tries to shed boys' club image
- Game conference to focus on untapped female audience
- Girls as game designers: what choices do they make?
- Women want computers to be less "nerdy"
- Video game skills may give edge in life
- High Technology Institute: Gaming Technology Certificate
- Miyamoto Speaks At The Smithsonian
- Japanese gaming population rising, market falling
- China Cracks Down on Net Games
- Spot On: The Future of Entertainment Conference
- Playing Games With a Conscience
- Game publishers too reliant on licenses?
- Warner Bros. looks to reviewers to help ensure game quality
- The Game of Wife - Gay marriage comes to video games
- The Undead Zone - Why realistic graphics make humans look creepy
- Nostalgia Keeps Games Afloat
- In Video Games, Everything Old Is New Again
4: Logistical Bits
===========================
===========================
0: A Word From Jesse Schell
===========================
Dear Members and friends,
Some excellent news regarding California State Bills 1792 & 1793, as you'll
read below. Hundreds of IGDA members sent letters to their representatives,
making clear their opposition to this kind of government-run videogame
censorship, and it made a real difference.
In other news, this month marks a sad departure -- our own Liz Wakefield,
who has ably served the IGDA for so long, is moving on to new projects. Her
efforts with the IGDA have been an inspiration to all she has worked with
several chapter coordinators have said they could never have gotten their
chapter started without her help. It is partly due to her hard work with
the community that the IGDA is the thriving organization it is today.
Thanks, Liz!
The IGDA is all about developers helping developers. This means you! Is
there something you care about? Something in the industry you wish was
different? Well, get involved, and change things -- it's easy to do -- just
find a topic you care about, and start contributing
(http://www.igda.org/advocacy/) or just go to a chapter meeting
(http://www.igda.org/chapters/) and get involved. No chapter near you?
Start your own -- we'll help you do it. Not a member? Well, stop free riding
on everyone else's hard work and join (http://www.igda.org/join/)! Your
membership dues go to activities that help all of us. Is there something
else we can help you do? Let us know!
Remember -- the IGDA is here to help you make a difference.
Jesse Schell
Chairperson, IGDA
Professor of Entertainment Technology, Carnegie Mellon University
CEO, Schell Games
======================================================
Ad: SIGGRAPH 2004 Advanced Content for Game Developers
======================================================
SIGGRAPH 2004, August 8-12 in Los Angeles is an intense week of
cutting-edge research, new techniques, surprising technologies, and the
tools you need to succeed in the extremely competitive gaming industry.
Designers, artists, animators, and programmers will discover advanced
content that isn't available anywhere else as well as an Exhibition that
will empower every game development pro. Relevant content will be included
in 45 SIGGRAPH 2004 Courses, Papers, Panels, Exhibitor Tech Talks, and
Special Sessions. New for SIGGAPH 2004, one day passes are available.
http://www.siggraph.org/s2004/games
======================================================
============
1: IGDA News
============
Lobbying Update: California-State Bills 1792 & 1793
---------------------------------------------------
Late 2003, California Assembly member Leland Yee introduced two bills to
regulate games: AB 1792 to redefine violent games as harmful substance to
minors (ie, like alcohol and tobacco); and AB 1793 to segregate M games and
impose rules/fines on retailers.
In coordination with the ESA, the IEMA and other industry partners, the
IGDA worked to oppose these bills. The IGDA called upon it members in
California for grassroots outreach. Hundreds on IGDA members sent letters
of opposition to their representatives, helping them understand developer
concerns over the bills and the lack of respect/understanding of games as
an art form.
Yee's first attempt to pass the bills through the Arts Committee failed,
but he was given the opportunity to revise and resubmit. Due to pressure
from industry, Yee pulled AB 1792 completely and worked to amend AB 1793.
After many revisions, a heavily watered-down AB 1793 passed the General
Assembly and will now move on to the next stages of the legislative process.
This was an important (mostly) victory, as AB 1792 could have had a serious
crippling effect on developers' creative freedoms. Thanks to all the IGDA
members who played an important role on generating awareness amongst the
politicians of California.
For further details:
http://www.igda.org/censorship/
http://biz.gamedaily.com/search/whole_story.asp?ID=7009
http://www.igda.org/censorship/IGDA_letter-to-Yee_200402.pdf
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/04/05/BAGSB60LTD1.DTL
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/7832112.htm
Indie Game SIG Rebooted
-----------------------
The only inevitable things in life are death, taxes, and sequels, and the
Indie Game SIG proves no exception to that rule, coming back with a new
iteration.
The SIG has revamped its web site, and refreshed their dedicated mailing
list and online forum. They are actively building up their community and
seeking input on potential projects and initiatives to help the indie game
dev scene.
Jump online to join the mailing list and get active.
http://www.igda.org/indie/
Farewell Note from Liz Wakefield
--------------------------------
"IGDA Members and friends, June 21st was my last day at the IGDA.
In four and a half years at the IGDA, it has been my pleasure to help the
organization grow from an all but defunct state (in early 2000) to a
thriving association with a rapidly growing membership, 70+ chapters
worldwide, 50+ affiliated game studios, and committees that address issues
that directly affect the lives of game developers.
I am proud to have been a part of the IGDA's growth, but I am also excited
to move on to something new. I have accepted a position as Business
Director with a small nonprofit focused on nonprofit technology
professionals. I will miss the game development world and all the industry
friends I have made over the years.
I'm certain the IGDA will continue to thrive in the future, with the strong
leadership of Jason, Rudy, Alex, and the board of directors...
Best of luck, and it's been a pleasure working with all of you!
I'll be receiving email at 'liz at igda.org' for a while longer if you'd like to
drop me a line."
- Liz Wakefield, ex-Operations Manager, IGDA
Columns Update
--------------
Monthly columns updated for this month:
- The Ivory Tower:
Invading Spaces, Defending Territories
http://www.igda.org/columns/ivorytower/
- Famous Last Words:
The Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, and Royalties for Developers
http://www.igda.org/columns/lastwords/
- Culture Clash:
Reality Panic - Adapting to increased determination
http://www.igda.org/columns/clash/
- The Games Game:
Sympathy's Not Your Friend
http://www.igda.org/columns/gamesgame/
===========================
2: Chapter Meetings/Reports
===========================
Complete list of chapter reports and upcoming meetings:
http://www.igda.org/chapters/updates.php
Silicon Valley
Meeting, July > Will Wright and Lucy Bradshaw present: "The Sims 2" and
"The History of the Sims"
http://www.igda.org/siliconvalley/
Lyon
Meeting, July > Copyrights, patents, authoring in a videogame production
http://www.igda.org/lyon
Chicago
Meeting, June > Quality of Life White Paper Review
http://www.igda.org/chicago/next.htm
Japan
Meeting, June > Online Game SIG - "The frontline of Asian Online Game Industry"
http://www.igda.jp/modules/xfsection/article.php?articleid=41
Southern Michigan
Report, June > MoCap with iSeeSoft Studios / E3 wrap up
http://www.igda.org/smichigan/Jun04/report.htm
Colorado
Report, June > E3 Slideshow and Graphics Tools Meeting Summary
http://www.coloradogamedev.org/20040607.html
Montreal
Report, June > Exploring Quality of Life, and the EA Inside Scoop...
http://www.igda.org/montreal/reports/summary_Jun04.htm
Phoenix
Report, May > Quality of Life discussion
http://igda-phx.org/resources.php?id=15
=================
3: From the Wires
=================
News stories and articles from around the web...
Independent Games Festival Announces 2005 Call for Entries
http://www.gameinfowire.com/news.asp?nid=4591
ESRB West Coast Educational Seminars
http://www.esrb.com/seminars_2004.asp
Hunt Valley game maker sensationally good to workers
http://tinyurl.com/2zmn6
Gaming tries to shed boys' club image
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5113554
Game conference to focus on untapped female audience
http://tinyurl.com/2fu2q
Girls as game designers: what choices do they make?
http://www.ludonauts.com/archives/000052.shtml
Women want computers to be less "nerdy"
http://www.indiemagazine.co.uk/cgi-bin/news.cgi?id=2651§ion=3
Video game skills may give edge in life
http://tinyurl.com/2o58x
High Technology Institute: Gaming Technology Certificate
http://www.austincc.edu/techcert/Video_Games.html
Miyamoto Speaks At The Smithsonian
http://www.1up.com/article2/0,2053,1597208,00.asp
Japanese gaming population rising, market falling
http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/04/26/news_6094601.html
China Cracks Down on Net Games
http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,63724,00.html
Spot On: The Future of Entertainment Conference
http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/04/05/news_6092885.html
Playing Games With a Conscience
http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,63165,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_3
Game publishers too reliant on licenses?
http://tinyurl.com/35omh
Warner Bros. looks to reviewers to help ensure game quality
http://tinyurl.com/2gsh8
The Game of Wife - Gay marriage comes to video games
http://slate.msn.com/id/2098406
The Undead Zone - Why realistic graphics make humans look creepy
http://slate.msn.com/id/2102086
Nostalgia Keeps Games Afloat
http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,62975,00.html
In Video Games, Everything Old Is New Again
http://tinyurl.com/3gmp5
==================
4: Logistical Bits
==================
Thanks to our Partners!
-----------------------
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:
- A K Peters
- Avid Alienbrain
- Microsoft Research
- Secret Level
- Softimage
- Sony Computer Entertainment America
- Xbox
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
Newsletter Subscription
-----------------------
You can update your subscription details via your MyProfile page:
http://www.igda.org/membership/myprofile.php
If you need help, contact us.
IGDA Membership
---------------
Your support is critical to the success of the IGDA, and our industry.
There are dozens of reasons to join the IGDA, ranging from personal career
advancement to more lofty industry-wide goals.
What are you waiting for? Join today.
http://www.igda.org/join
Contact Information
-------------------
Please contact us if you have questions, comments or input.
http://www.igda.org/contact.php
-------
- end -
-------
Last updated:
09/25/2009 - 2:55 PM
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