IGDA Newsletter - October 2005

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IGDA Newsletter - October 2005
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Table of Contents
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0: A Word From Bob Bates

1: Developer Demographics/Diversity Report

2: Events: Upcoming/Discounts, Past Reports

3: Columns Update

4: Chapter Meetings/Reports

x: Logistical Bits & Unsubscribe Info
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========================
0: A Word From Bob Bates
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Dear Members and friends,

I thought it was just my imagination, but it turns out I was right - everywhere I look in our industry, I see new faces. The IGDA report on diversity has just been published, and it turns out that the average worker has been in the industry only 5.4 years, and a massive number (nearly 20%) have only been with us for 2 years.

Are these numbers due to massive burnout by developers who leave the industry after 5 years or so? Or are they due to our rapid expansion and the creation of thousands of new jobs?

Probably both.

But for all of us, the challenge remains - how can we change these jobs into careers, so the industry as a whole doesn't keep having to climb the learning curve. How can we hang onto these new people and benefit from the wisdom they will gain once they've finished a few projects? Check out the diversity report at:
http://www.igda.org/diversity/report.php


Also, a tip of the keyboard to the 3,000-plus developers who responded to our lengthy organizational assessment survey. The winners of the two Sony PSPs are Nate Schaumberg from Crystal Dynamics and Véronique Pelletier from Artificial Mind & Movement.

Happy gaming!

- Bob Bates
Chairperson, IGDA



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*********************************************



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1: Developer Demographics/Diversity Report
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The first of its kind, "Game Developer Demographics: An Exploration of Workforce Diversity" answers the question, "who makes games?" by examining the demographic makeup of the development community. Nearly 6500 people participated in the survey, answering a series of questions pertaining to age, race, sexual orientation and education among other variables.

The full report and supporting materials (ie, survey data, archived questionnaires, etc) are available online:
http://www.igda.org/diversity/report.php


Additionally, a compilation report of the 1,000+ write-in comments add extra insight to the mostly quantitative data provided in main report:
http://www.igda.org/diversity/IGDA_Comments-on-Diversity_Jul05.pdf



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********************************************



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2: Events: Upcoming/Discounts, Past Reports
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The IGDA will be participating at, or is involved with, these upcoming events:

- Game Writers Conference
26-27 October, Austin, Texas, USA
http://www.gamewritersconference.com/


- Argentine Game Developers Conference (EVA05)
29-30 October, Buenos Aires, Argentina
http://www.adva.com.ar/eva/en/


- Montreal International Game Summit
2-3 November, Montreal, QC, Canada
http://www.montrealgamesummit.com/
*** 10% member discount


- Korean Game Conference
10-11 November, Seoul, Korea
http://www.kgconf.com/en/


- Nordic Game Potential
23-24 November, Malmö, Sweden
http://nordicgame.net/
*** 20% member discount


- Online Games Summit
1 December, Paris, France
http://www.informamedia.com/onlinegames


And, here a handful of summary reports and pics from events the IGDA recently participated at:

- FuturePlay trip summary/pics
http://www.igda.org/blogs/realitypanic/archives/000584.html


- Asian Game Developers Summit reports:
http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=352132
http://www.gamedev.net/columns/events/agds05-1/
http://www.gamedev.net/columns/events/agds05-2/


- American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors annual conference
http://www.igda.org/blogs/realitypanic/archives/000545.html


- GDC Europe Student Scholar Reports
http://www.igda.org/scholarships/reports_gdce2005.php



**************************
** Ad: Video Games Live **
**************************
Video Games Live is a touring music concert event featuring music from the worlds most popular video games performed by top orchestras and choirs across North America, combined with amazing video segments from each of the games along with lasers and lights to create an immersive entertainment experience enjoyable for the entire family.

The 1st leg of the 2005 North American tour will kick off at the end of October and will continue to 25 cities until the beginning of December.

Be a part of games history!
http://www.videogameslive.com/
******************************



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3: Columns Update
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Monthly columns have been updated:

Famous Last Words
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"The Treatment of Music in Games - Part 3"
http://www.igda.org/columns/lastwords/lastwords_Oct05.php


Culture Clash
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"Premature Articulation - Early promises, long regrets"
http://www.igda.org/columns/clash/clash_Oct05.php


The Games Game
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"Playing With The Cards You Are Dealt"
http://www.igda.org/columns/gamesgame/gamesgame_Oct05.php



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


Denmark
Friday, January 27 > Nordic Game Jam 2206
http://www.diginet.org/o.o.i.s/1021


Hamburg
Thursday, December 8 > Hamburg & North Germany Chapter Meeting
http://www.igda.org/hamburg/news.htm


Las Vegas
Sunday, December 4 > December Meeting
http://www.igda.org/lasvegas/archives/2005/10/december_meetin.html


Japan
Friday, December 2 > Digital Interactive Entertainment Conference 2005
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=6827


North West UK
Wednesday, November 9 > IGDA North West UK Chapter Meeting
http://www.igda.org/northwestuk/events.html


North West UK
Wednesday, October 26 > IGDA North West UK Committee Open Day
http://www.igda.org/northwestuk/events.html


Ottawa
Monday, October 24 > Update: Agenda Posted for Business Meeting
http://www.igda.org/ottawa


Montreal
Report, October 20 > Lively Discussions: Next-Gen Tech and Selling Ideas
http://www.igda.org/montreal/reports/summary_Oct05.htm


San Francisco
Report, October 14 > Taming The Dragon: Next-Gen Asset Creation for PS3
http://www.igda.org/sf


North Carolina Triangle
Report, October 13 > September Independent Games Showcase
http://www.igda.org/nctriangle/


Las Vegas
Report, October 6 > October Meeting Recap
http://www.igda.org/lasvegas/archives/2005/10/october_meeting_1.html


Colorado
Report, October 1 > How to Break Into the Industry
http://coloradogamedev.org/


Denmark
Report, September 29 > Social Meeting
http://igda.spiludvikling.dk/20050929/


Colorado
Report, September 29 > Future of the Game Industry Panel
http://coloradogamedev.org/



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x: Logistical Bits
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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, Ltd.
- James Murphy Consulting & Virtual Partners Training Center
- Mary-Margaret.com
- MobyGames
- Savannah College of Art and Design

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



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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