Jane Pinckard 2010 Board Statement

Contact Jane

Candidate Position Statement:

I’ve been a member of the IGDA through several career changes, first as a writer, then as a conference manager, and finally in Business Development for a large independent game developer, Foundation 9 Entertainment. I’m proud to be a member of an organization I believe in, and to support its mission as an advocate for developers. The recent creation of a health care plan is a stunning example of the IGDA’s potential, and its ability to face the current challenges.

We need to capitalize on the momentum by solidifying the IGDA’s role as a vital partner for the game industry, for individual game developers, and for game companies.

I see three key areas where we can achieve solid results:

1. Education: The IGDA can be an extremely valuable resource for knowledge-sharing and for encouraging professional development. Events such as the leadership forum are popular and well-respected. We can grow this aspect of the organization.
2. Diversity: Increasing diversity in the game industry is a key concern. Inviting and recruiting professionals from various backgrounds makes the game industry more creative, stronger, and better equipped to adapt.
3. Partnerships: On issues such as the ever-present and controversial quality of life problem, we absolutely need to work with corporate partners to bring about the changes we all desire. The IGDA can help companies make the right structural changes in their work cultures.

2009 highlighted the economic challenges that might impact willingness to pay for membership. But we have the power to prove that joining the IGDA is still one of the best, most important things a game developer can do.

Candidate Bio:

Jane Pinckard works in Business Development at Foundation 9 Entertainment, an independent game developer with seven studios worldwide. She started writing about videogames in 1997, a project that eventually evolved into the game culture blog GameGirlAdvance. She has written for a variety of publications including Theme Magazine, Xbox Nation, and Salon, and has lectured at Stanford, CCAC, Carnegie Mellon, and Whitman College. In 2004 she served in Lawrence Lessig's Law in Virtual Societies class at Stanford Law School as a non-resident fellow. In 2005 she co-created The 1Up Show, a weekly video internet show about game culture, and then worked on the speaker program for the Game Developers Conference, the industry's leading tradeshow for videogame developers. She has spoken at SXSW, PAX, GDC, and other game and art events.

Board Interview Q and A:

1.    What do you see as the biggest challenge facing game developers today?  What should the IGDA's role be in addressing that challenge?

The game industry has accomplished much to be proud of, but 2009 started to show the first cracks in the armor, and we can no longer afford to be comfortable. Most immediately, we are experiencing the general fallout from the economic impact of last year, with hundreds of game developers out of work and several studios shuttered. The traditional hardware and development cycles are too long for us to adjust quickly to fastpaced advancements in internet technology, particularly digital delivery systems, new platforms like the iPhone and the iPad, and new game genres like socially networked games. We have to be prepared to meet these changes systematically and agilely.

The IGDA can support the game industry in three main ways: one, to offer not only health care but education, training, and re-employment resources to IGDA members who are currently out of work. We can provide mentorship programs, create partnerships with nonendemic organizations, such as the MacArthur Foundation, to create new opportunities for new game studios, and activate the network of members to more effectively match up qualified workers with positions. We can make sure that members are current on the skills they need to succeed in the marketplace.
Forecasting farther than the next several months, the IGDA has to continue to be aware of how the industry is changing and adapt to serve its members. The health care initiative is a stellar example of this strategic thinking in action – the addition of this feature has allowed more independent contract workers, enabling a trend that will continue to grow as the industry embraces variable work force. The IGDA can keep up with changes through the knowledge base of its members, through research, partnerships with academia and reaching out to social media, participating in events like the Web 2.0 conference.
Finally, increasing diversity in the game development community ensures we have a more evolutionarily adaptive pool of talent to draw from as we shape the industry over the next decade. We can avoid specializing in a few core offerings; instead, we’ll continue to expand on the art of videogames to attract new audiences with new experiences.

 
2.  How do you expect to contribute to the IGDA Board?  What qualifications or skills do you possess that will enhance your contributions?

I have an unusual perspective on the game industry as a former journalist and now through my work in business development for the largest independent game development studio in North America. Through understanding our publishing partners’ strategies, I have insight into how publishers tackle the changes ahead; and through my service to the seven studios in Foundation 9, I also understand developer concerns and priorities. I’m especially skilled in “translating” between the two groups, and I can bridge the gap between developers and publishers, between individuals and large companies.
Part of my job is to be aware of market shifts and trends, and to forecast where segments of the industry are headed in order to better prepare our teams to meet the challenges that lie ahead. I can help the IGDA do this and stay ahead of change – to help drive change, instead of react to it when it arrives.

3. How much time do you expect to volunteer to the IGDA?  How will you manage this commitment?

I expect that on average I can devote ten to fifteen hours a week on work for the IGDA. I can simply build the time into my schedule, adjusting as necessary for more resource intensive times such as organizing an event or responding to an immediate issue.
 

4. As an IGDA board member, you're often asked to get things done on a short timeframe and tight budget.  What do you think a reasonable expectation of a board member's contribution is?  How will you accomplish your goals as a board member?

From the outset what’s important is understanding the scope of each proposed solution and then setting the right expectations so that I can deliver what I promise. Unrealistic goals help no one; instead we need to make sure to properly define each problem and apply solutions systematically. It’s up to each board member to define what she or he can deliver in a proposed timeframe – and then be consistent with execution.
Of course, and we deal with this in our studios all the time, there are times when unexpected issues cropped up that must be fixed with very little time and money. In those cases we quickly diagnose the problem, assess the choices, measure those against the clients’ needs, and then execute swiftly on the proposed solution that best fits the clients’ needs. I believe this model can be applied to the IGDA – in our case, our clients are our members.