IGDA Board of Directors appoint new Board members Rodney Gibbs, Erin Hoffman and Brian Robbins to assist in leading the organization for the next two years.

Media Contact: Joshua Caulfield

Monday, Sept. 24th, Mt. Royal New Jersey: The International Game Developers Association announced today that the Board of Directors, has appointed Rodney Gibbs, Erin Hoffman and Brian Robbins to join their number in leading the organization.

Although the majority of IGDA board members are elected, the organization does have up to three appointed seats. "With all of the initiatives currently underway and our aspirations to continue to deliver this rate of change, it made sense to increase the Board size so that we can accomplish more." States Joshua Caulfield, IGDA's Executive Director "Each of the new members already has significant experience in advocating and building the IGDA mission at the grass roots level, and will help ensure the Board can draw from those diverse perspectives." These appointed seats are full voting seats, and except for the off schedule terms are the same as any elected Board seat. The next round of elections in 2010 will fill five additional seats including three currently vacant elected seats.

"There are many wonderful members who are actively contributing throughout the IGDA." Says Tobi Saulnier, Chair of the IGDA Board of Directors. "We looked to add skills that complement the other Board members, people with a solid track record of volunteerism with the association, and a willingness to lead even in the face of challenge. Brian, Erin, and Rodney are great examples of leaders in our organization and we look forward to working with them."

Gibbs', Hoffman's, and Robbins' terms will begin immediately and run through Sept. of 2011.

Brian Robbins
Founder / President, Riptide Games

Brian Robbins is Founder and President of Riptide Games, a startup indie game developer in Denver, CO focused on next-gen mobile platforms. Since the start of his career in gaming Brian has always been at the forefront of emerging markets. As a programmer he has developed over 100 games for PC, web and iPhone. He is an active contributor to the IGDA having co-founded the Casual Games SIG and is a former chair of both the Casual and Online Games SIGs. He has also contributed to multiple local chapters and currently serves as coordinator for the Colorado IGDA chapter. In 2006 Brian received the IGDA MVP award for his contributions to the community. Brian has a BS in Computer Science and an MBA from the University of Denver.

Rodney Gibbs
President, Ricochet Labs
An entrepreneur committed to expanding professional opportunities for the game development community, Rodney has co-founded two studios. His first, Fizz Factor, shipped 17 PC, DS and PSP titles over eight years under Rodney's leadership. In 2009 he launched Ricochet Labs, which will release its first title in 2010. Before entering the game industry, Rodney was a screenwriter on a variety of TV programs for Fox, Showtime, and other networks. He is chair of the Digital Media Council; board member of the Austin Film Society and KUT, Austin's NPR affiliate; and an advisor to young companies in the Austin Technology Incubator. He earned his bachelor's degree from Rice University and his master's from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a James Michener Fellow.

Erin Hoffman
Lead Designer, HumaNature

Erin Hoffman is lead designer at HumaNature Studios, a small design think tank founded by industry veteran Greg Johnson. After getting her start in 1999 as an assistant game designer on DragonRealms, she worked on an assortment of games for PC, XBox, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and GBA. She is also a freelance contributor to The Escapist, Gamasutra, and other video game and speculative fiction magazines, in addition to co-editing _Settlers of the New Virtual Worlds_, an essay collection exploring user rights in the future of massively multiplayer online games. In 2004 she authored an essay on working conditions at Electronic Arts under the pseudonym "ea_spouse", and has since been involved in grassroots developer-driven efforts to reform quality of life practices across the industry. She is active in several IGDA special interest groups, including women in games, writing, online games, education, and quality of life.

About the International Game Developers Association (IGDA)

The International Game Developers Association is the largest non-profit membership organization serving individuals that create video games. The IGDA is committed to advancing the careers and enhancing the lives of game developers by connecting members with their peers, promoting professional development, and advocating on issues that affect the developer community. For more information on the IGDA, please visit www.igda.org.