============================ IGDA Newsletter - April 2006 ============================ ================= Table of Contents ================= 0: A Word From John Feil 1: Report: Game Industry Crediting: A Snapshot of the Present 2: Invite: Members-Only Party at E3 - Must RSVP... 3: Member Vote: IGDA Board of Directors election deadline 4: GDC Follow-Up Stuff: Notes, Materials, Write-ups... 5: Columns Update 6: Chapter Meetings/Reports x: Logistical Bits & Unsubscribe Info ================= ======================== 0: A Word From John Feil ======================== (FYI, John has stepped in as our guest newsletter-intro-person, as Bob is "on the road" this month.) Dear Members and friends, Being a part of the IGDA is a pretty serious thing. We write serious whitepapers on things like Quality of Life and AI standardization. We have serious committees and SIGs dealing with serious topics like Censorship and Credits and Standards. Honestly, sometimes I think we're a pretty grim bunch, striving to show society (and our parents!) how serious the computer and video game industry can be. This is odd, I think, because the central theme of our industry is fun. We spend our entire work lives thinking about, designing, coding, rendering and testing fun. When we get home, we plunk down on the couch and, if we have time, turn on a console or PC and look for some fun to take our minds off the fun we had during the day. Ask any one of us why we wanted to make games for a living and the answer you'll get is "because it sounded like fun." So how can our industry, an industry centered on entertainment and fun, be represented by such a stodgy organization like the IGDA? There's 38 letters in "International Game Developers Association" and you can't even spell "fun" no matter how you rearrange them. You can't even get two out of three. So where's the fun in the IGDA? The fun is where it's always been. The fun is in you. This organization was formed so that game professionals could step out of the rivalries their companies force upon them and just talk, relax, and have fun. People want to meet you, because you are fun. You want to meet them, because they are fun, too! In what other industry can a conversation go from Wuxia flicks to the best games of the Vectrex to Roger Zelazny books to Full Metal Alchemist? Trying to find people to play a board game with? Try the IGDA! Looking for people to play Phantom Dust on XBOX Live with? Post on the forums! The IGDA is there to get you in touch with people who will understand your jokes and strange cultural references to the Herculoids. We're here because there was a need for people working in this industry to connect, and we are striving to make it as easy as it can be. So stop being so serious and start enjoying yourself. Go to a chapter meeting! Post on a forum! Go to the big IGDA E3 party on May 9th! With almost 10,000 members, there's gotta be someone with your love of Battle Arena Toshinden and an original Azhanti High Lightning set just waiting to connect. - John Feil Board Member, IGDA Designer, Snowblind Studios *********************************************** ** Ad: GDC FOCUS ON: Game Advertising Summit ** *********************************************** June 9, 2006 San Francisco Marriott Hotel, CA Providing objective, real-time data and insights on the potential investment value garnered from in-game advertising campaigns, GDC FOCUS ON: Game Advertising Summit will outline the opportunities and challenges inherent to in-game advertising and will explore best practices for incorporating these campaigns into future marketing plans. To find out more about the GDC FOCUS ON: Game Advertising Summit, visit: http://gdcfocuson.com/gameadsummit/ *********************************************** ============================================================= 1: Report: Game Industry Crediting: A Snapshot of the Present ============================================================= The IGDA Credit Standards Committee is a group of volunteers who have come together to study, document and propose voluntary game industry crediting practices that properly recognize those responsible for the creation of games. To do this, they are creating two documents: one which looks at the current approach of credit assignment as well as catalogs a set of the most accepted job titles found within the industry; and another report to propose a set of "generally accepted practices" which can be adopted voluntarily by developers within the industry to resolve difficult crediting dilemmas. The Committee has released a report (addressing the first goal) to catalog the roles found within the industry and the process for how those credits are currently applied. http://www.igda.org/credit/ *********************************************** ** Ad: Develop Conference & Expo in Brighton ** *********************************************** There's a seat waiting for you at the Develop Conference, 11-13th of July. The Develop Conference & Expo in Brighton is bringing together some of the world's most creative and talented individuals from every sector of games development and now's the time to get involved. This interactive event will appeal to everybody involved in development. From programmer to designer, business development to graphic artist, the Develop Conference & Expo has been designed with you in mind. For more information or to register, please visit: http://www.developconference.com/ *********************************************** ================================================== 2: Invite: Members-Only Party at E3 - Must RSVP... ================================================== The IGDA is happy to announce our third annual members-only party at E3. With so much of E3 focused on the media and retailers, we want to give actual game developers a chance to connect, chill out and have some fun. All IGDA members are invited, but your RSVP is required before May 5th: http://www.igda.org/events/rsvp_e3party_06.php Details: Tuesday, May 9th - 7pm to midnight Hotel Figueroa (poolside terrace) 939 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles Food and drinks will be served. Must be an IGDA member. Must RSVP. Must be 21+. No exceptions. As space is limited, no guests are permitted. If you'll be hanging out with colleagues, be sure to point them to the party info page and/or nudge them to become an IGDA member so they can RSVP as well... Full details and RSVP are online: http://www.igda.org/events/rsvp_e3party_06.php This party is graciously sponsored by: - ATI - http://www.ati.com/ - Autodesk - http://www.autodesk.com/ - IBM - http://www.ibm.com/solutions/games/ - Interactive Studio Management - http://www.ism-agency.com/ ********************************************************************* ** Ad: Will Wright Urges You to Join the Video Game Voters Network ** ********************************************************************* Join the new Video Game Voters Grassroots Network and help stop legislative threats against the video game industry in America. As Will Wright recently wrote: "We can't afford to just sit back while our games become subject to government regulation!" Take a stand today. Take action at: http://www.videogamevoters.org/ ********************************************************************* ========================================================= 3: Member Vote: IGDA Board of Directors election deadline ========================================================= The deadline for voting in the Board of Directors Election is Friday, April 28th. All members are urged to jump online and cast their ballot - we still need a few hundred votes to hit quorum. http://www.igda.org/board/elections.php Listed in alphabetical order, here are the candidates: - Michael Capps, Epic Games - Dustin Clingman, Zeitgeist Games - Christopher Crowell, Ubisoft Montreal - Rodney Gibbs, Amaze Entertainment - Austin - Michelle Hinn, University of Illinois - Joe Kreiner, Logitech - Gaurav Mathur, Factor 5 - Mitzi McGilvray, TikGames - Marc Mencher, GameRecruiter.com - Clarinda Merripen, Cryptic Studios - Tobi Saulnier, 1st Playable Productions - Coray Seifert, THQ Inc. | Kaos Studios - Mark Warner, Nexus Entertainment Each candidate has provided a brief statement of candidacy that can be viewed online: http://www.igda.org/board/elections.php ====================================================== 4: GDC Follow-Up Stuff: Notes, Materials, Write-ups... ====================================================== Here are some pointers to further follow-up materials from GDC '06: - Article: Angry at Apathy - The Game Developers Rant http://www.igda.org/articles/msakey_gdc-rant.php - Newsletter: Game Writers Quarterly, GDC '06 edition: http://www.igda.org/writing/ - Tutorial Materials: Expanding the Market through Accessible Games http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/GDC_Tutorial_2006_Schedule - Roundtable Notes: "Quality of Life Instigating Change from the Bottom Up": http://www.igda.org/qol/IGDA_2006_GDC-QOL-RT.pdf - Article: Failure to Communicate - Murder, Sex & Censorship at GDC:06 http://www.igda.org/articles/msakey_gdc-failure.php - Group Gathering Report: Alternate Reality Games SIG: http://www.igda.org/arg/archives/2006/03/gdc_group_gathe.html - Article: Fundamental Learning - GDC 2006 Curriculum Workshop http://www.igda.org/articles/msakey_gdc-curriculum.php ================= 5: Columns Update ================= Monthly columns have been updated: Famous Last Words ----------------- "Level Headed Headhunting" - A look at how to best leverage recruiting services on a personal level. http://www.igda.org/columns/lastwords/lastwords_Apr06.php Culture Clash ------------- "The Trouble with Scotland - Establishing an industry identity" - Who's to blame for the failure of the industry to push boundaries? Gamers? http://www.igda.org/columns/clash/clash_Apr06.php The Games Game -------------- "Playing the Upgrade-To-Designer Game" - Advice on making the move into a game designer role. http://www.igda.org/columns/gamesgame/gamesgame_Apr06.php =========================== 6: Chapter Meetings/Reports =========================== Complete list of chapter reports and upcoming meetings: http://www.igda.org/chapters/updates.php Las Vegas Tuesday, April 25 > April Meeting http://www.igda.org/lasvegas/archives/2006/04/april_meeting.html Hamar Report, April 20 > Hamar Game Challenge, Norway http://www.igda.org/hamar Montreal Report, April 20 > Roundtables: multicore; procedural content; biz; mainstream design http://www.igda.org/montreal/reports/summary_Apr06.htm Manila Report, April 18 > Emerging Technologies 2020 Report http://www.igda.org/manila Berlin Report, April 12 > The latest meeting of the Berlin Chapter http://www.games-academy.de/IGDA/tabelle.php?hauptteil=summaryreports Japan Report, April 8 > GDC 2006 Report meeting (Slash Games Article - Japanese) http://www.rbbtoday.com/news/20060418/30334.html Midlands UK Report, April 6 > Meet #9 at the Royal Pump http://www.igda.org/midlands/reports/meet9.htm Kiev Report, April 1 > Historic Realism in Games and Action Forms Postmortem on Vivisector http://www.igda.org/kiev/forthmeetingreport.phtml ================== x: Logistical Bits ================== Unsubscribe/Subscribe to Newsletter ----------------------------------- You can unsubscribe or update your newsletter subscription details via your MyProfile page: http://www.igda.org/membership/myprofile.php If you need help, contact us. 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: - Art Institute of California - San Francisco - Casual Games Association - GameJobs.com - Hybrid Graphics - IGA Worldwide Inc. - Korea IT Industry Promotion Agency - Microsoft Research - SN Systems - University of Derby - Xbox 360 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 ------------------------------------------- The IGDA web site has RSS feeds for IGDA news (eg, org announcements, committee work, etc) and chapter updates (eg, upcoming meetings, event reports). 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