================================ IGDA Newsletter - September 2005 ================================ ================= Table of Contents ================= 0: A Word From Bob Bates 1: Membership & Org Assessment Survey 2: Hurricane Katrina Help from the Game Community 3: Events: Upcoming/Discounts, Past Reports 4: Game AI News Update 5: Columns Update 6: Chapter Meetings/Reports x: Logistical Bits & Unsubscribe Info ================= ======================== 0: A Word From Bob Bates ======================== Dear Members and friends, In our continuing quest to help the IGDA better serve the needs of our members and the community, I ask you each to take a few moments and fill out the survey found at: http://www.igda.org/survey/?sid=8 The results will help the board set priorities and programs for the months and years ahead. And, there are a few cool prizes to be won :) Thanks, and happy gaming! - Bob Bates Chairperson, IGDA ******************************************************************* ** Ad: Austin Game Conference Early Discount Ends September 30th ** ******************************************************************* Austin Game Conference October 27-28 Austin, Texas Early bird registration: only $145 for game industry professionals / $115 for students Key sessions include: - in-depth presentations by Microsoft covering Xbox 360 Live/Marketplace, XNA Studio and DX10 - John Smedley, President of Sony Online Entertainment, opening keynote - Dr. Richard Bartle, creator of the first MUD, day 2 keynote - Khronos DevU training on industry standard APIs for embedded graphics and video processing - 8 tracks, 130 speakers, 2000+ developers, 10+ companies recruiting http://www.gameconference.com ******************************************** ===================================== 1: Membership & Org Assessment Survey ===================================== The IGDA wants to study its current value to members and developers, and to determine changing wants and needs of the community. This survey will ascertain critical information that will help us evaluate and develop the necessary strategies to better address your needs. Please be candid in your answers. http://www.igda.org/survey/?sid=8 The survey should only take a few minutes to complete. The deadline for survey submissions is Friday, October 7th. This survey is anonymous and you will not be named or identified in any way. Results will be compiled in aggregate. As a token of appreciation, you will be eligible to win one of two Sony PSP handheld game consoles. ================================================= 2: Hurricane Katrina Help from the Game Community ================================================= The IGDA would like to encourage everyone to help with Hurricane Katrina relief. Easiest option is to simply donate to the American Red Cross: https://give.redcross.org/ Alternately, a gaming focused charity, Games Can Help, was recently formed to make a difference to children in need through the joy of gaming. Check out how you can contribute games and get involved: http://www.gamescanhelp.com/ Also, GamePolitics has a quick look at other efforts by the game industry to help out: http://www.livejournal.com/users/gamepolitics/83084.html =========================================== 3: Events: Upcoming/Discounts, Past Reports =========================================== The IGDA will be participating at, or is involved with, these upcoming events: - Asian Game Developers Summit 11-12 October, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia http://www.agdsummit.com/ - Future Play 2005 13-15 October, East Lansing, MI, USA http://futureplay.org/ *** $50 member discount - Game Writers Conference 26-27 October, Austin, Texas, USA http://www.gamewritersconference.com/ - Montreal International Game Summit 2-3 November, Montreal, QC, Canada http://www.montrealgamesummit.com/ *** 10% member discount And, here a handful of summary reports and pics from events the IGDA recently participated at: - Members-Only Party - London http://www.igda.org/events/rsvp_london_05.php - Jason's GDC Europe trip summary/pics http://www.igda.org/blogs/realitypanic/archives/000449.html - SIGGRAPH - Nex-Gen Game Development BoF http://www.igda.org/events/events_siggraph2005.php ====================== 4: Game AI News Update ====================== The AI SIG has published their latest newsletter, which includes info on AI related books, events and news: http://five.pairlist.net/pipermail/gameai_news/2005/000002.html Jump to the AI SIG site for info on how to subscribe to their dedicated newsletter and/or to view past issues: http://www.igda.org/ai/ ================= 5: Columns Update ================= Monthly columns have been updated: Famous Last Words ----------------- "The Treatment of Music in Games - Part 2" http://www.igda.org/columns/lastwords/lastwords_Sep05.php Culture Clash ------------- "Mr. DeMille, I'm Ready for My Close-Up - What anti-game advocates are really after" http://www.igda.org/columns/clash/clash_Sep05.php The Games Game -------------- "A Tangent of Artistic Proportions" http://www.igda.org/columns/gamesgame/gamesgame_Sep05.php =========================== 6: Chapter Meetings/Reports =========================== Complete list of chapter reports and upcoming meetings: http://www.igda.org/chapters/updates.php Orange County Friday, October 7 > Second Annual Demo Reel Night http://www.igda.org/oc Las Vegas Thursday, October 6 > October Meeting http://www.igda.org/lasvegas San Francisco Tuesday, October 4 > Taming the Dragon: Next-Gen Asset Creation for PS3 http://www.igda.org/sf Hamar Friday, September 30 > "Women producers and gamers" by Annika O. Bergström of SuperMarit http://www.supermarit.se/ North Carolina Triangle Wednesday, September 28 > Independent Games Showcase http://www.igda.org/nctriangle Japan Report, September 20 > Eric Zimmerman spoke in the University of Tokyo (Japanese) http://www.famitsu.com/game/news/2005/09/15/103,1126791871,43462,0,0.html South Florida Report, September 16 > Derek Smart's Universal Combat - A World Apart, Post Mortem and Gold Party http://www.igda.org/miami/meetings/2005-09.php Japan Report, September 16 > Tokyo Game Show - CEDEC Premium Report http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=6552 Seattle Report, September 15 > Here's the story of a game named Brady - A Postmortem Pedro Margate, Mobliss http://www.igda.org/seattle/reports/09_2005r.htm Montreal Report, September 14 > The Designer's Journey: Bob Bates talks on myths in story and design http://www.igda.org/montreal/reports/summary_Sep05.htm Silicon Valley Report, August 27 > Networking Meeting http://www.siliconvalleyigda.org/Reports/chapter_report_aug_23_05.htm Chicago Report, August 23 > "In a Wal-Mart world, creativity is a dirty word" http://www.igda.org/chicago/200508.htm Guildford Report, August 17 > Guildford Chapter learn to "Broaden their Audience..." http://www.igda.org/guildford/170805.htm ================== 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: - A K Peters, Ltd. - 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 ------------------------------------------- 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 ------- - end - -------