=============================== IGDA Newsletter - November 2005 =============================== ================= Table of Contents ================= 0: A Word From Bob Bates 1: Article: A Game Developers' Bill of Rights 2: GDC Scholarship Program Now Accepting Applications 3: Events: Upcoming/Discounts, Past Reports 4: Developer Demographics/Diversity Report 5: Columns Update 6: Chapter Meetings/Reports x: Logistical Bits & Unsubscribe Info ================= ======================== 0: A Word From Bob Bates ======================== Dear Members and friends, There was a knock at my door last night, and when I answered it there was no one there. I looked down and saw a torn-off scrap of paper. Here is what it read: 'Twas the month before Christmas, and all across town, Not a coder was stirring, all the screens were shut down. The game had gone gold, and was off to the 'duper And everyone hoped that its sales would be super. The rest was missing. We game developers live by a different calendar than normal humans - for many of us the Holiday rush is already over. Now, as we wait for our games to appear on the shelves, perhaps we can catch up on our sleep, reconnect with our family and friends, and adjust our internal calendars from GCT (Game Crunch Time) back to World Standard Time and actually enjoy the Holidays. It's a nice wish, anyway. Happy gaming to all, - Bob Bates Chairperson, IGDA ************************************************************************** ** Ad: FREE Access to Games and Culture: A Journal of Interactive Media ** ************************************************************************** Enjoy a FREE Online Trial to the entire first volume of GAMES AND CULTURE, first issue January 2006. For more information and to register visit: http://games.sagepub.com Games and Culture is a new, quarterly international journal that aims to publish innovative theoretical and empirical research about games and culture within the context of interactive media. The journal will serve as a premiere outlet for ground-breaking and germinal work in the field of game studies. ************************************************************************** ============================================= 1: Article: A Game Developers' Bill of Rights ============================================= In this vitally important article, gameLab CEO and industry veteran Eric Zimmerman defines a putative "bill of rights" for video game developers, "a provocation that draws attention to a set of important issues and challenges facing our industry" http://www.igda.org/articles/ezimmerman_bill.php ===================================================== 2: GDC Scholarship Program Now Accepting Applications ===================================================== The IGDA has just launched the 6th annual Student Scholarship Program. Twenty-five college students will be awarded complimentary full access passes to the 2006 Game Developers Conference. Students can now apply online. The deadline to enter is Friday, February 3, 2006. Recipients will be announced mid February. Applicants are required to be full-time college students (or equivalent) and IGDA student members for consideration. Scholarship applications will be judged by a panel of professional game developers. http://www.igda.org/scholarships/ *********************************************************************** ** Ad: Attend GDC:06, and Get a First-hand Glimpse of What's Next... ** *********************************************************************** From March 20-24, 2006, the Game Developers Conference will return to San Jose ­ the place where it developed into the annual networking and educational must-attend experience that it is today. The event will focus on next-gen game development, and how it will revolutionize every aspect of the gaming industry. From increased production complexity, team sizes, and budgets to new ways to reach the mass market, GDC:06 will answer the questions critical to the industry's success. Register online by February 15, 2006 and save up to 35% on GDC:06 Conference Passes: http://www.gdconf.com/register/ ******************************************** =========================================== 3: Events: Upcoming/Discounts, Past Reports =========================================== The IGDA will be participating at, or is involved with, these upcoming events: - Nordic Game Potential 23-24 November, Malmö, Sweden http://nordicgame.net/ *** 20% member discount - G.A.M.E.S. Synergy Summit 17-18 Orlando, Florida, USA http://synergysummit.com/ *** $100 member discount - Game Developers Conference 20-24 March, San Jose, California, USA http://www.gdconf.com/ *** $50 member discount And, here a couple of summary reports and pics from events the IGDA recently participated at: - Korean Game Conference and G* http://www.igda.org/blogs/realitypanic/archives/000668.html - Montreal International Game Summit http://www.igda.org/blogs/realitypanic/archives/000638.html **************************************** ** Ad: G.A.M.E.S. Synergy Summit 2006 ** **************************************** The G.A.M.E.S. Synergy Summit 2006 will be held January 17-18, at the Wyndham Orlando Resort in Florida. Featuring a keynote by Futurist Ray Kurzweil, the Summit offers an incredible array of multidisciplinary panels centering on the use of game technology. Attendees will learn about tools, techniques and business models focused on leveraging game technology for use in beneficial applications alongside key leaders from Government, Academia, Military, Entertainment and Simulation. Registration for this event is now open. IGDA Members receive a $100 discount by using the code: IGDA100D http://www.synergysummit.com/ **************************************** ========================================== 4: Developer Demographics/Diversity Report ========================================== 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 ================= 5: Columns Update ================= Monthly columns have been updated: Famous Last Words ----------------- "Why Royalties are Rare" http://www.igda.org/columns/lastwords/lastwords_Nov05.php Culture Clash ------------- "Old Soldiers - The debate over used games" http://www.igda.org/columns/clash/clash_Nov05.php The Games Game -------------- "Concerned About Appearances" http://www.igda.org/columns/gamesgame/gamesgame_Nov05.php =========================== 6: Chapter Meetings/Reports =========================== Complete list of chapter reports and upcoming meetings: http://www.igda.org/chapters/updates.php Denmark Friday, January 27 > Nordic Game Jam 2006 http://www.diginet.org/o.o.i.s/1021 North Carolina Triangle Tuesday, December 13 > Project Management Panel http://www.igda.org/nctriangle Hamburg Thursday, December 8 > Hamburg & North Germany Chapter Meeting http://www.igda.org/hamburg Berlin Wednesday, December 7 > IGDA Meeting Games Academy Berlin http://www.igda.org/berlin Montreal Monday, December 5 > Debate: Creative Crisis or Explosion of Opportunity (+ Social) http://www.igda.org/montreal/index_e.htm#next 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 Silicon Valley Tuesday, November 29 > SV IGDA Panel Discussion http://www.siliconvalleyigda.org/ Denmark Thursday, November 24 > Social Meeting http://igda.spiludvikling.dk/ Midlands UK Thursday, November 24 > Panel discussion on the implication of developing on the next generation of games consoles, particularly the new XBox 360 http://www.igda.org/midlands/reports/meet8a.htm Frankfurt am Main Wednesday, November 23 > Research meets Game Development http://www.igda.org/frankfurt/ Kiev Report, November 18 > First Meeting of IGDA Kiev Chapter http://www.igda.org/kiev/1stmeetingreport.phtml Seattle Report, November 17 > IGF Student Showcase Review http://www.igda.org/seattle/reports/11_2005r.htm Las Vegas Report, November 17 > Las Vegas IGDA Student Panel Report http://www.igda.org/lasvegas/archives/2005/11/student_panel_r.html Chicago Report, November 16 > Alex Seropian Gives Post Mortem of Stubbs the Zombie http://www.igda.org/chicago/200511.htm Toronto Report, November 10 > Establishing an Online Brand http://www.igda.org/toronto/toronto_summary_nov10.htm Portland Report, November 10 > November meeting report http://www.pagdig.org/?p=13 Malaysia Report, November 7 > Malaysian Chapter October 2005 Meeting Report http://www.igda.org/malaysia/ Colorado Report, November 7 > Interest in Game Festival and General Discussion http://coloradogamedev.org/ ================== 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: - California State Polytechnic University, Pomona - Charles River Media - INIS - Intel - James Murphy Consulting & Virtual Partners Training Center - Mary-Margaret.com - Softimage 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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