Text Version January, 2010 IGDA PERSPECTIVES We recently spoke with Large Animal Games’ Co-founder Wade Tinney. So, how long has Large Animal Games been around? We just turned nine years old this month! We founded the company in January 2001. How many people are on your staff? We currently have a full time team of 16. That number will grow significantly in 2010. How many of those would you call game developers? All of them! Everyone in our office has some impact on game production. What does "game developer" mean to you? I use the broad definition of the term. To me, anyone involved in the production of game content is a game developer. What makes your studio different from any other? Comparisons with other studios are tough for me, because I’ve never worked in any other. What I can say is that we have an absolutely incredible group of people working at Large Animal, and a team-based structure that allows all of those folks to make a deep impact on the games they work on. As a social game developer, we are a service-oriented company; our teams know how to combine game design, marketing, and business considerations. We place a high value on testing and metrics-driven design, while still allowing plenty of room for intuition. From a management perspective, we are very transparent with our team and make it very clear how their day-to-day work affects the overall health of the business. What can you tell me about the projects you are working on? (Do you have a screenshot or some other artwork we might use?) All of the games we’re working on will launch first on Facebook, and then we’ll bring them to other social networks, such as MySpace, Bebo, and Hi-5. We’ll bring the games that resonate there to other platforms, such as smartphones, IM clients, and consoles. All of the games we’re working on now feature expressive, user-customizable characters and a mix of collaborative and competitive mechanics. What's the best part of your job? The opportunity to work with a team of talented folks who are passionate about making great games together. Every time I find myself in a heated debate with a group of mature adults about say, how far a pirate should bounce off of a pinball bumper, I’m reminded that I have the best job in the world. What challenges do you face? In social games, the biggest challenge is the constant evolution of the platforms we’re building for. Social networks like Facebook change their API on a regular basis and many of those changes affect our games. We need to be able to respond quickly. What made you decide to get into Game Development? I love the challenging systemic and multi-disciplinary design problems that games present. Even games that are simple and intuitive to play are usually the result of a group of people with different skill sets tackling complex design problems. For me, that makes for meaningful work. What do you see as the future of the game industry? I think we’re on a steady march towards ubiquity of games. This is being driven by new contexts for games, such as social networks, new and (hopefully) more intuitive gestural input mechanisms, and the application of game design to a wide variety of experiences, as we’re seeing in the serious games area. All of these things make games more accessible to a broader audience, which will result in even more opportunities for game developers. I think as part of this, we’ll all need to expand our definition of a game. If you were going to give some advice to a new entry into the industry, what would you say to them? Don’t let your taste in games be determined by the marketers with the biggest budgets. Play everything. Think about the audience for any given game and how they might be different from you. Work hard to understand the unique challenges and perspectives of team members in other disciplines (art, code, project management, audio, game design, business, marketing). Great ideas are a dime a dozen, especially in this industry. Great execution is priceless. Why is it important to be part of the greater game development community and how does IGDA help you connect? It’s important because talking frequently and openly with other developers is the best way to avoid reinventing the wheel and making the same mistakes that others have already made a million times. Plus, talking shop is just fun. The IGDA provides a useful framework for this type of communication and community-building. The IGDA events that we organize in NYC have definitely helped to foster and reinforce a tight-knit development community here. ______________________________________ GLOBAL GAME JAM Sean Kauppinen In 2009, the Global Game Jam, a three day event focused on fostering innovation and experimentation while inspiring game developers to create and exchange ideas, attracted 1650 participants at 54 locations around the globe. Games came from almost every genre with cultural influences that create the most diverse group of games ever created in a 48 hour period. For 2010, there are already 114 venues signed up to participate and the show’s organizers expect more game developers will take part in the event than in 2009, resulting in even more diverse titles. “The concept of game jams has been around for years and in 2008, I had the idea to try and do something on a global level,” said Susan Gold, founder of the Global Game Jam. With the support of its distributed, international team of volunteers, the GGJ moved into action, developing the parameters of the event, creating the constraints, and setting up the infrastructure to support the most massive coordinated game development experience ever. Participants work in local teams to build games based on a common theme across all of the sites, this year we are adding special achievements for teams to acquire while developing the game. After 48 hours, all the games from each location are submitted and showcased on the GGJ website. While not a competition, the community then votes on their favorites, which gets a lot of attention of publishers and gamers worldwide. “At its heart, the GGJ is an experiment and it’s an opportunity for people to try things they might otherwise never get to do. It’s about taking risks and seeing if you can get that great idea to become something the world can play.” This year we are also working with three research universities that are using the Global Game Jam as a petri dish to understand elements of design and group dynamics. After GGJ those universities will be publishing their findings in a special edition of an academic journal. “Beneath it all, participants are learning to work and experiment in new roles and working as a team, take initiative, and even get a finished game out the door on deadline,” continued Gold. “We had near unanimous feedback on how the inaugural event was a positive experience. You can see how word of mouth has gotten a lot more venues interested in participating to grow the 2010 event to make it the largest IGDA event to date. The 2010 GGJ will take place January 29-31, 2010 in more than 30 countries around the world including: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania , Mexico , The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, UK, USA, Venezuela. For more information on the Global Game Jam, including a database of downloadable games, photos and videos from the 2009 event and more, visit: http://globalgamejam.org ______________________________________ AK Peters, Ltd. Ad Special 20% Discount for IGDA readers! Use code IGDA20 A K Peters, Ltd. Publishers of Science and Technology • www.akpeters.com ______________________________________ Famous Last Words By Jim Charne, Attorney at Law New Year’s Resolution – Reread that Boilerplate Dear Readers: Welcome to Y2.1k. At the start of a new decade, it’s a good time to reassess, reconsider, and take another look at the way we all do business. A good place to start is in the boilerplate of every contract we negotiate and sign. The “boilerplate” of a ship is the steel that keeps the sea out of the hull. In a contract, the “Boilerplate” is that back ¾ of the paperwork, the “fine print,” the language that remains in place in every agreement, a guaranteed cure for insomnia (!), and oh-so-very easy to overlook. Boilerplate is in the contract primarily to protect the party writing the contract from risks that can arise in any transaction. But times change, deals change, and risks change. So it is a good idea from time-to-time to reread and reassess that boilerplate to make sure it still serves its purpose. One example recently leaped out at me. Most royalty clauses have a provision for a “reserve.” The “reserve” is developer’s earned royalties that are not paid when earned, but rather held by the game publisher because of the risk of returns, mark-downs, and defectives. Reserves are justified because some sales may not really be sales when the dust settles. A “reserves” clause may provide for some liquidation schedule when the amounts withheld, to the extent not reduced by returns, mark-downs, defectives, etc., would be paid out to the developer. Here’s one example of such a clause, as may be found in a game development deal: “(Publisher) shall … deduct or credit such amount from royalties, if any, as shall be necessary in order to maintain a reserve for returns equal to the lesser of: (i) (Publisher’s) estimate of its inventory exposure, or (ii) thirty percent (30%) of the Average Quarterly Royalty (such reserve to be adjusted as soon as practicable and at least on a nine (9) month rolling basis and finally liquidated when the last royalty payment hereunder is made).” This “reserves” concept comes to games contracts from similar agreements in the book publishing and recorded music businesses. In each of these industries, as in games until recently, the nature of the products sold have been physical – books and cds, where inventory must be manufactured and placed at retail locations. Historically, there was no ability for “manufacture on demand.” In such a model, a sale does not occur until a consumer makes a retail purchase of some sort. And this was certainly the model in our own games industry where console and computer games were manufactured and sold by the big retailers, either in-store or by direct distribution of hard goods. But times change. And I noticed a reserves clause remaining in a deal for an Xbox Live Arcade game. With no physical inventory, and little chance of a return after a day or so, there is really no need for a game publisher to hold my client’s royalties after it receives its own accounting and payment from Microsoft! Changing the boilerplate, in this case, requires a change in the royalty accounting practices of the publisher. That is not an easy job. But when Developer money is to be withheld, it must be justified by a good reason. I am sympathetic to the risk of returns and markdowns of physical goods. But where the risk is virtually zero, as in the case of a download game, all royalties should be paid to Developer. Reserves for such sales are inappropriate and should not be withheld simply because that is the practice of the game publisher and its accounting staff. Changing times require reexamination of our deals and resultant shifts in negotiation practices. The start of the new decade is a good time to focus on this. Jim Charne practices law in Santa Monica, CA (www.charnelaw.com) where he represents developers, designers, composers and other clients in the games industry. Jim has been a frequent speaker at GDC, is active in IGDA from whom he received an “MVP” Award at GDC 2006, in 2010 will chair the Practicing Law Institute video game law segment the week after GDC at its annual Entertainment Law Symposium in New York, and is a member of the Advisory Board of G.A.N.G. Jim served as President of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences from 1998 to 2001. Is there language in your contract that has you scratching your head? Found something confusing or worse? Send it to “Famous Last Words” for developer-oriented analysis. Famous Last Words is intended for general educational and entertainment purposes and is not legal advice. Every situation and circumstance is unique. Anyone entering into a software-related contract should have an experienced lawyer who can provide counsel throughout the process. ©2009 Jim Charne. All rights reserved. ______________________________________ Focal Press Ad: Need help with 3dS Max? Take your 3ds Max skills to new levels with these valuable guides from Focal Press, official publisher of Autodesk 3ds Max Courseware and Techniques titles. Available at www.focalpress.com and your favorite bookstore or online retailer. ______________________________________ DREAM SETUP Joe Longworth is a veteran video game tester, currently engaged to ArenaNet. “If you were a developer with an unlimited budget, what would be your dream setup?” This question was posed recently on the QA SIG’s mailing list. The discussion that followed focused mainly on ideal hardware and software answers: how tools and debug options could best be leveraged and how a wide range of system specs could apply. What wasn’t discussed, which is equally important in a “dream” testing setup, is an ideal team. For that, you need good people, great communication, and the right attitude. People A successful team should have a wide range of testers, from green testers who are straight out of school to veterans with several years of experience and a large portfolio of shipped games. Advancement paths should be in place for the entire team, allowing for “great bug finders” to grow, but also providing incentive for testers to become knowledge experts (such as grammar/editing specialists and certification testers). Testers wishing to follow a more technical path could focus on code coverage, unit testing, and tool creation. Leadership roles should be filled only by those exhibiting an understanding of team management techniques, and training should be available for those on this path. Communication Having great communication requires attention to location. Incorporating the QA team directly within other teams would be ideal, allowing for improved interaction and change awareness. Failing actual integration, QA should be conveniently close to all of the development teams. QA should never be locked away in the largest room available, located where nobody outside the QA team ever visits. Attitude It should be understood that the QA team can add significant value to the development team, the product itself, and the company as a whole. QA does not have to be just a stepping stone to other careers within the game industry; instead, it should be a valid career path. A modest team of trained and motivated testers will be a productive asset to other teams. Hardware and software will always be critical components in testing, but it is also important to remember those people who are performing the testing. Just as we would not evaluate only gameplay while testing a title, a “dream setup” could not be complete without considering the people in addition to the more conventional aspects. A talented and diverse QA team that has a good relationship with the development teams will outperform massive, sequestered test teams, resulting in higher quality titles. Using this approach, it may even be possible to build a “dream” setup without an unlimited budget. ______________________________________ The 7th Annual Mobile Games Forum 19th – 20th January 2010, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London, UK www.mobilegamesforum.co.uk Now in its 7th year, the Mobile Games Forum is firmly established as the leading Mobile Games event in Europe. With the whole ecosystem present – operators, publishers, developers, handset manufacturers and software providers – all industry viewpoints will be represented at MGF 2010. The unbeatable speaker line-up includes over 40 cutting-edge viewpoints from industry leaders. Independent developers are eligible for a special rate and IGDA members receive a 15% discount when registering using code C0004IGDA. For full details contact andrew_mowbray@osneymedia.com. Worldplay Project Urges Global Gaming in MMORPGs ______________________________________ Researchers at Trinity University invite gamers to propose strategies for nurturing cross-cultural interaction in on-line games and virtual worlds. San Antonio, Texas / November 22, 2009 – Researchers at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, concerned about increasingly region-locked MMORPGs, are asking players, politicians and game developers for input on how to solve the problem. Researchers understand that game operators often have good reasons for walling off virtual worlds. Region locking is one way of circumventing strict content regulations in countries like China and Australia. It can also be a logical response to concerns about technical support. Furthermore, many companies are forced to engage in region locking under the terms of strict licensing agreements that limit the jurisdiction of their business. But these new practices have made the world of online games smaller and less culturally diverse. When virtual worlds first emerged, they were accessible to people from around the globe. Players overcame language barriers and gained deeper understanding of other cultures. On-line connections often evolved into real-world friendships. Now, most MMORPGs segregate players according to national and geographic boundaries. Many companies engage in region locking, using IP addresses to filter out players from other countries. “Our goal is to gather a wide range of opinions, experiences and recommendations related to the phenomenon of transnational play,” says games researcher Aaron Delwiche. “We firmly believe that every voice deserves to be heard, and so far have translated project materials into English, Chinese, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese.” Researchers hope to identify creative ways that players, game developers and industry professionals can nurture opportunities for cross-cultural interaction in virtual worlds. To do this, the Worldplay Project team is looking for volunteers to translate, post the survey to game forums around the world or provide specific suggestions through the survey. As the project continues, Worldplay researchers will post the raw data – with the exception of personally identifiable information – on the project site. “It is important for players to know that we’re not asking them to give us something for nothing,” says Delwiche. “In exchange for their time and ideas, we promise to make the data available to the entire gaming community.” Gamers and developers who are interested in participating are encouraged to investigate the Worldplay project site at: http://www.trinity.edu/adelwich/transnational/ Contact: Aaron Delwiche, Associate Professor Department of Communication Trinity University 210-999-8153 http://www.trinity.edu/adelwich/transnational/ ______________________________________ IN WITH THE NEW Joshua Caulfield Looking Ahead! So it's 2010, and I for one am ready for a new year. We've got a lot planned here at the IGDA. Over the next twelve months you should expect to see increased communication regarding new and improved programs and services as we continue to add value to your IGDA membership. GDC! March 9th - 13th: IGDA Members get $75 off their passes this year. In order to receive the unique conference discount code, please contact Joseph Sapp at IGDA Headquarters. (joda@igda.org or +1-(856)-423-2990) Please note that you will need to renew your membership for 2010 if it expires before GDC. We are very pleased to be hosting the premier GDC networking event of GDC San Francisco, 2010 at Metreon, as well as SIG roundtables throughout GDC and Gatherings at the IGDA booth. There are a lot of exciting things going on this year, and you will receive more information as we get closer. Healthcare Program (IGDA HP): We've already sent out an announcement about the new IGDA Healthcare program and the opportunities it provides. In summary, as a studio or an individual, you can work with this IGDA partner and get your insurance as part of a pool with over 180 other associations from across the US. There are some restrictions and some states where we will be unable to offer coverage, but for the majority of our US members there should be an opportunity for up to a 40% savings on health insurance. You can also work with this partner in a similar manner on Life, Disability, Automobile, Long-Term Care, and Homeowners insurance. They work with only "A" rated companies and provide you with quotes and support any interactions you might have with the underwriter. For more information on any of these programs go to the IGDA website, or go directly to www.associationpros.com/assoc/igda. Make sure to tell them you are an IGDA member. IGDA Presents Webinar Series Continues: We had an excellent response to our first four members’ only webinars. In 2010 we are planning to expand the number of webinars we offer and are pleased to report that another great lineup is planned. In the first quarter of 2010 we will have presentations on Tools, Rapid Iterative Prototyping, Intellectual Property, Using Audio for Maximum FUN, and many more. In addition to our regular webinars we will be bringing you a Localization Series based on the massive popularity of Tom Edwards’ presentation in December. This series is provided through the support of our new partner Accredited Language Services. We look forward to bringing more topic-specific series to you as well. The Global Game Jam: Always fun, we have over 100 locations this year and expect a wonderful response from all of the teams involved. If you haven't signed up for this yet and want to, please contact Susan Gold, Gorm Lai, or Ian Schreiber. This is the biggest game jam around, and there should be a lot of press coverage for you and your team. Let's show the world what IGDA members can do. We've got a lot of other exciting things in the works as well, including the Leadership Forum, Monthly Member Surveys (you set the agenda, and we'll get the responses from the membership and post them in the newsletter), some programs aimed at supporting our members between positions, and some new programs aimed at members working in studios. I look forward to an exciting new year with all of you. Game On! Joshua ______________________________________ January Announcements NOMINATIONS OPEN Dear IGDA Member, As we begin 2010, it is time for us to begin the process of electing new representatives to our IGDA Board of Directors. These are the people who will be adding their voices to the decision making aspects of your association and choosing the direction for the organization to follow for years to come. Each of these individuals gives of their time and energy to move the Association forward in the direction they feel most represents the will of the membership and the good of the Association. At this time, I would like to open the floor to nominations for the current vacant seats on the Board. Please consider your recommendations carefully, as the Directors of the organization are representative of you as the membership. A full outline of the elections process will be coming out shortly, but will follow the general outline of previous elections with some changes to provide more insight to the members of the Board Candidate's credentials and capabilities as well as to include some of the recommendations from the ad hoc elections task force that formed earlier in the year. If you know of someone who would be a good candidate for the IGDA Board of Directors, please click here:http://www.igda.org/elections/nomination-packet (Please login to the site before submitting this form) and recommend them to be a candidate. They will be contacted to confirm their interest, and added to the list of candidates for the next election in February. If you would prefer, you may also send nomination submissions to me, joshua@igda.org, which will be handled with discretion and dignity in a similar manner. The call for nominations will remain open until January 27th, and will then be followed by an announcement of all of the candidates, including their Bio's and Statements. Other details of the elections process will be forthcoming shortly. Best Regards, Joshua ______________________________________ NEXT IGDA WEBINAR ANNOUNCED Mike Worth IGDA Audio Webinar - Wednesday, February 17, at Noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Theme: Getting Great Adaptive Audio for your game Video games are being developed at all levels. From large AAA to home-grown flash games on Kongregate, every video game developer can find his niche. And, as audio becomes more prevalent, it becomes important for a game developer to formulate a creative and administrative plan to acquire and "vet" game audio professionals, communicate with them about their audio needs, and manage the audio pipeline and memory requirements for their game. In this webinar, Mike Worth (2009 chair, IGDA Audio SIG) will be discussing how to get great adaptive audio for your game, from the point of view of a developer, designer, or producer. First, Mike will discuss how to "vet" your composer, and how to make sure that he understands how to write music that specifically enhances your game's experience. Mike will then demonstrate how game music and game sound effects are built/constructed as "lego pieces", the creative decisions behind writing the music, and then how the music and sound effects are assembled in a game-engine context. Mike will then move into the process of project managing your audio. He will discuss and demonstrate how the pipeline is set up, how the assets are version controlled, and what you (the producer/developer) can do to communicate with your audio pro to get your audio vision implemented, while collaborating with your audio pro's experience. Finally, Mike will cover memory management of the audio assets, paying particular attention to the emerging downloadable market (XBLA/XNA, Steam, etc.). ______________________________________ CALENDAR January, 2010 7th Annual Mobile Games Forum London, United Kingdom January 19, 2010 to January 20, 2010 The Global Game Jam Worldwide January 29, 2010 to January 31, 2010 March, 2010 Game Developers Conference® 2010 San Francisco, CA, United States March 09, 2010 to March 13, 2010 PAX East Boston, MA, United States March 26, 2010 to March 28, 2010 ______________________________________ THANK YOU TO OUR NEWEST SPONSOR ACCREDITED LANGUAGE SERVICES (LOGO HERE) IGDA is pleased to announce our newest partner – Accredited Language Services of New York, New York. Since 1983 Accredited Language Services has provided quality translation and localization in more than 150 languages and dialects. We have particular expertise in localizing voiceovers, subtitles and multimedia presentations, as well as the development of marketing materials for simultaneous product launches in multiple markets. Among our clients are Fortune 500 companies, top technology firms and start-up ventures that benefit from our personalized services and attention to detail. ALS also provides interpreting, transcription, graphic design and conference services as supplements to our translation and localization services. We thank Accredited Language Services for their generous support of our Webinar Series, IGDA Party at GDC, and Leadership Forum, among other key IGDA initiatives. Quote: “I am personally excited about our partnership with the IGDA and the international game development community. I look forward to a mutually beneficial exchange of ideas and the opportunity to facilitate the continuing growth of this exciting industry,” Victor Hertz, CEO and founder of Accredited Language Services ______________________________________ IGDA Core Values These core values are the IGDA's essential and enduring tenets. They are timeless guiding principles that require no external justification; they have intrinsic value and importance to the IGDA and its members. Community Professionalism Expression Innovation Impact Leadership Fun ______________________________________ MEMBERSHIP Membership in IGDA is vitally important as it helps the association build three interrelated areas which directly support the industry and all who work within: Community * Professional Development * Advocacy ______________________________________ CURRENT MEMBERS: • Refer a colleague/friend • Renew annually • Volunteer your talents • Update your profile • Join a SIG • Become active locally Call for Content: