This month's IGDA Toronto event was geared towards arists who work in the gaming industry. Our host was Guillame Provost, 3D graphics programmer at Pseudo Interactive (Cel Damage). Guillame recently had a two part article published in the June and July 2003 issues of Game Developer Magazine on optimizing art content and creation for games, and the discussion was based on that theme.

Although Guillame was our host, it was indeed an open discussion, and audience members were encouraged to speak up and put in their two cents, and so they did. We heard from guys like Joe Grant and Neil Gower with Brainbox games, currently working on Desert Thunder; Derek Elliot, the "Gaming Program Anchor" at Seneca College; and David Wu, President of Pseudo.

Topics covered included the advantages and challenges of working with a licensed engine for your graphics, the ease (or challenge) of various software and tool packages available to artists, and there was even a discussion about whether game production and design was getting to be more like--or more different--than movie production.

We capped off the night with a quick trip to Vinnie's for our usual round of booze and schmooze. Everyone I talked to agreed that it was a very helpful discussion, and we were particularly impressed that although it wasn't a rigidly formal event, most everyone got a chance to speak and was listened to. We hope to do more events like this in the future.

The IGDA Toronto Steering Committee would like to extend a special thanks to Micheal Stead of the International Academy of Design & Technology, who loaned us the space for the event.

Guillame Provost of PI leads the discussion	Mike Cameron of Steel City Productions adds his two cents
Thumbs up for audience participation	Guillame (back) and Derek Elliot (front)

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