IGDA Out & About | IGDA Perspectives Newsletter

PERSPECTIVES NEWSLETTER IGDA Out and About APRIL | 2011

IGDA PERSPECTIVES APRIL | 2011

N E W S LE T T E R PERSPECTIVES FROM TOKYO | page 3 |

IGDA RENDEZVOUS WITH PAX EAST 2011 | page 11 |

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT | page 13 |

DIVERSITY AT PAX EAST 2011 | page 14 |

IGDA @ GDC 2011 | page 18 |

HEard around the igda

For those of us who missed PAX East or GDC, we have an opportunity to catch up through this month’s Special Issue on IGDA Out and About. A special thank you goes out to Jonathon Myers for organizing coverage of GDC and PAX East.

| page 23 |

igda @ gdc: diversity sig | page 24 |

featured games from the global game jam | page 25 |

Our attention also turns to Japan and support efforts such as the Play for Japan: A Game Industry Relief Effort. Thanks to our contributors Elliott Davis, David J. Bolton, Andrew Vanden Bossche, Jonathon Myers, Anne Toole, and photographer Matt Duffy Chidley, as well as copyeditor Jeanette Burkett, events editor Andy Lubrano and art contributor, Arturo Vargas. Always lastly and never “leastly”, thank you to Cat Wendt for the snazzy design.

igda summit | page 26 |

igda board advisory | page 27 |

Beth Aileen Lameman Editor-in-Chief

Event Calendar | page 28 | Our contributors include: Editor in Chief - Beth Aileen Lameman; Art Director - Cat Wendt; Authors - Elliott Davis, David J. Bolton, Andrew Vanden Bossche, Jonathon Myers and Anne Toole. Photographer Matt Duffy Chidley; Copy Editor: Jeanette Burkett. Art & Design Contributor: Arturo Vargas; Events: Andy Lubrano. Learn more about the International Game Developers Association at www.igda.org.

Perspectives from Tokyo By Elliott Davis

Part 1: Date: Friday March 11th, 2:46PM What: A Condensed Choose Your Own Adventure Narrative Location: Your Desk You are working at a video game company in Tokyo on a wintry Friday afternoon and suddenly you are distracted by the sensation of shaking...You realize only a few seconds later that it’s not you, but the whole building is shaking! It’s not the first time this has happened since you’ve been in Japan, but substantially forceful earthquakes like this one still give everyone a chance to take a quick break. Your coworkers stop working and all begin to chat idly, as the shaking grows stronger… and continues... for an unusually long period of time. Standing up at your desk and looking out the window, the steel construction cranes across the street are wobbling as if they are made from malleable plastic. Your relatively new office building, built after the 1995 Kobe earthquake, starts emitting odd squeaking sounds. Are the building’s crossbeams rubbing against something? One of your coworkers checks the magnitude of the quake online and tells you its epicenter is about 250 miles north, and it is VERY strong. (The following are real life scenarios.)

yourself from any falling debris. As long as the building doesn’t collapse, you’re safer taking cover under a desk or in a doorway. However, having never been in an earthquake of this magnitude, you wonder what level of strength would be needed to cause the building to collapse. Depending on your company’s training for earthquakes and each persons predilections;either very few of your coworkers take cover or practically everyone is making their way to a safe place . <go back> =Go to the Break Room= In your company’s common area, there are a few TVs and there are about 20 people gathered around them, transfixed and talking quietly. Do you: » Watch TV? » Make a phone call? » Talk to a friend? » Go back to your desk? =Talk to a friend= Your friend is very worried because the earthquake hit just when elementary school children would be walking home and he/she doesn’t know if his/her child is ok. <go back>

you can’t understand Japanese, someone nearby can give you a rough translation. Approximately 15 minutes after the earthquake there are reports of a large tsunami hitting the coast. Twelve meters high? Twenty meters high? (The actual height was ~30 meters or ~98 feet) It’s amazing to see an extraordinary act of nature. Do you have friends or family living near the earthquake and tsunami coverage on TV? If so, are they all right? The news switches to a helicopter shot of a quake caused fire on top of a building in downtown Tokyo. <go back> =Go outside= People are starting to leave the office and you descend via the stairwell, which may be a pain given how high up your office is located. No one is screaming, running, or showing signs of panic, but this is the first time you’ve seen everyone evacuate, other than the yearly practice drill. People are gathering at the base of the building, which actually isn’t as safe as standing more towards the center of the street. If debris falls from the building, it would likely impact someone directly below. Why are we standing here? Do you: * Make a phone call? * Watch TV on your cell phone? * Wait outside the office?

Do you: » Get under your desk? » Go outside? » Go to the break room?

=Make a phone call= You pull out your cell phone and try calling, but the call can’t connect. It seems like everyone is trying to use his phone at once and no one can get through. <go back>

=Get under your desk= Just like everyone in Japan practices once a year, you get under your desk to protect

=Watch TV= You pull out your cell phone or turn on the television and see news reports. If

=Wait outside the office= Everyone continues standing around outside, wondering what to do. Another large quake shakes everything surrounding you. About 45 minutes later, your

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boss makes an announcement that everyone can go home for the day. Most of your coworkers take the train (and subway) to work; some of them commute up to two hour, each way. A few live within walking or cycling distance. If you happen to live close by, you can walk home easily. =END= Part 2: The Following week After the surreality of the situation wore off, I began to take stock of what was happening around me. “Personally, I was shocked by this large earthquake and am surprised by the depth of the wounds that remain. “This tragedy has easily exceeded human expectation”, said Ken, a co-worker. The triple effect of the earthquakes, devastating tsunami, and the unstable nuclear reactor in north east Japan have impacted the daily lives of many in Japan and influenced people around the world. In the week following the Friday, March 11th, 9.0 magnitude earthquake, problems emerging at the Fukushima Nuclear Power plant meant Japan needed to conserve electricity. This led to scheduled rolling blackouts in largely residential portions of Tokyo and other prefectures, which in turn caused the trains to stop periodically or all together. Many game companies closed for the week while others remained open on a limited basis. Most lights were turned off and “core office hours” were relaxed since peoples’ commuting schedules were unpredictable. People that could work from home e.g. translators and some marketing departments did. Previously scheduled out of office appointments, such as overseeing voice actor recording sessions , were kept when possible. Some Japanese and larger proportion of foreigners left Tokyo, either traveling farther away from damaged nuclear power plant or to their respective countries. In general, the Japanese who remained in Tokyo said they felt safe. Scientists on the news explained that Tokyo was far enough away to be safe from radioactivity emitting from the damaged Nuclear Power Plant.. The native residents, unlike some of the foreigners, weren’t bothered by the plethora of IG

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smaller earthquakes and aftershocks that shook Tokyo buildings multiple times a day, at a greater frequency than usual. The Japanese have grown up with earthquakes and take them in stride. Though no one rioted in the streets of Tokyo, the Japanese citizenry wasn’t fleeing in mass panic, numbers of cautious people were buying inordinately large amounts of water, bread, tissues, and other basic items. Some Japanese were surprised at how quickly their foreign counter parts left. Taku mused, “It’s funny to see my friend, who kept saying how he wishes he was born Japanese and how he is going live in Japan forever, flee from Tokyo two days after the earthquake hit without even saying goodbye to me.” Others felt it was an unavoidable turn of events. Many foreigners had a much more difficult, and stressful, time trying to piece together information and decide what to do. On one hand English news web-

“I morbidly imagined the worst” sites based in Japan, like NHK, painted a fairly modest picture of the unfolding events, but seemed to lack the same reassuring news coverage of which so many Japanese spoke. On the other hand, a good portion of the foreign media coverage was painting a more dire picture. Radian levels are 10 times higher than normal, some said, while omitting to say that the higher level of radiation was still safe. Foreigners’ families, reading these stories feared for the safety of their loved ones and urged them to leave Tokyo and/ or come home. A few foreign embassies very quickly asked their citizens to evacuate while others said the Japanese government was by and large taking appropriate actions. Those embassies encouraged their citizens to follow instructions. The mixed news, combined with lack of scientifically accurate information, pressure from family members, plus the continuing earthquakes in Japan kept many foreigners confused. Ultimately many foreigners decided that the truth lies somewhere in between what the A P RIL

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Japanese and international news agencies are reporting. If we take a step back, it’s interesting to observe and consider how people react in stressful situations. When one doesn’t have accurate information on which to base decisions, it is easy to assume the worst and act out of fear. Running away from danger is one form of self protection. After all, if something BAD does happen and everyone tries to leave at once, it would be next to impossible to leave. Additionally if there is no incentive to stay, such as work or a family, leaving becomes even easier. For those that didn’t evacuate, many thought that stocking up on supplies was vital. People started doing so immediately after the earthquake and still haven’t stopped almost three weeks later. Usually we manage our daily lives without giving government issued advice much thought. However, in a disaster situation, everyone seems to place a lot of importance on what their government ( Japan or otherwise) advises. In the days following the earthquake, tsunami, and problems at the nuclear power plant, I was reminded of a Nintendo DS game I was recently playing called “Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor.” In that game, a disaster happens in Tokyo and people are trapped inside the downtown area via a military barricade. There is no electricity, no public transportation, and supplies are scarce. As in the game, without having access to scientifically accurate data and facts I morbidly imagined the worst. People seemed like ghosts to me and I jokingly wondered if we’d turn into mutants as in a Stan Lee story or would this be the end of Tokyo, as depicted in one of many films, TV shows, or games. It seemed too impractical for me to leave Japan altogether but I was on the fence about leaving Tokyo. I thought of traveling to southwest Japan, to further distance myself from the Fukushima nuclear reactor. Ultimately however, I stayed. Though scientific data was hard to find, I was consoled by reading an interview with the British Government’s Chief Scientific Officer Professor John Beddington on March 15th and verifying that the radiation level in Tokyo measured by various online Geiger counters were within safe limits. It also pa g e 4

helped to talk to calmer Japanese people, and to research nuclear fallout information, e.g. Sieverts (a measurement of how radiation affects humans). At tri-Ace, most of the Japanese that stayed seemed to return to modified or normal work routines by Tuesday. One Japanese coworker estimated he was working at about 80% of his usual efficiency that week, spending the rest of the time checking the news. On the other hand, foreigners at the company either left almost immediately or spent pretty much the entire week checking the news, trying to decide the best course of action. Part 3: Looking towards the future How will the disasters affect the Japanese Game Industry? “People in Japan will buy fewer games because games are luxuries not essential to life. The game industry will start to revive when people shift their attention back towards games, but since games use electricity and Japan is having planned power outages, I’m not sure when that will be,” said Ken, with similar thoughts echoed by Koji and other co-workers. At the time of this writing, Japan is still throttling its electricity consumption via scheduled rolling blackouts that will continue in different prefectures till the end of April. It is anticipated that the blackouts will again become necessary in the hot months of summer when electricity demand will spike due air conditioner usage. Taku predicted that “Game developers are working hard to meet their deadlines as is, but due to the earthquake, most of the game companies had their workers stay at home for a week or more. However since the final deadline is already set, game developers will have to work extra hard or they will have to cut content or features. So in three or four month’s term, there might be games that are not quite meeting people’s expectations.” Takeshi said: I’m worried that foreign developers and publishers will think that Japan game companies are not alright. I think Japanese developers will work harder than before the earthquake.” He stresses: “Please give Japan developers a

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chance. Please give us work.” After World War II many Japanese people pulled together to help rebuild the country and the economy, and it worked. My estimation using that experience, is where many Japanese people developed their work ethic and the idea that they can solve their nation’s problems through work. The Japanese Prime Minister has called this the worst disaster to befall Japan since World War II. I am not surprised to hear expressing similar sentiments and that one of the best things they can do is to keep working. “I would imagine once things calm down there will be casual games that would teach you how to survive through earthquake, tsunami, radiation, etc that might sell very well in Japan,” said Taku. As it so happens, Kenji Ono, a writer

“the effects of these disasters are changing the political landscape.” who is also chair of IGDA Japan’s Localization SIG, reported on two such games. The first is called “Nagi-A Peaceful Calm,” created by Virtua Fighter and Lumines music composer Takayuki Nakamura. It is designed to help restore a little calm in the lives of earthquake survivors. The software creates soothing tones from real world sounds and audio captured by a microphone in the player’s vicinity. There are links to Ono’s interview with Nakamura and to a web page where you can download the software for free at the end of this article. The second piece of software Ono wrote about is “Denki Meter,” a game played on twitter with friends that encourages you to conserve electricity. (Denki means electricity in Japanese). Players track their household’s daily electricity usage (specifically while cooking, doing laundry, and bathing) by tweeting it and are rewarded with attack power that they can use to battle other players. A P RIL

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In the vein of creating calm, references to the New York City’s Twin Towers destroyed by terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001 were removed from various films, and games. In similar fashion, IREM, the Japanese developer of Disaster Report and Raw Danger, canceled the 4th entry in the natural disaster survival series, scheduled to be released this spring in Japan. “...people will still buy games, people will still create them right ? I think it’s more a problem for the global market...,” said one Anonymous European programmer. How will the disasters effect Japan and its economy? “Because of the radiation, people won’t trust food from Fukushima prefecture and the surrounding areas. Japan’s economy will drop a lot, but perhaps in 5 to 10 years, it will be higher than it is now,” pondered Takeshi. “It’s difficult to say how long or short an effect will be. I think watching how the NGP is trending will show a better indication,” said Koji. One Japanese individual felt that these disasters will serve as a wake up call for the Japanese people and make them more aware of their behavior. This person felt that usually people use a lot of electricity, without giving it a second thought, but the experience of having to conserve power and seeing so many people living in shelters will make us appreciate more basic necessities and perhaps change our ways. Outside of Japan, the effects of these disasters are changing the political landscape which may have lasting implications for everyone’s lives and potentially the video game industry. Protests against nuclear power are being held in various countries around the world. In elections at the end of March in Germany, the pro-nuclear political party that has governed Baden-Württemberg, one of Germany’s 16 states, for the past 40 years lost the election. Will this shift in leadership in one of Germany’s most prosperous states eventually affect ideology surrounding how the country censors violence in video games? If Japanese game developers are considerate of their people’s mental health through the modification, creation or termination of currently inappropriate games, would

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Germany do the same? Whether people are right to place so much emphasis on one issue is a separate discussion, but the choices being made and the direction each country chooses to meet its energy requirements could effect how much we pay for energy (and extending this to all the things we use energy to manufacture), along with care of our planet, and future conflicts. Is there anything you would like to say to the game industry outside of Japan and to people in general? “We appreciate your support and donations to Japan. We are going through tough times now, but I believe that with your support, we can get through this. We are maybe in one of the toughest times in history of Japan, but that is why we need to bring more smiles to people’s face and I believe game companies can help bring smiles back,” said Taku. “Please tell your fellow game developers working in Japan not to panic. Perhaps they will listen to you more than to us,” said Koji. “Japan suffered a great assault. Please lend us your strength through your donations, making great games, and

whatever it is that you personally can do,” said Ken. “Now, there was a disaster and Japan is in a very painful state of existence. But, we will help each other and try our best. We will not give up and Japan will revive,” said Takeshi. Elliott Davis, who is passionate about making great games, is currently working in triAce’s Research and Development department in Tokyo. He grew up in the USA, and has worked in the game industry for six years. Five companies in the US and one in Japan. When not making games he enjoys extreme sports, acting, and playing games. Interviewees: Ken Murakami 村上権 Has been working in the Japanese video game industry for 6 years as a programmer and lead programmer. He is currently at Monolith Soft in Tokyo and likes Grand Theft Auto. Taku Wakabayashi 若林卓 Has lived in the USA for 8 years and has worked in the Japanese games industry for 3. He currently works in the online marketing department of Force Penguin.

Takeshi Sakazume 坂爪武 Has worked in the Japanese video game industry for 8 years, all at tri-Ace. He is currently in the Research and Development department and likes snowboarding. Koji Watanabe 渡邊幸二 Has worked in the Japanese video game industry for 12 years and is currently a programmer at tri-Ace’s Research and Development department in Tokyo. He loves delicious food. Various non-Japanese developers who shared their perspectives but declined to be officially quoted for this article. References: 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sievert 2. http://ukinjapan.fco.gov.uk/en/ news/?view=News&id=566799182 3. Nagi Developer Interview (in English via Google Translate): http://tinyurl.com/nagiinterview 4. Nagi website: (English, Chinese, Italian, Japanese) http://tinyurl.com/nagi-software 5. Denki Meter Review(in English via Google Translate) http://tinyurl.com/denki-review 6. Denki Meter website: (in English via Google Translate) http://tinyurl.com/denkimeter 

Call for Articles The IGDA Perspectives Newsletter is looking for content for its May issue The IGDA Perspectives Newsletter is looking for articles and event coverage for its May issue on AUSTRALIA! Please send pitches early and 500-3,000 word articles with a short third person bio and images (JPGs preferred) to Editor-in-Chief Beth Aileen Lameman (beth@igda.org) by Monday, April 25th. IG

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IGDA Rendezvous with PAX East 2011

By David J. Bolton

hisper it quietly, but for those developers and gamers on the East Coast, PAX East 2011 was something of a moral victory. Irrespective of the controversy that preceded PAX’s arrival in Boston, which then descended into farce with the “booth babe” debate at the actual event, PAX East was a success on every level when the arcade came to Boston. The event attracted 69,500 attendees over the three days, breaking the record set by PAX Prime in Seattle and making sure that all who came were treated to more than just a gaming conference. Last year at the Hynes Convention Center, PAX East attracted some criticism for a perceived lack of space with unacceptable waiting times for games and panels. Wanting to avoid these problems, the organizers shifted across to the biggest convention center in New England, the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC), providing them 516,000 square

feet of floor space with which to play and they didn’t waste the opportunity to spread themselves into every corner. A huge expo hall was the centerpiece of PAX. Filled with everything that the average gamer would need, it showcased the latest immersive experiences across every platform and the hardware to make sure that your gaming reached maximum potential. On two other levels there were free-toplay console rooms, the American Classic Arcade Museum, retro gaming, a food court that could seat 700 and the infamous lounging area of Beanbag Alley. Naturally there were the opportunities to show off your inner rock star on the Rock Band stage with Dance Central attracting those who prefer to bust moves than throw shapes, but PAX is not just about playing games. Away from the constant hum of activity in the Expo Hall and running throughout the day were panels aimed at education and information. Rooms were dedicated to industry professionals taking the time

to answer questions and engender lively debate, with hundreds of gamers and developers patiently waiting in line to hear or see the panel of their choice. Such was the popularity of the majority of these presentations that many of the rooms were forced to close their doors when full. The situation was not helped by the draconian security measures enforced by the in-house security; something that was actually beyond the control of most of the PAX volunteers who wanted to make sure that attendees actually got to see what they had been waiting for. The queues for the IGDA presentations were no different, probably due to the intriguing content being offered. The Friday and Sunday of the weekend were dedicated to ‘Breaking In’; sixteen hours of sessions covering the current state of the game industry and offering career options. Saturday, developers took their turn in the IGDA Developer Summit providing possible solutions to successfully mon-

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etizing product and expansion of market beyond the hardcore gamers. For eye candy, attendees were prowling the floors in full character costume. For the majority of the weekend, it was first come first served and space was at a premium. For many of PAX East’s non-industry attendees, these IGDA sessions were a chance to hear from battle-hardened veterans of the industry. These were the people who learned by doing. They began developing games at an early age and didn’t have the advantages of being able to study game development through specific gaming degrees. These pioneer developers fell in love with the form and then thought about the best way to achieve their goals without the benefit of University program, all the while realizing that gaming is not just a cool job but part of a creative industry; in other words, it is a business. Before the introduction of programs that taught game development and design, many studios were founded by “hobbyists”, game developers who wanted to showcase their ideas to a wider audience whilst hoping to attract the financial backing to bring their vision to life. Without wanting to douse the flames of enthusiasm from the audience, the panels tried to emphasize the reality of game development and just how difficult it can be to get your game to consumers. It is worth pointing out that these were not sessions shrouded in doom and gloom, but many of those attendees who wanted answers were not actually sure what the question was and who they should be asking. Game development is a growth industry and academic establishments like Becker College in Massachusetts offer the chance to “turn your passion for video games into an exciting career.” Both of their degree programs cover game design, programming and some aspects of the business with the chance to participate in a career internship at a professional studio. With the amount of people eager to make their mark in the gaming industry, the chance to interact with those “who have been there and bought the t-shirt” was in many ways more essential than queuing for the latest Star Wars game. Grant Shonkwiler from Megatouch Games, who gave an entertaining panel on the various incarnations of controllers over the years, believes that “people need to IG

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know the industry and what it is to be successful in it,” adding that “students should also know what they are getting into before they commit to being in this industry.” An important consideration for a recent graduate of a dedicated gaming degree is the resume, especially one that can catch the eye of an industry professional. IGDA ran sessions on the Friday dedicated to resumes, portfolios and mock interviews; all designed to find out what works and, possibly more importantly, what doesn’t. So who should be responsible for ensuring that graduates come into the industry with their eyes open? Are the dedicated gaming degrees providing the right amount of experience to tackle not only the look of the game but also how it can provide a monetary incentive for investment? Should the industry itself ensure that those who choose the gaming path are fully equipped to deal with the inevitable challenges?

“disability is a really easy club to join - you’re just one bad day away.” Darius Kazemi, who runs the Boston chapter of IGDA sees it as a joint effort between industry and academia. Speaking after PAX East, he “believes” that universities should be doing the bulk of the actual education, but there is room for more collaboration with industry.” Citing the IGDA Education Connection program as “a great example” of working with universities worldwide, he thinks that “internships can be invaluable to a student’s education (although not necessary)” but is aware that some academic establishments may be selling game development as “something super cool where you play games all day and some do an excellent job of conveying what it’s really like.” Happily he is seeing less of the former and more of the latter as gaming degrees mature along with the students. Despite what was taking place on the Expo floor, it is obvious is that gaming and game development is taking on a relevancy beyond just plugging in and tuning out. A P RIL

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This was beautifully illustrated in a panel on the Sunday morning when the issues of diversity in the industry were discussed under the heading of “One of Us”. Another packed room was treated to a lively debate about the roles of minority groups in the gaming world with the obstacles to acceptance being highlighted in a frank (and often harrowing) manner. Non-gamers don’t see the gaming world as diverse, for them the sub-culture of gaming is enough and separates the gamer from the “real world.”Yet even within the gaming community the issues faced by disabled and gay gamers can be hard to overcome. With the anonymous nature of most gaming forums, certain spaces are not safe to be yourself and the panel discussed these matters with a frankness that drew continual applause. Mark Barlet (AbleGamers Foundation) summed it up perfectly when he remarked, “Disability is a really easy club to join – you’re just one bad day away.” For those that attended PAX East, they had three good days. Those who ventured beyond the Expo Hall would have seen and heard lively debate, mixed in with a healthy dose of reality. Gaming is attractive to many people because of what it is; a creative industry that can allow your dreams to become reality. It has become a potential career for many and the popularity of the “Breaking In” sessions shows that there are individuals who want to know the answers before making the final decision. Nobody has ever said that the gaming industry is easy, not every immersive experience can be Rock Band, World of Warcraft or Red Dead Redemption. What is significant is that the industry continues to attract the best and the brightest people to continue legacy of games and gaming. PAX East attracted 69,500 people in through the doors, a large percentage of them were here for more than just games. David J.Bolton is a freelance writer and blogger who has been an enthusiastic gamer since 1981. He prefers to discuss the mechanics of gaming rather than reading reviews of games he will never play. A resident of Massachusetts, he is a firm supporter of East Coast development. 

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Gorm Lai is one of the first members of IGDA Denmark, and original founders of both the Nordic Game Jam and the Global Game Jam. Currently he is working on the IGDA Leadership Forum Europe as well as starting a new IGDA Chapter in Honolulu, USA. He is a serial entrepreneur looking to create his second start-up and enjoys life on the sunny shores of Oahu, with a future goal of learning to surf.

Andy Lubrano is a jack-of-all-trades and lifelong gamer. Since joining the IGDA in 2010, Andy has contributed web support for igda.org and copyediting and writing for Perspectives. Relocating to Austin to pursue his passion for games, Andy is dedicated to supporting his local chapter, volunteering at SXSW and providing web content for austingamedevs.org.

Sara Moore joined the IGDA after graduating from the Vancouver Film School. She has been spreading the mission of the IGDA by leading the IGDA booth at GDC and helping with the re-launch of the Vancouver Chapter. She notes that “It has been a great experience for me and allowed me to network with developers and brainstorm ways in which we can continue to make the games industry a great place to work.” Makis Tracend is working on the backend for the IGDA Education Connection - Student Club map. He has been working on games since he got his Amstrad 1640 and with the advent of technologies like HTML5 and Unity3D, he is interested in creating games that blend online and 3D worlds.

Jacqueline Urick is passionate about women, technology and games. In her short time as an IGDA member, she has worked to gain more visibility for the IGDA Twin Cities chapter and Minnesota game developers. Jacqueline is a member of the Women in Game and Business and Legal SIGs. She is Co-founder of SieEnt, a studio focused on empowering women through games and Managing Director of Girls in Tech MSP. 

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Diversity at PAX East 2011 By Andrew Vanden Bossche

he elephant in the room at PAX East this year was the Dickwolves controversy. Whatever one’s particular opinion on the matter, there was near unanimous agreement that Penny Arcade had handled the event poorly. David Edison, of gaygamer.net, speaking at an IGDA panel on diversity said that the situation was “a potentially wonderful teachable moment that lacked a teacher.” The incident made some uncomfortable enough to boycott PAX East, including Courtney Stanton, founder of the Boston Women in Games meetup and an advocate for diversity within the games industry. Other groups who had already committed to attending PAX decided to incorporate a response to the controversy as part of their booths, like the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT game lab which had a video running on hate speech in online games. The IGDA’s response was a pair of panels at the IGDA dev center on the subject of diversity in the games industry. The first, “Growing Your Market,” focused on diversity within games themselves, while the second, “One of Us” focused on diversity within the community of gamers. “Growing Your Market” showed that diversity in the games industry isn’t just a good idea, it represents a vast, untapped market. The panel consisted of Kate Edwards, Principal Consultant & Founder of Englobe Inc, N’Gai Croal, Consultant/ Writer/Columnist, currently for Hit Detection LLC, Alex Horn, Writer for Big Huge Games/38 Studios, and Tobi Saulnier, CEO & Founder of 1st Playable Productions. Moderator Alex Horn started off with some surprising statistics detailing just how

huge some of the minority markets are.The ESA currently estimates that females make up 40% of all game players, with over 130 million women estimated playing online PC games. Nintendo estimates they make up 25% of the console market. The Hispanic market is one of the fastest growing markets, and has a purchasing power of over 12 trillion dollars, more than all other minority markets combined. The LGBT, market, on the other, has 845 billion dollars of buying power as well as extreme brand loyalty, resilience to economic situations, and tends to be early adopters and trend setters. “There’s overwhelming data out there that just suggests that there are these vast untapped markets that we are not marketing to and that we are not making games for,” said Alex Horn. N’Gai Croal helped to explain how the risk adverse nature of the games industry makes it difficult to innovate in new directions. Particularly it’s a problem with publicly traded companies like Activision, who want to present their stockholders with a compelling portfolio. Tobi Saulnier also mentioned that people who go into the industry want to make a game for themselves, think about the games they’ve played or the games they want to play. In order to serve underserved markets, designers would have to “move away from what you want and satisfying what your own vision is, and do something because you’re imagining your younger sibling, your parent, your relative, or somebody you know who has a unique situation they have to deal with,” she said. “It’s much harder, she continued, because you can’t rely on your own intuition anymore.”

The second panel “One of Us,” had Alex Horn hosting with Mark Barlet, President & CEO of The AbleGamers Foundation, Inc., Alexandra Raymond, Writer for The Borderhouse Blog, Regina Buenaobra, Community Manager for ArenaNet and fellow Borderhouse writer and David Edison, Writer for Gaygamer.net. They responded to the Penny Arcade controversy quite directly, but they also made it clear how necessary it is for the games industry to be involved in the gamer community, beyond just the games they make. While services like Xbox live are moderated heavily, it was very clear from the experience of the panelists that part of the reason communities like the Borderhouse and Gaygamer.net exist is because marginalized gamers don’t feel safe in other spaces. It’s a big enough problem that it costs players. Above all else, though, the panelists agreed it was positive leadership that helped end discrimination and hate speech. Blogs, websites, communities (and webcomics) that tolerate hate speech, even with silence, tend to attract people who feel that their views are being validated. But leadership that makes clear that hate won’t be tolerated creates a community in which marginalized groups can feel safe.

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Andrew Vanden Bossche is a freelance writer and columnist. His column, Design Diversions, runs on GameSetWatch and Gamasutra. His blog, Mammonmachine.blogspot.com, has occasionally been updated. 

7TH H YAT T H A R B O R S I D E , B O S T O N

IGDA Scrum Certification with Clinton Keith

Jo hn pk Ho

Thursday, June 02, 2011 - Friday, June 03, 2011

M AY 1 7 - 1 9 , 2 0 1 1

ins

al pat spit

ient enjoying a c t ive vid eo ga m e

Are you looking to energize your teams, reduce costs and increase performance? Has crunch, missed schedules and budgets become harder to avoid? Scrum and agile practices have helped many studios improve product development and the workplace environment. Learn to establish and improve Scrum in your studio by becoming a ScrumMaster in the only workshop that focuses on game development from the Certified Scrum Trainer with 15 years of game development experience. This two-day course provides the fundamental principles of Scrum through hands-on experience and interactive project simulation. During the course, attendees will learn why such a seemingly simple process as Scrum can have such profound effects on an organization.

Visit www.igda.org/SCRUMChicago for full details.

TWO EVENTS OVER TWO DAYS! With comprehensive solutions for film, game, and television production, Autodesk Digital Entertainment Creation software gives you the freedom to transform creative ideas into innovative entertainment. Learn more at www.autodesk.com/me

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25th - 26th MAY, 2011 BERLIN, GERMANY

Save 15% with code IGDA15 socialgamingsummit.de

Autodesk is a registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at anytime without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document. ÂŠ 2011 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

Presented by Mediabistro and Rising Media Ltd.

IGDA @ GDC 2011 By Jonathon Myers

ame Developers Conference attendees once again converged on the Moscone Center in San Francisco from February 28 March 4, 2011. For the 25th anniversary of GDC, the IGDA came out in full force, revealing a new direction with higher visibility and stronger presence among the core of the industry.

IGDA Booth

Just inside Moscone’s doors at the South Hall Lobby, the IGDA Booth was the same GDC staple on which we have all come to rely during a week where the action never lets up. Brandi Grace and Sheri Rubin put in countless hours at the booth, working alongside volunteers, checking-in members, and handing out T-shirts, event ribbons and Metagame card decks. The Booth functioned as a place to drop our bags, fire up our laptops, network with new introductions, reconnect with friends we haven’t seen in months, and meet for the scheduled social gatherings of the SIG’s to which we belong. In addition, the much-needed smartphone charging station was certainly an oracle that we all visited at least once or twice as the week rushed onward. Throughout the week, attending Board Members participated in “Meet Your IGDA Board of Directors.” Each of the following scheduled themselves to spend one or more hours at the IGDA Booth to meet members and answer their questions: Jane Pinckard, Tobi Saulnier, Tim Train,

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Erin Hoffman, Rodney Gibbs, Brian Robbins, Tom Buscaglia, Darius Kazemi, Tim Train and Coray Seifert.

Meta-Game

a row to bring us Metagame. The same organizers who brought us the GDC 2010 Twitter game BackChatter once again adhered to their mission to create new forms of emergent social play. They easily raised the bar again this year with a deeply engaging collectible card game that pits the players’ improvisational debate skills against each other over the history and general knowledge of video games. Each registrant at the IGDA booth was offered a pack of cards with descriptions and images of video games. Using games as classic as Duck Hunt and Mike Tyson’s Punch Out or as current as Epic Mickey; players with these cards could challenge one another to a duel of wits in which the winner walks away with one of the opposing player’s cards. It could happen anywhere: at the IGDA booth, at a party, standing in line, during lunch, inbetween sessions, etc. Discussion-prompting question cards were used to set out the topic of the debate while onlookers participated as audience and jury for each contest. The overall results were an atmosphere of exploration and a climate of higher level discussion that permeated each nook and cranny where IGDA members could be found. More details on the experience and information on the new Metagame Kickstarter campaign can be found at localno12.com Many thanks are due to Mike Edwards, Colleen Macklin, John Sharp and Eric Zimmerman, the game design gurus behind it all.

IGDA Leaders in Summits and Tutorials

IGDA partnered with experimental game collective Local No. 12 for the second year in

IGDA members and leaders were involved at all levels of GDC organization, including both IGDA-specific events as well as Summits, Tutorials and Sessions throughout the week. With apologies to the inevitable many who are unintentionally left without mention here, we offer some highlights and examples of our members working for us and for the betterment of our industry.

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GDC Game Localization Summit & IGDA Localization SIG

The IGDA Localization SIG supported and organized the Monday Game Localization Summit under the leadership of SIG Chair Kate Edwards. Aimed at helping game professionals understand the critical details of how to plan for localization, this full day of lectures, panels and game postmortems was well attended and highly successful. SIG Vice-Chair for Games Industry Richard Honeywood participated in a panel regarding online games, active SIG member Victor Alsonso Lion participated in a panel on audio localization, Israel Chapter Leader Oded Sharon spoke on game markets in the Middle East. IGDA Founding Member Gordon Walton was co-speaker for the keynote session on the topic “Localization and Development: A Love Story...That Leads to Great Business!” In order to emphasize the “international” aspect of IGDA, the Localization SIG has also launched the “Translation Force”, a group of SIG members who are volunteering their time and skills to help the IGDA provide its content in a variety of languages. Look for heavy activity from this SIG at upcoming conferences, such as E3 and GDC Europe. You can also follow their Twitter account at @igdalocsig.

Jeb Havens were facilitators of the two-day Game Designers Workshop. Monday Tutorials included Jim Charne’s participation in the Emerging Issues in Game Dev Deals, while Coray Siefert led Level Design in a Day. Tuesday included Squirrel Eiserloh’s participation in Physics for Game Programmers and Evan Skolnick taught Learn Better Game Writing in a Day for the 5th year in a row.

IGDA Professional Happy Hour, Presented by Autodesk and Hansoft

The annual IGDA Professional Happy Hour gathering took place Tuesday from 5:30 - 9:00 pm. If future events will continue to be anything like the one at GDC this year, perhaps it should be titled Professional Night Club Celebration. What aspects of the evening led to this suggestion? Maybe it was the five dance floors of space that the venue Ten 15 provided. On chatted, judged and Tweeted the results. Ultimately, what it all comes down to is that the IGDA transformed this year’s function into a massive full-swing party to provide members with an opportunity to enjoy themselves with fun, food, networking and libations. Call it what you will, the event was a blast.

Other IGDA leaders participated by lending their expertise to various GDC Tutorials sessions. Steve Meretzsky and

a typical night, the place is a San Francisco night club hot spot and a destination for some of the world’s top DJs. Or, maybe it was the scrolling laser lettering projected in neon colors to spell out on the wall in 6-8 foot text “Welcome IGDA” along with the scrolling names of the sponsors that made the evening possible: Hansoft and Autodesk. Or it could have been the two cash bars and the continually replenished tables of food sitting under the disco ball among mechanically cast strobes of thin color-splashes mixing with white flood light. Then again, maybe it wasn’t anything particular to the main floor, but the upstairs

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balcony with couches overlooking the scene or the next room over with a lounge and additional bar. Actually, the basement probably came into play as well by offering a better-lit alternative to the seeming opulence for those who preferred to simply play games at the Inaugural Board Game Mixer. In that underground lair a dozen rectangular tables and as many or more booths hosted board and card games of all varieties. A regular string of Metagame matches took place while others observed,

2011

2011 IGDA Scholars Program

From a pool of eligible student member applicants, twenty-five IGDA Scholars were chosen to receive all-access passes

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to attend GDC. Thanks to the work of IGDA Director of Innovation Jack Bogdan, the perks that the students received this year showed a significant increase over those of past years. Each scholar met regularly throughout the week with their assigned industry mentor. In addition to the passes and mentoring of individual Scholars, the group participated in a schedule of tours and meetings that included the following:

Monday, February 28th 10AM - Double Fine Tour 2PM - LucasArts Tour Tour of Campus Presentation from University Relations Panel Discussion 5PM - Playdom Talk

Wednesday, March 2nd 12 PM - Zynga Lunch Lulu Restaurant 2:50PM - Update on PlayStation Move Development Sony provided a private booth tour to interested scholars after they spent time with John McCutchan, lead researcher behind the PlayStation Move, All scholars received early access to the Move.me PlayStation Move development program.

Thursday, March 3rd 9AM - Epic Games Booth Tour 10:30AM - Microsoft Games Studios Booth Tour Microsoft provided scholars with an Xbox 360 and Kinect bundle.

Friday, March 4th 9:30AM - Student SIG Meeting Cryptozoic provided World of Warcraft Trading Card Decks Room 114, North Hall OnLive provided scholars with OnLive Micro-consoles. 5:00PM - Ubisoft Meeting Ubisoft Senior Creative Director Jason Vandenberg met with individual scholars

To apply, students were required to visit and apply at http://www.igda.org/scholarships

Roll Call

The GDC Scholars at GDC 2011 were truly a global group, with students repre-

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senting four continents and a wide range of nationalities and universities. It is with these students that we usher in the bright future of our industry. They are the IGDA’s leaders of tomorrow. » Bobby Anguelov - University of Pretoria (South Africa) » Stephen Ascher - Concordia University (Canada) » Andrew Bertino - Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (USA) » Sarah Chu - University of WisconsinMadison (USA) » Paul DiPastina - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (USA) » Teale Fristoe - UC Santa Cruz (USA) » Salvador Garcia-Martinez - Concordia University (Canada) » Adam Green - University of Teesside (England) » Pier Guillen - Purdue University (USA) » Mary Holtschneider - Wake Technical Community College (USA) » Andrew Hsu - Stanford University (USA) » Sho Iwamoto - Hokkaido University (Japan) » Arpita Kapoor - ABV Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management (India) » Abhimanyu Kumar - Indian Institute of Management (India) » Arvind Kumar - Carnegie Mellon University, Entertainment Technology Center (USA) » Zach Lindblad - UC Santa Cruz (USA) » Billy Matjiunis - George Brown College (Canada) » Hazel Mckendrick - University of Edinburgh (Scotland) » Margaret Moser - Parsons, New School for Design (USA) » Sanghee Oh - University of Southern California (USA) » Jacob Pennock - East Carolina University (USA) » Molly Proffitt - Savannah College of Art and Design (USA) » Michael Scott - Brunel University (England) » Samantha Vick - University of Southern California (USA) » Wenjie Wu - University of Tokyo (Japan)

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IGDA Business VIP Luncheon

Over 200 highly active members gathered at Jillian’s Restaurant Wednesday mid-day for a lunch that celebrated and thanked the volunteers that make up our volunteer organization. The event began with a round of thanks from Executive Director Gordon Bellamy to chapter leaders and staff for their hard work over the previous year. In particular, he called out his title-bearing staff members Sheri Rubin, Ryan Arndt and Susan La Sky. He then presented a quick overview of an IGDA Road Map, which is now fully detailed and available on the IGDA website. More thanks were proffered to those leaders that Gordon termed the Health of the Organization for their particular giving efforts. Moving on to the focus of the event, Gordon presented the 2011 IGDA MVP Awards. The inneractive sponsored MVP award was presented to Jack Bogdan for his progress on Educational Initiatives and the Scholarship Program, but also for his strides as a central organization staff member under the new title Director of Innovation. The Hansoft sponsored MVP award was presented to Kate Edwards for her Localization SIG work and efforts that have brought global support to a global organization. Finally, the Autodesk sponsored MVP award was presented to Andrew Leaf for the technical expertise and volunteer hours lent to the improvement of the IGDA website as Web Content Administrator.

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The IGDA Board of Directors held the Annual Meeting on Thursday at noon. Chair of the Board of Directors Brian Robbins opened the meeting with the statement that with 9225 members we are the largest industry organization for developers. He reiterated the IGDA mission of Career Advancement and Life Enhancement of Game Developers in three summary points: 1) Community, 2) Professional Development, and 3) Advocacy. He elaborated on the primary sources of financial backing for this volunteer organization, namely its Members, 140 Lifetime Members, Studio Members who pay for employee memberships, the Partners who support year-round, and Sponsors who provide particular event support. GameSpy, Hansoft, Unreal, Autodesk and inneractive received attention as the GDC 2011 Sponsors whose support made IGDA’s

increased presence a possibility. Brian then introduced the remaining Board of Directors, including officers Jane Pinckard (Vice-chair), Tom Buscaglia (Treasurer) and Darius Kazemi (Secretary). He then introduced Executive Director Gordon Bellamy, Board Member turned Acting Executive Director as a replacement for Joshua Caulfield. Gordon entered the position in August 2010 and he was hired as permanent Executive Director in November 2010. After providing a brief introduction of his background, Gordon immediately stressed the importance of communication to the organization as a whole. He stated that he and the Board need to know what people think and what people want. He set out the ideal course as moving into an era of democracy, in which “You are the IGDA. It only works if you feel empowered.” He announced that all 2011 GDC Conference Associates receive free full membership in the IGDA for the next year. Gordon then stressed the need for collaboration all year round with candid, open contribution. Before moving on, he introduced the new staff positions and the reasoning behind their creation. Although IGDA day-to-day organizational tasks were previously run by Tally Management, it became clear that they weren’t serving the members as well as they could be. After moving away from hired management, the next step was to add staff who are developers. In order to find those who could do this work with our developer needs in mind, industry mem-

bers themselves were required. He called out Sheri Rubin as his rock for keeping him organized as Operations Manager, Ryan Arndt for leading the way toward a more comprehensive public face as IGDA Community Manager, Susan La Sky for her competence with Business Development, and Jack Bogdan as a crucial addition in the role of Director of Innovation. During the latter section of the annual meeting, the Board highlighted and addressed the major IGDA activities of the previous year: » Global Game Jam is the largest single event that IGDA implements, many thanks due to original founders Susan Gold, Gorm Lai and Ian Schreiber as well as primary 2011 committee members Zuraida Buter and Foaad Khosmood. The January 2011 event enabled over 7,000 participants in 170 locations to create more than 1,500 games. » Next, Chair of the Business & Legal SIG and Board Treasurer Tom Buscaglia reported on censorship concerns and IGDA advocacy. Regarding Schwarzeneggar vs. EMA (Entertainment Merchants Association), the IGDA filed a U.S. Supreme Court Amicus Brief in support of the EMA and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). Tom worked with Jim Charne and other attorneys alongside the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences to oppose the treatment of video games as pornogra-

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HEALTH OF THE ORGANIZATION Darius Kazemi of Boston, Massachusetts Dustin Clingman of Orlando, Florida Ian Stead of Albany, New York Scott Martin of Fairfax, Virginia Jia Ji of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Rusel DeMaria of Seattle, Washington Casey O’Donnell of Athens, Georgia

2011 IGDA MVP AWARD RECIPIENTS Jack Bogdan (sponsored by inneractive) Kate Edwards (sponsored by Hansoft) Andrew Leaf (sponsored by Autodesk)

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phy rather than art or literature. Tom also spoke briefly on the state of the Charitable Fund, denoting that its charter is to meet the goals of the IGDA charter and mission. He also said that we can expect to hear more about this in the upcoming year. The IGDA Leadership Forum was extremely successful this year and plans are underway to expand this production and management program to both US and European locations. Praise was offered to Editor-in-Chief Beth Aileen Lameman, Art Director Cat Wendt, and Perspectives Newsletter contributors for the rapid jump in publication and content quality over the past year. Another success is the Healthy Games Challenge, a 48-hour game jam in 7 chapter locations that resulted in 22 new games created to motivate kids to eat better and be more physically active.

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This jam was IGDA’s part in Michelle Obama’s apps for healthy kids challenge and in addition to supporting a good cause the event provided the opportunity for the IGDA to give back to its chapters. » Ample time was then given to the various new facets of Education Outreach. Gordon once again thanked Jack for his help on this and stressed that it is a critical responsibility of IGDA to be a thought leader now that a generation of people in this industry are educators. The outreach concerns the professional development of students and there are many different year-round events and programs in the works, all of which are described in the IGDA Road Map. » The Board candidates in attendance were provided with time to speak and answer questions prior to open forum discussion with Q & A. Questions were fielded from both a microphone and

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Ryan Arndt relaying questions from an IGDA Twitter search feed. Jonathon has focused on interactive drama and video game writing. He works on projects as a freelance writer for game development companies while designing and building his own games with sound designer and development partner Arshan Gailus, a fellow co-founder of Reactive Games. He is a member of IGDA, in which he actively participates via the local Boston chapter known as Boston Postmortem. Believing very strongly in the strength of community, he is also actively involved in local organizations such as Boston Game Jams and Boston Indies. 

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IGDA @ GDC: Diversity SIG By Anne Toole

Jerry Lawson learned that his company, Fairchild, had listed him as Indian for five years. Lawson, the creator of the first cartridge-based video game system, still ranks among the top unsung heroes of the game industry today. That’s about to change. Lawson was a guest of honor at the IGDA Diversity SIG meeting and social at GDC this year. The SIG, also called the Minority SIG, focuses on increasing the diversity of the workplace, in North America particularly. While internationally diverse, the game developer community is not necessarily diverse within each nation. The Diversity SIG has run quietly for several years, but GDC marked the launch of a full-scale program to increase visibility that includes a website, a YouTube channel, and a weekly conference call. The SIG meeting identified opportunities for change and highlighted access programs available through the IGDA and other organizations. Representatives from Sony Playstation, Blacks in Gaming, the Art Institute, and the IGDA sat on a panel as part of the meeting. The biggest opportunity for change is in the numbers. While minorities are consumers and players of games, they are not the creators. In the US, the nonWhite population has been estimated at 20 percent. The percentage of employees with a diverse background at Sony Playstation, however, is only 3 percent. Karen Chelini, Director of Talent Acquisition for Sony Playstation, called for more develop-

ers willing to take on diversity and open enough to reach out. Diversity helps to balance out teams and improves creativity. IGDA Executive Director Gordon Bellamy spoke about IGDA’s access programs that can help increase diversity. The IGDA Scholars program brings students into the offices of major game companies and puts them front and center at major IGDA events. The Global Game Jam, which takes place at 170 locations, mostly universities, offers students experience making a game in 48 hours. The Conference Associates (CA) program at GDC also provides access and a robust network for CA alum. Finally, the IGDA Leadership Forum in October also offers volunteer opportunities. Attendees suggested, however, that access to resources doesn’t mean anything without a motivating goal, as game designers well know. Future developers have to know about and see the value of going through these programs before they will take advantage of them. Developers from a diverse background need to stand up and speak out so that those coming up in the ranks can project their goals on someone with a similar background. A large task for only 3 percent of the developer population. But it is a crucial task nonetheless. Educator and developer Carl Varnado pointed out that games will be a central component of culture in the future. “If we’re not present in games, we’re not really present in culture,” he warned. He urged attendees to create games that are not only fun, but culturally and socially relevant as well. The next step for the IGDA Diversity SIG will be, ironically, to increase the diversity within its own ranks, to include men and women from Asian, Hispanic, and other racial and ethnic minorities in North America. That said, a few attendees of the meeting appeared to belong to no

minority. There is a place and a need for everyone in the SIG, regardless of background, because diversity benefits everyone. As developers, if we continue to create games that don’t address a significant portion of the population, we may end up excluding ourselves from culture as well. To get involved with the IGDA Diversity SIG, join the mailing list on the IGDA website; visit http://gamediversity.com, and view footage from the SIG meeting at http://www.youtube.com/user/IGDAGameDiversity. The YouTube channel also offers an excerpt from the documentary “Freedom Riders of the Cutting Edge,” which features Jerry Lawson.

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he executive walked into the room where Jerry Lawson was waiting for him and stopped, surprised.

“Nobody told me you were black.” “Well, I have been,” said Lawson with a smile. “They didn’t do you a service.”

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---------------------------------------Gerald Lawson, an innovator in the game industry, recently passed away at the age of 70. We will remember him well. ---------------------------------------Writers Guild nominee Anne Toole is a creative writer whose credits include computer games, television drama, comics, and short fiction. She has also written over 200 blog posts on working with writers, writing and designing games, and virtual collaboration at the Writers Cabal Blog. She tweets on game design, television, comics, and social media @amely. 

Featured Games from the Global Game Jam Ultra Happy Death Virus HD

Ned, You Really Suck the Life Out of a Room

Location: NYU Game Center, USA Credits: Randall Li, Chris Makris, Ben Norskov, Roger Cheng, Matthew LoPresti Description: Each levelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s environment is made out of colored blocks. When a player collects a Color Cube, each block of the same color then disappears from the environment. Players must traverse the level and collect all the Color Cubes without falling off the environment or getting blocked. Platforms: Flash URL: http://globalgamejam.org/2011/ned-you-really-suck-life-

Location: Melbourne, Australia Credits: Luke Hus, Patrick Clearwater, Matthew Elvey Price, Sandra Gibson Description: Build a virus from various biological building blocks and guess what? Everything survives. Unless you play the game properly, in which case everything dies Platforms: Windows - Unix/Linux URL: http://globalgamejam.org/2011/ultra-happy-death-virus-hd

out-room

KAZZ.ED

Man Versus The End

Location: Paris, France Credits: Pierrick Goujet, Vincent Le Guillou, Marc Manuello, Lucas Rousselot, Garry Williams Description: In KAZZ.ED you have to help Kazz, a little character, to survive to the extinction of his Binary Tetris World in a 2D Puzzle Platformer game. Use Tetris pieces to make his way up to keep ahead of the dark void of chaos. Platforms: Windows / Xbox 360 URL: http://globalgamejam.org/2011/kazzed

Location: Glasgow, Scotland Credits: Sandy Beveridge, Jon McKellan, Matthew T. Sharpe, David Farrel, Craig Stevenson, Simon Quig Description: The world is crumbling. Meteors and aliens are destroying what is left of humanity. Help the last man on earth survive as long as he can by shooting down meteors, UFOs, Godzilla and various dangerous wild animals. Platforms: Flash URL: http://globalgamejam.org/2011/man-versus-end

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first annual

Featuring: » Entrepreneurship » Game Development Community » Indie BootCamp

IGDA SUMMIT 2011 July 18th & 19th Seattle, WA, USA Save the date!

Featuring: » Game User Research » Quality Assurance » Writing About Games » Writing For Games

Join your peers to: » Learn » Connect » Share

IMPORTANT IGDA ADVISORY About Amazon’s Appstore Distribution Terms The IGDA Board of Directors released a statement regarding the terms of Amazon’s Appstore Distribution Terms on 4/14/11. Amazon has since responded publicly. Below is the latest update from the IGDA Board, posted on 4/19/11: The IGDA is pleased that Amazon has shown a willingness to clarify its distribution terms, so that all versions on the Amazon site are consistent. However, the majority of our concerns remain unaddressed. Amazon is still reserving the right to pay developers just 20% of their minimum list price at any time, without notification or advance approval. Additionally, Amazon is still unilaterally preventing developers from ever making an exclusive promotional deal with another marketplace. In summary, Amazon’s terms still enable it to steeply discount a game developer’s content without permission — a tactic Amazon could easily use to force game developers to absorb the cost for Amazon to compete with other appstores. We are not impressed with Amazon’s recent gesture, nor is this matter the result of a misunderstanding. We believe that Amazon’s terms, as they currently stand, represent a threat to game developers. We encourage everyone to join the conversation. Please make your feelings known directly to Amazon and through your network, blogs and websites.

IGDA LEADERSHIP FORUM Call For Proposals Perspectives News-

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The IGDA Leadership Forum is October 27-28, 2011 in Los Angeles, California, USA The IGDA is seeking session proposals for speakers with solid industry experience to offer insightful leadership and production-related sessions for its 5th annual IGDA Leadership Forum. The Leadership Forum focuses on advancing the state of the art of game production and management. The 2011 IGDA Leadership Forum will take place October 27-28, 2011 in Los Angeles, California at the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel. Submit your proposal HERE.

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EVENTCALENDAR April 20, 2011 General IGDA Bar Meeting Wednesday, April 20, 7:00pm - 11:30pm Copenhagen, DK http://www.facebook.com/event. php?eid=173876022661589 The topic of the evening is: The future of our local Special Interest Groups. How do you see the game development community evolve? Where: Cafe Blågårds Apotek, Blågårds Plads 2, 2200 Kbh N It has been a long time since we have had a Bar Meeting – so we are looking forward to seeing you all there!

April 21, 2011 Growing Your Game Studio Using Social Media Marketing Thursday, April 21, 5:00pm - 9:00pm Ottawa, ON, CA http://www.igda.org/ottawa/ growing-yourgamestudio-usingsocialmediamarketing Learn why your studio doesn’t necessarily need a Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and million other pages, how to find new business opportunities and how to conduct customer relationship management using social media channels. Whether you’re growing or starting a new studio, you need to know how to use this powerful and effective do-it-yourself marketing tool. Be prepared to grow faster, create better relationships and build awareness for your game studio. Start-ups in any industry often face one big challenge: getting their name out there. No matter how talented your team is; among hundreds of similar companies, it’s difficult to raise awareness, generate revenue opportunities or create client relationships without proper marketing. However, it can be equally difficult for start-up studios to invest in high-cost traditional marketing methods. How can you Perspectives NewsletteR

grow your game studio’s brand and still cut yourself a paycheque? Enter social media marketing.

April 26, 2011 WIGI Women and Men (San Francisco) Tuesday, April 26, 7:00pm - 10:00pm San Francisco, CA, USA http://www.womeningamesinternational.org/work-learn-play. html#WAM On the fourth Tuesday of every month please join local video game and related industry folks at a monthly networking event. Eat, drink and socialize with old friends and new. Bring your business cards! WIGI promotes networking and career building for everyone in the video game industry, women and men.

April 27, 2011 IGDA Philly Game Showcase Wednesday, April 27, 7:00pm - 9:00pm Philadelphia, PA, USA http://www.facebook.com/event. php?eid=190582387647843 The game industry is one of the fastest growing tech sectors in the Greater Philadelphia area. In the last year more than 15 new studios have set up shop in the here. The IGDA Philadelphia Game Showcase allows local game developers to show off their newest games and lets you, the public, see what games are being made right here in Philly. Studios will be showing off both completed games and games that are still in development. Come play some awesome games and meet the amazing local talent! If you are interested in showing off something that you’ve been working on in this showcase, please contact Grank Shonkwiler: gshonk@gmail.com

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April 28, 2011 Festival of Games Thursday, April 28, 9:00am - Friday, April 29 5:00pm Utrecht, NL http://www.festivalofgames.nl In 2 years time twice as many iOS games have been released as the total of all console games since 1980. And four times as many flash games on game portals. This explosion of games demands for new monetization models, new marketing methods and a changing view on publishing, distribution and retail. The conference theme Games Anywhere is all about the impact of this eruption of games in every area of the consumer market.

May 2, 2011 WIGI Women and Men Monday, May 2, 7:00pm – 10:00pm Los Angeles, CA, USA http://www.womeningamesinternational.org/work-learn-play. html#WAM On the first Monday of every month, please join local video game and related industry folks at our monthly networking event. The party runs from 7:00 to 9:00 pm with extended Happy Hour pricing! Eat, drink and socialize with old friends and new. Bring your business cards! WIGI promotes networking and career building for everyone in the video game industry, women and men.

May 4, 2011 IGDA Calgary Chapter Meetup Wednesday, May 4, 7:00pm Calgary, AB, CA http://www.meetup.com/IGDA-Calgary-Chapter/events/16956061/ Come with your ideas, questions, and be ready to meet new people who want to work on game development. We will spend time learnpa g e 2 8

ing about members, talk about game ideas, share ideas on what Calgary needs to help independent teams work on games, and have fun! We may will combine meetups with events and jams. The idea is to get people out and to see what we can do together.

May 5, 2011 IGDA General Assembly Thursday, May 5, 6:00pm - 8:00pm Copenhagen, DK http://igda.dk/2011/04/07/igdageneral-assembly-2011-call/ Because the location of the General Assembly was not announced in the previous invite – we are now calling for a new General Assembly. The meeting is open for everyone and we hope very much to see new volunteers, as we will need help for many of our IGDA activities such as Nordic Game Jam, Special Interest Group and Leadership Forum Europe.

May 6, 2011 Too Many Games Friday, May 6, 10:00am - Sunday, May 8, 6:00pm Oaks, PA, USA http://www.toomanygames.com/ index.php?option=com_content&vi ew=article&id=171&Itemid=107 Too Many Games is one of the biggest independent game conventions on the East Coast. Taking place in Oaks, PA (just outside Philadelphia) this year is going to be bigger and better then ever. Featuring bands, tournaments, panels, new releases, a huge LAN center, and one of the biggest game marketplaces around! Take a look at the website for all the up to date information! You don’t want to miss this one!

May 10-13, 2011 Marketing, money and you Tuesday, May 10,

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6:30pm Melbourne, VIC, AU http://www.facebook.com/event. php?eid=200425529997002 We can’t just stick to one thing at IGDAM - there’s just too much to share! May’s meetup will start with the Tin Man baring bolts and all about the financial state of being an indie....this is a rarity in all industries, let alone the secretive games industry and will give you real insight into ‘going indie’...if you’re in Melbourne and into game dev don’t miss it! We’ll then back-track a bit and look at how to land your first job/ gig/whatever through the all-soimportant self-marketing tools of CV’s and portfolios. Stephan Schutze and Trent Kusters will cover the essentials of self-marketing and how not to sabotage your career before it starts. We plan to have the talks at Cho Gao, but time and numbers will tell so please let us know if you’re coming so we can plan accordingly.

May 10-13, 2011 Nordic Games Conference Tuesday, May 10 - Friday, May 13 Malmö, Sweden http://nordicgame.com/ The Nordic Game 2011 conference, 10-12 May 2011 in Malmö, Sweden, will continue its focus on bridging gaps within the industry, and this year’s edition will use creativity and entrepreneurship as the point of departure. What is creativity in game industry terminology? How can the industry be better at utilizing its creative force? With the belief that insights drive innovation, the main mission of the Nordic Game 2011 conference is to give attendees the opportunity to think outside the box, by listening and talking to people who do exactly that. REGISTER NOW AND SAVE MONEY!

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May 11, 2011 IGDA Twin Cities Monthly Meeting Wednesday, May 11, 6:00pm Bloomington, MN, USA http://www.igdatc.org/category/ events/ The IGDA Twin Cities chapter meets at 6pm on the second Wednesday of every month at The Nerdery. Please register to help us order the right amount of pizza. Post-meeting drinks are now at Joe Sensers in Bloomington. They can handle larger groups and have great specials.

May 16, 2011 LOGIN Conference Monday, May 16 Wednesday, May 18 Bellevue, WA, USA http://www.2011.loginconference.com LOGIN is the conference for developers in the online game industry, including Facebook game development, MMOGdevelopment, Xbox Live and PlayStation Networkdevelopment, iPhone/iPad development, and digital distribution. This annual conference hosted in Washington state each May brings together a mix of industry leaders to discuss, collaborate, and share advancements about technology, design, business, community and legal areas of online game development. LOGIN 2011 features two full days of online game development lectures, panels, and roundtables, renowned local and international industry speakers, facilitated networking activities, parties, keynote lunches, meetings and an exhibition area. The conference has an international attendee list of more than 500 of the most influential, forwardthinking leaders in the business of online game development.

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EVENTCALENDAR CONTD. If you’re serious about online games, then Bellevue, Washington is the only place you’ll want to be May 16-18, 2011. We look forward to seeing you there!

May 18, 2011 2011 Games for Health Conference Wednesday, May 18, 9:00am Thursday, May 19, 4:30pm Boston, MA, USA http://www.gamesforhealth.org/index.php/conferences/gfh-2011/ The Games for Health Conference brings together hundreds of researchers, health professionals, and game developers to look at a wide gamut of activity involving health and videogames. This year’s event continues with staple tracks of content on exercise, sensorimotor rehab, cognitive and emotional health, and features new talks on nutrition games, as well as excellent open track featured content on autism, HIV prevention, gamification of health, personal health records, sensor games, and global health.

May 19-20, 2011 Canadian Games Conference Thursday, May 19 - Friday, May 20 Vancouver, BC, Canada http://www.canadiangamesconference.com/ The Canadian Games Conference (formerly GDC-Canada) is a two-day conference/exhibition that brings together some of the industry’s top innovators, businesses and talent responsible for the explosive growth of the gaming industry, providing a platform to share knowledge and develop industry partnerships while showcasing the beautiful city of Vancouver. The CGC focuses on providing education, networking and insight for the gaming community. It was developed in conjunction with the Canadian Games community by Reboot Communications, a BC Perspectives News-

based company that organizes international conferences worldwide. The inaugural conference (VIGS) was held in 2007. This year’s event is expected to attract over 1000 attendees, representing gaming companies and trade associations from around the globe.

May 24, 2011 WIGI Women and Men (San Francisco) Tuesday, May 24, 7:00pm – 10:00pm San Francisco, CA, USA http://www.womeningamesinternational.org/work-learn-play. html#WAM On the fourth Tuesday of every month please join local video game and related industry folks at a monthly networking event. Eat, drink and socialize with old friends and new. Bring your business cards! WIGI promotes networking and career building for everyone in the video game industry, women and men.

June 6, 2011 WIGI Women and Men (Los Angeles) Monday, June 6, 7:00pm – 10:00pm Los Angeles, CA, USA http://www.womeningamesinternational.org/work-learn-play. html#WAM On the first Monday of every month, please join local video game and related industry folks at our monthly networking event. The party runs from 7:00 to 9:00 pm with extended Happy Hour pricing! Eat, drink and socialize with old friends and new. Bring your business cards! WIGI promotes networking and career building for everyone in the video game industry, women and men.

June 7-June 9, 2011 E3 Expo Tuesday, June 7, 12:00pm Thursday, June 9, 5:00pm Los Angeles, CA, USA http://www.e3expo.com E3 Expo is the world’s premiere trade show for computer and video games and related products. The show is owned by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the U.S. association dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of the companies, publishing interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers, and the Internet. For more information, please visit www.E3Expo.com or www. theESA.com. E3 Expo draws tens of thousands of professionals to experience the future of interactive entertainment. The most influential people leading the most innovative companies in the business attend E3 Expo to see groundbreaking new technologies and never-before-seen products for computers, video game consoles, handheld systems and the Internet.

June 8, 2011 IGDA Twin Cities Monthly Meeting Wednesday, June 8, 6:00pm Bloomington, MN, USA http://www.igdatc.org/category/ events/ The IGDA Twin Cities chapter meets at 6pm on the second Wednesday of every month at The Nerdery. Please register to help us order the right amount of pizza. Post-meeting drinks are now at Joe Sensers in Bloomington. They can handle larger groups and have great specials.

June 8, 2011 IGDA Calgary Chapter Meetup Wednesday, June 8, 7:00pm Calgary, AB, CA

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http://www.meetup.com/ IGDA-Calgary-Chapter/ events/16956061/ Come with your ideas, questions, and be ready to meet new people who want to work on game development. We will spend time learning about members, talk about game ideas, share ideas on what Calgary needs to help independent teams work on games, and have fun! We may will combine meetups with events and jams. The idea is to get people out and to see what we can do together.

June 16, 2011 Learning & Entertainment Evolution Forum Thursday, June 16, 8:00am Friday, June 17, 3:30pm Harrisburg, PA, USA http://www.goleef.com LEEF is an ideal venue for learning professionals to explore and experiment with the evolving application of games, simulations and virtual worlds for learning. LEEF is about connecting with innovative peers, sharing best practices, embracing bold new approaches for learning, and identifying up-and-coming technologies that will shape the way learning is experienced in the future. The 2011 program will explore how serious games change the nature of learning, as well as allow for innovative new ways of approaching our experience at work. Learn more about the ideas behind LEEF 2011 on the LEEF blog.

It brings together the diverse business groups that make up the interactive entertainment industry for a 2 day conference that focuses on the latest industry developments in content, distribution, technology, industry regulation, and market outlook and a 1 day workshop on using Gamification as an engagement tool. Gametech covers all segments of the interactive entertainment space - from powerhouse publishers, traditional, mobile and web platform operators, game and game apps developers, government and regulators, multi-channel retailers to digital engagement and corporate gamification case studies.

June 22, 2011 3D Entertainment Summit Thursday, June 21 Friday, June 22 New York, NY, USA http://www.3d-summit.com/ Unlike other entertainment events, the 3D Entertainment Summit is focused on how the 3D entertainment transformation is affecting the business of entertainment. At the 3D Entertainment Summit, you will get a behind the scenes look at where the market is heading; build relationships with industry leaders and potential business partners as business channels for 3D become more defined.ď&#x20AC;ź

June 21-22, 2011 Gametech Thursday, June 21, 9:00am Friday, June 22, 5:00pm Sydney, NSW, AU http://www.game-tech.com.au/ Gametech is the most comprehensive business conference on games and interactive entertainment in the region.

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| JOIN Why join the IGDA? The International Game Developers Association works to enhance and advance the lives and careers of game developers around the world. We are a volunteer-driven organization of game developers helping game developers. By joining the IGDA you help support the leading industry group representing game developers and help to shape policies and best practices for the game industry as a whole. The IGDA also offers numerous benefits including:

Community

Local chapters - From South Africa to Finland to Shanghai, over 80 chapters worldwide! Special interest groups (SIGs) - Focusing on topics as diverse as Sex in Games to Artificial Intelligence to Quality of Life Game industry events - Gain access and discounts to industry events, roundtables, workshops and receptions Voting rights and leadership - Shape the organization, or run for leadership and affect change even more!

Knowledge

Online webinar series - member only webinars featuring industry experts that cater to a wide range of interests Leadership Form - our annual event that brings the best of our global speakers together to share their challenges, solutions and ideas for the future White papers & publications - publications on a variety of topics and core industry positions

Resources

Healthcare program (available to most US residents) Members-only discounts on books, airfare, conferences, classes and more Online profile - create a professional profile on IGDA.org to showcase your work and connect with other industry professionals

Learn, connect, share, and represent the video game industry: join the IGDA.

Get involved! | Stay current! | Expand your network! | Be heard! Learn more here: http://www.igda.org/join