PERSPECTIVES NEWSLETTER YEAR IN REVIEW JANUARY | 2011
IGDA PERSPECTIVES JANUARY | 2011
N E W S LE T T E R REFLECTIONS ON GAME ACCESSIBILITY | PAGE 3 |
BEST IGDA MOMENTS 2010 | PAGE 6 |
SIG SPOTLIGHT: POSITIVE IMPACT | PAGE 9 |
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT | PAGE 11 |
GAME MARKETING SALAD: INSIGHT FROM 2010 | PAGE 13 |
CHAPTER SPOTLIGHT: TORONTO | PAGE 14 |
REFLECTIONS AND REWORKING
The past year was filled with all sorts of excitement for me. As a writer, I work in any medium (or I’ll starve, or at least go into massive credit card debt). Recently, I’ve worked in new media, film, animation, and yes, the temptress that is social media. I leapt from Vancouver, British Columbia to Edmonton, Alberta and then reunited with my roots by returning to beautiful and quirky Portland, Oregon. Ahhh, Portland, how I missed you, with your pigeons that enforce recycling, your late night arcade club Ground Kontrol, your edgy parents with piercings and tattoos, your PAGDIG. Despite my dabbling, my most loved projects of the last year remain the Alternate Reality Games TimeTraveller T M and The God’s Lake. New Year’s Resolution: Focus on games. Okay, and maybe a little animation… But that’s it, I swear! Secretly, I’m also an academic, but not with the usual professorial aspirations. I work with Native American/First Nations communities and non-profit organizations interested in games for cultural sustainability. With a PhD, I can help find funding for these amazing projects and ensure that they’re distributed for free. There it is, the New Year’s Resolution I dread: Finish that dissertation. No, seriously. I have to. And with that, I say hello 2011, and also goodbye. I’m going into work isolation for the next little while, but may be spotted around Portland once spring arrives. Now that I’m here, I can’t imagine ever leaving. A very happy New Year to you, IGDA. It’s been a delight,
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CHICKEN SOUP FOR NEWBS | PAGE 16 |
WIGI YEAR IN REVIEW | PAGE 17 |
EVENTS | PAGE 19 |
Beth Aileen Lameman Editor-in-Chief
Our contributors include: Editor in Chief - Beth Aileen Lameman; Art Director - Cat Wendt; Authors - Barrie Ellis, Rusel DeMaria, Mary Kurek, Lesley Phord-Toy, Altug Isigan, Sande Chen, and Nancy-Elizabeth Townsend; Copy Editor - Sarah Woody. Art Contributor: Arturo Vargas Learn more about the International Game Developers Association at www.igda.org.
REFLECTIONS ON
GAME ACCESSIBILITY
By Barrie Ellis
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010 has seen some really encouraging game accessibility developments across the year, with IGDA GASIG members being a part of many of them. My personal highlight has been in working with the accessible gaming charity SpecialEffect. January saw the soft launch of the Accessible GameBase (BETA) website, which shares and encourages others to share info and developments relating to accessible gaming. SpecialEffect saw through the installation of the first accessible gaming suite at children’s hospice Helen and Douglas House. They also worked with programmers and hardware designers to create more accessible games and controllers that included: The VRAA! Box for slowing down the top speed of racing games for those with slower reaction times; Jazz Ball puzzle game by Graeme Singh for Eye Control or one-switch play; and a super-light Wii controller which enabled a girl with Spinal Muscular Atrophy to keep playing “Just Dance”. The Kokoromi Gamma IV programming competition saw a whole slew of one-button playable games released, fantastic news for the many potential players struggling with motion controls or (what
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must seem like) thousand button joy pads. Kokoromi didn’t entirely embrace the standards for one-button play, but it didn’t stop some fantastic and innovative games being produced. A new podcast arrived thanks to a tie up between OneSwitch.org.uk, SpecialEffect and “Dark” from AudioGames.net: The Electronic Soup Podcast. It opened by running a four segment piece on Audio Games and features
that can assist visually impaired players. Slightly quirky delivery you might find, but really useful in getting some of the concepts across. Thanks to the efforts of Eelke Folmer and his students, Wii Sports inspired “V.I. Tennis” was played by blind people in Qatar using Wii remotes. Game Accessibility spreads further every year it seems. Good and bad news came, as a flood of cheap and effective PS3 and Xbox
360 converters reached the likes of eBay, allowing for a huge array of alternative controllers to be attached to these machines. Bad news came as Sony tightened up the use of 3rd party controllers with a firmware update, causing some alternative ways of playing to cease working, disabling some people from playing at all on a PS3. GASIG member Reid Kimball produced a mock-up of Heavy Rain, as it might look with full subtitles/closedcaptions. Heavy Rain later was released with an alternative “Move” control scheme. It’s good to have alternatives, but this game proved to be a stretch too far for many players using either system. A simplified accessible control scheme would have been wonderful. Chuck Bittner made an on-line petition, pleading for developers to add reconfigurable control schemes to their games. It presently has well over 10,000 signatures to date. Microsoft ran a Kinect Accessibility Round Table in September 2010, inviting a range of people from accessible gaming communities to partake. It felt like real progress for a large developer to be actively considering game accessibility. Here’s hoping they’ll be influenced to
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“More games, made more accessible.”
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push for greater accessibility in practice. Still on Kinect, although via a hack of sorts, saw another of Eelke Folmer’s students find a way for blind people to play a Kinect sports game using “Real Time Sensory Substitution”. Assistive Technology Partner’s in Colorado ran the inspiring AbleGames 2010 event, whilst SpecialEffect ran a number of accessible road shows throughout the year, opening up the world of accessible gaming to disabled children, their friends and families. Later in the year, SpecialEffect hosted an accessible gaming showcase at London’s EuroGamer 2010 Expo which brought a variety of alternative access methods to play racing games to a mainstream audience. Quite a few games of note were released including Fotonica, To Hell with Johnny, Shoot 1UP and SEGA’s Bayonetta all featuring ways to play with simplified controls. AbleGamers got some great publicity for the cause on CNN. From the GASIG point of view, we were sad to see our chair Michelle Hinn leave her position in 2010. Michelle has been a superb and passionate advocate of
accessible gaming, and has made a huge difference. Taking her place now is Tara Tefertiller, who has helped kick things off by designing our new IGDA GASIG web site, which opened with links to our Top 10 ways to improve game accessibility list, and some of our future aims. Looking forward to 2011, I would hope to see the spread of game accessibility continue to reach game developers. I would hope that easier to grasp sources of information will be developed and get into the right hands. I would hope that we’ll see more people come to the likes of the IGDA GASIG for guidance and support. I hope that we’ll see accessibility ratings systems start to take shape more so than already. I hope that charities such as SpecialEffect, AbleGamers Foundation and Accessable will continue to grow. I look forward to the official launch of a loan library of accessible gaming equipment and games via the Accessible GameBase. I look forward to the development of a system to make modern day games consoles more accessible via controller emulation and controller assists. More games, made more accessible.
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We rebooted the LA IGDA Chapter - thanks to a whole crowd of people who got together and cared very much - they are all my heroes!! -Mary-Margaret Walker
IGDA MOMENTS 2010
In Orlando we had meetings every month, good crowds and nice conversation. The most proud, we actually participated in the Apps for Healthy Kids Game Jam and we tried our hardest to win Warren Spector. -Susan Gold
What happened in your SIG / Chapter in the past year that you are most proud of? Philly was formalized, had elections, and took off! -Tristin Hightower
IGDA Japan chapter started Ustream broadcasting in some seminars and I think this style will increase next year. -Kenji Ono
The Reboot of the IGDA QuĂŠbec Chapter! It is thriving more than ever! -Eric Guigue
Nordic Game Jam 2010 - keynoted by Peter Molyneux with a presentation of Project Natal, opened by the danish minister of culture and with 300 participants. -Anders Højsted
I'm proud of the Loc SIG for maintaining its Topics of the Week with good responses, holding its first elections, and organizing the Loc Summit at GDC. -Kate Edwards
Seattle was rebooted. Getting more interesting. -Rusel DeMaria
We relaunched New Orleans, have had good turnouts and game demos, and we'll have a GGJ site, too. -Kevin O'Gorman
SIG Spotlight: POSITIVE IMPACT
Interview with Rusel DeMaria
game design. Our specific goal is to inspire and facilitate developers consciously seeking to add positive impact models to their design and development process.
It can be inspirational - by replicating issues in the real world and allowing players to explore actions or by letting them
confront prejudices and preconceptions in different ways, perhaps inspiring them to consider different actions in the real world. Many games already fulfill these purposes successfully, so we’re not saying such impact does not already exist. In fact, there are many ways that existing games teach, model, simulate and inspire. Studies show many positive effects from game play, including a recent one from the National Research Council. However, we believe many of the games that could be thought of as positive impact games became so, in essence, by accident. We want to develop and disseminate positive impact design principles that can become part of games that did not necessarily begin with positive impact features as part of the initial game design. Think of this as working to make all food more nutritious, rather than specifically creating a separate category of “Health Food”. The purpose of the Positive Impact Game SIG is to explore, discover and evangelize these types of impact within the context of successful game design and deployment. We recognize that the first requirement of games is fun, and when we encounter people saying, “Won’t doing these things ruin the game, make it boring or pedantic?” we categorically disagree. We have many examples of successful games that have had positive impact, so we know it’s totally possible to teach, model, simulate and inspire in games as a part of great
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What is the focus of the Positive Impact Games SIG?
Our primary focus is to promote and inspire games that are both commercially successful and, in various ways, beneficial to players. The player benefit can take many forms. It can be instructional – the player actually learns something useful through their involvement in the game. For instance, learning how electrical wiring works as part of solving a puzzle or quest, or gaining basic understanding of chemistry, or learning new effective communication techniques.
It can be illuminating - the game models some kind of activity or behavior that helps players comprehend a different view or human experience than they may have seen before. For instance, role-playing someone from another culture or in circumstances very different from ours, but with realworld impact, or witnessing examples of effective problem solving in situations similar to those we encounter in real life.
It can be educational through simulation – the game can simulate an environment that helps us learn more about how the real world works. The simulation can be social, scientific, theoretical, practical, etc.
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What are the SIG’s current initiatives and activities?
We are planning a recruitment effort with a new website presence in January 2011. The goal of the website is to be a hub that lets a community of positive minded developers connect, cooperate and inspire each other. We are looking for contributions of all kinds and new members to become part of our community – to discuss and explore how to use game technology to be commercially successful and socially/individually beneficial to our players.
How was 2010 significant to the SIG?
The Positive Impact Game SIG is relatively new, and 2010 was a year in which we began our efforts to create a presence and seek additional members. Creating and launching our website was one of our main efforts this year, and we expect 2011 to be much more active. Our panels and roundtables at major game conferences have been standing room only, and among the industry leaders who have joined our panels are Will Wright, Bing Gordon, Peter Molyneux, Ed Fries, Lorne Lanning, Chris Taylor, Jason Della Rocca – to name a few.
How does the SIG feel about the future of games?
It’s difficult for us to articulate the feelings of all of our diverse members – present and future – about the future of games, but in our membership we all have a sense that there’s great potential going forward. Games are definitely a part of the lives of many millions of people around the world. Some estimates claim that the worldwide game population will reach one billion people in the years to come, so we see great opportunity ahead to advance the individual and social good through games, while continuing to support a profitable and entertaining business model.
Any predictions for 2011?
Social games will probably continue to dominate people’s attention during 2011, evolving and becoming more game-like. However, we expect many surprises from unexpected sources. The barriers to entry have not been this low in decades, and games like Angry Birds and Minecraft will continue to make us think in new ways. We
will continue to spotlight breakout games that represent our values, and hopefully create new ones through our membership.
What are your hopes for the SIG in the future?
We hope to increase awareness about the possibilities and the realities of games and their positive potential. This includes outreach to the general public and policy makers as well as to members of the game industry as a whole. Already we have had volunteers create localized versions of our site in French and Spanish. We also want to ask people to share their information and data on the subject of assessments and measurements of positive effects from games. Any articles, books, first-hand accounts, scientific studies… all are of interest. Part of our plan is also to develop a library of design suggestions and guidelines that can take almost any game and provide it with a positive impact layer… much in the way that Easter Eggs can be added to an existing game. We believe positive impact experiences and design elements can form a
layer of design in a similar way, working in concert with the primary game design and play mechanic. Creating more ways to accomplish these ends is an ongoing challenge for us.
Is there anything the greater IGDA chapter community should know about the Positive Impact SIG?
Although it sometimes seems counterintuitive, the concept of positive impact in games is supported by a great array of top professionals and designers in the game industry. Our goal is to promote both great games and a healthy society, which we believe are mutually inclusive goals. Positive Impact Games Web site Positive Impact Games Facebook Page
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Sande Chen a game designer and writer based in New York City, contributes to the IGDA community in a host of ways. She is a founding member of the IGDA Game Design SIG, which many of you experience through their evocative Game Design Aspect of the Month discussions. She has also participated in the IGDA New York City Chapter Social Committee, the IGDA Writing SIG and the IGDA Wiki.
Kate Edwards serves as the Chair of the Localization SIG. The Localization SIG has thrived this year. It launched Localization Force, which provided translation services to this year’s Global Game Jam. She also is organizing the upcoming Localization Summit at GDC and is an active member of the IGDA Seattle community. Professionally, she is an industry leading geopolitical, marketing and content management expert. Andrew Leaf is a Lifetime IGDA Member hailing from Minnesota, USA. He will be running the IGDA QA SIG session at the upcoming GDC in San Francisco and does critical and often heroic technical work for the association supporting our IGDA Operations team. Closer to home, he is active in the IGDA Twin Cities Chapter and is a QA Manager with Destineer Games.
Benedict Olumhense
is based in Lagos, Nigeria. In 2010, he launched the first IGDA chapter in West Africa to cultivate this emerging game development community that is currently primarily focused on the mobile market. He can regularly be found on the new IGDA Global Chapter Leadership conference calls.
Allan Simonsen co-founder of Boomzap Entertainment in Singapore, has been a leader in the IGDA since 2004. He led our professional development initiative in Asia to support and create content for the Singapore Toys, Games and Comics Convention in December. Throughout the year, Allan works to connect local game developers, the Singaporean government, educational institutions and investors. He brings a wealth of experience to our association. 
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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, numerous conferences, classes and then some 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
Image by brettf on Flickr
Game Marketing Salad:
Insight from 2010 F
rom my writings and client research in 2010, I’ve stumbled across some interesting trends and market niches that could be worth your attention.
Mommy Bloggers
You’ve heard of them, even if you’ve not tapped that market. These are highly organized, business-savvy, income-producing moms who know their value to brands. For the most part, even the mommy bloggers with enviable traffic are “themselves” on Twitter. They can be found easily on Facebook and LinkedIn. Often, you’ll find them self-categorized as “mommy bloggers.” Their followings are in the multiple of thousands. I’ve found many who have opened the door to mutually beneficial collaboration – generally in co-promotional activities. If your current target includes families or if you anticipate moving in that direction, here are a few good resources you should know: http://www.herinteractive.com Megan Gaiser has her hands on the legendary Nancy Drew brand and has now created an Ambassad-Her group of other’s in the mommy biz. Her site ranks about 61k and her Facebook page sports 37k “likes.”
74k followers on Twitter. Site ranks 56k. They like putting the spotlight on cool and unusual items. If you check in with any of these gals – tell them I sent you.
Military Gamers
I’ve mentioned this in writings before, but also to many clients and networkers who have ended up on my “skype-step.” Not so long ago, the DOD lifted the ban on military access to certain social media sites. What great news for those with Facebook games, right? Imagine our servicemen and women far away from home with little to entertain themselves. Granted, final decision for access lies with each command, but you should know that the military are a very organized bunch and better networked than you can imagine. It’s the nature of what they are. Market directly to them and engage them to spread the word. Connect with Scott at Veterans Gaming and ask his advice.
Gamer Celebrities
http://www.coolmompicks.com Kristen Chase and Liz Gumbinner are the brains behind this site that boasts
From my work on the recent Casual Connect article entitled “Cashing in on Gamer Celebs-They Played Their Way to the Top” (Fall issue), I learned that talented gamers who have the spotlight can make extraordinary marketing vehicles. I haven’t found one yet that isn’t open to talking about endorsements, reviews, conference appearances, product deals, special “site” appearances, or other media work. Accessible and intriguing to watch, these guys and gals have the power to instantly attach their audience to you. Check the article for gamer celebs, their stories, and how to find them.
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http://www.mommypr.com Angela surfaced in a recent client project. Her 10k followers on Twitter are likely mommy bloggers who appreciate Angela’s help in spreading their biz via her pr engine.
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By Mary Kurek
Just a couple of general observations that could help you out in the New Year: 1) I’m seeing more cross-industry activity. The more motion gaming and augmented reality expands, the more opps are popping. I know that a friend at CTA Digital told me that this summer they partnered with Pro vs. GI Joe by donating weighted Wii boxing gloves to help rehabilitate wounded troopsnot the first time they’ve worked with military. Schools are using AR games to teach history and medicine. Speaking of the education sector, I’m seeing strong interaction there – everything from kids’ apps to board games pushing the marketing envelope. My advice: instead of getting the same three heads together to brainstorm your marketing angles, pick a diverse group that can provide different approaches and ideas that could cross industry lines. 2) Developers are turning more toward collaboration than ever before. I’ve noticed a slow down in requests to me to help hunt down investors (which I don’t do anyway) and an increase in people looking for partnerships of all kinds (which I do). When you review your budget early this year, think about opportunities like staff-sharing, co-promotion, and brand embedding. Bottom line – this year, don’t just think out of the box, think “there is no box.” Happy 2011.
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Chapter Spotlight:
TORONTO Image by jbcurio on Flickr
Interview with Lesley Phord-Toy What are the Chapter’s reflections on 2010?
Even though I moved to Toronto in the spring of 2010, I still consider myself a newcomer to the city. There is so much going on that it takes time to even just scratch the surface in getting to know the game development community and participate in the events. As for progress and change, my overall impression as a newcomer is that the Toronto game industry is growing stronger day-by-day because of several key factors. This includes the growing number and output of the companies that have set up shop here, the support of the government, the annual events organized by the local community such as TOJam and Gamercamp, as well as the local organizations like the Hand Eye Society, IO, and of course, the IGDA! It’s a fantastic and promising time for game development in Toronto.
What’s the background behind the 2011 reboot of the Toronto Chapter?
The chapter is about 10 years old now and several members of the chapter committee have been involved since the beginning, including chapter founder and former president, Josh Druckman. With Toronto evolving as a game development centre, it became clear to Josh and the committee that the chapter needed to evolve as well, so they were the ones who really started the reboot in early 2010! They collectively worked to bring more structure into the chapter organization, and also decided it was a good opportunity for new leadership. That’s when I got involved, and I’m now working with that same group of people to bring to fruition what they started almost a year ago. IG
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Can you tell us a bit about who you are and who the other leaders are?
I’ve been making games now for over 8 years starting off as a programmer, and eventually moving into my current position as a producer at Ubisoft. I’ve spent much of my career in Montreal, which has given me a lot of insight into how dramatically a game community can evolve and grow, as well as how amazing it is to be a part of a strong community. That is really where I feel I bring a complementary perspective to the committee. As for the people I work with in the committee, it is a group of fantastic and dedicated individuals who have been involved anywhere from 1 to 10 years! They have a wealth of knowledge and experience that I am grateful for, being both new to the chapter as well as the city.
How do you recruit new members into your Chapter?
As part of the reboot, we’ve been focusing on our communication to reach out to the local community. We’ve recently created our Facebook fan page, and we’re now on Twitter as well. But that’s just the start! We are actively working to improve our website and forums, and one of our goals is to be known for quality meetings that address the specific needs of Toronto’s game developers. We feel that by consistently delivering on quality events, all members new and old will benefit and find value in the chapter, and bring newcomers with them.
There’s a possibility that we may need to cut down on quantity in order to organize and execute on quality events, but that said, we aim to have around 8-10 events per year. We are still in the planning stages for the 2011 season, and we will have more announcements soon.
Does the Chapter have a favorite place to meet, or does that change?
We have been graciously sponsored by the city of Toronto who donate space for our meetings at Metro Hall, which is conveniently located very centrally with easy access to the subway. We often go to a nearby pub to socialize, however we unfortunately end up losing many of our members when we make this mass migration down the street. Based on the number of people who have showed up at our most recent events, we are outgrowing our current venues and we’re hoping to find other options in the future.
What was your most recent event as a Chapter (or planned upcoming events)?
We held a very successful panel last fall where we welcomed producers who had worked on Splinter Cell: Conviction, Bioshock 2, and The Secret World. We estimated more than 150 people in attendance that night which was a great turnout! For 2011, we plan to build on and improve from what we’ve learned from our previous events, with a heavy focus on the local community.
How often does the Chapter meet (or plans to meet)?
In general, we have historically held monthly events on the first Thursday of every month.
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Image by wecand on Flickr
Game Design Aspect of the Month:
Looking Forward to 2011
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f you are looking for a group of motivated and seasoned game designers from all over the world to share game design knowledge and experience, the IGDA Game Design SIG might be the right place for you. The IGDA Game Design Special Interest Group (GDSIG), formed in December 2008, connects game designers from all over the world with a common purpose: to improve our practice and understanding of game design. With over 250 members, the GDSIG is one of the largest SIGs of the IGDA. The SIG offers its members an opportunity for high-level discussion of game design concepts, the exchange of game design knowledge and experience, and the creation of, and participation in SIG initiatives that tackle particular aspects of game design such as the research of game design patterns, the development of a game design vocabulary, and the creation of game design whitepapers. One of the highly productive initiatives of the GDSIG is Game Design Aspect of the Month (GDAM) where each month
game designers and other industry professionals offer their views on a particular game design issue. GDAM is located at http://gamedesignaspect.blogspot.com and features dozens of articles already. For the coming years, the GDSIG plans to serve its growing community by introducing new initiatives, and by strengthening already existing ones. Attending the San Francisco Game Developers Conference for a third consecutive time, the IGDA GDSIG will organize its latest IGDA Game Design SIG Annual Meeting this year in March. The meeting will be a roundtable discussion that aims to bring together SIG members in order to direct our SIG’s future, to discuss game design trends and other important game design related issues, and to share a laugh, of course! To meet interesting and like-minded people, and to find out more about our SIG, we recommend you to join our GDC roundtable this year! GDSIG membership is simply obtained by signing up to the official IGDA Game Design SIG Mailing List at http://groups.
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By Altug Isigan & Sande Chen
google.com/group/igda-game-designgeneral. It’s a friendly environment with lots of intriguing discussions on game design, so why don’t you give it a try now? The IGDA Game Design SIG connects game designers from all over the world with a common purpose: to improve our practice and understanding of game design. The Game Design SIG is one of the largest SIG’s of the IGDA with over 250 members. It offers its members an opportunity to join high-level discussions on game design issues, and the exchange of game design knowledge and expertise. Here are some highlights from GDAM’s 2010 season: Infinite Climax Action! (Part II) by Taekwan Kim The Near Future of Viral Game Design by Aki Jarvinen Risk Vs. Reward: TACOs, Achievements, and YOU by Ryon Levitt
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Image by jeffozvold on Flickr
A SHINY NEW STUDENT COLUMN:
W
elcome to 2011! Whether you spent your holiday week glued to a console or avoiding all monitors as if their harsh glare alone could reignite your carpel tunnel, a new year equals a new semester and with that comes new opportunities. But before anyone absorbs any pesky optimism, let me relay a harsh truth about any and all art-centric businesses: that you are nothing without an amazing portfolio and/or lucky connections. For students and independent artists alike, unless you have the luxury (ex: really understanding parents or lottery winnings) to constantly fiddle about on the computer or a thrice-removed uncle who happens to be the C.E.O. of game company X, the only way to glean such assets is to grind for them. Assuming very few people have the golden goose of such connections, forming a suitable portfolio can be done as easily as taking courses on the software required (which isn’t necessarily “easy”) or as painfully as spending your few spare moments following badly written documentation and attempting to experiment from scratch with no support (which often leads to becoming single and a social outcast). As someone who didn’t want to be paying off loans well into my fifties and therefore couldn’t join a technical college, I attempted to find a middle ground by signing up for a digital media degree as a part time university student. The downside of such a decision was that, of course, very few courses catered to game development specifically. Though design fundamentals, languages of programming and general practices in digital graphics did improve some of the required skills, it originally wasn’t enough to warrant the time and expense. Thus
the practice was born between me and my allies of honing our skills by forcing interaction and/or game-related research into any and all assignments. How so you may wonder? Here are some of the top examples:
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1. The Art History Paper Alternative Assignment: ten pages reviewing a prominent artist and his/her most notable works. After having scrounged together a rather lackluster account of travelling Artist X’s many contributions to the art world, the content was made slightly more entertaining by arranging paragraphs into an animated flash map of Europe that required a mini Artist X to explore different cities in order to learn what they produced there. Though the professor was both shocked and amused by the original presentation, it sadly didn’t divert attention from the fact that the paper seemed to be written by someone with obvious disdain for the practice of paper writing. However, at least learning the tools of 2D, inbrowser gaming proved valuable. Eventually. 2. The Sketchbook-Memory Assignment: After a semester of small drawing assignments, display a sketchbook of your experiments and studies. Creative presentations encouraged. An important lesson learned during this project was that games don’t necessarily have to be restricted to monitors. The idea of scanning the drawings and using a touch screen to navigate the pages briefly flitted through my mind, but time constraints inspired simple thinking. The entire sketchbook was photocopied with inverted colors and then folded into origami cranes with seemingly random letters hidden under the wing, which were then clipped |
2011
By Nancy-Elizabeth Townsend
to strings hanging from the ceiling. The original drawings were posted in a row on a nearby wall, and classmates were encouraged to unclip the matching crane and return it to its original drawing in order to decipher the wing message. Silly yes, but my corner in the exhibition space was kept the busiest. Though in hindsight, choosing “Can I have my A now?” as the message may have been a little too cheeky. 3. The PowerPoint Potential Assignment: Present a project proposal to your classmates. PowerPoint Presentations are a gold mine of potential because they have such a reputation for being dull. Dare to break that presumption. Though I have yet to discover a successful way of doing so (except for avoiding text completely and using amusing images), I greatly encourage further research. These are just simple examples of how I attempted to involve gaming into the otherwise dreary practices of a Fine Arts student. Though such small pieces were not portfolio worthy, they did garner attention and allowed some exercise for professional practices such as speed-learning a new programming language, paper prototyping level designs and the rare ability to stand out in a sea of the overused. Till this day, even after helping inspire a new studio class dedicated to game development, I find it more constructive, more inspired, to try to ingrain it where least expected. On that note, good luck to those who, like me, continue to study and attempt to pay the rent. May 2011 bring greatness to us all. Or at least some good games.
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Women in Games International in Review The best part of 2010: WIGI has finished strengthening our infrastructure. We have a powerful executive team of leaders and a new website, newsletter and event program. We’ve expanded our chapters and are offering more networking opportunities in more locations.
Looking forward to 2011: With the strong foundation built in 2010, WIGI looks forward to an even greater chapter presence around the country and around the world. By forging more partnerships with organizations and companies, we look forward to reaching out to more sectors of the industry while inspiring women and girls to play video games and pursue careers in the field. 
The IGDA would like to thank our generous Global Game Jam Sponsors!
EVENTCALENDAR Call for Articles
Jan. 19, 2011
The IGDA Perspectives Newsletter is looking for content for its February issue on “Lifestyles of the Indie and Humble”.
Storytelling in the Game Industry: A Panel Discussion Montreal, Canada
We are looking for pieces of any length. Topics may include but are not limited to: What it means to be indie. Reflections on indie-friendly genres. Reflections on indie-friendly platforms. A day inside your indie studio. Alternative revenue sources for indies. Marketing tips for indies. Indie game success stories.
Please send article pitches to Editor-in-Chief Beth Aileen Lameman (beth@bethaileen. com) by January 15th and final articles by February 1st.
------Jan. 18, 2011 Montreal Chapter 10-year anniversary Montreal, Canada The evening will commence with a brief retrospective on IGDA-Montreal (yes, we have pictures from January 2001!) and look at milestones of the Montreal game industry over the past 10 years. Then we will dive into a panel discussion with key local veterans to discuss the past, present and future of game development in Montreal. Event website: https://www.igda.org/ montreal/10years
The McGill Department of English and Les Soirées Schmooze, in association with IGDA-Montreal, will be hosting a panel discussion on storytelling in the video game industry. The panel is free and open to the public. Event website: http://www.igda.org/montreal/ storytelling-game-industry-panel-discussion
------Jan. 20, 2011 New Orleans Chapter Meeting New Orleans, LA US The focus of this meeting is the Global Game Jam. The Jam runs Jan 28-30 and the New Orleans site is at UNO. If you plan on participating, you should register at globalgamejam.org. During the meeting everyone will be able to tour the facilities we’ll be using and we’ll answer any question it takes to convince you to participate. We’ll also have the usual networking session, even if you are not planning on Jamming. Event website: https://www.igda.org/new-orleans-0/january-chapter-meeting-1
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The Gamification Summit (January 20-21, 2011 San Francisco) brings together top thought leaders in game mechanics and engagement science for the first time. Hear what works and what doesn’t in this dynamic and fast-moving field through case studies, workshops, keynotes and panels delivered by experts such as Gabe Zichermann (author, Game-Based Marketing), Amy Jo Kim (gamification guru) and Jane McGonigal (TED fellow, author debuting her new book) and network with other leaders in the space. Attend Gamification Summit 2011 and learn how game mechanics and the new science of engagement are rewriting the rules of brand marketing, product design and customer acquisition and get your business in the game. IGDA Discount Code: IGDA15 Event website: www.gsummit.com
------Jan. 26-27, 2011 Mobile Games Forum Location: London, UK MGF is now firmly established as the leading Mobile Games event in Europe. With the industry attracting new interest and creativity and a whole new generation of technology before us, MGF 2011 is the best place to discuss the crucial issues of the future. Event website: www.mobilegamesforum.co.uk
Jan. 20-21, 2011
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The Gamification Summit Location: San Francisco, US
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EVENTCALENDAR continued Jan. 27, 2011 IGDA Winter Social at the Chatterbox Pub Saint Paul, MN US Join us in the banquet room at the Chatterbox Pub in Highland Park for good friends and fun! Happy hour is 3-5 and 10-1am. Setup is at 4:30, just before happy hour ends! Like all IGDA TC events, this is open to the public. Bring friends, SOs and strangers. Come for dinner or just to hang out. Chatterbox Pub is known for great drinks, food, atmosphere, free board game rentals, and ultra-cheap NES/SNES/Atari/Sega cartridge rentals. We’ll be adding a Rock Band setup with a keytar, 500+ songs, some 4 player Wii, and a few other goodies. Event website: http://igdatc.eventbrite.com
Jan. 28-30, 2011 IGDA Global Game Jam Location: Everywhere The Global Game Jam (GGJ) is the world’s largest game jam event occurring annually in late January. In collaboration with Intel, Autodesk, Gamespy Technologies and ACM through local sites around the world, thousands of students, professionals, and game development enthusiasts of all kinds come together to take on a singular challenge: making a game in 48 hours. Why participate? The benefits are limitless. You’ll get to: practice rapid prototyping; improve your ability to find a balance between speed, agility and quality; experiment with new
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software, techniques, or development methodologies; challenge yourself to go further than you ever have before; recharge your creative batteries by working on a small project with no publisher or licensor putting limits on your creativity; meet other developers, designers, artists and musicians from diverse backgrounds (some of whom you might work with some day); and get the “postmortem” experience of a complete project cycle without having to spend months or years on the same project. Join us, and see for yourself what a difference you can make in just one weekend! Event website: www.globalgamejam.org
Feb. 9-11, 2010 DICE Summit and AIAS Awards Location: Las Vegas, US 2011 marks the 10th anniversary of D.I.C.E. The interactive entertainment industry has changed dramatically since the first Summit was held in 2002 – with much of this dynamic growth fueled by its speakers and attendees. Every iteration of D.I.C.E. has been characterized by great topics and memorable presentations - speakers addressing real issues like Mark Cerny’s production method, Jason Rubin’s “Tara Reid,” or Jesse Schell’s “Game-a-geddon.”
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Event website: www.interactive.org
Feb. 3, 2011
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IGDA Wisconsin General Meeting Wisconsin, US
Feb. 10, 2011
Survey Says! Game Design Lessons From Game Shows. Event website: https://www.igda.org/wisconsin
Feb. 7, 2011 IGDA Denver General Meeting Denver, CO US General meeting. Come and meet your fellow local game developers!
Game.Set.Match. Speed Networking Event Toronto, Canada Love (of games) is in the air at the IGDA Toronto Chapter! Find the perfect partners for your independent game project in a speed-dating style networking event. Event website: http://www.surveygizmo.com/ s3/441035/Game-Set-Match-SignUp-Form
Event website: https://www.igda.org/colorado/ february-meeting
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JOIN US AND CHANGE THE WORLD
IN 48 HOURS. Do you enjoy making games? Do you want a cool game to show off in your portfolio? Do you want to meet others who love games? Do you want to compete against the rest of the world?
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