PERSPECTIVES NEWSLETTER CAREER PATHS NOVEMBER | 2010
IGDA PERSPECTIVES November I 2010
NEWSLETTER Advancing Your Game Industry Career in the Same Company | PAGE 3 |
SIG Spotlight: Women in Games | PAGE 9 |
How Integrated Networking Maps the Way to Success | PAGE 10 |
Chapter Spotlight: San Francisco | PAGE 14 |
Hello all! We’re excited to get this issue out with the IGDA Leadership Forum at our heels, understanding everyone needs some downtime before socializing kicks in again. In this month’s issue, Career Paths, we focus on various forms of advice on career development. From how to get promotions within your company to navigating networking, this issue is full of topics related to developing leadership skills, effective communication and overall career planning. As always, IGDA members have much to offer one another. Marque Pierre Sondergaard from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe had this advice to share on IGDA Boat: “Be water, my friend. To enter, stay and prosper in our industry, I think you need to be very flexible and agile. Water always finds a way, but it is never the straight and direct path we envision.” Special thanks to our contributors Marc Mencher, Brenda Brathwaite, Mary Kurek, Alex Wilmer, Billy Cain, Sande Chen, Grétar Hannesson, Josh Sutphin, Andrew Walsh and Ryan Arndt. And a big shout out to copy editors Lisa Brunette and Sarah Woody. Lastly, and most integral to this newsletter, a thank you to our designer Cat Wendt.
Gaming the Game Developers | PAGE 16 |
Words iz Words: Mythbusting for Scribes
Beth Aileen Lameman Editor-in-Chief
| PAGE 18 |
Live From the IGDA Leadership Forum! | PAGE 22 |
Event Calendar | PAGE 23 |
Our contributors include: Editor in Chief - Beth Aileen Lameman; Art Director - Cat Wendt; Authors - Marc Mencher, Brenda Brathwaite, Mary Kurek, Alex Wilmer, Billy Cain, Sande Chen, Grétar Hannesson, Josh Sutphin, Andrew Walsh and Ryan Arndt; Copy Editors - Lisa Brunette and Sarah Woody. Learn more about the International Game Developers Association at www.igda.org.
Advancing Your Game Industry Career in the Same Company - It Can Happen! By Marc Mencher
O
nce upon a time, if you changed jobs every two years, potential employers tossed your resume directly into the reject pile. It was immediately obvious you had no staying power, no loyalty and probably no real skills. But that was then, and this is now ... If you’ve been at a company longer than two years, you’re in a rut, have no ambition and possibly have no real skills. Does anyone in the games industry ever get a retirement party? (Does anyone really want one?) Does the only path to advancement in this industry require jumping from company to company? Or is an upwardly progressing career path within one company at all possible? The answer depends on the company and, of course, you.
You can follow a forward/upward progressing career path within the same company, particularly in a forwardthinking company, but you must be proactive and positive to make it happen. That proactive approach needs to start the first day you walk through the door, because you need about a year to lay a solid foundation for long-term results and form effective relationships with your co-workers, regardless of rank or title. And, as they say, time flies when you’re having fun and making games. Even before you join the company, do your homework! (Ideally, you’ve done this before your first interview.) Learn as much as you can — without stalking anyone, of course. You don’t need to impress anyone with how much you know, by the way. In fact, you want to be cautious about how you present yourself initially. Why? Because it’s hard to
undo a bad first impression. If you walk in with a know-it-all attitude or, worse, an obvious desperation to please and/or impress, it’s going to be tough for you to get where you want to go. (Sometimes we get a chance to undo the damage, but let’s face it, the “Wow! Was I that bad?” conversation is NOT fun!) Keep your skills fresh. In other articles, we’ve talked about how to present your skills and what you can do to demonstrate you know what you said you know. If you’ve misrepresented any of this, the odds of it coming back to bite you are pretty high. Be honest: There’s (usually) nothing wrong with saying, “No, I don’t know how to do X, but I can do Y, and I’m willing to learn how to do X.” Once you’ve been hired, you’ll want to stay current on developments in your field and upgrade your skills to position yourself for the future, either through training offered by the company or training you seek on your own. Take the initiative to attend that session on building systems to support dense, immersive storytelling, or read that new book on AI techniques without prompting from your boss. Some things are pretty cut-anddried: If there’s a mistake in the code, you can find it and fix it. If an art file is in the wrong format, you can fix it. Other things are more subjective, such as whether it’s better to play a ranger or warrior (although both experiences have to be awesome). Even the implementation of agile development has room for some flexibility as long as everyone agrees about the goals and basic process. The point here is no one knows everything, and if they say they do, well, try not to laugh too hard, OK? Support the team. Your first year is also the time to establish yourself as someone who works hard and supports the team. This is especially crucial if you
have a lot of industry experience but have been forced to “re-invent” yourself to find a job. In an ideal world, your coworkers will be thrilled to have someone with your experience on the team, but in reality, a lot of your co-workers may be younger and feel threatened. The challenge is to find a way to let them know you’re there as a resource but you haven’t been hired to take their jobs. As tempting as it may be, do not kiss up to management by pointing out how you’re better at what your younger, lessexperienced co-workers are doing (even if it’s true). On the flip side, if you’re new to your job and your boss brings in someone with more experience, don’t panic! Take advantage of the mentoring opportunity. Your fresh ideas and your co-worker’s experience might end up being the perfect combination. Volunteer for additional responsibilities. Once you understand how to do your job and have proven you can do it consistently and reliably, consider offering to take on more work and more responsibility. Success depends on how much you contribute, and in this competitive market, you need to find ways to make your abilities known. Work with your manager or supervisor, because you don’t want to volunteer without having an idea of whether it’s OK for you to do so. As modern as we are, going over a superior’s head is still a bad career move. Perform to the best of your ability ... and beyond. With the occasional exception, promotions come to those who stand out (in a good way), so you should be focusing on producing results that will make you, your boss and your team look good. Hopefully, your company has regular performance reviews; if not, figure out a time to talk to your boss about your current situation and your career path. (Hint: The middle of crunch time or the night before a big launch is NOT a good time!) (Contd. on page 5)
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What Can You Do to Make It Happen?
LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES ADJUNCTS: LEARNING IN GAME-BASED ENVIRONMENTS The School of Education of the Goodwin College of Professional Studies at Drexel University seeks outstanding adjunct faculty for teaching opportunities in a blended course format. Opportunities are available for both on-campus and online courses in Master of Science in Learning Technologies Program in the Learning in Game-based Environments. Onsite teaching will take place at Drexel University’s main campus, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Positions are available immediately for the winter term (January 2010). Candidate must have a master’s degree in educational technology or related field; doctoral degree preferred. The candidate should also have experience in the learning sciences, educational technology, educational psychology or digital media and learning. Interested applicants should email a cover letter and CV to: adjuncts@drexel.edu Drexel University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Good The Goodwin College of Professional Studies is especially interested in qualified candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community.
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Personal PR & Positive Attention Public relations is not just for big companies, and it’s not just about press releases, interviews and exclusive screenshots. You can actually be your own PR agent at work as long as you don’t overstep your job responsibilities or the corporate culture. Status reports and achievement files. How do you keep your boss and other hiring authorities updated on your efforts? Find practical ways to write your own “press releases” (which does NOT include posting all over Facebook about how great — and under appreciated —you are). If status reports are already required, this is a great way to keep a written summary of your achievements that will come in very handy at review time, along with any other formal review processes your company might use. Finding an effective (not obnoxious) way to blow your own horn can be tough, but if done with the right attitude, you won’t look like a brownnosing jerk. Volunteer for company committees. One way to generate some good buzz is to volunteer for company committees and projects, as long it doesn’t interfere with your regular work. No one on your teams wants to hear you couldn’t do your work because you were way too busy planning the holiday party. Many game companies have a product idea or “blue sky” peer review committee for game design proposals. Usually they want a variety of people from different disciplines and perspectives, so consider joining the fun. At least, consider pitching an idea. The ability is a good skill to develop, and really, the only way to do it is to do it. Write articles for your department or internal company newsletter. Writing articles for your department for the company’s internal newsletter is another way to get positive PR. Writing articles on your area of expertise for publication in various game development media is another way to go. Be sure you get
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any pre-approval to do so; it’s great to show your company spirit but not at the expense of deadlines. Participate in company functions. Work permitting, participate in company play time, whether it’s testing your own product or going on a raid in the company guild of a major MMO. Company events like holiday parties are great opportunities to get to know your co-workers and make your presence known. To party or not to party: We’ve all heard horror stories about the dreaded holiday office party debacle. Someone has a little too much drink, says (or does) a little too much and ... career done. Enjoy yourself — within reason — so you have a job to come to on Monday. Embrace the new company culture. There’s a reason you left your previous company — maybe it was voluntary, maybe it wasn’t. Maybe you’ve been out of the industry for a while and needed to return to work. Maybe you changed your focus from one division of the industry to another. Maybe you want to work for a start-up instead of an established company. Whatever the reason, people don’t really like to hear about how much better things were where you used to work, or how many people you used to manage, or how much bigger your operating budget was, yada yada. The quickest path to the door is to hold on to the past and force people to listen. Wait for people to ask for your advice, and try to find a way to spin it so people can benefit from what you learned rather than dread listening to your war stories about what “real” crunch time is like. Be honest about your work. A relative newcomer to the industry really wanted to get a job in a hot new development company, so she included some screenshots in her digital resume that she intimated were her work. Sadly for her, two of the interviewers had actually worked on that game, so the applicant had to admit the screenshots were pictures of levels her character had achieved in the game rather than her own artwork. Needless to say, she didn’t get the job. There are “code” words and phrases
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in resumes, and most interviewers can read between the lines and the doubletalk. A smart person doesn’t claim to be an experienced raid leader, because odds are, as mobs swarm the party and a wipe is inevitable, that’s the last raid he’ll lead — if he’s even allowed to stay in the guild. It’s really OK not to know everything. Give credit where it’s due. More than a few of us have experienced situations in which an executive took credit for the team’s efforts. Although it’s true success belongs to the whole team, it’s also true everyone on the team had a part — negative or positive — in the end result. If you learn to give credit to those to whom it’s due, when you get to a position of authority, you will have gained a valued reputation as a fair person, and people will want to work for you because they know you appreciate them as individuals.
Keep Those Skills Sharp Efforts to improve your skills don’t end with your first crucial year; in fact, if you do it right, you never stop learning new things. Game companies value employees who stay current on trends and developments in the industry. People who can help navigate the ever-changing terrain of technology are definitely highly valued. How do you keep yourself on top of industry developments? By attending conferences, seminars and workshops like the Game Developers Conference (www.gdconf.com) and D.I.C.E. (www. dicesummit.org). Attend meetings of your local IGDA (www.igda.org), join the World Gaming Executives Network (www.WGEnetwork.com) or become active in other organizations dedicated to the industry. What if your company doesn’t pay for you to attend the big conferences? Look around for local IGDA or local developer group gatherings and seminars. It’s pretty easy to read trade publications like Game Developer Magazine, GameDaily, Gamasutra, Develop Magazine, etc., especially because so many of them are online. Apply entrepreneurial skills. Yes, you may be working for a large com-
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pany, but don’t let that stop you from acting like an entrepreneur. Look for ways within your company to improve productivity, improve services, increase sales and tackle technical hurdles creatively. Approach your career as if you invested your own money in the business (in a sense, you have). This doesn’t mean you should insert yourself into the decision-making process if it’s not your responsibility, and it doesn’t mean you should storm around the hall loudly criticizing management. It does mean you shouldn’t waste the company’s money by taking advantage of opportunities (like using instant message services or accessing the Web or saying you’re working from home when you’re home but not working). Developing a strong sense of personal integrity is part of establishing a secure place for yourself in your company. (Don’t worry. It doesn’t mean you have to give up your sense of humor.) Demonstrate leadership skills. Even if you’re not in management, you can find ways to demonstrate leadership skills to advance your career. Volunteer to lead a project. Be the first person to learn a new technology and then offer to teach it to your team members. Hone your problem-solving skills. Just be sure you treat co-workers respectfully, and don’t come off as condescending or pompous. Unfortunately, some people believe knowledge is power on which they need to keep a stranglehold. In our industry, with development being so modular, a crucial key to success is ensuring everyone on the team is on the proverbial same page. As we all know, there are good leaders and bad leaders; be a good leader. Remember who’s the boss. It’s important to apply entrepreneurial skills when trying to advance on your career path and equally important to remember that doesn’t mean you’re the boss — unless you are. In an ideal situation, you and your boss have a mutually respectful relationship in which you rely on each other to do the jobs you’ve been hired to do. Your boss/manager/supervisor is the person who can recommend you for a new job, promote you, assign new work projects, get resources allocated, etc.
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The Reality of Office Politics
Final Thoughts
It’s simply unavoidable — office politics exist in any company that employs more than two people. What should you do about office politics? As little as possible. Does this mean you should deny it exists? Definitely not. But “playing” office politics isn’t like playing your fantasy sports league. It’s real, and it has potentially devastating consequences — the least of which is the negative effect it has on productivity. You can work incredibly hard and be incredibly talented at what you do, but if you’re branded as a gossip or an instigator, a company may decide you’re more trouble than you’re worth. It can even go as far as being considered a security risk if you’re out there sounding off on your blog or even discussing companyconfidential information in guild chat on an MMO — even if it’s a guild of fellow employees. Just because you can say something doesn’t always mean you should, so think before you talk, regardless of the venue.
How many times have you been asked, “Where do you expect to be in five years?” These days, your answer may very well be, “Hopefully still employed!” Things are tough out there right now, so maybe you’re feeling like you don’t want to make waves or try to change your situation no matter how unhappy you are. The challenge is to find a way to be true to yourself and, if necessary, make a change without jeopardizing your financial security or desire to stay in this industry long-term. Sometimes we need a checklist to help us keep focused on our career goals. Although there may be no retirement party or gold watch at the end of that path, a satisfying career is a possibility, even in our industry. Create and maintain a positive image. Although your sardonic style may make you a hero among friends and guild mates, negativity and sarcasm has no place in the current work environment. Don’t let the benefits of your skills get lost behind a negative persona. Keep an open mind, and never stop learning. Although you may have just attended a tutorial on adaptive audio expertise, be receptive to others’ input. Don’t be a know-it-all. Required skills are constantly evolving, and you never know what you might learn from your teammates. Share newly acquired skills and helpful tips with others on your team. When the game looks good, everyone will look good, including you. Present your abilities effectively and honestly. When presenting your achievements and abilities to your superiors, be organized and professional. Don’t whine, don’t demand and try not to become emotional. Quantify your skills in objective terms. Be sure you can describe your work achievements in quantifiable, objective terms, such as awards or industry recognition you have received and projects you created or helped implement. If your company doesn’t conduct performance reviews, keep your own log of achievements and newly acquired skills. Each week, write in a notebook the major projects you worked on, the milestones you achieved, etc. (Contd. on page 8)
Growing With vs. Outgrowing Maybe you got together with a bunch of friends to create a guild for a popular MMO. You make a bunch of rules: You’ll never get too uber or get rid of people who can’t raid every weekend, or maybe you all agree to keep it a family guild, and it’s OK for kids to play, and you’ll all watch your language. The fact is, there may come a time when you outgrow the guild. The same thing can happen in a company, especially a start-up. You all agree you won’t do Those Things That Big Companies Do, but if you’re successful, your company will probably get Big. And that means things may change in ways that don’t match your goals. If this happens, make your exit gracefully. No matter how big the company is, the industry is Very Small, and you never know who is connected to whom (although Facebook and LinkedIn take a lot of guesswork out of it).
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Game Developers Conference® February 28–March 4, 2011 Moscone Center | San Francisco, CA Visit www.GDConf.com for more information.
NEXT MONTH’S THEME IS:
Email newsletter@igda.org for more online games Email newsletter@igda.org for information more information (Advancing Your Game Industry Career in the Same Company - It Can Happen! - Continued from page 6)
Love what you do. Sounds almost silly, but it’s important. If you hate your job, it will spill over into how you feel about the company, and try as hard as you can, people will hear it in your voice and see it on your face. If you really want to stay in the company, accept that no company is perfect but, like any other relationship, some are definitely worth the extra effort it takes to stay together. Game Programmer/Technical Producer gone Recruiter Marc Mencher has been in the games industry for 27 years. In addition to representing the games industry’s hottest talent, he is founder and CEO of Game Recruiter. He is the author of Get in the Game! — an instructional book on careers in the video games industry. Marc is a speaker at games industry conferences. He volunteers as an advisory board member for several schools offering game programs. Specializing in critical and strategically important games industry jobs, GameRecruiter is staffed by Entertainment Industry Professionals. Conf identiality Assured! For more information, visit www.GameRecruiter.com. A detailed bio on Marc can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_ Mencher.
SPEAKERS INCLUDE
GEOFF COOK
DENNIS RYAN
TRIP HAWKINS
ARJUN SETHI
BRIAN BALFOUR
December Viximo Digital Chocolate LOLapps PopCap 1, 2010 New Yorker Hotel, New York City SocialGamingSummit.com
MyYearbook
SIG SPOTLIGHT: WOMEN IN GAMES Interview With Brenda Brathwaite What is the focus of the Women in Games SIG? Our primary purpose is to bring together women in the games industry or those interested in entering the games industry for networking, discussion and to build community. To that end, we also welcome those interested in women’s issues and diversity within the larger game dev community and have many men that are regular participants in our get-togethers, mailing list and conference panels. We’re also interested in being a gathering spot for the many other women’s initiatives out there both nationally and internationally. We’re eager to work with our sister orgs to help women find the resources and community they need.
What are the SIG’s current initiatives and activities? Many of us are talking about the upcoming conferences and getting the panels, talks and roundtables squared away.
We’ve begun work on a speaker’s bureau, and we’re continuing our ongoing outreach to sister organizations so that we can work together to reach the larger community. I think there’s also some excitement in the air given that we are now the primary demographic thanks to Facebook’s social gaming boom.
How does the SIG feel about the advancement of women in games industry? We make progress every year, and there are more of us, but still, numbers are not where we’d like them to be, particularly in computer science. This year has certainly been exciting in the social space, however. As the Web app companies enter the social game space, a lot of women have likewise come along. I’ve been employed at two social companies now, and there’s a good percentage of women within their ranks. Every year, we hope our outreach and our numbers grow.
What are your hopes for the SIG in the future? To grow the community and to connect with sister organizations. I’d also love to see us reach out more to schools to see what we can do to assist them in getting more women into game development in general. Our visibility is very important.
Is there anything the greater IGDA chapter community should know about the Women in Games SIG? We’re friendly and growing and welcome everyone! We’d love to have you in our ranks, and there are many volunteer opportunities for those who are interested. Find us on: Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Our website.
Building greater awareness of programs, issues and opportunities that serve women in games. www.igda.org/women
Women in Games SPECIAL
INTEREST
GROUP
How Integrated Networking Maps the Way to
SUCCESS By Mary Kurek
T
he original Franchi$it game started as a class project for inventor and original company founder Loren Golden and used fantasy franchises such as Happy Hamburger and the The Gracious Inn. The plan was to replace the fantasy franchises with actual well-known business establishments. As an updated alternative to Monopoly, Franchi$it is a creative marketing game designed to strategically feature and market 12 brands. Its genesis is something of a networking masterpiece. Golden met business developer and entrepreneur Brian Barbuto at a conference for television executives in Los Angeles in fall 2009. With Barbuto’s plan to build sister organizations that deliver services to the brands and Golden’s targeted networking strategies, a dynamic partnership formed. As CEO of the company, Barbuto heads the nucleus of operations, and as CMO, Golden spearheads advertising, marketing and networking. After Golden and Barbuto met with PostNet owner, Steve Greenbaum, he introduced them to Jerry Darnell, VP of Strategic Development with Benetrends, who then introduced them to Stan Friedman Sr., VP of FranConnect. Darnell and Friedman became key players whose network capabilities actually placed brands
into Barbuto’s hands, leaving it to Barbuto to close the deals. Barbuto and Golden then solicited support from a longtime friend and neighbor of Golden who introduced them to investors to help raise capital for the venture. “As soon as we were set with investors, I recruited accounting and legal help, knowing that the right sources for handling that part of the business was critical for keeping us operationally sound,” Barbuto said. “It helped that I had a long history of networking for high-profile projects, so I had the network already in place from which I could draw.” Barbuto continued to access that business network, recruiting respected COO Mike Lancaster. Golden used her personal network, calling on friends Lisa D’Astuto as executive administrative assistant and Michelle Parker to lead public relations. The expanding network and the Franchi$it project all gather under the umbrella of Knotmen Companies. Certainly, the most challenging connections to make for the partners were the ones that would bring specific powerhouse brands to the table, but perseverance won out. Subway Restaurants, 7-Eleven, PostNet, Coffee Beanery,
Great Clips, Oxi Fresh, BrightStar, Mr. Transmissions, Foot Solutions, Sterling Optical, TSS Photography and i9 Sports were all successfully integrated into the board game. Barbuto and Golden didn’t stop there. “Early on, Brian and I discovered that we shared an interest in philanthropy and helping underprivileged kids, as well as struggling entrepreneurs,” Golden said. “We believe that when you receive support, you return it in a way that hopefully inspires others. That’s why Knotmen Companies, on behalf of Franchi$it, will be donating $5 from every sale of a special i9 Sports Edition of Franchi$it to the i9 Sports Association. Creating this joint venture will bring support to kids in need, and that helps us to integrate mission into our business.” The Franchi$it story is like a map of connections that seems to go on forever, but all this networking is actually leading up to a Thanksgiving week launch. This is one launch filled with promise ... the promise that reward comes to those who integrate their people resources. Integration is not a word most people associate with business networking, but as evidenced by the Franchi$it story, an integrated network helps you paint a complete (Contd. on page 12)
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picture. By integrating your business and personal networks into your projects and causes and then returning that flow of energy, you build an asset that provides solutions and endless opportunity. Publicity, community building, talent and revenue sourcing, business partnerships, industry resources, client leads, and even funding can all be found through this asset. The first trick to building such a network is to discover the many obvious functions and the not-so-obvious capabilities within your contacts. The second trick is NOT to remove yourself from your own network. You aren’t outside of the circle that comprises your network; you are a functioning participant. You must actively interact by gathering information, providing resources and following up on introductions made for you and ones you can make for others. Rob Coble is the industry outreach manager in Career Development at Full Sail University in Florida. Coble reports that Full Sail has 10 technical designers currently working at Rock Star San Diego that all graduated within a month of each other. “Once the first one got his foot in the door, he helped the others to network their way into employment,” Coble said. That’s an ideal scenario and one that reminds new developers to stay connected with newly employed industry friends. Here are some other recommendations for business networking: • Join LinkedIn groups to make it easier for you to invite group members into your network and grow your contacts in specific areas. Use the “forward this profile” feature to make introductions and encourage others in your LinkedIn network to do the same. Add the link to your LinkedIn profile page to your e-mail signature. • Create diversity in your network of contacts. Diversity creates a fertile ground for integrating a variety of resources into a single project. Consider every “edge” of your industry. Could including media types, business strategists and vendors be useful? Maybe “hi viz” bloggers from your target market could be helpful in your network. If you develop casual games, look for video games publishers, toy reviewers, iPhone app developers, media personali-
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ties and professional organization leaders. Pay particular attention to those people who are out front, like group leaders, industry conference planners and anyone who is considered a “point of contact.” They are invaluable due to good positioning and their own diversity of contacts. Having too many of the same types of people in your network doesn’t allow you to achieve beyond the scope of what you are doing right now. No one stays in the same spot professionally forever ... neither will you. • Find a social media vehicle that fits with your time limitations. Because Twitter allows 140-character posts for brief interaction, it’s a good fit for the time-challenged. Also, associated sites and applications give you quick access to categories of Twitter followers (like 66,000 + “Gamer Geeks”), the ability to schedule posts and a way to integrate other social media. Coble from Full Sail confirmed this point when he shared that a recent grad took advantage of the Twitter group they use at Full Sail to connect people. The grad networked with a number of alumni and was contacted by an alumnus who came back to campus for an interview. The grad is now a technical designer at Volition. Here’s a tip on how to use Twitter - start a Twitter account specifically to develop a different type of network. Many of us manage several Twitter accounts to grab the attention of and interact with different networks. You’ll give this particular account a name that actually could be a category to attract those sorts. For instance, @veterans_gaming attracts military gamers. @Educator draws those interested in helping high school and college kids with math and science. If you are a game developer, you should know that IT isn’t so removed from aspects of your own industry, so creating a Twitter profile that targets ITrelated types, like cloud specialists, infosec experts, simulation trainers, new technology investors and e-learning publishers, could give you a serious edge.
own homework and come up with at least three descriptive words that will act like keywords to help others generate ideas and connections for you. An example would be that you are looking for a Silicon Valley angel investor who has invested previously in casual games. • Engage people that interest you in a real conversation. What you want is their “story.” The story is where you are most likely to discover identifying factors that create relationship. It is also where you could find that unexpected tidbit of information from a past job that provides a direct link to an interesting source. Look beyond the occupation. Check LinkedIn profiles for background on persons of interest and to see with whom they are connected. Your focus is to expand your network and determine where there could be useful interaction. You are looking for opportunities to swap publicity, collaborate on an event launch or tournament, lend your talent to an extraordinary project, secure endorsements or reviews, attain advice, contacts, marketing information, partner with a sponsor, and make a good business introductions for someone else. • When you are making a request of people in your network, make it personal (no mass e-mails), always include a “return the favor clause” and add a deadline. • Toss your sales mentality. Selling isn’t networking ... it’s selling. Lastly, and most important, follow through on networking tasks with the clear understanding that what you are building is the single most important asset you’ll own. You might possess the most amazing idea or talent the world has ever seen, but the world will never see it if you don’t integrate the people resources to help you succeed.
• Understand that whatever it is you are looking for comes with a human being attached. You aren’t looking for something — you are looking for someone. Getting clear on who that “someone” could be is important. Telling a contact you are looking for someone who wants to invest in the games industry doesn’t help your contact figure out who they could introduce. Do your
Mary Kurek is a professional networker who produces business connections and introductions within the games industry. She is also a visibility consultant and author of the nationally endorsed business networking book, Who’s Hiding in Your Address Book? Visit www. marykurek.com, or follow @gamemarketing on Twitter.
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CHAPTER SPOTLIGHT SAN FRANCISCO Interview With Alex Wilmer How did your chapter get started?
How often does the chapter meet?
The San Francisco IGDA was rebooted in April 2008. The new organizers faced the daunting challenges of finding a new location for events and of living up to the high standards of the chapter’s previous incarnation. In the forging of the new chapter, two ideals emerged. The chapter would be open to everyone, whether or not they are an IGDA member, and events would feature a key speaker or speakers. The primary focus of the chapter would be to educate.
Our chapter meets four times a year at Dolby Labs. We are looking forward to increasing the frequency of our events.
Who are your chapter leaders? Alex Wilmer, Mark DeLoura, Tim Longo, Thomas Grove, Michael Heller, Malachi Griffie.
How do you recruit new members into your chapter?
Does the chapter have a favorite place to meet, or does that change? Dolby Labs very generously hosts the San Francisco IGDA four times a year. After our events, we usually go to Il Pirata, a local bar, for pizza and refreshments. We are hoping to have a new location organized in the new year so that we can begin to increase the frequency of events.
the Masses, in which he discussed the potential of creating affecting narrative in video games.
What has your chapter done to support career development? The secondary focus of the chapter is to create a forum to network and socialize. Many attendees’ careers have benefited through this interactivity.
What was your most recent event as a chapter?
We usually rely on the chapter’s Web presence and on word-of-mouth.
Most recently, we presented Haden Blackman, formerly of Lucas Arts. Haden presented a talk entitled Beyond the Core: Building a Game for
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Gaming the Game Developers By Billy Cain, Gretar Hannesson and Josh Sutphin The following articles f irst appeared on the community blog, Game Design Aspect of the Month (http://gamedesignaspect. blogspot.com), also known as GDAM, under the topic of Gaming the Game Developers. Each month, game designers and other industry professionals offer their views on a particular game design issue. Please participate in November 2010’s topic, Designing for Demographics, by submitting an article or comment. GDAM is currently looking for additional editors and people to help with podcasts. GDAM is edited by Sande Chen, founding member of the IGDA Game Design SIG. In this GDAM, started in September 2009, game designer Grétar Hannesson posed the following questions: As game designers, we have a collection of tools with which we direct the behavior and emotion of the player. While many of these are still rough, we are already capable of keeping players in a “flow” state or a peek efficiency mental state for hours on end, we are able to motivate people to put hundreds of hours into repetitive tasks and feel good about it afterward, and if there is anything we are good at, it is giving the player a sense of pride and achievement in their own accomplishments. And yet in many game development studios, the game developers themselves fail to be given the same sense of motivation, have the opportunity for the same state of flow and get the same sense of achievement after a job
I G DA P ers p ect i v es N ews lett eR
well-done. We routinely fail to inspire in each other what we so easily inspire in our players, and we routinely fail to communicate within our own groups in a clear and positive manner. • But can we use our game design tools to motivate ourselves and our co-workers and improve our internal communication? • What happens if we approach everyone in our development team as a player in a massively co-operative game? • How does using this line of thinking change how we think about communication, management and motivation? • Which of these tools can even non-managers use to affect a positive change in the office? In this podcast, producer Billy Cain, game designer Josh Sutphin and game designer Grétar Hannesson discuss the topic of Gaming the Game Developers. To download Part I of the podcast, go here. (http://www.archive.org/details/ September2009-GameDesignAspectOfTheMonth) Unfortunately, the second half of the podcast in September 2009 for Gaming the Game Developers had some sound quality issues. However, I think you might find it interesting. We talk about the lead designer as “game master” and discuss how D&D and MMORPG design techniques can be used to motivate team members, what positive reinforcement loops work and
November | 2010
why social policymakers should look to game design for ideas. To download Part II of the podcast, go here.: (http://www.archive.org/details/September2009PartIi-GameDesignAspectOfTheMonth) Billy Cain’s game industry career began in 1992 at Origin Systems. Since then, he has designed, developed, produced and contributed to many award-winning video games, including Wing Commander: Prophecy and SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman. As cofounder of Critical Mass Interactive, Cain has created a world-class game development and outsourcing company that has served Disney, Electronic Arts, Midway, NCsoft, Sega, Sony, THQ, Universal and many other studios. Grétar Hannesson is a game system designer and an enthusiastic student of human behavior and choice architecture. He cut his teeth on EVE Online, where he served many roles before that of a designer, and is now working on an unannounced title for Ubisoft Montréal. He (sporadically) writes about game design and related workplace matters on his blog. Josh Sutphin is the design lead at LightBox Interactive (formerly Incognito Entertainment). He also produces mods, indie games and electronic music and blogs on game design and politics at http:// www.third-helix.com.
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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!
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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
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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
Words iz Words
MYTHBUSTING FOR SCRIBES By Andy Walsh
W
here to start ... often a question asked in writing and one I was faced with when asked to pen (or rather tap out) this article. You see, I have a confession to make. I find writing this sort of thing difficult. I found writing the chapters for IGDA’s writing SIG tough, too. But ... surely words is just words, right? I mean I’ve written for television, film, theater, radio, games, comics and animation. I’ve written articles. This is the age of transmedia, a time when every idea can work on every platform and every writer can write everything ... right? Sitting with a bunch of eminent comicbook writers the other night threw up just this question. It was educational listening to them talk about an industry I have only the sketchiest knowledge of. The stories quickly turned to the horrors that occurred when a writer from one medium came to write for comics. A famous novelist hired to pen a graphic novel turned in a script more than 80 pages over length, which required an experienced comicbook writer to come in and fix afterwards (and of course, this comicbook writer was paid substantially less than the “named” one). There is a common complaint in games of a similar nature. Most experienced video games scribes have a story of being brought in to clean up the mess after a studio hired a writer from a different medium who just didn’t understand what was required to write for games. It seems in every industry there are employers (and writers) who think moving from one medium to another is easy. That knowing how to write means you can write anything. It also seems this is wrong. This made me think what other urban myths exist in the world of writing. So, I asked a group of writers to supply their top list of truisms and myths from and about the writing business. Some of this list may sound stupid ... but these are all lines that
are heard regularly both inside and outside of writing. There are people who say these lines hold true.
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November | 2010
Myth: If you can write a film script, you can write a games script — even if you’ve never played any games. In stark black and white, this looks, well ... wrong. It looks wrong, yet at many “writing for games” talks, there is a throng of writers who have never played a game, let alone written for one. Some (when asked) confess they assume writing for games is easy — it’s just for kids and everyone says the writing in games is cr@p anyway (see later), so it must be simple to write for games. Similarly guilty are those in the audience who have played games but never written anything. It isn’t just beginners that take this approach; as mentioned above, there are professionals who fall into this trap, too — writers, developers and publishers. Does this mean writers can’t move between different mediums? I hope not; I’ve made a career of it and know many writers who juggle games writing alongside journalism or novels or who have film projects or television projects abubbling. Although the dangers of thinking swapping mediums is easy, this should not translate into thinking all film writers make terrible games writers or games writers can’t write films. The principles of the three act structure are useful across any sort of story. Knowing about narrative tension and subtext is useful whatever the medium or genre. Characterization travels. However, genre and medium are the same as each of these techniques. They must be respected and learned. Can you write a script for a medium without knowing it? Well, yes. In theory, you can jump into a lake and swim it without ever having had a swimming lesson. Taking the
time to watch others swim or, better still, taking some swimming lessons will significantly reduce your chances of drowning. So, it’s not that film writers can’t write for games or that games writers can’t write killer novels, it’s just that each medium should be learned. Myth: All games writing is cr@p. This is a line that seems to appear in comments under numerous articles about games writing — and even in this sort of article, too. Presumably then, if all games writing is crap, then it must follow that all current games writers are incompetent. So, if a triple A title costs millions to make and reviewers are noticing stories more and more, then why do companies persist in risking this money by employing writers incapable of doing the job, which would have to be the case if this statement were true? The answer can be found on Metacritic. There are a large number of reviews across this site that rave about the writing in games titles. Say BioShock, Assassin’s Creed or Metal Gear Solid, mention Mass Effect, Dead Space or Final Fantasy and you are as likely to get references to the story as the gameplay. The list of titles that fit this category gets longer every year. Stories are immensely difficult to tell in an interactive medium. Let’s face it: Television, novels and films manage to get story wrong, and that’s their central focus. Games writers have all of the problems of other mediums with interactivity as a further challenge. Indeed, statements that an entire area of writing is terrible are not limited to games writing. I worked in television soap operas for a number of years, and this same accusation was leveled by some at writing for soaps. The script teams on soap operas receive hundreds of scripts each month from pa g e 1 8
writers wanting to work on these shows. Some of these writers go as far as including a cover letter stating how bad they think the writing on the show is and how they could do a better job. Out of the hundreds of writers who apply (many of whom were talented and courteous, by the way), only a tiny handful of these writers are ever taken on by the show, because most don’t show what the team is looking for. Of those taken on, many burn out by the third episode and don’t work on the show again. Why? Because writing on a soap means writing for characters that aren’t a writer’s own. It means tight deadlines and limited production facilities. It means working in an area in which most of the “easy” or “obvious” stories have already been told and retold with different characters, making finding new stories ever more difficult. It is, as all writing areas are, tough as a skill and hard as an industry. Every medium and genre has its own challenges and difficulties. Thinking any of them are easy is the first way to make a mess of your own work. The same is true of those around you. You will find in meetings at games companies that people say things like “we can just change the audio,” or “that should be easy for design to change.” Respect skills, and it will improve your own writing. Similarly, the medium itself has to respect stories. Film and television drama is about story. Games are about interactivity, and they have to learn how stories fit with this. Happily, companies are investing more and more in designing technology that can support interactive narrative. Ac-
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tors, directors and designers all discover more about how their craft fields tie into good story. Games teams are learning more about the value of putting well-told tales into their games. Myth: Games don’t need stories. The statement “games don’t need stories” is one that turns up on a fairly regular basis at games conferences. It is hard to deny this statement. At least, it is in part. Tetris would not be a better game with a story (and it’s a genius game). Neither John Madden nor FIFA games require sim elements that ties in the players’ girlfriends or follow the story of one sportsman’s rise to success. Different games have different requirements, as do different gamers. So, what’s the point of games narrative — especially as many experienced industry professionals will preach this line in speeches? Well, many top-selling games include stories, be it Fallout or Call of Duty. One survey (http://onlyagame.typepad.com/ only_a_game/2008/04/gamers-stories. html) put the question of stories in games to gamers. The results show 93 percent of gamers asked like stories, only 5 percent didn’t think they were important and only 1 percent preferred games without stories. The issue is choosing the right story to fit the right game. http://onlyagame.typepad. com/only_a_game/2008/04/gamersstories.html Left for Dead has the slightest of story setting and doesn’t need a Mass Effect-style conversation system, yet it works incredibly
well. Fallout 3, however, begs for masses of story material in dialogue, text and characterization. I myself still prefer to play my console-based football without a narrative, but I wouldn’t pull the story out of Call of Juarez even for the promise of a month’s free pass at the Gingerman. Some games don’t need stories; many would be much, much worse off without them. Myth: Developers only need writers for dialogue. There are still games projects that only hire writers at the dialogue stage either to write the dialogue or to polish words that have been written by the developers themselves. This seems to stem from two principle reasons — concerns writers don’t understand how games work and the thought anyone can write (see below). The first reason is much less true than it used to be. Although there have always been some writers who understand games, there are now many more of them. There are also more companies that know when in the process to hire writers and what writers to hire. It is easier to bring in a writer from another medium to polish dialogue than to structure the story or develop the narrative design. Narrative design is a different skill than writing dialogue, so teams should choose what writer to hire when by their skills and strengths. Although, it is still possible to bring writers in at the dialogue stage, and there are some writers who will be strongest when employed at this point. However, any game narrative will be stronger if someone
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who understands story is brought in early. Structuring the narrative is even more important than the actual dialogue as it defines what that dialogue will be and requires a skilled writer. If ever faced with this statement, ask, “Would you hire artists only to color characters the programmers had designed and drawn?” Myth: Everyone can write (or everyone has a good novel in them). Most people can boil an egg, but how many can cook to cordon bleu standard? Most people have trouble playing Guitar Hero, let alone trying to play a Jimi Hendrix-style solo live on stage ... yet, everyone can write? The horrible truth is that like many things, writing is a skill. Some people are good at it; others are only average. Stringing a sentence together or having an idea is different from writing, which is different from writing well, which is different from being able to earn a living from it. Although not everyone can write, it is true everyone can improve with practice and training. Even experienced writers can benefit from conferences and courses to learn new tricks and tips (GDC Online's Narrative summit is a must on my annual calendar). Myth: It’s not what you know but who you know.
you will be reduced. As such, people tend to refer people who they not only know, but who they trust will do a good job. Knowing a lot of people is only part of the issue. Knowing a lot of people but not being good at the job or having a problem attitude generally means quite quickly a lot of people will know this, too. It is a small industry, and word gets around. Inability will generally get found out. Yes, contacts are a necessity, but hard work and ability are key. Myth: Producers only care about money, not quality. This is another statement that seems to group one whole discipline into a single category. Producers have to care about money; they have to juggle competing demands from art, design, audio and programming. Marketing wants a piece of the project, and the studio’s just decided to cut the budget. Producing is a difficult job, and it involves film producers saying no to people who care passionately about the need to make the lead actress’s dress in silk, or a games producer’s being forced to deny a perceived need for three more AI programmers. Producers have to care about money, but if they don’t care about quality, their reputations will quickly sink. Producers sell themselves on the success of their projects, and the bottom line is just part of that.
It’s easy to believe people who’ve made it haven’t done it through talent. They’ve slept their way to the top or just happen to be friends with someone who can get them work. True or false? It’s definitely true contacts count. The more people you know, the more jobs you’ll hear of, and the more people are likely to refer you for jobs. A number of my recent commissions have come through people I’ve worked with before or through people I’ve met. I would hope, though, that it is more than familiarity that has lead to these referrals. People only tend to refer people for jobs if they trust them to do the job well. Referring someone for a job reflects on your reputation almost as much as doing the job yourself. Refer someone incompetent, and people’s opinion of
Myth: A story should show not tell.
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This is a very well-worn statement in story circles, and many writing courses start with this, but it sounds like a producer might have a heart attack when hearing it. Does show not tell mean every game needs to invest massively in art for the story to be told? For starters, many game projects may not be able to afford to “show” everything. The same is true of films and television. Even in multimillion dollar movies, it’s rare to hear the crew complaining about having too much money. Whatever medium you work in, use your resources wisely. Be it games, comics or Hollywood blockbusters, stories often have to be told economically. Many writers who move to radio think that while film is about showing stories with pictures, writing for radio
means making pictures with sounds. This results in slews of early radio scripts that have wall-to-wall SFX in them. Not only do these clutter the soundscape (it’s hard to hear the dialogue over SFX Spring birdsong, mating badgers and a tractor three fields down), but they are expensive. Yup ... expensive. Putting sound effects in means editing time, and most radioplays are produced on a shoestring budget. All is not lost, though. A well-chosen line of dialogue and a judicious cross fade is cheaper and easier to develop than a cutscene and can speak volumes; indeed, this is the crux of the matter. That said, this famous sentence does not just literally mean “show.” It is a statement about subtext. If someone cares about someone, they don’t have to say “I love you.” It can be much more effective for the audience/ reader/player to work this out for themselves from the character’s behavior. A brief hesitation or a strong denial can “show” a character cares about someone just as clearly as a picture. Here are some questions there wasn’t space to answer. It would be interesting to hear your thoughts: Players don’t want to play female characters (and if they do, the female character needs a DD chest); everyone skips cutscenes. Thanks to Steph Fawcett, Chris Bateman, Richard Cobbett, Evan Skolnick, Rhianna Pratchett and Antony Johnston. Andrew S. Walsh (www.andrewwalsh.com) is a roving writer, narrative designer and director with credits on more than 45 games, including Harry Potter, Risen, SOCOM, Heavenly Sword, Dirk Dagger, X3:Reunion and Medieval II: Total War. Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia netted him the 2009 Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Videogames Writing Award, which he claims looks really nice on his mantelpiece. Aside from his work in games, Andrew has extensive experience across film, radio, animation, theater and television. He is currently working on Bodycount for Codemasters as well as a number of unannounced projects.
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Live From the IGDA Leadership Forum!
By Ryan Arndt, IGDA Acting Internal Community Manager “What we are doing right now is not nearly as important as what we are doing to one another right now.” — Laura Fryer, WB Games — 2010 IGDA Leadership Forum keynote
T
he 2010 Leadership Forum was a great success involving participants from around the world, both online and offline. Session tracks included Tools, Personal Leadership and Project Leadership, so I organized myself between the tracks, documenting the dialogue as it happened live and providing social media support to the event. The conference kicked off with John Vechey’s talk on PopCap Games and its rise to success, including challenges faced along the way and how each was overcome. Right from this first keynote, it was clear from the Twitter chatter (at hashtag #igdalf ) the crowd was not Englishspeaking alone but was also tweeting in Korean, Spanish and French. Official IGDA tweets were being translated nearly live to be sent out and retweeted to an international audience. It was an amaz-
ing experience to see the “I” in “IGDA” truly come to life as I typed. The multilanguage and multi-perspective Twitter chatter on the hashtag continued for three days after the conference had closed and included links to more information, podcasts and a healthy critique of what the sessions and speakers were teaching. Back on the floor, the smaller conference space allowed for attendees to interact on a friendly, less-rushed level, comparing notes from each session. Simultaneously occurring, the three tracks contained enough practical and applicable information that I had numerous attendees inform me they had “wished there were two of them” to enable them to attend multiple sessions at once. One attendee was even overheard saying “14 pages of notes! I have never taken that many notes in an entire conference, let alone one session!”
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November | 2010
Topics ranged from localization tools to hiring a diverse team, to trends in how and where people will purchase games in the future. Best practice was shared between industry leaders with roundtables on the second day to help cement learning and relationships. The setting was intimate and friendly with attendees motivated to become better at their craft. If there is one word I would use to summarize what the IGDA Leadership Conference is, it would be growth — as a person, as a developer and as an industry. The Leadership Forum enables participants to learn and challenge themselves as individual professionals and take this back to their team and, thus, to the industry. We are great as developers alone, and when we come together to learn and share, we are that much greater. I know I will be back next year.
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EVENTCALENDAR Global Game Jam 2011 Organizer Q&A Session on IRC! WHAT: We will be answering questions and taking suggestions about IGDA’s Global Game Jam 2011 event (Jan. 28-30, 2011). WHO: This session is primarily for site organizers and managers who are hosting a GGJ 2011 site or are considering hosting a site. DATE: Tuesday, Nov. 30 TIME: Two sessions held at 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. EDT, Nov. 30, (Washington, DC, New York), which would be 7 p.m. GMT, Nov. 30, and 2 a.m. GMT, Dec. 1 (London) HOW LONG: Sessions are targeted for one hour. WHERE: Online over IRC. Connect via the Web at http://globalgamejam.org/irc, or connect via your own IRC client [server: irc.us.mibbit. net, channel: #globalgamejam] www.globalgamejam.org
Call for Articles
The IGDA Perspectives Newsletter needs content for its December issue on Global Connections. We are looking for pieces of any length with these suggested topics: — Global collaboration vs. outsourcing — Moving overseas for positions — Telecommuting — Mastering markets foreign to your own — Localization — Strategies for working online with team members in diverse locations — Game success stories Please send article pitches to Editor-in-Chief Beth Aileen Lameman (beth@bethaileen.com) by Nov. 20. Final articles are due Dec. 1. As a heads up, January’s theme is Game Accessibility, and February’s theme is Indie Lifestyles.
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Nov. 18-19, 2010
Digital Interactive Gaming Conference London, Canada The Digital Interactive Gaming Conference aims to stimulate games industry growth by providing a forum for Canada’s leading gaming developers, publishers, technology companies and services providers to connect, learn and share ideas. The thrust of our program is focused on giving game developers, studio owners, producers, programmers, artists and business professionals in Canada an opportunity to converge, learn and network. The DIG Conference features keynote addresses from iconic gaming brands, a studio-owner’s panel discussion, post-mortem on recently released titles, as well as analysts’ industry insight. http://www.diglondon.ca
Nov. 20-21, 2010
Brasil Game Show Rio De Janeiro, Brasil Depois do sucesso da 1ª edição com cerca de 4.000 participantes e da 2ª edição com aproximadamente 8.000 pessoas presentes, a Rio Game Show cresce em 2010 com a expectativa de receber 20 mil visitantes nos dois dias de evento, ocupando o triplo da área utilizada no ano anterior. Em 2010, a maior feira de games do país se consolida como o grande evento do segmento no mercado nacional e passa a se chamar Brasil Game Show. A BGS chega para esta edição maior e melhor. A feira se tornou um evento anual com sede no Rio de Janeiro e acontece em dois dias: 20 e 21 de Novembro de 2010. A BGS é elaborada para maximizar as oportunidades de seus parceiros. Tudo isso em uma cidade especial, sede da Final da Copa do Mundo de 2014 e das Olimpíadas de 2016, o Rio, que com seu potencial internacional, favorece o crescimento da BGS a cada nova edição. http://www.brasilgameshow.com.br/ November | 2010
Nov. 25, 2010
Develop Liverpool Liverpool, UK Following on from its successful launch last year, the one-day Develop in Liverpool Conference returns by popular demand Thursday, Nov. 25, 2010. Develop in Liverpool is designed to meet the demands of the thriving game community based in the north, with three tracks and multiple networking sessions, including a post-event drinks reception. The event will take place alongside Software City, which is organized by Merseyside ICT. http://liverpool.develop-conference.com/
Nov. 29-Dec. 1, 2010
Dubai World Game Expo Dubai, United Arab Emirates Dubai World Game Expo is devoted to introducing a wide variety of computer games, including entertaining video games, online gaming, mobile games, edutainment and infotainment software, game-related hardware, and next-generation platforms. It brings industry together with opportunities to see them all in one place in three days. DWGE is the largest annual gathering of the interactive entertainment industry, focusing on B2B and public in the Middle East. http://www.gameexpo.ae
Dec. 2, 2010
IGDA Austin Microtalks Austin, Texas, United States Speakers in a lineup, all from Austin, all talking about their areas of expertise relevant to game development and the business thereof. Ten minutes apiece. It’s downtown this time at a very large space made available by The Art Department. Fans of Dr. Sketchy’s or TAD’s weekly figuredrawing classes will be familiar. It’s not a bar, but plans are afoot for drink service. Parking is available wherever you can get it! Please plan ahead. There pa g e 2 3
are several garages within walking distance, but street parking is free after 5:30 p.m.. DOORS OPEN AT 7:30 P.M. SPEAKERS BEGIN AT 8 P.M. http://j.mp/bdaJFI
mances. Groups will be asked to make a donation to participate, and we might ask the audience to make their votes with donations. http://j.mp/b30z14
Dec. 2, 2010
Italian Videogame Developers Conference Rome, Italy With English as the official language of the conference, and as a “free to attend” event, IVDC 2010 has extensive international appeal as well as showcasing the very best, fast-growing and confident Italian video games the industry has to offer. http://www.ivdconf.com/
Best of British London, UK Best of British is a celebration of the best the UK games industry has to offer and will be attended by some of the biggest names in the industry. Ian Livingstone will be opening the event with a talk on the future of the UK games industry and will be presenting a show reel of the “Best of British games” before we entertain our delegates with a pub quiz presented by our sponsor Multiplay. There will also be games consoles around the venue for delegates to use. http://best-of-british.net/
Dec. 2, 2010
GDC China Shanghai, China The Game Developers Conference China serves this thriving region by focusing on the challenges of game development across borders, tackling subjects as diverse as outsourcing production, emergent free-to-play business models and bringing games from East to West and vice versa. It provides a forum for local and international game developers to share ideas, discover new business ventures and connect with peers. http://www.gdcchina.com
Dec. 3, 2010
Colorado Springs Battle of The Rock Bands Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States UCCS, contact wdionson@uccs.edu On Friday, Dec. 3, we’ll be hosting a “Battle of the Rock Bands” at which we’ll invite groups to play and compete in Rock Band perforP ers p ect i v es N ews lett eR
Dec. 3-4, 2010
Dec. 4-5, 2010
Flash GAMM Kyiv 2010 Everywhere Flash GAMM is the meeting for professional Flash games developers and publishers in which the purpose is to share experience, contacts and ideas. The event is to gather the leading social game developing and publishing companies, representatives of Flash-game portals and independent developers. We are going to cover the issues of Flash games development, monetization, design and animation, advertising, payment systems, social games and much more. The conference will be held in two streams over two days. Its 24 slots will include lectures, roundtables, trainings, master classes, blitzsessions section, game lynch and the best Flash game contest award ceremony. A place for participants to communicate in a relaxed atmosphere is also provided. Flash GAMM promises to be an interactive and interesting conference. We expect about 400 participants from different countries to attend. http://www.flashgamm.com
November | 2010
Dec. 8, 2010
Evolve in London London, UK Innovation is speeding up. Social gaming and Internet connectivity has gone from fringe to mainstream in barely a AAA development cycle. So how can game developers best adapt to this changing market? Evolve in London is a daylong conference focusing on how to develop games for new platforms, new technologies and new markets. http://www.evolveconference.com/
Jan. 28-30, 2011
Global Game Jam Everywhere The Global Game Jam is the world’s largest game jam event occurring annually in late January. 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: make 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 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 “post-mortem” 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. http://www.globalgamejam.org
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