============================== IGDA Newsletter - October 2005 ============================== ================= Table of Contents ================= 0: A Word From Bob Bates 1: Developer Demographics/Diversity Report 2: Events: Upcoming/Discounts, Past Reports 3: Columns Update 4: Chapter Meetings/Reports x: Logistical Bits & Unsubscribe Info ================= ======================== 0: A Word From Bob Bates ======================== Dear Members and friends, I thought it was just my imagination, but it turns out I was right - everywhere I look in our industry, I see new faces. The IGDA report on diversity has just been published, and it turns out that the average worker has been in the industry only 5.4 years, and a massive number (nearly 20%) have only been with us for 2 years. Are these numbers due to massive burnout by developers who leave the industry after 5 years or so? Or are they due to our rapid expansion and the creation of thousands of new jobs? Probably both. But for all of us, the challenge remains - how can we change these jobs into careers, so the industry as a whole doesn't keep having to climb the learning curve. How can we hang onto these new people and benefit from the wisdom they will gain once they've finished a few projects? Check out the diversity report at: http://www.igda.org/diversity/report.php Also, a tip of the keyboard to the 3,000-plus developers who responded to our lengthy organizational assessment survey. The winners of the two Sony PSPs are Nate Schaumberg from Crystal Dynamics and Véronique Pelletier from Artificial Mind & Movement. Happy gaming! - Bob Bates Chairperson, IGDA ********************************************* ** Ad: European Advertising In Games Forum ** ********************************************* November 17, 2005 - London, England http://www.AdvertisingInGames.com/ The Forum brings together advertising agencies, leading brands, game companies and technology companies. The Forum identifies and examines the opportunities and pitfalls in the use of advertising in video games and provides a unique assessment of the driving forces that are shaping this market. The conference program will provide critical information on how advertising can add realism and revenue for new games and offers insights on the range of options and ROI available when considering games as a new medium. ********************************************* ========================================== 1: Developer Demographics/Diversity Report ========================================== The first of its kind, "Game Developer Demographics: An Exploration of Workforce Diversity" answers the question, "who makes games?" by examining the demographic makeup of the development community. Nearly 6500 people participated in the survey, answering a series of questions pertaining to age, race, sexual orientation and education among other variables. The full report and supporting materials (ie, survey data, archived questionnaires, etc) are available online: http://www.igda.org/diversity/report.php Additionally, a compilation report of the 1,000+ write-in comments add extra insight to the mostly quantitative data provided in main report: http://www.igda.org/diversity/IGDA_Comments-on-Diversity_Jul05.pdf ********************************************************************* ** Ad: Get Massive Scale and the Best Game Experience in Your MMOG ** ********************************************************************* FREE Web Seminar MMOGs experience scale and performance limits in the shared objects of the persistent world. In this one-hour webinar you'll learn how an object database can provide massive scale, top performance, and a great game experience. Learn about an architecture that makes: * the shared objects performant + scalable * the in-memory model the same as the in-database model * it easy to add game features and introduce new versions Register for the free web seminar: https://versantevents.webex.com/versantevents/onstage/g.php?d=661492766&t=a ******************************************** =========================================== 2: Events: Upcoming/Discounts, Past Reports =========================================== The IGDA will be participating at, or is involved with, these upcoming events: - Game Writers Conference 26-27 October, Austin, Texas, USA http://www.gamewritersconference.com/ - Argentine Game Developers Conference (EVA05) 29-30 October, Buenos Aires, Argentina http://www.adva.com.ar/eva/en/ - Montreal International Game Summit 2-3 November, Montreal, QC, Canada http://www.montrealgamesummit.com/ *** 10% member discount - Korean Game Conference 10-11 November, Seoul, Korea http://www.kgconf.com/en/ - Nordic Game Potential 23-24 November, Malmö, Sweden http://nordicgame.net/ *** 20% member discount - Online Games Summit 1 December, Paris, France http://www.informamedia.com/onlinegames And, here a handful of summary reports and pics from events the IGDA recently participated at: - FuturePlay trip summary/pics http://www.igda.org/blogs/realitypanic/archives/000584.html - Asian Game Developers Summit reports: http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=352132 http://www.gamedev.net/columns/events/agds05-1/ http://www.gamedev.net/columns/events/agds05-2/ - American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors annual conference http://www.igda.org/blogs/realitypanic/archives/000545.html - GDC Europe Student Scholar Reports http://www.igda.org/scholarships/reports_gdce2005.php ************************** ** Ad: Video Games Live ** ************************** Video Games Live is a touring music concert event featuring music from the worlds most popular video games performed by top orchestras and choirs across North America, combined with amazing video segments from each of the games along with lasers and lights to create an immersive entertainment experience enjoyable for the entire family. The 1st leg of the 2005 North American tour will kick off at the end of October and will continue to 25 cities until the beginning of December. Be a part of games history! http://www.videogameslive.com/ ****************************** ================= 3: Columns Update ================= Monthly columns have been updated: Famous Last Words ----------------- "The Treatment of Music in Games - Part 3" http://www.igda.org/columns/lastwords/lastwords_Oct05.php Culture Clash ------------- "Premature Articulation - Early promises, long regrets" http://www.igda.org/columns/clash/clash_Oct05.php The Games Game -------------- "Playing With The Cards You Are Dealt" http://www.igda.org/columns/gamesgame/gamesgame_Oct05.php =========================== 4: Chapter Meetings/Reports =========================== Complete list of chapter reports and upcoming meetings: http://www.igda.org/chapters/updates.php Denmark Friday, January 27 > Nordic Game Jam 2206 http://www.diginet.org/o.o.i.s/1021 Hamburg Thursday, December 8 > Hamburg & North Germany Chapter Meeting http://www.igda.org/hamburg/news.htm Las Vegas Sunday, December 4 > December Meeting http://www.igda.org/lasvegas/archives/2005/10/december_meetin.html Japan Friday, December 2 > Digital Interactive Entertainment Conference 2005 http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=6827 North West UK Wednesday, November 9 > IGDA North West UK Chapter Meeting http://www.igda.org/northwestuk/events.html North West UK Wednesday, October 26 > IGDA North West UK Committee Open Day http://www.igda.org/northwestuk/events.html Ottawa Monday, October 24 > Update: Agenda Posted for Business Meeting http://www.igda.org/ottawa Montreal Report, October 20 > Lively Discussions: Next-Gen Tech and Selling Ideas http://www.igda.org/montreal/reports/summary_Oct05.htm San Francisco Report, October 14 > Taming The Dragon: Next-Gen Asset Creation for PS3 http://www.igda.org/sf North Carolina Triangle Report, October 13 > September Independent Games Showcase http://www.igda.org/nctriangle/ Las Vegas Report, October 6 > October Meeting Recap http://www.igda.org/lasvegas/archives/2005/10/october_meeting_1.html Colorado Report, October 1 > How to Break Into the Industry http://coloradogamedev.org/ Denmark Report, September 29 > Social Meeting http://igda.spiludvikling.dk/20050929/ Colorado Report, September 29 > Future of the Game Industry Panel http://coloradogamedev.org/ ================== x: Logistical Bits ================== Unsubscribe/Subscribe to Newsletter ----------------------------------- You can unsubscribe or update your newsletter subscription details via your MyProfile page: http://www.igda.org/membership/myprofile.php If you need help, contact us. Thanks to our Partners ---------------------- The IGDA extends its sincerest thanks to all our Partners! Especially those who just joined us, or recently renewed their commitment to support the game development community: - A K Peters, Ltd. - James Murphy Consulting & Virtual Partners Training Center - Mary-Margaret.com - MobyGames - Savannah College of Art and Design Without their support the IGDA simply would not survive - let alone thrive. Further details and a complete list of Partners are available online: http://www.igda.org/partners Contact Information ------------------- Please contact us if you have questions, comments or input: http://www.igda.org/contact.php RSS Feeds for IGDA News and Chapter Updates ------------------------------------------- The IGDA web site has RSS feeds for IGDA news (eg, org announcements, committee work, etc) and chapter updates (eg, upcoming meetings, event reports). Those using RSS readers can point to: IGDA News: http://www.igda.org/igda_news_rss.php IGDA Chapter Updates: http://www.igda.org/igda_chapters_rss.php ------- - end - -------