<![CDATA[Kotaku: igda]]> http://tags.kotaku.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/kotaku.com.png <![CDATA[Kotaku: igda]]> http://kotaku.com/tag/igda http://kotaku.com/tag/igda <![CDATA[International Game Developers Association Now Offers Healthcare]]> Now is a better time than any to join the International Game Developers Association, as the industry advocacy group adds eligibility for the IGDA Healthcare Program to its list of membership benefits.

Healthcare is a hot-button issue in the U.S. right now, and with the way the winds of change are blowing, you might not want to find yourself without it. Luckily the IDGA has game industry professionals covered, having negotiated a group rate for members with Association Health Programs. Any U.S. member in good standing may join come January 2010. The association's Jamil Moledina explains:

Largely through the tireless and cheerful efforts of our dynamic new Executive Director Joshua Caulfield, we are incredibly proud to announce the IGDA Healthcare Program. The IGDA HP grants you access to the IGDA group account with Association Health Programs, a national US brokerage that negotiates and presents the best available insurance offerings from leading health insurance companies. Starting in January 2010, you will be able to connect directly with an account executive who will generate a set of group-negotiated healthcare options, for you to choose from.

While the cost is still being determined, it should give those IDGA members without health insurance a fairly discounted rate, keeping them and their families healthy so they can continue making us fun things to play with.

Board Blog - IGDA Starts Healthcare Program! [IGDA]

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<![CDATA[Tim Langdell Resigns from IGDA Board [Updated]]]> Tim Langdell, the CEO of EDGE Games, which has been at the heart of many controversies regarding trademark rights to the word "Edge" in video gaming, has stepped down from the board of directors of the International Game Developers Association.

The IGDA announced Langdell's resignation in a brief statement this morning. In an email to Kotaku, IGDA Executive Director Joshua Caulfield said Langdell resigned voluntarily and was not asked to. Langdell provided a lengthy statement explaining his decision, the entirety of which is at the end of this story.

In his statement, Langdell says he left the board because opposition to his board membership comes from "a contingent ... who in their fanaticism will cause substantial negative press for the IGDA over the next month and place intolerable demands on the board and IGDA staff."

Late last week, the IGDA announced that a special meeting of the membership - essentially an online vote - would be held Oct. 3, the sole purpose of which was to vote on whether Langdell should be removed. Langdell had served on the board since March 1.

In his statement Langdell expressed confidence that he would survive such a vote but "my fear is that a quorum will not be attained and that consequently this vocal minority will not accept the outcome of the October 3rd meeting as bringing closure to this issue."

Langdell, who founded EDGE Games in 1979, is widely known for the aggressive defense of his long held trademark to the word "Edge" in video gaming. His latest dispute is with Mobigame, which released the iPhone/iPod Touch game EDGE in April. Their public fight has provoked heated commentary and accusations of bad faith dealings on both sides. Langdell himself has become more vocal of late, publishing a lengthy defense of his company and engaging in debates with members on the IGDA forums. The effort to remove him from the IGDA's board was begun back in July.

At the heart of Langdell's controversial public persona is the perception that his and EDGE's primary activity is litigation rather than actual development. Langdell claims EDGE has published more than 700 games, but an analysis, quoted by Eurogamer pegged the figure at 70, the most recent in 1990. EDGE's site does say it is working on four multiplatform titles at the moment.

Langdell said he would remain a full regular member of the IGDA. Caulfield, the executive director, told Kotaku that "it is my sincere hope that this issue is resolved. There are a lot of great people in the IGDA, and I hope we can get on with providing them with value for their membership."

Statement of Tim Langdell, CEO of EDGE Games, Aug. 31 2009

With the process barely started leading up to the Special Meeting announced last Friday and set to take place on October 3, it is already clear to me that despite my being confident that thinking members of the IGDA will vote for me to remain on the board for the balance of my term, there is a contingent who were involved in sending the defamatory email to all members by exploiting the IGDA email system a few weeks ago who in their fanaticism will cause substantial negative press for the IGDA over the next month and place intolerable demands on the board and IGDA staff. And while I am confident that were the needed quorum of at least 50% of the voting membership to be achieved at the Special Meeting that the vote would go in favor of my remaining on the board, my fear is that a quorum will not be attained and that consequently this vocal minority will not accept the outcome of the October 3rd meeting as bringing closure to this issue.

My great fear, then, is that this vocal minority — most of whom are not IGDA members — will continue their negative attacks on the IGDA beyond October 3, refusing to accept the outcome of my remaining on the board. It seems nearly certain they will continue to generate even more negative press for the IGDA for weeks or even months to come and persist in causing substantial drain on IGDA board volunteer and staff resources and time, which is not in the interests of either the IGDA or its membership. Especially not at this time when all key IGDA resources should be focused on the Leadership Forum, not on dealing with this issue.

Thus with the best interests of the IGDA at heart, and mindful of the unfair demand on the time of my fellow board members and our truly excellent IGDA staff, including the remarkable Joda Sapp and our incomparable new ED Joshua Caulfield, I therefore announce my decision to resign as a member of the board of the IGDA, effective immediately. I make this decision not because I have done anything wrong — on the contrary I am confident that all accusations against me were unfounded and purely intended to defame, and am confident that I have at all times acted in the best interest of the IGDA and its membership — but because I must make this decision between concluding a process that will show I did no wrong, and having that process irreparably damage the IGDA. I cannot permit the latter to happen, and this has to drive my decision today, taking priority over defending myself against these accusations to a conclusion. There are some who will take my stepping down as an admission of wrongdoing, but they are the same people who if the October 3 Special Meeting had gone ahead resulting in my remaining on the board would have refused to accept that outcome.

Last, I wish to say that the board is full of some incredible people, and you, the membership of the IGDA, are in excellent hands. For my part, I believe I made a solid contribution to the Association in my time on the board, taking on a somewhat disastrous web project which, as head of web tech these past months, I was able to bring round so that the new website should now be able to go live very shortly. I am sorry that I will not personally be overseeing the launch of the new website, but I know that this process is in the excellent hands of a colleague on the board.

I will remain an active member of the IGDA, still supporting it in any way I can as a regular member, and still serving on some fifteen SIGs; indeed my departure from the board will give me more time to devote to supporting the SIGs.

Dr. Tim Langdell, Pasadena, CA.

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<![CDATA[Philly Devs' Ambition: Make Their City the Hollywood of Gaming]]> Video Game Growth Initiative Philadelphia, or VGI, grew out of IGDA's Philly chapter, and it's looking to make the City of Brotherly Love into an East Coast magnet for games development.

Philadelphia City Paper spotlighted the five-man band - an audio engineer, an executive, a dev, a lawyer and a professor at Drexel University - this week. They're not the first civic group pitching the public sector on the economic development power that video game studios bring. But they do have a couple selling points.

• The city's cost of living is lower compared to major metros such as New York, Boston or, God, yes, Silicon Valley. Eating solid gold for dinner and using copies of Giant Size X-Men #1 for toilet paper is less expensive than Silicon Valley.

• Strong university partners. The story points out that the University of Pennsylvania has Ivy League's only game development program, frequently sending its graduates to the west coast. St. Joseph's and Drexel also have relevant sequences.

The rest of the story looks at their efforts to get into the conversation, although in a city and state such as Philadelphia, Pa., with its own budget problems and economic ills, convincing those with the public purse strings to lay aside incentives will be difficult.

All in the Games
[Philadelphia City Paper; image by Mark Stehle, City Paper. Thanks, tipster John E.]

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<![CDATA[Anti-Langdell Email Raises Ire of IGDA [Update]]]> IGDA members yesterday received an email, purportedly from an IGDA address, asking them to vote on removing Tim Langdell from the association's board. Today, the organization denied any official connection and said it was investigating.

Yesterday's email, listed in the reply-to as from the spoofed "Concerned_Members_of_the_IGDA@IGDA.org" address, and was signed "Concerned Members of the IGDA." It documented Langdell's history of suing and harassing game developers - his latest target is Mobigames - who use the word "Edge" anywhere in their products, a word he trademarked some two decades ago. The email also criticized Langdell for making "gross misrepresentations" of both the IGDA's influence and his position on its board.

It concluded by asking recipients to vote in a petition held at a non-IGDA site. The link was a petition brought up last July on the same subject. Some in the IGDA are trying to find a way to get the organization at large to officially consider Langdell's removal from the board.

This morning, the IGDA emailed its members to distance itself from the e-mail and the movement behind it.

Dear Members,

Recently an email went out that appeared to have originated from IGDA. The return address of this email appeared as: "Concerned_Members_of_the_IGDA@IGDA.org."

That email address was spoofed and the communication was not an official IGDA communication. We are currently reviewing the methods by which it was sent to see if this was sent out by people ignorant of proper use of the IGDA website or if there was malicious actions involved. We are also reviewing the method by which your email addresses were obtained and if that was done ethically or not. It is my hope that this was done by someone simply overzealous about their cause and not for destructive reasons.

Please be aware IGDA was not responsible for this email and does not have anything to do with the content or the links provided. You should read and use such links at your own risk.

We will investigate this issue and provide you with information on our findings as they are confirmed.

Thank you,

Joshua Caulfield
Executive Director
IGDA

I emailed the petition's creator, IGDA member Michael Lubker, to ask if the mailing was his doing. Lubker said he was not involved. Asked if this dented the anti-Langdell movement's credibility within the IGDA, Lubker said:

I am not worried that credibility or ability has been affected, if anything there have been more posts about it since the IGDA's response. However, I do feel that the IGDA is discrediting its members right to communicate freely with each other about the status of the organization.

According to the IGDA's bylaws, 10 percent of the membership can force an association-wide vote on such a question. Of course, that would presumably need to be done through some official means. And the chances of it recognizing the legitimacy of a third-party petition site definitely went down after today.

We've asked for comment from both Langdell and the IGDA. If they wish to make any, we'll update it here. Meantime, for an excellent read on Langdell's history, see this piece by Eurogamer (thanks, Morris).

Update:
Tim Langdell has released a statement comprehensively defending himself in the Mobigame matter, and against other accusations leveled at him in the gaming press.

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<![CDATA[Effort Begun to Remove Trademark Troll from IGDA Board]]> Tim Langdell's not really a developer - "litigator" might be a better job description - but the Lord of Edge is really on the IGDA board. Now someone's started a petition to remove him.

This is a little more meaningful than your average ranting internet petition. It was begun by International Game Developers Association member Michael Lubker, and is only taking signatures from IGDA members. Lubker, like many others, is repulsed by Langdell's campaign of harassment against anyone who produces a game - something Langdell has not done in 15 years - whose title or branding somehow invokes the unique word he trademarked, which is "Edge."

We've chronicled his shenanigans before, as recently as this past weekend. These aren't isolated incidents, folks. Just now he's gotten Mobigames' Edge, which brought this mess back into the public consciousness in May, re-yanked from the iTunes App store. Moreover, Langdell has alleged that Edge is somehow an infringement on his own game of 1986, something called Bobby Bearing, which is itself a ripoff of Marble Madness.

Back to the IGDA: In his argument, Corvus cites the relevant portion of the bylaws in his argument for Langdell's removal. Basically, they need 10 percent of the membership to demand a vote on the removal of Langdell from the board of directors. I've gotten word that this movement was afoot already, but the anti-Langdell side was having difficulty getting a membership mailing list from the IGDA. I'm not sure what the leadership's posture would be toward a petition hosted on a third-party site, whose only means of verification is a self-entered membership number.

But if anything, it continues to force the issue on Langdell's obnoxious behavior and the embarrassing association the IGDA has with this man. More than a few others have told me no one really paid any attention to the voting on the board membership in the past; if nothing else, maybe people will now.

Update: From Cult of Mac's Craig Grannell comes word that Mobigames' Papazian has talked with Bobby Bearing's actual developers, Robert and Trevor Figgins, and they claim they retain the rights to the game. Langdell, they assert, was just the publisher. Further, those two are said to believe that Mobigames' Edge is not a game similar to Bobby Bearing. If this is true, it makes Langdell's claim even more despicable, although we are talking about a contract they had (if any) more than 20 years ago, at a time when such things were a lot less formal than they are now.

IGDA Forums - Call for the Removal of Tim Langdell [IGDA]

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<![CDATA[Epic Boss Responds To Exploitative Working Condition Claims]]> Epic Games president Michael Capps speaks extensively with Joystiq regarding accusations of employee exploitation that have recently been causing a bit of a stir.

The uproar began when industry critic Greg Costikyan called out Capps for comments made during an Independent Game Developers Association panel last year. During the talk he indicated that working 60 plus hours was expected at Epic, and that people only willing to work the minimum 40 hours weren't the sort of people that would fit with the company. Costikyan was appalled that a member of the IDGA board, as Capps was at the time, would champion overworking developers while representing an organization meant to support them.

In Joystiq's extensive interview, Capps outlines and defends Epic's policies, punctuating the importance of hiring enthusiastic employees who are passionate about what they do. He also gives his thoughts as to why a comment he made last year was suddenly causing such uproar on the internet and IGDA forums.

I think probably has a little bit to do with me being so confident that we are doing the right thing. I think they want everyone who crunches always to be contrite about it and say, "We're so sorry we fucked up, we didn't mean to let anybody work more than 40 hours a week. This is a huge disaster. We'll never do it again." We don't feel that way. We're very confident we did it the right way. We've done it 18 times and we're going to do it a 19th time and everybody here knows we're going to do it a 19th time. We're not lying and saying "Oh, we blew it!" I think that really bothers folks who have seen people do it, overwork someone, and then when we say "Yes, we crunch and we burst sometimes," confidently, like we know what we're doing and we're sharing that message. Because I really think Epic knows what it's doing and we've proven that again and again. We've been very successful. I think that really upsets people.

There's so much to the interview that it's relatively difficult to condense down into one or two lines. Hit the link to check out the entire thing. It's a fascinating look into the inner workings of a big-name development studio.

Joystiq interview: Epic's Michael Capps responds to accusations of 'exploitative' working conditions [Joystiq]

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<![CDATA[Outgoing IGDA Chief Departs With a Rant]]> This was said in the context of the GDC's notorious annual rant session, so, it's not a classic burning of bridges in the last day on the job.

But the outgoing head of the International Game Developer's Association, Jason Della Rocca, has some tough love for the folks he represented.

Della Rocca, who helped plan this conference's rant session and others before it, said he wasn't feeling "particularly vengeful" when he assembled this screed. So he reworked it into a passive-aggressive, backhand apology to the ingrates he'd tried to lead.

Here are some excerpts from the rant which he posted on his blog this week.

Sorry for not having the leadership skills to beat the barriers of participation inequality. Less than 1% of the IGDA membership are truly active in driving the org forward. Sorry for not doing a better job building up a strong pipeline of community leaders and volunteers. Sorry for not overcoming your general apathy and laziness.

Sorry for not doing a better job of roping in all the snipers from the sidelines. Turns out you are all pretty damn good at bitching and complaining and being critical. But then you don't actually do anything about it and you don't get involved. Sorry for not bringing critics under the tent and getting them to work at improving things.

Sorry for not getting you to be more serious about the profession of game development. You are no longer a bunch of hacks. This is a real art and science. We need to be way more deliberate and control the path the profession takes as it evolves into the future.

He wraps it up with: "Oh well, f* you, it's not my job anymore!"

Anyone who's tried to lead a professional group while carrying on one's own career in it that profession knows how difficult and thankless the gig can be. But the shape-it-up tone seems appropriate. Don't descend to others' low expectations of what you do, in other words. And if he raises his voice to you, International Game Developer's Association, it's only because he wants you to be the very best International Game Developer's Association you can be.

An Apology [Jason Della Rocca's Reality Panic, via GamePolitics]

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<![CDATA[Della Rocca Steps Down As IGDA Director]]> The International Game Developers Association is officially searching for a new head honcho, as long-time executive director Jason Della Rocca steps down in order to pursue a new venture.

Della Rocca has served the IGDA tirelessly since 2000, overseeing the group's growth from a 500 member-strong group to a 15,000 member force to be reckoned with.

"I am humbled and honored to have been a steward of the IGDA's mission," said Della Rocca. "Each day was a race to keep up with the passion and energy of members and volunteers in their drive to advance games. I am forever grateful for the enriching experience, and look forward to assisting the Board on a smooth transition."

Della Rocca will be sticking around for a few more months, making sure that the Game Developers Conference runs smoothly and tying up a few loose ends before moving on.

With Jason stepping down, the IGDA is appointing a task force to search for a new director, an action made far less unexciting if you imagine them in safari outfits, cutting through jungle overgrowth with machetes.

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<![CDATA[Overlooked Warhammer Devs Get Their Due Credit]]> We heard last month that a bunch of people were going to be left out of Warhammer Online's credits. Didn't seem like the right thing to do, especially in the wake of similar fiascos involving Manhunt 2 and Okami. Well, turns out Mythic are now going to do the right thing, and will be making the entire credits - which will contain everyone that ever worked on the game - available online. And not just for WAR; they're going to go back and do this for Dark Age of Camelot as well. The full statement announcing the move (made by the IGDA's Jen MacLean) can be found after the jump.

Dear Members and friends,

In the August newsletter ( http://www.igda.org/newsroom/newsletter_0808.txt ), I criticized Mythic’s credits policy specifically, and the industry in general, for not adopting inclusive credit standards. I’d like to set the record straight on a number of things that have happened over the past month.

When the credits story first appeared, Mark Jacobs, the GM of Mythic, was in the middle of a series of interviews in New York. After an interview with N’Gai Croal of Newsweek and Level Up blog, Mark asked N’Gai for his thoughts on the subject. N’Gai suggested simply putting the full credits online. Mark is in the process of implementing N’Gai’s suggestion, and in doing so, Mythic will move towards a greater level of credits inclusiveness.

I’ve known Mark for more than 10 years now, and he’s always been a strong proponent of the online games industry and an ethical businessman. Mark was honest about a difficult subject and immediately after the interviews ended, he began a process of formulating new credit policies. Unfortunately, when the previous newsletter was sent out, Mark, unbeknownst to the me, was quietly continuing to work on a new credit policy for the studio. Mark, I regret that my comments caused you personal and professional distress.

The Mythic team is also taking the following steps to address credit policies:
- In-game and manual credits will be reserved for the launch team.
- Mythic will create an online database listing the name and title of everyone who contributed to a project, regardless of current employment status. Additionally, the studio will make best efforts to provide this information for its previous online games.
- Mythic has committed to working with the IGDA, leading game industry history and credit sites and other interested parties to establish a credits feed, listing all contributors, to promote fair and accurate credit reporting across the industry.
- Mark Jacobs will consult with the IGDA Credits Standard Committee to offer guidance on the issues and challenges posed specifically by MMOs.

Fair and accurate credits and transparent standards for crediting remain a pervasive problem in the industry, and I applaud Mythic for taking steps to address this issue. I’m personally looking forward to Mark’s involvement with the Credit Standards Committee, not only because of his depth of experience in online games, but because, more importantly, his personal commitment to fair and accurate credits sets an outstanding example for industry leadership.

My newsletter intros usually end with a call to action, and this one is no exception. We must continue the dialogue on credits, and on other topics like quality of life, that have a direct impact on the lives of game developers. Get involved, discuss these issues with your peers, and please join me in recognizing Mythic’s new crediting efforts.

Once again, the IGDA’s credit standards info is at:
http://www.igda.org/credit/

- Jen MacLean
Chairperson, IGDA
VP Business Development, 38 Studios

Sometimes things aren’t what they seem… [Mark Jacobs' Blog]

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<![CDATA[IGDA: Warhammer Credits Snub "Disrespectful"]]> There are a ton of former Warhammer Online developers who haven't made it into the game's final credits. And they are not happy. And understandably so! That's months, sometimes years of work, going totally unrecognised. Well, the IGDA (International Game Developers Association) are on the case, calling the snub "disrespectful" and using it as the latest example as to why the industry should adopt their idea for a set of universal crediting guidelines.

IGDA's MacLean: Missing Warhammer Credits 'Disrespectful' [Gamasutra]

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<![CDATA[Games of the Indicade]]> E3 may be smaller. E3 may have cut out lots of the smaller developers. E3 may have excluded tons of journalists of gaming professions, but that doesn't mean E3 doesn't have any indie games to show. The Indicade gives E3's token indie developers a chance to shine amidst the reduced glitz and glamor of the new show. The elecen games were hand selected by the International Festival of Independent Games and the International Game Developers Association for a little floor space at the hanger. Hit the jump for the full rundown of games.

Hands-On Demos:
8, by Tale of Tales www.taleoftales.com
And Yet It Moves, by Vienna Institute of Technology www.andyetitmoves.at
Braid, by Jonathan Blow www.braidgame.com
Cloud, by That Game Company www.thatcloudgame.com
Everyday Shooter, by Jon Mak, Queasy Games bywww.everydayshooter.com
Fijuu2, by Julian Oliver and Pix www.fijuu.com
N, by Metanet Software www.harveycartel.org/metanet/n.html
Night Journey, by Bill Viola with Tracy Fullerton, USC interactive.usc.edu/research/games/projects/20050813-the_night_.php
Revolution, by MIT Education Arcade gaming.mit.edu/revolution
Rumble Box, by Digipen Phackett.com/rumblebox/=
Whyville, by New Medeon www.whyville.net

Video Compilation
Arcade Wire, by Persuasive Games www.persuastivegames.com
Bone, by Telltale Games www.telltalegames.com/bone/
Can You See Me Now, by Blast Theory www.blasttheory.co.uk
Freedom Fighter 56, by Lauer Learning www.freedomfighter56.com
Game Over (Machinima), by Pes www.eatpes.com/game_over.html
[giantJoystick] (Installation), by Mary Flanagan http://maryflanagan.com/joystick/default.htm
Out of Your Mind, by gameLab http://www.gamelab.com/game/out_of_your_mind
Steam Brigade, by Pedestrian Entertainment www.steambrigade.com

Cloud is amazing, though oddly dated for this show, and Everyday Shooter, well that game makes me feel all fuzzy inside and not in a I-just-landed-in-Denver sort of way

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<![CDATA[Hanging with Garriott]]> By N. Evan Van Zelfden

How do game developers spend their Saturdays? They probably gather at Richard Garriott's lakeside estate, feast on BBQ, listen to live music, engage in padded sword fights, toss water balloons, and start very small bonfires.

You are driving down a road. Ahead of you are two immense wrought iron gates. Normally they are closed. Today, they stand open and deserted. On either side, the rock walls are dripping water. The canyon descends at the end of the road, the road itself appears to drop off into space. Slowly, you drive through the gates...

This isn't some role-playing game. This is, in fact, Richard Garriott's real-life estate in Austin, Texas. The Ultima designer has built a little piece of Britannia-on-earth. And on this Saturday, it's hosting the local International Game Developer's Association BBQ picnic.

The road winds and descends impossibly for some time. It narrows and turns to gravel. On the left is a sheer wall of rock. Finally, volunteers in bright yellow shirts can be seen up ahead. They're directing cars to parking spaces on the flat bottomland, under enormous pecan trees. "Hey!" one of them calls, "The party's down here."

Once parked, the first thing to explore is the miniature village. There's a jail, lighthouse, tavern, church, watermill, town hall, and endless houses. Across a brook, there's a lawn with a castle facing off against a ship. In the distance is one small house, nestled by a large rock.

At the edge of the woods, there's a sign warning of the haunted forest, and noting the witch's castle is one mile away: I'D TURN BACK IF I WERE YOU.

igda-austin-picnic-18.JPG

Richard Garriott told Kotaku the full story behind the buildings. "A lot of the early Ultima characters - Iolo, Dupre, Sentri, Mariah - they were all my college buddies here at the University of Texas, which is where I wrote the first few Ultimas."

He'd borrowed their personalities, likenesses, and Society for Creative Anachronism names. "Years later when I bought this property, a lot of them were still pretty active in the SCA, so I built these cabins in homage to the history we have together."

"The first one that I hand-built myself with my girlfriend Kelly was for Iolo," Garriott said. "Then, this gypsy wagon you see over here was for Mariah. Iolo was really a guy who makes crossbows here in town. Mariah is my assistant Michelle who's worked with me since Origin, and now NCsoft."

Garriott builds another cabin every three months or so. And the bigger structures, such as the theater, the castle, the ship, those are built once per year. "Based on whatever party theme we're throwing that year, I'll add another structure for that event," he says.

igda-austin-picnic-05.jpg

That infrastructure comes in handy when Garriott has various parties, from his big Fourth of July event, to company parties, to the SCA, or, like today, the IGDA event, where the developers got cold drinks, spots in the shade, and talked shop while waiting for BBQ.

While a Frisbee was seen, the most popular pastime was Chanbara, which is a very fancy way of saying "hitting each other with padded sticks." Or, fencing with non-metal swords. Which is all a very therapeutic way to challenge co-workers to a duel, and still be able to work when Monday rolls around.

Things took a surreal turn when a dozen-and-a-half costumed crusaders arrived. They happened to be in town to audition for the Sci-Fi original series "Who Wants to Be a Superhero?" One of them was good enough to make the cut (we can't tell you who), and will appear in the July 26th premiere. And when it came to super powers, all of them had Chanbara skills.

igda-austin-picnic-35.jpg

Moments before lunch was served, a small speech was given to the crowd of 300. Rodney Gibbs, a studio head of Amaze Austin who acts as the IGDA-Austin front man, thanked the vendors - barbeque from the Saltlick, drinks from Opal Devine's, and ice-cream from Amy's - as well as the sponsors and volunteers.

Richard Garriott said a few words, joking about being the "old fogey" of the Austin game industry, having worked with some of the assembled developers before, adding "if I haven't worked with you, it's a pretty small community, and I'm sure I will in the next decade or two."

Garriott then introduced the event sponsor by saying, "I don't know about you guys, but at NCsoft, we're a 100% Dell shop. In addition to being a great sponsor, these guys really do make great products."

Glen Robson, Dell's director of gaming was brought up in a small town in Scotland. He joked that, were it not for the game industry and coming to work in it, his career choices were limited. "I'd be tossing a caber, or worse, I'd be knitting."

An indescribable BBQ lunch was followed by a lazy afternoon of talking, water balloon fights, and ice-cream. As evening settled in, torches were lit, and people began to gather in the replica Shakespearean theatre for a musical performance by The Captains of the Chess Team.

The band is a spontaneous game-industry ensemble consisting of famous audio guru George Sanger, his intern on keyboard, game designer Josh Hamrick on drums, Linda Law on bass, guitar by W. Scott Synder, and fronted by Midway Austin's audio director, Marc Schaefgen.

"You've all been beautiful," Schaefgen told the audience between songs, adding, "We are the captains of the chess team, and we will pwn you!" The set list included Safety Dance, a rousing performance of Video Killed the Radio Star, the ever popular Numa Numa (originally "Dragostea din tei"), and the Star Wars-centric parody Yoda.

There would be a warming fire later on, following the encore, and people would slowly go home. But the band was the culmination of a good day. The audience was into it, and the feeling prevailed upon one developer so hard he just had to mount up on the stage and get to gigging with the band.

The ones that get into it are definitely the kings of the party.

Special thanks to Clay Hillhouse and John Henderson for additional photographs.

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<![CDATA[25 Minutes of Guitar Hero 2]]>

An anonymous tipster — quaking in trepidation lest he be discovered giving us an 'exclusive' — directed us to this absolutely awesome 25 minute Guitar Hero 2 video. It was a competition held at Beerland in Austin at with the IGDA. Amazingly, the guy who ended up winning the competition had only play Guitar Hero a dozen times... and managed to win without even looking.

I can not frickin' wait. Does anyone spy any unannounced songs in the vid?

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<![CDATA[IGDA Helps Sacked NCSoft Employees]]> Kain Shin, a volunteer with the Austin chapter of the International Game Developers Association, dropped me a line to let me know that the local chapter of the association is trying to help out those fired from NCSoft's Austin office.

The association is hosting resumes for all of those recently laid off. So far it looks like about seven NCSoft former employees have taken them up on the offer. Looking at their resumes it looks like this very small sampling came from a mix of the companies games including City of Villains, Guild Wars, Dungeon Runners and, yes, Auto Assault.

If you're a developer looking to hire in the Austin area, perhaps you should check the IGDA first.

Recently Laid off? Let IGDA Austin know [IGDA-Austin]

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<![CDATA[Game Developers Conference Scholarship]]> igda.gif

The International Game Developers Association is now accepting applications for the Game Developers Conference 2006 Scholarship. The International Game Developers Associationg will present qualified students with full access to all sessions, roundtables and keynotes at the big show. The GDC runs from March 20 through 24 in San Jose.

Check out the site for the full list of qualifications and deadlines.

GDC Scholarship [IGDA]

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<![CDATA[IGDA Comes to Denver]]>

Dammit! You leave town for one month and something cool happens, why is that always the case? Denver almost never gets any in-person gaming goodness and just when I decide to take my first vacation in over a year along comes Jason Dell Rocca and the gang to discuss video game coverage in newspapers.

Damn you Dave, damn you to hell!

Denver, My New Favorite City [Reality Panic]

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