[game_preservation] Game developers memorial page?

[Billy Cain]

Totally agree. We should lead, not follow.

Billy Cain

 

VP of Development / Geek
Critical Mass Interactive, Inc
7427 North Lamar Blvd., Suite #200
Austin, TX 78752
(512) 219-1600 voice
(512) 219-1976 fax
www.criticalmassinteractive.com

 

CMI is currently sponsoring:
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- Texas Independent Game Conference:
<http://www.independentgameconference.com/>
http://www.independentgameconference.com/
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http://www.plaxo.com

  _____  

From: game_preservation-bounces at igda.org
[mailto:game_preservation-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Captain Commando
Sent: Monday, January 21, 2008 4:27 PM
To: game_preservation at igda.org
Subject: [game_preservation] Game developers memorial page?

 

To all on the Preservation SIG (and whoever is listening in),

Every once in awhile, we hear something through the community that the games
industry has lost another one of their own. Now in the film industry, they
usually have a short memorial service for those who passed on during the
past year at the Oscars. I e-mailed Jason Della Rocca about this and turns
out the Developers Choice Awards used to do this but they don't anymore
(incidentally, just the GANG - game audio - awards does this anymore, and
that ceremony is really worth going to). I'm also told the Developers Choice
Awards actually isn't run by IGDA, so will have to ask them directly about
why they are no longer running a memorial service. 

Well, we think it's a good idea to set up a memoriam style page on the IGDA
wiki so we can keep track of who we've lost and remember them. While this
message may somewhat ironically be going through the Preservation SIG
(preserving memories as well as games?), we're already pretty active. I
think building some sort of page like this might help bring the community
together a bit more and say that 'you know, we remember who you guys are,
and even if you weren't household names or we haven't listed everyone, we
know you guys existed and what a good part you were of the game development
community.' So I'm going to propose that we start building one. 

I also bring this up because among the recently departed are not videogame
industry professionals (and technically, we should really be calling it the
International VIDEOGame Developers Association as despite the welcome
appearance of guys like Steve Jackson, the GDC doesn't seem to have much to
do with paper-based games). Ron Knerr, inventor of the Hula Hoop and
'publisher' of the Frisbee also passed on as did Bobby Fischer, the chess
champion. 

I think when we are talking about remembering game developers, we need to
consider what the Games part of the IGDA means. Are we just videogame
developers or do we speak for board games and card games as well? We tend to
ignore these a lot because they aren't as publicized or don't make as much
money as videogames do, but they're still important and they're still out
there. And even if the IGDA is really only encompassing just the videogames
part, I think the memorial page should at least in some part recognize those
communities as they really do influence how we make games in digital space. 

Any thoughts?

-Devin Monnens

-- 
The sleep of Reason produces monsters.

"Until next time..."
Captain Commando 

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