PDA

View Full Version : Game.Dev at rAge 2010



dislekcia
14-09-2010, 07:52 PM
So. Yeah.

This year we're not running a stand at rAge. Mainly because we can't afford it and running something the whole show ended up meaning that people spent more time organising and stressing than actually making good contacts and helping others get into making games.

We're going to be organising a set of of informal events instead. The ideas so far include:

1. Your basic meet and greet. Everyone remotely interested in game development all crowds together and shouts at each other as much as possible for a while.

2. Post-mortem stand-up. Anyone who wants to can get up and do a 5 minute post-mortem on a project they've worked on since rAge 2009.

3. Community planning meeting. Getting our asses in gear for the next 12 months and deciding how we're going to make that happen.

When would be good for this? During the expo itself, after the expo closes? ... Please don't say the weekend before, many people simply won't be in JHB ;)

Any ideas on venues? Let's make sure we're 100% organised beforehand. We need someone local to JHB that can pull this off - I don't think we should all look at Fengol because he's getting married (Congrats!) and won't be back till just before rAge.

Any other comments or ideas? I'm thinking it might be nice to have fliers explaining what's going on when, but those cost money and we don't have any of that...

Fengol
14-09-2010, 10:03 PM
What we must plan is the Global Game Jam (http://www.globalgamejam.org/) for January 28-30, 2011. UCT got involved in 2009 and 2010 and it would be cool to get a JHB/PTA varsity registered and game.dev people involved.

I think the best for rage would be to organise a 27Dinner style (http://www.27dinner.com/about-27dinners) event with an empathises of "come for the food, stay for the presentation".

I've already poked D about the presentation: quick overview of the community and history for new comers; notable mentions of the year past (games made, etc); and then a plan for the year ahead. After a quick question & answer session it breaks into a social and people can do as they please. The convenient thing about the 27Dinner style is that wives and girlfriends (or boyfriends, husbands) can come along and they won't be bored to much by too much tech speak and you pay for you own food and drink.

I can organise us a venue when I get back.

edg3
15-09-2010, 03:40 PM
What we must plan is the Global Game Jam for January 28-30, 2011. UCT got involved in 2009 and 2010 and it would be cool to get a JHB/PTA varsity registered and game.dev people involved.
Will talk to my lecturers and see if they can help out in getting Wits registered.


3. Community planning meeting. Getting our asses in gear for the next 12 months and deciding how we're going to make that happen.
rAge 2008 aftermath (http://nag.co.za/forums/showthread.php?t=7890)

I think that it might be a good idea to take a look at some of the things we brought up back then. The basic summary of what we wanted to achieve is as follows:

Marketting/selling games
An ad-supported "file closet" for us to host our games on.
Possibly setting up a method for people and companies to donate to the community (paypal?)


Some notes people had that seem important:

The DVD went down well


It may also be an idea to get all the community based projects sorted out, like I at one stage wanted to (and started building) a site to use for holding files for us and to keep the resource list on. I could probably get a CMS up and running and ready for us to use within a week, but it seems box.net is keeping things handled for us file wise these days.

dislekcia
15-09-2010, 04:48 PM
Will talk to my lecturers and see if they can help out in getting Wits registered.

It doesn't have to be a university doing the registration BTW, all we need is a venue with guaranteed internet access and someone who will interface with the GGJ and we're good to go... Loads of game studios around the world actually host individual Jams per state in the US, for instance.


rAge 2008 aftermath (http://nag.co.za/forums/showthread.php?t=7890)

I think that it might be a good idea to take a look at some of the things we brought up back then. The basic summary of what we wanted to achieve is as follows:

Marketting/selling games
An ad-supported "file closet" for us to host our games on.
Possibly setting up a method for people and companies to donate to the community (paypal?)


Some notes people had that seem important:

The DVD went down well


It may also be an idea to get all the community based projects sorted out, like I at one stage wanted to (and started building) a site to use for holding files for us and to keep the resource list on. I could probably get a CMS up and running and ready for us to use within a week, but it seems box.net is keeping things handled for us file wise these days.

I think we're all working on that first point ;) Number two is handled by a vast array of free filehosts now.

Would a DVD still be useful, or are we well connected enough that a link repository would be better?

edg3
15-09-2010, 05:28 PM
Also, can a person participate if they're the go-between?

Well we have a list of links, so should I work on a proper link repository?

Fengol
15-09-2010, 05:49 PM
I agree that box.net (http://www.box.net) is definitely the way to go with filesharing because of the download stats; and while the community is pretty well connected to share resources the DVD is really for newbies/outsiders to get access to all the tools and information.

Can't we hog some of the NAG DVD with that stuff once per quarter, half year or yearly?

I'm happy to be an in-your-face-interface and I'll speak to my work about using them as a venue as well.

dammit
15-09-2010, 06:51 PM
If you can afford flyers, get someone to sponsor them.

edg3
16-09-2010, 06:41 AM
If you cant afford flyers, get someone to sponsor them.
It's easier said then done unfortunately :(

dammit
16-09-2010, 08:22 AM
Getting a sponsor takes time and a person with the right kind of attitude/personality to convince people, I agree. Doesn't make it impossible. If you want something bad enough, you can make it happen.

Fengol
16-09-2010, 09:53 AM
Getting a sponsor takes time and a person with the right kind of attitude/personality to convince people.

Yes, but I can't everything! :P

Which of the "out-of-towners" (non JHB/PTA people) are coming up for rAge? And can you accommodate coming to the dinner?

edg3
16-09-2010, 05:42 PM
I contacted a few hundred people that I had contact with that would be likely to be able to sponsor us last year and as far as I know that didnt get us much. I even went in personally to see some of the people.

CiNiMoDZA
22-09-2010, 09:03 AM
So Ive just pretty much confirmed that Im gonna be at Rage, so what is happening, is there going to be a meet-up??

dislekcia
22-09-2010, 03:42 PM
So Ive just pretty much confirmed that Im gonna be at Rage, so what is happening, is there going to be a meet-up??

I dunno, everyone appears too busy to really get much feedback going... I'll email as many people as I can later this week.

Thinking friday eve for a meetup after the Dome closes.

FuzzYspo0N
22-09-2010, 09:11 PM
Friday sounds worse, for sake of worker types. Probably better on saturday imo

dislekcia
22-09-2010, 11:09 PM
Friday sounds worse, for sake of worker types. Probably better on saturday imo

Friday after work would be the plan. Saturday is already other meetups that a good chunk of the Game.Dev peeps are going to, AFAIK.

Gazza_N
23-09-2010, 01:04 PM
Friday evening sounds great, but that's because I'm planning on invading the Dome that afternoon. :P

dammit
23-09-2010, 05:52 PM
I can quite probably make friday afternoon :)

cairnswm
25-09-2010, 11:18 AM
Other than People at the Game.Dev stand at raGe 2008 - nobody collected DVDs. Of the DVDs I made of the presentations only 1 person bought them. So Summary is DVDs (game dev content or of Presentations) dont work.

I can attend a Friday night get together near the dome - saturday night I will not be able to attend due to other commitments.

This will be the first rage in 4 years I wont be attending. :(

FuzzYspo0N
25-09-2010, 09:11 PM
Ok, i most likely can make friday near the dome. Where, though?

Fengol
28-09-2010, 12:36 PM
Dinner booked at Cappuccino's in Northgate for Friday, 1st October 2010 18:30 under the name "Andre".

Look forward to seeing you guys there!

CiNiMoDZA
28-09-2010, 02:46 PM
Awesome!! i was thinking something more healthy, like McDonalds, but that should be cool!

dislekcia
01-10-2010, 11:16 AM
See everyone tonight!

FuzzYspo0N
01-10-2010, 11:36 PM
I think Gazza_N would agree that was a RAGEing success. Awesome time, sirs.

SkinkLizzard
02-10-2010, 12:49 AM
I demand photos or suitable drawings of photos,
and a retelling of any awesomes that were had.

Fengol
02-10-2010, 07:00 AM
We'll have to ask Gazza for recalled evidence of the event. He must just remember to include: the time Dislekcia started levitating during his speech; Aequitas becoming emporer; Ch1ppit rocking out and Fengol trying to choke Dammit using only the power of his voice!

Gazza_N
04-10-2010, 02:27 PM
My MSPaint's getting serviced at the moment, I'm afraid. We'll have to rely on Fengol's descriptions until it's done. :P

A recap of the meeting:

Many things were discussed at the meet, foremost being the question of what happens in the community from here. We all agree that things have chugged to a halt, mainly because all the old contributors and regular comp contestants are now either actually working in the local game industry (WHOOOO! Mission accomplished!), or focussing on our own larger personal projects. Point being, we've all been groomed and refined by the community and the comps, and now it's a matter of getting a fresh intake of newbies or generally interested folks that can be groomed along the same lines.

First things first - Comps. Comps are the lifeblood of Game.Dev, in my humble oppinonion. They're how we started, they're how we all got inducted into the community, and they're how we've refined our skizzles and learned awesome new stuff. We need to use that to lure new folks into the community again and keep it active. We had some ideas thrown about regarding that. The first idea was in jest, but I think the concept is good: a return to the initial comps that got us all started. Simple games with simple premises that newcomers can sink their teeth into without choking or feeling intimidated. A second idea was to look to the international comps for ideas and exposure - have a "preliminary" comp here where folks build games according to the InterComp's premise, then have a little mini-judgement on our side before the creators shunt their entries in the InterComp's direction.

Speaking of judging, we now move onto the next issue. Dislekcia, as our founder and totally unofficial Head Pants Wrangler, has done a generally kickass job with all the comps and such since he started the community back in the Renaissance. He canna do it no more, kids - he's trying to make games so he can eat, which doesn't leave much space for comp creation and judging and devlanning and such.

It's time for longtime community members to chip in and take the reigns. Who and how is up for discussion. Somebody I was chatting to earlier suggested that we have a Comp Council - a group of longtime members who can spare the time to set and judge comps as a collective body. That way, we can mitigate the time needed to judge and give feedback on the comps by sharing it amongst ourselves, as well as making our experience count for something for newcomers. Same for Devlans, same for the currently-idle Dev.Mag.

That's generally what was discussed before we started playing ipad games, eating croissants, and levitating. Comments and additions - ENGAGE.

dammit
04-10-2010, 05:09 PM
And possibly someone new to take the reigns of dev.mag...

Also, Gazza, are you volunteering? :P

Gazza_N
05-10-2010, 09:00 AM
Heh. If people would be happy with me judging their games, sure. I just wonder if splitting entries amongst a Panel of Elders wouldn't be better and faster. In that case, though, the judgements would still need to be correlated and ranked using a fair system of comparison. I don't think one person can devote the necessary time to all entries to judge them fairly, especially with work and other commitments.

dammit
05-10-2010, 09:18 AM
That is possibly the best plan of action. What you need now, is to round up some other elders to join your panel. Only 2 more needed, really, to have fair judging.

Fengol
05-10-2010, 11:11 AM
I'm prepared to be a judge. I don't think you can "split" the entries up. The fairest would be for each judge to play all the games and apply a score that is averaged. Remember that a judge also needs to provide a short paragraph of commentary.

If Gazza and I are judges and we can add a third person; I think we have enough for a judging panel.

dislekcia
05-10-2010, 12:53 PM
Yeah, I think splitting the judging up is a bad idea, you need to get a handle on all the games in order to be able to compare them to each other. The part of the judging process that's always taken the longest is writing up the feedback on each game - which I think you'll all agree is the most important part of the competitions in terms of community and skill building.

I've been toying with the idea of capturing video and doing voice recordings, but I have no idea on the time required to really pull that off properly. I'm sort of hoping it'd be easier than writing ;)

Gazza_N
05-10-2010, 01:26 PM
I'm not so sure about that. If there's anything I've learned from doing my audioblog experiment, you spend a lot of time on retakes, editing, etc. And that's without video capture and editing thrown into the mix too. I find that writing's definitely faster in that regard, if not as wicked awesome. :P

As for split judging, yeah, point well made. If they're not all judged on an equal footing there's no point, but at the same time we don't want to have the comps stall because somebody gets busy with really urgent stuff. In that regard, I think having some form of redundancy in the judging would be a Good Thing (tm).

Fengol
05-10-2010, 02:03 PM
So we still need a third person...

dislekcia
05-10-2010, 02:40 PM
I'm not so sure about that. If there's anything I've learned from doing my audioblog experiment, you spend a lot of time on retakes, editing, etc. And that's without video capture and editing thrown into the mix too. I find that writing's definitely faster in that regard, if not as wicked awesome. :P

I dunno, I spend a lot of time on those reviews. Coming up with effective criticism while not sounding like a raging douchebag is pretty damn difficult. It very often took longer to write that paragraph per game than it did playing the game in the first place...

Gazza_N
05-10-2010, 02:48 PM
Heh. Fair enough. And video mit voiceover WOULD be wicked awesome... <_<

EDIT: Look, I'm not trying to be all "FWAAAARGH I MUST BE A JUDGE NYAAAARGH MY IDEAS ARE AWESOME!" here. Far from it - I think it would be best if the guys with industry experience took judging up. Just lobbing ideas around, seeing what we can do to keep things alive, etc. Apologies if I'm coming across as overly forceful. >_>

Bonezmann
05-10-2010, 02:56 PM
I'd be more than happy to be the third as I have a plethora of free time after hours.

dislekcia
06-10-2010, 12:51 AM
Heh. Fair enough. And video mit voiceover WOULD be wicked awesome... <_<

EDIT: Look, I'm not trying to be all "FWAAAARGH I MUST BE A JUDGE NYAAAARGH MY IDEAS ARE AWESOME!" here. Far from it - I think it would be best if the guys with industry experience took judging up. Just lobbing ideas around, seeing what we can do to keep things alive, etc. Apologies if I'm coming across as overly forceful. >_>

No worries, don't think it came across that way at all.

What I'll do is zip up all the Comp 24 entries, post that somewhere and then everyone who wants to be a judge can have a go at judging those games according to the criteria I lay out. I'll work with the best judges to get them really into the Game.Dev comp spirit and then we can go from there on Comp 25.

Sound like a plan?

dammit
06-10-2010, 11:22 AM
Well....Fengol never played my comp 24 entry...

Gazza_N
06-10-2010, 04:08 PM
Sound like a plan?

Gets my vote.

dislekcia
06-10-2010, 04:25 PM
Well....Fengol never played my comp 24 entry...

Well spit.

I hadn't thought of that, TBH. Maybe we'll have to do this for comp 25.

Karuji
06-10-2010, 07:40 PM
I'm more than willing to help out in what ever way possible.

BlackShipsFillt
07-10-2010, 11:09 AM
Competition 25!!

dammit
07-10-2010, 06:22 PM
What is left to be done for the comp 24 entries?

dislekcia
07-10-2010, 06:48 PM
What is left to be done for the comp 24 entries?

I've got a few more entries to judge, I'm not sure how long that'll take me, but if it's obvious that I'm holding up other comps, I'll probably kick myself into action on the weekend.