[casual_games] What should the SIG be doing for you?

[Dave Rohrl]

Hi all,

The IGDA Casual SIG has been going for quite a while.  When the SIG started
up back in 2003, the most pressing need of the casual game community was
clear - to let the rest of the game industry (and the investment community)
know that casual games not only existed but also represented an important
business and creative opportunity.  As a result, a lot of the SIG's work was
about information - doing white papers, a quarterly newsletter, and other
publications to help share the news and validate the space.

In 2009, the picture is quite different.  Casual games are a multi-billion
dollar business.  The rest of the industry sees us as a key growth driver.
There are three annual standalone conferences and a two-day GDC symposium
focused exclusively on casual games.  Tons of casual content shows up at
general industry conferences.  There is a strong professional industry
association focused on casual games with a great lineup of publications.

So, the Steering Committee of the SIG would like to ask you, the membership,
this key question: now that everyone knows that casual games are here to
stay, what would you like us to be doing for *you* - the independent casual
game developer?  How can we help you to build better games, create a better
business, or just understand the ecosystem better?

We've been brainstorming ideas on the Steering Committee, and here were some
of the ideas we had:

   - Monthly live chats (voice or text) on hot industry topics
   - Webinars - online presentations by industry experts using web meeting
   technology
   - Developer/Publisher "speed-dating" events for quick pitches
   - Position papers on key issues for developers

Is this what you would like to see us working on?  Do you have other ideas?
Should we keep focusing on the white paper and quarterly, or should we start
phasing those out so we can focus on other initiatives that matter more?

Your feedback is important.  As a Steering Committee, we can only manage a
limited number of initiatives.  We want to make sure that we put our energy
into work that will benefit and organize the casual game development
community.  Please reply on the mailing list and let us know what you would
like to see us doing in 2009-2010.

Thanks,
Dave Rohrl
Chair, IGDA Casual Game SIG, 2008-2009
Editor, 2008-2009 IGDA Casual Game White Paper
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