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

[Donald]

Thanks Dave,

Its action like this that makes this such a great SIG.

I would suggest more virtual networking.

- Seems I'm always in need to some "good", "affordable" and "trustworthy" programmers to farm out stuff.  Maybe we could put together a kind of SIG Yellow pages for small indies like us.

- It would also be nice to have a way to connect good companies with good projects to qualified investment funding.  This might be nice even on a project by project basis (~ $200,000).  In this economy, that might be pretty attractive.

That's my two cents.

Thanks!
Don
xBlitz Entertainment


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Dave Rohrl 
  To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List 
  Sent: Sunday, April 12, 2009 6:04 PM
  Subject: [casual_games] What should the SIG be doing for you?


  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:

    a.. Monthly live chats (voice or text) on hot industry topics
    b.. Webinars - online presentations by industry experts using web meeting technology 
    c.. Developer/Publisher "speed-dating" events for quick pitches
    d.. 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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