[games_access] GDC 2008: VERY Bad News

[Robert Florio]

I think that's an excellent perspective Eelke.  Coming to the independent
people instead.

I'm glad you brought this up I think in the back of my mind I was thinking
this might be the reason of low attendance because it cost so much for the
passes they'd rather spend their time on what they know they're looking for
to learn instead of something they're not sure of will benefit them.

Which gives me an idea.

Instead of going in alone on these conferences lie not trying to collaborate
with some independent publishers at the conferences at their own speeches
seeing if they will tie in with us the accessibility because they already
have their huge crowd, it will be a way for everyone in the crowd who might
want to view or see what we have to say, but they'd rather be somewhere else
learning it from a direct example.  In the same room where they want to be
first.

Robert

-----Original Message-----
From: games_access-bounces at igda.org [mailto:games_access-bounces at igda.org]
On Behalf Of Eelke Folmer
Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2007 3:18 AM
To: IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List
Subject: Re: [games_access] GDC 2008: VERY Bad News

With so many interesting talks going on and such expensive prices for
the passes game developers rather go to talks on the geometry shaders
used in Assassin's creed then listen to our talks. Given the current
state of the games industry with the ever increasing budgets and high
risks of failure, many game companies struggle for survival, so there
is really no incentive for them to make games accessible UNLESS we can
sketch out the potential payoffs, which is hard for certain
disabilities. I think 10 or 20 years ago we could have had a bigger
impact since game development didn't involve so much money and risk.
Given that observation, why not focus on those who will shape the
future of the games industry? --> Independent game developers.

Cheers Eelke




On 30/11/2007, Thomas Westin <thomas at pininteractive.com> wrote:
> Hi
>
> just want to add I've started to become a bit cynical about GDC after four
> years of low number of attendees. I'm also disappointed by this, but for
> other reasons than the GDC judges
>
> Let's not forget GDC is just one conference, although the biggest it's
> perhaps not the best - low numbers of attendees is really not our problem,
> it's the industry's problem, that they can't see the importance of
> accessibility for the future of the industry. We're here to help, but
since
> the industry (with a few exceptions/individuals) isn't listening at GDC,
> they do listen elsewhere.
>
> I'd say we should aim for other conferences where people have interest and
> time to listen to us. FuturePlay was a great success; let's focus on
similar
> conferences where we can succeed rather than getting disappointed at GDC.
>
> /Thomas
>
>
>
> 30 nov 2007 kl. 20.00 skrev d. michelle hinn:
>
>
> Well, there's lots to do, that's for sure. We also can't forget that some
of
> us (you, me, Richard, others) were hit by the GDC flu and/or had to go to
> hospital (my kidney nightmare) and the selection committee doesn't allow
you
> to petition for that. That DRAMATICALLY impacted a lot of our sessions and
> Idol went way differently than we'd planned for. So we had a lot of bad
luck
> last year that isn't the fault of anyone -- but it did impact how our
> proposals were viewed.
>
>
> As a group, we just need to remember that we are a group. We are a
volunteer
> group. But we are a group and we do a lot! And every time we get a chance
we
> have to remember to talk about the group. Sure, we all have individual
> goals, jobs, lives, etc -- but if we all remembered to mention that we are
a
> part of this group, this movement, I think it would go a long
> way....especially when it's something good! :)
>
>
> Michelle
>
>
> Sounds like a challenge.  It's too bad there was a bad reputation now
about
> our group.  Just feels the fighter though to get the word out about our
> initiatives even more.  Still baffles my mind like game accessibility is
> just not excepted at all by the mainstream game design community.  Until
> someday, some mainstream game designers are injured and can't find their
> favorite games anymore and then we'll see.  But apparently the last 20
years
> they've all been pretty invulnerable.
>
> Robert
>
>  ________________________________
>
> From: games_access-bounces at igda.org
> [mailto:games_access-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of d.
> michelle hinn
>  Sent: Friday, November 30, 2007 12:48 PM
>  To: IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List
>  Subject: Re: [games_access] GDC 2008: VERY Bad News
>
> Hey,
>
> The only feedback I've gotten was informal from people I know who work
there
> -- the sessions weren't judged on content as much as based on low numbers
of
> attendees and a lot of bad press from GDC07 (many people on the advisory
> boards for each section (audio, design, etc) gossiped, Idol participants
> complained...and, yeah, that web archive was mentioned -- google, etc are
> not our friends). So we live and learn. I'm not going to go into specifics
> because it will hurt us to go into it and we don't need that -- There's
too
> much to do and we cannot spend the little time we have until GDC08 talking
> about what happened after GDC07. I know I brought it up because, yes, I
was
> angry that morning because the low number of acceptances for this year was
> what I was afraid might happen. But I was also angry because I really,
> really killed myself over the proposals for this year.
>
> Unfortunately, it's not academia so they won't ever provide us with
concrete
> comments or a feedback page about what we could have done
better/differently
> or even what they hated. And it's not a blind review either. Basically
this
> year we need to atone and re-earn respect as a group. >From what I've
heard,
> however, if you have never had a proposal accepted that you turned in,
they
> were EVEN MORE likely to not take a chance on your proposal...so I guess
we
> are lucky that we got three sessions (two were solicited but even those
went
> through a bit of a review as well).
>
> So when you say you can pay your own way...do you mean that you want to
buy
> your own pass?
>
> We'll have accessibility arcade and the meet and greet to show some stuff
at
> -- we won't have as much room but we should have stuff for people to look
at
> and some of the stuff are great conversation starters. So we won't need as
> much this year -- my broken controller (the Quad Controller that has now
> been broken TWICE by airport security so it really looks bad) is quite the
> conversation piece. I think I could have just carried that around at
> FuturePlay all day to get the word out about accessibility! :D
>
> Michelle
>
>
> Hi,
>
>
>
>
> I'm sorry to hear about the passes. I'll be driving from Reno to SF so I
can
> take all my accessible hardware if need be. (If there is space to demo
> them?)
>
>
>
> Michelle, did they provide us with specific feedback on those proposals?
> what were the main criteria for not accepting them?
>
>
>
>
> I can pay my own way to GDC since I have some money left from my grant
that
> I need to spend before august, after UNR decided not to approve my travel
> request to Futureplay. Besides it's cheap for me to go there anyway.
>
>
>
> Cheers Eelke
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 27/11/2007, Reid Kimball <reid at rbkdesign.com> wrote:
> While this is isn't the ideal situation it's not a total loss for the
>  group and we have to work within our resources to do the best we can.
>
>  If only three of us can come, then I suggest we don't bring any
>  hardware accessories. Instead, let's create flyer's and brochures
>  about the accessories. Maybe even produce videos of people using them.
>
>  I also recommend that because we are a smaller group this year, we try
>  to have personal meetings with game developers to talk about how we
>  can help them.
>
>  -Reid
>
>  On Nov 27, 2007 12:25 PM, d. michelle hinn < hinn at uiuc.edu> wrote:
>  >
>  >
>  > Ok...
>  >
>  >
>  > So remember when I was writing for days straight for all the GDC
> submissions
>  > without a whole lot of help? All submissions have been accepted now so
we
>  > have some bad, bad music to face. I never did put up all the final
>  > submissions on the WIKI -- I was too tired after the deadline and it
> doesn't
>  > matter as much now. I'll get them up for archive reasons.
>  >
>  >
>  > Well...we've been hit by reality this year. I hate to bring this up
again
>  > but I feel that I have to -- A lot of public word got out about our big
>  > post-GDC fight last year (it's archived on the net...). I'm not saying
> that
>  > it was any one person or any one comment -- I can't even look at the
> archive
>
> > without beating myself up about it because I felt like I had really,
> really
>  > let everyone down. I got the proposals and the passes but I couldn't
make
>  > our showing work in the best way possible. I couldn't be everywhere
>  > advertising our sessions. I was far from perfect, we were all far from
>  > perfect, we had big dreams but not enough people doing the work. I'm
not
>  > saying everything goes back to that but we had a big year last year,
had
>  > more than enough passes for everyone...and that was then. It's hard for
>  > me...well, it's very sad for me to realize that we had it so great last
> year
>  > and we didn't recognize it, we didn't have enough real help when push
> came
>  > to shove (or suitcase pulling came to suitcase pulling back and forth
> every
>  > day to the convention center). All the "should of" "would have" "could
> have"
>  > things are coming back to haunt me. I stopped flogging myself about
this
> a
>  > while ago and thought that I had come to peace with it but I realize
now
>  > that I still haven't stopped flogging myself about not being
superhuman.
> I
>  > know. I know. Stop it.
>  >
>  >
>  > So...we only had one proposal accepted. All the acceptances are in now.
>  > Reid's [cc] poster (downgraded from a 20 minute talk but I think this
> will
>  > get more people) submission.
>  > [
> https://www.cmpevents.com/GD08/a.asp?option=C&V=11&SessID=6456
> ]
>  >
>  >
>  > The other two were IGDA solicited (ie, they did not go through the
> system)
>  > -- accessibility arcade and the SIG meet and greet. That buys us two
more
>  > passes -- one is mine since I'm SIG chair and one was for Eelke for the
> meet
>  > and greet because he helped on the proposals.
>  >
>  >
>  > I'm going to try and talk to everyone I can think of to try and get a
few
>  > more passes because one of those is a roundtable and was solicited by
> IGDA
>  > (that was NOT in the proposal process) and it's accessibility arcade.
To
>  > pull that off, we need more people. I hope that this gets us a few more
>  > passes.
>  >
>  >
>  > The booth is out of question unless we can get some SERIOUS money FAST.
I
> am
>  > trying every angle I can think of but so far no luck. The booth SPACE
> costs
>  > $5100 for 10x10 booth -- add on about $3000 more for the "required"
> minimum
>  > of stuff we have to provide...no way. IF we get an expo booth it will
get
> us
>  > more EXPO passes, which will restrict those with these passes to just
> being
>  > able to get into the expo area (no talks, etc). That's the reality.
>  >
>  >
>  > I'm sorry to have to tell you this and I'm sorry for the anger/sadness
in
> my
> > tone. We are not going to be able to bring everyone we want to. I cannot
> say
>  > when or if I'll hear if we can get more passes. I know some of you have
>  > already made flight and hotel arrangements. If you are one of these
> people,
>  > please check with your airlines, etc for the last date to cancel
without
>  > penalty.
>  >
>  >
>  > So three passes...that's it. That's where we are at. I will let you
know
> if
>  > the pass situation changes but for now it doesn't look great. We now
have
>  > fifteen fewer passes so those of us in attendance are going to have to
> try
>  > and talk our asses off at GDC.
>  >
>  >
>  > Michelle
>  > _______________________________________________
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>  Eelke Folmer                           Assistant Professor
>  Department of CS&E/171
>  University of Nevada              Reno, Nevada 89557
>  Game interaction design        www.helpyouplay.com
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Eelke Folmer                           Assistant Professor
Department of CS&E/171
University of Nevada              Reno, Nevada 89557
Game interaction design        www.helpyouplay.com
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