[games_access] Games for Health to Invest in Games Accessibility

[Ben Sawyer]

I would not spend money on an office.  I think it's better invested  
in ever more capable Web services and presence.

If there needs to be a phsyical locus then it should be at a university.

More and more people are running virtual organizations - that's the  
high-tech way now we shouldn't be old school with bricks and mortor.

- Ben


On Nov 16, 2007, at 12:57 PM, Robert Florio wrote:

> Some other thoughts I had.
>
> I'm thinking this could be an opportunity for employment I am not  
> sure who
> would run a committee funded by this money.  I know it is our sig but
> everybody is scattered everywhere would be a good idea to have an  
> actual
> office location where project could be worked on a center location  
> for more
> of a business type set up?  This might be further in the line if  
> more money
> can be raised but I would be interested in sitting in on that  
> position to
> lead that project or this group if we needed a center location  
> which I think
> would be good.
>
> I understand that money is very tight most likely the people are  
> backing and
> we can find ways to fund it like using my documentary I'd be  
> willing to go
> and give speeches across the country showing selling tickets to see  
> the
> video and hopefully meet some people for more business  
> opportunities to turn
> it into something larger.  That's what I have right now to give.   
> Again most
> of that would probably go to a personal fund of mine because it is a
> personal project but I'd be willing to give percentage to our  
> group.  It is
> a place to get funds from not a bad idea to use that idea because any
> opportunity for getting money would be good with a reasonable  
> agreement.
>
> In another way this kind of center location for operating business  
> would
> assure that the money have someone constantly on the projects and  
> following
> through with that might be what Ben is doing unless someone else  
> could be
> doing that?  Granted he does a lot and knows a lot more about  
> networking
> maybe that's not exactly what I mean.  Just trying to figure out if  
> this can
> turn into something that supports a larger kind of a company of  
> research.
> And I'd love to do it because I'm so close locally, coincidentally
> graduating and looking for a job in my heart is there and my talent  
> and
> knowledge is there and be perfect in a position to work on this  
> turning it
> into a huge project more of a community company.
>
> Robert
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: games_access-bounces at igda.org [mailto:games_access- 
> bounces at igda.org]
> On Behalf Of Ben Sawyer
> Sent: Friday, November 16, 2007 11:29 AM
> To: IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [games_access] Games for Health to Invest in Games
> Accessibility
>
> And thanks to Michelle for her leadership and for keeping this quiet
> long enough.  It's been killing me to hold back.
>
> - Ben
>
> On Nov 16, 2007, at 11:25 AM, <hinn at uiuc.edu> wrote:
>
>> Hey everyone -- so Ben and I have been discussing this for a time
>> now and we're working together to come up with a plan as to how to
>> best use this generous donation, find matching funds, etc. So this
>> is the real deal! So, hey, we have some money now! So put on your
>> thinking caps and help us think of ways to best invest our money so
>> that it helps the SIG long-term!
>>
>> And thanks to Ben, of course, for his incredible support and
>> including us in this initiative!
>>
>> Michelle
>>
>> ---- Original message ----
>>> Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 08:54:26 -0500
>>> From: Ben Sawyer <bsawyer at dmill.com>
>>> Subject: [games_access] Games for Health to Invest in Games
>>> Accessibility
>>> To: IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List  
>>> <games_access at igda.org>
>>>
>>> Hi everyone,
>>>
>>> I've got some big news.  As many of you saw Games for Health is part
>>> of a new round of investment by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
>>> into games and healthcare.  We're extremely excited about this new
>>> development.
>>>
>>> As part of our specific grant we have allocated resources
>>> specifically to support the IGDA Accessibility community.
>>>
>>> Over the next two years we will directly contribute funds to SIG
>>> activities.  The amount is set but I can't reveal it yet as much  
>>> as I
>>> want to because I'm actually looking to make it more by finding some
>>> other organizations who will join us with matching funds.  Right now
>>> I can tell you this - it's more then $10,000.
>>>
>>> The funds will be used to support your activities but there are of
>>> course some simple strings.  Basically the funds will be released
>>> once there is a written plan in place that provides for how and what
>>> the funds will be spent on.  That plan needs my approval and
>>> subsequently I have to have the approval of the foundation for  
>>> all my
>>> work.  I don't want it to sound dictatorish -- I'm pretty liberal  
>>> for
>>> what they should be used for but my basic goals are as follows:
>>>
>>> 1. I'd like to see the community double is size as outlined by some
>>> simple metrics (i.e. number of subscribers to the listserv,  
>>> number of
>>> people in the industry you are in regular contact with, number of
>>> talks in front of audiences, etc.)
>>>
>>> 2. I'd like to see the community produce some written plans that
>>> outline roadmaps for better accessibility efforts -- especially
>>> research roadmap.
>>>
>>> 3. I want to establish a standalone conference on games  
>>> accessibility
>>> attached to our Games for Health Conference (so we can combine
>>> logistics and hit on overlapping communities of interest).
>>>
>>> 4. I am also specifically interested in identifying and doing  
>>> what we
>>> can to nurture research into how accessibility to games improves
>>> people with disabilities mentally, socially, and physically.
>>> Eventually leading to some great empirical and evidence based
>>> research published - to the extent we don't already have this.
>>>
>>> Beyond those goals I look to everyone here in the community to  
>>> really
>>> drive things.  So the restriction is the production of a plan that
>>> seems smartly aimed toward these goals.  Within that framework the
>>> funds can support travel subsidies, creating really nice brochures,
>>> improved Web site content and access, etc.
>>>
>>> I've already discussed the gist of this with Michelle and I've asked
>>> her to produce with everyones help the plan and present it to me
>>> before the end of the year.  The funds are for 2008 and 2009.
>>>
>>> Games Accessibility Conference
>>> I am very serious as I've said before in establishing a one-day
>>> conference on games accessibility along side our Games for Health
>>> Conference.  We have facilities, hotel blocks, registration systems,
>>> logistical support, massive PR support, already in place for this.
>>>
>>> The date to hold this would be May 7, 2008 which is the day before
>>> Games for Health opens.  It would be a one day conference with a
>>> single track to start and a demo area.  We would also probably
>>> feature 2 sessions on accessibility at Games for Health on Thursday
>>> and Friday.  I hope this date works for everyone as much as possible
>>> - I can't really move it.  Hopefully it just works as best it can.
>>> In 2009 we hope to have more flexibility for you.
>>>
>>> I want the SIG to take on the role of developing the content.  My
>>> only stipulation is 25% of the content MUST be focused on talks that
>>> explore how accessibility technologies, research, and efforts can be
>>> applied to health for people with permanent, temporary, or on- 
>>> setting
>>> disabilities.  The rest of the content can be focused on core needs,
>>> case studies, research, etc. that will improve the accessibility of
>>> games in general for any purpose -- especially entertainment.
>>>
>>> Speakers would attend for free.  All other registrants would be
>>> charged an amount <$200 to attend.  My goal is that the event be
>>> break-even or even profitable within itself.  I would share 50% of
>>> the profits from the event back to the SIG by adding it to the grant
>>> funds we have available.  The other funds if there is a profit would
>>> be reinvested for planning the following year, etc.
>>>
>>> We very much want to make this event happen.  The Robert Wood  
>>> Johnson
>>> Foundation team we work with has someone on it with deep contacts in
>>> the accessibility community and is going to talk with a variety of
>>> government agencies involved with accessibility to drive them to
>>> support this event.  That becomes a doorway to driving them to
>>> support more pervasive accessibility activities.
>>>
>>> We will be promoting this event heavily to all our attendees.  We
>>> will be filming parts of it, we will make an expo area available to
>>> showcase work, and we will have dedicated PR staff on the event.
>>>
>>> The event is to be held in Baltimore, MD which is served by  
>>> Southwest
>>> Airlines which makes it pretty inexpensive to get to.  We are also
>>> quite proximate to the federal government which is a big plus.   
>>> We've
>>> got two hotels blocked out and we're searching for an ultra
>>> inexpensive block as well.
>>>
>>> My goal is to have 50-100 people attend the event.  My hopes are
>>> 25-50% stay over for the rest of our event that week so yes from a
>>> total transparency standpoint I'm hoping this increases my
>>> conference's core profitability.  Win-win.
>>>
>>> If there is a good sense we can pull of the conference idea as
>>> planned I want to make it part of our conference announcements in  
>>> the
>>> coming weeks.  I also will be including games accessibility in our
>>> call for content next week.  We expect to then forward those papers
>>> to a committee formed here to accept and mold that content.  I will
>>> advise you on content just from my experience of organizing events
>>> but other then the 25% requirement I really leave it to you as the
>>> experts to decide what will be important for people to hear and  
>>> learn
>>> from.
>>>
>>> BIG NEEDS
>>> So hopefully you're still digesting this all but the reason I'm
>>> writing this all and providing as much information as I can is I  
>>> need
>>> the following help - please reply to the list with your thoughts:
>>>
>>> 1. I do need general feedback - ask questions, provide comments, I
>>> will do my best to answer them.
>>>
>>> 2. I need NAMES of people you think are in a position or at
>>> organizations in a position to possibly decide to match our  
>>> funds.  I
>>> really want our funds to catalyze others to chip in.  There is no
>>> reason this can't eventually snowball to generate over $100,000 or
>>> more in due time.  At least that's my hope.
>>>
>>> I am already reaching out to Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, IBM and a few
>>> others.  The early reception has been ok but until we release this
>>> more publicly I expect things to be slow to develop.  If you give me
>>> more names I'll follow up hard.
>>>
>>> FUTURE PLANS
>>> The basic outline for this all for me is as follows:
>>>
>>> 1. I want to announce the funds and the goals for them before Xmas.
>>> My goal is we have 2 other funders matching 50% or more of the funds
>>> by then so they can be named in the Press Release.
>>>
>>> 2. I want to then announce in the press release that the original
>>> funders are challenging anyone else with resources to join this
>>> funding -- as part of this I was thinking it'd be cool to setup an
>>> individual fundraising effort too - let gamers, and individual
>>> developers provide funds to match the larger gifts.
>>>
>>> 3. In order to accomplish points 1 & 2 the goal would be to have a
>>> basic plan in place because the core goals of that plan would be
>>> articulated to the public so they can understand what the funds will
>>> hopefully accomplish.  Ultimately if we raised enough my hopes  
>>> are it
>>> would accomplish funding development of more accessibility
>>> technologies, standards, and SDKs to make it easier for all game
>>> developers to put these features in their games.  I also hope it
>>> might fund prototypes or games that are specific for people with
>>> disabilities like some of the audio only games we've seen from the
>>> community thus far.
>>>
>>> THANK YOU
>>> I've been following the work of the SIG and all of you here for
>>> sometime.  As I've said many times the work here is extremely
>>> relevant to the work I do on serious games, and games for health.
>>> I've been hoping to bring some funds to the table to help and while
>>> it's not as much as I wanted if I can parlay it with your help  
>>> into a
>>> large enough amount it hopefully can help be the fuel for the spark
>>> you've more then created.
>>>
>>> Thank you all,
>>>
>>> Ben
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> games_access mailing list
>>> games_access at igda.org
>>> http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access
>> .......................................
>> these are mediocre times and people are
>> losing hope. it's hard for many people
>> to believe that there are extraordinary
>> things inside themselves, as well as
>> others. i hope you can keep an open
>> mind.
>>  -- "unbreakable"
>> .......................................
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