[games_access] A quick update from GDC

[Thomas Westin]

Hi all,

Just would like to tell you all that GDC 2015 has been a great success, and we still have one more session to go with Tara presenting at 3 pm today (in room 304, south hall). At the panel yesterday, we had at least 100 attendants (anyone counted?) and at the roundtable 34 people attended, which is more than twice the number from last year, most of which are new SIG members to be signed up this mailing list soon. We got a lot of positive feedback from people after both sessions, so all the longtime hard work is finally paying off. We now also have a clear meta-goal to focus on, based on the survey and feedback from people at GDC: that is, education.

It feels like we have made a breakthrough at GDC for the first time in years - we had some great success in the past with the IGDA Accessibility Day and the IGDA Accessibility Arcades but those events were some time ago :) Combined with all the other things happening with funding by Creative Europe, Film Victoria, Screen Australia etc. I feel very confident that we are on the right track.

Thanks a bunch to Ian, Richard and Tara for doing a tremendeous job with presenting, creating flyers and talking to people. Also, my thoughts go to Michelle who could not attend as her mom got seriously ill just before GDC. Finally, thanks also to DAGERS and Ian for arranging the Accessibility Drinks and CMP for highlighting our panel on the GDC website and allowing all passes to attend the advocacy track. Thanks also to everyone else who contributed in various ways which I’ve not been able to describe here. All these efforts combined has really helped making this breakthrough. I’m very proud to be part of this process and all highly competent people involved.

I will post notes from the roundtable as soon as I get back home and include notes about Tara’s speech.

Best,
Thomas