[IGDA_indies] possible focus/purpose

[C Ratchet]

I certainly agree with Indie Game Design as a good focus, being a 
designer myself...
but I know not everyone will probably agree with that...

Ratchet

On Feb 9, 2005, at 2:46 AM, Brandon J. Van Every wrote:

> Jason Della Rocca wrote:
>>
>> As always, a big challenge is finding those who'd be willing
>> to lead such efforts and contribute effort.
>>
>> Thoughts? Feedback?
>
> On every developer's mind, is the vexing question, "What do I get out 
> of
> this?"  We can hope for altruism, but I'm afraid that those who have 
> the
> most to contribute, generally have the least incentive to contribute 
> it.
> Meanwhile, you've got people like myself floundering just to get their
> ideas turned into code, who haven't got much to contribute about the 
> biz
> / legal end of things.
>
> I think "this is infrastructure to make somebody, possibly myself,
> millions of dollars" rings hollow.  Making that kind of dough requires 
> a
> lot of personal effort, towards one's personal projects.  Call me
> cynical, but I just spent 1.5 years trying to get open source 
> volunteers
> to do various biz oriented things.  I'm convinced that absent money,
> people won't do diddly doo.
>
> I'm concerned that if "making money" is the rationale - however 
> sensible
> it may appear at first glance - it's going to fall apart quickly.  As
> such, it sounds like an invitation to do work, with large time
> committments and unlikely payoffs.  Detaching from other people's
> processes in order to find one's own "better way" is pretty much what
> makes people indies in the 1st place.
>
> I think there are other things a SIG can be organized around.  This
> brings me back to the question of Craft.  Back when the IGDA itself was
> deciding on its mission statement, and that questionnaire was handed
> out, I was a proponent of (1) Advocacy (2) Craft.  When the voting was
> done, we got (1), but not (2) as that was deemed redundant to all sorts
> of other stuff already out there.  Instead we got "Community."
>
> Well, Communities need reasons to exist.  One of the ways they can
> exist, is passion for Craft.  It's core to all the face-to-face groups
> I've managed to put together and actually sustain, at any rate.
>
> I think there are at least 2 species of Indie, and possibly more:
> - those who want financial control of their own projects
> - those who think mainstream games completely, utterly suck
>
> I'm one of the latter.  The drive to "innovate," the passion for Craft,
> is what defines me as a game developer.  It doesn't define everybody.  
> I
> have to keep that in mind when I judge the IGF, that just getting more
> people in control of their IP is a worthy goal in and of itself.  A 
> game
> doesn't have to be innovation this, innovation that, to be stalking the
> IGF.  It could be going for the Technical Excellence or Audience Choice
> awards.  Nevertheless, my frustration with the dearth of innovation in
> the mainstream game industry, makes it pretty clear to me that an 
> "Indie
> Game Design SIG" would have a raison d'etre.  In a way that an "Indie
> SIG" probably does not.
>
> The difference is passion.  Passion can sustain groups.
>
> The abstract formula here is, "What are some people both focused and
> passionate about?"  Doesn't have to be innovation, my personal concern.
> Could be whatever *you* think is most important.  But it has to be
> something.  Without focus and passion, no pulse.
>
> One quickly thinks, "Why Indie Game Design SIG?  Why not just Game
> Design SIG?"  Good question.  I haven't explored what other IGDA game
> designers are focused and passionate about, so I don't have a good /
> fair answer at this time.
>
> I do think, however, that to dismiss more specific groups out of hand,
> in favor of more inclusive umbrella groups... can be misguided.
> Similarly, "Well, we don't need to do that, other people somewhere on
> the net already do that!" can also be misguided.  Why?  Because it robs
> people of their passions.  If you want to build an organization of
> volunteers, you need to work with their passions.  Where the heck else
> do you think you're going to get the energy from?  Sheer discipline?
> People ain't gettin' paid for this.  When people ain't gettin' paid,
> they do what they *want* to do.
>
>
> Cheers,                     www.indiegamedesign.com
> Brandon Van Every           Seattle, WA
>
> When no one else sells courage, supply and demand take hold.
>
>
>
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---
 From Ratchet (Mikey Lubker)
Lead Coordinator of the IGDA Indie SIG: http://igda.org/indie

Check out my projects: http://sf.net/users/ratchet

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