Game Developer’s Conference Roundup

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OK, the GDC, the Game Developer's conference is over, and it's time for my geek-career roundup.

Now a bit of a disclaimer – I went for half a day mostly to hit the trade floor.  I'm very busy right now and the management track panels weren't anything I hadn't already done or taken.  The panels there looked quite good, it's just I've been doing the IT PM thing for . . . about six or more years.  In fact one of my teachers was there anyway.

So I wandered around, got my impressions, and analyzed what was going on in gaming and peripheral tech.  You know me – business via naturalistic observation.  Here's what impressed me.

  • It was lower-key than last year.  I'm not sure why this is, but I'm pretty sure it's the economy.
  • I saw a lot of new companies, some 1-3 years old, who provided services to gaming companies.  Most of these impressed me, some quite a bit, and many had very young staff.  I think it's clear people get that gaming is an industry with a lot of opportunity for "service" – consulting, mocap, testing, etc.  This shows many opportunities – and the maturing of the gaming industry.
  • Sony 3D and Move.  The Move was OK, looked decent, and interfaced OK with a camera.  The PS3 3D actually looked really good.  Good for Sony.
  • Saw lots of indie games, but nothing really sent me this year.  I'm wondering if the indie/retro scene is burning itself out.
  • Aggressive recruiting by other countries looking for companies and/or individuals willing to relocate temporarily or permanently to work there in the gaming industry.  The Canadians of course had this down to a science, but Scotland's reps were really good and savvy.  Northern European countries also had a strong presence.  This seemed more aggressive than last year, and I think fits the theory that some countries realize America's economy leaves it vulnerable to a brain drain.
  • Recruiting was surprisingly active for companies – I think that's a good sign job-wise.
  • I ran into the person who manages Charisma Plus 2 Models – a company that provides models for game events.  By models they don't just mean pretty faces – they mean people who know gaming, performances, and cover the different looks and knowledge a presentation may need.

My overall impression was positive, with some up-and comers and savvy people looking to adapt and take advantages of the worldwide economic changes and changes in the game industry.  I especially believe in the next few years (especially with attempts to save money by outsourcing) that "game industry service companies" have a bright future – even more than I believed last year.

Though they may be in Scotland, Canada, or Sweden if those recruiters have any say.

– Steven Savage

News of the Day 3/15/2010

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The Lehman Brothers fraud could sink Geitner, Microsoft spreads its wings phone-wise, and Broadband may rise to the occasion in the US. Get your motion metaphors in place – it's time for must-know geek career news!

Career:
A good look at elements of a successful project proposal, meant for freelance writers, but good in general for anyone who has to do proposals or has gone freelance.

In IT? Healthcare IT positions look promising.

Economics/Geekonomics:
Did Tim Geitner help hide Lehman Brothers Fraud? So much is brewing around Lehman Brothers it's hard to sort it all out. I keep thinking Geitner's days are numbered, and that there's more issues at the fed to be found. However I'm not buying there will be a Big Upcoming Crash – I think everyone involved is going to draw things out with the hope of no massive disruptions.

Media:
A useful roundup of cable alternatives

The state of the news by the numbers. The numbers don't exactly add up either, suggesting that there are going to still be changes in how people get news, how news makes money, and why.

Mobile:
Windows Phone 7 has Netflix, XBox Live support – As Microsoft goes for integration, just like everyone else. Are the Everything Wars turning into the Everything Peace? It seems an even more complex series of relationships are developing among various tech and media companies.

Publishing:
Just what is an e-book worth? A roudup on thoughts on the subject, and a good read. I especially like how it calls out the tension between big stores (KMart), booksellers, and customers – pricing is a big issue, moreso in a downturn.

Hachette launches a social media site. Hachette also owns Yen press, which we've been favorably impressed by. Sounds like they're hip and with it, and may indeed be resume worthy – and worth watching for how this project goes.

Psychology:
An interesting idea that people are avoiding TV to do more productive things. I wonder if some of fandom can fit this trend – inspired by media, it often involves a lot of productivity.

Technology:
MUST READ: A helpful summary of the FCC's national broadband plan. This is noteworthy for many reasons, from attempting to bring the US to high standards, to the money it may pump into providers (it is also part of the Re-investment and Recovery act), to how it was made by social media. Frankly I don't feel this is getting enough attention – something like this could be expanded further as a kind of high-tech recession-buster effort ala the past work in the Depression. Though if we get another banking collapse (above) maybe it'll become that . . .

CEO of eInk talks the future of the company. Never heard of eInk? They do the displays for lots of e-book readers, so you well may. It already looks like color displays are coming. These guys seem savvy, have a good market, and probably need your resume


Video Games:
A look at how a female game designer sought to make a level appeal to women – And what she learned.

Sony has it's Wii-like controller: and is already concerned about shovelware.

Infinity Ward founders sign with major talent agency – an agency that also represents Tom Hanks. Not only another chapter in the current soap opera, but a possible shift in how game talent manages itself. Could be useful if you're in gaming – or if you wonder about a career in talent management . . .


Web:
Twitter's new open platform is here – I am underwhelmed, and some of this sounds like it's browser-breaking (hoverovers?), but still Twitter is big news so let's see where this goes.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Could Hollywood Talent agencies – and other agencies – find fertile ground working with people in game design?

-Steven Savage

Book Update 3/15/2010

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And now the latest update on the Fan To Pro Book:

  • It's done and available at lulu.com.
  • It'll be available internationally through other stores in about 5-7 weeks.

 . . . and that's about it.  I'll be bringing copies to Chibi-Con for sale if anyone wants to buy an autographed copy.

Now what did I learn?

  • There really is a point to stop editing.  There are five errors I found in the latest copy of the book, one an arguable use of plurals, another an appendix subheading sizing, and three where I violated some of my preferred header punctuation rules.  I looked at this, realized that I'll be editing this thing forever, and just pushed the button to publish it.
  • In editing for style, I recommend going in "sweeps" – pick a style issue and spend time troubleshooting it throughout the book.  If it's headers sizes or formatting questions, etc. pick a subject and if possible do it in one go.  It's easier to focus on one thing.
  • In formatting and setting up a book know your word processor and take advantage of every time saving tool especially styles (for the non-word processing, styles lets you assign a style to parts of a book then with one go change that style and thus alter every part of the document using that style).  By using styles in Microsoft Word I was able to do all sorts of experiments with formatting fast.
  • Always assume a second edition – I did.  I even have a to-edit version ready to go and will probably do a second edition early 2011 to correct any errors and add any new information.
  • Lulu.com is overall easy to use – it reminds me of LinkedIn.com with some seriously impressive formatting and publishing tools.  It's practical, actually simple in many cases, and is focused on doing whats important over flash in most cases.  In a few cases some of the workflow seemed clunky and the design philosophies didn't seem consistent, but that's a minor argument – the company, to put it simply, built an entire web-based publishing system, and when you see it work, it's impressive.
  • Covers are still a pain.
  • Again as I harp on the fear that self-publishing will produce a wave of lousy stuff (well more lousy than some of the stuff out there) is an illusion.  It takes a lot of effort and commitment and knowledge to get a book out there.  That's a filter for both quality AND dedication right there.
  • I need to start buying more small press books.  There's all sorts of neat stuff out there.

So there you go.  Now will I continue this update series?  Probably intermittently, ramping it up for the next books.

Books?  You got it.  Stay tuned . . .

– Steven Savage