[IGDA_indies] SIG Focus?

[Brandon J. Van Every]

Jason Della Rocca wrote:
>
> Perhaps having a central meta-resource/pointers that is unbiased and
> readily available to any and everyone would help get some
> indies rolling much faster and avoid many of the pitfalls early on.

Except, I'm leaping ahead to imagine the inevitable condition, whereby a
long list of URLs is made, and it's just a long unsorted list of
gobbledygook, and half of 'em are old and broken, because the IGDA
volunteers have no particular incentive to keep the links 'live' and
'known useful'.  The reason people probably should use Google, is they
will thereby go directly to live information that website authors have a
vested interest in maintaining.

If I could figure out a way to get volunteers to prove the utility of
all sorts of links and resources, and do concise writeups about why
"this site is good, that site is good," then I would be more keen on
this project.  But I don't see volunteers ever maintaining it at a high
level of quality.  I am thinking it's the ideal sort of thing for a paid
staff position.

Lacking someone who's really focused and really on the ball about all
these resources, i.e. lacking a professional CyberLibrarian, then I
think people should learn to use Google.  And forums.  Asking other
people "Hey, where do I find out about X?" is the least painful way to
acquire oodles of info on various game development subjects.

Now, this hints to me that forums, both real and virtual, are quite
valuable.  Since virtual forums can be had in abundance all over the
net, this returns me to the importance of local face-to-face meetings.
For instance, I understand Functional Programming much better for having
started a local Seattle group about it, than what I got out of talking
to people online.  Not because I'm dense and can't read things online,
but because when you have someone knowledgeable in front of you, you can
access their knowledge quickly and often serendipitously.

> Face-to-face in what context/setting? Learning? Social/fun?
> Project/work oriented?

Every local group I start centers around drinking beer at The Stumbling
Monk, a Belgian pub in Capital Hill.  This sort of venue works well when
a group is first formed, i.e. when only 3..6 people show up.  I don't
see a reason to distinguish what people choose to talk about.  The
important point is to bring interested / interesting people together
over beer.  They will then do the rest.  And if they don't, I'll prod
them.  :-)

> If it is more for the learning and socializing aspects, that
> is already
> being addressed by regular IGDA chapters (while some are
> better organized
> than others), there is nothing inherently limiting involved of indies.

Seattle Sputnik is not indie focused, however.  In fact for me
personally it's indie boring.  Too many Microsoft "hey look at this
DirectX thingamabob we want to market to all you programmers!" lectures.
Maybe I'm being unfair, as there have been some good lectures too.  I
certainly haven't put the elbow grease into changing anything.  I could
talk a lot about how Sputnik IGDA, at least as of last year, wasn't
particularly social.  The "schmooze" just wasn't happening.

When I go to a Sputnik meeting, I know there's going to be a lecture.
My decision on whether to go amounts to "do I want to hear someone drone
on about something, or is it actually a subject I really want to know
about?"  A person who 'declines the drone' enough times develops a habit
of skipping meetings.  Never do I think, "Oh cool!  I'm going to see A,
B, C, D, and E person again, and we're going to talk about cool things X
Y Z P D Q."  Which is exactly the opposite from the groups I organize
myself.  I personally get a lot more professional value out of
discussion and debate than I do out of lectures.

One of the better Sputnik meetings I went to was one where we actually
talked the whole time, instead of listening to someone's lecture.  It
got many more people involved.  It was a planning meeting, the subject
was something like "what are we going to do?"  Many good things were
said; I didn't act upon them, and it was quite some time ago.  I've been
under a rock the past year.

If I were to run a local group, I would call it "Indie Beer."


Cheers,                     www.indiegamedesign.com
Brandon Van Every           Seattle, WA

When no one else sells courage, supply and demand take hold.

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