[IGDA_indies] schmooze dynamics

[Brandon J. Van Every]

Jason Della Rocca wrote:
>
> For example, in Montreal, we usually have 1-hour of formal
> lecturing on a
> hot topic with broad appeal. Then we spend 2-hours+ at the
> bar schmoozing.
> This formula works well, and the Montreal chapter welcomes
> over 200 folks
> per meeting (pro developers, indies, students, hw/sw vendors,
> etc, etc).

We have a problem in that many of our meetings are hosted at Digipen.
Digipen is very generous, and I love the pizza, but it means lotsa
students at any given meeting.  This changes the dynamics of a meeting:
fewer pros show up, because they don't want to talk to students for some
reason.  A fantastic lecturer can change this, but there's no beer.  No
bar dynamic at Digipen.

Schmooze factor is higher at Microsoft-hosted events, as they're
typically catered and provide bottled beer.  But I still wouldn't call
it a high level of schmooze.  Lotsa people show up, but maybe their
motive is they work at Microsoft and it's easy for them to do?  As in,
they really didn't come to schmooze.  They come for a lecture and free
food; then they split.

I am curious: those of you with "healthy" schmooze dynamics at your
meetings, do you typically hold your meetings at urban bars?  Maybe
having meetings be a little more difficult to get to is an important
selection mechanism.  Maybe "The Digipen Crowd" and "The Microsoft
Crowd" aren't inherently good crowds for schmoozing.

Lectures can also be too long.  Sometimes one guy drones on and on;
other times, 2 lectures have been scheduled.  So where's the time to say
something oneself?  People aren't going to stick around to schmooze when
their brains have been drained for 2 hours by some guy talking.  Keeping
it down to 1 hour sounds like a good idea.

We met at a restaurant once.  People tended to get stuck at whatever
tables they first sat down at.  I think, being proactive, I managed to
sit at 2 different 4-person tables in the course of the evening.  That's
not much of a schmooze.  Probably an open room is a better dynamic.

> I'll reiterate my point that the IGDA chapter structure is
> not inherently
> anti-indie. Sure, if one chapter has more pros in the area,
> and those pros
> are involved, then the chapter will likely have a more pro flavor.

Um, "indie" doesn't mean "amateur," if that was your muddled thinking
when you wrote that sentence.  :-)  It usually does mean differences in
workflow and budget.  I don't think the Seattle IGDA has an anti-indie
problem.  I think it has an anti-schmoozing problem.

> But, nothing is stopping an indie from getting involved and
> volunteering
> some time to coordinate social/bar events. In Seattle, you
> could offer to
> organize a bi-monthly mixer at a local pub for the chapter...

Yes I could.  Had all the great intentions to do that, once upon a time.
What did I actually do?  I organized an Art Gang! and a ML SIG.
Recently I joined a Digital Photography group.  I forgot all about the
IGDA.  Why is that?  I think, because these other groups I've started or
participate in are much more tightly focused.  For instance, at Art
Gang! the point is to show up and draw, or paint, or take photos, or
whatever, and be social about it.  Being social while doing art is it's
only raison d'etre.  If you don't like people jabbering at you when you
draw, you stay home and don't need an Art Gang!

So I suppose I would start a Game Design SIG, and put some effort into a
semi-focus for each meeting.

> Creating a separate "indie chapter" doesn't make sense.

Well, a local indie *SIG* would.  It would be a recurring social outing,
focused on indie stuff.  I'm seeing 3 different things I personally
could do here:

- try to solve Seattle Sputnik IGDA's underlying schmooze problems
- run a Game Design SIG
- run an Indie SIG

Before I make any committments, I think I should get back into the
simpler drill of attending local IGDA meetings.  Aside from having 3 of
my own groups to contend with already, I'm currently carless and
jobless, so I'd like to see those things settle out first.  In principle
I'm interested in doing all 3 of the above things, however.

Oh, and the Seattle Meetup.com people had an inaugural Game Development
meeting recently.  I don't know if it's going to go anywhere.  I wasn't
at the 1st meeting.  The initial participants are awfully keen to do a
project, and one guy seems Linux-oriented.  I said I'm only interested
in the projects I was already toying with doing.  I pick them for
probably being on the young side, as we're currently arguing over
whether to meet in a bar or not, "so as not to exclude the underage."  I
wonder if I've been sufficiently patronizing about their non-commercial
bent?  :-)  Anyways I don't know if this group is going to go anywhere.
I will ask whether they're aware of Sputnik IGDA.


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

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

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