[IGDA_indies] schmooze dynamics

Tue Feb 1 15:31:56 EST 2005

At the local university game developers meeting (not IGDA but works 
with the IGDA chapter quite a bit I believe - I think the former 
president of the UT meet is now the IGDA chapter's head) it's basically 
in a classroom... and I think we have a pretty good "schmooze 
factor"...
so being young is good too...
they have pizza.

Ratchet

On Jan 31, 2005, at 2:49 PM, Brandon J. Van Every wrote:

> 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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---
 From Ratchet (Mikey Lubker)
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