Game Development: From beginner to journeyman

The GameCafé concept is a fresh spin on the old roundtable discussion format, with a greater emphasis on intimate interactions in a more casual setting. For our next GameCafé we will explore the future of work in the game industry at three different levels:

• Personal Career Level (eg, professional development, credit/trackrecord, quality of life, etc)
• Team/Studio Level (eg, corporate structures, team dynamics, production methods, outsourcing, etc)
• Industry Level (eg, business models, economic forces, impact of globalization, etc)

Each participant will have the opportunity to explore and discuss all three topics, as well as participate in a group-wide “debrief” at the end.

When I first read the invitation I told myself “I want to be part of that discussion! I want to learn more about my future work! This is going to be great!” So I sent my rsvp to Jason. Just after I hit the send button I started to panic … “what if I don’t have anything to say. I’m not yet in this industry, I can’t really make comments and suggestions if I don’t know what I’m talking about.” Once again, the guys and gals at IGDA proved me wrong. As always, they were very welcoming and willing to hear input from other industry.

My kudos of this GameCafé goes to Ben Mattes who was moderating an Industry Level table. He really knew how to “point/counterpoint” and bring new light to the subject at hand while going out to put money back in his parking meter.