[games_access] Fw: GDC 2008: Not that bad...

Wed Nov 28 11:17:46 EST 2007

GDC 2008: VERY Bad NewsStop beating yourself up, Michelle!

We still have a prescence at GDC and that is good - but this isn't the be all and end all. There are so many unexpolored avenues and places we've only dipped a toe in left to try. We're doing okay! We're building membership and awareness. Let's keep chipping away at developers because we all want to see a mainstream developer start to take on board what we are saying. We will get lots of knock backs - but eventually we'll find a chink and things will start to build for disabled gamers as a whole.

We go forwards!

Barrie

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: d. michelle hinn 
  To: IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List 
  Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2007 8:25 PM
  Subject: [games_access] GDC 2008: VERY Bad News

  Ok...

  So remember when I was writing for days straight for all the GDC submissions without a whole lot of help? All submissions have been accepted now so we have some bad, bad music to face. I never did put up all the final submissions on the WIKI -- I was too tired after the deadline and it doesn't matter as much now. I'll get them up for archive reasons.

  Well...we've been hit by reality this year. I hate to bring this up again but I feel that I have to -- A lot of public word got out about our big post-GDC fight last year (it's archived on the net...). I'm not saying that it was any one person or any one comment -- I can't even look at the archive without beating myself up about it because I felt like I had really, really let everyone down. I got the proposals and the passes but I couldn't make our showing work in the best way possible. I couldn't be everywhere advertising our sessions. I was far from perfect, we were all far from perfect, we had big dreams but not enough people doing the work. I'm not saying everything goes back to that but we had a big year last year, had more than enough passes for everyone...and that was then. It's hard for me...well, it's very sad for me to realize that we had it so great last year and we didn't recognize it, we didn't have enough real help when push came to shove (or suitcase pulling came to suitcase pulling back and forth every day to the convention center). All the "should of" "would have" "could have" things are coming back to haunt me. I stopped flogging myself about this a while ago and thought that I had come to peace with it but I realize now that I still haven't stopped flogging myself about not being superhuman. I know. I know. Stop it.

  So...we only had one proposal accepted. All the acceptances are in now. Reid's [cc] poster (downgraded from a 20 minute talk but I think this will get more people) submission. [https://www.cmpevents.com/GD08/a.asp?option=C&V=11&SessID=6456]

  The other two were IGDA solicited (ie, they did not go through the system) -- accessibility arcade and the SIG meet and greet. That buys us two more passes -- one is mine since I'm SIG chair and one was for Eelke for the meet and greet because he helped on the proposals.

  I'm going to try and talk to everyone I can think of to try and get a few more passes because one of those is a roundtable and was solicited by IGDA (that was NOT in the proposal process) and it's accessibility arcade. To pull that off, we need more people. I hope that this gets us a few more passes.

  The booth is out of question unless we can get some SERIOUS money FAST. I am trying every angle I can think of but so far no luck. The booth SPACE costs $5100 for 10x10 booth -- add on about $3000 more for the "required" minimum of stuff we have to provide...no way. IF we get an expo booth it will get us more EXPO passes, which will restrict those with these passes to just being able to get into the expo area (no talks, etc). That's the reality.

  I'm sorry to have to tell you this and I'm sorry for the anger/sadness in my tone. We are not going to be able to bring everyone we want to. I cannot say when or if I'll hear if we can get more passes. I know some of you have already made flight and hotel arrangements. If you are one of these people, please check with your airlines, etc for the last date to cancel without penalty.

  So three passes...that's it. That's where we are at. I will let you know if the pass situation changes but for now it doesn't look great. We now have fifteen fewer passes so those of us in attendance are going to have to try and talk our asses off at GDC.

  Michelle

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