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

Wed Nov 28 11:47:12 EST 2007

I know...it's just bad news coming on top of (personal) bad news and 
I really, really wanted one talk to get accepted in particular and 
that didn't happen. I'll get over it. I just wish I hadn't heard some 
inside talk that I heard and that was where my anger at myself was 
really, really coming from. It's like GDC 07 will NEVER end.

The latest reality I've learned is that only about 200 talks were 
accepted this year even though GDC is now MASSIVE (last year was the 
first year we saw their move towards being the WORLD CONGRESS OF 
GAMES (yes, I made that title up) and we couldn't begin to cover it 
with 15 of us!). Yes, I am a bit sore about putting even more work 
into it this year for 15 fewer passes -- if only we could flip years 
and have those passes we had last year for this year to do the things 
we wanted to do that might change our post-GDC outcome.

But there are a lot of things to work on, including re-strategizing 
for GDC. I have exactly the same number of passes to events and 
parties that I have passes (three). Eelke, Reid and I should get 
every shot we can think of to help prevent getting sick this year -- 
we have much to do.

Michelle

>Stop 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: <mailto:hinn at uiuc.edu>d. michelle hinn
>To: <mailto:games_access at igda.org>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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