[games_access] GDC 2008: VERY Bad News

Fri Nov 30 13:20:23 EST 2007

Sounds like a challenge.  It's too bad there was a bad reputation now about
our group.  Just feels the fighter though to get the word out about our
initiatives even more.  Still baffles my mind like game accessibility is
just not excepted at all by the mainstream game design community.  Until
someday, some mainstream game designers are injured and can't find their
favorite games anymore and then we'll see.  But apparently the last 20 years
they've all been pretty invulnerable.

Robert

  _____  

From: games_access-bounces at igda.org [mailto:games_access-bounces at igda.org]
On Behalf Of d. michelle hinn
Sent: Friday, November 30, 2007 12:48 PM
To: IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List
Subject: Re: [games_access] GDC 2008: VERY Bad News

Hey,

The only feedback I've gotten was informal from people I know who work there
-- the sessions weren't judged on content as much as based on low numbers of
attendees and a lot of bad press from GDC07 (many people on the advisory
boards for each section (audio, design, etc) gossiped, Idol participants
complained...and, yeah, that web archive was mentioned -- google, etc are
not our friends). So we live and learn. I'm not going to go into specifics
because it will hurt us to go into it and we don't need that -- There's too
much to do and we cannot spend the little time we have until GDC08 talking
about what happened after GDC07. I know I brought it up because, yes, I was
angry that morning because the low number of acceptances for this year was
what I was afraid might happen. But I was also angry because I really,
really killed myself over the proposals for this year.

Unfortunately, it's not academia so they won't ever provide us with concrete
comments or a feedback page about what we could have done better/differently
or even what they hated. And it's not a blind review either. Basically this
year we need to atone and re-earn respect as a group. From what I've heard,
however, if you have never had a proposal accepted that you turned in, they
were EVEN MORE likely to not take a chance on your proposal...so I guess we
are lucky that we got three sessions (two were solicited but even those went
through a bit of a review as well).

So when you say you can pay your own way...do you mean that you want to buy
your own pass?

We'll have accessibility arcade and the meet and greet to show some stuff at
-- we won't have as much room but we should have stuff for people to look at
and some of the stuff are great conversation starters. So we won't need as
much this year -- my broken controller (the Quad Controller that has now
been broken TWICE by airport security so it really looks bad) is quite the
conversation piece. I think I could have just carried that around at
FuturePlay all day to get the word out about accessibility! :D

Michelle

Hi,

I'm sorry to hear about the passes. I'll be driving from Reno to SF so I can
take all my accessible hardware if need be. (If there is space to demo
them?)

Michelle, did they provide us with specific feedback on those proposals?
what were the main criteria for not accepting them?

I can pay my own way to GDC since I have some money left from my grant that
I need to spend before august, after UNR decided not to approve my travel
request to Futureplay. Besides it's cheap for me to go there anyway.

Cheers Eelke

On 27/11/2007, Reid Kimball <reid at rbkdesign.com> wrote:

While this is isn't the ideal situation it's not a total loss for the
group and we have to work within our resources to do the best we can.

If only three of us can come, then I suggest we don't bring any
hardware accessories. Instead, let's create flyer's and brochures
about the accessories. Maybe even produce videos of people using them.

I also recommend that because we are a smaller group this year, we try
to have personal meetings with game developers to talk about how we
can help them.

-Reid

On Nov 27, 2007 12:25 PM, d. michelle hinn < <mailto:hinn at uiuc.edu>
hinn at uiuc.edu> wrote:
>
>
> 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>
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
> _______________________________________________
> games_access mailing list
> games_access at igda.org
> http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access
>
>
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Eelke Folmer                           Assistant Professor
Department of CS&E/171
University of Nevada              Reno, Nevada 89557
Game interaction design        www.helpyouplay.com
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