Wednesday, January 19, 2011
IGDA Indonesia Clarification Letter
I'm speaking on behalf of IGDA Indonesia chapter officers. With this letter i would like to clarify the exist ency of IGDA Indonesia on several social media.
IGDA Indonesia ONLY have a Facebook group site
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=122334884476227
this group was formed last year, based on the request from IGDA mother-ship to achieve better communications with international chapters (chapters outside US).
www.igda.org as the official website for IGDA all over the world used to have a forum for each chapter, including Indonesia. But it didn't work out for some reason, that's why the IGDA board decided to use Facebook and Twitter to communicate better. And it works perfectly.
Now the as you can see IGDA Indonesia group has more than 200 members, and well connected to other South-East Asia chapters, and under supervision of IGDA mother-ship.
We as IGDA chapter officers around the world has also have separate group, continuously discussing matters of game developers around the world. We updated each other, and our updates can be traced back to our IGDA chapter group.
For the past 3 years, IGDA Indonesia has serve the game developer community as the "face" of Indonesia's game developers and as a very effective communication channel.
Proven last year by Gameloft, who got information about Indonesia from IGDA networks. Now Gameloft is open at Yogyakarta with the help of the chapter coordinator Mr.Samuel Henry. Simply because we have good communication among chapters.
At last we apologize to have this things slip our hands and cause confusion, and we would like to clarify once again that we don't have any FB page or Twitter account under any name except from what we mentioned above.
IGDA Indonesia is still free at the moment and any game developers or game developer enthusiast who wants to join or help, we welcome you
Marlin Sugama
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Pendaftaran INAICTA 2010 telah dibuka!
Indonesia ICT Award 2009 (INAICTA 2010) adalah ajang lomba karya cipta kreativitas dan inovasi di bidang teknologi informasi dan komunikasi berskala nasional. INAICTA 2010 diselenggarakan komunitas teknologi informasi dan komunikasi di tanah air, dengan dukungan penuh dari Kementerian Komunikasi dan Informatika.
Pendaftaran INAICTA 2010 tahun ini telah dibuka mulai tanggal 20 april-20 mei 2010. Kategori lomba yang dibuka adalah sebagai berikut:
A. PROFESSIONAL
- E-Government
- E-Business for Enterprise
- E-Business for SMEs
- E-Learning
- Digital Animation
- Digital Interactive Media
- Computer Generated Imagery (2D/3D)
- Tools and Infrastructure
- Research and Development
- OpenSource
- Digital
- Mobile Application and Content
B. STUDENT
- Student Project
- Obstacle
- Maze Solving Robot
- Karya kreatif berupa konten yang memberikan solusi penyampaian komunikasi dan solusi dengan menggunakan nilai-nilai estetis, antara lain:
- New Media, seperti internet art, interactive art technologies, misalnya: new media digunakan untuk mensimulasikan biotechnology dan computer robotics.
- Interactive Advertising, yaitu penggunaan interactive media online/offline sebuah brand/produk untuk berkomunikasi secara persuasif dan interaktif dengan konsumen.
- Video Game Production, yaitu electronic game yang melibatkan interaksi dengan graphical user interface untuk menghasilkan feedback visual.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
3D And Beyond
Perkembangan bisnis 3d game dan modelling semakin meningkat terutama di asia. Sony sedang merencanakan untuk mengeluarkan produk 3D TV, dan ditaregtkan untuk pasar pengguna PS3 yang sudah mencapai 10 juta user.
Di indonesia sendiri, berbagai studio game makin merambah bisnis 3d game dan 3d design. Mulai dari 3d game mobile sampai online learning , salah satunya adalah 3d simulation yang dikembangkan pak samuel henry. Dengan selera pasar yang berminat pada virtual realm environment, game dan simulasi 3d dapat memiliki target pasar berupa berbagai komunitas dan usia yang berbeda.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Talented Young Game Developers at geMasTIK II 2009
The event was held in Bandung, in the new campus of IT Telkom. Even though the campus location is on the outer border of Bandung, the event received 2753 registrations from 104 universities all across Indonesia, a surprising number for an event without ATL promotion.
(http://www.gemastik.com/2009/plugins/contest_statistic/stats_user.php)
(http://www.gemastik.com/2009/plugins/contest_statistic/stats_lomba.php)
I was lucky enough to get the invitation and experienced the event first hand, there are things that impressed me thus encourage me to write this note.
Surprising quality from the finalist;
12 finalist are entitled to present their work in front of external judges, and i was expecting for flash single player casual games, i even made a note on my judging form to give perfect score for any team who managed to develop multiplayer flash games.
The next thing happened, really open my eyes on how the students creativity level has increased since i enter the game development industry 2001. Some of the product presented not just have multi player engine, but also experimenting on the user interface. Products that caught my attention are:
- Veda, developed by ITB students (Cahaya team)
what's so unique? they developed a multipoint user interface that allow, up 6 mouse pointers on one screen and wrapped it up with education game for children 6-12 years old. They offer this solution for elementary school that dont have computer lab or only have budget for several computer.
The engine and application was built using C sharp, and prepare the application for customizable content (e.g teach culture, math, language). For the "bonus" level they added voice recognition feature for children to practice their intonation for certain language.
This game ended up as the winner of the game development contest
-Nusa, developed by ITTelkom Students (Palapa team)
what's so unique? The game was ordinary, but what make the product interesting was the research and preparation the team made. Before they made the game, they did a survey to some kindergartens across Bandung, and ask the teachers about favorite things their students have. After the prototype is released the came back to the kindergartens and test the game to the students and again ask for the teachers opinions (they presented a video for these interviews). Then, they develop a parental guide on how to teach the children to play the game, and stated what will the children learn after they played certain games.
To the children attention even more, they added story telling feature, a simple voice recorded but very useful for their "toddler" target market who mostly haven't been able to read.
This is something i wouldnt have think of as a students. Their product is so ready to be marketed, it has gone beyond my expectations for student's projects.
This game ended up as the runner up of the game development contest
- Gamelan, developed by ITS Students
what's so unique? the experiment of using stereo camera to play musical game that teach how to play gamelan. The game need a camera (in this case the team use PS3 camera) to capture body part movement. The software is able to tell the different between skin color and cloth color, it only capture the skin part, so when the player head and hands move it translate them to game inputs.
Unfortunately, the amount of time given is not enough to develop a full functional product. There are still problems when the room is not bright enough and how to manage more flexible camera position, but the idea and the experiment has caught the judges attention.
Looking forward for the same event next year and hope the winner/finalist of the contest have opportunities to continue their work.
Talented Young Game Developers at geMasTIK II 2009
The event was held in Bandung, in the new campus of IT Telkom. Even though the campus location is on the outer border of Bandung, the event received 2753 registrations from 104 universities all across Indonesia, a surprising number for an event without ATL promotion.
(http://www.gemastik.com/2009/plugins/contest_statistic/stats_user.php)
(http://www.gemastik.com/2009/plugins/contest_statistic/stats_lomba.php)
I was lucky enough to get the invitation and experienced the event first hand, there are things that impressed me thus encourage me to write this note.
Surprising quality from the finalist;
12 finalist are entitled to present their work in front of external judges, and i was expecting for flash single player casual games, i even made a note on my judging form to give perfect score for any team who managed to develop multiplayer flash games.
The next thing happened, really open my eyes on how the students creativity level has increased since i enter the game development industry 2001. Some of the product presented not just have multi player engine, but also experimenting on the user interface. Products that caught my attention are:
- Veda, developed by ITB students (Cahaya team)
what's so unique? they developed a multipoint user interface that allow, up 6 mouse pointers on one screen and wrapped it up with education game for children 6-12 years old. They offer this solution for elementary school that dont have computer lab or only have budget for several computer.
The engine and application was built using C sharp, and prepare the application for customizable content (e.g teach culture, math, language). For the "bonus" level they added voice recognition feature for children to practice their intonation for certain language.
This game ended up as the winner of the game development contest
-Nusa, developed by ITTelkom Students (Palapa team)
what's so unique? The game was ordinary, but what make the product interesting was the research and preparation the team made. Before they made the game, they did a survey to some kindergartens across Bandung, and ask the teachers about favorite things their students have. After the prototype is released the came back to the kindergartens and test the game to the students and again ask for the teachers opinions (they presented a video for these interviews). Then, they develop a parental guide on how to teach the children to play the game, and stated what will the children learn after they played certain games.
To the children attention even more, they added story telling feature, a simple voice recorded but very useful for their "toddler" target market who mostly haven't been able to read.
This is something i wouldnt have think of as a students. Their product is so ready to be marketed, it has gone beyond my expectations for student's projects.
This game ended up as the runner up of the game development contest
- Gamelan, developed by ITS Students
what's so unique? the experiment of using stereo camera to play musical game that teach how to play gamelan. The game need a camera (in this case the team use PS3 camera) to capture body part movement. The software is able to tell the different between skin color and cloth color, it only capture the skin part, so when the player head and hands move it translate them to game inputs.
Unfortunately, the amount of time given is not enough to develop a full functional product. There are still problems when the room is not bright enough and how to manage more flexible camera position, but the idea and the experiment has caught the judges attention.
Looking forward for the same event next year and hope the winner/finalist of the contest have opportunities to continue their work.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
INAICTA 2009 Winners, Official Press Release
Acara Pemberian Apresiasi Bidang Telematika Mencapai Puncaknya Pada Malam Pengenugerahan INAICTA 2009
Jakarta, 30 Juli 2009 — Panitia INAICTA 2009 tadi malam mengumumkan pemenang kompetisi tahun ini pada malam penganugerahan yang dihadiri oleh Menteri Komunikasi dan Informatika, Mohammad Nuh. Acara apresiasi bidang TIK (Teknologi Informasi dan Komunikasi) yang mendapat dukungan penuh dari Departemen Komunikasi dan Informatika ini bekerjasama dengan berbagai komunitas, asosiasi, dan organisasi yang terkait dengan bidang teknologi informasi dan komunikasi di tanah air.
Diluncurkan pada 20 Februari 2009, acara yang tahun ini mengangkat tema ‘Digital Creative for Nation Building’ mempunyai visi memposisikan TIK sebagai salah satu variabel kunci untuk meningkatkan martabat bangsa Indonesia di dunia international. Melalui proses selama empat bulan yang meliputi pendaftaran, seleksi, dan penjurian akhirnya dihasilkan 70 nominator dari 14 kategori penghargaan.
“Amanat Presiden bahwa kontribusi dari ekonomi kreatif bisa mendorong, mempercepat, dan memperluas GDP Indonesia. Kontribusi dapat dilakukan dengan berbagai cara, antara lain memberi ruang inovasi dan kreativitas di masyarakat, penyelenggaraan INAICTA 2009 sangat sesuai dengan amanat tersebut,” jelas Menkominfo, M. Nuh.
Tujuan utama diselenggarakannya INAICTA 2009 adalah meningkatkan kreativitas para profesional di bidang TIK, mendorong pemanfaatan dan pertumbuhan TIK di semua lini industri, juga mempersiapkan pelaku TIK lokal untuk menghadapi kompetisi global. Peserta yang mengikuti perlombaan karya cipta kreativitas dan inovasi di bidang TIK pada tahun 2009 ini mengalami peningkatan signifikan, baik dalam kuantitas maupun kualitas. Lebih dari 700 peserta melakukan pendaftaran secara online di situs resmi INAICTA 2009 (www.inaicta.web.id) sejak 20 Februari 2009.
Dalam rangka peningkatan kualitas karya yang dipilih, proses penjurian tahun ini juga mengalami perubahan drastis. Peserta harus melalui tahap-tahap penjurian yang ketat, termasuk harus dapat mempresentasikan dan mendemokan karyanya di hadapan juri. Jajaran juri juga mengalami peningkatan kualitas, terdiri dari gabungan seluruh komponen TIK terkemuka di Indonesia termasuk di dalamnya praktisi, akademis, digital marketer, animator, maupun wakil dari industri. Setelah melalui seuruh proses tersebut, pemenang akan diumumkan pada Malam Penganugerahan INAICTA 2009 tanggal 29 Juli 2009 yang akan datang.
Peningkatan inovasi, kreativitas, dan kualitas peserta INAICTA tahun ini juga terbukti dengan tertariknya perusahaan industri TIK dan perbankan terkemuka di Indonesia berpartisipasi dalam Business Matching Program (BMP), dimana pihak pengembang karya dipertemukan dengan investor dan pihak pembeli potensial serta didorong menjadi sebuah industri baru.
“Karya-karya yang masuk nominasi mempunyai kualitas yang tinggi. Tahun ini kami melengkapi dengan Business Matching Program yang akan mengawal mereka menjadi entrepreneur. Sudah saatnya kita menghargai karya Digital Creative anak bangsa,” papar Hari Sungkari, Ketua Panitia INAICTA 2009. “Kami mengucapkan selamat atas keberhasilan para pemenang dan bangsa Indonesia turut bangga akan karya-karya anda. Semoga keberhasilan ini menjadi pemicu semangat bagi para talenta TI yang dimiliki oleh Indonesia.”
Adapun daftar pemenang di tiap kategori pada INAICTA 2009 adalah:
Kategori: Student Project - SD
Winner: Watch The Sign (Narendra Pradana Nugroho)
Merit: Rental Game Maniac (Andre Rizky)
Kategori: Student Project - SMP
Winner: Pengunci Komputer (Jonathan C)
Kategori: Student Project - SMA/SMK
Winner: Kardinal (Fauzan Helmi Sudaryanto)
Merit: Click Home (Agus Arif Rahman)
Kategori: Student Project - University
Winner: Interactive Table (Hendro Wibowo)
Merit: Pembuatan Generator dan Solver Permainan Sudoku (Reden Tanago)
Kategori: e-Bussiness Enterprise
Winner: ARMES (Ade Karsa)
Merit: Invesment Management System (Boyke Bader)
Kategori e-Bussiness SME
Winner: Ayofoto.com - Online Stock Photo Provider (Dibya Pradana)
Kategori: e-Learning
Winner: Biotech Multimedia Interactive (A. Riza Wahono)
Merit: ”Morning!” (Indra Purnama)
Special Mention: MLM for The Blind (Erik)
Kategori: Digital Animation
Winner: Hebring 2 (Andi)
Merit: Good Bye World (Aryanto Yuniawan)
Kategori: Digital Interactive Media
Winner: Dwarf Village (Wandah W)
Merit: Blank! (Teguh Budi W)
Kategori: Computer Generated Imaginery
Winner: Menuju Indonesia Baru 2D (Henryca Citra)
Merit: Bajaj Fantasy (Dina Chandra)
Kategori: Tools & Infrastructure
Winner: Green Switch (St. Andika Sutejo)
Merit: POINTREK (Aceng Luqman Taufiq)
Special Mention: Light Army (Stevanus DH)
Kategori: Research & Development
Winner: Zaitun Time Series (Rizal Zaini Ahmad Fathony)
Merit: Eye B Pod (Stanley Audrey)
Kategori: Open Source Systems
Winner: SENAYAN Library Automation (Hendro Wicaksono)
Merit: Crayon Pedia, the Next Generation Learning Enviroment (Agung Harsoyo)
Special Mention: Nusantara View Web 2.5 (Nuraini)
Dewan juri juga mengumumkan pemenang dalam kontes robot pada INAICTA 2009 ini. Adapun daftar pemenang di kategori ini adalah:
Kategori Maze Solving Robot Tingkat SD
Juara 1: Elementary Mrobot5 (A. Habib M)
Juara 2: Elementary Mrobot1 (Suwaibatul Annisa)
Juara 3: Elementary Mrobot2 (Aulia Zinendinita R)
Kategori Maze Solving Robot Tingkat SMP
Juara 1: Mrobot Junior Robot 1 (Muhamammd Arifin)
Juara 2: Undefeated Lightning Bolt (William Irawan dan Suma Suharmoko)
Juara 3: Night Stalker (Ray Paulus, Pranandhika, dan Darryl Irianto Effendi)
Kategori Maze Solving Robot Tingkat SMA
Juara 1: Chibibot (Eric Christiandi Sulaiman, Suma Sutrisno, dan Steven M. Sutiono)
Juara 2: Vini Vidi Vici (Samuel Christian Tjahyadi, Ricky Disastra, Rangga Nehemia)
Juara 3: R-Striker (Hadiyan Nur Rochman dan Ahmad Rifki Alhadi)
Kategori Creative Robot (SD, SMP, SMA, Universitas)
Winner: Fog Intelligent Robot Estinguisher (Nico Fendy, Chandra Louis, dan Selia Evanny Pranata)
Merit: Robot Durian Warso (Winda Pradina, Iedita Widya Arsyta, dan Dewi Utami Rahmawati)
Untuk keterangan lebih lanjut mengenai INAICTA 2009, silahkan kunjungi situs resminya di www.inaicta.web.id
###
Kontak Media:
Syamsul Arief Rakhmadani
IndoPacific Edelman
+62-21-721 59000
syamsul.arief@indopacedelman.com
Pemenang INAICTA 2009
Berikut ini adalah juara Inaicta 2009 untuk kategori digital interactive media
Winner: Dwarf Village (Wandah W)
Merit: Blank! (Teguh Budi W)
Inaicta 2009 mendapat sambutan luas dan berhasil menarik minat para pengunjung untuk mengetahui lebih jauh tentang perkembangan industri game and digital media di indonesia
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Indonesia ICT Awards 2009- Online Voting

Hurry up, use your KASKUS membership to vote for INAICTA 2009 nominees,
Every vote counts, each membership is entitled to vote 1 time for every category,
Let's vote :)
Marlin
Monday, July 6, 2009
Crowdsourcing
Startup iPhone developer Inovaz has very recently used crowdsourcing for its upcoming title Aztec Odyssey. The indie developer has teamed up with music marketplace group Minimum Noise, and in doing so gained access to professional and aspiring musicians from around the world.
“You describe what you are looking for and set a budget,” explains Kristian Dupont, owner of Minimum Noise. “Producers who are interested will participate, and when you decide on a composition, you select that as the winner, transfer the money to the producer and receive the audio including the rights to usage.”
Looking at Inovaz’ Minimum Noise page, the developer offered $250 for the background music to just the first level of Aztec Odyssey, and described on the profile page how it was looking for a soundtrack that is “heavily influenced by tribal and indigenous American styles.”
Inovaz received over 25 submissions for the soundtrack and, depressingly, most of them sound good. It’s a sad state of affairs when $250’s worth of background music doesn’t sound too distant from ‘professional’ in-house productions at game studios. Killzone 2’s soundtrack was recorded live at Abbey Road Studios, and yet rarely is the game praised for its sophisticated sound.
But unlike Abbey Road Studios, with crowdsourcing you’re not paying serious amounts of money per hour. “We expect a usual fee for music to be around $100-$500,” says Dupont, “which should be realistic for most productions.”
However, the nature of the service and indeed the youth of the business has provided a few obstacles for Minimum Noise. “First of all, there is the entire licensing model to consider,” says Dupont. “Right now, we insist that producers transfer all rights to the project owner, but we will expand to other options as this is not feasible for all.”
“Furthermore, there is the risk of producers contributing something that they did not make themselves,” he says, before adding that this is still a risk when purchasing any kind of media in the first place.
“We hope that the community will watch out for scammers and report to us. Other than that, we are watching everything closely and listening to our users all the time.”
Source:http://www.develop-online.net
Cross-platform BASIC PureBasic and KBasic
A good solution for a cross platform game developer, this two programming language offers the freedom to create your game from various kinds of platforms.
PureBasic is a cross-platform, procedural BASIC language with game support and 3D features built on top of Ogre 3D. It features a powerful native IDE and debugger, built-in arrays, dynamically linked lists, complex structures,
pointers and variable definitions MacOS X API functions are also supported. KBasic is a powerful programming language, which is simply intuitive and fast easy to learn and above all already familiarly, represents KBasic
developed for Linux, Mac OS X and Windows a further bridge between Linux, Mac OS X and Windows.
KBasic a new programming language, a further basic dialect, is related to Visual Basic 6 and Java. More exactly said KBasic is an object-oriented and event-controlled programming language,
developed by KBasic Software (http://www.kbasic.com), is particularly designed for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
KBasic is a multi-platform programming language, so almost the entire API is the same on all platforms and window systems. KBasic is a easy-usable, object-oriented, interpreted, stable, platform-independent, fast and modern programming language.
Source:http://www.idevgames.com
Sunday, July 5, 2009
INAICTA Big 5 Finalist
All the finalist, will be voted live online on Kaskus.com
Digital Animation
1 DA-0002 Hebring 2 Andi
2 DA-0005 PETUALANGAN SI JAKA Firman Shiddiq
3 DA-0007 Good Bye World Aryanto Yuniawan
4 DA-0014 PETRUK SHOW Hario Sasongko
5 DA-0018 BROKEN Rimbar Diorisma
Digital Interactive Media
1 DI-0005 Dwarf Village Wandah W.
2 DI-0008 Voice Paint Ryan Koesuma
3 DI-0009 JACK'S MILYARDER, Business Simulation Game Jack St Kristanto
4 DI-0026 3D Virtual Training: Front Office Samuel henry
5 DI-0031 Blank! Teguh Budi W
Computer Generated Imagery
1 GI-0003 Menuju Indonesia Baru (2D) Henryca Citra
2 GI-0005 Tersesat di Masa Depan Wandah Kurniawan
3 GI-0011 Gatotkaca Pelindung ASEAN, Sri Candy, Macanman Endro Yuwono
4 GI-0012 Bajaj Fantasy Dina Chandra
5 GI-0016 iNDONESIA Bersatu Lius L.
Winner will be announced at Indonesia ICT Award - Awarding Night, Jakarta Convetion Center, on 29th July 2009
More information http://inaicta.web.id/
Monday, April 27, 2009
IGDA Newsletter: Quality of Life, New Magazine, Last Call for LF '09 Proposals
IGDA Newsletter - April 2009
============================
=================
Table of Contents
=================
0: A Word From Bob Bates
1: Board "Memo": Quality of Life Update
2: New IGDA Magazine to Debut
3: IGDA Game Preservation Whitepaper Released
4: QA SIG Seeks Logo
5: Localization SIG Summit
6: Writing SIG Releases Book/Announces Election Results
7: Leadership Forum 09 Call for Speakers (+ 08 DVD)
8: Education SIG Updates
9: Event Action: Canada, E3, Brighton
10: Columns Update
11: Chapter Meetings/Reports
12: Logistical Bits & Unsubscribe Info
======================================
========================
0: A Word From Bob Bates
========================
Dear Members and friends,
The hottest topic around the IGDA halls (if we had halls, which we don’t), is when and how are we going to replace Jason Della Rocca as our Executive Director. Our ED Task Force has started to post regular updates on the new Board Blog, which you can link to from our home page, or go to directly at http://igdaboard.wordpress.com/.
Also new and exciting are four new Special Interest Groups (SIGs) that are getting started: Quality of Life, Programming, Game Design, and Visual Arts. If you are interested in participating in one or more of them, please contact joda@igda.org.
As layoffs continue to rock our industry, and many of our members and friends find themselves out of work, these and our other SIGs and forums continue to be a great place to network and stay on top of what’s going on in your field.
In other news, check out the announcement below about the Game Preservation SIG Whitepaper, the upcoming IGDA Magazine, and the new book from the Writer’s SIG.
Happy gaming,
- Bob Bates
Chairperson, IGDA
**************************************************************
** Ad: GDC Canada: BioWare and Microsoft Keynotes Announced **
**************************************************************
12-13 May, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
As a member of IGDA you can save CDN$50 on All Access and Main Conference passes for GDC Canada.
The Game Developers Conference® Canada is a collaborative forum studying the challenges and opportunities of creating games with long production cycles, large development teams, and multi-platform releases. GDC Canada will feature over 40 sessions including keynote addresses from the BioWare Founders Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk, and Canadian videogame pioneer Don Mattrick of Microsoft.
Enter your IGDA membership number at http://www.gdc-canada.com/register/GDCA09_QUENX1 to take advantage of this discount.
*************************************************
=======================================
1: Board "Memo": Quality of Life Update
=======================================
A healthy debate on what constitutes Quality of Life is taking place in the community and members are asking where IGDA stands on the issue. IGDA Chair Bob Bates clarifies the organization's position in a board memo posted at http://www.igda.org/newsroom/MemoApr_09.php. Members are encouraged to follow the QOL discussion, as well as all the latest communication from board members on issues vital to IGDA, at the IGDA Board Blog: http://igdaboard.wordpress.com/.
=============================
2: New IGDA Magazine to Debut
=============================
The premiere issue of IGDA MAGAZINE is in the works. Ours is a sprawling organization, with many efforts that no one ever hears about. This magazine is one attempt to get the word out. To get a sense of what we’re doing, download the PDF of the prototype issue here: http://www.box.net/shared/uebdhs0xvv. If your company is interested in advertising in the magazine, you’ll find the rate card at:
http://www.box.net/shared/dn6347l2cd
=============================================
3: IGDA Game Preservation Whitepaper Released
=============================================
The leadership of the IGDA Game Preservation SIG announced the release of a new white paper "Before It's Too Late: A Digital Game Preservation White Paper." The White Paper is available in several formats: DOC, ODT, PDF, Lulu Copies and can be downloaded at
http://www.igda.org/wiki/Game_Preservation_SIG/White_Paper/Before_It%27s_Too_Late:_A_Digital_Game_Preservation_White_Paper
************************************************
** Ad: 5th Annual Games for Health Conference **
************************************************
11-12 June, 2009 Hyatt Harborside Boston, MA, USA
Pre-Conference Workshops: June 10, 2009
Games Accessibility Day & Virtual Worlds and Health
Explore the role of videogames in health and health care at the 2009 Games for Health Conference, with more than 35 sessions covering topics such as exergaming, health training, disease management and more. In addition, the conference will feature multiple game demos and networking forums. The Games for Health Conference is held in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Pioneer Portfolio, with additional sponsorship and support provided by Humana, IGDA, Mass Technology Leadership Council and Virtual Heroes.
For information and registration, please visit: www.gamesforhealth.org
*******************************************************************
====================
4: QA SIG Seeks Logo
====================
A lot of great ideas were shared at the Quality Assurance SIG meeting at GDC. The SIG has posted notes from Quality Assurance (QA) related sessions and is also striking up some new initiatives. Check out the QA SIG website at http://www.igda.org/qa/ for more news on that. In the meantime, the SIG seeks any artists with some free time, and a little heart, to create the perfect logo for the group. You'll get to have it for your portfolio, and you'll also get credit on the SIG website for your contribution. Please send logo entries by May 22 to qa_sig@igda.org with the subject line QA SIG LOGO. Thanks!
==================================
5: Localization Summit @ GDC 2009
==================================
The inaugural Localization Summit took place on March 23, 2009 during GDC and was deemed a total success by its organizers, the steering committee of the IGDA Localization SIG. The full-day event was filled with talks about the nature of game localization, localization tools, expanding into new and unconventional territories, and a case-study about Fable II’s localization process. Jaime Gine, Electronic Arts’ VP of International Development Services, provided the keynote session on explaining the strong business case for doing more localization. The attendance averaged around 120 throughout the day and the aggregated speaker scores were over 4 (out of 5) for the day. The Localization Summit is expected to return in 2010 and plans are already underway to improve the format and content.
*******************************************************************
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Game Feel: A Game Designer's Guide to Virtual Sensation by Steve Swink, demystifies the key element of game design, exploring what draws players in and makes them addicted to game play. Sounds awesome, right? Well, we need your help to spread the word about this exciting new title...
If you'd like to review Game Feel on Amazon.com or BN.com and you're one of the first ten people to respond, you'll get a free copy of the book!
http://www.focalpress.com/Book.aspx?id=6742
While you're there, you can view chapter samples, video tutorials, and podcasts, or sign up for the latest tips and discounts newsletter.
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6: Writing SIG Releases Book/Announces Election Results
=======================================================
The IGDA Writer’s SIG has just published its third book: “Writing for Video Game Genres: From FPS to RPG.” This book delivers practical advice from seasoned veterans on the special challenges of writing for different game genres. To learn more, click on the following link: http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Video-Game-Genres-FPS/dp/1568814178/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240603933&sr=8-1
The Writing SIG recently held leadership elections. The Executive Board of this SIG now consists of Wendy Despain (Chair), Andy Walsh and Corvus Elrod. They look forward to serving the members and causes of the Writing Special Interest Group for the next year.
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7: Leadership Forum 09 Call for Speakers (+ 08 DVD)
===================================================
Last call! IGDA is looking for speakers to participate in the third annual IGDA Leadership Forum (set for November 12-13 in San Francisco). This event focuses on advancing the state of the art in game production and management. The Program Committee welcomes session proposals from qualified speakers. Deadline is May 1st. Please review the entire call-for-speakers via:
http://www.igda.org/leadership/?p=140
During last year's Leadership Forum, 28 conference sessions were recorded and are now available for purchase on DVD. The 5-disc set of hi-res video is priced at $99 (plus shipping). If you would like to purchase a copy, please email us via sales@igda.org and we'll forward you the order form. Copies of the 2007 Leadership Forum DVD are still available as well.
Alternately, you can watch the freely available lo-res videos hosted at Google Video, all linked via the "context index" page (just click on the speaker photos or "video" links for each session):
http://www.igda.org/leadership/?page_id=137
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8: Education SIG Updates
========================
The IGDA EdSIG does not like to rest on it’s laurels. Besides working on next years Global Game Jam (January 29-31, 2010) the EdSIG is offering a FREE online summer course on game design and it is open to anyone interested. Game Design Concepts is a large-scale online version of an introductory course normally taught in a university classroom. This online class focuses on the core theoretical concepts of game design along with practical experience. Close to 300 people have already registered from over 30 different countries. Educators, students and industry professionals with a range of experience levels are participating. Class starts on June 29, 2009 and is not given for credit. http://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/
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9: Event Action: Canada, E3, Brighton
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Member discounts at upcoming events and related event action include:
- $50 member discount for GDC Canada in Vancouver, BC (12-13 May)
- free/20% member access/discount for E3 Expo in Los Angeles, CA (2-4 June)
- 10% member discount for Develop in Brighton, UK (14-16 July)
Full discount details and links available online:
http://www.igda.org/events/
*************************************************
** Ad: E3 Expo / IGDA Membership Qualification **
*************************************************
2-4 June, Los Angeles, California, USA
E3 Expo is the world's premiere trade show for computer and video games and related products. The show is owned by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the U.S. association dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of the companies, publishing interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers and the Internet.
Until May 1st, IGDA membership will act as one form of "Industry Identification" for qualification into E3. Proof of your IGDA membership, along with one additional piece of Industry Identification will allow for FREE admission to E3. Starting May 2nd, IGDA members will be provided with a 20% discount on the E3 Expo Exhibit Floor Pass. Please contact us for more details.
For more details, jump to:
http://www.e3expo.com/
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10: Columns Update
==================
Monthly columns have been updated:
Famous Last Words
-----------------
"When the Publisher Wants Your Tech"
http://www.igda.org/columns/lastwords/lastwords_Apr09.php
Culture Clash
-------------
"Winning Hearts and Minds:The perception problem"
http://www.igda.org/columns/clash/clash_Apr09.php
The Games Game
--------------
"Reply Frustrations"
http://www.igda.org/columns/gamesgame/gamesgame_Apr09.php
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11: Chapter Meetings/Reports
============================
Complete list of chapter reports and upcoming meetings:
http://www.igda.org/chapters/updates.php
Silicon Valley
Monday, May 18 > Game Project Connection Night http://www.siliconvalleyigda.org/
London
Report, Post GDC
http://igda.org/london/meetingreports/200904/
San Francisco
Report, March 18 > Finance your Game Studio
http://www.igda.org/sf/?p=36
===================
12: Logistical Bits
===================
Unsubscribe/Subscribe to Newsletter
-----------------------------------
To unsubscribe simply send an email with the subject "unsubscribe" to igda@igda.org.
Or, you can update your newsletter subscription details via your MyProfile page:
http://www.igda.org/membership/myprofile.php
Thanks to our Partners
----------------------
The IGDA extends its sincerest thanks to all our Partners! Especially those who just joined us, or recently renewed their commitment to support the game development community:
- Walkthru Inc.
- Nokia Products Ltd.
- LaSalle College
- The University of Derby
Without their support the IGDA simply would not survive - let alone thrive.
Further details and a complete list of Partners are available online:
http://www.igda.org/partners
Contact Information
-------------------
Please contact us if you have questions, comments or input:
http://www.igda.org/contact.php
19 Mantua Road
Mount Royal, New Jersey
USA 08061
RSS Feeds for IGDA News and Chapter Updates
-------------------------------------------
The IGDA web site has RSS feeds for IGDA news (eg, org announcements, committee work, etc) and chapter updates (eg, upcoming meetings, event reports). Those using RSS readers can point to:
IGDA News: http://www.igda.org/igda_news_rss.php
IGDA Chapter Updates: http://www.igda.org/igda_chapters_rss.php
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The Nine Structural Subsystems of Any Game

Katamari Damacy is not a game. Solitaire (the card "game") is not a game?
How do we explain the different between game and non-game, how can we draw the line?. Following article from Lewis Pulsipher teach us about a game.
Preview:
A game can be thought of as a system (as in "systems analysis", for the computationally inclined). What I'm trying to achieve here is a list of the fundamental sub-systems that are necessarily a part of any game (excluding sports such as baseball or swimming). This list may help inexperienced designers, because if they think about all nine of these systems as they rough out their game, this will help them conceptualize and arrive at a playable idea.
We could discuss endlessly what is a game and what is not; let's just recognize that, within your definitions of "game", you can probably find an exception that doesn't have all nine characteristics. I think that's a function of definition rather than a failure of the analysis, but that must remain a matter of opinion. If one of these systems is completely missing, you might have a toy or puzzle, but not a game.
There are many examples "on the edges", such as Katamari Damacy. To me, Katamari Damacy is not a game. Solitaire (the card "game") is not a game, because there's no conflicting interest, no active opposition guided by intelligence-they are more like a puzzle or toy. But both of these activities fit the Nine Structures framework.
I want a framework that will help a designer think about games. Some people, in listing fundamentals of games, discuss "state" in considerable detail. I've tried to avoid "state" and "state-changes" as much as possible, simply because I don't think that an organization dominated by state is very useful to an inexperienced designer. "State-change", in particular, seems to lump an awful lot together in one pot. My ultimate goal is to have something that will be useful to inexperienced designers, and to be able to expand each category to exhaustively list alternatives within each structure. I want designers to be able to treat the extended list as a sort of checklist, to help them make sure they've thought about all the vital aspects of their game early in the process.
I've tried to list these subsystems in an apparently logical order, but every one is just as fundamental as every other one.
Here is the list, followed by brief explanations and some examples:
1. Theme/History/Story/Emotion/Image.
2. Player Interaction rules.
3. Objective/victory conditions.
4. "Data storage". (Information Management)
5. Sequencing.
6. Movement/Placement.
7. Information availability.
8. Conflict resolution/interaction of game entities.
9. "Economy" (resource acquisition).
Sometimes the system is assumed, or the choice is to have "none", but still a decision has been made about the category. For example, in Tic-Tac-Toe (Noughts and Crosses) there is no acquisition of resources, but it still has an economy of "unlimited pieces" -- it could have a way to gain resources, and there are variations where you do. Another example: a very abstract game has no theme/history/story, but the designer chose to take that approach, nonetheless.
Read more ...
Friday, April 24, 2009
Menara Games: Cate West - The Velvet Keys

Another great collaboration between Menara Games and Gamenauts, continuing the successful hard selling hidden object "Cate West", Big Fish has just released Cate West the Velvet Keys edition to the market. This thrilling sequel to Cate West - The Vanishing Files, follows Cate to Damasca, where she discovers a new mystery. Gather the items required to forge the enigmatic Velvet Keys and crack the case. A cinematic atmosphere, incredible graphics and addictive gameplay await you in Cate West - The Velvet Keys!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Board "Memo": Quality of Life Update - April '09
The Board of the IGDA firmly supports the Quality of Life initiatives and "best practices" outlined in the IGDA's 2004 report on the topic. The White Paper can be downloaded for free at http://www.igda.org/qol/whitepaper.php.
More specifically, and so there can be no doubt:
*
We believe, and it has been well documented, that extensive overtime is not only ineffective from the point of view of productivity, but moreover is destructive of employee morale. Our Quality of Life Committee has collected significant research (http://www.igda.org/qol/resources.php#improve) to support this conclusion.
*
We believe that companies have an obligation to inform prospective employees of their overtime policies prior to their employment.
*
We believe it is unethical for studios to routinely rely on extended, uncompensated overtime in order to get their products out the door.
The Board is happy to announce that our Quality of Life Committee is transforming itself into a Special Interest Group, which we believe will revitalize the IGDA's efforts to educate the industry on the challenges surrounding this issue. The SIG is in the process of assembling two new surveys, one for Studios and one for Developers. Those interested in participating in the SIG should write to qol@igda.org.
The Board will be posting updates on this initiative and other new actions by and for IGDA members on its new blog at igdaboard.wordpress.com.
Sincere regards,
Bob Bates
IGDA Chair
bob -at- igda.org
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Blizzard WoW's Warren Vs. Glider Case
In the case of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc and Vivendi Games, Inc. Vs. MDY Industries, LLC, Blizzard as the owner of an MMORPG's online game, World of Warcraft [published on November 2004], Blizzard claimed that MDY has infringed its copyright of WoW by developing a software, called "Glider", which enabled WoW's player to play WoW automatically.
Glider is a computer program known as "Bot". Glider enabled WoW' player's character to continue play in WoW even when the player is away from his/her computer. It purported for the player to advance faster in WoW and to acquire items or game assets more easily ["Farming"]. MDY started selling Glider to WoW's player on June 2005 and has sold more than 100.000 copies.
Blizzard claimed that MDY has infringed its copyright as ruled by U.S. DMCA [Digital Millenium Copyright Act]. The ninth court agreed that MDY has violated Blizzard's copyrights but not based on the DMCA, but on violating the Terms of Service [ToS] or EULA [End User License Agreement, which all WoW's players have to adhere to in order to be able to play WoW.
By that decision, the court has given a recognition that, among other points, Farming by using Bot is not a cool thing to do. It has raised an attention from the public to the fact that the court's decision has widen the scope of what would be considered as copyright violation, which included ToS or EULA.
The question would be why software owner would be aiming for copyright protection for its EULA or ToS. It's because copyright protection would bring bigger penalties and remedies, compare if EULA or ToS is not considered to be protected by copyright, where a violation of EULA or ToS would only be considered as a mere breach of contract.
As a General Counsel for an online game company myself, Farming is definitely an action which can be assumed to happen and it can disturb a game's economy equilibrium, not to mention it's really annoying to see a player could end up on the first rank of a game's highest level list when that player can achieve it by using Bot and other players only rely on their sweat and brow by staying hours and hours at a cyber cafe or playing the game at home on an endless hours and skip dinner and breakfast and still can't catch up with that player's speed with a Bot.
So yes, I do agree that Bot or alike that temper with a game play should be identified and legal action should be taken towards the Bot user and Bot developer. This can be achieved by relying on the ToS or EULA. That's why it is very important for a software owner/publisher to smartly draft their ToS or EULA, to acknowledge this issue and to encounter in the ToS or EULA.
Nonetheless, this big uproar about opposing WoW's intention for ToS or EULA as to be protected by copyright, I'm in an opinion that it should be cleared first on what would be the perspective of ToS or EULA is protected by copyright. ToS or EULA in a game is an agreement or contract which binds both parties of publisher and player. Hence, a player will be given a license to play a game by firstly agreeing and binding herself/himself to the ToS or EULA. Any violation towards ToS or EULA will be considered as a breach and a publisher has a right to sanction a player according to the in-game policy as stated in ToS or EULA. It could be ban or kick out from the game. But, it doesn't necessarily make ToS or EULA as protected by copyright. What copyrighted is the game software itself! Any attempt to temper with the software will be a violation to DMCA, as stated in below clause:
(2) No person shall manufacture, import, offer to the public, provide, or otherwise traffic in any technology, product, service, device, component, or part thereof, that -
(A) is primarily designed or produced for the purpose of circumventing a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title;MYD, by manufacturing and offer to the public, its product Glider, which tempered Blizzard's game software of WoW, could be easily said had infringed the DMCA. Whether it is stated or not in the ToS or EULA, as copyright appear the moment a work is created in a certain medium, such as in written or a drawing.
I might be wrong. But it's merely my own opinion and I just hope my writing can shed a light on this matter. What is your own opinion?
Jakarta, 040409
Sarah M. Abdullah
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
IGDA Chapter Meeting Report
Day/date:Tuesday/2 December 2008
Time: 05.00 pm- 19.00pm
Location: Rumah Pasta (across ITB Campus)
Participants:
1. Marlin Sugama (Jakarta Chapter Coordinator)
2. Andi Martin (Main Games Studio)
3. Bullitt Sesariza (Abox Studio)
4. Satya Hodi (Menara Games)
5. Cahya Daulay (Matahari Studios)
6. Ramadona Sasmita (Matahari Studios)
7. Arief Widhiyasa (Agate Studio)
8. Ray (Agate Studio)
9. Wiwid (Agate Studio)
10.Beatrice Nauli (Agate Studio)
11.Wandah Widianto (3Bro Studio)
12.Andrew (Agate Studio)
13.Dewe (Agate Studio)
14.Depe (Agate Studio)
Meeting Notes:
1. Benefit for the member
Game Developer communities such as gamedev-id forum and in-game art forum were asking about what kind of benefit would they have if they join IGDA?
Bullitt who is an active member of several non-profit organizations such as SIGGRAPH and AINAKI explained: "IGDA is a non-profit organization, and we haven't charge anything for members, so we are currently focusing on members who can contribute and have the same vision as IGDA". The benefit for those members would not come directly, but it will come eventually through networking. Then on the long run, once IGDA has it own permanent programs, it will eventually able to give benefit to the members"
2. IGDA 2009 Activities
IGDA will have following activities in 2009
- 2008 Game Developer Catalog (sponsored by DEPKOMINFO)
http://picasaweb.google.com/amaleo/IndonesiaVideoGameCatalog?feat=embedwebsite
- Hosting 3 game developer related category in INAICTA 2009
(Digital Animation, Computer Generated Imagery and Digital Interactive Media/VideoGames)
http://inaicta.web.id/competition-and-events/kategori-perlombaan/
- Anjungan Produk Unggulan (Iconic Product Pavilion) in Indonesia Trade Expo 2009
- Indonesia Game Show (video game developer, boardgames exhibition)
3. Bandung Chapter and Jakarta Chapter
Since IGDA is not allowed to have a chapter based on country, Indonesia is going to propose another city chapter: Bandung Chapter with Christian Senjaya (founder of Menara Games as the coordinator), aside form existing Jakarta Chapter
4. Crucial Matters
- The biggest challenge Indonesia game developers facing is the brain drain, we haven't have any formal educational institution with credible curriculum that have "ready" human resources to support the studios. Yet on the other hand, our existing talents are migrating to other country (mainly Singapore) to achieve more revenue.
Further more, talents returned form abroad will demand higher payments which local studio could not afford with insufficient skill.
To solve solve this "brain drain" problem, IGDA will actively approach educational institution with more feasible curriculum or workshops and actively search talents from game related national competition"
- Indonesia might not be ready for full game development, but currently has many outsourcing projects, especially in art asset development. IGDA chapters, will help promote the country positioned itself as an art asset outsourcing country.
End of Meeting Notes
Meeting Notes by: Marlin Sugama
Pictures from the meeting
Thursday, February 26, 2009
A Letter from Jen MacLean
The end of my term as the Chair of the IGDA Board is approaching, and as I reflect on the past year, I can't help but be excited about what we've accomplished and what we're going to do in the future.
You'll see us carry over into 2009 (and beyond) many of our most important initiatives, like advocacy for game developers on important issues like credits and quality of life, launching a new web portal with enhanced chapter/SIG support and better tools to help connect developers everywhere, and continuing to increase the benefits of membership in the IGDA through additional services, discounts, and partnerships.
Fundamentally, these projects are building blocks for our larger strategic goals: establish the IGDA as the credible, essential, #1 organization for game developers worldwide. Our mission is to improve the lives of game developers everywhere, and we want to be a force to be reckoned with, not only within our industry but on a larger, global stage. These are lofty goals, and they can't be accomplished without the involvement of our membership.
Your participation, whether it's as simple as posting to a forum or SIG mailing list, or as deep as leading a chapter or IGDA committee, is crucial to the success of our mission. I personally will remain deeply involved with the IGDA as I transition to the role of Chair Emeritus and continue to serve on the Board, and I'm looking forward to contributing to our advocacy and international efforts.
I encourage you to find your passion within the IGDA, and to volunteer with whatever time you can. If your experience is anything like mine, you'll meet wonderful people and have the chance to contribute to the success of a group whose most important success is to make a unique, tangible difference in the lives of game developers everywhere.
- Jen MacLean
Chairperson, IGDA
SVP, Business Development, 38 Studios
Monday, February 23, 2009
INAICTA 2009 Registration Open

INAICTA 2009 registration has been open since last Friday (Feb 20, 2009);
as ussual we encourage Indonesian Game Developer to participate. There are a little change on the category name, but dont worry INAICTA still have videogame developer category.
There are 3 creative categories, game developers can participate, they are:
1. Digital animation
2. Digital Interactive media (you can submit your videogames here)
3. Computer Generated Imagery (2D and 3D)
Let it all begin again :)