The Game Developers Conference "GDC" drew playful sorts and digital game makers together in San Francisco last week. I attended and participated in a "Game Developers Rant" panel - some coverage of that event here: 'Nobody wants your cock,' and other highlights from the Rant Apocalypse.
I proposed a new hashtag to organize freely accessible game data, source code and business results: #OGDY, that stands for "open game data yes" and it's pronounced "Oh Goody" :-) I put together a short video about #OGDY, and launched that along with a few starting pieces of data for #OGDY on Twitter.
I recorded some of my #OGDY rant at the GDC; I hope to share video of it online. I memorized an outline for under 5 minutes. I enjoyed the practice and being able to speak without notes felt connective with the audience. Though upon reflection I suspect I might have come across as rather intense. Suitable for a rant panel perhaps!
Lost Levels
Frank Lantz also spoke and suggested that "if you're sitting in a beige room watching PowerPoint, you're doing it wrong" so I headed outside to Yerba Buena Gardens where there was a free unconference called Lost Levels happening. Essentially anyone could pitch in with a game talk, and there were musicians, writers, designers and gamers lounging around the grass listening.
There I caught up with several creative game makers for iPhone camera interviews. I was excited to film Auriea Harvey but I didn't remember to tap on her face to focus. In the next few days I was able to record her and her partner at Tale of Tales Michaël Samyn around the GDC but I didn't do a good job of focusing in those shots either. A forehead slapping moment. And especially bizarre since their award-winning game Luxuria Superbia is about expressly touching screens!
I also interviewed Paolo Pedercini of Molleindustria who makes video game media interventions. And I spoke with Anna Anthropy about personal game making and expanding game community.
Besides this I had an experience with the Oculous Rift VR device, and some even more bizarre contraptions for human diversion and enlightenment.
All this! All this is being edited into a video! It's an ambitious video, with a greater-than-ever number of voices and clips. I will not likely be posting this video "this week" which means I'm on track to publish 3, not 4, official videos in March on Patreon - a crowdfunding platform I'm using to get serious about regular storytelling.
After a month on Patreon, I have 35 patrons and each video I publish officially now nets me over $100. I'm honored, and incentivized to keep up a steady flow of videos. Please consider supporting me on Patreon if you haven't already; I think we're having a good time making the future together.
So I'm not publishing so many videos in March 2014, except I actually published three videos last week! Richard Stallman, #OGDY, and Ric Chivo:
During the Lost Levels event, I saw Ric Chivo coming from a mile away, due to the size of his prodigious reputation as a straight-talking game developer with advice to share. I got a front row seat, recorded his talk with my phone, edited and posted it live on YouTube within an hour:
Citizen Journalism! Amazing reporting power we have with our mobile devices now. That video, "10 Responsibilities of a Game Developer" talk by Ric Chivo at Lost Levels / GDC2014 has had over 2600 views in a week - among the very best performing videos I've yet published. And it has no green screen, no mention of "The Justin Hall Show" or beginner effects shenanigans. It's just a lively performance by a talented provocateur. I aim to be!
