Questions by Cody
“Micajah” Bye
style="font-style: italic;">
Answers by Mark
Chuberka, Austin IGC Conference Director
When you walk into a gaming store these days, you’ll probably
glance over hundreds of games that line all the walls around you. A
vast majority of the game you’ll see are developed or
published by large gaming companies like Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, or
Atari. Along with that fact, most of the titles are also derivative of
some game that came before them with publishers forcing developers to
stick with a safe money-making option. Our games are slowly being
diluted into the same old formula.
That’s where the independent gaming studio enters the
picture. Often smaller and more ambitious than the bigger companies,
the independent houses are willing to forge their own path and try to
create the game that so many others are afraid to even attempt. While
that may be their lofty goal, many independent studios initially lack
the same sort of foundation in business that the larger companies
insist upon. Enter the Independent Games Conference, an Austin-based
show that helps these independent companies find the right track to
follow, lending them the expertise of keynote speakers like Richard
Garriott and others. Ten Ton Hammer recently had the opportunity to
chat with Mark Chuberka, the Austin IGC Conference Director. As we
chatted he explained the premise of the Austin IGC, how it can help
independent companies, and why the general public should be interested
in a show like this one.
Ten Ton Hammer: For
starters, what’s the general purpose behind the Independent
Game Conference? Why did you originally create the show in the first
place? What sort of response did you get from last year’s
attendees?
border="1">
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/14427" title="igc">
src="/image/view/78292"
width="130">
Mark Chuberka:
The conference was created because we heard from independent studios
that they wanted a different kind of conference that addressed issues
from their point of view. They told us they were looking for
something more intimate, more cost-effective, and would give them
information that was directly relevant to development issues that are
being faced today. The show last year provided a technical
forum that was very well received-and even reminded some attendees of
the first GDC-which is a great compliment. We took the
feedback and added a business track to the show, so that the show would
be relevant to the entire company.
Ten Ton Hammer: What sort
of individuals do you hope to attract to a show like this? Is it
limited to those people who are in the
“independent” side of the industry or is everyone
welcome? Why should they attend?
Mark: This
show is for anyone who thinks independently, which pretty much defines
game developers. The concept applies not only to the independent
studios, but also to the development teams within bigger studios who
are working to develop the next level of game. This is a conference
where the attendees can gather with other like-minded developers and
business people to learn about technical and business models, but also
network with like-minded people who are working on the next level of
play.
Ten Ton Hammer: On the
other side of the coin, what can the attendees gain from going to the
IGC? What makes IGC better than other conferences like GDC, OGDC, AGDC
and others?
Mark: With
the help of developers’ input, we’ve put together a
show that focuses on what developer teams can use today, rather than a
corporate presentation that won’t be applicable for up to a
year from now. We had feedback that the larger shows
don’t always provide the deeper developer experience that we
are trying to create here. This show is not about hype; it’s
about developers getting what they need.
Ten Ton Hammer:
You’ve arranged quite the line-up of speakers headed by the
much lauded Richard Garriott. What’s the draw for these
individuals to speak at IGC? What should attendees expect from the
presentation by these veterans of the industry?
Mark: The
lineup is terrific -- we’ve had fantastic response from the
industry. Richard, of course, is a great speaker.
He’s formed two independent studios, grown them to success,
and still manages to make new and exciting games. His keynote
will focus on the early stages of design, and the research that should
be done before the game even begins. Richard is a wonderful
example of an independent thinker in the industry who can be part of a
large company like NCsoft and work with his team to create a unique and
powerful gaming experience. I’m sure people will
want to come and meet Lord British, to learn what he sees as important
today in development.
border="1">
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/14428"
title="Richard Garriott">
src="/image/view/14428/preview"
width="200">
style="font-style: italic;">Richard "Lord
Biritsh" Garriott is heading up the keynote speakers at IGC
We also have a great group of unique speakers who bring a lot to the
industry. We’ve got speakers ranging from hardware
designers, such as Harlan Beverly from Bigfoot Networks to QA managers
Brian Dubose from BioWare and Mike Seal from Slipgate Ironworks who can
talk about how to get the game “really
done.” There are also sessions on how to take the
content to the market. A lot of a developer’s
strength is in making a great game, but it’s easy to get
stuck on reaching an audience. Sessions on how to pitch to a
publisher, protect that valuable Intellectual Property, and even
different channels that are available to a developer are all part of
the show.
There’s something for every aspect of a developer team,
whether they’re from a small startup to an established
developer to a team working on a project for a large
producer. We really wanted to focus on their needs.
Ten Ton Hammer: The other
keynote speakers, besides Garriott, are Harry Miller and Mike Wilson
from Gamecock, both of whom have reputations for putting on interesting
spectacles wherever they go. Do you expect more craziness from the
Gamecock execs? Or are they going to tone it down for the show?
Mark: Tone
it down? Short answer: no. Long answer:
Hell no! <laughs> Harry and Mike are two of the most
dynamic and creative people in the business right now, and we
wouldn’t want them to tone it down one bit. In
part, their… “unique” personas are one
of the reasons they’re successful. Who am I to want
to censor that?
Of course, the real truth is that they’ve created a
publishing model that is fresh and exciting, and that their track
record is great. They have some of the most interesting views
on publishing in the market, and I think that they will definitely give
a keynote that’s to be remembered and definitely not to be
missed.
Ten Ton Hammer Is IGC a
press oriented show or is the attendance strictly limited to those who
are “developers” in some way, shape, or form?
Mark: IGC
may not be specifically “press oriented,” but that
doesn’t mean that press, or anyone else shouldn’t
attend, as I’m sure there will be some great information
being presented. The focus is on development teams, and the
content will be aimed at them, but we’re trying to let people
interested in development get something out of the show, too.
I’m sure the business track will be interesting to
non-programmers who want to know more about what they can do in the
games industry, just as the technical track will hit the coders with
solid information.
Ten Ton Hammer: Can you
tell our readers a bit about Project Horseshoe? Why are the Project
Horseshoe findings important to video games in general?
Mark:
Project Horseshoe is an invite-only think tank gathering run by George
“The Fat Man” Sanger. They’ve been doing
this for two years and the members have great insight into the future
of the game industry. It’s important to showcase the findings
of Project Horseshoe at Austin IGC because these are people with a lot
of experience in the industry and they have seen plenty of changes and
trends. Their collective knowledge is helpful when game companies think
about the future, and get an early look at what developers see as
important issues.
border="1">
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/14429" title="Gamecock">
src="/image/view/14429/preview"
width="200">
style="font-style: italic;">Harry Miller and
Mike Wilson from Gamecock will also be presenting.
Ten Ton Hammer: Why the
name, Project Horseshoe?
Mark:
<laughs> Well you’ll have to ask The Fat Man
about that.
Ten Ton Hammer: This
year’s theme for your show is “Back to
Basics.” What sort of programming is involved with going
“back to the basics?” Does that mean
we’re going to go back to C++ or binary programming styles?
<smiles>
Mike: Back
to the basics is really capturing the essence of the old-school
developer conferences. I haven’t touched code since
Fortran, and I’m pretty sure that I’ll get
agreement that a refresher course wouldn’t be that appealing.
The basics are that we want this to be a peer-driven show, where
developers can talk amongst themselves, get useful information, and
hopefully have some fun while doing it. The Game Demo Night
will be a good way to let the attendees share their talents while
getting feedback, playing games, and socializing at the same
time. Not a bad way to spend an evening, we think.
Ten Ton Hammer: What will
be the highlight of the show? Why do you think so?
Mark: We are
so excited about the entire show that it is difficult to single out one
highlight. We have worked hard to put together two solid days that will
really help to foster the develop community as well as give the
attendees high-quality sessions to attend. Last
year, we had to shut the Game Demo Night down because the hall had to
close. This year, we want every session to have that same
“it’s not over yet, is it” feeling.
We encourage developers to visit
href="http://www.independentgamesconference.com">www.independentgameconference.com
to
get the latest show news. Thanks for letting us talk with Ten
Ton Hammer readers.
Have thoughts about the article? Or are you simply reading this to pass the time? Let us hear it in the forums!
source for quality
interviews!
