International Game Developers Association

International Game Developers Association (IGDA)
Founded 1994 (1994)
Founder Ernest W. Adams
Focus Computer Games and Interactive Media
Area served
Worldwide
Members
Over 12,000
Website IGDA.org

International Game Developers Association (IGDA) is the professional association for over 12,000[1] video and computer game developers worldwide. It is incorporated in the United States as a non-profit organization. Its stated mission is "To advance the careers and enhance the lives of game developers by connecting members with their peers, promoting professional development, and advocating on issues that affect the developer community."[2]

In recognition of the wide-ranging, multidisciplinary nature of interactive entertainment, there are supposedly no barriers to entry.

History

Ernest Adams in 2010.

"When I joined the CGDC board in 1991 ... all of the other members at the time were developers with several years' experience who were used to this... However, none of that really mattered until the Congressional investigations that started up after Mortal Kombat came out. At that point it became clear to me that the game development community needed a voice."

Ernest W. Adams, Living the Dream:

Let's Get Together, The Escapist.

The IGDA was founded in 1994 by Ernest W. Adams and was initially known as the Computer Game Developers Association (CGDA).[1] Modeled after the Association for Computing Machinery, Adams envisioned the organization to support the careers and interests of individual developers, as opposed to being a trade organization, or an advocacy group for companies.

The need for a professional association for game developers was not apparent until the congressional hearings surrounding Mortal Kombat and other video game legislation became common in the 1990s. With legislation affecting the game development industry, the IGDA developed into a more organized voice for computer game developers as it merged with the Computer Entertainment Developers Association and grew from 300 members to over 12,000 members the next fifteen years.[1]

In December 2012, Kate Edwards was appointed executive director after Gordon Bellamy, the previous executive director, moved on from the position in July of that year to join Tencent.[3]

The association as of July 2014 has been working with the FBI to deal with the on-line harassment of developers;[4] Kate Edwards had been approached by the bureau at San Diego Comic-Con International.

Structure

Chapters are intended to provide an informal way to connect game developers within local communities. Chapters vary greatly in size and meeting attendance. They provide forums, for example, for discussions on current issues in the computer gaming industry and demos of the latest games.

Special Interest Groups, better known as SIGs, are intended to spark developer interest in a specific topics or disciplines. For example, the Game Education SIG has a stated mission "To create a community resource that will strengthen the academic membership of the IGDA while enhancing the education of future and current game developers." Some SIGs sponsor events, such as creating the Global Game Jam.[5]

Committees are generally formed by the IGDA to conduct research into a subject, normally for a short period, leading to a single report. Some, however, are semi-permanent, and produce yearly reports. Some of these reports lead to gaming industry standards.

Advocacy

Aside from bringing game developers together, the IGDA focuses on the following issues present in the game development industry:

Programs

The IGDA, through its chapters and SIGs, organizes hundreds of events for members of the game development industry including chapter meetings and meetups. However, there are larger events that are organized that bring IGDA's international members together:

Past events

Controversies

During the GDC 2013 a party was hosted by co-presenters IGDA and the start-up incubator YetiZen. The event featured "at least three girls in white outfits–one was in a skimpy t-shirt one was in this weird furry get-up–dancing."[12] Backlash over the presence of these female dancers resulted in the several people resigning in protest, most notably Brenda Romero from the IGDA's Women in Games Special Interest Group steering committee.[13] On the day following the party IGDA Executive Director Kate Edwards issued an apology stating "We regret that the IGDA was involved in this situation. We do not condone activities that objectify or demean women or any other group of people."[14]

On November 20, 2014 the IGDA added a link to "A Twitter tool to block some of the worst offenders in the recent wave of harassment" to their Online Harassment Resources web page.[15] However, due to the method of the list's generation several IGDA members including the Chairman of IGDA Puerto Rico Roberto Rosario were added to the list of harassers.[16] These errors resulted in the IGDA removing the link to the tool on November 22.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hoffman, Erin. "Living the Dream: Let's Get Together". Escapist Magazine. Retrieved March 2013.
  2. "About". IGDA. Retrieved August 2013.
  3. Takahashi, Dean. "IGDA chief Gordon Bellamy joins Tencent". Venturebeat.com. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  4. http://www.polygon.com/2014/9/4/6105185/fbi-game-developer-harassment
  5. "IGDA Education SIG Spawns First Global Game Jam". IGDA. 23 Nov 2008. Archived from the original on 2010-08-14. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
  6. "About". IGDA.org. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  7. http://www.igda.org/summit/about/
  8. "About the Scholarships". IGDA.org. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  9. GamesPress. "SIEGE Adds IGDA Leadership Track for Game Devs". Gamasutra.com. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  10. "About Global Game Jam". GlobalGameJam.org. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  11. "Welcome IGDA Leadership Forum Fans". EventsForGamers.com. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  12. "Really? IGDA Party At GDC Brings On The Female Dancers". Forbes.com. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  13. "IGDA draws backlash, member resignations over female dancers at GDC party". Polygon.com. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  14. "IGDA Responds to the GDC Party Faux Pas". Forbes.com. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  15. "IGDA Online Harassment Resource". Archived from the original on 20 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  16. "Roberto Rosario - @siloraptor". Twitter.com. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  17. "Kate Edwards (IGDA) - @IGDA_ED". Twitter.com. Retrieved 25 November 2014.

External links

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