Austin360 blogs > Digital Savant > Archives > 2009 > March > 15
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Game design competitions
Panel title: Game Design Competition / Casual Games Date/Time: 3:30 Sunday Panelists: Kain Shin, moderator (IGDA); Morgan Romine (Ubisoft); Harvey Smith (Arkane Studios); James Portnow (CEO, Divide by Zero Games)
Panel title: Game Design Competition / AAA Date/Time: 5:00 Sunday Panelists: Shin; Colantonio; Chris Chala (VP Business Development, Foundation 9 Entertainment; Souris Hong-Porretta (VP of Interactive Media, Entertainment Media Ventures)
The gist: Gwendolyn Murray (Casual Games) and Seth Smith (AAA) were the two winners at today’s Game Design Competitions. Murray won for “Sloppy Ice”. Smith won for “Project Z.E.U.S”.
Both winners, along with three other finalists in each competition, pitched their game to a panel of industry experts in five-minute PowerPoint presentations followed by a Q&A with panelists. The idea was to emulate an actual pitch to a publisher. Following the presentations, the moderator (Shin) asked the audience to applaud their favorite.
Murray and Smith won an Xbox 360 Elite: Limited Edition Resident Evil 5 System Bundle. All eight finalists won a trophy.
Murry and Smith, both students of Savannah School of Art and Design, say their games originated as class projects.
Takeaways: What publishers ask themselves when considering a game: how innovative is the concept? How aesthetically pleasing? Will it attract a non-gaming public? How advanced is the interface? Is it easy to learn but difficult to master?
Other finalists in the Casual Game category were: Jerry Paffendorf (Blorst); Anders Howard (FLOAT); and Deborah Colon (Full Moon Manor). Finalists in the AAA category were: Kristin Boyett (Cover Up); Evonne Heyning(ManorMeta); and Jill Taffet (Ringmaster).
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SXSW Panel: What Do I Do With Myself, Now that the Economy Has Collapsed?
Panel title: What Do I Do With Myself, Now that the Economy Has Collapsed?
Date and time: Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
Panelists: Andy Baio, Writer/Coder for Waxy.org; Lane Becker, Pres. of Get Satisfaction Inc.; Ben Brown, founder XOXCO; Jane Mount, 20x200; Michael Sippey, VP Prod. for Six Apart Ltd.
The gist: Veterans all of the ‘99-2000 dotcom bust, the panelists shared their stories of scraping by and later succeeding in the tech world. One of the most important lessons offered was the importance of staying in contact with colleagues and friends and following interests as a way to find new opportunities.
Quotes: “Now is a much better time than when we were at the top of the bubble. I hate bubbles. Where we are now gives you the chance to think and explore, but in 1999 everyone was in a constant hurry, working all the time to take your company public. But that’s not why you came into it in the first place. Now, you work on the company you want… then you try to sell it to Yahoo or CNet.” — Lane Becker
Takeaways: Down times are times to try new things. Even if it means working as a waitress or taking a straight 9-5 job as a primary income, use free time to dabble in other projects you find interesting and explore new skills and hobbies. Combined, those efforts usually lead to new and exciting careers. Becker admitted that might sound a little “too California,” but he and the other panelists have found it to be true multiple times.
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AT&T’s network not up to the task at SXSW?
UPDATE: Here’s a response from AT&T spokesman Mike Barger.
“To accommodate unprecedented demand for mobile data and voice applications at SXSW, we are actively working this afternoon to add capacity to our cell sites serving downtown Austin. These efforts are ongoing, but we anticipate that customers should see improved network performance this evening and for the remainder of the event.
“We will continue to monitor network performance throughout the event, and will do everything possible to maximize network performance throughout. We apologize to customers who were inconvenienced during this surge in local network demand.”
AT&T officials now say the network is working as it should. The company doubled the network capacity in the downtown area. Those in the know said no one anticipated so many people to show up with iPhones, an AT&T-exclusive product, and that’s what overwhelmed the network.
More than a few iPhone users are venting their frustration on the Web about the AT&T network here in Austin.
According to a number of tech sites and twitter feeds, SXSW attendees with iPhones have been unable to make calls and send text messages anywhere near the Austin Convention Center. Data services have suffered as well, although users can still get the Web via Wi-Fi. Here’s what CNET has to say about the situation:
But AT&T’s network has not been nearly as impressive, and that’s a shame. I suppose there’s a reason, but it would seem logical that the company could have put in the effort to ensure that the thousands and thousands of people at SXSW—which may constitute the highest concentration of iPhone users anywhere on Earth—could get good cell service. Alas, that wasn’t the case.
Check out the frustration on Twitter here.
Tell us - are you experiencing iPhone difficulties at SXSW?
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Panel: Video Blogging: Turning Wine into Gold
Date/Time: 5 p.m., Sunday
Panelists: Gary Vaynerchuk (host/founder, Wine Library TV), Susanna Hamner (writer/reporter, Business 2.0 Media Inc.)
His blog on wine (and the Jets and whatever else is on his mind), which garners more than 80,000 views day, and his two-minute videos on GaryVaynerchuk.com have continued to grow his popularity. But the message has stayed the same.
The panel, held in a mostly full ballroom, was more of a Q&A, with members of the audience asking questions from the personal (How do you handle death threats?) to the professional (How can I work with you?). He talked about a new book, this one will be about building brands and businesses, and announced that he and his brother AJ are launching a media company in June.
Quotes: On technology: “People who come up with this stuff, it blows my face off.”
“Your energy is contagious; I’m getting a rash” (from a member of the audience during Q&A)
“Do what you want to because you can monetize that (stuff).”
“You don’t have a (expletive) shortcoming; you have you.”
“If you live for the weekend and your vacations, your (stuff) is broken.”
“You can’t get anything until you take it…Waiting for something to happen makes me throw up in my mouth a little.” — Gary Vaynerchuk
Takeaways: You can’t get away with being a jerk, or else your intern will film you and put it up on YouTube. Don’t cry about what you do wrong. Delegate everything, except what you love. Cut out the people in your world who say no.
Hustle. Putting out your content is just the beginning of your day (What you do right there when you’re rubbing the cold out of your eyes, he says.)
Businesses are scared to monetize: There are lots of ways to monetize, not just by selling ads on your site. Sometimes you have to make tough decisions (he gave the example of selling an ad that covers your homepage).
Reactionary business wins: See something, then do it. See the market and execute against that. Don’t worry about what will happen in 24 months.
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Keynote interview: Nate Silver
Date/Time: 2 p.m. Sunday
Panelists: Stephen Baker of BusinessWeek interviewed Nate Silver of fivethirtyeight.com.
The gist: Baker talked with SIlver about the statistical analysis that brought him so much attention during the 2008 presidential election, as well as some other topics.
— How long will President Obama’s grace period be? Silver said that while there’s fear about the economy, Obama still has relatively high approval ratings. He predicted that after Obama has spent about 18 months in office, “People will assign him as much blame as they assign Bush,” he said. One factor working in Obama’s favor might be that the public expects a long recession, making it easier for Obama to beat expectations on when a recovery will begin. On the other hand, Obama could be hurt by the fact that employment is a lagging indicator: Even when the gross domestic product begins to recover, jobs might lag behind.
— He said a lot of what was called “momentum” during the campaign was just a function of the order in which states had their primaries.
— But it wasn’t all politics. Silver talked about his Oscar predictions this year — he missed two categories: Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress. He says Kate Winslet mucked up his modeling on best supporting actress. In earlier awards such as the Golden Globes, she won in the supporting category for “The Reader,” but was nominated in the lead category for the Oscars. With Winslet winning the other supporting awards, he couldn’t get enough data on the rest of the Oscar nominees to see how they would fare on Oscar night.
Quotes: All from Silver:
On why he started the site: “I was using it as a way to procrastinate.”
On election coverage: “Polls were too much a part of the narrative.”
“We shouldn’t lump any one racial group of voters together. People are too quick to assume something is about race when in fact it isn’t.”
“I think oftentimes voters don’t get enough credit for their level of sophistication.”
“A lot of what I was doing was urging patience.”
Takeaways: Silver talking to forecasters in various fields (including fashion) for a book he’s writing on forecasting and prediction.
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Old-school gaming
Remember “Pong”? How about “Duck Hunt”? You can’t go home again, but you sure can play your unreliable Nintendo Entertainment System in your basement again. At least that’s what Mountain Dew hopes.
One of the most popular exhibits at Screenburn Arcade has to be Mountain Dew’s games-through-time.
Four eras are revisited:
— the early-to-mid-‘80’s (Nintendo, Atari, Super Mario Brothers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Tecmo Bowl)
— Late ’80s-to-early 90s (Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, NBA Jams, Sonic the Hedgehog)
— Late ’90s-to-early 2000s (Playstation, Xbox, Golden Eye, Star Wars Battlefront); as well as modern times (Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii).
One guy sat at a Super Nintendo for 45 minutes playing “Mario Kart” — a game he beat years ago.
Scott Holmes, an account supervisor for GMR marketing, took months collecting the gear. He went to thrift stores, borrowed games from friends and went on eBay.
People have the same response, he said: “Oh man, I played that with my brother [when I was a kid],” or “I feel like I came into my basement,” they say, according to Holmes.
Everything’s period-appropriate (so there’s no playing Atari on a HD flat screen). For decor, there’s a “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” movie poster, a 1997 NCAA Final Four jersey, dartboards and more.
“I’m not really into these (newer games); they’re too hard” says Tom Kita, a gamer by the Playstation and XBOX area. He prefers the older consoles: “I like simple games.”
They’re also offering free drinks — fuel for daylong gaming.
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Panel: Your Personal Blog Is Dead
Panel title: Your Personal Blog is Dead
Date and time: Sunday, March 15, 2009 at 3:30 p.m.
Panelists: Marlynn Schotland, CEO of Mamapreneurs, and Alain Schotland, creative services supervisor for Standard Insurance Company.
The gist: Do you Twitter, Flickr, or Facebook? Then you could be guilty of blogicide. Users of those and other social networking applications are accused of helping to kill off the personal blog. And that may not be so bad. In this interactive session, we’ll present the evidence. You be the jury.
Quotes: “How much does Twitter rob society of the full blog?” - Marlynn.
Takeaways: We started out hearing a slew of statistics about how Facebook and Twitter are causing people to blog less. Marlynn said she keeps eight blogs (eight!) including three that were personal blogs (or was it four?). The audience seemed defensive of Twitter, with many saying they could use Twitter to drive more traffic to their site. Others said they use Twitter for blog ideas and have even started blogging more since getting a Twitter account, though others said they blog less and wonder of it’s overkill to blog about something after Tweeting. Guess the jury’s still out on this one.
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Screenburn update
Lots of kids (and trailing parents) out here for the last day of Screenburn Arcade ( through 6 p.m.). If you haven’t been out yet, try it out. Head-to-head game competitions run throughout the day with a Red Bull-hyper MC keeping the tension high with his nonstop scoring updates over the PA. Or check out the vintage video-game exhibit sponsored by Mountain Dew where visitors get treated to comfy couches, free cola and old-school console gaming — Nintendo, Sega Genesis, etc.
Today’s highlights include the Game Design Competition / AAA (http://tinyurl.com/dfwuxg) at 5 p.m. Winners will be featured in a conversation with an industry professional at Studio SX on Monday.
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Panel: Ditch the Valley, Run for the Hills
Date/Time: 10 a.m., Sunday
Panelists: John Erik Metcalf (Co-founder, Conjunctured, Austin), Penelope Trunk, (CEO, Brazen Careerist, Madison, Wisc.), Mike Maples, (Hyper9, Austin), Kaiser Kuo (Consultant Intl Business, Youku.com, Beijing), Robert Scoble, (Managing director, Fast Company TV, Silicon Valley).
The gist:Let’s immediately dispense with the obvious: Silicon Valley remains the capitol of tech startup activity. Places that have a pool of expertise, have an attitude that embraces (or at least accepts) failure and have local investment money will foster entrepreneurs. Others have it, including Austin, but no region has more than the Valley.
But the usual structures for startup investment are changing. And for entrepreneurs who care as much about their lives as their companies, the resources to start a successful company do exist. You just might have to adjust your outlook.
Quotes: “Think of me as Yoda.” — Maples, on being the panel’s elder statesman. “I’m now embracing my inner slacker.” — Kuo, on what he’s been up to lately. “All money is local, even on the venture capital level.” — Trunk, on how investors want their companies nearby. “The world is not flat. It’s really spiky.” — Kuo, on how some areas attract more entrepreneurial activity than others. “There’s tremendous opportunity, but it’s not the white guy” getting it. — Kuo, on how Chinese startups are getting the best of their home market. “At the end, it’s still a people business … a relationship business.” — Scoble, on why technology hasn’t helped break the close proximity of entrepreneurs and their investors.
Takeaways: Silicon Valley, Austin, Boston, Beijing - some places have the expertise, money and attitude to spawn tech startups (some than others, too). But how much should an entrepreneur let their business needs dictate their life? For some, the geek culture and buzz of the Valley has no substitute. Others dig Austin and build their business here. Still others want to stay around friends and family - and in a place not known as a high-tech locus.
Regardless, the success of your company will rely on how well you can exploit the local resources. Can you get local money so you’re not pressured to move? Can you find the workers and expertise to help your company expand? Will you be able to reach your customers? How big does your company need to be?
The Valley is not going to come to you - but then maybe you prefer it that way.
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SXSW Panel: Can Social Media End Racism?
Date/Time: Sunday, 11:30 a.m.
Panelists: Kety Esquivel, New Media Mgr. for NCLR; Jay Smooth, creator of Ill Doctrine; Phil Yu, creator of Angry Asian Man; Latoya Peterson, Editrix at Racialicious.com
The gist: Social media on its own won’t wipe out racism, but is a powerful tool that can bring people together to combat stereotypes, spread correct information and advance the efforts of all minority groups.
“If (social media) was the magic button that can instantly correct thousands of years of racism, we would’ve pushed it a long time ago,” said Smooth, who is also a radio DJ.
The specter of racism is one of the main reasons bloggers and Web admins need to stay vigilant about policing comments and directions of discussion. Yu doesn’t allow comments on his blog and Esquivel said NCLR doesn’t either, though other blogs she’s worked with have received death threats that have been prosecuted by the FBI.
Quotes: When panelists were discussing the personal incident of online racism that most stuck out in their heads, Smooth let fly this bon mot; “Each racist comment is a snowflake that is unique and special in its own way. And every YouTube comments section is a blizzard.”
Takeaways: There are three effective ways to reduce or remove racism online:
- Spread knowledge, so you invite people into a discussion and they can carry that knowledge into the physical world and elsewhere on the blogosphere.
- Provide a refuge, so visitors feel comfortable participating in a discussion without fear of racial or gender intimidation and reprisal.
- Mobilize your base, so when real-world incidents such as the Jena 6 controversy flare up, users can take action, spread dialogue and do whatever possible to advance the discussion of racism in a constructive way.
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Panel: No Budget to Low Budget
Date/Time: 10 a.m. Sunday.
The gist: Most of the panelists have day jobs in film, but followed their passions to try to create original content for the Web. All agreed that good, well-produced content will find its audience if you do a good job elevating the work about the din of what’s out there. In Day’s case, she shot her Web series “The Guild” in her house on practically no budget, but built an audience, got donation and ended up funded by Microsoft to have her second season shown on the Xbox Live Network. On low-budget filmmaking, simple, effective methods are where you should spend your money, not on cranes and dollies. The panelist experience run the gamut and many of them have experience with much larger budgets, but the consensus was that it pays to be smart about what you really need and to only use the tools you really need (camera-steadying sticks, for instance, instead of using handheld — a cheap way to make great-looking video).
Panelists say the conversation nature of video on the Web and a great bonus. You get instant feedback and can build an audience using grassroots methods.
Quotes: “There’s no set way to get there right now.” — Sullivan “Somebody donated $100 and I said, ‘Are you sure?’ ” — Day on the power of creating a product people like and are willing to support through donations. “Kill the auteur. It’s old. Nobody cares anymore.” — Day. “Great acting and a great story doesn’t hurt either.” — Nunes. “Don’t be a douchebag producer.” — Day
Takeaways: When it comes to attaining a budget, it’s networking and finding the best ways to use the money you do have. Get good sound and lighting — stand out from the crowd of bad videos on YouTube. One of the best things you can spend money on is food for a good crew. Surround yourself with valuable, passionate people and remain loyal to them. You can make compromises along the way, but make sure you start with the story you want to tell. Don’t wait for permission to start your project from someone who has money. Retain a balance of control and creativity.
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I am not Michael Barnes (Party Fail)
I don’t know how he does it. Michael Barnes, on a normal week, goes to so many parties and does such a fine job documenting the vibe and who’s there (photos, even!) that at the end of an exhausting South by Southwest Interactive Saturday, I realized that I had failed in my mission.
This is the document of that failure.
Things started promising enough. After a late Comedy On the Web and TV panel, I hit an upstairs party at Fogo De Chao. The weather had cleared up a bit and there was no rain. I gobbled on pork meats and talked to Michael Cote, one of our Texas Social Media Awards winners for the first time. Then things went south. I drank an open-bar sugary margarita-like confection (I’m blanking on the name). It made my hands sticky and had a layer of sweet at the bottom. I went back for a second after the open bar and it was $9. That … sort of … balances out, right?
By the time I left, I was unexpectedly sloshed. The meat did not absorb the drinks and I ended up sweaty and stomach-achey, sitting on the floor of the Convention Center trying to catch my breath.
Great start, right?
Next, I went to the big Digg Shindig at Stubb’s, but got there late and couldn’t seem to find anyone from the company. I stood in the back and watched part of an on-stage presentation from Scam School, but found myself distracted by a dinner appointment I had with some Google employees. I didn’t take pictures and left within minutes.
No cabs in sight, I walked the hills from Stubb’s all the way to Gumbo’s on Colorado St. I’ll write about the Google dinner in another entry — it was long and much was learned — but I’ll just say that my hike was not helped by the idea that people from the Bay Area came to Austin to dine on seafood/Cajun. That is exactly the kind of outside-the-box thinking that has made them a success, I have to assume.
After the dinner, I made a pitstop at the Piryx party at Speakeasy. I arrived so late that they didn’t want to let me in at the door without a cover charge. I sneaky-sneaky went to “Look for my friend” and never came back. Upstairs, Piryx CEO Tom Serres was holding court at what looked to be a very wild party. So wild that Obama Girl Amber Ettinger was standing next to him. Serres introduced me to her.
Perhaps she is a much better actress than I would have given her credit for, but she absolutely did not remember me. Or, she was so polite she didn’t mention it. She seemed very happy to meet me for the first time and, in my weakened state, I did not make an effort to dredge up old conflict.
Next, it was time to go to the big Frog Design party at the Mexican-American Cultural Center. It was only 10:30 p.m.! Not too late! Come on, Frog Design! Don’t let me down. I’ve been looking forward to this party all year!
It was too late. When I arrived, droves of people were streaming out. The music was over, the burlesque was long done, and cabs were circling like vultures. I had struck out again.
Hoping to save my night, I made one last-ditch effort to party. I went to a karaoke party at Scoot Inn. It was crowded and I couldn’t find anyone I knew until I wandered all the way to the back and found a person to chat with for about a half hour about what’s going at the Statesman, what the festival’s been like and how things have changed in Austin.
It wasn’t hard-core partying, but by this point, my head was pounding, my legs were tired and I felt like I’d missed so much. It was good to just talk with a friendly person and save my energy for the rest of the fest.
I think Michael would have had much better timing and taken photos. Sorry, everybody. I’ll try to party better tonight.
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Core Conversation: Sex, Violence and Video Games: Where’s It All Going
Date/Time: 5 p.m. Saturday
Panelists: John Davison (Co-Founder, What They Like)
The gist: Say your son is at a friend’s house. What worries you most? That he’ll a) drink beer, b) get high, c) look at pornography d) play “Grand Theft Auto IV.” That was a question posed to parents in a poll following the release last year of “GTA’s IV”, the video game many feel is the poster boy of out-of-control sex and violence in games—and also perhaps an unfair whipping boy. The winner? Beer. But “GTA” was high on the list. So high the fodder sparked one of the best conversations at SXSW so far.
Other issues: Games with false representations of and subtle violence against women (how many feature lwomen with perfect figures and smooth skin? Then again, they’re in movies too); motion-sensitive controllers that re-create your violent movements on screen; and a disproportionate amount of criticism directed at a game’s sexual content rather than its gratuitous violence.
The good news is that “games-of-consequence” are already on the market, and more are coming. This is where characters kill targeted bad guys and random, overly aggressive play hurts your character (shoot civilians in “GTA” and the cops show up). Others, like the popular action role-playing game “Fallout 3,” have graphics so life-like that natural morality creeps in). Games can teach too: One person shared the story of an autistic child who taught himself how to read and write by playing “World of Warcraft.”
Quotes: “Naming 10 movies you wouldn’t want your kids to see is easier than naming ten video games” - John Davison
Takeaways: The discussion continues, but the hope is that as technology and the taste of consumers evolves, so too will games—relying less on visceral charges, and more on emotional connections.
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Panel: What Your Startup Can Learn from Barack Obama and Howard Dean
Date/Time: 11:30 a.m. Saturday
Panelists: Jake Brewer (Internet Director, Energy Action Coalition); Scott Goodstein (CEO, Revolution Messaging LLC); Mary Katharine Ham (Staff Writer, Weekly Standard); Clay Johnson (Director of Sunlight Labs, Sunlight Foundation); Michael Bassik (Chief Digital Officer, Air America Media)
The gist: A panel of new media journalists, consultants, and strategists explained how Obama and Dean’s social media campaign strategies serve as a tutorial for start-ups.
How did a presidential candidate (Obama) build the “largest internationally recognizable brand in history” (Bassik)? By marketing locally. Campaign text messages were city-specific. So was his MySpace. 90 percent of his banner ads targeted IP addresses that then adjusted the material accordingly (“localized Web site content strategy”). For instance, visitors to the homepage of BarackObama.com in Ohio had a different experience than those in New York.
Other lessons: Evolve your brand; don’t be afraid to experiment with your image; allow and encourage user-generated content of your product (The Obama campaign hosting homemade videos from supporters on its Website is one example); listen to consumers — don’t ignore grievances.
Quotes: “Every single person is your best evangelist” -Michael Bassik
Takeaways: Personalize the message to the locale — tailor your social media marketing efforts at specific cities, towns, neighborhoods and homes.
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