GDNet: Weekly Sitrep

GDC prep

Somewhere's in between Oct and Dec (sometimes even as late as Jan - yikes!) the staff wakes up to the fact that GDC is around the bend. This year we're prepping early, starting this month, to make sure that all of our plans for world domination... err... the conference are complete come March. We'll be having a booth once more this year, which we didn't do last year but have done in years past. It'll be right across the way from the Course PTR booth chock full of wonderful books for purchase at discount - including the upcoming GDNet books (which still need their own special announcement I suppose, but it's not a big secret anymore now is it? [smile]). Oh and don't forget about the bag swag. Last year we did ping pong balls and this year we're planning on continuing the activities theme. I'll have more juicy GDC details as we get closer, of course


IGF Awards

Next month we'll be hearing about the 2009 IGF finalists and I'll be starting my rounds of IGF interviews once again. Much as I don't mind all the fame and fortune (ok, just fame), I'm always willing to let others lend a hand in the process, so if you're interested in talking to some developers about their game and most likely making some new friends in the process (I keep in touch with a lot of past finalists) then drop me an email. I'm also particularly keen on expanding our IGF coverage to the Student and Mobile sections as well, so be sure to mention your interest in those areas as well.


Webby Awards

We're finally stepping up to the plate and seeing if we can bat a home run in the form of a Webby Award. Gamasutra's been awarded two in the past - can we start to match up? While we know there's a lot of you out there who would vote for us for People's Choice, Gamespot seems to have that pretty nailed down, and they're a lot more main stream. So it looks to be up to the panel of IADAS judges that will determine our fate. Even if we don't win, hopefully coming back next year with a new look and fresh design and new services will win over the judging panel. Keep your fingers crossed for us and we'll let you know when to vote!


New Resources

* Writing the Right Email - Juuso Hietalahti, a game producer, has some sound and straight-forward advice for artists when they send emails for potential positions. Of course, the structure really applies to any position you're in!

* NY Games Conference 2008 - analyst industry data, console vs. PC debate, iPhone development insights, SOE's new titles, teen gamers, pro gaming and pictars!


New Events

Now that we're approaching the new year, I raided the event calendar archives for past Jan 08 events and added those that are returning in 09, along with a few new 08 events:

* Vienna Games Conference 2008. Future and Reality of Gaming (F.R.O.G) @ Vienna, Austria - October 17, 2008 to October 19, 2008

* Fall Spook-tacular LAN Party @ San Diego, CA, United States - October 17, 2008 to October 18, 2008

* Games 3.0 @ London, United Kingdom - October 27, 2008

* Eurogamer Expo @ London, United Kingdom - October 28, 2008 to October 29, 2008

* Gstar @ Seoul, Korea, Republic of - November 13, 2008 to November 16, 2008

* IEEE Consumer Communications & Networking Conference @ Las Vegas, NV, United States - January 10, 2009 to January 13, 2009

* Carolina Games Summit @ Goldsboro, NC, United States - February 7, 2009