Women In Gaming International Conference

[Tami]

On September 10, 2005 and I had the pleasure of attending this conference at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, and it was perhaps another milestone for KillaNet as established individuals and companies are gaining an interest in what KillaNet is all about and what we\'re trying to accomplish as a company. Please read on to see what events took place at the conference.

[b]Women In Gaming Conference - Advancing Your Career in Game Development.[/b]

This conference was the inaugral event for Women In Games International, and if the organization of this conference is any indicator, Women In Games International is already off to a flying start. I have to commend Sheri Graner Ray (Sr. Game Designer, Sony Online Entertainment) and Ellen Beeman (Programme Manager, New Consumer Products, Microsoft) for their dedication to this association. The idea for Women In Games International took shape during a conversation over dinner ten years ago, and yesterday\'s event saw the culmination of that conversation in the way of 400+ registrants for this conference, with more events planned for the future. I also must thank the sponsors of yesterday\'s conference: Microsoft, Game Developers\' Conference, International Game Designers\' Association, DigiPen Institute of Technology, Girls In Games, Inc., Business Wire, ThemePark Studios, WomenGamers.com, and Mary-Margaret.com Recruiting & Business Services.

The conference began with a formal welcome given by Sheri Graner Ray, who gave a brief history of Women In Games International and announced two events being developed-San Francisco in February 2006 and Dallas in April 2006. The keynote speaker was Shannon Loftis of Microsoft Gaming Studios, and delivered the thought provoking topic of \"Supporting An Inclusive Work Culture.\"

Ms. Loftis\' topic was one which is applicable in any industry, not just game development. She covered many areas which I will be taking a closer look at as I re-listen to the tapes I made of the conference to see how many of the points she raised we already have in place at KillaNet, and what we can do to improve in other areas. Some of these areas are going to take some hard, honest thought processes not only on my part but also on the part of our staff.

The main principles Ms. Loftis spoke about are ones that people can apply to their lives in general, as well. These include not being afraid of opportunities, taking creative risks, networking, taking a long and short view of what you want out of life, and creating a roadmap to get there. This type of roadmap can also be applied to companies and employees-companies can map out where they want to develop, employees can map out what they expect from their job. She also emphasized the importance of finding mentors (a trusted, wiser, more experienced person you can talk to about ideas, creative blocks, career/educational obstacles & goals) and of finding sponsors (someone who knows you well enough to guide & assist in your career development, someone in the industry). The most important message in my opinion though, was staying true to yourself-as an individual, an employee, and if applicable-a company. Do not sacrifice your personal values or who you are for the sake of a promotion or a contract.

The first panel discussion at the conference was about breaking into the game industry, and how to acquire the skills to get that first job. Members of this panel were: Jen Seward - DigiPen Institute of Technology; Amy Bendotti - Monolith Productions; Suzanne Kaufman - Sucker Punch; and the moderator was Ellen Beeman of Microsoft. This panel covered alot of ground, and if any of you are interested I can write a full report about this discussion and go into greater detail of the areas covered-the same goes for any other areas of discussion which were covered at the conference.

The most important message these speakers delivered was, no matter which area of development you want to go into, know your tools well. This means knowing programming languages, understand how each development area works with the others, stay up to date with the tools and technology, and educate yourself on the industry. Know which studios and production companies make which games, know what game engines are out there and how they work. There is no such thing in the games industry as knowing too much about development. One of the skills that was repeated throughout the day was the importance of knowing how to network. You can never know too many people in the industry. The game industry itself, while it is a huge market, is actually a very small community-this is where knowing people becomes important.

If you want to go into game engineering, learn C++ and DirectX inside out. Write game codes, make small games. Learn how the different engines work and build some game engines of your own. Learn electronic engineering and basic network building. The game engineers are the people who make it possible for the artists and animators to do the work that will make games stand out. In many cases, a Bachelor of Computer Science degree is required, unless you can prove yourself more than capable of producing high quality products without that piece of paper.

Should you want to go into the graphics and design side of the industry, fine art skills are mandatory. These include traditional art forms, hand drawing skills, and especially a knowledge of anatomy. Graphics people should be drawing and sketching as often as possible. Some art classes require 50 pages of drawn work per week. Again, you must know your tools well and you must stay up to date on the graphics programmes which are available to you as an artist. You also must understand how the game engines and programming work to make your artwork do all those wonderful actions during a game.

Remember that while developing games themselves may be the area you want to work in, there are many other jobs available in the gaming industry. Quality Assurance is an excellent entry level position, but even that can be demanding. You must understand game programming, and you have to have highly developed documentation and communication skills, as you have to convey clearly and concisely the bugs you find in the games you are testing. There are also other areas you can work in-marketing and public relations, accounting, business management, support staff, and technical engineering. These areas are covered in the next panel discussion.

One of the most important areas you need to look at is your personal skills level. Are you able to work with any team, are you a self starter, can you work on your own, do you have a good attitude, how do you deal with stress, how are your listening and communication skills, are you coachable, can you come up with innovative ideas, can you leave your ego at the door and most importantly - do you have a passion for what you are doing. One other area that is very important is a good, professional portfolio both online and off.

The second panel discussion was \"An Array of Career Options\" and featured Dana Hanna - a freelance developer; Rick Lambright - Sony Entertainment Online; Sandra Rumsey - Mobliss; Kiki Wolfkill - Microsoft Game Studios; Maureen Farley - Real Networks, and the moderator was Laura Fryer of Microsoft Game Studios.

This discussion covered such areas of employment as Quality Assurance, Corporate Communications, Engineering, Art Direction, and Game Production. Once again, the top skill requirement discussed for any of these positions was communication. These include listening, verbal and written skills. To become an \"area lead\" you must possess good leadership skills, work well with and without teams and you have to have a broad knowledge of how all elements of the gaming industry work together-right from game conception to retail shelf. You need to understand the financial side of the industry, you must be able to meet deadlines and you must have high productivity levels. You must also have a passion for what you are doing and for the industry. You must also understand your competition and what they are doing, as well as have strong problem solving skills, be able to resolve conflifts and work well under pressure. As with any of the other panel discussions, if there is interest I will make an indepth report on any of the panel discussions.

The third panel discussion was \"The Ultimate Challenge: Balancing Work and Personal Life.\" The speakers on this panel were: Jen Seward - DigiPen Institute of Technology; Shannon Loftis - Microsoft Game Studios; Sheri Graner Ray - Sony Online Entertainment, and the moderator was Ellen Beeman of Microsoft.

This discussion was very timely, due to the large amount of coverage in the press lately in regards to the Gaming Industry and Quality of Life issues. This is where you have to decide what is important to you-and is your job worth it. You need to make an effort to set out personal time while still maintaining a high production level. Focus on the value of your personal time and sanity level versus the value of money. While it is very nice to have the money to do things in your personal life, that money won\'t mean a thing if you have to sacrifice your personal values to make it. Time management is a very important skill to learn, as is estimating tasks versus time. Learn to plan ahead, and add extra time into your work deadlines for putting the polish on projects. Again, communication is very important. If your project is running into problems, you need to convey these problems to the rest of your team and to the project manager-before the deadline crunch appears.

At the same time, have a reason to leave work at the end of the day-classes, family, social events, cultural events. When you are out doing these activities, try to make them different from what you do at work. If you are an engineer, take a class on anything but engineering. Although here again you must work in a balance of staying educated and up to date in your technology, you must also take a break from it. Understand your capabilities and be realistic about them. Communicate with your project team and managers if you see any problems taking shape before they happen. Watch for problem areas and learn how to solve those problems. While the bottom line for your employer is that \"this is a business\" there won\'t be a business without a comfortable balance for a sustainable workforce.

The final panel of the day was a discussion about the executive perspective. The members of this panel were: Samantha Ryan - Monolith Productions; Stuart Moulder - Wild Tangent; Gano Haine - LimeLife; Sheri Hargus - Her, Interactive; the moderator was Laura Fryer of Microsoft Game Studios. The current outlook of the gaming industry as a whole is it\'s on an upswing. The industry is very cyclical, and with the upcoming release of new gaming platforms, along with the recent release of Sony\'s PSP, this creates a demand for newer games with newer technology.

Currently, the biggest \"growth area\" for the industry is artwork and graphic design. Some game development companies are beginning to make wider use of common middleware, such as Unreal\'s engine. They are of the thought that it is not necessary to build a new game engine for every project when one game engine will surpass the needs of the game. Engineers and programmers will see their roles alter slightly, to where they will be fine tuning the middleware engines to suit the project. Obviously engineers will continue to develop new engines and expand their capabilities, but the main focus right now is making the engines to further the game experience from a visual and audio point of view.

The industry is also increasingly needing good story writers as games trend towards being a more cinematic, interactive experience. The fastest growing demographics for the gaming industry as a whole is casual games and women gamers. Another notable plateau is the beginning disappearance of the typical \"gamer mentality\" as games expand into other areas of our lives - such as the growing use of serious games in many industries. Another growing area, especially with the popularity of games like World of Warcraft and Guild Wars, is MMORPG. The expansion of these game genres sees an increasing need for server technology and administrators to make these games available to the masses. As the internet gaming community expands, the industry at a whole is looking at the new avenues of revenue opening up to them. It\'s no longer just the end product on the shelf making the money. It\'s the expansion packs, merchandising, movies, online interaction and online game subscriptions. Society has evolved into one driven by technology. As computers and technology infuse themselves into our daily lives, the industry as a whole has to grow to meet those challenges. This means opening up avenues of entry for young people, recognizing the need for educational programmes and funding, and the opportunities for internships within development companies.

In order to succeed in this industry, you have to be a risk taker, you have to be creative, you have to be unique, you have to be obsessive, you have to define your goals both long-term and short-term, you have to seize opportunities, you have to work hard, and while doing all that, you have to balance a personal life to maintain enough sanity to work in an insane industry. Gano Haine summed up the gaming industry best, and I quote: \"this is an obsessive activity performed by obsessive people so that other people can obsess about getting it done.\" Above all, you need to be clear on what you want to do and where you want to go. Be confident, persevere, network, take risks, but always remain true to yourself and who you are.

An open networking session followed the panel discussions, along with a hot appetizers buffet served by Microsoft Catering. Overall it was a very successful day; I met people in the industry who are the \"doers\" and people who are interested in KillaNet and what we are trying to accomplish. It seems that because we focus mainly on providing opportunities to those who are willing to take advantage of them especially grabbed their interest. It is those people from KillaNet, be they staff or members, who will be getting the second looks and job opportunities when they are ready for the industry. Why you ask? Because they are the risk takers - the ones who aren\'t afraid to step forward and work hard, who create their own opportunities, who work as a team, have learned to communicate, and the ones who see the value of innovation and new ideas. The basic qualities of what it takes to survive in a high pressure, highly creative environment-the environment of technology and a global future. Further to that, they know that inherent industry key to success, and I quote Ellen Beeman \"Ultimately, it\'s all about the pizza.\"