Game Developers Session (GDS)’s Post

This recent exchange is the perfect example of why I'm skeptical about every "invitation" I receive to attend "an exciting new" conference or industry event. --- The [CONFERENCE NAME REDACTED] serves as a convergence point for leading professionals, innovators, and visionaries within the gaming industry, fostering the exchange of insights, discussions on emerging trends, and exploration of the future gaming landscape in Saudi Arabia. We cordially invite you to confirm your availability for the specified dates. Additionally, we are open to accommodating any specific preferences you may have regarding the session format or any other requirements to facilitate your seamless and comfortable participation. --- When I inquired about speaker expectations and their accomodations for speakers, this was the reply: --- We have Panel Discussions for 40 mins and a Speaker Presentation for 20 mins. We regret to inform you that, we are not accommodating the speakers as it is the first edition of the [CONFERENCE NAME REDACTED] event. We may consider your request in future editions. We request you to self-sponsor your stay & travel for this edition. --- While this may be a great event with earnest intentions, wonderful attendees, and knowledgable speakers, asking someone to fly thousands of miles to speak for free at your conference and then not pay for their travel or hotel boggles the mind. I didn't ask if I also had to pay for a conference pass, but at this point I wouldn't be surprised. This has been a damned hard year for people in the games industry. Expecting them to pay their way to provide valuable content for your event is bad timing, at best.

I am reposting the below by my friend Pantelis. It brought me memories of the early days of international computer connectivity through EARN/BitNet, an international network by IBM machines. The routing tables of the nodes had even this field : “Planet: Earth”! That was the ambition of the time. That was when Internet had only the “.mil” ahd then the “.edu” domains. I remember also when in early 80’s we formed what was then morphed to FORTHnet, a vehicle to introduce internet first to the Greek academia and then with the adent of .com to the business. I remember when in early 90’s i was insisting that Internet must replace Inmarsat-C telex comms on board ships and at Forthnet with other partners we were experimenting with IP over Inmarsat. I consider my generation lucky in the sense that we witnessed and participated in a continuous technological development which under our biological constraints we could still follow. The newer generations wont be able to do so as the decelopments are accelerating at a rate that the human biology alone cannot follow. In the 17th century a person was receiving as much information in a year as a person today receives in one day. Perhaps we will end up augmenting ourselves just to follow this evolution, breaking thus the Darwinian process by choosing our own …

Dear friends, we want to share the following information. Platinum Club launches an Operators' Tour at Global Gaming Expo to Benefit Latin American Operators Less than a month away from the world's most significant in-person event, The Global Gaming Expo (G2E) authorities are once again teaming up to reward and recognize the value of Latin American operators attending this year's international exhibition, taking place from October 9th to 12th in Las Vegas. THIS is exclusive for OPERATORS ONLY SAVE THE DATES On Monday, October 9th, we will gather at the Platinum Club Lounge at 8:30 am with a pre-selected only group of VIP operators who will embark on a tour visiting three properties. The tour includes lunch and a networking event at the Venetian upon return. For Tuesday, October 10th, Wednesday, October 11th, and Thursday, October 12th, preferential access to the Platinum Club Lounge and free access to the expo hall is expected to operators only. Among the benefits of this initiative are: Access to the G2E Platinum Club Lounge during the show days. Free Access to the expo hall. Daily Continental Breakfast from 8 am to 10:30 am. Daily Snack from 3 pm to 4 pm. This program is exclusive to the Latin American C Level operators providing added value and a VIP experience at the most important event of the year. The industry has evolved, and we are at a stage where personalized attention and VIP treatment are invaluable. This agreement clearly demonstrates the intention of both organizations to work together, seeking to support the industry in the best way possible. We are here to assist Latin operators attending the event, and collaborate with all logistics both inside and outside the Las Vegas show. To obtain personalized passes, interested operators should request their participation in the Platinum Club program from Alan Burak via email at alan@sagselatam.com or via WhatsApp at (+54) 9 11 6245-5985

Cannes Lions markets itself as the ‘International Festival of Creativity’, but I don’t understand how you can celebrate true creativity if creativity = the size of your wallet. I’ve never entered the Cannes Lions awards before, but this year I thought I’d give it a go. That is until I saw the extortionate entry fees and debated if the kudos of winning this so called ‘prestigious award’ was worth me selling a kidney. There are lots of small independent agencies that are creating ground-breaking campaigns, but they will never be able to financially compete with the larger more established beasts. As a result you have brilliant creative that deserves awards but isn't recognised due to the creation of these elitist and exclusive environments. Organisations like D&AD and The Gerety Awards recognise this, and they offer a 30% discount to small indies which proves that a more equal playing field can be created - you just have to want to do it. But when I asked Cannes Lions if they have a similar incentive, their response was: ‘As a completely neutral party when it comes to awarding, we are unable to provide any discounts or waive fees for any entrants.’ I’m sorry but offering discounts to small indies doesn't sacrifice your neutrality – and it should have no bearing on the judging process itself – what it can offer is a wider, more diverse selection of creative for judges to consider. Which can only be a good thing for the industry and for Cannes Lions itself. How will we ever celebrate fresh perspectives and underrepresented voices if these systemic barriers remain? And the award entry fee is just the tip of the iceberg – throw in the entry to the Palais on top and the extortionate travel and accommodation fees for the South of France in June, and there’s no point even considering it. And then there’s the judging itself. Apparently, you can only judge Cannes Lions if you have won a Cannes Lions. And that my friends is the vicious cycle of elitism at its finest. What should be the high watermark for creative excellence in our industry becomes a wealthy mutual back-slapping exercise between past winners and rich agencies. Maybe I’m alone on this, but I personally think Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity really needs to take a long, hard look at what its current structure is saying to the industry – because all I can see is the perpetuation of inequalities that already exist and the promotion of the same work by the same big agencies, judged by the same people every year. Thus closing the door on diversity. If you really believe in creating a more inclusive landscape that genuinely celebrates the best work that our industry has to offer, you need to put your money where your mouth is. Not ours. #canneslions #equality #diversityandinclusion #awardsandrecognition

New blog 💡 The Self-Service Venue: Five opportunities for cultural venues bit.ly/3XJFgz9 Using the findings from our recent Hot Topic, we've identified five ways cultural venues can leverage self-service technology for the benefit of both staff and audiences. A ‘self-service venue’ can be so much more than people buying tickets online. It has the potential to free up your staff to super-serve those who require or prefer human interaction, enhance the customer experience, increase secondary spend and improve access. This project was an Indigo Share: Hot Topic, research which responds to a challenge being faced by the sector. Find out more → bit.ly/3rnaFeB

France and Spain are Europe’s leading sports tech markets and offer substantial opportunities to Irish tech innovators.   Sports tech is booming in both countries. Investment in the sector in France has shown a 360% growth in the past six years and there has been a record €4.3 billion boost in Spain in recent years, driven by acceleration programmes for sports tech start-ups. Find out more about high-performance Sports tech in France and Spain: https://lnkd.in/efYvEze3

To relocate to a larger, unconventional venue? Or to move the show away from Malta to a city with a more robust infrastructure? One of the toughest decisions taken earlier this year under my watch paid off beautifully. Merely five months ago we managed to secure all necessary permits just in time to start refurbishing three derelict sheds and host the largest conference ever in Malta. I understand on day one, traffic flow across the country was impacted and the inconvenience is regretted. A few valuable lessons have been learnt to mitigate for next year. The vibe of this year’s SiGMA Europe was unlike anything I’ve witnessed in nine years since the very first rodeo. Delegates thought we couldn’t go any farther after last year’s performance at MFCC. Yet here we are today. Current exhibitors want bigger spaces and new clients want in big. I can’t wait to raise the bar yet again in 2024. Similarly, the response from hoteliers, restaurants, suppliers, sports clubs & taxis has been overhelming, and a clear sign that the show should stay in Malta. The tourist sector used to refer to November as a shoulder month. Not anymore. All the love to the greatest workforce, the SiGMA Squad: Ubuntu. I am because we are.

Have you got your ticket yet for the MRG Conference in Malaga? Curating papers from industry leaders around the theme of Representing Reality, inspired by the fact that the conference will be held in Malaga, the birthplace of Picasso. The conference will be a chance to share ideas, discuss, debate and network with others from the industry in the beautiful Malaga backdrop. Including Georgina Harvey from Channel 4 and Konrad Collao of Craft - Human Intelligence will be presenting Beyond Z: The Real Truth About British Youth. They set out to provide Channel 4 with the most honest, sophisticated view of what it is really like to be young in the UK. Taking a myth-busting approach and using synthetic cohort analysis as the framework, they set out to understand and illustrate the complexity and multiplicity that would characterise any group of people. The ticket price for the 3-day conference is £2,225; including flights, 3 nights in the hotel, transfers in Malaga and the gala dinner. Tickets here; https://lnkd.in/e4KQ_8ts