Given how much we are all here into modding SFC2, I thought the following would be interesting for people to read. I receive updates in my email from "The Age", a Melbourne newspaper and happened to discover this. The real irony is that I was only checking my emails anyway looking for the AOTK2 map that J'inn is sending to me.
http://theage.com.au/articles/2005/07/12/1120934248762.html?oneclick=trueIndie gamers come out and play
By Jason Hill
July 14, 2005
LiveWire
Many gaming pioneers began their careers in their bedrooms, producing software for early home computers. The results were often hugely creative.
Today, most games are developed by teams of dozens of programmers and artists over several years with multimillion-dollar budgets. But independent development is still alive, particularly in the "modding" community - altering commercial games into new creations.
Free Play, the Next Wave Independent Game Developers Conference, begins tomorrow at Federation Square [Melbourne, Australia], aimed at independent game developers, "creatively frustrated" professionals, students, gamers, modders and artists.
Marcus Westbury, Next Wave artistic director, says Free Play was established to encourage more independent game development.
"Compared to cinema, music and other contemporary art forms where there is a strong tradition of independent productions and distribution mechanisms, games still need to fight hard to build that space," Mr Westbury says.
"Gaming is an incredibly centralised industry controlled by a handful of major players. Free Play can act as a catalyst to get indy game makers out from behind their computers and get them together to share skills, exchange ideas and create opportunities to make things happen."
Mr Westbury says the power and potential of games is being increasingly recognised by both audiences and artists.
"Games are every bit as interesting as a creative medium as film or literature," he says.
"Unfortunately, the industry is dominated by people who don't think much beyond the bottom line and innovation often has to come from the margins."
Free Play sessions include building online worlds, improving narratives, games as satire, what to look for in university courses, creating games for mobile phones, how to secure publishing and distribution deals, comparing film and game reviews and designing for PlayStation Portable. Attendees also get the chance to showcase their work.
Speakers include Adventure Gaming Hall of Fame inductee Greg Costikyan, plus artist, programmer and musician Tom Betts, otherwise known as nullpointer.
Topic: OT: Independant Gamers Conference (Read 920 times)