Wed 30 Dec 2009
I’ve been enjoying some Borderlands action over the holidays. My son (who just recently turned 7) caught a glimpse of me taking mission briefings from a Claptrap unit. So enamored by the charming little robot, he whipped up this drawing:
Not too shabby considering the limited exposure he had (see vs in-game image). This is part of is ongoing game series: see his Assassin’s Creed tower and Castle Crashers knight drawings.
Tue 22 Dec 2009
As is tradition, here is my list of books I read over the past year. Sadly, I didn’t quite hit my self-imposed two books per month “quota”, but I got close (21 total)… All non-fiction, as usual.
Games-related
Leadership
Business/Economics
Self-Help/Culture/Etc
Of the bunch, the Lincoln bio-book, Team of Rivals, was particularly inspiring. It was a whopping 900 pages, but every page was dripping with insight.
In terms of actually doing innovation Ten Rules for Strategic Innovators was surprisingly pragmatic - and I could see it help many traditional game studios that are trying to make the transition to emerging markets and business models. Ditto for Super Crunchers, which was given out as sponsored swag (appropriately by EEDAR) during DICE last year. There were many aha! moments during both of these books.
The bulk of the business/economics books are my attempt to beef up my knowledge as it pertains to my cluster/economic development consulting efforts. Free was an awesome read, and another one that everyone on the biz side of games should read. Ditto for Word of Mouth Marketing, especially given the recent research on WoM’s impact on game sales.
Awake at Work, recommended by Intel’s Scott Crabtree at last year’s IGDA Leadership Forum, was my first foray into Buddhist influenced reading. Was deep and inspiring. Influence was awesome. I need to study it more, mwhouahaha!
Fri 6 Nov 2009
So, I’m sitting in the reception area of Ubisoft Montreal’s monstrous studio, waiting for my lunch meeting. I see the latest issue of Game Developer magazine featuring a postmortem of the awesomely awesome Scribblenauts.
I pick it up and start thumbing through.
I get to the “The Game Developer 50″ article and think to myself, This is cool, I always like to see who’s on these important people lists, fun. Then I hit the Evangelism category and boom, there I am. Nice. Here’s the blurb:
As the executive director of the IGDA from 2000 through early 2009, Della Rocca has played a key role in advocating for game developers and the games industry in general on a multitude of issues. His strong leadership on elements such as quality of life issues and game crediting was important in growing the IGDA by a massive factor during his tenure. While his departure — to run a consultancy devoted to counseling local and national governments on attracting game talent — was surprising, his selfless work deserves both mentioning and honoring here.
I had no clue. Figured I got all my pats-on-the-back with the Ambassador Award, but certainly nice to get some post-IGDA kudos as well.
Sun 27 Sep 2009
Great to read about the success of RedLynx’s Trials HD. Way more of a physics-based puzzle game than an actual racing game, it’s a nifty little diversion I pulled down on XBLA. So yes, I count myself as one of the 300,000 folks who forked over points for it.
Interestingly enough, I had no clue about the game originally. However, a couple of the RedLynx boys let me share a cab ride over to the party at the Nordic Game Conference a few months back. They filled me in about their latest efforts, and I was hooked.
Doesn’t hurt that the easier levels are simple enough for my 6-year-old son to play (and medal in). Never mind that I’m totally stuck on the last two extreme levels. Grrr…
Mon 2 Feb 2009
It has been a wonderfully rewarding and stimulating 8+ years that I’ve served the IGDA, and it is now time for me to go. There are three key elements to my departure:
Regarding #3, while I believe that my particular skills and strengths suited the needs of the IGDA along the way, the org has grown to the point where different styles of leadership should probably be explored.
Of course, I’m not jumping off a cliff! I’ll be fully focused on ensuring the IGDA has another successful GDC, along with closing up a handful of other key org initiatives (like launching the new website). And, as mentioned in the formal press release, I’ll be sticking around a few more months to help the Board with the transition to a new exec director. Indeed, I feel a strong obligation to ensure a smooth transition: After investing nearly 9 years of my life into IGDA, the last thing I want is for my departure to cause problems.
Despite my decision to leave, I believe more so than ever in the need for and value of a strong and vibrant IGDA. I’m honored and humbled to have served the passionate members and volunteers of the IGDA for so long and (mostly) done well in stewarding the mission along the way.
It all has been such a tremendous source of inspiration, learning and fulfillment.
Thanks!
Sun 18 Jan 2009
Despite a busy start to the new year, I’ve been able to keep up (somewhat) with my Judo training. Today there was a local tournament, and I was fortunate enough to be able to compete.
Actually, I’ve been watching my weight the past week to ensure I’d measure in at 100kg. If you miss that mark, you end up in HEAVYWEIGHT. Well, I made my weight, but there was no one else to compete with, so they put me into the heavyweight category anyway (other guys were about 250 pounds!!!). Ooch.
Not to worry, my speed and superior technique prevailed. I won two matches to nab the gold :)
Mat A and B in the main arena.
Engaging for throw…
Start of throw…
Result of throw…
Hold down for the extra point.
