The ESA Foundation, representing the charitable arm of the games industry, has announced that they will be making 30 scholarships available this year to aspiring female and minority game developers.

The 30 scholarships represent a doubling of the foundations scholarship offerings over their first two years of operation, granting qualified applicants $3,000 towards their continued game development education. The scholarships are available to minority and female students who are either attending high school or studying development-related subjects at accredited four-year anniversaries.

“A growing number of students know that computer and video games are the premier entertainment medium for expressing their impressive creativity and innovative thinking,” said Michael Gallagher, president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which represents U.S. computer and game publishers. “We are excited to provide these scholarships to help future game industry employees make the dreams that they have for themselves and our industry a reality.”

To apply online for the scholarship, visit the ESA Foundation website and fill out the application before May 15th, 2009. Remember, you can only qualify if you are not a white male, unless of course you possess C. Thomas Howell-level dedication.

One of the most intriguing pieces of this new battle is how it brings the developers into the fray. Developers must choose between having exclusivity on one portal, potentially limiting their distribution, or fully distributing on all portals, and missing out on the rewards that exclusivity can bring.

There are certainly arguments that can be made as to which is the financially better approach, and certainly there is no clear path that is always financially more viable, but regardless of what path is chosen, developers are choosing a path that aligns them with one portal’s approach or another’s.

Developers are being unwittingly recruited into the battle and are at the forefront of the current skirmish, and as it true of all battles, those on the front lines are the most likely to be injured by the fighting.

Carroll notes that while exclusivity may be a positive thing for individual portals, it’s bad for the industry on the whole; the developers are still losing out, since they’re treading on uncertain ground when weighing the potential benefits of exclusive titles versus wide ranging distribution.

‘Coopetition’ – Digital Distribution’s Enemy? [Gamasutra]

Over at the Escapist, they’re taking a look at the future of gaming — Hal Halpin, president of the Entertainment Consumers Association, looks at a number of ‘maybe, maybe not’ predictions with his own take. Ranging from the mundane (’Game prices will go down!’) to the political (’Things will get better once gamers become politicians!’) to the industry-focused (’Publishing structure is stuck in a rut and won’t change!’). It’s a fun read with some good points on the present and future directions of the gaming industry. On the publishing structure, Halpin has this to say:

… Developers too often aspire to be CEOs and convince themselves that they have the acumen to handle it. They rarely do. Great developers are great artists, not suits. There are exceptions to the rule, of course, but by and large rising developers would do far better to hire an experienced executive team and check their egos at the door. That, or merge with equally talented, like-minded firms where they should still hire the aforementioned suits. I foresee the consolidation in our business similar to that of the film industry. Several publishers will percolate up to be “the majors”, a few will be “mini majors” and specialise in niche markets and genres, and there’ll be a whole culture of indie developers – far more robust than today’s landscape – many of whom will be inspired to their careers by user-created content. Timeline for paradigm shift: three to five years.

I’m not sure consolidation of the film industry is a good example, since it took some concerted effort on the part of the major studios and successfully stamped out the little whipper snappers for decades, but the idea of a more robust indie scene is a nice one. Not a terribly long essay, but worth a read through.

The Crystal Ball [The Escapist]

I mentioned the Games, Learning & Society Conference in Madison, Wisconsin back when a call for papers was put out. Michael Abbott of the Brainy Gamer has some interesting notes on the conference, which was held this past Thursday and Friday. The wrap up of the keynote speech, delivered by James Gee of Arizona State University, is an interesting meditation on the role of games (and not just ‘edutainment’) in education:

Gee sees broad implications for students in this regard. “Give students smart tools and let them use them and modify them to suit their purposes.” Such self-motivated learning moves students away from merely consuming knowledge and encourages them to produce knowledge and apply it in meaningful ways. Furthermore, Gee observed, when communities form around these activities, they are linked by a common endeavour, rather than by race, class, gender, or disability.

Gee clearly situates video games within an overall theory of learning and literacy with genuine power to transform students and equip them to address complex problems. If passion communities could be formed to solve real-world problems like hunger and environmental degradation, Gee believes we would be much better equipped to face these issues head-on. The challenge, according to Gee, isn’t just about teaching our kids; it’s about ensuring they have a viable world to live in.

Abbott’s discussion of the environment of the conference — sounding quite different from your typical academic/professional gathering — is also worth a read.

GLS – Beyond Games and the Future of Learning [The Brainy Gamer]

Korean games (non-Japanese games in general, actually) tend to get a lot of flack — ‘They’re all the same!’ ‘They’re so badly made!’ ‘Just look at them!’ — but Brandon Sheffield cautions that we ought to be keeping a closer on eye on the Korean market. With different development strategies, different working environments, and different players, there is stuff to be learned from Korean companies taking steps to expand westward:

The fact is, Western developers have ignored, discounted, or simply not known about the South Korean market for far too long, and now we’re face to face with reality. Aside from World of Warcraft, they’ve taken a genre we invented, and perfected it to the point where an online dance game like T3 Entertainment’s Audition has tens of millions of subscribers worldwide.

That’s rather a lot of people, and we’re ignoring it. When I first noticed that company in 2002, they were making a game called Raphael that was so rudimentary as to almost be freeware.

Korea is starting to get more attention, but perhaps the most impressive thing is how well some Korean companies have done with their entrance into other markets — it’ll be interesting to see how the gaming landscape changes over the next couple of years.

Why You Should Care About Korea [GameSetWatch]

This study investigated how fans and producers of media texts negotiate text integrity, which is defined as an ideal about the validity, wholeness, and truth of the text. An evaluation of previous research in fan studies revealed four essential issues underlying fan-producer interaction. These four issues led to the study’s four research questions, which centered on fan perceptions of ownership of a text, construction of status-relationship between fans and producers, construction of status-relationship among fans, and how fans envisioned their labour contribution to the game development process. Research questions were addressed using a discourse analysis of the forum interactions of fans of the digital-game series Fallout. The investigation focused on fan and producer interaction surrounding the release of the controversial next installment in the Fallout series, Fallout 3. Using previous literature and data gathered, the study proposed a model for fan-producer negotiation over text integrity that can be applied to fan-producer interaction in multiple contexts.

As noted at Rock, Paper, Shotgun, “Stay clear if you’re the sort of person who thinks it’s intrinsically funny if anyone calls a videogame a ‘Text.’” Probably a wise consideration for many academic gaming works, but it’s a thesis built on an interesting premise, and a hell of a lot shorter than a dissertation.

Fallout Fans: Negotiations Over Text Integrity In the Age of the Active Audience [Ryan Milner via Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

It gives developers feedback, real insights into their game, so they can go back and improve their work. There simply isn’t a way for people to properly explain criticism in the current culture of “I’m not having fun” reviews. Nor is there a way to reward innovation or successful elements of games beyond gushing “I’m having fun” praise. It’s one thing to say you like a game, but figuring out a way to go beyond that gives developers a better understanding of their audiences reaction.

In any case, it’s an interesting essay that ties in with a lot of other criticism of the gaming press at large; the other eight parts are also a good read, if you’re not scared off by the “Zarathustran Analytics” in the title.

Zarathustran Analytics in Video Games, Part 9: Flaws in Criticism Today [PopMatters via The Brainy Gamer]

The report found that the city has more incentive to focus on the game industry than it’s been given credit for:

According to local industry experts, the number of game development companies in New York City could be counted on one hand as recently as five years ago. But today, the city is home to more than 30 game development companies and another 55 firms involved in some aspect of games, from sound effects to distribution. Only a handful of other cities in North America have as many gaming firms.

The report recommends a number of strategies for the city’s administration to bolster New York City’s role in the industry, to create jobs and support economic health, and to develop “a framework for supporting the video game sector,” including government liaisons, encouragement for trade shows, and expansion of city university programs for game development.

The report doesn’t go as far as to encourage the Georgia-style tax breaks, however, which might at a further stage be a reasonable recommendation for the city with one of the highest costs of living in America.

Getting in the Game [New York City Centre for an Urban Future] (Thanks, Mike!)

Qualifying productions spending at least $500,000 in the state will qualify for a 20% tax credit, with an additional 10% granted if said productions included an animated Georgia logo in the finished product.

As a member of the gaming press residing just minutes away from beautiful downtown Atlanta, I welcome any and all game developers to our lovely state. If you need crash space, give me a call.

Hit the jump for the full press release.

Georgia Boosts Incentives for Entertainment Industry

Monday, May 12, 2008

ATLANTA- Governor Sonny Perdue today signed into law the 2008 Entertainment Industry Investment Act (HB 1100), new legislation designed to encourage entertainment industry productions in Georgia. The signing ceremony took place at the studios of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), where the Governor was joined by Phil Kent, chairman and CEO of TBS, Inc., and over 100 attendees including legislators, industry leaders and members of the entertainment industry.

“We know that our excellent talent base and outstanding locations make Georgia a very desirable place to film,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “This legislation puts in place the economic cornerstone that will encourage producers to convert that desire into action.”

The 2008 Entertainment Industry Investment Act reinforces and strengthens Georgia’s position within the entertainment industry. The new, more competitive incentives replace those currently in use by offering a 20 percent tax credit for qualified productions, which are then eligible for an additional 10 percent tax credit if they include an animated Georgia promotional logo within the finished product.

The incentives apply not only to qualified films, TV series, commercials and music videos, but also to video game productions. The economic impact of all these entertainment segments in Georgia was $413 million in 2007.

“We’re proud of this legislation; alot of the credit goes to Governor Perdue for setting up the film commission,” said Rep. Butch Parrish, a sponsor of the legislation. “I think this bill will jump start the Georgia film industry.”

“This new incentive allows Georgia to once again compete for an industry we used to be famous for,” said Sen. Mitch Seabaugh. “It will be a catalyst that will spur immediate economic investment and create jobs. Georgia will once again be on centre stage where it belongs.”

“The new incentives will put Georgia among the top five states in the U.S. in terms of financial competitiveness for entertainment projects,” said Ken Stewart, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). “We expect to see an increase in the number of industry jobs and overall economic impact for the state in the coming years.”

The state has seen success in the past with competitive incentives. The 2005 Entertainment Industry Investment Act (HB 539), signed by Governor Perdue in 2005, led to a record-setting economic impact in 2006 when film, television and video game companies contributed $475 million to Georgia’s economy, up from $124 million in 2004. The total economic impact of entertainment productions from 2005 through 2007 has been over $1.17 billion, due in large part to Georgia’s entertainment incentives. Since then, however, film activity in the state has decreased as other states, regions and nations boosted their competitive packages.

“The 2008 Entertainment Industry Investment Act (HB 1100) will return Georgia to its rightful place of prominence in all major entertainment industry segments,” stated Bill Thompson, deputy commissioner of the Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office, a division of GDEcD. “We expect a significant increase in film and television projects, and Georgia will be the most competitive state in the country for video game productions.

Georgiais one of the few states whose entertainment incentives support the video game industry.”

Governor Perdue was joined at the event by Sen.Greg Goggans, who carried the legislation in the Senate, Rep. Ron Stephens, and Rep. Rich Golick.

“House Bill 1100 is a key piece to the puzzle in sustaining Georgia’s entertainment industry for the long haul,” said Ric Reitz, an actor and producer from Atlanta. “It will provide many new jobs for Georgians, improve the state’s entertainment infrastructure, and grow Georgia’s indigenous companies.”

The Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office, formerly known as the Film, Video and Music Office, conducts extensive business development, sales, marketing and promotional activities in order to attract entertainment projects and businesses to the state. The office also assists the local, national and international entertainment industries with information, expertise and resources. The staff points movie production companies to Georgia’s highly-trained crews, state-of-the-art facilities, and diverse locations. Georgia’s temperate climate and easy access afforded by Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport are also factors that attract the industry’s interest.

Georgiahas been investing in the entertainment industry for over 35 years. Since the inception of the Georgia Film Commission in 1973, more than 575 major motion pictures, independent films, television series and pilots, and TV movies have filmed on location in the state. As a result, over $5 billion has been generated for the state’s economy. Georgia’s music industry continues to thrive with an economic impact of $1.97 billion in 2007. Movies were first produced in Georgia as early as 1912, and have continued without interruption during every decade since then.

Portal is a boutique studio project. Valve could have made it bigger, longer, and splashier and unveiled it as their NEXT BIG IP. Or they could have simply bought the team and plowed all those great ideas into the next edition of Half-Life. Instead, they made a game that was just the size it needed to be with just the amount of attention it required.

We need more boutique developers. I believe there is a vital market for such games and an enthusiastic community of gamers hungry for such experiences. Not every game requires a 3-year $100 million development and marketing effort. And there’s something to be said for allowing gamers to discover a game and push it forward ourselves. This was a big part of Portal’s success, in my view, packed as it was into The Orange Box with much bigger and more recognisable titles.

I’d venture a ‘yes, that would be nice’; the question is, would more studios be willing to follow the Orange Box path?

Do we need boutique developers? [The Brainy Gamer]