I'd like to send a huge thanks to our news editor, Chameleon, for his time in covering the event for Sumea, and also to Free Play for holding another fantastic event. We have three sessions for the first part of our coverage.
9:30am Keynote Lecture Jonathan Blow (USA)
What does it mean to be an independent game artist? What are the practicalities of shaping an idea into a good prototype? Jonathan Blow discusses his landmark game Braid.
Jeff Khan, Artistic Director of Free Play 2007, gives a short intro with the philosophy behind Free Play, gives thanks to those who helped organise the event, and introduces Free Play keynote speaker, Jonathan Blow.
A great talk by Jonathon Blow who provides his thoughts on independent game development and his motivation as an independent game developer. He demonstrates a few of his prototypes and provides some interesting very insights on the ideas behind them.
80 minutes, 92mbs. Download here!
11am The Indie MBA
This session gives a comprehensive and practical overview of the business of running an indie shop. Topics include negotiating contracts with artists and programmers, outsourcing, funding opportunities, and legal considerations. Indie MBA will also feature a real life case study.
Amelia King (Film Victoria)
Nick Blackmore (Senior Associate in Intellectual Property at Corrs Chambers Westgarth)
Session also includes a case study of Gridwerx by Mahomed from Aberrant Entertainment, and Paul M. (localisation producer) on game development.
79 minutes, 70mbs. Download here!
12:30pm Independent's Day
How can independents come up with earth-shattering ideas that change the face of gaming? What are the parameters of independent game making and who are the innovators outside of the big-publisher system? This session investigates innovation in independent gaming to date, and discusses where it might come from in the future.
Jonathan Blow (Braid)
Robert J Spencer (Interzone)
Paul Callaghan (AIE)
84 minutes, 82mbs. Download here!
3pm Playing with Pixels and Politics
What is the place of social commentary in gaming, and can games achieve social and artistic legitimacy? Indie games development brings new opportunities for audience interaction and debate, and in some cases offers a deeper level of interactivity. It may even inspire a culture of resistance. What are the possibilities for 'serious' games as a learning tool and language for cultural expression? What is the potential for games to say something other than "BOOM!"
Justin Halliday (Escape from Woomera)
Damian Scott (Primal Clarity / Swinburne University, Team Fortress)
Rebecca Cannon (Select Parks)
4:30pm Why I Really Still Love You
Newbie game developers are everywhere, but their love of game development is often short lived; like puppy love it goes away real quick when the going gets rough. So how do great developers maintain the love through the tough times and, perhaps more importantly, why do they stick it out? Veteran insiders express the real reasons why they still love games development.
David Hewitt (Creative Director at Tantalus)
Eve Penford-Dennis (Senior Art Tutor at AIE, previously from Psygnosis, System 3, Infogrames and Atari)
Andrei Nadin (Producer at Tantalus)
77 minutes, 90mbs. Download here!
6pm Keynote Australian Lecture Robert J Spencer (Interzone)
The paramount importance of independent games, and how they are crucial to games development as an art form.