Home Gaming Us and the Game Industry – a necessary catalyst

Us and the Game Industry – a necessary catalyst

3 min read
63

Last Thursday I had the good fortune to attend one of the first screenings of the video game documentary, Us and the Game Industry, organised by Make Games SA (MGSA) and the Labia Theatre. I was blown away by the number of indie followers, supporters and actual developers that attended – the atmosphere was positively festival-like!

The local support for indie games was clearly shown with a packed cinema – loud cheers for local devs Broforce (Free Lives), Snailboy (Thoopid) and Desktop Dungeons (QCFDesign) rang out as their trailers were shown on the big screen.

Indie trailer

Like many things indie these days, the film (from New Zealand film director/producer Stephanie Beth) owes its life to a successful $20,000 Kickstarter campaign. This seemed fitting as many of the games featured in the documentary owe their existence to this ‘kind benefactor’ culture too. Us and the Game Industry explores the trials and tribulations developers encounter as they strive to see their creations realized in a world where mass production and renewal of old IPs has become the norm. Beth also delves into the nature of creativity in this modern day medium and examines the potential demise of the so-called AAA games as indie developers increase and the general market starts to crave fresh new experiences.

Focusing on the team behind the award-winning Playstation 3 game Journey as its core success story, Beth charts their progress and pitfalls alongside other developers such as Jenova Chen at team thatgamecompany, Jason Rohrer, Douglas Wilson (Die Gute Fabrik), Alexander Bruce, and Zach Gage. As Beth states on her production blog:

I wanted to make a chronicle of a busy varied time in the game development world and I have. The digital record will be great for many decades to come.

Beth draws experiences from developers living in Santa Monica, Davis, Melbourne and New York for a 95 minute film that took four years to complete.

Labia hehe

One of the reasons Peter Cardwell-Gardner – a member of MGSA who helped organise the event – did so was to shed light on the rapidly growing local scene in an effort to get much needed attention. I got in contact with Nick Hall, Chairperson of MGSA who informed me that MGSA are in the process of registering with the DTI to be recognised as an Industry Association. He went on to say that when this is completed, MGSA can apply for funding under the DTI SASS (Department of Trade and Industries Sector Specific Assistance Scheme). This would allow funding for up to 20 developers to attend the 2014 Gaming Development Conference to be held in San Francisco.

So what do screenings of American gaming documentaries have to do with indie developers within the borders of our lands you ask? Hall explains:

Events like the movie screening are useful for two reasons, it gives us an opportunity to engage with the wider public and let them know that we exist. I think it is also a valuable tool for building up the community of our members and giving them access to resources that they possibly wouldn’t have access to otherwise.

People in the movies

Hall raises a good point here. Those over in America have a far better footing when it comes to indie development. Not only is their technology cheaper and more readily accessible but the gaming culture has evolved for a lot longer. This is one of the reasons why I think screening movie documentaries is essential for our development. We need catalysts like last year’s Indie Game: The Movie and this year’s Us and the Games Industry to bring together our community. It is only though community support that we will grow into a mature and well recognised independent gaming industry.

Anyone inspired to jump into game development should definitely join the forums over at Make Games SA or attend one of their monthly community meetings in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Image Credit: Candice Mazzolini.

Last Updated: November 21, 2013

63 Comments

  1. Labia… 0_0

    Reply

    • RyseandRepeat

      November 21, 2013 at 14:40

      I KNEW you would say something!

      Reply

      • ProtestTheMossel

        November 21, 2013 at 14:42

        Was it nice and warm/moist inside the…labia?

        Reply

        • ToshZA

          November 21, 2013 at 14:43

          He wouldn’t know, he’s never been there. 😉

          Reply

          • RyseandRepeat

            November 21, 2013 at 14:44

            You shut up! I’ve read, EXTENSIVELY, about it 0-O

          • ToshZA

            November 21, 2013 at 14:44

            I call lies. It’s more, admiring, than reading. Amirite? 😛

          • RyseandRepeat

            November 21, 2013 at 14:45

            Killing this before it gets out of hand, hand…

          • ToshZA

            November 21, 2013 at 14:46

            You know all about hands, don’t you? *RUNS*

            And yeah, I know. I’ll stop. This time. 😛

          • RyseandRepeat

            November 21, 2013 at 14:47

            HA! have you been to any of the meets mentioned above?

          • ToshZA

            November 21, 2013 at 14:48

            To be honest, I’ve not known about any of them. I wouldn’t actually mind attending. Game dev is something I’ve actually been wanting to try out. Even been playing with the UDK lately.

          • RyseandRepeat

            November 21, 2013 at 14:48

            Where are you? CT or JHB?

          • ToshZA

            November 21, 2013 at 14:49

            Jozi man, land of the i’mtoobusytotakeafrikkinbreak.

          • Unavengedavo(aka. MadeYouLook)

            November 21, 2013 at 14:55

            I am sure a lot of us have had meats in labia…

          • ToshZA

            November 21, 2013 at 14:58

          • Unavengedavo(aka. MadeYouLook)

            November 21, 2013 at 15:00

            Are you calling my girlfriend a cow?

          • RyseandRepeat

            November 21, 2013 at 15:00

            HAHAHAHA Cough…

          • ToshZA

            November 21, 2013 at 15:01

            Just your mistress, for when the girl is out of town.

          • Unavengedavo(aka. MadeYouLook)

            November 21, 2013 at 16:53

            Well…

          • Sageville

            November 21, 2013 at 23:50

            I’ll put his here…

          • GalacticLordCaptainAwesomeness

            November 22, 2013 at 09:06

            Waaa haaa haaahaaa brilliant

          • TiMsTeR1033

            November 21, 2013 at 14:45

            *shakes head* tisk tisk…

      • Lardus-Resident Perve

        November 21, 2013 at 15:25

        Hoe dan nou anders 😛

        Reply

    • Unavengedavo(aka. MadeYouLook)

      November 21, 2013 at 16:21

      Wikipedia has some NSFW pictures for that :O

      Reply

  2. ProtestTheMossel

    November 21, 2013 at 14:40

    hahaha that bio of you made me laugh. You have embraced your inner gingerness, well done.

    Reply

    • RyseandRepeat

      November 21, 2013 at 14:41

      Sadly, I cannot take credit for it, but it works nicely 😉

      Reply

  3. RyseandRepeat

    November 21, 2013 at 14:45

    Has anyone here managed to attend any of the Make Games SA meets?

    Reply

  4. TiMsTeR1033

    November 21, 2013 at 14:47

    Nice article NICK!

    Reply

    • RyseandRepeat

      November 21, 2013 at 14:48

      Thanks man. You are in JHB, have you been to any of the MGSA meet ups?

      Reply

      • TiMsTeR1033

        November 21, 2013 at 14:49

        Nope wouldn’t even know where to go ect.

        Reply

        • ToshZA

          November 21, 2013 at 14:50

          This seems to be the prevalent issue. Maybe LG could post a bit more on them, help us uneducated folk out a bit. 🙂

          Reply

          • RyseandRepeat

            November 21, 2013 at 14:53

            Have a look at the bottom of the article, there is a link. I go to the one hosted each month in Cape Town, it’s the last Wed. Free food and soft drinks available too!

          • ToshZA

            November 21, 2013 at 14:54

            I think I have this aversion to clicking links. It might be ICM’s fault, but more the adware that goes on online. Didn’t even see that it was a link. Going there now.

        • RyseandRepeat

          November 21, 2013 at 14:55

          Have a look at the bottom of the article, link to their forum with info.

          Reply

  5. Alien Emperor Trevor

    November 21, 2013 at 14:51

    Really? I thought they used a black & white pic to hide your gingerness and then you go blurt it out below.

    Reply

    • ToshZA

      November 21, 2013 at 14:52

      Its actually alongside it. But we all knew his ginger status before the post, no use in lying to us about it.

      Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        November 21, 2013 at 14:56

        Referring to the front page pic. While some of us may know the evil that lurks among us, unfortunately casual readers are not forewarned.

        Reply

  6. Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

    November 21, 2013 at 14:55

    • RyseandRepeat

      November 21, 2013 at 15:20

      HAHAHAHAHA! My gods this is brilliant! Now hurry up and mark where you are in the photo!

      Reply

    • Umar Moe Moe

      November 21, 2013 at 16:26

      My word jim, brilliant!

      Reply

    • Skyblue

      November 22, 2013 at 15:05

      Awesome! Thx for that!

      Reply

  7. oVg

    November 21, 2013 at 14:56

    Where is the beer?

    Reply

    • RyseandRepeat

      November 21, 2013 at 15:04

      Actually. there is a bar there 😉

      Reply

  8. Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

    November 21, 2013 at 14:56

    Can anyone spot the banana in the picture? I can 😀

    Reply

    • RyseandRepeat

      November 21, 2013 at 14:56

      Lies, you were there? I am also in the pic.

      Reply

    • RyseandRepeat

      November 21, 2013 at 15:02

      Show me where, I call thee bluff!

      Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        November 21, 2013 at 15:12

        Beards. Beards everywhere.

        Reply

        • RyseandRepeat

          November 21, 2013 at 15:14

          Indeed. You should have come along man.

          Reply

      • oVg

        November 21, 2013 at 16:46

        Is that Cliffy b at the front?

        Reply

        • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

          November 25, 2013 at 17:01

          wow that guy does look like a young Cliffy B. I think we can call him Cliffy G.

          Reply

    • Admiral Chief Duke

      November 21, 2013 at 15:47

      I can, I’m one of the few people here who know how you look like banana!

      Reply

    • oVg

      November 21, 2013 at 16:44

      So its not Jeff?

      Reply

    • oVg

      November 21, 2013 at 16:45

      3rd row from the back middle right.

      Reply

  9. Admiral Chief Duke

    November 21, 2013 at 15:54

    AVAST YE GINGERBEARD! ‘Tis Rooibos Rince

    Reply

  10. Jonah Cash

    November 21, 2013 at 16:06

    Nice article Rince!!

    Reply

  11. Umar Moe Moe

    November 21, 2013 at 16:25

    Love the push for game development. Good on you Rince for raising awareness 🙂 Fantastic read

    Reply

  12. John's (JJ's) Annihilation

    November 21, 2013 at 16:26

    Dear Nick.

    Commenting randomly.

    JJ

    Reply

  13. Vampyric Squirrel of the Sith

    November 21, 2013 at 16:28

    Nice one Nick… glad someone got this for LG 😛

    Reply

    • John's (JJ's) Annihilation

      November 21, 2013 at 16:40

      Awesome new handle doed

      Reply

      • Vampyric Squirrel of the Sith

        November 21, 2013 at 16:51

        Thanks man

        Reply

  14. SargonTheGreatPandaOfAkkad

    November 22, 2013 at 07:46

    Nice to see a descendent of Darth Vader made it to the screening. 😛

    Good article. Interesting.

    Reply

  15. Ultimo_Cleric N7

    November 22, 2013 at 08:17

    Well done Ginga Ninja!

    Reply

  16. That Tall Twit

    November 22, 2013 at 09:25

    TL;DR
    Trololl, but seriously, great article.

    Reply

  17. Skoobaz

    November 22, 2013 at 10:41

    How do we get to see this film?

    Reply

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