Attended the Montreal Games Summit this week, the first conference of the kind in our city. Turnout was quite good, with over 500 attendees from Montreal’s various games companies.

Here are some highlights of some of the better conferences I attended, for the (probably one) reader who might be remotely interested in the topic of making videogames.

Invasion of the IP Snatchers: Licensed Versus Original Properties in Games
The presenter spoke about the fact that the greatest hits in video games (for example Grand Theft Auto, Mario Bros, The Sims, Halo and, according to me, Ratchet and Clank) were all original games, that is, not based on a movie, comic book or other license (like the much maligned Enter the Matrix, for instance).

However, the vast majority of original projects end up losing money. So most videogame publishers fund licensed games (like 100% of the ones I’ve produced, am producing and currently am scheduled to produce), which are never great-sellers, but more often than not at least break even, capitalizing on enthusiasm that’s already there for a license.

But this has several disadvantages: it undermines games development as a unique art form, relegating our industry to one that merely serves others, moving the creative process (and some of the profits) out of games development and into other industries. He also said licensed games were less fun to work on, but I disagree with that one. Gimme a LOTR title, or the SFU game to produce anytime (no, no hints here).

He made some interesting suggestions about how our industry should be seen as a living ecosystem, like the movie industry, with its independent movements that are first underground, but often make it into the mainstream, keeping the art form alive and evolving. I would love to see something like this happen as game-making tech becomes more readily available. Who knows? Perhaps with more diversity in the industry, games would start to appeal to a greater demographic than just the “over and underweight guys who don’t get laid” set (spot the reference?).

Games and Cinematography
This talk described an interesting technique used by the art director of Amadeus, Man on the Moon and The Untouchables, to communicate a coherent artistic vision to everyone on a project, including engineers and programmers. It was definitely a talk aimed at art directors, but the examples used were highly evocative and spoke to everyone. More of a “you had to be there” kind of thing, but I’m glad I was. When I tried to explain it to our art director and an engine programmer, they ended up arguing about whether Mark Rothko’s work is art. The jury’s still out, but I might finally have found a print I like for my condo.

Managing an Art Team
Now I’d have have thought that my four-year relationship with T would have taught me something about managing artists (herding kittens?), but no. When I saw this talk on the program, I knew that this talk alone made it worth attending the summit. Lots of common sense advice, but it’s nice to take a step back and remember what the common sense is, once in a while.

The Making of Halo 2
This was a bit of a bollocks talk, reminding me more of an infomercial than a post-mortem on the project management of the year’s most anticipated game. Still, there were some nice effects and pretty cinematics that moved the over-500 attendees to applause, several times. Impressive.

Bioware’s approach to games development
Two topics that are in vogue in games development circles these days are 1) Women, and 2) Quality of Life (as in, how can we get more of both in the industry?). This one concentrated on the latter.

People in this industry are often geeks young and passionate about the work they do, so they don’t mind spending all night at work (especially after having seen such a cool demo of Halo!). The whole industry is built around that ethos and expects a great amount of dedication. It is hard to do otherwise when so many workers - your competition - are willing to. But what happens as the workforce ages and wants to settle down and start families?

The maker of Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights and Knights of the Old Republic discussed how their particular company balances quality of life and quality in their products, and how doing so is not only essential for the long-term survival and evolution of the industry, but also good for the bottom line. Another inspiring one.

Overall an excellent conference. I’m very much looking forward to next year.