We at CRV are producing a new program at GDC called Startup Launchpad.  Essentially, it’s a way for game developers - indie to amateur to professionals within studios - to learn how to become entrepreneurs and to become unshackled from the confines of the traditional game industry structure.

 As I’m sure many of you know, many game developers/designers toil long and hard for game studios, only to receive very little if any equity for their efforts.  It’s an inequitable system.  I was an indie game developer for many years (MUDs, Mods) but I never wanted to join the traditional studio system because of what I perceived to be very inefficient employee management practices.

 The gaming industry is at the cusp of major structural change.  Traditional retail channels have left industry power in the hands of the few who could create scale to distribute across retail efficiently.  Now with the advent of open platforms such as such as XBL/XNA and web platforms like Kongregate, MiniClip, Areae/Metaplace, Facebook, etc, there will soon be numerous channels for game devs/designers to leverage to help them build their own profitable businesses.  And also, as players become more accustomed to playing games online or purchasing via online channels, there will be more venues for building new platforms and experimenting with different business models.  More importantly, many of these new games that will emerge will be much more lightweight social games, and so entirely new genres of gameplay will emerge. 

Bottom line: the gaming industry is at the cusp of dramatic structural overhaul in the next several years.  Some of this innovation will be driven by the large game companies (XBL, EA Blueprint), but I expect a bulk of the exciting new developments to come from a crop of startups yet to emerge. 
Anyways, I am hoping that these series of events at GDC will foster innovation, creativity, and a sense of what’s possible in the gaming industry.  At the very least, I want to introduce game industry folks to the possibility of being an entrepreneur or working for a startup.
You can read more about these events at GDC Director Jamil Moledina’s blog:
http://www.gdconf.com/news/directors_cut/

or at Gamasutra:
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=17370
 

The first series of events takes place tomorrow, Friday February 22 - you can read about the 3 Startup Launchpad sessions here.

  • Raising Venture Financing for your Startup: Tips, Tricks, and Hacks - 9:00-10:00am Room 2004 West Hall
  • The 1st Annual Startup Showcase - See the 5 most exciting and innovative startups of the year - 12:00-1:00pm, Room 132 North Hall
  • Lessons from the Front Lines: Startup CEOs share their insider stories - 4:00-5:00pm Room 2007 West Hall

Thanks for reading! I hope to see you there. And keep a lookout for the business plan contest we will be launching for Austin GDC in the next couple of months.