Organisation
I was going to get started on my next batch of 7 RPGaDay posts, but something more interesting came across my radar a few hours ago.
I've written a few times abut the way Australian game designers have innovated and generally been ignored, with lots of people saying that maybe Australian's should have publicised their innovation better... Or simply made it known that they were doing things.
I guess this is one of those times when innovation is happening, and when everywhere else in the world will generally ignore us until someone in the UK or the US does exactly the same thing then gets praised for their wondrous idea. The innovation is the idea of a game designers Code of Ethics, linked to a professional association of game design. For roleplaying games, this might be a companion association to a professional association of computer game designers, the "industry" probably isn't big enough to necessitate it's own association.
Here's some of the discussion (where names have been blocked out for privacy, but I'm willing to share who those people are with their permission).
...there was much more to the conversation...
Now I know that there have been attempts at professional associations such as GAMA in the past, but I don't know of any that have had a formal code of ethics associated with them for the specific designers in the group, in most cases they've been more focused on the companies and the business side of things... they've been a paid fraternity that allows a member to put a collective logo on their products.
This on the other hand seems to be striving for something more. It seems to be aiming for a way to avoid the toxic individuals who have plagued roleplaying awards and attention over the past few years, aiming toward something generally better in our hobby.
As someone who has been involved in a few attempts at founding a national collective of game design over the past two decades I'll be interested to see where this heads (if anywhere).
I've written a few times abut the way Australian game designers have innovated and generally been ignored, with lots of people saying that maybe Australian's should have publicised their innovation better... Or simply made it known that they were doing things.
I guess this is one of those times when innovation is happening, and when everywhere else in the world will generally ignore us until someone in the UK or the US does exactly the same thing then gets praised for their wondrous idea. The innovation is the idea of a game designers Code of Ethics, linked to a professional association of game design. For roleplaying games, this might be a companion association to a professional association of computer game designers, the "industry" probably isn't big enough to necessitate it's own association.
Here's some of the discussion (where names have been blocked out for privacy, but I'm willing to share who those people are with their permission).
...there was much more to the conversation...
Now I know that there have been attempts at professional associations such as GAMA in the past, but I don't know of any that have had a formal code of ethics associated with them for the specific designers in the group, in most cases they've been more focused on the companies and the business side of things... they've been a paid fraternity that allows a member to put a collective logo on their products.
This on the other hand seems to be striving for something more. It seems to be aiming for a way to avoid the toxic individuals who have plagued roleplaying awards and attention over the past few years, aiming toward something generally better in our hobby.
As someone who has been involved in a few attempts at founding a national collective of game design over the past two decades I'll be interested to see where this heads (if anywhere).
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