by E. Zachary Knight on April 5, 2009

advocacy, ECA, GDC, Hal Halpin, IGDA, Jason Della Rocca

Last week during the Game Developers Conference, Jason Della Rocca, President of the International Game Developers Association, gave his final farewell speech before retiring from the ranks.

Back on February 2, he announced his intent to retire to pursue other endeavors:

It has been a wonderfully rewarding and stimulating 8+ years that I’ve served the IGDA, and it is now time for me to go.

He then assured everyone that he would stick around long enough to get GDC done with.

At GDC he took the opportunity during the GDC Rant session to give his final address. He expressed his lament that he was unable to motivate enough of the members  of the IGDA to action. He lamented that he was unable to get those who would complain to actually do something about it.

Sorry for not having the leadership skills to beat the barriers of participation inequality. Less than 1% of the IGDA membership are truly active in driving the org forward. Sorry for not doing a better job building up a strong pipeline of community leaders and volunteers. Sorry for not overcoming your general apathy and laziness.

Sorry for not doing a better job of roping in all the snipers from the sidelines. Turns out you are all pretty damn good at bitching and complaining and being critical. But then you don’t actually do anything about it and you don’t get involved. Sorry for not bringing critics under the tent and getting them to work at improving things.

…

Most of all, sorry for not doing more to help you realize your power! Both, collectively as a profession to tackle industry issues, and as creators of culture. You are all having a massive impact on society. You are transforming the world day-by-day without even realizing it.

Oh well, f*** you, it’s not my job anymore!

A little harsh there at the end, but it was all in the spirit of the rant.

I asked Hal Halpin, the President of the ECA and a person in a similar position, for his thoughts on Jason’s departure and rant. Of Jason’s departure he said:

The departure of Jason Della Rocca from his post as head of the IGDA isn’t just a loss for the association, it’s a loss for the sector as a whole. I am honored and privileged to have worked with him and can’t say enough about his tireless efforts and steadfast dedication to his members. I wish him luck in his new career and believe that we all owe him a debt of gratitude for the change that he was able to foster, the fruits of which we all enjoy.

As for Jason’s rant, Hal was able not only show empathy but also put the remarks into perspective:

As for his closing remarks, I think they need to be read in context. Attending a GDC rant is an experience unlike any other. They don’t call rants ‘speeches’ for a reason; they’re meant to be in your face, tough-love, venting and motivational. Done well, they can be very effective, physically-involved for the ‘rantor’ and entertaining – oftentimes employing imagery to punctuate moments intended to be funny or offensive, which you won’t appreciate in a text-only rendition.

With regard to ‘feeling his pain’ about apathy, I think it’s important to appreciate perspective. In the last org I ran, we too had a narrow set of concerns that were really important. In that framework, applied to individuals as opposed to companies, it’s hard to appreciate what the masses – in his case 15,000 – will also feel is important. In the trenches, you know it’s impactful. Outside of them you’re less focused. With ECA, we’re fortunate to be tackling a lot of issues – so members joining for the affinity benefits, who may not normally become engaged in policy, are more likely to find one that really appeals to them. IGDA is pretty typical in that it’s a 501(c)(6) trade association, not a union… like the PBA, for instance. You can be a game developer without being a member. So the challenge is to convey how significant the opportunities and obstacles are, why folks should join and create ways for them to get engaged.

As for me, I will miss Jason and his leadership. Although I have never been a paying member of the IGDA, I have always been active in any way I can to move gaming forward. I currently run the Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA and much as Jason expressed, I am frustrated by how hard it is to get people active in the work we represent.

I would like to take this time to express myself and call out to all the gamers. Don’t let the efforts of fine men like Jason and Hal to be in vain. Get involved in their efforts. Those of you who like to play games, get involved in the work of the ECA. Gaming is far from being a natural part of human entertainment. There are many out there who would like to see it relegated to solely a child’s toy. There are many out there that are unwilling to take responsibility for themselves. They would much rather blame retailers and the games industry for the content they brought into their home.

There is a lot of work to do, and you can be the one to help. Take what has been expressed by Jason and Hal to heart and get involved. It’s too easy to just sit back and let others do it. It is, however, much more rewarding to know it was you and your effort that brought about change.

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