[arg_discuss] Whitepaper: Let's back up a bit...

[Ian Millington (NWI)]

Polemic aside,


I think there is a reason to be here, our special interests in ARGs are
sufficiently diverse from the interests of developers of other games that a
SIG is appropriate.

I think our biggest challenges as a group are:

1. Lack of understanding of the genre, lack of demand for the genre, and
therefore a lack of ability to do the work we want.

And very much secondary (because it's a small genre and people do talk):

2. A lack of a forum to share business information about the way we build
and deploy games.




So is there anything for us to do?

I can't speak for everyone, but personally, this would help me :) 

1. A *short* whitepaper describing the genre suitable for commercial
advocacy purposes. I would say that this should involve the player community
as much as developers, and it should be written in terms that we would feel
comfortable sending to potential commercial partners or clients. 

2. A *short* media-pack suitable for inclusion or reference in media
releases. This would help journalists contextualise our individual efforts.

3. An evolving wiki containing information on business issues and
best-practice to be shared among developers. This shouldn't be a whitepaper,
in my opinion; the information is fluid, and the whitepaper format doesn't
suit that (as we've seen people who read a whitepaper expect it to be, at
least in some sense, complete). 

4. A list that continues to share news, requests for information and help,
introductions, and heads-up on upcoming events; from a developer's
perspective.




Ian.
--
Ian Millington
Near Worlds Interactive
http://nearworlds.com
UK: +44 845 123 5715
US: +1 (650) 276 0485