Develop Conference in Brighton

[fred]

Seems some of the core AGS'ers are from Brighton, so I'm wondering if anyone's planning to attend the Develop Conference in Brighton this July?

I don't think I'll be able to go myself (thesis/projects), but if somebody else is, I'd love to hear a little of what went on. There are so many interesting things on the program - like this:

Indie Developers Group Gathering
Thomas Arundel, Introversion Software
Group Gathering, 60 minutes · Thursday, 13 July · 13:30-14:30
What makes a game developer independent? Do you have what it takes to make a great game and do it all?Ã,  If so, come 'meet and greet' other independent game developers. This is a time to network, share ideas, talk games, and learn more about the 'Indie' scene. How can we make it easier for Indie developers to create compelling games and profit from their ideas? Helping each other at forums like this, independents can not only survive but also thrive in the gaming industry. Come share your opinions, experiences, and stories. Come meet someone who is doing what you want to be doing or mentor others with fresh ideas but a lack of experience.

How can Indies get their games out to the players and into the stores? How do we move beyond 'downloadable games' and 'shareware' to compete in a global marketplace?Ã,  How can we juggle work/life balance issues that come with 'doing it all'? We welcome constructive debate, and look forward to seeing you at this group gathering!

and this...

Design by democracy: How to keep your vision - while taking on board everyone else's

Peter Molyneux, Lionhead Studios
Track: Design · Theme: Winning with Creativity · Lecture, 60 minutes
Thursday, 13 July · 13:30-14:30

After years of fighting omnipotent programmers and recalcitrant artists, games designers have finally carved out a solid role for their profession at the heart of the development team. But equally, games design has come of age at a time of unparalleled pressures. Not only must designers balance marketing's views on trends on the high street with their CEOs desperate desire for original IP, there's also a million hardcore voices on the Internet scouring every press release, and commenting on your every design decision. How does a games designer cherry pick the best input from these disparate sources and reject the rest - whilst keeping the team and the community on board?

Btw. is this conference a new thing, or is it there every year?

[Andail]

Yufster is the core?

Sounds very interesting, though. A shame I'm not there anymore.

[fred]

Well, I wasn't thinking about anybody specifically, guess that thread where you were leaving brighton and everybody had their say about chavs and British carpeting made me think Brighton was somewhere you'd all been - rereading it I can see it's about Britain in general. Nevermind, I'm busy drawing a boobytrap that I just decided must be in myÃ,  game.Ã, Ã,