The previous day, Rising Tide had outlined the industry's professionalism problem using the "all draftsmen, no architects" analogy. There is a lack of creative management, the group found. That, coupled with basic misunderstandings of professional design ("an idea is not a design," and "there are lots of people who think they're designers, but they aren't"), leads to friction within the development process.
Their solution was to create a framework document outlining improvements to various segments of the industry - but that the industry should be completely self-regulating when it came to implementation of these ethical standards and processes.
Next up, the United Rogue Emirates mused about the future of parser-based games, the audiences and their appetite for such things.
Story Bored started as a large group and grew even bigger. Everyone, it seems, is interested in stories in games. In order to solve all the problems related to the subject, the group decided to create Fabula Rasa. "Fabula Rasa is a blank story." Or, in this case, a website, one which will feature blogs by a select group of game design types who research, track and share tools. The site is for brainstorming and inspiration on this ever-popular topic, which will continue even when Project Horseshoe is not in session.
Dinner started as a series of toasts inside the dining hall with tables arranged in banquet fashion. As waiters brought the soup course, a glass was raised to the previous attendees who couldn't be there that night. Concluding the list, along with Daniel James of Puzzle Pirates fame and Theory of Fun author Raph Koster, was Kathy Schoback, the director of CMP's Game Group.
"If any of you talk to Kathy, let her know she was missed," Sanger told the audience. At which point, one attendee whipped out a cell phone. A moment later, "It's her voice mail!" The whole room joined in song:
We love you Kathy,
Oh, yes we do.
We love you Kathy,
Yes it's true.
When we're not with you,
We're blue.
Oh, Kathy we love you.
Unlike most conferences, Project Horseshoe is mostly ad free, with the exception of middleware vendor Emergent Technology acting as the event's sponsor. Michael Steele, the company's "Evangelist," was presented to much applause and cries of "Speech, speech."
Steele said Emergent has a commitment to helping the "thought leadership" of the game industry as technology evolves. "I can't think of any gathering of people on Earth who more personifies that vision of who we are trying to most empower," he said. He's previously gone on record as saying that "game designers stand at an amazing place right now," adding that this group personifies the leverage game developers possess in their ability to touch the lives of millions.
Dinner continued with the presentation of certificates, gushing and more singing. But the night wasn't over. There was still enough beer and peach iced tea, even some cigars from the night before. Inside the dining hall, everyone expected a big finish. And as master of ceremonies, George Sanger obliged even as waiters cleared plates that once held enormous steaks. "And, ladies and gentlemen, with one more yee-haw, we are out of here, partying and friends for the rest of our lives. One. Two. Three."
"Yee-haw!"
N. Evan Van Zelfden expects great things for the future of games. Games are the greatest art form to date, he asserts. This is why he plays games, writes about them, and continues to work in the industry of games.
