IGDA Perth Chapter Committee

I’ve been nominated as the Chairman of the Perth Chapter of the IGDA and just gave a little mini-speech at the chapter meeting a few hours ago trying to let everyone know what I thought the Association means. It was all a bit off-the-cuff as I had to run to catch a flight moments later, but the main points I wanted to make is that, to me, the IGDA is a really important body that both directly and indirectly (just by existing and encouraging discussions) helps to develop:

• The Community,
• The Profession and
• The Industry.

Obviously, just building the community was the first step and we need to continue to consolidate the gains we have made on that front. All of us getting together every month to talk a bit about what we’re all doing, with both the formal presentations as well as informally over a few drinks, is a really good thing. It’s incredibly important that this regular forum exists and continues to grow, that the IGDA remains relevant to all of the developers in Perth and actively welcomes new members.

As the community develops I think it would be great if we can also start to do a little bit more professional development as well. I’m keen to hear what interest there might be in a series of more technical seminars that are designed to develop and expand skills in a more specific manner than we are doing at the moment. This would be entirely separate from the existing meetings, which I don’t think should change in any substantial manner. I imagine these technical seminars being conducted on a range of topics but each presentation would dig deeper, assume a more specialised interest, last longer and might feature international or interstate speakers via video conference.

Anyway, I just wanted to share my thoughts on what the IGDA meant to me. I’m more than happy to answer any specific questions that people might have, in the comments or by email.