GDC2006 Post IX: Faces From the Minna Mingle

Aside from wanting to see what’s going on in the game world, the Game Developers Conference offers one of the best opportunities to get together with Director developers. Like, what else is there?

The IGDA Casual Games SIG and the Casual Games Association organized the Minna Mingle Wednesday night, and a number of Director game developers met up there.



Tom Higgins (Macromedia) shares a beer with Sulka (“The Game Designer who ran out of cards” it says on his cards) Haro and Tomi (Tom, in Finnish), both of Sulake, the Habbo Hotel folks.



A face not seen on these shores for too long, Mauricio Piacentini of Tabuleiro joins the group to talk to Tom.



Ten years ago this spring, Gary Rosenzweig‘s first book (The Comprehensive Guide to Lingo) was published by Ventana. Also published by Ventana that spring: Shockwave! by Darrel Plant. Gary’s gone on to do marvelous things. Ventana went out of business the next year. About me, the less said the better!



Osma — also of Sulake — with the aforementioned Tomi. Why I don’t write down Finnish surnames before I drink is beyond me.



We ran into Gene Endrody, the creator of Maid Marian, lurking around the Shockwave.com table.



Peter Glover, VP Games at Shockwave.com came through with invitations to their party the next night.



I’m not sure of the message adveractive’s Steve Bullock was trying to get across to this photographer while talking to Gary. Just kidding!



While this photo is not technically from the Minna Mingle (it’s from the next night) it does have a couple of notable Director programmers in it. That’s yours truly on the left; Brian Robbins, the new Director of Games at Gametrust in the middle; and Rett Crocker of 3Dsolve on the right.

Thanks to Steve Bullock for taking the photo.



Maybe this construction at San Jose airport isn’t semi-permanent, but it sure wasn’t doing much for the airplane topiary.