{"id":2766,"date":"2017-11-13T11:48:19","date_gmt":"2017-11-13T11:48:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mertboru.com\/?p=2766"},"modified":"2019-02-22T08:30:36","modified_gmt":"2019-02-22T08:30:36","slug":"a-warm-autumn-breeze-at-indiecade-europe-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mertboru.com\/?p=2766","title":{"rendered":"A Warm Autumn Breeze at IndieCade Europe 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the 30th of October at 08:15, the courtyard of Conservatoire National des Arts et M\u00e9tiers (CNAM) was softly lit by a heart-warming morning sun, occluded by grey Parisien<\/em> clouds. Just like a cool Morrissey tune; no rain, no cold, no rush. Pure tranquility… At the womb of Art and Science, I somehow felt at home<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As I was wandering around the registration tent and looking at the statues of worldwide known scientists, I bumped into an elderly British gentleman, who was also wandering around alone. We looked at each other for a moment. With a gentle smile, I said “Good morning Mr. Livingstone. Such a great pleasure meeting you, again, Sir!”<\/em>. As I reminded him who I was, we instantly started talking about the good-old days at Core Design<\/strong> (Derby), and the heydays of 8\/16-bit video game development in UK for sure. – What a privilege! For a moment, I thought time stood still.<\/p>\n

As the chit-chat and laughter started to peak, I have noticed that we were surrounded by a bunch of young game developers, carefully listening to Mr. Ian Livingstone… Well, it’s quite normal. One does not simply bump into ‘a living legend’<\/em> everyday!<\/p>\n

R\u00e9v\u00e9rence!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Sir Ian Livingstone<\/a> –yes, he has been knighted once or twice!<\/em>– is one of the founding fathers of the UK games industry. He is the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons<\/strong> RPG franchise, author of Fighting Fantasy<\/strong> RPG books, game designer and board member of Domark<\/strong>, co-founder and chairman of Eidos<\/strong> (the company that acquired Core Design<\/strong> and started the Lara Croft:Tomb Raider<\/strong> franchise), and winner of a BAFTA Special Award! In the Wired<\/a> 100 list for 2012, he was ranked the 16th most influential person in the UK\u2019s digital economy… Now, you know what I mean by ‘a living legend’<\/em>.<\/p>\n

When he asked what I had been doing nowadays, I replied with a witty smile: “Nothing new. Same video game development thing for the last 32 years, Sir!”<\/em>. We all laughed. He pointed at me and said “Look, we have a newcomer here!”<\/em>. We all laughed, again… As he kindly looked into my eyes, I knew he was going to switch to something serious: “You know what, after all those years it’s time to start your own company, Mert!”<\/em>. I gently bowed, and replied “One day I certainly will. Thank you, Sir! For now, I would like to keep on freelancing as much as I can”<\/em>. He kindly nodded and smiled, as no one in the video game business knows the meaning of ‘freedom’<\/strong><\/em> better than him. I thanked him again for his kind advice and understanding.<\/p>\n

When the conversion was over, I felt like I was blessed by the God of video game business. I was relieved to see everything I have done in 3 decades was approved with a gentle nod. That means a lot to me. Relieved, by all means. – (Now, what would you call that; coincidence or destiny?)<\/p>\n

The funny thing is, right after the conversation, I realized how young developers were strangely looking at me while whispering to each other: “Well then, who the hell is this long-haired mortal punk chit-chatting with the almighty Sir Livingstone?!”<\/em> \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Keynotes and Performances<\/strong><\/p>\n

Featuring two days of talks around creative industries, community support, and tools & technologies, there was something for everyone, from experienced designers and veteran artists to folks just getting started.<\/p>\n

For me, the highlights of the meetings were;<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0 “Life is a Game”<\/em> – Ian Livingstone
\n\"\"\u00a0 “How Not To Kill Your Art Director”<\/em> – Vincent Gault
\n\"\"\u00a0 “How Not to Go Bankrupt”<\/em> – Cliff Harris
\n\"\"\u00a0 “The Late Game”<\/em> – Brie Code<\/p>\n