next »

[Rob Lach]

Just a heads up if anyone is an IGDA member.

There is a movement within the IGDA to remove Tim Langdell from the Board of Directors as many are seeing that his actions are against the purpose of the organization. If you are an IGDA member, you can vote to have a hearing about his removal. With 10% of the membership responding, a hearing will be held.

The link to the survey which is acting as the official vote:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=68SOsjTK_2f9qJvOQ_2b2Zw7_2fA_3d_3d

Dear Members,
 
Recently an email went out that appeared to have originated from IGDA.  The return address of this email appeared as: "[email protected]."
That email address was spoofed and the communication was not an official IGDA communication.  We are currently reviewing the methods by which it was sent to see if this was sent out by people ignorant of proper use of the IGDA website or if there was malicious actions involved.  We are also reviewing the method by which your email addresses were obtained and if that was done ethically or not.  It is my hope that this was done by someone simply overzealous about their cause and not for destructive reasons.
 
Please be aware IGDA was not responsible for this email and does not have anything to do with the content or the links provided.  You should read and use such links at your own risk.
 
We will investigate this issue and provide you with information on our findings as they are confirmed.
 
Thank you,
 
Joshua Caulfield
Executive Director
IGDA

Edit: Seems suspicions proved to be correct. Apologies on my part if I mislead anyone, completely unintentional.

[Chaoseed]

I haven't been able to get that survey to work...

Also, a guy named Corvus Elrod has had his own petition going for a while now.
http://corvus.zakelro.com/2009/07/its-fun-to-stay-at-the-igda/

(I'm not implying that one is better than the other, I'm just getting all the information together.)

[Kadoba]

Right, but the one in the opening post is acting as the supposed official vote. So that one would be better.

Though I can't seem to get it to load either.

[Movius]

Just a heads up if anyone is an IGDA member.

There is a movement within the IGDA to remove Tim Langdell from the Board of Directors as many are seeing that his actions are against the purpose of the organization. If you are an IGDA member, you can vote to have a hearing about his removal. With 10% of the membership responding, a hearing will be held.

The link to the survey which is acting as the official vote:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=68SOsjTK_2f9qJvOQ_2b2Zw7_2fA_3d_3d

Some proof that this is genuine might be useful.

Cause theres nothing on the page other than a promise not to share your details with anybody except the IGDA board.

[c-foo peng]

IGDA's official response to that e-mail:
http://www.igda.org/newsroom/Email_Announcement.pdf

Dear Members,
Recently an email went out that appeared to come form the IGDA. The
From address read: "[email protected]."
That email address was spoofed, and the communication was not an
official IGDA communication. We are currently reviewing the methods by
which it was sent to see if this was sent out by people ignorant of proper
use of the IGDA website, or if there were malicious actions involved. We
are also reviewing the method by which your email addresses was
obtained and if that was done ethically or not. It is my hope that this was
done by someone simply overzealous about their cause, and not for more
destructive reasons.
Please be aware the IGDA was not responsible for this email, and does not
have anything to do with the content or the links provided. You should read
and use such links at your own risk.
We will investigate this issue and provide you with information on our
findings as they are confirmed.

Thank you,
Joshua Caulfield
Executive Director
IGDA

All right, I think it's time to start a new game developers organization. This one is a lost cause.

[Ivan]

What was the email?

[John Nesky]

This was the original email:

Concerned Members of the IGDA sends you the below message via your IGDA Member Profile:

Dear John Nesky,

The actions of IGDA board member Tim Langdell since his election in March 2009 have raised questions regarding his suitability as our elected representative. As you no doubt know, the IGDA's mission is: To advance the careers and enhance the lives of game developers by connecting members with their peers, promoting professional development, and advocating on issues that affect the developer community.

Tim Langdell's company, Edge Games, has trademarked the word "edge" and they leverage this trademark against any media that contains this word--threatening legal action should their target not enter into a licensing arrangement with the studio. Such targets have included David Mamet's film The Edge, Marvel's comic book Edge, EA's Mirror's Edge, and Namco's Soul Edge, which was released as Soul Blade and later, Soulcalibur in the west as a direct result of Edge Games' actions. Most recently their actions have resulted in the removal of the indie game hit, Edge, from the iPhone app store.

Meanwhile, Edge Games has not been associated with the direct production of an original video game in the last fifteen years.

After his election to the IGDA board, in a lawsuit against Cybernet regarding Edge of Extinction, Tim Langdell presented himself to the court like this: "Dr. Tim Langdell is considered to be a pioneer in the field of computer gaming and is widely publicized on the Internet and has been engaged as a legal expert in the field of computer gamin." He adds "He presently serves on the Board of Directors of the International Game Developers Association, which is the largest game association worldwide".
Many of us believe that this is a gross misrepresentation and feel that Tim Langdell is able to use his position on the board of the IGDA to work directly against the mission of the organization. As IGDA members with voting rights, it is our responsibility to elect a board that we can trust to represent us. But no election system is perfect and sometimes corrections need to be made.

We are asking that you take some time to consider this issue, do a little research online, make up your mind how you feel about it, and take action.

Under the IGDA bylaws, we are able to call for a special meeting of the membership to vote on the removal of Tim Langdell from the board of directors. In order to do this, we need 10% of the membership to request the board call the special meeting. We are hosting a petition to this effect here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=68SOsjTK_2f9qJvOQ_2b2Zw7_2fA_3d_3d

Thank you for your consideration,
Concerned Members of the IGDA



-----------------------------------------

You can reply to Concerned Members of the IGDA at [email protected].


Note: You can change your public profile access, privacy and email settings via your MyProfile page:
http://www.igda.org/membership/myprofile.php


International Game Developers Association

I do wish the original email had been less sensational... and more official.

[AdamAtomic]

somebody on the IGDA forums checked the header and said that it WAS sent by a member...while more professionalism would have been appropriate, if it WAS sent by a member does the director have any grounds for that kind of...retraction?

[c-foo peng]

Hrm... they probably shouldn't have added

Note: You can change your public profile access, privacy and email settings via your MyProfile page:
http://www.igda.org/membership/myprofile.php

Making it seem like an official e-mail is bad. There's nothing horribly wrong about e-mailing everybody through what's listed in their public profile though...

[Kaelan]

Hrm... they probably shouldn't have added

Note: You can change your public profile access, privacy and email settings via your MyProfile page:
http://www.igda.org/membership/myprofile.php

Making it seem like an official e-mail is bad. There's nothing horribly wrong about e-mailing everybody through what's listed in their public profile though...

I assumed they didn't add that on purpose, and that it got added to the email since they sent it through the IGDA website. Most forum emailers put a header and footer on like that email had.

[Akhel]

Conspiracy theory time: Tim sent the email to know who's against him!

[falsion]

It's like a classic example of the fox guarding the henhouse. Screw the IGDA. People would probably be better off without it.

[Alex May]

What happened here was that concerned IGDA members used the IGDA's own member email form (which has a truly secure static captcha image at http://www.igda.org/member/antibot.jpg) to email members of the IGDA, so no rules were really broken. Members who have their profile set to private will still receive mail through this form, so that is a matter for the person who is now responsible for the IGDA's website, which IIRC is Dr. Tim Langdell.

[Macguffin]

I wrote Joshua just a bit ago and expressed my concern that the email they sent out makes it look like the petition is bogus or associated with the hacked email.  His response (which I asked if I could pass along) was, "Corvus E's petition is being treated by the Board and the Executive Director, as a sincere effort to comply with the bylaws".  I.E., they don't associate it with the hacking attempt and are taking it as for realz.

The petition has, by the way, now got enough votes to call the meeting, and it was passed on to them.

It's not the fox and henhouse, actually... these people are all bound by the bylaws of the organization and they're dealing with a guy who loves to sue people.  While I want them to act decisively right now, I don't blame them for being careful.

[Valter]

It's not the fox and henhouse, actually... these people are all bound by the bylaws of the organization and they're dealing with a guy who loves to sue people.  While I want them to act decisively right now, I don't blame them for being careful.

Wow, that's depressingly true. I could definitely see Tim suing all of the IGDA just because his removal was "unjust" or "based on unfounded rumors".

[Shade Jackrabbit]

It's not the fox and henhouse, actually... these people are all bound by the bylaws of the organization and they're dealing with a guy who loves to sue people.  While I want them to act decisively right now, I don't blame them for being careful.

Wow, that's depressingly true. I could definitely see Tim suing all of the IGDA just because his removal was "unjust" or "based on unfounded rumors".

If he did that, I'd feel so sad for his lawyers. They'd have to put up a good case or else he'd sue them too. And all the public records clearly state Tim is a douche.

[Derek]

The should take him head on.  I do blame them if they are not acting out of a fear of Tim.  I mean, isn't the entire point of an org to have the kind of power that an individual doesn't?

I mean, the IGDA has the Game Attorney on their side, right?  And this is just one litigious guy they're dealing with, right?  Tom B. certainly had a lot to say defending Tim when it all started.

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

What happened here was that concerned IGDA members used the IGDA's own member email form (which has a truly secure static captcha image at http://www.igda.org/member/antibot.jpg) to email members of the IGDA, so no rules were really broken. Members who have their profile set to private will still receive mail through this form, so that is a matter for the person who is now responsible for the IGDA's website, which IIRC is Dr. Tim Langdell.

he has a ph.d? ;_;

[Chaoseed]

Conspiracy theory time: Tim sent the email to know who's against him!

Conspiracy theory time: Tim sent the email to make it look like the people against him are hackers/spammers.

[Macguffin]

The should take him head on.  I do blame them if they are not acting out of a fear of Tim.  I mean, isn't the entire point of an org to have the kind of power that an individual doesn't?

I mean, the IGDA has the Game Attorney on their side, right?  And this is just one litigious guy they're dealing with, right?  Tom B. certainly had a lot to say defending Tim when it all started.

I wouldn't be surprised, if there are threats of lawsuits, if they would be against the people and not the organization.  Since they're all on the board, that would make some sense.

But yeah - I find myself wondering if the board has its hands tied by procedure and personal liability and how much by just inaction - but I don't have any insight to all of that, so I just wonder.

Tell you one thing, though... I'll make as much noise as I can about that general meeting.  I'd rather be tied up in a sack and beaten than have Tim Langdell representing me through the IGDA.