Jeff Pester Glad to hear that others had a good experience, and I agree with Paul that the Dojo is a good facility and that we should encourage more events like this in the future. I'm just saying that IMO the format was a poor choice given the event's billing and the logistics of the presentation itself (not the facility) were not well thought out. I'm sure over time that everyone will learn and that these relatively minor issues will be ironed out quickly. I do applaud the organizers for their initiative and for getting the ball rolling.

AzamKhan I think people who wanted to get value out of the event got it. It's a talk and I think those who had questions had plenty of chances to ask the questions and atleast stick around to get more value as Mark and Sana stayed late to get to as many people as they could.

There's only so much you can do in a talk - since it's not a workshop. But Jeff I do agree with some of the logistics such as the lighting. Also because it was a very conversational style talk - the topics could vary. I enjoyed talking to the various people who were starting to develop social games and made some great contacts. Many people I talked to at the event weren't even aware of many of the topics that were being mentioned and just the awareness is important.

Talks and gatherings about this industry are still nascent and will mature like anything else, over time.

Paul Philleo While I agree about the logistical considerations, the event overall was a net positive. It looked like there was a good crowd of 100+ with a wide variety of indie and established game developers in the mix; the conversation between Mark and Sana produced some insightful and interesting moments; and the Hacker Dojo venue was a good choice from a grassroots sensibility -- and was conveniently located, at least for me and perhaps many others in attendance. There's not enough game industry-related events in the South Bay, and I'd rather encourage them than discourage them.

Jeff Pester And the logistics were beyond bad. The moderator and guest were seated on a couch at floor level (below eye level for the entire audience) and they were back-lit by what appeared to be a single 150 watt bulb - and that light bulb was the only lighting in the entire room.

Maybe I'm expecting too much, but if you're going to build up hype for the event and charge for it, at least spend some time to set up the room and make sure you're delivering value.

I'm sure there will be some comments from those for which it was a good event, but for me it was a big disappointment.

Spencer Chen Thanks Jeff. Was Sana the emcee/moderator?

Lydia Sugarman Oh, I am soooo glad I didn't make the drive down. Made a great dinner instead and enjoyed the sunset @ Ocean Beach.

Jeff Pester @Spencer Yep, for me anyway. Several other people walked out as well. Mark was good but the questioning from the emcee was rambling, could have been great if there had been a tighter topic structure / agenda.

Spencer Chen Jeff, I had to miss it. REALLY...that bad???

Jeff Pester I'd like the those two hours of my life back please.