Practice makes perfect for TIGA and EA

The Independent Games Developers Association, TIGA, has begun a campaign focused on best practice in game development with a round-table meeting between senior members of the association and leading publisher Electronic Arts.

The meeting, which took place last Friday in EA's Chertsey offices, covered many different aspects of the development process and its management, including tools and systems, and is the first of several such round-table discussions which TIGA hopes to host in coming months.

"Ten companies, including EA, shared some very sensitive thoughts and practices about how to make games in the most efficient and effective way," explained TIGA founding CEO Fred Hasson. "The issues surrounding effective and efficient project management are probably the most fundamental to the continued success and competitiveness of the UK as the Worldâs third-largest producer of games."

Kuju managing director Jonathan Newth, who participated in the discussion, was also impressed with the session. "I was pleasantly surprised by how open and wide-ranging the discussion turned out to be," he commented. "For me, the most significant aspect was that the majority of people sitting round the table not only faced similar problems, in the vast majority of cases we also seemed to have decided upon similar solutions... which wouldnât have been the case three years ago. The fact that this event even took place points to a significant maturing of the industry."

Tim Heaton, EA Partners' senior development director, was a representative of the publisher at the meeting, and commented that the event was helpful in encouraging better relationships between EA and external developers. "It's vital for EA that we help to propagate a vibrant and clearly-focused external development fraternity," he said, "and I believe that this event was a good step in that direction."

A full account of the discussion is to be published on the TIGA members' website.