GO3

The opening address for GO3 by Francis Logan, MLA - Minister for Energy, Resource, Industry and Enterprise - set the upbeat and positive tone for the day by announcing $1B in funding over a decade to bring fast, fibre broadband to every home in Western Australia. On top of half million dollars in support provided by the government for Interzone Games to set up a studio in Perth, Western Australia. Interzone Entertainment COO, Robert Spencer noted that Interzone are hiring - seeking recruits to staff the 300-strong complement for their Perth studio. I only attended the first day of the three day conference and expo and give my heartiest congratulations to the organisers, presenters, attendees, government and other supporters for putting on such a great event and also for their wonderful job in promoting Perth as a site for Interzone and others in the games industry.

The morning sessions had Keita Lida, Director of Content Management, APAC, giving an interesting an involving talk about Nvidias hardware GPU developments in the context of games history - he is a notable games historian - and future developments, followed by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, founder of Q Entertainment Inc, recognised as one of the top New Media Producers and Innovators by the Producers Guild of America. On the technology front, Keita Lida made a persuasive argument for the strengths of the ongoing and growing PC game market due to the continuing technology upgrades available to PCs that are deferred until the next hardware cycle in consoles like the Xbox360 and PS3. I am somewhat unconvinced by his conclusion that PC game titles are as good or superior to console games because such an argument mostly negates the reason for the tight platform integration and advanced features in consoles, including multiple cores and specialised functionality. Albeit part of his role to evangelise the energing Nvidia SLI technology that enables scaleable graphics, physics and AI performance by employing multiple graphics cards.

The talk by Tetsuya Mizuguchi was a timely followup to the Metamorphosis of Melbourne event run a short time ago by Form as part of the Creative Capital series. I was enthused about his entertaining the relationships between different modes and media in the creation of his game play, an epiphany that led to his current thought-leader role in the genre due to his sophisticated approach to multimode games, following earlier successes for SEGA like Rally Championship and the wonderfully immersive Manx TT Superbike game that physically involves the game player. It was particularly interesting to hear the relationship between the vivid colour of Kandinsky's art work, painted to Jazz and other music, the colourful and pleasurable immersion of techno rave parties and the gloriously retro Senorama as motivating elements for his fabulously fun dance game Space Channel 5 through Rez, who flies through space rhythmically destroying targets with arresting gameplay, and Lumines an addictive, hip and stylistic musical puzzler, that both combine the elements of colour, music and vibration in a visual, auditory and stimulatory feast. In terms of innovation and creativity, Tetsuya Mizuguchi's talk called Inspiration led Creativity was an inspirational case study to a rapt audience.

After lunch, John De Margheriti, CEO BigWorld and John Passfield, Pandemic Studios gave interesting talks on, respectively, the Future direction of MMOGs and Destroying all humans around the world, alluding to their refreshingly retro-alien, kill-humans, fun-take on 1950's USA and its translation into a (apparently surprisingly) successful title in Japan. The BigWorld Technology solution provides a mature middleware platform for developers of Massively Multiplayer Online Games that is fast becoming the industry standard. John De Margheriti gave some interesting advice on industry directions by citing some of the trends and market differences evident between, for instance, Western markets compared to China and India. China is a gigantic, largly online market that favours server session management for first-person, shooter-type games, having less emphasis on the quest-oriented MMOGs that dominate the USA and Europe, while India has an enormous base of lowered-powered machines that are largely used to play the computer equivalent of the national obsession leading to a 20 million strong installed base of the computer game of Cricket.

John Passfield's talk about translating Destroy All Humans! or DAH into a Japanese release. DAH is a wonderfully subversive game based on an Alien named Crypto who kills humans with his amazing array of weaponry - in particular the anal probe that causes human heads to explode so Crypto can collect the DNA remnants of his race from the human brain stem that is emitted in a gooey mess of cerebral material and fluids. The Japanese market required this to be changed to a life gem being provided for the player rather than brain parts after the same, screaming, running escape after being anally probed. The 1950s references to McCarthyism among others do not translate well across cultural lines and were changed to largely equivalent Japanese pop cultural references, for example, Godzilla, along with a full language translation, while retaining the essential features of the game unchanged. The issues with translation, a huge task involving 6000 lines of text and large amounts of character speech, are of syntax, semantics and contextual meaning - reminding me of the issues surrounding translations of word play in Douglas Hofstadter's GEB.

I got to hear Harvey Smith, studio creative director at Midway Studios-Austin, talk entitled The Imago Effect: Avatar Psychology before I had to leave. The issues of character projection from the player to the avatar, the development and meaning of the sense of self during immersive gameplay, and cultural issues affecting game and character design, point of view (i.e. first person, moving camera; text choice menus), well-defined versus undefined characterisation - formed the theme of his talk. The talk covered a broad spectrum of ideas that range from the historical development of such features as hair, mouth, noise and eye on Mr Potato, in early and current computer games in almost identical fashion. An intriguing example he used was a line to a Russian private named Vasili in Call of Duty who was told he should throw a potato down range instead of an expensive grenade, as part of scenic and character development.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to chat with Masaya Matsuura and John Passfield about project and software engineering management issues in games development. Also to engage Tetsuya Mizuguchi briefly in coversation after lunch when I had spoken with an architect about the similar confluence of creative sources that stimulate our own work in architectural and software design. There was a large contingent of students, recent graduates and game-industry hopefuls in attendance - giving hope for building the mass and scale needed to supported a proper games, serious games (eg. simulation and training) and supercomputing industries that tend to pop up together in clusters as witnessed in Brisbane and Melbourne that are already so very successful in this space. Another contact I must followup is an Asian training organisation about opportunities for collaboration between universites and companies that seek to train or employ game developers and designers, or to outsource studio work.

Metamorphosis of Melbourne

Perth is at a crossroads for making decisions for its future. The Creative Capital initiative run by Lynda Dorrington and the Form team, heartily acknowledged, has had speakers in this series including Al Gore on climate change, Charles Landry on the city, Opher Yom-Tov on the innovative approach taken by IDEO - this event has Jeff Kennett talking about Melbourne and how Perth can be transformed into an attractive, sustainable and livable city. Thanks credited to Department of Industry and Resources, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Rio Tinto WA Future Fund.

Jeff Kennett started off by saying rather modestly that his period in government ended many years ago and is largely irrelevant in the modern world. Upon election inherited a basket case with $32B in state debt the approach taken was from fundamentals - self confidence, preparation and courage to execute. Leadership and management are often underrated but were needed to lift a dispirited, run down community. The most important things are confidence, who and where we are, to be upbeat and look after our health. Pursuing money does not equate or equal quality of life.

Jeff noted that he spent a long time in opposition - not necessarily a prerequisite for good government but it couldn't be avoided - his lively and humorous bringing more laughter to the audience. In politics you have to surround yourself with good people from the private and public sectors because it is easy to lose touch with reality outside of parliament. He noted it is important to move quickly after election and in his case they made the decision to move on all fronts at once - economy, education, health, planning, building. Decisions can be misunderstood by many to provide rewards very quickly:

• Reduced number of departments from thirty down to eight.
• Removed senior public servants after first cabinet meeting - before lunch then more after lunch.
• Reduced the number of public servants by thirty thousand.
• Give hope by working on the little things, not just the big things: Major events program including the Grand Prix - borrowed from Adelaide - to signify the state is on the way back - things are happening.
  

Major projects that will have impact in 50-100 years time: The Docklands project - run down, derelict buildings to thriving will take another 20 years to complete - turning Melbourne around from looking inwards to looking out to the sea. Require from the Planning Minister that every project needs to be decided within two weeks - use power of private sector.

Cultural program: Old city architecture updated with younger city architecture in last 20 years; owners had been allowed to run down buildings; $1B capital program for museums, convention centre, library, glass dome, Federation Square - even as borrowed $1B to shrink workforce. Architectural competition for each project - all approved - trust the experts.

Better control of taxi system which was run down, dirty, poor English, lack of knowledge of major events, pink uniforms, no smoking, no eating, higher education - pink got people talking - yellow is international colour for taxis. Government generally - everything is possible - good times around you, confident to deliver positive impact. Most radical series of reforms of any government in Australia:

• New government members and parliamentary colleagues.
• Try to explain, don't give in.
• Otherwise will not be able to complete reform program.

Dramatic turnaround in 3-4 years. Property tax $100 per household to signify that we are all in this together; all junk bond status; two years later the tax came out - measure of success. Five fingers of leadership:

1. Clearly understand good - not left/right but common sense.
2. Strategy to achieve goals.
3. People to help deliver strategy.
4. Consistency of policy - commercial life, politics and own home - public pressure grew in first two years - cannot succumb.
5. Reward - demostrate to community, actually delivering results - tax off, building and cultural centre.

One example of change - bring about change very quickly. Give Perth a greater sense of purpose and activity. Comes here for work and football and thinks of Perth as missing community - what other reasons for coming to Perth? Does perth have a heart? A heart beat? I am sure it does but it is hard to find. Open, pristine, almost constipated - not being critical - don't have a vibrance of Melbourne or Sydney, or even Adelaide. Give the city of Perth a greater reason for being. There doesn't seem to be a champion for Perth - Perth City Council, State Government - need a champion and for Perth to be good at something, a point of difference. Too much interference and bureaucracy - great deal of cost and frustration. Access to river.

How many of you from Melbourne? Most of you (laughter). Geelong - Deakin moved to other side of lake - water, boardwalk of actibity, cafes and restaurants. Use water - Convention Centre is ugliest thing I've seen in years - drawing more laughter. Active sports program - major events program - architecture - form of art - sculptures. Freeway - art - gateway to Melbourne - cheese sticks. Wonderful cultural city, huge range of eateries and sporting events. Points of difference in area of education - good at gas, open pit - difference to schools over east. Colin put up water pipeline - I've been on National Water Plan since 1996. Exciting - bring country and city together - enthusiasm, will eventually happen. My mother died and could not cancel magazine subscription due to privacy act - squeezing us all together - she just can't do it (laughter). Expensive - I don't know the final cost, I don't think Clin knows either (laughter) - $3B will seem cheap in 10 years.

I don't want to say too much about Sydney but it's a backwater after 10 years of labour government. Cannot wait to do common sense thing - Perth either changes or stays the same and gets old quickly. Go to Melbourne - Grand Prix, sport, eat, drink - visit your children. Questions.

Reorganise local government from 109 Perth metro councils and 150 in state - councillors with no skills and no training? Changed in a flash - no flashing over here (laughter) - from 211 councils - sacked them all, administrators three or so - down to 72 - new government only changed on boundary so must have been pretty good. Gough Whitlam, Neville Wran were the greatest reformers. Recognise that rural coucils cover large areas but City council is too small - should include Burswood [no comment on split into Perth, Vincent and Cambridge; current Belmont and Victoria Park boundary issues]. Increasing Commonwealth Goverment infleuence and taxation - states have lots of money to cover their mistakes. In 50 years, three tiers of government might be slightly different.

Rural - health, education, cultural centres - close a school is bigger issue to small community - country feels it more. Major events program helps city more, rural feels left out - strong capital, strong state. Farmer from small town outside Mildura asked for Grand Prix - no support, no race track. Do something different? Budgetted for $6M surplus - election promises would have spent some of $1B surplus (informal from Treasury) in priority areas that needed it.

Jeff does not regrest outcome of election - would have been nice to have one more term to lock in reform. Proud to have served in office - left state with high confidence. Teach children about change - one door closes, another opens. Chairman of Beyond Blue - older people don't handle changes well and become terribly depressed when leave jobs or sacked. Work for Beyond Blue more important that anything he did in politics. Challenging and provocative talk - bottle of wine, something we do as well or better than Victoria. I like you positive thinking, Ian!

The focus on this talk and the wonderfully insightful writings of Charles Landry in The West Australian is on the physical and psychological geography of Perth city. My personal interest extends beyond these concepts and, by extension, the cultural and social life of the city - as important as they are - to the technologically creative and innovative.

It is without surprise that I read the ANZ is uninterested in divesting itself of the 34% stake it holds in E*Trade - the foundation of its online stockbroking facilities - to IWL. I suspect many would be surprised that IWL, based in Melbourne, is the owner of Sanford Securities and JDV, formerly part of Hartley Poynton, that provide the NAB and Westpac online stockbroking sites. Both of these companies were founded in Perth and, along with companies like ERG, Austal Ships, CCK Treasury, Asgard - part of the fifth pillar St Georges Bank, formerly Sealcorp and still based in Perth - are a few high profile outcomes of the terrific innovative spirit in the West.

The continued development of Bentley Technology Park, the Australian Marine Complex in Henderson and similar initiatives are essential for Perth to finally achieve the numbers of participants and scale of development required for the formation of industry clusters that are locally absent. It would be a great shame, and an enormous leap backwards, for Perth to focus its higher education on mining and related technologies - as has been suggested by some misinformed groups - since mathematics, physics, engineering and computing are fundamental to all of these endeavours and provide necessary and essential support for those industries. My fondest hope is for the primary, secondary, post-secondary and tertiary sectors to collectively pick up their socks and to concentrate on being among the best on the world in mathematics and science studies and research. The Australian Marine Complex, companies like Austal Ships and Nautronix, partnering with General Dynamics and purchased by L3 respectively, are remarkable local entities that together with Tenix, Raytheon, Thales and others should be the foundation of a world-class cluster centered on the Australian Marine Complex and other complex industries in the Kwinana area - like Gladstone, Queensland; Wollongong and Newcastle in NSW.

The sciences and the arts are largely indistinguishable to insiders who practice across accepted discipline boundaries and offend the norms accepted by outsiders. The intrinsic beauty of mathematics is much like the ethereal and haunting notes of a Bach cantata that reached to the heavens, each level of abstraction, each voice of the canon, building higher and higher in an ascending crescendo of voices. The design of engineering and computing systems, process control and instumentation are likewise deeply layered and complex arrangements composed by the practitioners in the respective fields. It would be shame to turn further inward at this juncture when the proper path is to embrace and extend or strengths across mining and resources, controls and instrumentation, defence, marine and other systems.