Flash game developer Ryan Creighton wasn't on the panel for the Social Game Developer's Rant session at GDC last week. Nor did he have anything he particularly wanted to get off his chest. But the panel played a game with the audience: whoever could amass the most tokens, given to every audience member, would win the right to speak on stage.
And by the time Ryan won the game, he had something to rant about.
Ryan's account of how he did it is on Untold Entertainment Inc's blog. It wasn't complicated, but the panel's reaction to how he won made things interesting. He'd used deception to win a social game, but the panel felt he'd broken the rules.
Once they eventually permitted him to speak - with a condition he immediately broke - he tried to explain why he felt developers are too quick to criticise those who break the rules. The session was about social game developers wanting the same respect other devs get, and Ryan stood up for Farmville creators Zynga, of all people. He feels the development community dismiss them for breaking the rules, but are happy to use the same tactics in their own games.
