Project: Timeline

I don't know how exactly people will want to organise projects but I had an idea and thought it might be a good project for the group to get a feel for things and each other. Not in a weird way. Unless you want to.

First of all, I lied. It was @Belsnickle 's idea.

We get asked a lot 'what has HTL done?' and we rattle off lists of various achievements, campaigns that started here, goals we've met, how the site has developed, etc. It's probably going to be really useful to have some kind of timeline or something of what's gone on here. I imagine that it'd be best done in infographic style - that way we've got something easy and cool towards which to point new members, the press and curious people who aren't sure what we're about and how we've come to be. I think having that kind of image would be generally useful as well as being a good advert for HTL, particularly if it's done in a really sleek, professional way.

It might even be useful to reproduce as a leaflet for handing out at Cons? I'm not really sure, just wanted to throw it out there as I think it's got the potential for high profit without being a very long, arduous project.

What do you think? Worth taking on?

I think it sounds like a very good idea. The infographic format sounds like a good one if done right, but it would take some degree of graphical skill to put together. Anybody have much experience with graphic design?

I'm thinking, every Op that was perpetrated or participated in by HTL goes on the list, regardless of the end result. Honesty before modesty!
And don't look at me, I can make graphical elements, but I've never built infographics before, so me doing one might be something of a disaster =)

If you are considering this, then maybe a text outline would be best first so you can make it easier on whoever ends up making a infograph.

Of course. A text outline is a must.

Yeah I'm not really sure on the format, a timeline isn't important as such. I'm just imagining something that showcases who we are, what we do and what we've done, in a classy infographic style. I'm no designer though, so I'm having trouble picturing it in a useful way.

Infographics work really well if they have graphs, but I'm not sure we have anything we could graph. Do we have any statistics at all?

The primary goal here is to have something sleek and cool that can visually convey who we are, how we fit into the community, what we do and what we've accomplished. If done professionally it can be a great way to advertise as it's much easier to spread a cool image through linking than to get people to read a long statement or persuade people to come and browse. That's the theory anyway... So here's a Tumblr with lots of infographics to get an idea.

Stuff to consider including:

Basic stats on gamers: numbers, demographics such as age and gender, money spent on the games industry by consumers, etc.

Achievements and stuff we do:
- ME3 - being a major resource and supportive hub for the Retake movement, cupcakes, M&Ms, Op Tsunami, etc. all resulting in getting the EC.
- Supporting Gaymercon.
- Campaign for female avatars in Colonial Marines MP.
- A place for community and fun - tournaments, fan projects (LI initiatives)
- Putting out regular news and commentary on game industry and culture, including reviews by gamers who are not swayed by marketing/advertising deals. YDIR award.
- A productive and proactive community committed to drawing attention to unfair or corrupt practices in the gaming industry, supporting and effecting positive change within the gaming industry and gamer culture. (Better blurb needed but you get the idea).

Hmm, that's about all I've got right now. Any input on content would be good. If anyone knows a graphic designer that would be awesome.

I think it'd be fair to include both in an unbiased fashion. I know people like to make a distinction but for the most part I find it a bit elitist. What's important is that I think the merging of both markets and the similar tactics used to trickle money out of people is an important issue for both casual games and hardcore games.

That's correct, but I think it's probably inaccurate to separate gamers into just two categories. I think there's really a gradient where you have a range including professional and hardcore gamers on the high end of the spectrum on down to hobbyist gamers and casual gamers. It's too hard to draw a line between two.

I think we should, the key question being where do we obtain a source reliable enough to provide us with the breakdown. Simply looking at sales of hardcore vs softcore games won't do as casual gamers occasionally buy hardcore games, and the line of what constitutes hardcore is kinda blurry too. I mean, sure, Dark Souls is hardcore, and, say, Katamari Damacy is generally regarded as not (even though it is); but the Batman Arkham games straddle the line: they can be equally enjoyed by either crowd.

The statistician in me is going nuts over the difficulty of choosing the frame of reference. I'll get back to you guys on that once I'm a little less in pain.