I got back from SXSW late Monday night, and my head is still spinning trying to put together the sequence of events of what happened in Austin. I’ve been reading some of the press and trying not to feel too bad about not winning the first annual SXSW Screenburn Game Design Competition.

My thoughts on the event:

• I wish that I could have heard more from the judges, I didn’t like that the event hinged totally on audience reaction. I noticed that the judges participated much more in the following AAA competition.
• I find having that many cameras going off in my general direction pretty nervewracking. My mind still skips a beat when I’m put on the spot with important people. I guess I just need practice !
• I didn’t win, but I did gain some good exposure for my projects and met a lot of good contacts - some of whom preferred my game pitch =)
• All of the press is raving about the two winners, and frankly I’m kind of let down. Its not accurate to just say “They won because they were the best.”
• When I heard Blorst I thought it was going to win, but there were some questions about it that remained unclear.
• I had some Austin BBQ, but it was at the airport. It was pretty good, but I don’t think airport BBQ really counts.
• Harvey Smith snapped my picture. Cool / Weird !
• I got a trophy from the competition. It says “Semi-Finalist.” I’m a finalist =(

Now I’m back in school and my mind is reeling trying to get back into work mode, but people keep coming up to me every fifteen minutes wanting to talk about the event !

BTW - I’ve seen the FMM demo we’re going to be taking to GDC. It is SO EXCITING to see our game actually running and functioning !! I’ll post video on the FMM devblog as soon as possible.

-Anders