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I am stepping down from my role as President of the MVGSA

by Stephen - 16th May 2019
The Malta Video Game Studio Association turns 5 next month, and as it nears this milestone it is with heavy heart that I am announcing my stepping down from the board and from my role as President of the MVGSA.

As one of its founding members, I can recall our excitement at the prospects of what the association could achieve. We knew that the first few years would be challenging but also critical to establishing and positioning the MVGSA as the trade association for Malta's game industry. Now, as the association has been transitioning into its second phase, one of growth, I find myself having the same feelings about this exciting new chapter in the association's journey.



I am grateful to have had the opportunity to lead the association through a number of different challenges. Most of this typically happened behind the scenes, working with government and other Maltese and international stakeholders to provide a better working space, environment and opportunities for our studios and the sector at large. Still, we managed to strike a balance between addressing the long term growth of the games sector in Malta and the more immediate needs of the studios. This would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of the Executive Committee to support the game development sector and the association's members.

Our greatest achievement so far has been the platform we launched last year. It represents a significant time and financial investment through which have been delivering a collection of programmes and benefits, ranging from monthly workshops on various aspects of running a games business, to mentorship schemes, to providing funding for studios and freelancers. This platform has been an overwhelming success, and I am saddened to be leaving at the point when it is about to make its big launch and unveil its brand locally and internationally, especially after all the hard work that went into it. However I am particularly proud to have built it up to this point that it can now take a life of its own and continue to expand upon its successes. I am stepping down safe in the knowledge that I am leaving behind something that will continue to benefit the Maltese sector for years to come under the guidance of the Executive Committee and my eventual successor.

I would like to thank the MVGSA members and committee for their trust and continued support throughout these years. It has been a privilege and unique learning experience to have been entrusted with the leadership of the association. As I start this new chapter in my career, I will continue to support the game development sector in Malta and the MVGSA as it takes on new and exciting challenges.

Stephen

Re-establishing my online presence

by Stephen - 6th October 2014
So I finally got around to updating my website, which was way out of date. Well, it wasn't really out of date more than not fit for purpose anymore.

It was originally created a few years ago for me to have a simple online presence as a software engineer, way before I made the transition into game development and started Pixie Software. At this point I had absolutely no other significant online activity: I had no Twitter account, my Facebook usage was purely functional (monitoring my account just in case someone decided to contact me there rather than through more conventional methods), and I wasn't on any other social media platform.

As I started becoming more active in the game development scene, there was an inherent need to have a more active presence online. So I set up profiles and accounts for the studio and started communicating as the studio, but it soon became clear that this was not really working for me. It feels silly, and at times impossible, to communicate with and relate to other people when it's not even clear who is speaking: yourself or "the studio". I'm finding it very strained, limited and artificial.

So I've decided it's high time I update (or actually, set up) my personal online presence and make that completely distinct from Pixie Software. As a result of this:
  • I've now set up this website to act as a sort of blog for when I feel like voicing my thoughts on something or other.
  • I've revived my dormant, single-tweet-in-2009, Twitter account to house my Twitter activity instead of the studio's account. I'm starting from scratch and have absolutely no followers, so I'd appreciate a hand in that regard i.e. follow me ;)
  • I'm also going to start using my Facebook profile a bit more.
  • Naturally there's my LinkedIn account, but that's not really all that social.
My initial target is to shift my regular activity from the studio's accounts to my own. Following that, we'll see where things lead to...

Stephen