Difference between revisions of "About"

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(Contacting us)
(Contributors)
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==Contributors==
 
==Contributors==
 
'''[[Special:Contributions/CRV|CRV]]'''<br />
 
'''[[Special:Contributions/CRV|CRV]]'''<br />
Founder, system operator.
+
Founder, system operator
  
 
'''[[Special:Contributions/Dimitri|Dimitri]]'''<br />
 
'''[[Special:Contributions/Dimitri|Dimitri]]'''<br />
Runs [[About:Research Methods#Code comparisons|code comparisons]], translates Japanese.
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Runs [[About:Research Methods#Code comparisons|code comparisons]], translates Japanese
  
[[Special:Contributions/Hydr0x|Hydr0x]], [[Special:Contributions/Ita|Ita]], [[Special:Contributions/Idrougge|Idrougge]], [[Special:Contributions/Jarrod|Jarrod]], [[Special:Contributions/Jonny2x4|Jonny2x4]], [[Special:Contributions/Kaminari|Kaminari]], [[Special:Contributions/KungFuFurby|KungFuFurby]], [[Special:Contributions/Manjimaru|Manjimaru]], [[Special:Contributions/Mukimuki@RS|Mukimuki@RS]], [[Special:Contributions/NeoZeedeater|NeoZeedeater]], [[Special:Contributions/PingvinBlueJeans|PingvinBlueJeans]]
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[[Special:Contributions/Hydr0x|Hydr0x]], [[Special:Contributions/Ita|Ita]], [[Special:Contributions/Idrougge|Idrougge]], [[Special:Contributions/Jarrod|Jarrod]], [[Special:Contributions/Jonny2x4|Jonny2x4]], [[Special:Contributions/Kaminari|Kaminari]], [[Special:Contributions/KungFuFurby|KungFuFurby]], [[Special:Contributions/Manjimaru|Manjimaru]], [[Special:Contributions/Mukimuki@RS|Mukimuki@RS]], [[Special:Contributions/NeoZeedeater|NeoZeedeater]], [[Special:Contributions/PingvinBlueJeans|PingvinBlueJeans]], [[Special:Contributions/USAJAP1|USAJAP1]]
  
 
==Contacting us==
 
==Contacting us==

Revision as of 14:40, 23 February 2010

GDRI (Game Developer Research Institute), established on August 26, 2006, is an organization dedicated to researching the companies and people that developed video games.

History

In 2005, CRV noticed the words "PROGRAMMED BY SIMS CO., LTD." shortly after booting up George Foreman's KO Boxing for the Sega Master System. He posted his findings on SMS Power, jumpstarting a whole investigative thread which eventually uncovered many other games developed by SIMS. The success of this investigation begot investigations into Aicom and games published by Pony Canyon, both of which led to much discussion.

As more development companies became uncovered and more people became interested in helping, it no longer seemed practical to post only on message boards. One source for this information would be more convenient. SIT Developer Table, a Japanese site with listings for a wide variety of game development companies, provided the inspiration, but something more dynamic was needed. Because of its ease of use and ability to allow anyone to edit and contribute, a wiki appeared to be the best solution.

CRV asked for web space from Omar Cornut of SMS Power and in August 2006, the wiki software was installed and work began immediately.

Today, GDRI has over 100 company entries and over 25 interviews. Thanks to our small group of contributors, we are always growing and learning new things.

Research Methods

Main article: About:Research Methods

Read more about how GDRI determines the developer of a game.

Using GDRI

Viewing company entries

All company entries follow the same basic format: background information, links to related interviews (if there are any), company logo (if available) at the top; game list in the middle; and links of interest at the bottom. However, there are some variations when it comes to disclosing what research methods were used to build our game lists.

Variation 1

Most entries use this variation, which is a straightfoward list at the top of the page that looks like this:

Research Methods: Code comparisons, interviews, online resources (see Links), shared credits

If you need a reminder of what each "research method" involves, click on Research Methods to read about them.

Variation 2

This variation is more specific and more time-consuming to put together, so it will only be used with a select few companies. Instead of one general list, each individual game will have listed the methods used to figure out the developer. For example:

  • Battle Baseball (JP Publisher: Banpresto)
[Shared credits] [ROM text]

If a method listed has a link, you can click it to find out more. In the case of "[Shared credits]," you will be taken to a page containing the game's credits. Relevant staffers will be highlighted in yellow.

Reading game lists

Games are listed by platform.

  • Game Name (role) (Publishers)
Other companies involved in development
Black means the company was the primary developer (or co-developer)
Gray means the company provided support development (ex: EIM doing only music/sound on Casino Kid II)
Red means we are unsure of the extent to which the company was involved

Editing

Much of GDRI is editable by anyone who wishes to contribute, but we HIGHLY encourage you to create an account. If you choose to edit anything without being logged into an account, your IP address will be recorded and displayed publicly in the edit history. Remember that anything you contribute may be altered or removed by someone else.

If you do not know how to edit a wiki page, please consult Wikipedia's Help section. We also recommend clicking on "Edit" in an entry that has already been started and looking at the formatting.

Contributors

CRV
Founder, system operator

Dimitri
Runs code comparisons, translates Japanese

Hydr0x, Ita, Idrougge, Jarrod, Jonny2x4, Kaminari, KungFuFurby, Manjimaru, Mukimuki@RS, NeoZeedeater, PingvinBlueJeans, USAJAP1

Contacting us

Any questions, comments, or other feedback can be sent via our contact form. We want to hear from you!

You can often find us on IRC: popn.cjb.net #project2612

You can also reach us through Twitter.

Game developers

If you work/worked in the video game industry and have a story or information you would like to share, please contact us. Do, however, keep in mind the following conditions:

- If you name any specific game titles, we would like to be able to include them in our entries.

- We will keep anything "off the record" at your request, by which we mean we will not attribute a particular piece of information to you. We would rather you not share information with us that cannot be published on the site AT ALL. But if you must, we will abide by your request, but we cannot guarantee that other contributors will not be privy to this information.

These same conditions apply to interviews that we initiate.

Press/media

Members of the press/media may use the following logo:

GDRI logo

Right-click and save. Do not hotlink directly to it.

Legal

Read our site terms and conditions, privacy policy, and more here.