by ERIK LEIJON

Jason Della Rocca is the executive director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), an organization that looks after the interests of game developers around the globe. But instead of running the high-profile group at their home base in San Francisco, Della Rocca has decided to stay in Kirkland.

“All I need is a Wi-Fi Internet connection and I’m good to go,” says the 32-year-old Montreal native, who works from his home in the West Island suburb. When he first got the job six years ago, it was his intention to make the job work in Montreal, rather than relocate his family to the Bay Area.

Comparing his role to that of a CEO, Della Rocca reports to the board of directors, comprised of workers currently in the industry. One of the main annual projects is to organize the Game Developer Choice Awards, considered the Oscars of the industry. Putting together this event in San Francisco every year takes up most of his time. Unlike many award shows, however, it’s the developers themselves that vote for the winners.

Another hot button item is developing a standardized pattern for crediting developers. “The movie industry has a standard approach to credits that’s ordered the same no matter what movie you watch,” Della Rocca says. The gaming industry, however, is different. “You could work for two years on a game, and then leave for the last six months, and the boss says screw you and leaves you out of the credits, and then, when you look for another job, there’s no proof that you worked on this project for two years.”

Things are going well for the industry right now, so there’s no widespread industry movement to fully unionize like the Screen Actors Guild. It’s not legally or technically possible for the IGDA to become a union, but Della Rocca, who says the IGDA promotes a meritocracy, doesn’t doubt that, in the future, another organization could attempt to do so. “We’re all for ensuring our members get the pay they deserve and we advocate paying them well, and solving serious workforce issues like overtime and crunch periods, but overall, the vibe is more anti-union.”

Check his blog, at www.realitypanic.com, and the IGDA Web site at www.igda.org.