The meeting of the voting members of GAMA, held at this week's GAMA Trade Show (see 'GAMA Trade Show Ends on High Note') for the purpose of voting a new set of bylaws, ended without the vote taking place. A new set of bylaws had been proposed by the board and had been the subject of considerable controversy, but those weren't the only things roiling the waters before the meeting. A reform movement led by Ryan Dancey, among others (see 'Dancey Launches GAMA Reform Movement'), had been seeking to make changes in the organization. And others were seeking for the organization to make retailers and distributors full voting members of the organization, which is currently controlled by game manufacturers.
One thing everyone agreed upon regarding the meeting is that there was a lot of discussion; originally scheduled to run from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Monday, the meeting actually ran until 8:00. And all agreed that the discussions were polite, despite the sharp philosophical differences that separated the members.
The reason there was no vote on the new by-laws (in addition to the fact that they probably would have been voted down), was that a general consensus was reached that before new by-laws could be addressed, a more fundamental re-working of the organization's purpose was necessary. That task was assigned out to a working group, which has two months to produce a new mission statement for GAMA. Among its members are Phil Lacefield, Matt Forbeck, David Chase, Ann Depuis, and Gabriel Vega.
No changes were made in the qualifications for voting members at the meeting, and it seems unlikely that GAMA will change from a manufacturer-controlled organization.
