Mark Simmons, GAMA's Executive Director, has apologized for his 'inadvertent publication' of the draft report of the GAMA Retail Division board.  It was this report, which was included in a GAMA newsletter that was e-mailed to all members, that former GAMA Retail Division Chairman D. P. 'Vern' Vernazzarro called 'slander' -- and it led directly to Vernazzarro resigning from GRD (see 'Vernazzaro Resigns From GRD Chairmanship').  Vernazzarro's resignation, and his subsequent purging of some of those who opposed him at GAMA from the Game Industry Forum that he runs on the Delphi Network, has polarized some elements of the gaming industry and has led to the fragmenting of the GIF community into several competing forums, including one started by GAMA (see 'GAMA Goes After GIF').  GAMA's admission of error in publishing the inflammatory draft report is a good first step in healing the breach among some of its industry and retail members.  

Rick Loomis Resigns

Rick Loomis of Flying Buffalo was GAMA's first president back in 1978, started a second term in January of 1997, and has served ever since, but in explaining his resignation he said, '...[W]e don't want to keep one guy in there until he petrifies, so maybe it is time to retire gracefully and move back to my comfortable nonvoting advisory position of 'Board Member Emeritus.''  Loomis has nominated Chris Wiese of Holistic Design as his successor, fulfilling the GAMA tradition 'that an officer is not supposed to retire until he can offer a successor willing to take the position.'