ISAGA 40th Anniversary

A tree was planted on the 4th day of ISAGA2009 to commemorate the 40th Anniversary.
Watch the ceremony here and Read an account of The Ceremony by Beverly Rising here.

2009 marks ISAGA’s 40th year of establishing links within the world of simulation and gaming. We have developed from an informal platform for simulation and gaming enthusiasts to exchange ideas, to a respected association that prides itself on its global and extensive network of theorists and practitioners in many different disciplines. To commemorate this special event, we invite several luminaries in the field to share their well wishes, as well as views on the growth, achievements and future directions of our progressive organisation.

Vincent Peters
ISAGA General Secretary
ISAGA President 2007-2008

"Dear ISAGA tree,
I wish you to grow prosperously,
and to get all the love, care and support you need,
so you can develop a beautiful foliage on a solid trunk,
with thick roots and large branches
reaching out for other trees
providing a place where people can meet and talk with each other,
where they can y find shelter for the sun and for the rain
and where they find peace and restfulness to reflect on their daily activities. "
...View his complete presentation (ppt) at the 40th Tree Planting Ceremony here.
or read his complete presentation (pdf) at the 40th Tree Planting Ceremony here.

Richard Duke
ISAGA Founding member

"This 40th conference brings back memories of the 1st meeting in Bad Godesberg. That was a special moment in time! In mid-summer 1970, I invited 23 professionals for an informal weekend gathering to trade ideas; 37 appeared! The group self-organized and a memorable conference emerged. Henk Becker created a draft constitution and bylaws. It was adopted at the 1971 conference in Utrecht. These two meeting precipitated life-long friendships for me."
"This 40th meeting is a time to look ahead. It is a time to nourish new ideas as defined by a new generation. Special attention should be given to the impact of new technologies. These will encourage increasingly exotic and exciting simulations. While these provide new opportunity, there is a risk of losing the power of traditional gaming techniques. I hope this concern will be one point of discussion at this conference."
"My best wishes for the success of ISAGA 40."

Pieter van der HIJDEN
ISAGA Steering Committee member
ISAGA Webmaster

"We are happy to get to know Singapore. We are sure that the ISAGA Singapore conference will be a surprising source of inspiration. Our congratulations with the 40th ISAGA conference."
"We verheugen ons om Singapore beter te leren kennen. We zijn er zeker van dat het ISAGA congres in Singapore een verrassende bron van inspiratie zal zijn. Van harte gefeliciteerd met het 40e ISAGA congres."

Jan H.G. KLABBERS
ISAGA honorary member
ISAGA General Secretary 1976-2004
ISAGA President 1988-1989

Pieter van der HIJDEN"ISAGA has played a vital role in shaping a global gaming community that nowadays is proliferating rapidly. I congratulate ISAGA with its great success in arranging 40 annual, international and playful conferences in highly diverse places in the world." ...Read his full message.