Xibalba at Campus Party 09 (video in Spanish)

There are few technology-inspired events so big, so spectacular and that bring in so many people as the Campus Party. Imagine, if you will, a 5 day LAN mega party where people celebrate all aspects of digital culture and lifestyle; from robotics to videogames. The Campus Party started in Spain, back in 1997, as a way to gather in one place, and in one web, all those who share an interest in digital culture. From there it has grown and evolved, bringing in speakers the likes of Stephen Hawking (astrophysicist) and Jon “Maddog” Hall (Executive Director of Linux International). In 2009, for the first time in history, there was a Campus Party organized in Mexico. 3,527 participants, 10 Gb of broadband and 5 days of conferences, tournaments and expos. Of course, Xibalba was there.

Ricardo Villareal, CEO of Xibalba Studios, was invited as a speaker by the Digital Leisure branch of Campus Party. His conference was about the present day state of videogames in Mexico. Being the only 100% Mexican development company, Xibalba was in a privileged position to comment on the national industry. Ricardo spoke to all present about the difficulties of founding a videogame development company in a country such as Mexico. Using Xibalba as an example, he explained how the company grew from only 3 people to having 12, and how, during five long years, they battled to create a game. As the conference finished, he showed the results. Two spectators were invited to come up front and play the new game from Xibalba: Icebreakers. This fun vehicular combat game established that it was on the same level as similar developments from USA or Japan. At the end of the day, he proved to the whole audience that with patience and perseverance, it is possible to develop quality games in Mexico.

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