This summer, I attended Protospiel as the guest of honor, and I had a wonderful time. I just learned that a West Coast spinoff—Protospiel West—is set for January 27, 2007, in Santa Monica, CA. Best of all, they have my pal Marcelo Figueroa of Playroom Entertainment set up as a guest speaker for the event. If you’re an aspiring game designer looking for solid, intelligent feedback on your designs—and you live closer to California than Michigan—give it a shot.