http://www.nycgames.org/blog/ This is the official website for the New York City Chapter of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA). The IGDA is a nonprofit membership organization that advocates globally on issues related to digital game creation and unites the game development community. The IGDA NYC chapter serves the New York City area game development community specifically. IGDA membership is encouraged, but not required, for participation in meetings and events. en Copyright 2009 Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:03:21 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://gamexpo.us/summit/pass.html GameX Industry Summit Ticket Pricing • Early Bird Registration until September 25 - $55 • After September 25: Regular Registration - $85 • After October 11: Last Minute Pre-Registration - $115 • At the Door Registration - $145 Special Prices for IGDA Members: • IGDA discount of 10% until September 25 - $49 • IGDA price after September 25 - $55 • IGDA price after October 11 and at the door - $85 All GameX Industry Summit passes include the following: • Boxed lunch on Saturday, October 24. • Philly Game Jam awards luncheon on Sunday, October 25. • Access to GameX Industry Summit Lounge. • Access to industry mixers on Friday and Saturday evening. • Access to all 3 days of GameX, the Games & Media Expo. NOTE: Pre-registration does not include online processing or by-mail fees. ]]> http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000022 http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000022 Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:03:21 -0500 phillyexpocenter.com. Interested volunteers can arrive anytime between 1 pm and 4 pm on Saturday, August 29 for a brief orientation, an opportunity to meet the convention producers and to pick up written materials on GameX volunteer opportunities and benefits. For more information about GameX, please visit http://www.gamexpo.us. Questions about volunteering for GameX can be directed to volunteer@gamexpo.us. ]]> http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000021 http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000021 Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:23:23 -0500 The organizers of the upcoming NY Games Conference are offering IGDA NYC members a special discount on registration. Use the promo code “IGDA09” for $100 off the lowest available rate. Here are the details about the event: _______________________________ NY Games Conference, Sept. 30, 2009 http://www.nygamesconference.com/ The most influential decision-makers in the digital media industry gather at NY Games Conference to network, do deals, and share ideas about the future of games and connected entertainment. NY Games Conference – now in its 3rd year – features lively debate on timely cutting-edge business topics. Executives from publishers, developers, advertising, investment firms, social networks, technology providers and content companies mingle together at this top industry event. Confirmed speakers include: Tom Akel, Supervising Producer, MTV Wade Tinney, CEO & Co-Founder, Large Animal Games Eric Zimmerman, Co-Founder & Chief Design Officer, Gamelab Jay Eum, Co-Founder & Managing Director, TransLink Capital Sanjay Sarathy, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Vindicia Nanea Reeves, SVP, Online, EA Susan Choe, Founder & CEO, Outspark Adam Caplin, President, Super Rewards Dan Jansen, CEO and Co-Founder, Virtual Greats Anu Shukla, Founder and CEO, Offerpal Media Sebastien de Halleux, Co-Founder & COO, Playfish Jason Oberfest, SVP of Business Development, MySpace Jonathan Epstein, CEO, Double Fusion James Green CEO, Giant Realm, inc John Bates, MMO Evangelist, Entropia Universe / MindArk Michael Chang, CEO & Co-Founder, Greystripe Mike Vorhaus, President, Magid Advisors http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000020 http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000020 Sat, 08 Aug 2009 16:38:34 -0500 From our IGDA friends up north: Darius Kazemi writes: Scott Macmillan and I are hosting the second annual Boston GameLoop, an all-day unconference on Saturday, August 15th in Cambridge, MA. It's a self-organizing game conference: people show up and, if they have a talk they'd like to give or a roundtable they'd like to moderate, they throw it up onto the board. There are rooms for people to meet in, and a big board with a schedule grid to coordinate it all. Last year's GameLoop was a huge success: we had 42 attendees from about 25 companies, including 2K Boston, Harmonix, Rockstar New England, and MTV Networks. But while last year was mostly Boston and NYC people, this year we already have attendees coming from Xbox Live in WA and Bethesda Softworks in MD. The signal-to-noise ratio at a conference like GameLoop is pretty astounding. What I like best about it is that it's just developers talking about stuff they want to talk about. Last year we had sessions about procedural animation, ethics in rulesets, distributed version control, and many others. Some sessions were incredibly small and focused, just three really passionate people who don't know each other discussing a topic they care about. Other sessions were more like standard conference lectures. You can see the whole 2008 schedule, along with some audio and notes from the sessions, here: http://www.bostongameloop.com/event-recap Keep in mind that none of this was really planned! A lot of the sessions were born out of discussions over breakfast in the morning. There's no entrance fee, but we will ask people to donate $20 or so to help us cover costs, if they're willing. Our plan is to sponsorship for breakfast and lunch. That night, groups of people will head to dinner to hang out. And as a side note - we're limiting attendance to industry professionals. Academics and students who have worked as devs are considered professionals, but basically we want this to be a by devs, for devs event. And yes, indie devs count as devs! We pretty much just care that you make games in some capacity. IF YOU LIVE OUTSIDE OF BOSTON: Scott and I are more than happy to try and set you up with crash space while you're here for GameLoop. Just let us know if you'd like that and we'll see if we can arrange it. We can also recommend nearby hotels. If you'd like to RSVP, drop us a line at bostongameloop@gmail.com, and we'll add you to the list. Then you'll receive a logistical email with travel details, etc. We've set up a wiki at www.bostongameloop.com with more info on things - please feel free to take a look. We'd also love to get some possible talks up on there - if you're interested in speaking on something, just let us know. To donate, go here: http://www.bostongameloop.com/pay-for-registration We hope you can make it! We also hope you'll pass the word on to other industry types that you know, maybe even send a note to your company's internal boards or lists. -Darius http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000018 http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000018 Sun, 14 Jun 2009 16:14:26 -0500 Over the past several months, NYCEDC has held many discussions with leading entrepreneurs and venture capitalists to learn how the City can better support the startup community. A clear message from the community is that the City should do more to encourage entrepreneurs in technology and new media to help develop solutions for the public sector. The NYC Gov 2.0 Tech Forum will bring together technology leaders from the public and private sectors to examine how the City can use technology to improve public services and offer information to companies on doing business with the City. Please see the attached invite or www.nycedc.com/NYCGovTech for more information and an agenda. Feel free to share this invitation with any colleagues or peers who may find the event of interest. RSVP: Email NYCGovTech@nycedc.com by June 25. ]]> http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000017 http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000017 Sun, 14 Jun 2009 16:12:06 -0500 GameX Industry Summit Features Harmonix Keynote Speaker Darius Kazemi, president of Orbus Gameworks and chapter president for IGDA Boston, adds, "We are excited to have Chris Foster speak at GameX Industry Summit, especially given our conference focus on game art, game design, and game audio. Chris brings a special perspective to game design that all game developers can benefit from.” Foster joined Boston-area Harmonix Music Systems in 2006. He was the designer of the iPod game Phase, before working on the Rock Band series. Before coming to Harmonix, Chris spent nine years at Turbine, where he worked on the original Asheron's Call and was one of the design leads on The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar. Game industry representatives interested in responding to the GameX Industry Summit “call for proposals” can review proposal guidelines online at www.gamexpo.us and e-mail their questions and final proposals to: proposals@gamexpo.us. The deadline for final proposal submissions is Monday, June 15. About Harmonix Music Systems www.harmonixmusic.com Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., based in Cambridge, MA, and established in 1995, is the leading developer of groundbreaking music-oriented videogames. Harmonix was founded by Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy, who formed the company to invent new ways for non-musicians to experience the unique joy that comes from making music and have pioneered music and rhythm gaming in the US. About GameX Industry Summit www.gamexindustrysummit.com GameX Industry Summit is two-day game industry conference presented by the IGDA chapters in New York, New Jersey, Boston, Baltimore and Philadelphia. GameX Industry Summit is co-located at GameX (Games & Media Expo), a national game consumer show and ‘pop culture’ festival produced by Virtual Rush Gaming and NBC Universal, designed to draw from local, regional and national audiences of game players, film and TV fans, comic book buffs and tech enthusiasts. For more details regarding the GameX Industry Summit, contact Morgan Ogburn, ThemePark Studios, 512/916-9633 or morgan@themeparkstudios.com. To learn more about the IGDA chapters in New York, New Jersey, Boston, Baltimore and Philadelphia, please visit www.nycgames.org, www.njchapter.com, www.bostonpostmortem.org, www.igda.org/baltimore and www.igda.org/philly. ]]> http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000016 http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000016 Sun, 31 May 2009 16:19:47 -0500 www.gamexpo.us. Questions and proposals: proposals@gamexpo.us. Final proposal deadline: Monday, June 15.]]> http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000015 http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000015 Sun, 19 Apr 2009 19:48:02 -0500 Philadelphia, PA (March 25, 2009) Virtual Rush Gaming, game consumer and technology specialists, today announced the Games & Media Expo (GameX), October 23-25, 2009 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center. The only major game consumer show in U.S. supported by a major media sponsor, GameX will partner with NBC Local Media in Philadelphia – WCAU TV/NBC 10 -- to host a high-profile event appealing to local, regional and national audiences of game players, film and TV fans, comic book buffs and tech enthusiasts. A high-visibility entertainment, tech and media show with games as its main attraction, GameX will also feature a variety of pop culture elements such as advance film and TV screenings and trailers, celebrity guest appearances, high stakes game tournaments, robotics demonstrations, video art installations and much more. High-value content for consumers will be provided by exhibitors and sponsors, including major media and entertainment companies seeking to build their brands with the core games audience. Produced and presented by International Game Developers Association (IGDA), GameX will also hold a two-day industry summit featuring executive panels and workshops for game professionals and students. Jennifer Halpin, executive vice president of GameX Show Production, offers, “Not only is the East Coast primed for a large-scale games and pop culture event, but we have the advantage of offering the only major media-advertised consumer show in the country. Add to this, we are working in a non-union venue, which enables exhibitors and other corporate participants to have a significant presence at a substantial costs savings in relation to similar-sized shows.” She added, “GameX provides the perfect opportunity in this current economic period for publishers, retailers and dealers to have maximum customer exposure for minimum expense.” NBC Universal’s Local Media outlet NBC 10 first worked with the consumer game community last year when it provided media and marketing support to a similar event in Philadelphia that attracted more than 20,000people. NBC Local Media is supporting this year’s GameX with significant advertising and marketing efforts and will help secure celebrity guests for the event. Dennis Bianchi, president and general manager of NBC 10 in Philadelphia, states, “ We know that the video game marketplace presents a tremendous opportunity to connect with both a new audience and new advertisers. We also know that our distribution assets, which include, TV, on-line, mobile and digital out of home, can successfully draw a large and engaged crowd. We are looking forward to this year’s GameX Expo, and partnering with Virtual Rush to deliver a high quality gaming and lifestyle event for both marketers and consumers.” For more details regarding GamesX - Games & Media Expo, contact Morgan Ogburn, ThemePark Studios, (512) 916-9633 or morgan@themeparkstudios.com. About GameX The Games&Media Expo (www.gamexpo.us) is a national game consumer show and ‘pop culture’ festival produced by Virtual Rush Gaming, designed to draw from local, regional and national audiences of game players, film and TV fans, comic book buffs and tech enthusiasts. About NBC Local Media NBC Local Media is comprised of ten NBC owned-and-operated television stations reaching 27% of US TV households; the NBC Everywhere operation focusing on the growing Out of Home digital market; LX.TV, a content production company that produces lifestyle and cultural programming; and Skycastle Entertainment, an award-winning entertainment marketing and promotion company. Together, the NBC Local Media properties distribute NBC Universal content and produce local content for broadcast television, broadband networks, digital channels and numerous media outlets outside of the home. NBC Local Media is a division of NBC Universal. #### Contacts: Morgan Ogburn, GameX Eva Blackwell, NBC 10 Publicist Phone: (512) 916-9633 (610) 668-5790 Email: morgan@themeparkstudios.com eva.blackwell@nbcuni.com http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000014 http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000014 Sun, 19 Apr 2009 19:45:09 -0500 Want to be the first on your block to hear about all IGDA NYC events and activities? Join our mailing list! http://nycgames.org/mailman/listinfo/igda-nyc-announce http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000012 http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000012 Mon, 15 Oct 2007 16:41:35 -0500 The NYC Chapter of the International Game Developers Association, Parsons the New School for Design, and Columbia University's LearnPlay present a roundtable discussion: What Can (and Can't) Games Do?: The Potentials and Limits of Using Games for Learning Speakers: Louisa Campbell, writer, media producer, and adjunct professor, Parsons, The New School for Design Nick Fortugno, Co-founder and President of Rebel Monkey Ken Perlin, Professor, Media Research Laboratory, Department of Computer Science, N.Y.U. Ann Thai, Assistant Manager, Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop Frank Lantz, Co-founder and Creative Director, area/code Date: Thursday, October 11 Time: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Address (note that this is a brand new venue!): Parsons/The New School Room A404 66 West 12th St New York, New York http://www.google.com/maps?q=66+W+12th+St,+New+York,+NY+10011,+USA&sa=X&oi=m ap&ct=title Please be sure to RSVP for this event, as there is a strict fire code, and this event is almost full. If you don't RSVP, we can't promise you will get in. RSVP Page: http://www.largeanimal.com/ igda/games-for-learning/ We look forward to seeing you there! P.S. If you end up on the wait list, consider volunteering for the event. Volunteers will be guaranteed admittance. Please email kschrier@gmail.com if you are interested in volunteering. http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000011 http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000011 Tue, 09 Oct 2007 15:47:55 -0500 Gamasutra.com Drew Sikora on GameDev.net (featuring links to the YouTube video posted by Heavy Melody. Please drop me a line if you've seen additional Demo Night coverage elsewhere. Cheers! ]]> http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000010 http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000010 Tue, 11 Sep 2007 11:36:59 -0500 Dave Gilbert and the rest of the IGDA NYC Social Committee have organized another bar gathering. It's TONIGHT, Tuesday, September 11th. Hope to see you all there! Date: Tuesday, Sept 11 Time: 7pm Where: No Idea Bar, 20th street between B'way and Park For those not in-the-know, these social meetups are informal get-togethers where you can meet fellow game developers in New York. http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000009 http://www.nycgames.org/blog/#000009 Tue, 11 Sep 2007 11:32:11 -0500 http://nycgames.org/mailman/listinfo/igda-nyc-announce Also, for the Facebookers among you, I've created an IGDA NYC Facebook group. Here is the info page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2680745869 Cheers! Wade ]]> http://www.nycgames.org/blog/events/#000008 http://www.nycgames.org/blog/events/#000008 Events Thu, 26 Jul 2007 11:05:17 -0500 YouTube ]]> http://www.nycgames.org/blog/events/pics_and_videos/#000007 http://www.nycgames.org/blog/events/pics_and_videos/#000007 Pics and Videos Sun, 22 Jul 2007 11:53:59 -0500 I’ve got two announcements to make: one event (tomorrow) and one call to democratic action (today). I’ll start with democracy. The deadline for the 2007 IGDA Board of Directors Election is TODAY (Monday, April 30th). To reach a quorum we still need over 800 votes, so it is critical that you vote. This link will take you to the login for the secure voting ballot: https://www.igda.org/login.php?pid=election Make your voice heard by selecting leaders to govern the IGDA for the next three years. IGDA voting is done on an "approval" basis. Vote for as MANY, as FEW, ALL or NONE of the candidates as you like. The four candidates with the most overall votes will be elected to the board. The following nine candidates are running for the Board. Please take a moment to review their statements of candidacy, via the below link, before voting: - Bob Bates, Independent Game Developer - Chris Charla, Director of Business Development, Foundation 9 Entertainment - Dustin Clingman, President, Zeitgeist Games, Inc. - Jen MacLean - VP and GM, Games, Comcast Interactive Media - Jay Moore - Head of Special Ops, The Strategery Group - Eric Nofsinger - Chief Creative Officer / Studio Director, High Voltage Software - Brian Robbins - Executive Producer / Gaming Evangelist, Fuel Industries, Inc. - Coray Seifert - Associate Producer, THQ Inc. | Kaos Studios - Gustaf Stechmann - Creative Director, Bigpoint.com http://www.igda.org/board/elections.php Note that IGDA NYC chapter member Brian Robbins is up for election, as is fellow tri-stater Coray Seifert, from IGDA New Jersey. You can vote to support multiple candidates, so at the very least, show these two gents some love. Just think, this may be a unique opportunity for New York to act as a swing state! Next up, a gaming related event that’s happening TOMORROW, Tuesday, May 1st: Join us for the The CUNY Institute for Software Design and Development (CISDD) forum on Gaming in New York City! The event will be at the City University Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, in the Science Center (room 4102) on Tuesday, May 1 from 3pm-6pm. You will need ID to get into the building, so please arrive accordingly. Using an NSF grant, CISDD is looking to open new avenues of communication with the growing gaming industry, including identifying research opportunities for our faculty and venues for our Computer Science graduates. This is a great opportunity to see what various types of gaming companies do and what's new. According to the Entertainment Software Association, computer and video game software sales in the U.S. grew 6 percent in 2006. At $7.4 billion, that’s almost triple what they were in 1996. Given the size of the industry, it’s obvious that games are becoming increasingly pervasive across all segments of society, cutting across the lines of age and gender. And this pervasiveness is only likely to spread given continued advances in technology and the increasing sophistication of the home computer, the significance of which cannot be underestimated. Join us and be part of the conversation of how to help the local gaming industry expand and how New York City can capture an overall greater portion of the economic pie the gaming industry offers. Questions, email vdawson@gc.cuny.edu or call (212) 652-2865! Space is limited! Guest Companies include: www.gamelab.com" \o "blocked::www.gamelab.com gameLab (www.gamelab.com) is a game development company that specializes in singleplayer and multiplayer online games, designing for a variety platforms on and off the computer. Their specialty is inventing new ways for people to play, integrating hip graphics, sound and content into approachable and addictive gameplay. Kaos Studios (www.kaosstudios.com) combines epic, story-driven campaigns with innovative multiplayer gameplay to create the most compelling next-gen games on the market. Its roots stem from independent modders to the pinnacle of AAA game development, with a strong commitment to gameplay community feedback and the highest possible levels of quality in order to create great games. Kuma Games (www.kumagames.com) is the industry leader in the new market for Episodic Video Games -- rich, 3D, immersive game experiences delivered to PCs and consoles in weekly episodes. Typically distributed as free, advertising-sponsored video game “shows”, Kuma has created the game industry’s answer to broadcast TV-style entertainment. These episodic games are a thoroughly unique user experience and present distinct marketing advantages for content owners, distributors and advertisers. Large Animal (www.largeanimal.com) develops web-based promotional games, mobile games, and downloadable (PC and Mac) games. Large Animal’s AlphaQUEUE was a finalist in the 2004 Independent Games Festival (IGF), and RocketBowl was a 2005 IGF winner. Recent titles include Jackpot Match-Up, LEGO Bricktopia, and Snapshot Adventures: Secret of Bird Island. Long Tail Studios (www.longtailstudios.com) is an innovative developer of games and entertainment for mobile phones. Long Tail is committed to developing character driven games and content. Through publishing partnerships with Gameloft and Advanced Mobile Applications, Longtail's products are available on leading wireless carriers worldwide. Powerhead Games (www.powerheadgames.com) is an independent video game developer with lifetime sales of over one million games worldwide. Powerhead games is a licensed developer for Nintendo Gamecube, Gameboy Advance, Nintendo DS and XBOX 360. http://www.nycgames.org/blog/get_involved/#000005 http://www.nycgames.org/blog/get_involved/#000005 Get Involved Mon, 30 Apr 2007 15:34:03 -0500