| Replacing our former Taco Tuesdays, Level Up Tuesdays is a brand new monthly event from IGDA NYC and Coexist GameHouse! To go along with our networking, every month we’ll bring in an expert in their respective field to share their insights, as well as showcasing two games made here in NYC.This month’s speaker will be Josh Shucker, who will dive into the realities of navigating remote game development in a studio environment.RSVP required for entry. Click HERE to sign up and secure your spot!
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| We’re only a few weeks away from NYC Gaymers Pride 2025! It’s an open-to-all event kicking off the pride season in NYC, this year with more performances, games, and surprises in store! Click HERE for more info on the event, as well as other events by NYC Gaymers.
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| The City of NY will host its first-ever NYC Video Game Festival, a day-long free celebration of New York City’s booming digital games community featuring esports competitions, arcades, demos and more for New Yorkers to enjoy!Please visit the event page HERE for more information.
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| Waffle Games is the EGD’s flagship annual convention and conference held each spring semester run by students, for students. This event is free to all, and is a collaborative effort to redefine what it means to be involved in games and their communities.Click HERE for more info.
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| The 2025 Tribeca Festival is hosting a games gallery containing FREE playable demos of this year’s selections at Pier 57, which will be open to the public from June 11-15.Click HERE for more info on their selected games. |
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On The Horizon
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NarraScope 2025 will be taking place in Philadelphia at Drexel University from Friday June 20th to Sunday June 22nd! Talks will be streamed online via Discord for remote attendees.
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The 22nd Annual Games for Change Festival will be happening June 26th to 27th! Under the theme “Designing for Tomorrow,” the festival will explore how games and immersive media can foster collaboration across generations, perspectives, and sectors.
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The Archway Arcade, presented by GUMBO and the DUMBO Improvement District is on June 27th! Starting at 6pm in Dumbo under the Brooklyn Bridge Archway, expect plenty of games in one of NYC’s most vibrant public spaces!
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The Long Island Retro Gaming Expo returns to the historic Cradle of Aviation Museum August 8th-10th! Experience over 50 years of video game history across three exciting days.
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Play NYC will be back, for its 10th anniversary show at Anime NYC August 21st-24th! Click HERE to sign up for an info packet detailing exhibitor logistics, booth costs and everything in between.
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The Game Devs of Color Expo returns September 16-19th! Being part of the IGDA NYC community, you get 10% off tickets!
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XR Motion Conference at NYU Tandon @ The Yard will be a day filled with all things XR and motion technology. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, this event is perfect for anyone interested in the future of immersive experiences.
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News and updates from the mothership.
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- The IGDA welcomes three new directors to its board: Tiziano Giardini, Jennifer Estaris, and Dr. Pedro Zambon.
- Tiziano Giardini is a games ecosystem strategist and builder committed to empowering developers and growing the global games sector. He co-founded IGDA Italy with a group of enthusiastic volunteers in Turin, building it into a thriving, nationwide chapter with regular monthly events and nationwide partnerships.
- Jennifer Estaris game directed Monument Valley 3, Monument Valley 2’s The Lost Forest, and Subway Surfers, and is a passionate advocate for climate-conscious game development with a rich background in narrative and design.
- Dr. Pedro Zambon is a researcher, industry consultant, and advocate for the sustainable growth of game development ecosystems across Latin America and the Global South.
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IGDA NYC finally welcomes its newest board members!
Our newest members have (officially) been brought on to the IGDA NYC Board! Amit Hossain, Anthony Melendez and Adolfo Almonte have already been active in driving our newest initiatives over the last few months. Mattia Sicuro, Olga Polukhina, Kevin Hoskin and Nicole Papadopoulos continue their terms, bringing the total IGDA NYC team to 7 members!
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What we’re up to this month!
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Level Up Tuesdays with Coexist!
*RSVP required to waive $20 entry fee*
Coexist Gamehouse
Tue, May. 20th @ 6:00pm
Join us at the Coexist Gamehouse for your go-to space to connect, learn, and grow with fellow game developers in NYC!
This month’s speaker will be Josh Shucker, who will dive into the realities of navigating remote game development in a studio environment.
RSVP required for free entry!
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Interested in participating?
Each month, we feature two playable games from local indie devs during the event. If you’d like to throw your hat in the ring, fill out our submission form HERE!
If you have interest in being a speaker and sharing your expertise, fill out our interest form HERE.
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Celebrating work by the NYC game dev community.
Share your NY game news here or Bluesky #NYMakesGames.
Section Editor: Mattia Sicuro
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Making Waves
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The recent FY2026 New York State Budget features enhancements to the NYS Digital Game Tax Credit Program, such as lower production cost threshold, a higher salary cap for eligible wages, reduced in-state spending requirement, and an increased cap on qualified costs. Click HERE to learn more.
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The Game Devs of Color Expo recently brought in developers Victory Chinedu Duru and Omijie Emmanuel for their latest installment of Video Game Developer Interview, to discuss their game, The InBetween.
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Click HERE to see the visionaries shaping the future of games and immersive media for social impact at this year’s Games for Change Festival. Each speaker brings diverse expertise from game development, education, healthcare, sustainability, and technology to explore this year’s theme of “Designing for Tomorrow.”
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The GDoCExpo Direct is a game trailer showcase that features the latest exclusive announcements and news from devs of color with partner channels like IGN. Click HERE to apply. Applications close on June 13th!
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The GDoCExpo Steam Sale is an online games showcase and sale with devs of color running discounts, demos, and broadcasts. The event gets significant traffic for a few days, and it’s highly encourage running a discount to boost sales. Click HERE to apply. Applications close on June 13th!
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Click HERE to check out the most recent chat with Mark Benis, music composer on the recently released wild west point and click adventure game Rosewater!
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The Archway Arcade is happening on June 27th! Click HERE to sign up and showcase your digital or tabletop game under the iconic Dumbo Archway.
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Fransisco Gonzalez recently stopped by the Perceptive Podcast! Click HERE to hear about his design process for Rosewater.
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Submit your game for consideration for the Wonderville Pico-8 arcade cabinet! Click HERE for the application.
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The NYU Game Center Incubator is now OPEN for applications! Deadline is May 19th. Click HERE to apply.
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Couldn’t make it to the NYU Game Center Spring Showcase in-person? Browse through every game from this year’s Showcase here!
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Pre-Order/Wishlist
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Steel Carnelian, by Catbird Soft, is a 3D anime-influenced shoot-em-up where you play as Cass, a mercenary with a mech suit and a loyal crew at her side taking on the most dangerous job of your lives!
- Back to Save the Universe, by Clay Peterson, is a 4X strategy game where you craft resources, navigate politics, and shape the future of the universe in a unique space sandbox all from hatching a single egg.
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Song of Maka by Silverjay Studio is a unique 2D adventure puzzle game where you play as a king of the Kingdom of Birds who has just been reincarnated and must save the Kingdom from its Pandemonium.
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Changelog lets you play increasingly-developed builds of the game Eren made with his friends. You’ll read chat logs and development diaries to discover secrets about the levels, and unravel the story of how it all came crashing down.
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Launched
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Despelote, by Julián Cordero and Sebastian Valbuena, is a slice-of-life first-person adventure about childhood and the magical grip soccer held over the people of Quito, Ecuador in 2001. Available on PC, Playstation, XBox and Coming soon to Nintendo Switch!
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Early Access/Beta
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Mycopunk, by Pigeons at Play is a hyper-customizable mission-based co-op shooter featuring a ramshackle squad of exterminators sent to uncover the mysteries behind a planet-wide fungal catastrophe.
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Chromabound is a vision based puzzle game blending the industrial with the natural, including upgrades modeled after jumping spider biology
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RhodesTrip is a third-person narrative game about driving, talking and listening to music on a road trip back home.
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Ongoing Initiatives
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Applications to join GUMBO are open! GUMBO is a non-profit collective of indie game creators located in Dumbo, Brooklyn formed to inspire and motivate each other, stay current in the indie game makers community, and expand an already amazing skill-sharing network.
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In support of Wonderville, consider becoming a member on WithFriends to help to keep the arcades working and pay for parts and maintenance!
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ANNY Exchange is a Talent Connect Initiative for Animation Nights New York. Want to participate and be added to the database of Animation Talent from all around the world? More info here
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Animation Nights New York (ANNY) is always accepting submissions for Animated Short Films, AR Animation Experiences, VR animation Experiences, and Interactive Media (including Video Games). More info here
- Coexist Gaming is a subscription-based gaming lifestyle company that provides an inclusive ecosystem for community, culture, connection and opportunity. Including a gaming lounge, optimized networking experiences and accessible resources for Devs, find out more and become a member here!
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Support the Game Devs of Color Expo’s mission to uplift marginalized voices in game development by signing up for their monthly Ko-fi subscription! Your support ensures ongoing grants, events, and community programs.
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Support GUMBO on Patreon for exclusive digital content, free event access, and more!
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The New York State Digital Game Development Program is designed to accelerate and attract economic development by offsetting some production costs associated with producing digital games in New York State.
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Urban Arts teaches digital game design as a pathway to college and career by offering after-school programs, career prep, school partnerships and more. Learn about their various programs for students and teachers here!
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The City of New York Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment “Made in NY” Logo Program provides qualified digital gaming companies with the ability to use the City’s “Made in NY” logo in their game’s packaging, title screen and/or game website.
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Happenings in the NYC game dev community and beyond.
Unless otherwise noted, events are (probably!) free to attend. Follow @GameDevNYC for event alerts. Contact nyc@igda.org to add your org’s events.
Thursday, May 15th
Chaos Agents LAN Party, Eternum Launch, Mage Duel, and more at Dojo Night! – A number of exciting teams will be showcasing their games including Jokers of Neon, Blob Arena, and Dark Shuffle!
Sunday, May 18th
Pratt Game Arts Senior Showcase – Join Wonderville in celebrating the senior projects of the very first graduating class from Pratt’s new Game Arts program!
Tuesday, May 20th
Play Scrapeboard – Scrapeboard, the skateboard arcade controller and action game will be set up to play in both solo and vs. mode!
Animation Nights New York (ANNY) at The Gutter Spare Room! – ANNY is a monthly screening event and annual festival showcasing the very best animated short films, virtual reality animation experiences, and interactive games from all around the world.
Wednesday, May 21st
3DNY May Meetup – a Networking community for the Architectural Visualization & Visual Effects industries, with speakers and time to chat.
Thursday, May 22nd
NYC Indie Dev Night with Playcrafting – Indie devs, gamers, publishers, industry vets and students – this is the place to come meet others in the community, network and talk shop – and check out what games NYC is cookin’ up!
Brooklyn Experimental Electronic Music Group – Join the local electronic music community for a showcase featuring an eclectic mix of New York City artists working in a variety of styles.
Saturday, May 24th
Build a Board Game in under 2 hours! – Learn the art of rapid prototyping and hone your game design skills with the workshop group!
Sunday, May 25th
Animation Nights New York Virtual Events – Watch a curated program of animated short films from all around the world!
Tuesday, May 27th
Wonderville’s last Tuesday of the month PLAYTEST – Come to Wonderville to playtest in production games! If you’re a developer, bring your game! No signups required.
Wednesday, May 28th
Unity NYC May – Intro to Graphics Programming (Shaders and Render Pipelines) – Dive into a hands-on demonstration of Graphics Programming workflows in Unity with Filip Baba.
Thursday, May 29th
Nightmare Kart Arcade Launch Party/Donor Drive – Arcade Commons invites you to celebrate the launch of the completed Nightmare Kart arcade cabinet and help kick off their donor drive!
Friday, May 30th
The Art of Movie Making Film Fest Meetup – Join TAMMFF for a casual get together to meet and celebrate BTS creatives in film, tv, and games!
Saturday, May 31st
NYC Gaymers Pride 2025 – Kick off pride season with live preformances, game demoes, arcades and more!
Wednesday, June 4th
NYC Indie Games Social – A monthly gathering for indie game devs of all stripes to mix and mingle in a casual, relaxed setting.
Saturday, June 14th
Monthly 2 Hr GameJam Club: Inform 7 – This month join Wonderville in using Inform 7 to make text adventures in under 2 hours!
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Recurring Weekly
Mondays
Tuesdays
Wednesdays
Thursdays
Sundays
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| Recent jobs, internships, scholarships, grants, exhibitions, and other opportunities.
View or submit a listing for free.
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Funding/Programs/Contests
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Applications for the EGD Collective Game Studio Fellowship & Transitional Program are open! This is a free, potentially college credit-bearing professional games industry career prep program based out of Harlem, open to all current college students and recent graduates that can make the commute. CUNY Students can get 3 credits per semester after completing their first semester, and non-CUNY students can register this as an independent study or internship with their department.
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The Big Byte Jam is an annual game jam where creators make unique interactive experiences using a theme related to cultural ideas, perspectives, issues relevant to members of various Diasporas, over a 1 month (4 week) period.
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Benefits for IGDA members.
Join here. Log in for all member discount codes and details.
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Event discounts: IGDA Members save 10% on tickets to GI Live: Online – visit the Discounts page for details!
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Education discounts: 10% off all General Assembly classes and workshops. Browse NYC classes.
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Software discounts: 20% off Buildbox. Details.
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IGDA Career Center: Job listings open to all; early access for members. Careers.igda.org
- IGDA Crowdfunding Collection: Member projects featured on Kickstarter. Submit.
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| Looking for work? Hiring?
Visit our Jobs and Opportunities board to view or post listings for free.
Want to help us do things?
Learn about volunteering with the chapter.
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News
