In this issue:

What’s on | Highlights of upcoming events.

Chapter Events | Meetups, talks, and other events we’re hosting.

#NYMakesGames News | Game launches and other updates from local creators.

Around Town | A community calendar of events from across the city.

Jobs & Opportunities | The latest posts from our notice boards.

IGDA Resources | Discounts and other benefits for IGDA members.

Chapter Resources | Where to go for more info.

What’s On This Month

The New York Game Awards return to SVA Theatre in Manhattan with hosts Reggie Fils-Aimé and Harold Goldberg on January 23rd!

On January 4th, New York Videogame Critics Circle (NYVGCC) unveiled the nominees for the 13th Annual New York Game Awards during a livestream at the Paley Center for Media. Check out the full list of nominees and the recorded livestream here

Proceeds from the New York Game Awards help fund NYVGCC’s educational efforts and programs for 2024. Tickets are available for purchase through Eventbrite. Tickets cost $60 for General Admission and $75 for VIP with orchestra seating. For more information on ticket sales and other NYVGCC programs, please visit the website: https://nygamecritics.com/

NYC Based Jam Sites Include:

• NYU Game Center (register here)
• Coexist GameHouse
• NYIT
• Parsons (for students and alums of Parsons and The New School only)

On the Horizon

• Save the date! The 2024 Games for Change Festival will take place June 27 – 28, 2024! Speaker and award submissions will open on January 4th. Stay tuned for additional updates, registration details, and more coming soon.
  

• The Playcrafting Mini Expo(s) are BACK starting February 12th! Grab your tickets here

Shannon Loftis, Former VP XBox
Rami Ismail, Founder Vlambeer
Allen Turner, Asst. Professor, Chair Game Design, DePaul University 
Can’t make the live event? Don’t worry – it will also be recorded and turned into a podcast episode, to be released to the IGDA & The Fourth Curtain audiences.

This fantastic panel will talk about how their career began, the challenges they’ve overcome, and what opportunities they see on the horizon. They’ll touch on themes of resilience, diversity and the future of the industry. Don’t miss this fantastic event!

As a member of the Board, you will play a key role in leading the vision of the IGDA while ensuring the organization’s well-being and its members. Through your valuable input and skills, you will be openly supporting IGDA’s mission to support and empower game developers around the world in achieving fulfilling and sustainable careers.

We are looking to fill two (2) Director-at-Large positions for a three-year term, beginning 1 April, 2024. You can find the eligibility requirements and election timeline here on the IGDA website.

the IGDA is hosting a 2024 New Year, New Developers sponsored membership drive to support developers in need. By sponsoring an IGDA membership for others, you help us provide its many benefits to those in need at no cost to them.

This year, our goal is to help 1,000 new developers get a free IGDA membership, which provides access to 160+ Chapters and Special Interest Groups, impactful and meaningful mentorship experiences, the full IGDA resource library, and more!

Each sponsorship tier comes with an additional benefit for the sponsor! Please tell us how many developers you wish to support by completing this form.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Jakin Vela, IGDA Executive Director at jakin@igda.org.

Our hearts go out to all the devs impacted by the continuation of mass layoffs. If you’ve been impacted by a layoff, we encourage you to check out the IGDA’s career resources, as well as look at joining our Discord, where jobs are posted regularly and you can chat with other Devs about opportunities. We still have a handful of free IGDA memberships available to those in need–you can apply for that here.

With the continuation of industry volatility, it’s no surprise many developers are looking for ways to support and empower themselves and their colleagues at work. In December, the IGDA partnered with CWA and UNI Global to provide an educational panel and workshop on unionization. You can view a recording of the panel discussion here.

And finally, the IGDA partnered with IGDA Foundation, Women in Games International, Take This, Game to Grow, and Global Game Jam to create and consolidate many of our resources for our community which are available here.

Monday Afternoon Co-Working on Discord

IGDA NYC Discord

Every Monday, 1pm – 4pm

Come join us at our new regular co-working hours on our Discord channel!

We’ll be working camera optional/mic off on the Events Voice Channel. But our new Lounge Channel will be right next door for anyone who wants to show off what they’re working on, ask some questions, or just hang out.

Taco Tuesday with Coexist!

Taco Tuesday with IGDA will be on January 23rd! Please keep an eye out on our social channels for the event link as RSVPs are mandatory!

Share your NY game news here or tweet #NYMakesGames.
Section Editor: Mattia Sicuro

Making Waves

• Tribeca’s submissions are open for all categories (including games and XR!) for the 2024 festival! Check out the 2024 Festival Submissions Overview for more info.

• Panels from the 2023 Game Devs of Color Expo are beginning to roll out to the public! Starting with Queer Advocacy in Indie Game Design: A Solace State Post Mortem

• Push the boundaries of discussion about narrative games by presenting a talk or leading a discussion at NarraScope 2024! Deadline for proposals is February 2nd

• Death By Audio Arcade is now Arcade Commons! Stay tuned for more updates including this year’s MAGFest lineup, fundraising initiatives and closing party on Feb 8th!

• The Pixelles Game Writing Program is returning for 2024! An online program for complete beginners in writing for games, enrollment opens on Jan 20th @10am EST and closes after the participant limit is reached.

Crowdfund

• Lovestruck – A game about finding love on reality TV – is a social deduction game inspired by the intrigue, drama, and “did that really just happen?” outrageousness of reality dating shows. Coming to Kickstarter Feb. 2024!
  

Pre-Order/Wishlist

• Dire Fog: Tactical Card Combat – Construct your deck and then play it out on a grid, strategically maneuvering your minions and spells into position to outwit your opponent.

• Speglar – Keep it casual and enjoy the chaos, or master the surprisingly deep mechanics to obliterate your enemies in this frantic 4-player laser ricocheting top-down shooter.

Ongoing Initiatives

• 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.

• In support of Wonderville, consider becoming a member of Death By Audio Arcade to earn discounts on event tickets, help the team raise funds to build new arcade cabinets and make other cool things happen with local game devs!

• 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

• 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!

• Women in Games NYC has begun hosting monthly meetups! Keep an eye on their meetup page for all upcoming details as space is limited

Unless otherwise noted, events are (probably!) free to attend. Follow @GameDevNYC for event alerts. Contact nyc@igda.org to add your org’s events.

Wednesday January 3rd

NYC Indie Games Social – The NYC Indie Games social is a monthly gathering for indie game devs of all stripes to mix and mingle in a casual, relaxed setting.

Saturday January 13th

Monthly 2 Hr GameJam Club: Twine and Twine 2 Interactive Fiction – Join Wonderville and make short games using simple to use game engines!

Wednesday January 17th

Action Design NYC: Climate Change Board Game Night with Isil Akgul – Join ADNYC for a fun night of learning about the NYC energy and climate ecosystem in a unique way – through a board game called “Energetic”!

Building and Using VR in Education – A meetup to connect educators and others in the VR space!

GUMBO Board Game/Tabletop Playtest Night – Come meet some board game designers, play some unreleased games, and maybe even make some new friends!

Long Island Game Dev Virtual Meetup – Network with other Game Devs based in and around Long Island!

Thursday January 18th

Game Design for People who Hate Games (and people who love them too) – Join Eric Zimmerman for a series of exercises where games and play will teach us about designing meaningful experiences for people.

Monthly Thursdays with Hacker Hours – Free office hours for coding help—any programming language, all levels of experience!

Sunday January 21st

Saison Zero TTRPG Meetup at Woonderville – You’re friendly neighborhood Tabletop RPG Meetup is back to celebrate it’s 1 year anniversary!! This one will be having an open game jam.

Monday January 22nd

Global Game Jam – Featuring multiple NYC sites, GGJ is the world’s largest game creation event taking place around the globe boasting tens of thousands of participants (jammers) at hundreds of physical and virtual sites in over one hundred countries around the world!

Tuesday January 23rd

Wonderville’s last Tuesday of the Month Playtest – Come to Wonderville to playtest in production games! No signups required

13th Annual New York Game Awards – Get ready to celebrate the best games and the talented legends from around the world that make it all happen. This awesome event benefits NYVGCC classes, workshops, paid internship and scholarships for underserved and unhoused students. Learn more at NYGameCritics.com.

Thursday January 25th

Brooklyn Experimental & Electronic Meetup January Showcase – Join the local electronic music community for a showcase featuring an eclectic mix of New York City artists working in a variety of styles.

Tuesday January 30th

Animation Nights New York at the Gutter Spare Room – Animation Nights New York 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.

Sunday February 4th

Animation Nights New York Virtual Events – Watch a curated program of animated short films from all around the world!

Wednesday February 7th

NYC Indie Games Social – The NYC Indie Games social is a monthly gathering for indie game devs of all stripes to mix and mingle in a casual, relaxed setting.

Monday February 12th

Playcrafting Mini Expo – Join Playcrafting for a productive evening of gaming at Microsoft! Discover unique and innovative games, chat with like-minded individuals and network with people across all principles in the game industry.

Friday February 16th

Brooklyn Experimental & Electronic Meetup February Showcase – Join the local electronic music community for a showcase featuring an eclectic mix of New York City artists working in a variety of styles.

View or submit a listing for free.

Jobs

• Art Director at Normandie

• Associate Producer at Half Mermaid

• Freelance Game Writers at iThrive Games

• Senior Combat Designer at Brass Lion Entertainment

• Assistant Arts Professor at NYU

Volunteer

• If you’re interested in helping make Black In Gaming a supportive and inclusive community for black game creators to thrive, consider joining the Community Team to help drive online engagement and initiatives!

Education

• Enrollment for the 2024 Pixelles writing program opens on Jan 20th at 10am EST! Have you been looking to get into writing for video games? Have you wondered what makes writing for games so different from other forms of writing? Curious to try your hand at some of the different elements of game writing with a cohort of peers and a clear curriculum? If so, then this year’s program is for you. [250 applicants will be accepted, which previously filled within 2 hours]
  

Exhibit/Speak/Publish

• Tribeca will feature video game projects throughout the 2024 festival to highlight this important medium as a form of storytelling, art, and innovation. Story is defined in the broadest sense including narrative, world building, and/or artistic excellence. Cross-medium projects and unique use of technology that challenge our current understanding of games is embraced. Find more info and submit here [Remaining  Deadlines: Feb 13th]

• Proposals for talks and panels at Narrascope 2024 are now being accepted! [Deadline February 2nd]

Funding/Programs/Contests

• The Games for Change Student Challenge is LIVE and Students WORLDWIDE can now submit their social impact games, characters, and narratives for a chance to win cool prizes, a $10,000 scholarship, and more! G4C Learn’s flagship program is a game design competition that invites youth to create digital games inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. [Deadline April 15th]

• The Diverse Voices, New Stories Challenge is presented by Games for Change in partnership with Google Play and HP. Game developers worldwide are invited to submit completed or beta versions of Android games to the Challenge. Submissions will be reviewed by panels of expert judges. Finalists will receive financial resources and capacity-building support, including funding, mentorship, and marketing and promotional opportunities.
  

Benefits for IGDA members.

Join here. Log in for all member discount codes and details.

• Event discounts: IGDA Members save 10% on tickets to GI Live: Online – visit the Discounts page for details!

• Education discounts: 10% off all General Assembly classes and workshops. Browse NYC classes.

• Software discounts: 20% off Buildbox. Details.

• IGDA Career Center: Job listings open to all; early access for members. Careers.igda.org

• IGDA Crowdfunding Collection: Member projects featured on Kickstarter. Submit.

Follow us for updates:

• @IGDANYC on Twitter
• Facebook page

Connect with the community:

• Discord server
• Facebook group
• Meetup group
• LinkedIn group

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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