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.

Meet the IGDA NYC Team!

Jess Haskins, Chair
Mattia Sicuro, Co-Vice Chair
Oliver Hong, Co-Vice Chair and Communications Director
Olga Poluhkina, Events Director
Kevin Hoskin, Secretary, Treasurer, and Director of External Relations

We also have a growing roster of volunteers and team members who have stepped up to offer their time and energy in support of the community. Meet them all on the updated Team page of our website.

Want to be a part of it? Learn more about volunteering with the chapter and show us what you’ve got!

Watch the video from February’s IGDA NYC Talks series

In last month’s IGDA NYC Talks series, we enjoyed a fascinating talk by David Kuelz on environmental storytelling.

David took us through his favorite strategies for designing levels that also tell stories, including how to use art, music, and animation to your advantage, how to adjust your story structure to fit a place, and how to take a static environment and make it feel like a living, breathing world.

The video was livestreamed and recorded by our volunteers Jasmine Greene and Howard Jiang, and is now available on our YouTube channel.

Don’t forget to subscribe for more awesome talks throughout the year!

Introducing new IGDA NYC satellite, Glass Robot

In partnership with the chapter, they’ll be organizing a series of game dev and indie-focused events in Long Island. ​Check out their website here, or follow them on Facebook or Twitter for updates!

A Note from the Editor…

In December 2015, I designed and launched the very first issue of the IGDA NYC Game Dev Digest (then just called the IGDA NYC Newsletter). It was conceived as a way to keep our members informed and draw attention to the rich array of events, opportunities, and game development activities in our excellent, always inspiring community. Not gonna lie, it’s a ton of work to produce, but I’ve always considered it one of the most valuable resources we offer.

This month’s edition marks our 50th issue, and also my last as editor. Next month I’ll be officially handing the reins over to our new editor-in-chief, Matt Fisher. Just over a year ago, Matt joined as an assistant editor on the calendar and opportunities board, and gradually took on everything we threw at him and more. Today he’s already quietly running the show.

I should also include a note of thanks for our former copyeditor, my Paperback Studio colleague (and also my mother), Sandra Degnan. For years she diligently edited and proofed every issue, until handing the duties over to Matt a couple months back.

After fifty issues, now it’s time for me to step aside and let Matt take the well deserved credit in addition to the lion’s share of the labor. We couldn’t be in better hands. Meanwhile, I’ll be using my newfound free time to start attacking my Steam backlog. (Currently reliving my 90s Web adventures with Hypnospace Outlaw…)

And thanks to all of you for your readership and support over the past four-plus years, which has made this project worthwhile. There’s more going on in the community now than ever before—and I can’t wait to open the next issue and read all about it.

Cheers,

Jess Haskins
Chair, IGDA NYC

What’s on this month

Our bi-monthly IGDA NYC Open Office Hours are on Tuesday, March 10. Come meet the chapter leaders and learn about the community. (Eventbrite)

Our regular monthly IGDA NYC Coffee and Ice Cream Social, held every third Monday, is on March 16. (Eventbrite)

On the Horizon

Waffle Games 3.0 is a collaborative effort to redefine what it means to be involved in games and their communities. Held at Hunter College campus on April 3, the event aims to promote affordable game development education, the legitimization of esports on college campuses, and the recognition of games as an art form. (Details)

Registration has opened for Narrascope, a narrative games conference taking place May 29-31 in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. The early-bird price runs through March 31. Registration is limited to 500 people, so don’t wait to get your tickets. (Details)

Unity Developer Day is coming up on April 18 in NYC. Join fellow Unity developers for a series of conferences and an exchange of stories and skills. You can also apply to be a speaker at the event or to showcase your project developed in Unity. (Details)

Returning for its twelfth year, the East Coast Game Conference will take place in Raleigh, North Carolina, from April 7-9. IGDA members get 20% off passes. (Details)

And finally…

One of our very own NYC Game Dev community members is helping organize IT help for a local LGBT Homeless shelter. The shelter loans laptops to guests and would need 3-4 tech-savvy individuals willing to spare a few hours once a month to help maintain the equipment (deleting old user accounts, updating software, etc). If you’re interested in helping out and/or would like more info, please contact Charli at charles@charlesbattersby.com.