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

• Crossword Con is a first-of-its-kind half-day conference about crossword puzzles happening on April 5th!

• Playcrafting has partnered with BrookLAN for a monthly NYC Indie Dev Night!

• Join the NYU Game Center for a lunchtime talk and Q&A with Jordan Mechner (creator of “Prince of Persia”) at From Prince of Persia to Replay: A video game creator’s family odyssey!

On the Horizon

• Save the date! The 2024 Games for Change Festival will take place June 27 – 28, 2024! Registration is officially OPEN for early bird tickets before April 8th!

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.

I know the start of this year has been grim for many folks, considering the continuous mass layoffs and industry volatility. If you’ve been impacted by this, please know you’re not alone. We have a community to support you, help you network, and relate to. If you’re not already a member, I encourage you to join today. We have free IGDA memberships still available for those experiencing financial challenges. Please take advantage of this.

There has been a lot of buzz around the industry about how to protect and empower workers and hold studios and companies to higher standards. While there are many avenues, one path is the topic of unionization that many have been bringing up. As the IGDA, we want to empower you with knowledge and resources. If you missed our panel on unionization and worker empowerment in December, you can find the live recording here along with the webpage of additional resources. Our industry needs to change. Developers are burnt out. People’s livelihoods are completely disrupted. Yet, we’re seeing reports of high profits paired with massive layoffs. This is not sustainable.

As our industry grows across the globe, it’s important for us to see the future of our craft and its pertinent value to society. The IGDA has turned 30 this year and we’ve seen iterations of initiatives and projects throughout the last three decades. As we finalize voting for the newest Board of Director candidates, I look forward to their ideas and contributions of how best to support developers around the world. With that said, please, leverage your voice and vote for who you believe are the best candidates for the role.

Community plays an important role in our humanity. As a sociologist and game developer, I am always promoting the benefits of community for other devs. I think community is more important now than ever before. And what’s most empowering is how we can build communities in which we thrive, while simultaneously building something that will attract others who need the same things as you: networks, support, connections, empathy, camaraderie, and solidarity.

Dr. Jakin Vela

IGDA Executive Director

Read the full message or watch/listen to the video update 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!

*RSVP Required*
Coexist Gamehouse

Tue, March 26th @ 6:00pm

Join us at the Coexist Gamehouse for a casual social with Tacos, games, drinks and music!

RSVP required for free entry!

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

Making Waves

• DreamYard’s BX Start seeks to provide a space where the power of video games and digital media can be used to promote economic opportunity, community building, and forward the cause of social justice for residents of the Bronx. Sign up for the playtesting night here!

• Interested in speaking at Game Devs of Color Expo 2024? Applications are open until April 19th! Share your unique insight by applying here.

• Not Just a Hobby, an original video series dedicated to shining a light on unique hobbies and passions recently featured Wonderville in their seres!

• Watch Francisco González discuss how to design player-friendly adventure games from his most recent talk at the AdventureX Conference!

Launched

• Breaktime by eieio.games is a Brick Breaker-like Chrome extension running inside Google Calendar where your meetings are bricks and you (optionally) decline the meetings you destroy!

Crowdfund

• Bitter Silver is a Cowboy Bebop-inspired choice-driven, space-western visual novel. Campaign coming this summer!

• Secret Levels is a new art organization holding a crowdfunding campaign for it’s inaugural exhibition NYC in Video Games 86-93. Take a look at the unique relationship the city has with video games during this era, specifically the beat em’up genre!

Pre-Order/Wishlist

• Deep Time is a merciless fusion of roguelike 3D platforming and strategic deckbuilding where each choice impacts your resources; every run generates a new universe.

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 on WithFriends to help to keep the arcades working and pay for parts and maintenance!

• 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!

• 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.

• Support GUMBO on Patreon for exclusive digital content, free event access, and more!

• 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.

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

Tuesday March 19th

Tournament Tuesday at Wonderville: Animal Crossing & Nidhogg 2 – Celebrate Spring the Tournament Tuesday way at Wonderville! Bring your own Switch to show off your Animal Crossing: New Horizons island and let audience members vote on their favorites! Then end the night with a Nidhogg 2 tournament!

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.

Wednesday March 20th

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

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

Thursday March 21st

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

Saturday March 23th

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 March 24th

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

Monday March 25th

Unity NYC March Madness: GDC Edition! – Meet Devs and talk about what you’re most excited about from GDC!

Tuesday March 26th

AWE Nite NYC – A monthly meetup for Augmented Reality enthusiasts!

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

Taco Tuesday with Coexist – Join Coexist for a casual social with Tacos, games, drinks and music!

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 March 27th

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

Thursday March 28th

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 March Showcase – Join the local electronic music community for our showcase featuring an eclectic mix of New York City artists working in a variety of styles.

G4C Level Up Workshop: Let’s Make a Game! – Learn how Hasbro approaches making games by joining this panel discussion from a cross-functional team who creates some of the world’s best and biggest games every day.

Tuesday April 2nd

From Prince of Persia to Replay: A video game creator’s family odyssey – Join NYU as Jordan Mechner (creator of “Prince of Persia”) shares his story in the fast-growing game industry from the 1980s to today, and how his family’s back story led to his own multifaceted 4-decade creative career.

Wednesday April 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.

Friday April 5th

Crossword Con – Crossword Con, presented by Puzzmo, is a first-of-its-kind half-day conference about crossword puzzles!

Thursday April 11th

NYVR April 2024 (Art in VR) – The NYVR meetup is a community of people interested in the development and application of virtual reality technology.

Tuesday April 16th

Wonderville’s 2nd to 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.

View or submit a listing for free.

Jobs

• Chess Specialist at New York Edge

• Editorial Project Manager at IGN

• Email Marketing Manager at Rockstar

• Frontend Games Engineer – Junior at Hearst

• Art Director at Normandie

• Curriculum Writer (Remote) at iThrive Games

• Lead Artist at Brass Lion Entertainment

• Assistant Arts Professor at NYU

Exhibit/Speak/Publish

• Want to bring your game to Playcrafting & BrookLAN’s NYC Indie Dev Night? Fill out the form! BrookLAN has PC’s for you to use, space for tabletop as well as space for you to bring your own set up if needed! Sign up here

• Middle and high school students around the world have ONE MONTH left to submit digital and analog games, character designs, or stories to the Games for Change Student Challenge! Sign up here

Volunteer

• Want to contribute to the social impact gaming community and get exclusive behind-the-scenes access to Games for Change Festival 2024? Volunteer! Sign up here

• 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

• TP Camp is a crash course and playground for creative and techy people who want to shake things up. Every June in New York City, makers, artists, musicians, programmers, fabricators, and creatives of all sorts are invited to join the ITP community to make stuff, hear speakers on the cutting edge, and collaborate with people from diverse disciplines.

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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