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.
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Other News
Games for Change Sessions
You can now watch all the sessions from the 2020 Games for Change Virtual Festival in a YouTube playlist here!
Graffiti Games
Make sure to play the games created by the Black developers highlighted in last month’s Graffiti Games initiative at the Play NYC festival. Andrew Augustin, Cara Hillstock, Derrick Fields, Missy, and Ricardo Lee are all featured. Read about them and play their games here.
Games and Online Harassment Hotline
The Games and Online Harassment Hotline is a free, text message-based, confidential emotional support hotline. This hotline, designed specifically for the gaming community, offers players, developers, streamers, and competitors emotional support and resources they might need. (Details)
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What's on this month
This year’s virtual Game Devs of Color Expo takes place on September 19. Enjoy presentations, game dev interviews, playable games, and a private conference space for discussion between attendees. Get your tickets here. ($5–$10)
Friendship Garden's September Healing Summit is a three-day event of healing, presentations, mixers, and play. Taking place September 4–6, the event boasts an online arcade, workshops, an art gallery, and jukebox! ($0–$20) (Details)
Game Engines Beyond Games is a symposium that will bring together artists, curators and scholars to explore the expanded concept of game engines. The symposium will be streamed on the Babycastles Twitch channel on September 5. (Details)
Get your game funded at the world's biggest dedicated games investment event, GamesIndustry.biz Live, featuring talks from industry leaders and one-to-one meetings. Register here to attend on September 9. (£0–£187.66)
PixelPop Festival is a game conference and exhibition that celebrates unique games and the many people who make them possible. This year’s festival will be held on PixelPop’s Discord server. The festival features two full days of conference sessions and game demos from folks from all experience levels in the game industry. (Details)
The GAconf 2020, held September 28–29, is an online series of talks and networking exploring recent and future advancements in the field of game accessibility. (Details) ($0–$250)
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On the horizon
GameSoundCon is the conference for composers, sound designers, dialogue artists, and anyone involved in game audio. Attendees range from beginners to game industry professionals. This year the conference will take place entirely online, October 5–7. ($25) (Details)
The NYC Media Lab Summit 2020 is an online conference from Oct 7–9 that will bring together virtual attendees from NYC Media Lab’s core community to explore the future of media and tech through discussions, engaging workshops, and innovative demos. (Details) (Free–$250)
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And finally...
IGDA NYC Discord
Recently we re-launched our IGDA NYC Discord! The server is the place for our virtual hangouts and events. Come and join the NYC game dev scene here and be a part of the community!
We are still on the lookout for mods and community managers to help with our Discord. If you are interested, head over to the #ask-management channel on our Discord, or email nyc@igda.org.
IGDA NYC Discord Expo
The IGDA NYC Discord Expo will be an opportunity to share a project you're currently working on or have already finished and just want to show off. Want feedback on some work you've done so far, or have a finished game for playtesting? Want to show off some music, art or other material? We're currently looking for people who are interested in sharing their work on our Discord server this fall. If you're interested, please fill out this form.
Call for Speakers
Are you an industry professional with something to share? IGDA NYC is looking for speakers for our IGDA NYC Talks series. We're interested in presentations on all topics related to game development including development, design, art, music, game marketing and more. For the foreseeable future, we'll be hosting the events live on our Discord server and streaming them on both our local IGDA YouTube and the main IGDA Twitch channel. Please submit a short bio and a synopsis of your presentation, along with links to videos (if available) to nyc@igda.org.
gamedevmap
In partnership with Gamedevmap.com, the IGDA NYC is gathering information from NY studios and passing it along to gamedevmap so we can make it the best resource out there about companies in our region. Send us your company info using this form and we'll include you in our monthly batch submission.
Note from the Editor
I went out walking for the first time the other week (groceries and essentials aside) to Forest Park. I'd forgotten how much I missed simply being able to be outside without having a set destination in mind (usually my local Key Food or CVS). It's interesting how the things we take for granted are put into perspective. Included this month are a couple of sound walks, a great accompaniment to getting out of the house and back into nature.
One thing about this pandemic is that it seems to be changing the landscape of remote work. Check out this month's job section, which has a lot of new opportunities, especially in the remote sector.
As things continue to return to a sense of 'normal' it's been amazing over the past few months to see the resilience of the game dev community as a whole, but especially here in NYC. Keep up all the amazing work you're doing; I love to see it every month that I put together this newsletter.
Stay safe, and I'll see you next month.
Matt
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News and updates from the mothership.
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Please read the IGDA’s statement on violence and human rights in Belarus here.
IGDA Special Interest Group Coordinator Program
This program is designed to increase the support resources available to the leaders of our 30+ Special Interest Groups. IGDA SIG Coordinators oversee a subset of IGDA SIGs, meeting virtually with SIG leadership, other SIG Coordinators, and IGDA Staff to provide updates, celebrate successes, problem solve, escalate, and help to ensure a successful SIG community. Congratulations to New York's Alexander Bevier, who is one of four chosen to lead. (Details)
IGDA 2020 Annual General Meeting Summary
On August 13th, the IGDA held our 2020 Annual General Meeting. In this meeting, the Executive Director, staff, and Board of Directors reviewed the progress over the last year and a half. Hundreds of members joined to watch the meeting and ask questions of our organization. The IGDA also discussed its plans for the future and provided annual awards, including a new set of awards for Chapters and SIGs. Watch the video of the meeting and read about all that was discussed. (Details)
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What we're up to this month!
View all upcoming IGDA NYC events on Eventbrite.
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IGDA NYC 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.
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IGDA NYC BYO Ice Cream Social on Discord
IGDA NYC Discord
September 8, 2020, 6:30pm
Miss hanging out at the Ice Cream Social? No worries, we've moved it to Discord!
Whether it's just to chat, get some feedback or show off a project, come and spend some time catching up in an informal weekend setting.
We'll be bringing our own ice cream and you can too!
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IGDA NYC Open Forum
IGDA NYC Discord
September 23, 2020, 6:30pm
We won't be hosting live Open Office Hours for a while. Instead, come spend an evening catching up and networking with us on Discord.
The Open Forum is a place for us to virtually gather and chat, network, show off our games, get feedback on our work, or ask the IGDA NYC questions.
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Celebrating work by the NYC game dev community.
Share your NY game news here or tweet #NYMakesGames.
Section Editor: Matt Fisher
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Making Waves
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Check out this interview on The Elective with NYU Game Center folks Zeke Virant, Brian S. Chung, Winnie Song, Jeff Petriello, Jordan Jones-Brewster, and Geneva Heyward talking about how they made it in the industry. (Elective)
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Half Mermaid recently put out a production blog of their current work which you can read or listen to here.
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Read C. J. Kershner’s blog post of his company, Polyhedron Productions’ involvement with the Rise to Fame game mode in Madden NFL 21. (Website)
- Razbury Games have put up a new blog update for From Rust. Check it out here.
Launched
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Tree Trunk Brook, created by GJ Lee, Brian S. Chung, Josie Brechner, and Olivia Zuern is a tiny adventure game about hiking during the pandemic. Follow trail blazes, take photos, make friends, and find lost items. (itch.io)
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In Rainy City: Pandemic by LunaBeat, you must navigate the streets of Rainy City while delivering groceries, pizza, and medicine to people scattered around town. (Steam)
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Swimsanity! by Decoy Games has been released for Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and on Steam (Playstation 4 coming soon). Swimsanity! is a multiplayer underwater shooter with action-packed Co-Op and Versus game modes, all supported by online and local play. (Website)
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Dim Bulb Games released Museum of Mechanics: Lockpicking, a browsable, playable collection of lockpicking mechanics from various games, intended for game developers looking to explore the range of lockpicking mechanics that have been implemented in the past. (itch.io)
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Project Crimson by Destin Piagentini is a 2D action-arcade clicker. Use objects to manipulate your movement and fly through 75 levels of fun and satisfying challenges. (Steam)
- In Good Pizza, Great Pizza by TapBlaze, do your best to fulfill pizza orders from customers while making enough money to keep your restaurant open. Upgrade your restaurant with new toppings, decor and kitchen equipment to compete against your pizza rival! (Nintendo)
Go Play
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Written and narrated by HARP Artist Gelsey Bell with music by Bell and Joseph White, Cairns is a sound walk for the social-distancing New Yorker to meditate on the land we inhabit, sink into an arboreal temporality, and unearth the stories of a few historic trailblazers. ($7) (Everything Immersive)
- Intralia, the weird park is an outdoor, socially-distanced audio play and sound walk created for Prospect Park. The work features original music and sound design by Jordan Hall, text by Rebecca LeVine and direction by William Steinberger. (Everything Immersive)
Preorder/Wishlist
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In Trombone Champ by Holy Wow, honk, blow, and toot your way through over 20 songs, collect all 50 unique Tromboner Cards, and uncover the mysteries of the Trombiverse. (Steam)
Crowdfunding
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(FUNDED) In Net King's Call by Greystone Games build a digital empire, research new tech, raise an army, customize unique squads of units, and recruit allies or make enemies. Ascend to the throne and rebuild a world thrown into chaos, caused by a never ending pursuit of power. (Kickstarter)
- (FUNDED) The EGD Collective was created as a space where people could come together over the love of games. Their aims are to diversify games, make games industry education affordable for everyone, and provide free workshops, events, and support systems, helping students to excel and achieve their goals of getting into the industry. They have met their funding goal, but you can still donate on gofundme to enable them to continue their mission. (gofundme)
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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.
Section Editor: Matt Fisher
Saturday, September 5
Wonderville: Backyard DJ Series: Nicht Tot – Chilled out Saturday night backyard jam spinning disco, house, funk, and more.
Tuesday, September 8
 Playcrafting: Legal Roadmap for Video Game Development Online Course – A three-day mini course that will walk you through a legal road from game design document to first sale and highlight red flags you should absolutely be aware of. ($180)
 IGDA NYC BYO Ice Cream Social on Discord – Miss hanging out at the Ice Cream Social? No worries, we've moved it to Discord! Whether it's just to chat, get some feedback or show off a project, come and spend some time catching up in an informal weekend setting. We'll be bringing our own ice cream and you can too!
Wednesday, September 9
NYC iOS Study Group: 2nd Wednesday Meetup – Join on the 2nd Wednesday of each month for networking and coding.
Sid Meier presents Sid Meier's Memoir!: A Life in Computer Games In conversation with David Ewalt – David Ewalt, award-winning journalist, author, and authority on the intersection of games and technology, joins legendary game designer Sid Meier in conversation at this virtual book talk, co-sponsored by the NYU Game Center.
Friday, September 11
If You Willem: From Nothing to Flappy Bird in 2 hours: Learn Unity Game Development –
Learn the basics of building games using Unity and C# programming! Go from knowing nothing to the basics in just 2 hours with Flappy Bird.
Wednesday, September 16
Building and Using Virtual Reality in Education (VR in Education) – Connecting educators, developers and others to create effective ways of developing and implementing VR in educational spaces.
Thursday, September 17
Babycastles: WordHack – Short talks and performances and an Open Projector where anyone from the audience can sign up to present their work.
Tuesday, September 22
AWE Nite NYC - Online meetup – An online meetup of everything augmented. ($5)
Wednesday, September 23
IGDA NYC Open Forum – The Open Forum is a place for us to virtually gather and chat, network, show off our games, get feedback on our work, or to ask the IGDA NYC questions.
Saturday, October 3 – Sunday, October 4
Roguelike Celebration 2020 – Roguelike Celebration 2020 is a virtual event in a custom-built multiplayer game/chat space included a host of speakers and online content.
Recurring Weekly
Mondays
Tuesdays
Wednesdays
Thursdays
Saturdays
Sundays
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Recent jobs, internships, scholarships, grants, exhibitions, and other opportunities.
View or submit a listing for free.
Section Editor: Serena Sanchez
Jobs
Education
Internships
Funding/Programs/Contests
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Benefits for IGDA members.
Join here. Log in for all member discount codes and details.
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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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