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Meetings

February Monthly Meeting: Highlights from Global Game Jam 2012

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Colton's smiling. This can't be good.

This is a reminder of the monthly meeting for February taking place on this coming Monday evening. This month’s meeting features jam organizer Colton Phillips reporting on highlights from the recent Global Game Jam as experienced last weekend at our own local GGJ site at the University of Victoria. It was a fantastic time for all and some great projects came out of it. Hopefully, some of the participants will bring along their projects to Monday’s meeting to show off. As always, everyone is welcome to bring any projects along that they’ve been working on to share with the rest of the group, and there will be lots of discussion about local goings on in the Victoria game dev community.

More game jam photos below.

Details:

Monday, February 6th

The Collard Room – Swans Hotel and Brewpub

506 Pandora Avenue, Victoria, BC

Doors open at 4:30pm

RSVP via the Meetup event: Show & Tell @ Swans

Mid-Month Non-Denominational Holiday Brewpub Social!

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It might be easier to play that game without gloves on, Santa. Just sayin...

I thought a reminder might be in order for the IGDA Victoria Mid-Month Brewpub Social coming this Saturday. This month it transforms into the Mid-Month Non-Denominational Holiday Brewpub Social (or MMNDHBPS for short). Come on out and share some holiday cheer with the rest of the Victoria Game development community and dream about all the new games you might be getting. Hope to see you there, if not have a happy holiday of whatever variety you subscribe to!

When:

Saturday, December 17, 2011, 2:30 PM

Where:

350-B Bay Street

Victoria, BC

Phone: 250 380 0706

Website: http://www.moonunderwater.ca

RSVP:

Level Up meetup event

December Monthly Meeting featuring Chris Tihor's ICIDS 2011 Highlights

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The frog kissing is finished for another year...

This is a reminder of the monthly meeting for December taking place on this coming Monday evening. Continuing our Awesome Talks series, this month’s meeting features yours truly giving a presentation on the recently concluded International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling (ICIDS) 2011 in Vancouver. Specifically, I’ll be talking about the workshop I ran called Rummaging in the Geek Culture Toolbox, but I’ll also be open to any questions regarding the rest of the conference, and I’ll bring a printed copy of the proceedings for all to peruse. As always, everyone is welcome to bring any projects along that they’ve been working on to share with the rest of the group, and I’m sure that there will be lots of discussion about Microsoft’s recent announcement about Microsoft Studios Victoria.

See you there!

Details:

Monday, December 5th

The Collard Room – Swans Hotel and Brewpub

506 Pandora Avenue, Victoria, BC

Doors open at 4:30pm

RSVP via the Meetup event: Show & Tell @ Swans

Virtual Expo, Real Job

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I'm hoping the other interviews go better than this one did.

If you’re based in Victoria and you’re looking for work in the Game industry, or if you’re based in Victoria and looking to hire for your Game company, or really, if you’re based anywhere that has internet access and looking to work/hire, than you could do worse than check out the new Virtual Career Expo. Hosted by Game Recruiter and partnered with the IGDA, ESA, Casual Connect, and a bunch of other organizations, the Virtual Career Expo is a job fair that you can attend from the comfort of your own home. As a job-seeker, this is an excellent opportunity to attend an interview in your pyjamas. As an employer, you can set up your own virtual booth, meet job candidates, and interview them all while wearing your pyjamas. It’s really a big games industry pyjama party that may get you the work you’re looking for without the hassle of a lot of travelling costs. It’s worth a look if only to avoid potentially troublesome pillow fights.

Oh yeah, check out the Facebook page for a contest you can enter to win a personal resume review with GameRecruiter CEO and Co-Founder Marc Mencher. I’ve seen a few talks featuring Marc and that guy knows his stuff.

Also, I’d like to remind everyone about the upcoming November Mid-Month Pub Social happening at the Moon Under Water pub this Saturday. It’s a chance to kick back and relax with your fellow game developers and enjoy some tasty beverages and good conversation. See you there!

Event Details:

Saturday, November 19, 2011, 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM
The Moon Under Water Brewpub
350-B Bay Street, Victoria, BC

Meetup event

November Monthly Meeting featuring Andy Moore's Super Secret Presentation

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We can neither confirm or deny the presence of cows in rubber boots.

Just sending out a reminder of the monthly meeting for November taking place on this coming Monday evening. Continuing our Awesome Talks series, this month’s meeting features the one and only Andy Moore giving a presentation on… well, I can’t tell you! The presentation’s subject is a secret. I can tell you that it’s going to be entertaining and informative and Andy won’t be pulling any punches. Due to the off-the-record nature of his talk, we respectfully request that no recordings be made and no blogging be done about it afterwards. You’ll probably be too busy afterwards socializing with other game developers and checking out the new and exciting projects that people have brought to show off to be blogging anyways.

See you there!

Details:

Monday, November 7th

The Collard Room – Swans Hotel and Brewpub

506 Pandora Avenue, Victoria, BC

Doors open at 4:30pm

Meetup event: Show & Tell @ Swans

October Mid-Month Pub Social & Awesome Slides

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All beer was selflessly pre-tasted by yours truly. You're welcome.

We’re already halfway through October, so that means:

a. Hallowe’en is almost upon us.

b. It’s time for another mid-month pub social at the Moon Under Water pub.

Why not take some time away from making your Duke Nukem costume and share some tasty beverages with other Victoria game creators?

Also, Sheri Rubin, our Awesome Talks presenter for the October Monthly Meeting, has been kind enough to post the slides from her great presentation: Your Developers Are Your Customers. Don’t miss the upcoming Awesome Talks at the Monthly Meetings for November and December! Details soon.

Pub Social Details:

When:

Saturday, October 15, 2011, 2:30 PM

Where:

350-B Bay Street

Victoria, BC

Phone: 250 380 0706

Website: http://www.moonunderwater.ca

RSVP:

Level Up meetup event

Awesome Talks Lives Up To Its Name

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awesome

Seriously. Would Honest Abe lie to you?

The October Monthly Meeting was a smashing success and a great kick-off for our Awesome Talks series. We had a full house out for Sheri Rubin’s presentation: “Your Developers Are Your Customers”. Sheri made it out to Victoria from Seattle despite the slings and arrows of transportation difficulties, gave a great talk, and hung around to chat and answer questions afterwards. There was a good mix of students and professionals, indies and studio folks present, much food and drink was consumed and many lively game discussions ensued. All in all, a great time had by everyone. If you couldn’t make it out, I’ll be posting the slides from the presentation soon. Thanks again to Sheri for coming to visit us in Victoria and thanks to everyone who came out for making it such a great meeting.

Remember that the Mid-Month Social is coming up soon: Saturday October 15th at 2:30 pm at Moon Under Water Brewpub. I’ll be posting a reminder closer to the time. It’s a more casual meet-up and a good opportunity to chat with other game creators while enjoying some of the local brew.

October Monthly Meeting featuring Sheri Rubin!

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Sheri Rubin

Sheri Rubin: Master of Game Fu

It’s all a bit last minute, but Sheri Rubin, as part of her cross continent road trip, is coming to speak at this month’s IGDA Victoria meeting on Monday, October the 3rd! Sheri has been involved in the game industry for over 15 years and helped to create more than 30 games including the Golden Tee series and Sam and Max Season One. This will be Sheri’s first visit to our chapter, and she’ll be giving the talk outlined below, so spread the word and let’s get a good crowd out to give Sheri a warm welcome!

Details:

Monday, October 3rd

The Collard Room – Swans Hotel and Brewpub

506 Pandora Avenue, Victoria, BC

Doors open at 4:30pm

 

Your Developers Are Your Customers

Description:

Too often we focus on the end user, the player, as the basis of our focus on customer needs and wants. What we end up doing is creating an environment that doesn’t promote an experience that is good for all our customers, including the ones that matter most: the developers. This talk will explain the basics of a good customer experience, help managers identify who their “customers” are, and then give them the tools they need to improve their customer experience and bring consistency to their brands. Whether you are a developer, publisher, or service vendor you can quickly and easily take small steps that can impact your bottom line. Even team leads, seniors, and individual developers can implement changes that will over time increase their relationships with others and their ability to succeed.

Areas that this talk will cover include:

  • Post-mortems: Why you’re probably doing them wrong (and you SHOULD be doing them!)
  • Third-party relationships: The two things you MUST do to constantly improve your customer experience
  • Your Staff: Learn why they are the key to making this all happen and what you can do to influence their happiness
  • Branding: Why it’s important for even small developers and vendors (and individuals) to develop a brand and what it can do for you and your customer experience

Your customers are THE most important part of your business – this talk aims to show you how making them a priority can help multiple aspects of your business.

One More Sleep Until OrcaJam 2011!

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No Orcas Were Harmed in the Making of this Banner

That’s right, OrcaJam starts Friday at 6pm here in Victoria and keeps going until 6pm Sunday. That a full 48 hours of good times, game creation, and meeting fellow game makers from all over the place.  There’s still a few spots left for you last-minute folks, so if you want to go, sign up at the official Level Up OrcaJam meetup page. The event is being held at InHub, a new professional coworking space that opened earlier in the year and has become popular with a number of local indie developers. If you haven’t had the chance to check it out yet, then OrcaJam may be the excuse you’re looking for. Pre-party and mingle starts at 3pm. I hope to see you all there!

September Chapter Meeting

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In partnership with Level Up! Victoria, we present the Victoria Chapter September monthly meeting. Pro, Indie, Hobbyist, Student, Programmer, Designer, Artist – all levels and disciplines are welcome.

We’ll at Swans Brewpub in the “Collard Room”, the private area near the kitchen/bathroom/ATM.

Let’s discuss the latest events in the industry, tales of going Indie, and game-play design, challenges, and solutions!

We have a private room with a projector, screen, and a ton of tables and chairs. Show off your current projects; do some playtesting; or just relax and enjoy the awesome local food and beer.

Because this is a private room, under-age individuals are allowed to come (with parent/guardian permission of course). Come one, come all. We’d love to see you.

Details: