Tag

local developers

Dec 03
0

December Monthly Meeting featuring Chris Tihor's ICIDS 2011 Highlights

By | General, Meetings, Presentations | No Comments

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

Dec 02
0

Microsoft Brings the Game to Victoria

By | General, Local News, News | No Comments

The new home of Microsoft Studios Victoria. Nothing important was going on in there anyways.

As you may have already heard from various news sources, Microsoft is planning on opening a new game studio here in Victoria. Microsoft Studios Victoria will be opening in the new year and will be located in offices in the Dogwood building on the downtown waterfront. While some local game companies are wary of the new competition for local talent (Microsoft’s looking to hire 50-60 people), industry observers and post-secondary institutions are cheering the move, saying that it will mark Victoria as a viable location for other game companies to set up shop and lure new employees to the area from around the world. Regardless of which camp you belong, everyone has to agree that the Victoria game development industry is about to get a lot more interesting in the next year.

Nov 16
0

Virtual Expo, Real Job

By | Events, Meetings | No Comments

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

Nov 03
0

November Monthly Meeting featuring Andy Moore's Super Secret Presentation

By | General, Meetings, Presentations | No Comments

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

Oct 12
0

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

Sep 21
0

Because OrcaJam 2011 Wasn't Gonna Organize Itself

By | General, Local News | No Comments

They look so innocent when they're sleeping.

A resounding success in the Victoria game development community, OrcaJam is over for another year. Many games were made, beverages consumed,  and new friendships began. After all the speeches, rants, and good times have finished, organizer Andy Moore takes a minute to reflect upon the event and consider the successes, failures, and surprises in a article called Organizing OrcaJam 2011.

Sep 15
0

One More Sleep Until OrcaJam 2011!

By | Local News, Meetings | No Comments

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!

Sep 14
0

With Local Game Company, Charity Begins at Your Homepage.

By | General, Local News | No Comments
Wordraiser

A screen-shot of Wordraiser - no relation to classic SNES game ActRaiser.

Charities teaming up with video game companies are becoming less unusual these days. Child’s Play, Charitii and OneBigGame are some of the better known examples of this trend. A new game company based in Victoria has continued with this idea, bringing charitable gaming to the social media sphere. Donate2Play is the brainchild of three friends, Tomas Ernst, Kelly Pereira, and Adrian Pereira, who were looking to inject new life into the process of charity fund-raising. On September 8th of this year, Donate2Play launched their first game, Wordraiser. Released on Facebook as a fund-raising vehicle for the Ancient Forest Alliance, Wordraiser is a simple but addictive word finding game that raises money by prompting players for donations as they go up in levels. So far the response has been positive, and Donate2Play are looking forward to expand their partnerships to other non-profits on a global basis.

Sep 07
0

OrcaJam: Not Necessarily a Jar of Seafood Preserves

By | Chapter News, Local News, News | No Comments
OrcaJam 2011

Pajama Party! Okay, not really.

OrcaJam is fast approaching and excitement is growing in the game development community of sleepy Victoria, BC. It’s a popular game jam in the vein of the Global Game Jam and is quickly becoming an annual tradition. Created last year by local independent game creators Andy Moore and Fieran Mason-Blakley, OrcaJam 2010 was a great success – bringing together a diverse group of game developers for a 48 hour period of fun, comradery, and creativity. This year should be no different.

As of this writing there’s still room, so if you’re interested in signing up go to the official meetup page, register, and mark your calendar: OrcaJam is being held from Friday, September 16th (6pm) until Sunday September 18th (6pm). It’s only 50 bucks and includes some food and other treats. More details can be found at the official website: www.orcajam.com. Space is limited so sign up soon. See you there!

 

Sep 01
0

September Chapter Meeting

By | Chapter News, Meetings | No Comments
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: