March 2023 Update
Hello Indies!
It feels like Xmas was just yesterday, but we’re already in full swing of conferences and other game dev happenings!
Upcoming Events
Seattle Indies and Geeks who Drink: Charity Trivia Night
Geeks who drink is pairing up with Seattle indies to do a Trivia night to benefit Seattle Indies! with a suggested donation of $5 or $10 you can team up with others to win at the end of the night and the remaining funds go towards Seattle Indies! Join us Tuesday March 14th, Chucks Hop Shop at 7pm – here’s the Meetup Event with Full Info!
Join us for a conversation with Lizzie Mintus Founder and CEO of Here’s Waldo Recruiting, Cami Smith Senior Executive Recruiter at ggLocators, and Games Industry Veteran Bernard Yee. The event will take place virtually on Twitch on March 15 at 7pm – here’s the Meetup Event Page.
Game Developer Conference is taking place March 20-24 in San Francisco. The annual event brings the game development community together to exchange ideas, solve problems, and shape the future of the industry across five days of education, inspiration, and networking. Click Here to read all about it and get tickets.
PG Connects Seattle is back from May 16-17, 2023 at the Grand Hyatt. More info. We will have details about free/discounted passes as the event gets closer.
Book your tickets now and join here: https://www.pgconnects.com/seattle/registration/
PGC is also inviting indies to submit to be a part of their indie showcase and Big Indie Pitch events: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd-DCNcYQG5aWoV3qAIyKVj1O9vFeZ6X8dMU_4lzmY69JsjSw/viewform
Disclaimer: PGC is promoting talks about Blockchain/NFT gaming that we will not be taking part in nor endorsing. Seattle Indies is not receiving compensation for our involvement in PGC nor are we paying for the privilege of being involved.
FYI if you want to get a list of all upcoming game event shows and get ready early, The Indie House has published this fantastic list of upcoming festival that’s exactly that. Well worth a bookmark!
Monthly Events
The Eastside Meet & Drink is happening at Eastside Beer Works on March 6, at 7pm (note no January event)! Keep in mind it happens on the first Tuesday of every month. It’s time to get together and swap stories. Put down your keyboards and brave the outdoors. Let’s meet for a drink, a bite to eat, and some good conversation!
Northside Social will take place March 9, 6pm at Distant Worlds Coffeehouse in Roosevelet. It’s time to get together and swap stories. Put down your keyboards and brave the outdoors. Let’s meet for a coffee/tea, a bite to eat, and some good conversation!
Seattle Indies Social IRL will take place on March 28, 7-10:30pm at Optimism due to GDC happening the normal week of the social. Join us in Capitol Hill for some well-deserved mingling, drinks, and socialization! Make some new friends, catch up with old ones, and find out what the community’s up to. This month a delegation of developers from Australia will be joining us on a post-GDC visit to Seattle so come out and say hello to our Aussie friends.
Feedback Circle is skipped this month. Get some real responses to what you have been working on from game creators in our community like yourself. Here’s all the info on how to sign up!
Diversity Collective+ Coffee Chat is taking place on March 18, 12pm – 2pm at Tailwind Cafe. Come to network, socialize, and discuss issues related to diversity and inclusion in game development! Folks that identify as an underrepresented minority in the game industry are welcome.
The Game Club this month will take place on March. 15, 7 PM – 9 PM and the game is Hylics 2. What a book club is to a discussion of literature, this event is to a discussion of game design. Every month, we agree to play a game, then meet to discuss and analyze its design and presentation.
The Writer’s Room is will take place on March 30, 6:30pm on Discord! Bring your scripts, flowcharts, character bibles or whatever you’re working on to share and get feedback on your storytelling.
Indie Co-working Support Group in-person will take place every Saturday, from 1:00 PM to 6:30 PM PST, at the Academy of Interactive Entertainment. Masks will be enforced and vax cards will be checked at the door. Seattle Center wifi will be available for use. Please bring everything you need to be productive. The online Coffee Break session will still be available to anyone who isn’t ready for in person events yet or doesn’t have the ability to attend the in person event. We will be meeting every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month at AIE going forward. We have also added a Co-working voice channel in Discord for people to use any time they want a quiet space to work alongside their peers.
Note that ISG will have extended hours during the weekend of Global Game Jam (Feb 4th/5th) for people who want to jam together in-person. Saturday Feb 4th will be 10-6:30 pm and Sunday Sept 5th will be 10-4 pm. Snacks and drinks will be provided both days.
Indie Coffee Break – Once a week, take a Coffee Break with our Discord community, and chat with your local game devs! Meet new folks. Talk about games. Share your work. Ask for help / feedback. Commiserate over problems. Collaborate on solutions. Give high-fives. We’re a weekly social work group for game devs of all levels and disciplines. Join us on Discord every Saturday from 1pm to 7pm! Drop by anytime; folks usually drop in and out throughout the day. Coffee Break also happens on an impromptu basis throughout the month so if you see folks hanging out in the channel feel free to drop in and join the conversation.
Local Dev News
David just released a Free Demo for Conucopia, a charming 2.5D farming RPG sim with unique mechanics like pet-assisted gathering and combat, animal auctioning and breeding, buying more homes, and a magnifying glass and compost system.
Jack Le Hamster wanted to share what they’ve been working on for the past several months: World of Turtle! It’s a Sokoban style puzzle game with comical colorful graphics. It’s out on Steam, and has a free demo with 30 levels out of 100.
Sam Atlas also has a demo in the next fest for Extreme Evolution: Drive to Divinity, a the spiritual successor to Space Hole 2018, which was at SIX 2019. It’s a very psychedelic adventure platformer, biologically themed!
Daniel Peterson shared a video: Pro Concept Artist Draws Our Game Character | TLDR Devlog Chaos Kart #13
Monydragon shared The Afterlife, a new 2D puzzle platformer made for the Brackey’s Game Jam. After an untimely end, you must make your way through a series of puzzles to escape “the afterlife” and have your own chance at a new beginning.
Jack Le Hamster also started a modest YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@dobuki 🐰
Where they mostly play Tetris, but willing to play any indie games that you throw at them. So please feel free to drop them a comment in any of their video, with a link to play and record your game! 😁
Daniel Peterson shared a new YouTube Short showing some new gameplay: https://youtube.com/shorts/Hu2d3XwsrqI?feature=share
Ooyu shared that their queer, retro, visual novel about ex-magical girls officially has it’s own page on Steam!!! And the best part? It’s FREE on release!
Harassment Policy, AAPI, Black Lives Matter, and Resources
Seattle Indies stands with the AAPI community. We are here for our members who have been affected by the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes both locally and nationally. For further resources to educate yourself on the issue and how to take action, here is a useful link: https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co/
Seattle Indies is having in person meetups again and we need everyone to get vaccinated and boosted against the COVID-19 virus as soon as you are able. The Washington State Department of Health has this website for information on where you can get vaccinated in your area.
Seattle Indies believes the stories of the victims of sexual harassment and assault in the games industry that have been shared. We strongly condemn the actions by people in power preying on the dreams of vulnerable people trying to make their way in the industry and strive to build an inclusive community that welcomes all minorities to provide a safe environment and a better vision for the game industry.
While our code of conduct states a zero-tolerance policy for harassment of any kind we are especially sensitive to the daily challenges faced by womxn due to the ingrained sexism that has existed in the structure of the games industry for far too long. We are actively working to build a better community of game developers and we all need to do better.
Additionally, Board Member August Belhumeur has offered to be a personal resource for anyone who needs help, someone to talk to or some guidance on next steps if you have experienced harassment in the industry either at our events or elsewhere. She can be reached at august@seattleindies.org.
Our friends at Take This Org have compiled valuable resources for anyone in immediate need of professional help for their situation.
Lastly, Seattle Indies and Diversity Collective+ support Black Lives Matter. Here are some resources compiled by Diversity Collective+ for how you can offer support, whether this is financial, contributing to petitions, preparing for protests, or getting informed. If you have additional resources, comment below and we will add them.
As always, keep an eye on our Discord for any last-minute news and discussion, and let us know about any projects you’re working on that you’d like shared on our Steam or Itch collections or tweeted about from @SeattleIndies!
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