September 2024 Update
A word from the Seattle Indies organizing team
We know everyone is excited for SIX and PAX West this weekend but life happens too and it is with great sadness that we announce the passing of a beloved community member, Steve Zapata.
Steve, or ZappForThat as he was known online, was an incredibly talented Technical Artist. His first major project was with a team called PolyKnight on an indie game called InnerSpace, an exploration flying game that they successfully Kickstarted. From there, he brought his skills to larger studios like Niantic and Riot Games. Despite working full-time, Steve never forgot his indie game dev roots, and cultivated positive, inclusive, and progressive cultures both at work and in indie game dev communities such as Seattle Indies and Society of Play.
Steve was known for his generosity and love of learning. Even though he had so many internal struggles over the past year, it never stopped him from continuing to share his knowledge and experiences freely, and always with the goal of helping fellow game devs in their individual paths. He was always willing to engage with others about their projects, and encouraged conversations about art and the artistic journey. Combined with his own exploration of technical art’s capabilities, Steve was a constant source of enthusiasm, support, and inspiration.
Above all else, Steve was just a really good dude. It never mattered if you were an old friend or someone entirely new to the community – he always made you feel welcome. Whether it was his laughter or his gentle encouragement to keep going if you were down, his warm presence always put the space he was in at ease, and his influence has had a lasting and positive impact on his communities.
There will be a tribute to Steve at the Seattle Indies Expo this Sunday (September 1st, 2024) in the form of a collaborative art installation. If you would like to honor his memory, we encourage you to stop by this weekend to participate.
For those who might like resources on mental health and wellness, here are some below:
– Grief Groups: https://www.evergreenhealth.com/health-services/grief-bereavement/
– Crisis Connections: https://www.crisisconnections.org/
– Therapists in Seattle: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/wa/seattle
The Summer Expo Season is coming to an end?!?! Whether you exhibited, attended, or just stayed at home, we hope you enjoyed all the gaming buzz in fresh Seattle Air….
Seattle Indies Expo is this Sunday! Stop by Hilton Motif Seattle from Noon-9pm to play 32 up and coming indie games from our community and beyond. SIX Is a day-long celebration of indie games and game creators and the Seattle Indies community as a whole. It is free to attend, open to the public, and does not require a PAX badge.
Check out this trailer featuring clips of all 32 games and get hyped for the big day.
Seattle Indies Expo offers an unparalleled opportunity for gamers, industry professionals, and enthusiasts to connect, collaborate, and experience the cutting edge of indie game development. Attendees can expect a diverse lineup of games, including action-packed adventures, thought-provoking puzzles, captivating role-playing experiences, and innovative table top titles.
Secure your spot now: https://seattle-indies-expo-2024.eventbrite.com
IndieCade Anywhere and Everywhere is IndieCade’s online festival for 2024 and will be held in the fall. This online event is built from the ground up specifically to highlight and feature games of all types, along with their creators, from around the world. Learn more about it here!
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!
Welcome to our newest monthly feature, the Seattle Indies Spotlight! Each month we will be featuring a quick interview with one of our Seattle Indies community members so you can get to know them better and learn a little about their journey as an indie developer. We start things off with Renee Gittins, she/her, Studio Head of Stumbling Cat who recently released Potions: A Curious Tale. If you want to learn more about Renee and Potions then mark your calendars for Friday September, 27th at 6pm and join us at M5 Creative Building for the next in our new series of retrospectives where Renee will be giving a presentation and Q&A session on her time developing and releasing Potions: A Curious Tale, keep an eye on our meetup page for all the details.
What inspired you to become an indie developer?
I originally started my journey in indie development because it was the only path available for me in game development. As a self-taught programmer with little professional experience, I had to forge my own path. Once I started that journey, I found so many friendly peers, inspirational stories, and joy in having a high impact on the games I worked on.
What is one great lesson you have learned in your time as an indie developer?
Empathy towards your peers, your teammates, your players, and yourself will allow you to be a better game developer than any amount of study or other efforts. You cannot make a good game if you cannot see a situation from another perspective. You cannot survive making a game if you are cruel to yourself.
What is the one piece of advice you would share today with your younger self before you started your career as an indie developer?
Rapid prototyping is far more effective than detailed planning. Create, share, assess, and rework.
How has the game developer community had an impact on your career?
Without the support and advice of other game developers, I simply would not have a career in game development. Even a decade later, I am still astounded by how welcoming, supportive, and kind developers are towards each other. One of the reasons I am so passionate about giving back to both current and the next generation of game developers is because I have been so lucky to have been uplifted by others in my journey in the games industry.
I have received leadership mentorship from countless industry veterans, marketing advice from indie peers, specialized discipline knowledge from teammates, and heartwarming support in my endeavors from other industry members. I am truly proud to be part of this wonderful and caring community.
What is something interesting and unexpected that people would be surprised to learn about you?
Oh, gosh, there are so many aspects of my life that people who know me professionally might not be aware of: I am an avid gardener and cook; I’ve been raiding in the same WoW guild for 17 years; I have played countless sports competitively under the mentorship of my Olympian father.
However, I think that people would be most surprised to learn that I was in Army ROTC in college and left the program only a few days before I would have been bound to the military for the next 11 years of my life. At the time, it was a reasonable path to pay for my expensive tuition for my engineering degree. I ultimately decided that it was not the ideal route for myself due to the limited opportunities available for military engineers and determined it would take me less time to pay off my student loans in the workforce than to see out my military obligations.
I am very glad I made the choice to leave the program or else I likely would not be a game developer today!
Check out the trailer for Potions: A Curious Tale https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLptdRnR5Zw and buy it on Steam now! https://store.steampowered.com/app/378690/Potions_A_Curious_Tale/
Want to be featured in the Seattle Indies Spotlight or have a suggestion for a community member who should be featured? Drop a line to contact@seattleindies.org and let us know.
Here’s our Meetup Page with all future upcoming events.
The Eastside Meet & Drink is happening at Pint & Pie Public House on Sept. 3, at 6:30pm! 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 is taking place Sept 12, 6pm at Watershed Pub & Kitchen on 10104 3rd Ave NE (note the new address!!) 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 Board Game Meetup is happening on Sept 15, 3pm at at Phoenix Comics and Games. Come play board games with Indie Game Developers!
NEW Southside Social is taking place Sept 16, 5pm at Logan Brewing Company in Burien. 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! For the coming months this event will alternate between Kent and Burien.
Seattle Indies Social is happening on Sept 17 at 7pm at Stoup (formerly Optimism) in Capitol Hill. Join us 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.
The Game Club is happening on Sept 18 at 7pm right on our Discord and focusing on Animal Well. 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.
This month’s Show and Tell is on Sept 19 at 5:30pm at Niantic offices at One Bellevue Center – Chinook Room
411 108th Ave NE · Bellevue, WA. Bring your laptop and show off what you’re working on at the Seattle Indies Demo Night. Use this event to get feedback on your game and to network with other game devs. Pizza will be provided. Please bring everything you will need to demo and record feedback for your game.
The Writer’s Room is taking place on Sept 26, 6:30pm in our 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. Seattle Center wifi will be available for use. Please bring everything you need to be productive. We will be meeting every 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.
Feedback Circle is OFF this month, but usually takes place on our Discord. It’s time to stop coding, animating, making art or audio or adding that amazing new feature you thought of while you were falling asleep last night and come to Feedback Circle to get some real responses to what you have been working on from game creators in our community like yourself.
Keegan and Mio are looking for help on their GoFundMe. If anyone has the ability to help, they would appreciate that, and any donations above $25 makes you eligible for a free art commission.
Otto Germain released Puzzle Depot demo on Steam today! Check it out.
Prof shared a Post went up detailing Accessibility settings on Concord! This is something they’ve been wrangling for awhile, so give it a read!
Jakub released “Just Crow Things” on Steam, Nintendo Switch and Xbox! Play as a little crow and prove your woh to the world. Check it out!
Brad shared official trailer for their social deduction game Which Wizard 🧙♂️ ✨ Give it a watch and share!
memcpy launched the The Vagabones Steam page Feel free to share or wishlist and let them know what you think!
All Worms announced their fall course schedules the NARRATIVE FALL!
t’s two tried and tested courses: Narrative Crash Course for foundations and Strangened Narratives for some advanced and wild things Free of charge community spots included! Learn more and sign up here.
cooksfarm shared the short PC edition of Tour de Farm. This is an open world offroad racing game. It features 2 races across a landscape based on an actual farm and events in the Pacific Northwest of the US. Check it out!
Joel V shared their GMTK Game Jam game TERRARIUM. This is a cozy builder game for all those who love those tiny builds! Check it out!
Nick G also shared their GMTK Game Jam! If you like Tower Defense, Overcooked, or RTS games, you might be keen on Ironline. Play it Here!
Eon launched the steam page for Geomancers, check it out!
Derek shared a trailer for the game they’re working on. Give it a watch!
Jerome released Koboo: The Tree Spirit on Steam. Check it out!
Vangi (Mateusz) launched Opus Cortex is on Steam – wishlist today to get the game on Day 0 when it releases!
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 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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