May 2021 Update
Hello Indies!
Whoa crazy to think it’s May already! Feels like it was just recently when we had to endure freezing rains, and now? Not too hot, not too cold, all you need is a light jacket…
Board Update
Seattle Indies is excited to welcome Angel Mero (she/her) to the Board! Angel has volunteered with Seattle Indies for the past five years in many different roles but mainly as our tireless Community Manager. During that time she has helped with monthly onboarding of new members, created and maintained our Discord server, creates posts on social media, including the job opportunities thread, created the Events and Meets reference list, assists us with SIX planning, and more. She’s a valued addition to our Board, and we know she’ll continue to help the community grow and feel welcoming and inclusive.
In 2016 Seattle Indies was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and founding member Thomas O’Connor (he/him), affectionately referred to by his friends and family as Tommy “dammit Tom” OC, was responsible for the heavy lifting including filing paperwork, tax forms and writing our bylaws.
Thomas has served as Board Treasurer since our inception as a nonprofit organization and was one of the original founding members of Seattle Indies back in 2011 originally organizing dinners and drinks with less than a dozen up-and-coming indies. Thomas has always cared immensely for the community, going out of his way to foster the growth and improvement of its members, fostering connections and relationships that would last for years to come, so it is with a measure of sadness that we are announcing that Thomas is stepping down from the Board of Seattle Indies to further his company, PlayEveryWare.
Thomas maintains emeritus status for his decade plus of dedication and commitment to making Seattle Indies the thriving community and nonprofit organization it is today. His contributions are too long to list here but he had a few words to say as his term on the board comes to a close.
“It has been my immense pleasure to have served on the Seattle Indies board since it’s formation. As my day-to-day work at PlayEveryWare continues to need more attention, I feel it’s time for me to resign my position.
It’s almost unbelievable to me how much the community has evolved since my first Seattle Indies event 10 years ago. This group has become critical for many as a way to connect and learn, myself included. I’m so immensely proud of what the organization has become and especially for all the hard work that the other board members, organizers, and volunteers have done to support the community. I’ve been particularly honored to have helped form Seattle Indies as a 501(c)(3) to create a more official and sustainable organization, and making Seattle Indies Expo such an important showcase event for the industry overall.
I have so much gratitude about these opportunities to contribute, and thank you to the other board members for their ongoing work especially during the pandemic. I’m excited to engage again as a community member, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing everyone at in-person events before too long!”
We couldn’t agree more, thank you Thomas and we hope to see you at in person events soon too!
If you have questions, comments or concerts for the Board members you can always email board@seattleindies.org and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. We meet quarterly, usually on the second Saturday of the month, and are always happy to take questions and feedback from the community.
Monthly Recap
Climate Jam is just wrapping up! Teams gathered to make games that explore solutions to address a rapidly changing planet. Together we can make a difference! The jam began on Earth Day 2021 with a great kick-off panel then continued on the IndieCade Discord for the next 11 days. Some amazing mentors from the games industry and climate science backgrounds joined over 200 game developers from all over the world to make 29 games for clean energy solutions.
Climate Jam is just wrapping up! Teams gathered to make games that explore solutions to address a rapidly changing planet. Together we can make a difference! The jam began on Earth Day 2021 with a great kick-off panel then continued on the IndieCade Discord for the next 11 days. Some amazing mentors from the games industry and climate science backgrounds joined over 200 game developers from all over the world to make 29 games for clean energy solutions. Climate Jam was a collaboration between Seattle Indies/Games For Our Future, IndieCade, LabX by the National Academy of Sciences and Georgia Tech’s Digital Digital Integrative Liberal Arts Center made possible by Niantic and Riot Forge. Watch the final presentation of the games created at this year’s jam. The Jam winners will be announced on Wednesday, May 12, so keep your eyes open.
Diversity Collective+ hosted Speaking Well: A talk by Brian Sharp. You can watch the excellent talk about public speaking now on our YouTube channel. Brian is an industry veteran who has worked at Bungie, Oculus and more and has years experience giving talks at conferences like GDC, PAX. Check out the talk and learn some great tips for your next public speaking engagement.
This month’s Game Club focused on the MMO art gallery building experience Occupy White Walls. Join us this month on Wednesday May 19 at 7PM Pacific on Discord as we play and discuss the puzzle game SOLAS-128. Play the game, take notes and join us for a lively discussion or just lurk and listen. No experience with the game is required just be warned that spoilers will be discussed. Game Club happens every third wednesday of the month, keep an eye on the #game-club-text channel in Discord to see what game we are playing each month and catch up on past discussions.
Our friends at IGDA Seattle hosted a great digital career night panel featuring recruiters and hiring managers from Bungie, Harebrained Schemes, WB Monolith, Work With Indies and GGLocators. Need a refresher on those tips and tricks for landing your next job in the games industry? Watch the panel and brush up on the IGDA Seattle YouTube channel. As always you can find all of the latest games industry related meetups in Seattle on the IGDA Seattle calendar https://www.igdaseattle.org/calendar.
Upcoming Events
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month and the Seattle Indies would like to feature creators with AAPI heritage in our community across our social media accounts including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn! We will feature one developer (or team of developers) per day with a post on each platform. Please fill out this form to be included. For more info on AAPI Heritage month see the official website.
Are you a composer? We want to help you feel more included. We’ve decided to create a Seattle Indies YouTube playlist of your video game compositions! We will be playing the playlist on our Discord 24/7 for everyone to hear!
If you want to be included on the playlist, please fill out this short form. We just need your name and your YouTube link. We are currently limiting it to one piece/YouTube link per composer.
Diversity Collective will be holding Micro-Talk and Networking Social on Sunday, May 30, 2021 at 12 PM PDT – 2 PM PDT. Click here to find out more and sign up!
Indie Support Group is still going strong as ever in the new year! Tune in every Saturday from 1pm on our Discord in the #isg-voice channel, Curious how to start learning something? Want to chat with someone of another discipline? Need a place to work on a project and share it with others? ISG is a social, game development focused work group that encourages people of all skill levels and disciplines to come together and collaborate for the benefit of all.
As a part of Indie Support Group we have added Feedback Circle for you to get critical feedback on your game from our community of developers. Sign up on this form and ping the #indie_support_group_isg channel on Discord when you are ready to have your game reviewed.
The Seattle Indies Social is coming as well! Keep an eye on our Discord or Facebook for more details. Join your friends from Seattle and beyond to catch up on what everyone is working on and doing to keep busy while we’re practicing social distancing. Meet up with old friends, make new ones, play some Jackbox or chat about your favorite smart coffee mug…
Local Dev News
Stephen just published a new version of Asteroidians for anyone that wants to play it! This version includes a level generator!
Stephen also released their Ludum Dare entry Thrust Fall
KanakStudio released the Beta of their new project, Square Keeper! Its a mobile game that combines PUZZLE + CARDS + DUNGEONS but there is a PC version too. They would appreciate any and all feedback!
Soaring Pixels have successfully funded Breakwaters several times over on Kickstarter! An island hopping survival adventure has just launched their Kickstarter and it’s already fully funded! Check it out and back it to help meet the stretch goals.
Dragon Audit launched on Switch & PS4! A 3D adventure inspired by classic point & clicks — mixing comedy, light puzzle solving, and a heartfelt story.
Rain on Your Parade released on PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox and GamePass! Play as a cute cardboard cloud and ruin everybody’s day in a variety of settings!
Machine vs Zombies released on Google Play Store. In this endless runner, a crazy space zombie virus has taken over the colony ship Far Horizons and its crew and turned them into zombies!
The Tournament of Tamers Steam page just launched! Gather your friends and rain fire on your foes, in a Dragon vs Dragon MOBA. Choose from 9 unique dragons, and take to the skies, in flying combat that will take your breath away.
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 hopes to start having in person meetups again soon. To that effect we need everyone to get vaccinated 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 this past week and before. 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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