November 2025 Update
Hello Indies!
We hope you’re embracing the cooling of the weather and the spooky season! Things are about to get a lot darker a lot sooner, so a good time to cozy up and work on some games…
We have made the decision to postpone the Games and Education Industry Collider until early next year. This is due to some scheduling and timing challenges, pushing it a few months will enable a better overall experience for most people.
We really look forward to this event every year, and are excited to put it on again, just a few months later. Once we have a new date specified, we will send out notifications and updates. Please stay tuned for more in the next couple of weeks.
We’re kicking off the beginning of November with a Sound Game Jam that’s a bit different. It focuses on composers! Compose your music over the weekend and people will form teams and make games around your looping music!
Register and find more information here: https://itch.io/jam/sound-game-jam2025
Seattle Indies will be at GeekGirlCon 2026! November 8 & 9, 2025 at Seattle Convention Center.
GeekGirlCon is an organization that works to empower women and girls to pursue their passions—whether they love science and technology, comics, literature, gaming, or anything else! Everybody is a geek at heart, in one way or another. Our mission is to ensure all these geeks are supported, welcomed, and encouraged to pursue what they love.
GeekGirlCon’s largest event is a two-day convention that gives female geeks and their supporters the opportunity to build a community, share facts and fandom, and learn how they can help promote the role of women and other underrepresented groups in geek culture. We also bring people together through social media and events in the Greater Seattle area. We have a lot of fun doing this, although we aren’t afraid to also tackle some serious topics related to gender equality.
Get your tickets now! https://geekgirlcon.com/
Join Seattle Indies at our second annual GameJamPlus site! We’ll be meeting in person at DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond that has plenty of free parking in their parking lot. We are running our site about a month behind when the rest of the world jammed due to some scheduling conflicts this year.
More info: https://www.meetup.com/seattleindies/events/311799722/
Schedule:
Friday (5pm – 10pm):
5-6: Welcome networking/registration
6-7: Watch the keynote presentation
7-10: Dinner, team forming, brainstorming, pitches.
Start working on your projects.
Saturday (All Day)
In person jamming available all day at DigiPen or the Seattle AIE Campus during Indie Support Group hours from 1-7pm
Sunday (9am – 8pm)
9am – 5pm: Wrap up your game and upload it to the Game Jam+ Itch.io page: https://itch.io/jam/gamejamplus-2526-10th-edition-
6pm – 8pm: Final presentations and dinner
Closing recap from 6-8 onsite and online. You can join and participate on our Discord server as well.
The annual Seattle Indies Holiday Party – the can’t-miss social event of the year for Seattle-based game developers – At GameWorks 12/14/25
Click Here Get Tickets & Learn More
Seattle Indies is excited to bring you our ninth annual Holiday Party! Join us for a special night of festive drinks and merry-making with your fellow indie devs to celebrate a successful 2025, and kick off 2026!
This is taking place at GameWorks in downtown Seattle, where we have reserved the entire large venue filled with videogame machines, all of which will be unlocked for this event.
Dinner Buffet
An all-you-can-eat Latin Buffet, Pizza & Pasta Bar, and Deserts Bar. Vegan and gluten-free options will be available.
Cocktail Bar
We’ll be providing beer, wine, and cocktails! Be sure to bring your photo ID. Drink tickets will be provided.
Unlimited Gaming
Your ticket includes unlimited access to every arcade game GameWorks has to offer in their huge collection. Prize tickets and prize redemption will not be available for this event.
Photo Booth
This year we’ll have an automated photo booth where you can create your own digital keepsakes.
Dress To Impress (Optional)
Use this occasion as an excuse to dress up as fancy as you’ve secretly longed to! You can come dressed for a Seattle cocktail party, or wear an ugly sweater. Do anything to get into the spirit!
(Note that all Seattle Indies Superhero tier patrons on Patreon at the time of this event creation should have received a code for a ticket to this event.)
IndieGameBusiness® is hosting the next installment of our virtual Deep Dive series on December 10th. Get ready for a focused, one-day event unpacking the ins and outs of indie game production.
IndieGameBusiness® Deep Dive: Mastering the Art of Pipeline and Production
In response to the evolving needs of today’s creative industry, we are thrilled to continue our new series of 1 day, single-subject conferences designed to provide focused, in-depth insights into key topics that will help studios thrive in an ever-changing landscape.
Save the Date:
📅| December 10, 2025
🌐| Online – YouTube, Twitch, LinkedIn
🕘| 9am – 5pm Eastern
Don’t miss out! Register Nowand help your game reach its full potential!
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!
This month we have not one but two developers featured in our Seattle Indies Spotlight interview, Stephen Dewhurst and Brittany Fuerst from Dire Kitten Games behind the upcoming release Heartspell: Horizon Academy that was featured (under the name Scholomatch) at SIX 2024 and has a demo available now on Steam.
Stephen Dewhurst got into game development after an earlier career in neuroscience. He’s primarily a designer and engineer, but is increasingly a jack-of-all-trades as he picks up little skillsets in service to whatever he’s making at the time. He has worked at a variety of large developers and also enjoys making smaller passion projects in his free time. When he’s not making games he’s out enjoying the pacific northwest with his amazing wife, or home cooking and taking care of his two cats.
Brittany Fuerst is an artist who does all things 2d, from graphic design to concept art for games, when she isn’t playing them. When not glued to a screen, she enjoys reading and paddle boarding with her husband and their 7yr old, who fortunately also love to game.
What inspired you to become a game developer?
Stephen: I’ve been making games in some form or another since I was very small. When I got older I didn’t look at professional game development because it just seemed like something everyone would want to do and there wasn’t anything that especially qualified me for it. But even as I pursued other careers, I was always making board games and custom magic sets, and homebrew rules for RPGs. Then my wife went to CMU’s Entertainment Technology Center and everything she was doing there just seemed so amazing and I wanted to be a part of it, so when she graduated I decided to apply and somewhat to my surprise, I got in. Now I spend almost all my time making games professionally, for myself, or running RPG’s. So it’s fair to say I made the right call there.
Brittany: I had wanted to be an artist from the time I was little, and when I was in high school, I saw my first video game artbook (Final Fantasy IX). That was the first time I’d even realized ‘game artist’ was a thing you could be, and I have been working towards that ever since.
What is one important lesson you have learned in your time as a game developer?
Stephen: Make what you love and don’t worry about appearing same-y. I see a lot of questions from newer devs worried about making things that feel like clones. Especially when you’re starting off, really don’t worry about that. Everyone brings a unique perspective to game development and even if you start a project as a literal clone, it’s not going to end up as one. All those tiny implementation details add up and whatever you’re making will become unique, even if the starting point was very familiar.
Brittany: Games are a team effort (I’m not a solo dev!) – communication is important. Team members are important. Cool projects are great, but the people will make all the difference.
What is the one piece of advice you would share today with your younger self before you started your career as a game developer?
Stephen: Polish matters. Coming from a background in TTRPG’s, I naturally have a very systems-y mindset. A very academic approach to game development. And creating compelling and elegant systems and characters and progression curves matters, but for a long time I didn’t understand how important game feel is. I’ve caught up, but if I could go talk to younger Stephen I’d tell him to start paying attention to that stuff much earlier.
Brittany: Get those fundamentals in! No one wants to hear ‘eat your vegetables,’ but they really will pay off. Games need such a wide variety of pieces that I’ve used almost every random skill I’ve learned, from html to sewing.
How has the Seattle Indies community had an impact on your career?
Stephen: The Seattle indies community is incredibly supportive and the thing that stands out to me consistently is the variety of ways that it helps. Early in my career I was able to go to different sorts of meetups for feedback and guidance on things I was working on. Passionate devs of all levels of experiences would get together and give friendly critique. There have also been meet-ups and seminars about the business side of things – how to start studios and other topics you need to know about in order to be successful beyond just making good games. And the indie community here (SIX in particular) provides a lot of opportunities to be present at various shows and get what you’re making in front of the public. The booth SIX provided us at Geek Fest West was really the turning point for my current project and started the exciting journey towards launch. Without them we’d still have shipped, but likely on a much longer and less organized timeline.
Brittany: Seattle Indies has been a great way to stay connected online and in spirit with other devs! Without an office full of coworkers, it’s inspiring to see other indies’ progress. Everyone is so supportive. We have met some awesome play testers at the booth spaces that really helped shape our current project.
What is something interesting and unexpected that people would be surprised to learn about you?
Stephen: I run an absolute ton of TTRPG’s. I’ve got three going right now and am playing in a fourth. I love them so much. I don’t think there’s been more than a month or so that I haven’t run a game since I started this hobby 25 years ago.
Brittany: I did webcomics for nearly 10 years as a hobby, way back in the early days of the internet. I don’t know how surprising that is, but someone recently suggested I should do one, and I don’t know if I’m being trolled.
What project are you working on at the moment that has you the most excited and how can we learn more about it?
Stephen: The indie game I’m working on right now is Heartspell: Horizon Academy, which you can find on Steam or learn all about at heartspellgame.com. This is a real passion project and one I’m extremely proud to be shipping on November 21st. Part dating sim, part RPG, Heartspell is an experiment in telling the sorts of stories I absolutely love from big RPG’s in a lighter format that’s easily accessible to everyone. People have described it as, “Mass Effect, but without the guns,” and that’s pretty darn close to what we’re going for. “HuniePop, but actually Dragon Age,” is another. It’s a weird genre-blend and honestly one that’s super-hard to market, but it’s what we wanted to make and it’s resonating with a lot of the folks who have tried it. It’s light-hearted, but emotional and it has the sort of world-building and relationships I love from all my TTRPG experiences. If you love dating sims or RPGs or just heartfelt storytelling in general, definitely check out our hefty demo.
Brittany: My current project is Heartspell: Horizon Academy, a dating sim/match-3 puzzle/visnov! The demo is out on Steam and the game’s set to launch Nov 21st. Our dev social account is @direkittengames on Threads and Bluesky, where we post news and some behind-the-scenes art and things like that. We also have a Heartspell discord and are happy to talk to anyone in there!
How can people follow you and your work?
Stephen: The easiest place to follow me on my exciting and harrowing indie journey is DireKittenGames on Threads and Bluesky. We post all sorts of updates, and sometimes larger dev blogs. Heartspell also has a Discord server, which is linked through the main menu of the demo.
Brittany:Aside from the above, my personal socials are @britt1st on Threads and Bluesky, @b_1st on Instagram.
Here’s our Meetup Page with all future upcoming events.
The Seattle Blender User Group is happening on Nov 1, 10am to 1pm at Academy of Interactive Entertainment – Seattle Center Armory – Suite 405 (305 Harrison St, Suite 405 · Seattle, WA). Seabug’s goals are to help beginners learn Blender, create Blender opportunities in the Pacific Northwest, showcase advanced Blender tools and projects, and celebrate open source graphics in all forms.
Seattle Indies Board Game Meetup is on Nov 2 at 5pm at Phoenix Comics and Games. Come play board games with Indie Game Developers!
The Pierce County Social is taking place on Nov. 3, 5:30pm-8:00pm at 7 Seas Brewery and Taproom on 2101 Jefferson Ave · Tacoma, WA. Kids are welcome until 8pm as long as they are within arm’s length. Main tap room is first come, first served!
The Eastside Meetup is taking place on Nov 11, 6:30pm at Northwest Brewing Pint & Pie Public House. It’s time to get together and swap stories. Put down your keyboards and brave the outside world. Let’s meet for a drink, a bite to eat, and some good conversation!
The Game Showcase is happening on Nov 12, 4:45 PM to 7:30 PM at Niantic, located at One Bellevue Center – Chinook Room, 411 108th Ave NE · Bellevue, WA. Bring your laptop and show off what you’re working on. Play someone else’s demo. Eat some pizza. This event is an open show and tell.
An In-Person Writer’s Group will take place at Hugo House on Nov 12 at 6:30 PM. For anyone interested or working on projects in game writing, narrative design, voice acting or more– swing by Seattle Indies’ In-Person Writer’s Group! Bring your narrative games, scripts, flowcharts, character bibles or any other story materials for sharing and feedback.
The Northside Social takes place Nov 13, 6pm-9pm at Watershed Pub & Kitchen (10104 3rd Ave NE · Seattle, WA). It’s time to get together and swap stories. Put down your keyboards and brave the outdoors. Let’s meet for some food, a drink, and some good conversation!
The Diversity Collective is happening on Nov 16, 12pm at Stoup Brewing located on 1158 Broadway. Come to network, socialize, and discuss issues related to diversity and inclusion in game development! Folks who identify as an underrepresented minority in the game industry are welcome.
Southside Social is taking place on Nov 17, 5:30pm at Logan Brewing Company, 510 SW 151st Street, · Burien, WA. It’s time to get together and swap stories. Put down your keyboards and brave the outdoors. Let’s meet for some food and friendly discussion!
Seattle Indies Social takes place at Stoup Brewing (1158 Broadway) on Nov. 18, 7pm. 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 Nov 19 at 7pm right on our Discord, focusing on Patrick’s Parabox. 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 SnoCo Social is happening on Nov 21, 6pm at Zulu’s Board Game Cafe (5116 196th St SW Suite 203, Lynnwood, WA). Hang out at a local game store with fellow Snohomish Co and adjacent folks over food, drinks, engaging conversations, and maybe some board gaming!
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.
Seabug Study Hall is a new series of events taking place every week on Thursday, 9pm to 11pm, right on our Discord! Join others from the Seattle Blender User Group for a lo-fi chill out online study hall. Bring a project, just chat, and have a good time with some unstructured project sharing and Q&A.
Here are some Monthly events that are NOT happening this month:
Feedback Circle is OFF, but usually happens 7pm right 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.
BigFridge (Josh) released their small game called Heart Snatcher on Steam. Check it out if you’d like!
Jeremy shared the demo for Moonsigil Atlas, it’s a deckbuilding roguelike with a shape-based mana system. Take a look!
Noah did a big overhaul of the rules for their TTRPG. The First 34 pages which go over the basic rules are available for a free preview if you are curious, take a look.
JeremyWinn shared this game that they recently released on Steam – it’s a light horror word game and it’s FREE! Take a look!
Piero R. released the first single from the first full game soundtrack they’re working on! “Dueling Racquets” is one of the battle themes from “The Tennis Academy”. Listen to it here!
Harrison released the demo for Dungeon Bodega Simulator! Go play it here!
presh shared their steam gale. If you’re a fan of Rocket League and want to see how the genre could evolve, check out S.E.S.A.!
Alice Bottino shared that, after so many years from that original Seattle Indies Slow Jam, HYPERBEAT is OUT NOW! Go play it here!
MichaelNLE shared a feature documentary called The Rise of Multiplayer. It explores how multiplayer video games shaped technology, connection, and the way we play together. It’s been a self-funded, nights and weekends project for the last couple of years, and now they’re trying to take it to the next stage through a Kickstarter campaign. Take a look and support here!
austin east just dropped their first game, VEX MAGE – a dark fantasy co-op arena shooter that pushes the limits of your abilities. Take a look!
Henry M (He/Him) released VideoHole: Episode II on Steam and Itch.io! Take a Look!
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. We 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 Angel Mero 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 angel@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 follow us on all of our social media platforms.
If you want to join our mailing list to get this update sent to your inbox monthly you can Subscribe on LinkedIn.