October 2023 Update
Hello Indies!
It’s that time of the year where rain comes and so do the spooky holidays. Time to stock up on hot drinks to keep you warm, and play (or make) some horror games… 👀
Upcoming Events
SIX Online: Join us on Twitch and YouTube for Seattle Indies Expo Online on Saturday October 28, 2023. The biggest annual celebration of Pacific Northwest indie games and game creators. We are once again teaming up with SOBA (Seattle Online Broadcasters Association) to bring you an exciting look at some of the best games made in and around Seattle.
We hope you will join us for a fun, exciting and engaging day of game demos and meet the developers who made them. Ask your questions in the twitch chat and our hosts will make sure they get answered.
Join us on the Seattle Indies Discord for a more in depth conversation about the games and hang out with the devs from today’s stream. A full schedule will be posted as we get closer to the event.
GeekGirlCon 2023: Seattle Indies will be at Geek Girl Con 2023 this weekend October 7th and 8th at at Arch at 800 Pike at Seattle Conference Center (formerly Washington State Convention Center), located at 8th and Pike in downtown Seattle, WA. We will be there chatting with aspiring game developers about Seattle Indies and our mission and nearly a dozen dazzling indie games from our community members for guest to play and interact with developers from our community.
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. Get your tickets now!
Games and Education Collider is happening on November 15th, 6-10pm at the Pacific Science Center. Seattle EdTech Meetup, Seattle Indies, Pacific Science Center, and sponsor Foundry10 are partnering on an event designed to bring educators and game industry professionals from all around the greater Seattle area together for a night of networking, knowledge sharing, and of course, games!
Immerse yourself in a dynamic environment where innovative minds come together to discuss the potential of games in education. From gamified learning platforms to educational game development, this event will showcase inspiring projects and thought-provoking discussions.
Discover how games can revolutionize the way we learn, engage, and educate. Interact with experts, educators, and game enthusiasts who share a passion for leveraging games as powerful educational tools.
Food and drinks will be provided at no cost.
IndieCade festival (Taking place in California) is coming in November, it’s a great celebration of the art of video games. The submissions deadline has passed but you can still attend! Click here to read more about the event.
If you have a game you’d like to submit to BAFTA, here is your reminder: the deadline is November 1st. Here’s the submission link.
BAFTA – the British Academy of Film and Television Arts – is a world-leading independent arts charity. In addition to Awards ceremonies, BAFTA has a year-round, international programme of learning events and initiatives that offers access to the world’s most inspiring talent through workshops, masterclasses, lectures, scholarships and mentoring in the UK, USA and Asia.
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 Pint & Pie Public House on Oct 3, at 7pm! 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!
Feedback Circle happens every other month on the second Wednesday at 7pm right on our Discord (this month – Oct 11, 7pm). 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.
Northside Social is taking place October 12, 6pm at Distant Worlds Coffeehouse this month! 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 October 15, 3pm and October 22, 3pm at Phoenix Comics and Games. Come play board games with Indie Game Developers!
Seattle Indies Social is happening October 17 at 7pm at Optimism Brewery. 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.
The Game Club is happening every third Wednesday each month at 7pm – so Oct. 18 this time! 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 game is Nour: Play with your food!
The Writer’s Room is taking place on October 26, 6:30pm right on 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. Masks will be enforced and vax cards will be checked at the door. Seattle Center Wi-Fi 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.
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.
The Diversity Collective+ takes place on Saturday October 22 from 12-2 at Distant Worlds Coffee House on 6401 Roosevelt Way NE · Seattle, WA. 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. Stop by to get a free coffee or tea from us for this month’s social!
Local Dev News
Max T (Lost Cartridge Creations) just announced that their indie game Astrolander is coming exclusively to the PlayStation 5! Check out the info here.
Maprang shared that they are looking for more Game Studio Partners to join their free pilot program for Checkmate, AI-driven Quality Assurance (QA) company with the ultimate goal of Near Zero Post Production Issues. Find out more here!
RedVonix shared that their latest console port is NOW OUT! Night at the Gates of Hell with pack-in The Booty Creek Cheek Freak is out now on most consoles. More info Here.
Steve O just published “Stickman Mayhem: Intruder Alert”, firs game in quite a while. It’s available in the Microsoft Store for PC and Xbox, and for Windows on itch.io. Click here to find out more.
James R shared that their Kickstarter is live for Super Dungeon Designer! Check it out!
Azrael released a demo for Hope – Captain a disjointed crew of rebels aboard a stolen spaceship and uncover its secrets in Hope, a minimalist 2D point & click adventure. Check it out here!
Vangi aka Mateusz created Twitter/X profile for their company and game potworki (which was at SIX). Check it out!
Jimmy announced Cricket: Jae’s Really Peculiar Game – a hand animated JRPG adventure that draws from genre classics. Join Jae as he goes on a journey with his best friends to try and fix the past in a story full of laughs, tears, and Elemelons. Engage in silly battles that involve timed hits, meter, and teamwork. Check it out on Steam!
Renee released a demo for Potions: A curious Tales after 9 years of hard work! Read her post about it here (or just play the demo here)
Michael Betts announced Tower Song, an upcoming (November 2023) retro-inspired JRPG with strategy-focused turn-based battles; no random encounters, enemies show intent so players can be proactive, and players can choose from multiple POV heroes to play through the story. Check out the demo here!
goatorph released a new song out now! Check it out!
Tom Goulding, CM and MarComm has a demo for Ascent of Ashes, releasing into early access on November 15. Check it out here!
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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