September 2022 Update
Hello Again Indies!
Another hot month is behind us, hope you are hanging in there! We’ve got a bunch of exciting stuff coming up this month, so brace yourself!
Upcoming Events
Seattle Indies Expo 2022 is ALMOST HERE! It’s taking place at Motif on 9/4/22 and SIX Online happening 9/24/22 on https://twitch.tv/SeattleIndies
Check out the official site: https://six.seattleindies.org/
And of course, PAX West itself will be taking place September 2-5, 2022 at the Seattle Convention Center – here’s the website with more info and badges.
We’re having an indie developer mixer on the last night of PAX, September 5 from 8pm to 2pm at Orient Express Restaurant and Lounge. Here’s the Event Page. There will be a good handful of devs from out of town to meet/catch up with. Hope to see you there!
The Game Devs of Color Expo is happening online again this year, save the dates: September 15-18, 2022. Follow them on Twitter or visit their website for the latest information. “Our mission is to amplify the creative power held by people of color in games. We do this by organizing revolutionary events, uniting our vibrant community, and building access to knowledge, funding, and opportunities.”
Tokyo Game Show is also coming up on September 15 – September 18 (ignore the dates in image above, that was for last year). The applications do not seem to be open yet with full info. The event tends to be a bit more pricey, but keep an eye on the Sense of Wonder Night – it’s an opportunity for indies to showcase games which are “experimental and creative, and that cannot be called conventional or traditional.” So if you’re working on something out-of-the-box, add it to your calendar!
Monthly Events
The Eastside Meet & Drink is happening at Eastside Beer Works on September 6 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!
Discord Social is happening September 7at 7pm right on our (surprise surprise) discord! Can’t make the in-person socials or just want to hang out? Come join us every first Weds for the Discord social!
Diversity Collective+ Coffee Chat will take place September 11 at 12pm Tailwind Café at Good Weather. 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 Northside Social will take place September 8, 2022 from 6 PM to 8pm at Distant Worlds Coffeehouse. 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 September 20, 7-10:30pm at Optimism as always! 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.
The Game Club this month will take place on September 21, 7 PM – 9 PM and the game is TBD. 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.
Indie Co-working Support Group in-person will take place Saturday, September 10 from 1:00 PM to 5:00 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.
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
Takeshi Games shared a new trailer for Kid Soldier PC advance 4, Watch It Here!
They also shared Phantom Quiet storm demo, a cyberpunk Superhero Action game with 2 Player Multiplayer. Play it on Itch!
IanWeber made a tiny desktop toy Bit Bonsai that’s released the past month. Go play in your browser now!
BJ Malicoat shared an update for Pine Tar Poker, a poker game that lets you replace luck with skill if you’re willing to use a little magick. Watch the Video!
Kevin Ethridge got a game coming to Steam and Itch.io quite soon! Check out the video.
Randy H. released their fantasy TTRPG to the public. Check it out (plus other resources) on their House Chaos Games page through DriveThruRPG.
Jacen P.I made their first printable 3D model of Merle from TAZ Balance! It’s free to download so take a peek.
JM shared their Early Access Steam game Roadkill – a fast paced, multiplayer shooter where you drive armed vehicles in post-apocalyptic levels. Here’s the Steam Page!
Olaf Minkowicz published GemCore on Steam – a procedurally generated fast-paced roguelike arcade game where you play as an individual who has lived and died in a dystopian universe, but in this universe, debt follows you well beyond the grave. Here’s the Steam Page!
KeelySmithVA shared that their husband made a merch store for his videogame StarfighterGemini! Funds made from the merch store will help them pay their actors for their work on the game at the very least, plus the swag is pretty cool! Check it out!
JDefiant wants you to know it’s still time to support Perfect Tides sequel on Kickstarter! It’s a A point and click sequel to Perfect Tides about the momentum and whiplash of young adulthood. Here’s the link!
Mike Monroe and TheFifthKalpa recently got to put out demos for their games on the HauntedPS1 demo disc 2022, here’s all the details!
Kevin Ethridge made their first steam release of Beach Island Deluxe, a completely solo project, and an open world collectathon platformer! It’s free on Steam so click here to grab it!
Daniel Peterson released their new Early Access game Zombies Noir for Quest 2. Protect your real-life home against zombies in Zombies Noir, an intense mixed-reality action game! Here’s the info!
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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