February 2022 Update
Hello Indies!
Just wrapped up the first month of the new year, hope it’s off to a good start for all. January tends to be a bit slow for games, except for one big thing…
Global Game Jam!
It’s just wrapped up! It took place from January 20 to 30 all across the world, and we had a whopping 242 jammers registered for Seattle Indies! This year’s theme was duality and you can watch the final presentation right here and see all the games our community came up with. And if you’d like to play them, check out the list of games from Seattle on the Global Game Jam website.
Black History Month
February is Black History Month and Seattle Indies would like to feature the black creators 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.
These are similar to the features we provide for our Seattle Indies Expo devs during the month leading up to SIX every year! The goal is to leverage our existing audience to help you and your projects gain visibility on social media. We also want to celebrate YOU and all of the wonderful things that you create! You can share about a game you’re working on, art you’re creating, your shipped game, a link to your etsy page, a link to a GDC talk you gave….whatever you want to share!
Fill out this form to be featured and please share it with your friends that you think we should feature
Upcoming Events
Our friends at PGC Connects have some digital passes available for the upcoming PGC London:
“PG Connects conference is taking place in a couple of weeks, with over 200 expert speakers from around the games industry, a meeting platform for networking with publishers etc. We have a bunch of free tickets for indie teams. Fill in this form and we’ll get back to you with a registration code. It’s a hybrid event, so although it’s taking place live in London, it is possible to get a digital ticket that has access to the whole thing remotely (including recordings and video meetings). Just tick the box that says, Digital and online only.
Any indie developer can sign up for their own digital ticket using the form here:” https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd-DCNcYQG5aWoV3qAIyKVj1O9vFeZ6X8dMU_4lzmY69JsjSw/viewform
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.”
IndieCade 2022 submissions are now open through March 31, 2022. Submit your game and get more information here: https://www.indiecade.com/submissions/
“IndieCade is now accepting submissions for our 2022 season!! This includes our online Festival – IndieCade Anywhere and Everywhere (October 1st), as well as consideration for any and all in-person events, as well as our ongoing streaming features and activities for the year.
IndieCade accepts and features a wide spectrum of games and experiences including tabletop, VR, AR, Escape Rooms, Zoom Games, mobile, traditional digital games, and more — regardless of platform, style, experience, or background, and we especially encourage work-in-progress, as well as, completed projects.
IndieCade Anywhere and Everywhere is IndieCade’s online festival for 2022 and will be held the weekend of October 1st. 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.”
Anywhere & Everywhere Online Festival Dates:
September 30 – October 2, 2022
Monthly Events
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.
The Seattle Indies Discord Social will take place on February 1st, so keep your eyes peeled for the official date and time. Can’t make it to the in-person socials? Or, want to come hang out? Come join us every first Tuesday of every month for the online Discord social.
The Game Club this month will focus on Astroneer and take place on February 16 at 7pm, here is the event link. 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 Support Coworking Group (ISG) in-person will take place Saturday, February 12, 2022, 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 starting with a shorter session than usual to get people back into the swing of things and ramp up from there.
Local Dev News
Randy H. shared a talk about the Lords of Chaos Kickstart, GMing philosophy, and world building., check it out here.
MagiusII shared that the speed run competition for the game Elements of Dreams is currently live, and first place will be awarded $100 USD. Participation is open to the public and you can learn more here.
KeelySmith announced that they’ve have been cast as Mack, half of the dynamic duo in ‘Jack and Mack’! Check out the teaser here.
Victor released “Neko Ghost, Jump!” into early access on Steam, a puzzle-platformer where you switch between 2D & 3D perspectives to zip your way through 40+ levels across eight intriguing worlds. Check it out!
Dan built a recap and a Twitter page for the little freelancing sim they’ve been working on for the last 2 years! Check it out here !
Andrfw released a new short action-adventure web game: Super Pickleball Adventure! Play it 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 starting to have 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!
If you want to join our mailing list to get this update sent to your inbox monthly just signup on this form.