January 2022 Update
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It’s the start of a brand new year! Are you setting any goals? Starting a new project, or perhaps finally finishing an old one? Hope this year is better than the last!
Recap and Updates
The annual Holiday Party is all done and wrapped, and it was great to be able to do it in-person again! Thank you all for coming and making it happen. And thanks again to all our sponsors:
We are looking for both mentors and mentees and will do our best to pair people up based on their preferences. We are asking mentors to commit to at least one meeting per quarter with your mentee(s) and will only pair you up with as many mentees as you feel comfortable taking on. For mentees we are aiming to focus this on people from traditionally underrepresented communities in the industry and to pair you up with more experienced people from similar backgrounds whenever possible. The program is open to all regardless of your cultural background or gender identity. Use this form to sign up!
Global Game Jam returns to Seattle on January 28th, 2022! How exciting! Each and every year, this is our biggest game jam. Devs from across the globe will have 48 hours to make a game! If you’re interested, sign-up now by clicking here, before we hit maximum capacity! And best of all, we’ll be kicking off the jam with an IN-PERSON MIXER! On Friday, January 28th, we’ll be meeting at the Ballard Homestead to announce themes, pitch ideas, and form teams – here’s the event info.
Lastly, if you’re planning to go to Game Developer Conference this year but haven’t purchased your tickets yet, don’t forget the prices will go up on January 27, 2022! Grab the tickets before to save.
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 January 4th at 7pm, so keep your eyes peeled for 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 socia
The Game Club this month will focus on Kentucky Route Zero and take place on January 19 at 7pm. 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) will be resuming in person at AIE starting December 4th, 2021 at 1pm. The coworking session will now be held every other Saturday. 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
Magus II released Elements of Dreams! Play it for free on any supported platform (PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Fire, browser)!
Soaring Pixels’ Breakwaters just released into early access on Steam! 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 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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