June 2022 Update
Hello Indies!
Are you ready for the sun? It’s about to start now… any minute! In the meantime, let’s talk about games and game-stuff!
Upcoming Events
Game applications are OPEN for Seattle Indies Expo 2022! For the first time ever you will have the opportunity to show your game at both the in-person SIX happening at Motif on 9/4/22 and at SIX Online.
Applications are open now through June 25, 2022 https://six.seattleindies.org/
People interested in being jurors, volunteers and sponsors can find more information on the site.
Join us for an exclusive LGBTQIA+ game developer Pride celebration hosted at Mox Seattle! This event is an opportunity to network and celebrate Pride together over our shared love of games!
We’ll have over 300+ board games available to play through Mox’s library, as well as table space for setting up game demos to show off your latest work or get feedback, which can easily support both video or physical games! If you bring your own video game, you will need to provide hardware to play it on, but we will provide extension cords and power strips. Please fill out this form if you’d like to set up a game at a demo station! https://forms.gle/1ENo8Zcahw7RyByg7
Free food and drink will be provided through the Mox Kitchen. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are available. Preview a menu here! https://www.moxboardinghouse.com/mox-seattle-restaurant-menu/
Our private event space includes both indoor and outdoor space, in the form of a covered patio.
Bonus: We’ll be playing music exclusively by queer artists throughout the event!
Masks are encouraged, but not required.
We are excited to announce the return of the Puddle Jump Play Festival on Saturday June 18th at the Ballard Homestead! This is a one day event to celebrate all things related to fun and play. This is a great opportunity to show your games to the public and get feedback from them. We are teaming up with PlaytestNW who will be bringing the latest tabletop games from the area and there will be outdoor games, weather permitting, for the whole family to join in the fun. Games can be in any state of development, this will serve as our last public show and tell event before SIX.
Sign up to attend the event here: https://www.meetup.com/SeattleIndies/events/285508104/
There are still spots available to exhibit your games, sign up here: https://forms.gle/cxaJtVKQx8i1Bf2h7
Hype Intensifies!
Hype Jam – the game jam for game trailers – returns July 30th to August 6th. You’ll have 1 week to make a game trailer for a game that doesn’t exist. If you’re interested, join us on itchio and discord! https://itch.io/jam/hype-jam-2022
DreamHack is happening now in Dallas (and virtually on Steam), from Jun 3 to Jun 5, and Indie Playground. DreamHack is an immersive gaming experience where the community comes to life. It focuses on professional esports tournaments, amateur and varsity gaming tournaments, world-famous bring-your-own-computer (BYOC) LAN party, cosplay championship, art, activities, expo, screenings, live music and more.
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.”
Speaking of Japan, 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
Discord Social is happening June 1 at 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!
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 Game Club this month will take place on June 15, 7 PM – 9 PM and focus on Return of the Obra Dinn, 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.
The Feedback Circle will take place June 8th from 7pm to 9pm virtually. Join us on Discord in the EVENTS section and look for the Feedback Circle voice and text channels. Each presenter will get at least 15 minutes to share their screen, show us the game or part of the game you want feedback. If you have a game you want to show and receive feedback on please fill out this sign-up sheet. It will be on a first come first served basis.
Indie Co-working Support Group in-person will take place Saturday, June 4 and June 18, 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 other Saturday 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.
The Eastside Meet & Drink is back in person at the Eastside Beer Works on June 7 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!
Seattle Indies Social IRL will take place on June 21, 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.
North Seattle Social – Save the date for July 14th when we will be hosting our first ever North Seattle meetup at Distant Worlds Coffeehouse, right around the corner from the Roosevelt Light Rail Station. Watch our meetup page for info on the event.
Local Dev News
Tucker and Micah just launched a Steam page for Byte Lynx, a new take on the RTS genre. It’s sci-fi themed, pretty friendly to players who are new to RTSs, and doesn’t play like anything else on the market! Check it out!
k*ss*n released their 2nd 2nd VR-Music app for Quest2/Rift called Saturnine. It’s a free, interactive music experience in full 360-degree spatial audio. Check it out!
slimehunter (Matt) released their Mangotronics Employment Collection during the Indie Game Arcade Dev Showcase. Take a peek!
Thaddeus P recently released their first Steam game Ardord. It’s short, lightweight and most importantly free! 🙂
Renniren finished Not Another Bullet Hell for a game jam two weeks ago and would like to get it a little more publicity, so take a gander when you can!
Greg wanted to share that his friend released Colton’s Runaway Rails! Follow Colton as he sets out in search of adventure. Colton will brave the twisting, treacherous tracks of the mines on his journey, dodging obstacles, bottomless pits, and more. How far will he get? That’s up to you!
KobeyMyhre just launched Dungeon Reels Tactics on Steam! a challenging party based RPG roguelike with Slot Machine based Combat. It’s also got Puppet Shows, so you KNOW it’s pretty cool. Check it out.
Jordan Carroll published an article about visual accessibility (including UI/UX) constraints for targeting old-school B&W VHF broadcast. Intrigued? Read on at the link!
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!
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