June 2023 Update
Hello Indies!
We’re rapidly approaching summer time, and we all know what that means – going outside and working on video games! Hope you have glare-free laptop screens ^^
Upcoming Events
PAX is coming back in September, and PAX Rising submission closes on June 19th. If you’re thinking of applying, Click Here to apply. Attendee badges are on sale now.
Diversity Collective’s Pride Celebration 2023 (sold out)
Join us for our 2nd annual LGBTQIA+ game dev Pride celebration! Network, socialize, play games, or bring your own game project to show! Happening at Mox Boarding House in Ballard on June 11. Thanks to our amazing sponsors PerfectDay and Xbox.
Seattle Indies Expo is coming back as well! It’s our own local event (coinciding with PAX), showcasing the best games from PNW. Game submissions are now open and close on June 25th! On top of that, we are always looking for Jurors and Volunteers. Click Here to Learn all about it and the opportunities!
Drawing lab at Spaces Belltown is happening on June 22, 6pm-9pm at 2815 Elliott Ave STE 100 · Seattle, WA. Come and draw at Spaces Belltown. We will provide drawing materials, but you can bring your own if you want to. No experience required. Make some friends and chat with people.
Seattle Indies will be appearing at the WA State SummerCon for the first time and we’ll have room to demo up to 20 games. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/FPcp1NgyiwmCTfbPA
Teams will be provided a table, chairs, power and internet access to demo their games. Admission and exhibition space are free and the event is open to the public. This event is a celebration of pop culture and the organizers expect up to 20,000 attendees over the 3 days.
More information about WA State SummerCon can be found here https://www.wasummercon.com/ or https://twitter.com/wasummercon
The event is on June 23-25th, 2023 at the Washington State Fair and Events Center in Puyallup, WA.
Join us on Sunday, July 30th at Madrona Park for the annual Seattle Indies Summer Picnic! You’re welcome to bring kids, family, friends, and pets along as well. We’ll have burgers, hotdogs, veggie options, sides, soft drinks, and snacks. Feel free to bring your own favorite dishes to share! There will be lawn games like bocce, cornhole, badminton, and more. You can also bring your own games for friends to play! If the weather doesn’t cooperate, we can hide in the shelter instead.
IndieCade festival (Taking place in California) is coming in October, 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.
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 our new venue Pint & Pie Public House on June 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!
Indie Support Group Show and Tell If you’re looking to get in-person feedback on a project, or want a chance to play other people’s games in the community, come to the ISG Show and Tell on Saturday June 10, 2023 from 1-3pm! This is a great way to both improve your project and have fun playing games! Whether you’re just dipping your toes in game development or are a seasoned industry veteran, we encourage you to attend! You’ll need to bring your own laptop, hardware, poster boards or whatever else you’d like people to see alongside your game. The ISG Coworking Event will be taking place in the same space so you can continue working on your project for a few hours after Show and Tell is over. And remember to have fun!
Seattle Indies Board Gaming Meetup Join us Sunday June 25 at 3pm at Phoenix Comics and Games on Capitol Hill to play some of your favorite tabletop games or learn new ones with your friends from the Seattle Indies community.
Feedback Circle is happening on June 14, 2023 at 7pm, right on our Discord. 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.
Seattle Indies Social is happening June 20 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.
Northside Social is skipped this month, but normally takes place at Distant Worlds coffee shop! 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!
Diversity Collective+ Coffee Chat is off this month but in its place is the sold out annual Pride party happening at MOX Cafe in Ballard! (see above for details). They will be returning to the normal location at Tailwind Cafe in July.
The Game Club is happening on June 21 on our Discord. 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 Writer’s Room is happening on June 29th at 6:30pm on our Discord at. 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 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
Jacob S. is starting a dev log on the overhaul I they’re working on for their project, give it a watch here.
Kevin Ethridge shared the final update and OST release of Beach Island Deluxe is out now! Take a look!
Daniel Peterson shared a new video on The Story of Baka Bros Entertainment. Watch it here.
SkeletonCowboyHours shared that Monster Manor is out and free to play! Check it out here!
Yvonne A. shared a new music track, give it a listen.
BenjaminL1000 shared a new VGM Variety Pack, check it out!
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!
If you want to join our mailing list to get this update sent to your inbox monthly just signup on this form.