Meeting Date Changed Reminder
Monthly IGDATC meeting is next Wed., May 17th.
Meeting Date Reminder, Not our normal Wednesday. It’s May 17th 2017.
Joint IGDATC and MN VR&HCI May 2017 – Adaptive Audio
Note: this meeting is a joint meeting for both IGDATC and MN VR&HCI. It’s a week later than the normal IGDATC monthly meeting.
Wednesday, May 17, 2017 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM (CDT)
Game Design for HoloLens
Zach Wendt
The current HoloLens is aimed and priced only for business adoption. So, a profitable game market doesn’t exist. But, the totally unique hardware capabilities (and limitations) have already given rise to game designs and interactions that aren’t possible in VR, or AR on devices like phones or Tango. So, think of this more of a preview of the future – when these capabilities start showing up in more affordable devices late 2017 and 2018.
Adaptive Audio: What Video Games and The Performing Arts Can Learn From Each Other
Benji Inniger
Video games and the performing arts have a lot to offer audiences. One of the aspects that makes them unique is the use of adaptive audio and music. Video games have many strengths that could benefit theatre audiences and visa versa. This session will explore audio design strategies that can capitalize on the strengths of each of these art forms to create compelling and immersive audio design.
Benji Inniger is a composer and sound designer from North Mankato. His theatre design experience includes Des Moines Metro Opera, Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, The Guthrie Theater, The Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, Trinity Repertory Company and Brown University. He also works as a a freelance video game and media composer and sound designer and Associate Professor of Theatre at Bethany Lutheran College.
Plug My Thing!
In addition to informal verbal plugs, we’ll also show your trailer, user group, recruitment page, promo video, demo reel, etc. Grab the appropriate ticket – first come, first served.
Guidelines:
- Short and sweet. 3 minutes max!
- Related to games, gaming and or game development in some way. (Exceptions can be made, but please consult us first.)
- 1 short URL, Zero setup (Media is streamable from fast/reliable site like YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)
- Your Contact info is on page or in video.
- You were a part of this project, are attending the meeting, and will introduce it.
- Meet us in the auditorium at least 5-10 minutes early, so we can load your page.
Agenda (approximate)
6:00 Pizza and drinks (thanks to the Nerdery!) and socialize.
6:30 Meeting starts. Announcements and Plug My Thing!
6:45 Member Project
7:30 Main Presentation
We’ll be heading to Joe Sensers in Bloomington after the event. Come socialize with other local developers.
Many, many thanks to The Nerdery for hosting the IGDA Twin Cities events over the years.
This event is open to the public. An IGDA Membership not required.
Other Happenings and Announcements
GLITCH is hosting GlitchCon for its fourth year this May 5 – 7, 2017!
Check out other local happenings at Ice Cold Games.
IGDATC Apr. 2017 – The Rift Between ZeniMax and Oculus
Wed, April 12, 2017 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
If you’re paying attention, this might look like a duplicate meeting announcement. Due to a scheduling mistake, last month’s main presenter was moved to this month.
Music Theory for Devs: Basics for Non-Composers
Troy Strand
Do you find yourself unable to express the musical ideas for your game? Want to save time and money when talking with your composer? Come listen to Troy Strand discuss the building blocks of music, helpful hints to get the exact sound you’re looking for, and how to communicate with the composer you’ve hired for your next big hit!.
The Rift Between ZeniMax and Oculus, and What It Means for the Future
Brent Lorentz
February’s jury decision ordering Oculus to pay half a billion dollars to game company ZeniMax finds developers, game executives and hardware designers wondering what could come next. Among charges of violating a non-disclosure agreement, misappropriating trade secrets, copyright infringement and other allegations, the lawsuit poses real implications for players in an industry that is as collaborative as it is secretive.
Join Brent Lorentz as he walks us through the details of the case, how the charges came about, and highlights how the case has the potential to significantly alter the VR gaming landscape.
Brent Lorentz is a litigation shareholder with Winthrop & Weinstine, representing clients in complex litigation matters. He has a personal passion for the video game, game development and gaming industry, especially where it intersects with intellectual property and business law. He also frequently blogs about gaming topics and the law via Winthrop & Weinstine’s award-winning DuetsBlog.
IGDATC Mar. 2017 – GDC Review
Wednesday, March 8, 2017 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM (CST)
GDC Recap
It’s a few weeks after GDC and some talented, local game developes have volunteered to discuss some GDC topics. Additonally, if time permits, we will have an open forum for discussing some of the bigger news events. So bring your favorite stories from GDC – a favorite talk, demo, conversation, big announcement, experiences, hero sightings, questions, etc.
IGDATC Feb. 2017 – Global Game Jam Recap and Game Post-mortems
Global Game Jam Recap and Game Post-mortems
GameCraft, the Global Game Jam 2017, was a smashing success with 31 games submitted on our jam site. With the 2017 Global Game Jam still fresh in our minds, come join us for a review discussion and post-mortems. Some teams will talk about their game and their jam experience. What went wrong, what went right? Learned lessons and fun happenings. A great way to recap the Global Game Jam and see what everyone spent their 48 hours on.
If you participated in the jam and would like to talk about your game during the meeting, please register for the “I’ll talk about my game” ticket.
Due to the number of games and limited time and space, this is not a play event. Glitch is hosting a Gamecraft games play event called PLAY PARTY. It’s Saturday January 28th, 6pm – 10pm at Modist Brewing Company.
Plug My Thing!
In addition to informal verbal plugs, we’ll also show your trailer, user group, recruitment page, promo video, demo reel, etc. Grab the appropriate ticket – first come, first served.
Guidelines:
- Short and sweet. 3 minutes max!
- Related to games, gaming and or game development in some way. (Exceptions can be made, but please consult us first.)
- 1 short URL, Zero setup (Media is streamable from fast/reliable site like YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)
- Your Contact info is on page or in video.
- You were a part of this project, are attending the meeting, and will introduce it.
- Meet us in the auditorium at least 5-10 minutes early, so we can load your page.
Agenda (approximate)
6:00 Pizza and drinks (thanks to the Nerdery!) and socialize.
6:30 Meeting starts. Announcements and Plug My Thing!
6:45 Member Project
7:15 Main Presentation
We’ll be heading to Joe Sensers in Bloomington after the event. Come socialize with other local developers.
Many, many thanks to The Nerdery for hosting the IGDA Twin Cities events over the years.
This event is open to the public. An IGDA Membership not required.
Other Happenings and Announcements
Game Dev Day An event for parents and kids to explore making game design, art, code, sound, game testing, and more. February 11, 2017 1pm – 4pm at The Works Museum
IGDATC Jan. 2017 – 25 Years of Game Development in Fly Over Land
Wednesday, January 11, 2017 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM (CST)
The Global Game Jam Is Coming, Jan 20-22!
Let’s talk about the Global Game Jam, and the local site Gamecraft. We’ll give a quick synopsis of the GGJ and discuss the upcoming event. We’re happy to be partnering with GLITCH again this year at the second annual Gamecraft, GLITCH’s locally hosted site for the 48-hour Global Game Jam. Registration is open now. We hope to see you there!
25 Years of Game Development in Fly Over Land
Ken Paterson
Ken Patterson, President of Big John Games will be discussing his involvement in game development. Starting as a hobby in 1981 making games for the Apple II then making the big move to full time game development in 1991. Taking on console development in 2006.
Ken will be sharing experiences in the early years of game development 1980’s, building a development studio in the 1990’s, struggles of the early 2000’s, focusing on consoles (Nintendo, XBOX) in 2006. Self publishing on consoles starting in 2008 and continuing self publishing.
Ken and his studio have created properties for Disney, Activision, Mattel, Marvel, Viacom, GT Interactive, Scholastic, and many more companies. Games created by Big John Games are sold in North America, Europe and Japan. Big John Games has forged a lasting partnership with Arc System Works of Japan, allowing BJG to sell it’s game Japan.
Come ready for a fun history lesson in how a little studio in Fly Over land, designed and built games for the big boys of the video game industry and is now competing head to head with them.
Plug My Thing!
In addition to informal verbal plugs, we’ll also show your trailer, user group, recruitment page, promo video, demo reel, etc. Grab the appropriate ticket – first come, first served.
Guidelines:
- Short and sweet. 3 minutes max!
- Related to games, gaming and or game development in some way. (Exceptions can be made, but please consult us first.)
- 1 short URL, Zero setup (Media is streamable from fast/reliable site like YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)
- Your Contact info is on page or in video.
- You were a part of this project, are attending the meeting, and will introduce it.
- Meet us in the auditorium at least 5-10 minutes early, so we can load your page.
Agenda (approximate)
6:00 Pizza and drinks (thanks to the Nerdery!) and socialize.
6:30 Meeting starts. Announcements and Plug My Thing!
6:45 Member Project
7:15 Main Presentation
We’ll be heading to Joe Sensers in Bloomington after the event. Come socialize with other local developers.
Many, many thanks to The Nerdery for hosting the IGDA Twin Cities events over the years.
This event is open to the public. An IGDA Membership not required.
IGDATC and MN VR and HCI Dec 2016 – Winter Social at Republic Bar
Tuesday December 13, 2016 IGDA-TC and MN VR and HCI Winter Social
Join us at Republic (Seven Corners) for beverages, good conversation, and fun! The party begins at 6:00pm on Tuesday, December 13th and goes late. Like all IGDA-TC and MN VR and HCI events, this is free and open to the public. All ages welcome (under 18 with parent or guardian).
Winter Party Instead of Presentations
We will not be having our regular meetings in December. Instead, come to Republic Seven Corners to hang out and relax at our casual winter social! We’ll have some video games and board games to play, of course. Feel free to bring your own! We know it is a busy time of the year for everybody, so please feel welcome to stop by any time during the night. We’ll be chilling and talking until they kick us out.
Global Game Jam 2017
The Global Game Jam 2017 starts Friday January 20th. We’ve partnered with Glitch again, so if you’re interested you can register at GameCraft.MN. 31 games were made last year, 6 of which used VR and/or HCI. Let’s make more this year!
See you at Republic!
Republic has a late night happy hour from 10 – midnight! The food is excellent, and they have a huge beer list.
All volunteers and event attendees are asked to please read our Safe Arcade Policy.
More info and further discussion can be found on the IGDA-TC google group.
MN VR and HCI Nov 2016: Mixed Reality Recording, UX in VR
Two shorter talks this month! Matt Summers and Tommy Sunders from Pixel Farm share their recent learnings successes, and fun failures with Mixed Reality video recording and User Interface/Interaction design for VR.
Mixed Reality Video Production
How do yo show Virtual Reality to someone who’s never experienced it? MR becoming a very popular way to sell VR, but there’s still a major lack of tools. Learn about Pixel Farm’s early experiments and new/upcoming techniques looking to make MR more accessible to developers and streamers.
UX in Virtual Reality
Eatable interfaces, teleportation, flying cats, and magic helmets – Welcome to the wild west of virtual reality, where traditional menus are usually the worst option and there are no established best practices. Less that a year into commercially available VR, what are the emerging trends in UX and interaction design?
Schedule:
6:30 Social, setup and soda – Thanks space150!
7:00 Kickoff, Plug My Thing
7:15 Presentations begin
9:00 Wrap up, head across the street to The Monte Carlo
IGDATC Nov. 2016 – A Vast Treasure Trove
Wednesday, November 9, 2016 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM (CST)
Member Project
Story Time with Zachary Johnson
Gather round for story time with Zachary Johnson. This time, there will be travel tales from Fantastic Arcade, Pixel Pop, and IndieCade. The thick is guaranteed to plotten with news of NESpectre and Joggernauts. And stay tuned for a big reveal involving Tommy Sunders, Robert Frost, and a mace from outer space! Anything could happen.
A Vast Treasure Trove
Patrick Leder
From its early days as a modest work in progress to a success, Vast has gone through many changes. As a board game designer Patrick faces a unique set of challenges. He will discuss transparency in design, flow, and play balance, in terms of the development of Vast. In addition, he’ll talk about the technical process of creating a game and all of the people involved.
Patrick Leder runs Leder Games, a Board games micro-publisher that makes exciting, socially conscious games. They’ve published the rummy style card game Trick or Treat, and their newest title is Vast, the ultimate asymmetric cave-crawler board game. Sometimes working on Vast full time, Patrick is currently working part time in the Hennepin county Public Defender IT office doing help desk and development work as needed.
MN VR and HCI Oct 2016: VR Conferences and PSVR Launch
October is a huge month for VR with launches of PSVR, Google Daydream and Oculus Touch, and also several big conferences. We’ll blast through the big announcements, videos, new hardware and demo impressions and favorite stories from each – with a strict 20 minute countdown timer for each topic/discussion. Extended conversations encouraged at the bar afterwards. All sections are covered, but we’d still like to add a couple different viewpoints.
Here’s our topics, and examples of what you can expect to hear about. We’ll have some (time limited) Q&A for each section.
Oculus Connect 3 – Bryn Erickson, Mark LaCroix, Zach Wendt
Announcemens, favorite demos, learnings and meetings, impressions of Touch, all the new tech and SDKs…
Google Daydream – Marc Jensen, TBD?
Daydream overview, Hands-on impressions of the new headset and controller, SDK info(?)…
Future of StoryTelling – Marc Jensen
Event overview, favorite takeaways, visionaries and their tech demos…
PSVR Launch – Martin Grider, TBD?
HW/SW impressions, supported configurations, launch details, favorite titles and biggest disappointments, quick comparison to Vive/Rift/GearVR…
Steam Dev Days – Paul Eckhardt, Mark LaCroix
Announcements, favorite demos, learnings and meetings, impressions of the prototype hand controller…
