March Meeting & Announcements

It’s time for another monthly Phoenix game developer meet up! Join us at 7:00pm on March 25th, 2015 at Brickyard Artisan Court in Tempe!

RSVP TO THE MEETING HERE

Gravity Ghost: A Spooky Design Talk

Local indie game developer Erin Robinson shares the experience of designing her game Gravity Ghost. She provides an overview of the decisions necessary for turning a simple physics toy into a complete commercial game. Three design tenets were used: 1) Always abandon ideas that don’t work, 2) Learn what to listen for when playtesting, and 3) Stay true to a theme in every aspect of the art, design, and story.

Erin Robinson has been an independent game developer for 10 years. Her games include Gravity Ghost (2015), Puzzle Bots (2010), Nanobots (2008), and Spooks (2006). She was recently named as one of Fast Company’s most influential women in tech, and she lectures, writes, and teaches about independent games all over the world. She holds a degree in Psychology from Queen’s University.

RSVP TO THE MEETING HERE

Announcements

Zapcon 2015
The 3rd annual ZAPCON is happening April 18 and 19th at the Mesa Convention Center. For more details check out their official event page.

Hardware for Sale
David Holz from Grindwork is selling off some cool stuff like monitors, Wacom tablets, keyboards, UPSes, gaming mice, and more. It’s a great opportunity to grab some good expansion hardware for cheap! Check out the full list and details on how to purchase things right here!

Super Fun Games Seeking Artists
Super Fun Games is currently seeking 3D and Concept artists. If this is you then contact PJ Vilsaint (pjvilsaint@superfunproductions.com) for more details.

Two Local Projects Seeking Collaborators
Angela Bennett is looking for any developers interested in contributing to some projects she’s involved with: In-Kind Donations gamification (Make-A-Wish), or an iOS Mobile app for a talking calendar named CAT. If you’re interested in either of these projects contact Angela (anastasia099@hotmail.com) for more details.

Want to make an announcement?
Email the details to chair@igdaphx.org.  Please keep announcements related to the local game development community.  If you’d like to give your announcement at the meeting, please include a picture and a small amount of text for a powerpoint slide.  You’re welcome to give your announcement at the meeting yourself as long as it takes less than 3 minutes.

From Last Month

Wiblits
Wiblits is a new start up founded by a local Phoenix developer which hosts quick and simple games that can be played in real time from others from around the world. Players can win real prizes like $10 gift cards, and it’s a new game each time. Check out their website!

Location and Parking

Brickyard Artisan Court 150

The presentation will be located in classroom 150 in the Brickyard Artisan Court building at ASU. The entrance is located at the fountains right next to Ike’s Place on Mill. After the presentation we’ll be heading upstairs to Endgame for food, drinks, and hanging out!

There are several parking lots near the Brickyard at ASU that cost $2.00 an hour. There are also some ASU lots that no longer require permits starting at 7:00pm. Here is a map of the ASU lots. According to their website, Lot 3, 55, 58, 59, and 59E don’t require a permit after 7:00pm.

Most of the metered parking spots not directly on Mill Avenue are free after 6:00pm. Be sure to double check! Here is a map of Mill Avenue parking with highlighted sections of free parking after 6:00pm.

The 5th and Farmer lot does not require a parking permit after 6:00pm. Also The City Hall Garage is free when entering after 6:00pm.

Please double check when parking anywhere to confirm that these details are correct. Also be aware if there happens to be a special event taking place during the night of our meeting some of these free parking spots may actually be charging event fees.