28 Dec 15

IGDA Austin 2015 Year in Review

With Thanks✤ Randall Robbins for keeping us on track.

✤ Finn Staber for limitless energy and events.

✤ Jen Bullard for terrific advice and support.

✤ Gordon Walton for his stabilizing influence.

✤ Adam Creighton for being a good sport and panelist.

✤ John Henderson for an amazing Career Catalyst.

✤ Jason Maltzen and Tess Snider for crushing it at SXSW.

✤ Todd Simmons for being a great partner and supporter.

IGDA Austin

✤ IGDA Austin supports thousands of game developers and over 100 studios throughout the greater Austin area

✤ It’s 100% volunteer!

✤ What we want to do in 2016:

✤ Provide programs and resources that help great game developers make great game companies

✤ Work with local stakeholders to help Austin become the indie game capital

✤ Empower industry members via leadership training and education

Austin is Great for Games!

✤ Austin is one of the top cities for video game development.

✤ Forty-four major studios, 135 indie studios and thousands of designers, engineers, artists and others make Austin a vibrant location for game development.

http://www.gameindustrycareerguide.com/best-cities-for-video-game-development-jobs/

2015 Events

✤ Volunteer Muster

✤ Career Catalyst

✤ Networking Workshop

✤ Crowdfunding Panel

✤ SXSW

✤ Adam & Gordon

✤ Bowling & Billiards

✤ Grand Art Panel

IGDA Austin was busy!✤ Game Developers Conference

✤ Microtalks: Agency

✤ ATC CEO Summit

✤ VR/AR Gaming Peripherals

✤ AR/VR for Smart Glasses / Mobile

✤ Unite! Panel

✤ Building Your Indie Game Studio

✤ Intel Buzz Workshop

✤ AR/VR Positional Tracking

Volunteer Muster

✤ Over 100 members attended our first event of the year at Mr. Tramps.

✤ Lots of terrific energy, ideas and excited volunteers!

January

Jen Bullard, outgoing IGDA chair, reviews 2014.

Career Catalyst

✤ “Look at all the jobs for game developers in Austin”

✤ 145 job seekers met with 8 employers; more than 70 job openings were available.

✤ Resume and portfolio reviews

✤ “I can’t believe the size of this turnout!”

February

Career Catalyst

Checkin!

Advice from Adam CreightonGordon Walton reviews resumes

February

Career Catalyst

Job seekers meet with company reps (above) and get advice from vets (below)

February

UT Networking Workshop

✤ A full house of University of Texas students came to a panel hosted by experienced members of the game industry to learn about networking.

February

Game Developers Conference

✤ The Game Developers Conference returned to San Francisco in early March.  The Austin Chapter was in attendance and represented Austin at the world’s largest annual gathering of video game developers. 

✤ IGDA was also out in force, sponsoring numerous panels, social events, student attendees and a booth.  

March

Game Developers ConferenceMay

The IGDA booth at GDC was always packed!

Game Crowdfunding

✤ Several local developers came to Tech Ranch to share their experiences of running successful crowdfunding campaigns for their games on Kickstarter.

✤ Moderated by Gordon Walton of ArtCraft Entertainment, the panel included Starr Long from Portalarium, John Erskine from Cloud Imperium, Alex Thomas formerly of Stoic, and Blake Burns from BlankMediaGames.

March

SXSW

✤ IGDA-Austin had table space on the floor of the SXSW Gaming Expo, continuing a presence we’ve had since it was called “Screenburn.”

✤ Our booth hosted local indie developers in demoing their games to an audience of thousands of game players and members of the local community.

March

SXSW

✤ Kate Edwards, Executive Director for the IGDA, visited the Austin Chapter during SXSW.

March

From right: Kate Edwards, executive director of IGDA; Frank Coppersmith, IGDA-Austin chair; Randall Robbins, IGDA-Austin vice-

chair, Tess Snider, Jason Maltzen of Hidden Achievement, Adam Creighton of Panic Button and Jennifer Bullard, past IGDA chair.

Adam & Gordon vs. The Dumb Idea

✤ Two game studio heads. Two microphones. No moderators. No rules!

✤ Extraordinary leaders talked about their own perspectives and experiences to a packed house of game devs.

✤ Thick skins and quick wits!

April

Bowling and Billiards Night

✤ IGDA-Austin and EGaDS at UT joined together for a casual night of entertainment and socializing, bringing together game industry veterans and interested students.

April

The Grand Art Panel✤ IGDA and AAUGA (Autodesk

Animation User Group Assoc.) co-hosted a panel discussion centered on how game developers can find the art they need.

✤ Panelists included leaders of art outsourcing companies, studio art directors and freelancers.

May

IGDA Microtalks “Agency”

✤ What can be said in 10 minutes? The IGDA “micro talk” format brings a group of speakers together on a single topic, each bringing their own perspective.

May

(Left) Beth-Beinke-Schwartz, level designer at Certain Affinity, gave a

talk on “impostor syndrome.”

ATC CEO Summit

✤ IGDA leadership including Frank Coppersmith and Leandro Gonzalez, CEO of Trick Game Studio, joined top executives in Austin at the Austin Technology Council’s CEO Summit.  

✤ The event connects Austin leaders to discuss a vision for the local technology industry.  

✤ Best of all: the video game industry was recognized by the ATC for it’s ongoing contributions!

May

Gaming Peripherals

✤ Partnering with Unity Austin, we dove into VR/AR gaming peripherals, looking under the hood at the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Gear VR, Google Cardboard and more.

July

AR for Smart GlassesVR for Mobile Devices✤ In August, Finn Staber led a

discussion on AR/VR for smart glasses and mobile devices at Capital Factory.

✤ IGDA partnered with the “Indie and Mobile Game Dev” Meetup to make it happen. Todd Simmons intros the program

August

AR for Smart GlassesVR for Mobile Devices

Finn Staber leads the discussion on smart glasses and mobile VR.

August

Building Your Indie Game Studio

✤ A lawyer, real estate broker, financial manager, accountant and human resources expert walk into an IGDA meeting - it’s not a joke, it’s a panel on how to get your indie game studio off the ground.

✤ Great speakers, terrific questions and an enthusiastic audience made this a panel not to be missed.

September

Unite!

✤ Finn Staber of Portalarium and a member of Austin’s IGDA steering committee, served on a panel at Unite!

✤ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXJyRcF3tos

October

Intel Buzz Workshop Austin

✤ Intel brought their “Buzz Workshop,” a game-focused technology conference to Austin.

✤ IGDA was there, providing speakers and panelists, including “Women in Games” and “Game Funding.”

✤ There was even an indie game showcase!

Warren Spector, Director of the Denius-Sams Gaming Academy

Starr Long, Executive Producer, Portalarium

October

Intel Buzz Workshop

Game Funding Panel: from L to R, Frank Coppersmith (IGDA), Raphael Colantonio (Arkane), Gordon Walton (ArtCraft) and Elizabeth Howard (Aspyr)

October

Intel Buzz Workshop

Women in Games Panel: from L to R, Stephanie Orkand (XO Group), Jennifer Bullard (IGDA), Tess Snider (Hidden Achievement) and Sheri Graner Ray (Big

Noise Games)

October

Intel Buzz Workshop Austin

Indie game showcase!

October

AR/VR Positional Motion Tracking

✤ In November we again teamed up with Unity Austin on Google’s “Project Tango,” tech that brings improved spacial perceptions to virtual reality.

November

Who Are We?

Frank CoppersmithChair - IGDA AustinCEO, Possum Interactive

Randall RobbinsProject Manager

Jennifer BullardPast Chair - IGDA AustinFounder, Captivate Conference

Gordon WaltonExecutive Producer / GMArtCraft Entertainment

Finn StaberProgrammer/Designer/World BuilderPortalarium

Jason MaltzenFounderHidden Achievement

Tess SniderOwnerPixelsea Entertainment

Where we meet!

Tech Ranch empowers entrepreneurs through community and personal development.

Mister Tramps is the home of socially redeeming events that promote the community spirit of the immediate neighborhoods.

Connecting Austin’s entrepreneurs with investors, talent and customers since 2009.

2015 Speakers / Panelists

Adam CreightonStudio GM Panic Button

Gordon WaltonExecutive Producer/GMArtCraft Entertainment

Warren SpectorDirector, Denius-Sams Gaming Academy, UT

Starr LongExecutive ProducerPortalarium

Rofl MohrVR Art Director

Kay OderBus Performance Adv.Insperity

Lewis LeavittBus DevBridgepoint

Doug JonesPrincipal & EVPColliers Int’l

Brian HalbertBus DevMerrill Lynch

Gregg PerryProfessor, AttorneySt. Edwards Univ.

Raphael ColantonioPresidentArkane

Elizabeth HowardVP, PublishingAspyr

Stephanie OrkandSr. Project ManagerXO Group

Sheri Graner RayDirector, Design & ProductionBig Noise Games

Billy GarretsenUX Design LeadArtCraft Entertainment

More 2015 Speakers!

Chelsea HostetterSr Interaction DesignerFrog

Ryan JoyDeveloper EvangelistMicrosoft

Beth Beinke-SchwartzLevel DesignerCertain Affinity

Stacia DamronMarketing ManagerCapson

Brad GraeberCEOPowerhouse Animation

Mark ThompsonCCOThunkhub

Chris KokkinosSound DesignerKingsIsle

Tess SniderOwnerPixelsea Ent.

Jen BullardFounderCaptivate!

Todd SimmonsOwnerGridspark

Finn StaberProgrammer/Designer/World BuilderPortalarium

John ErskineVP, PublishingCloud Imperium

Alex ThomasCreative DirectorCandle and Key

Blake BurnsFounderBlank Media Games

... And more!