Montreal Chapter 

September 11: Prince of Persia - A Team Leads Discussion

 

Event Details

When: Thursday, September 11th @ 7:00pm
What: IGDA-Montreal Presentation Night
Where: The SAT, 1195 St.Laurent
Why: A discussion with the PoP team leads
Who: All game developers, and those related to the game industry
Entry: free for IGDA members; $5 for non-members

Poster: Print out our snazzy PoP poster (1.5MB - jpg) and pin it up at work to help promote the event.

Presentation

"A Discussion with the PoP Team Leads..."

One of the most highly anticipated titles for the 2008 Holiday season, Prince of Persia is a completely re-imagined interpretation of a video game classic. The leads from the PoP team will discuss their inspiration, production process and challenges, providing insight into the creation of this uniquely stylized game.

Francois Emery - Level Design Director	Ben Mattes - Producer
Andrew Walsh - Narrative Director	David Wilkinson - Animation Director

 

Prize Raffle + T-Shirts/Hats

As usual, there will be an IGDA members' raffle for game development books, games and other goodies. Additionally, Parallele Promotions will provide custom made IGDA branded t-shirts and baseball caps that we'll be giving out to members.

 

Meeting Sponsor

Chapter Sponsors

 

Posted by della on August 24, 2008 04:12 PM | Comments (0)

June 19: Summer Social - sangria, tapas, prizes...

 

Come celebrate the start of summer, and the end of another great IGDA-Montreal "season" (ie, this is the final chapter event before we break for July and August).

 

Event Details

When: Thursday, June 19th from 6pm to 9pm
What: IGDA Summer Social
Where: Club Espagnol back terrace, 4388 St Laurent (between Mont-Royal and Marianne)
Why: Relax and enjoy a summer night with fellow game developers
Who: All game developers, and those related to the game industry
Entry: free for IGDA members; $5 for non-members

 

Food + Drinks

We'll be serving a nice helping of Spanish style tapas and lots of sangria :)

Prize Raffle + T-Shirts/Hats

As usual, there will be an IGDA members' raffle for game development books (eg, Best of Game Programming Gems), games (eg, Army of Two) and other BIG SURPRISE goodies. Additionally, Parallele Promotions still has some of the custom made IGDA branded t-shirts and baseball caps that we'll be giving out to members.

 

Chapter Sponsors

Posted by della on June 12, 2008 12:13 PM | Comments (0)

May 21: Halo 3 Environment/Level Pipeline

 

Event Details

When: Wednesday, May 21st @ 7:00pm
What: IGDA-Montreal Presentation Night
Where: The SAT, 1195 St.Laurent
Why: Halo3 with Bungie artists
Who: All game developers, and those related to the game industry
Entry: free for IGDA members; $5 for non-members

Poster: Print out our snazzy Halo3 poster (1.1MB - jpg) and pin it up at work to help promote the event.

Presentation

"A Wild Evening with the Halo Environment Artists"

Vic DeLeon and Michael Zak will provide an overview of Bungie's environment art production pipelines and techniques for the Halo franchise, describing in big-picture format their design and prototyping philosophies, world modeling methodologies, and favorite tools. They will also be showing never-before-seen concepts and screenshots of several of the Halo 3 prototype levels as well as some humorous (read tasteless) snapshots of Bungie's art team in action.

Vic DeLeon - Senior Environment Artist, Bungie Studios Vic was an environment artist on both Halo 2 and Halo 3, as well as several multiplayer map add-ons including the recently released Legendary Map Pack. Prior to that he wore multiple hats as a co-owner and Art Director at Digitalo Studios. Vic received an M.F.A. from Florida Atlantic University in 1998 and is an avid gamer, traditional artist, and outspoken cynic with a penchant for the obscure.

Mike Zak - Lead Environment Artist, Bungie Studios Mike works closely with designers, engineers and artists to guide missions from napkin sketch to fully realized in-game experiences. In his eight years in the industry he has worked on titles for PC, PlayStation2, and most recently the Halo franchise for Xbox and Xbox 360. He holds a B.F.A in Visual Art from the University of Victoria, and an M.A. in Digital Media from M.U.M. in Fairfield, IA. He cites a love of the biosphere as his chief inspiration, earning him the moniker of Bungie's resident "dirty hippie".

 

Prize Raffle + T-Shirts/Hats

As usual, there will be an IGDA members' raffle for game development books, games and other goodies. Additionally, Parallele Promotions will provide boxes full of custom made IGDA branded t-shirts and baseball caps that we'll be giving out to members.

 

Meeting Sponsor

 

Chapter Sponsors

 

Posted by della on May 12, 2008 02:21 PM | Comments (0)

April 30: GameCafé - User Generated Content

 

Event Details

When: Wednesday, April 30th, 6:00pm dinner / 7:30pm discussion
What: IGDA Montreal Chapter "GameCafé"
Where: Hurley's Irish Pub (upstairs room), 1225 Crescent Street
Why: Lively discussion with your peers
Who: All IGDA members
Entry: free for members, must RSVP

Note: Each member is responsible for covering any personal food/drink consumption.

GameCafé

"User Generated Content"

The GameCafé concept is a fresh spin on the old roundtable discussion format, with a greater emphasis on intimate interactions in a more casual setting. For our next GameCafé we will focus on the phenomena of user generated content and games from three different perspectives:

1. Design and gameplay mechanics
2. Technical implementation and production pipeline
3. Business and legal

Each participant will have the opportunity to explore and discuss all three topics, as well as participate in a group-wide "debrief" at the end.

 

Dinner

For those who want to enjoy some delicious Irish cooking, please arrive early at 6:00pm. Note, this is optional and at your own personal expense. If you only want to participate in the GameCafé discussion portion, please arrive no later than 7:30pm.

 

RSVP

Please RSVP to montreal@igda.org your intention to attend this GameCafé. Note, you must be an IGDA member in good standing to attend or become one prior to attending. Contact us if you are uncertain of your membership status.

Note: Space is limited to the first 50 members who reserve.

 

Chapter Sponsors

Posted by della on April 21, 2008 03:19 PM | Comments (0)

March 26th: GameCamp

 

Event Details

When: Wednesday, March 26th @ 7:00pm
What: IGDA-Montreal "GameCamp"
Where: The SAT, 1195 St.Laurent
Why: GameCamp presentations + social
Who: All game developers, and those related to the game industry
Entry: free for IGDA members; $5 for non-members

Poster: Print out our snazzy promo poster (650kb - jpg) and pin it up at work to help promote the event.

GameCamp

The "GameCamp" night is a format inspired by events like BarCamp and PechaKucha. GameCamp will feature 20 mini 6-minute presentations on a multitude of topics/formats in rapid succession. From tech demos to rants and from design theory to biz topics, we truly have a diverse set of ideas to explore. The GameCamp presentations and speakers are as follows:

Presentation	Speaker
"Craft: Going beyond a bunch of random ideas to create a cohesive emotional experience"	Joe Booth - Producer, EA
"Narrative gameplay: Gate key to immersive cinematics"	Malik Boukhira - Level Designer, Ubisoft Simon Darveau - Game Designer, Ubisoft
"The gaming industry is more than just game production…"	Nicolas Brosseau - President, GamLogik
"Where did I learn how to shoot a moving target?"	Vander Caballero - Creative Director, EA
"I Screwed Up: Or, How you can recover from your blunders"	Jean Carrières - Senior Game Director, A2M
"Playtests Throughout the Game Dev Cycle"	Jonathan Dankoff - Playtest Coordinator, Ubisoft
"Heron, A Programming Language for Game Development?"	Christopher Diggins - Independent Consultant
"Fez!"	Phil Fish - Game Designer, Kokoromi
"A walk in the Park"	Laurent Gosselin - Art Director, Corpus Studio Vincent Blanchard - Senior Virtools Programmer, Derby Motion
"BitCollapse Demo"	Michael A. Hawker - President, MikeWare
"The Rise of China"	Paquito Hernandez - COO, Bug-Tracker
"Games and Meaning"	Clint Hocking - Creative Director, Ubisoft
"Real-Time Air Simulation for Games"	Ben Houston - CTO, Exocortex Technologies
"Virtual Psychology"	Mathieu Lamarche - Level Designer, Ubisoft
"ODDBOY design"	Francis Larose - Game Designer, ODD1
"My recipe to create a successful game studio"	Patrick Minotti - EVP, Tribal Nova
"Game Dev Tax Credits"	Michel Plouffe - Director Corporate Services, Pinchevsky
"Mo-cap vs keyframe"	Nicolas Robert - Animation Coordinator, Collège O'Sullivan de Québec
"How to create a more immersive gaming experience"	Martijn Steinrucken - Concept Designer, EA
"Modding Crysis with Free Tools"	Leonard Teo - Product Marketing Manager, Softimage

 

Prize Raffle

In addition to the evening's presentation, there will be an IGDA members' raffle for game development books, t-shirts, games and other goodies.

 

Chapter Sponsors

Posted by della on March 20, 2008 01:59 PM | Comments (1)

GameCamp: Call for mini-presentations

IGDA-Montreal is now making a call for mini-presentations to be given at the upcoming "GameCamp" chapter event on March 26th at the SAT.

The "GameCamp" night is a format inspired by events like BarCamp, 20:20, PechaKucha, FooCamp, etc. GameCamp will feature up to 15 mini 6-minute presentations on a multitude of topics/formats, like:

• rant or rave
• game/tech demo
• learning lecture
• research
• etc...

Please email the chapter via montreal @ igda.org your intention to do a mini presentation. Your email should include the following:

• your name + contact info (including job/company)
• presentation "title"
• brief description of your topic/presentation

Deadline for submission is Monday, March 17th!

Please note the following rules:

• 6 minutes max time limit
• topic can be anything except a sales pitch (ie, product, service, job, etc)
• responsible for own gear, if any is needed (eg, if showing a demo of something)
• content must not be covered by NDA or restricted from public viewing
• slots provided on first-come-first-serve basis (max 15 slots)

Email the chapter (montreal @ igda.org) with any questions or to submit your presentation.

Thanks!

Posted by della on March 13, 2008 04:21 PM | Comments (1)

January 30th: Guitar Hero III competition + Rock Band action

 

Event Details

When: Wednesday, January 30th @ 7:00pm
What: IGDA-Montreal "GameNight"
Where: The SAT, 1195 St.Laurent
Why: Guitar Hero III Competition + Rock Band Action
Who: All game developers, and those related to the game industry
Entry: free for IGDA members; $5 for non-members

Poster: Print out our snazzy promo poster (1mb - png) and pin it up at work to help promote the event.

Presentation

"On Being a Music Mogul"

Harmonix front man, Rob Kay, will be grace us with his presence for a rare interview and audience Q&A. In addition to celebrity gossip, we'll hope to gain insight on the popularity of music games, the importance of alternate/accessible interfaces and controllers, and working with pop-culture mainstays like MTV.

Rob Kay - Senior Designer, Harmonix Music Systems Rob Kay was lead designer on Rock Band, and various iterations of Guitar Hero. Originally trained as an animator, he cut his teeth as a videogame artist and level designer before graduating to senior designer. In these various guises he's made major contributions to titles published by EA, Atari, Red Octane, and Sony.

 

Guitar Hero III Competition + Rock Band Action

Two Guitar Hero III stations will be set up for competitive play, with another Rock Band station available for casual play. All attendees are welcome to sign up for the GH3 competition on site. The eight highest scoring competitors will qualify for the final playoff elimination rounds. GH junkies are welcome to bring their own guitars.

 

Prizes

The following competition prizes will be awarded:

• 1st place: Xbox 360 + Rock Band + Guitar Hero III
• 2nd place: Xbox 360 + Guitar Hero III
• 3rd place: Guitar Hero III

Additionally, the following prizes will be given out via IGDA member raffle drawing:

• Xbox 360 + Rock Band
• Guitar Hero III
• Guitar Hero III

 

Chapter Sponsors

Posted by della on January 21, 2008 02:42 PM | Comments (0)

November 27th: Playing Columbine documentary screening

 

Event Details

When: Tuesday, November 27th @ 8:00pm (after MIGS)
What: IGDA-Montreal & MIGS Exclusive Documentary Screening
Where: The SAT, 1195 St.Laurent
Why: "Playing Columbine" screening
Who: All game developers, and those related to the game industry
Entry: free for IGDA members and MIGS attendees; $5 for non-members

Poster: Print out our snazzy promo poster (1.3MB - png) and pin it up at work to help promote the event.

Documentary Presentation

"Playing Columbine: A True Story of Video Game Controversy "

Made on a shoestring budget with entry-level middleware, "Super Columbine Massacre RPG!" has easily provoked more debate and discussion than one could imagine a 16-bit role-playing game ever would. In the documentary "Playing Columbine: a true story of videogame controversy," the history of the game is traced back to its inception, through the 2006 shooting at Dawson College in which the game was singled out by the media as a "murder simulator" that "trained" the shooter, and finally the game's removal from the list of finalists at the Slamdance 2007 Guerrilla Gamemaker Competition - prompting half the entries and a sponsor to pull out of the festival in protest. Clearly the game has polarized audiences worldwide, giving way to ardent defenders as well as staunch critics.

This will be the first time the film is shown in Canada, and only the 3rd worldwide. Full details on the film and the trailer can be found at PlayingColumbine.com.

 

Event Partner

This IGDA-Montreal chapter event is being presented in coordination with the Montreal International Game Summit, as an official social event of the Summit.

 

Chapter Sponsors

 

Posted by della on November 15, 2007 07:50 AM | Comments (0)

Playing Columbine screening (DemoNight2 postponed)

IGDA-Montreal is presenting a special screening of the documentary film "Playing Columbine: A True Story of Video Game Controversy" at our November 27th event (in conjunction with MIGS). This will be the first time the film is shown in Canada, and only the 3rd worldwide.

Full details will be provided shortly.

Due to this special opportunity, our DemoNight2 event is being postponed to a future date.

Posted by della on October 30, 2007 04:12 PM | Comments (0)

October 23 : GameCafé - Focus On Visual Arts

 

Event Details

When: Tuesday, October 23rd, 6:30pm dinner / 7:30pm discussion
What: IGDA Montreal Chapter "GameCafé"
Where: Hurley's Irish Pub (upstairs room), 1225 Crescent Street
Why: Lively discussion with your peers
Who: All IGDA members, especially artists
Entry: free for members, must RSVP

Note: Each member is responsible for covering any personal food/drink consumption.

GameCafé

"Focus On Visual Arts "

The GameCafé concept is a fresh spin on the old roundtable discussion format, with a greater emphasis on intimate interactions in a more casual setting. For our next GameCafé we will focus on games and visual arts at three different levels:

1. Pure Art - New directions in art direction
2. Tech Art - Next gen tool and tips, and challenges
3. Business Art - Dealing with growing art teams, outsourcing, etc

Each participant will have the opportunity to explore and discuss all three topics, as well as participate in a group-wide "debrief" at the end.

GameCafé Hosts:

The following members will serve as discussion "hosts" for the evening:

• Alex Amancio - Art Director, Ubisoft
• Jonathan Cooper - Lead Animator, Eidos
• Chantal Fournier - Artist/President, Studio Qitsune
• Elspeth Tory - Animation Manager, Ubisoft
• Two more hosts TBC...

 

Dinner

For those who want to enjoy some delicious Irish cooking, please arrive early at 6:30pm. Note, this is optional and at your own personal expense. If you only want to participate in the GameCafé discussion portion, please arrive no later than 7:30pm.

 

RSVP

Please RSVP to montreal@igda.org your intention to attend this GameCafé. Note, you must be an IGDA member in good standing to attend or become one prior to attending. Contact us if you are uncertain of your membership status.

Note: Space is limited to the first 50 members who reserve.

 

Chapter Sponsors

Posted by della on October 12, 2007 04:19 PM | Comments (0)

DemoNight2 - Call For Demos

The Montreal Chapter is now making a call for game demos to be showcased at the upcoming "DemoNight2" chapter event on November 27th, on the first night of the Montreal International Game Summit.

Please note the following basic rules:

• Must be an unreleased game.
• Can be on any platform, as long as you bring the tech to demo it on.
• Game must not be covered by NDA or restricted from public viewing.

Also, priority will be given to those games in playable/interactive form (versus just a gameplay trailer or video).

Each game will be allocated a block of time (approx 10 minutes, depending on number of entries) to be demo'd and presented to the audience on the main screen.

We are happy to accept demos from established game companies, indie developers and amateur/student efforts.

Please email the chapter via montreal @ igda.org your intention to demo your game. Your email should include the following:

• name of game
• game platform (eg, PC, DS, Xbox, etc)
• name of studio/team
• game screenshot or logo or title screen
• brief 50-word description of game
• URL for more game/studio info

Deadline for submission is November 6th!

Posted by della on October 2, 2007 04:25 PM | Comments (0)

September 11th: The Evolution of BioShock

 

Event Details

When: Tuesday, September 11th @ 7:00pm
What: IGDA-Montreal Presentation Night
Where: The SAT, 1195 St.Laurent
Why: BioShock with Christopher Kline
Who: All game developers, and those related to the game industry
Entry: free for IGDA members; $5 for non-members

Poster: Print out our snazzy BioShock poster (3.8MB - png) and pin it up at work to help promote the event.

Presentation

"The Evolution of BioShock: Saying 'Yes' to the Player"

Christopher will provide an overview of BioShock's 5-year development history, detailing key milestones, mistakes, and lessons learned. He will discuss how these key turning points enabled the team to course-correct the project mid-stream, helping shape a high-concept literary meditation inspired by Art Deco and Objectivist Philosophy into an action-packed, mass-market, accessible hit -- without losing it's soul. Christopher will also be showing never-before-seen footage of several of the original BioShock prototypes.

Christopher Kline - Lead Programmer, 2K Boston Christopher Kline works for 2K Boston (the studio formerly known as Irrational Games) where he was the Lead Programmer on Bioshock and SWAT 4. Prior to that he worked on location-based entertainment at Nearlife, Inc., and received an M.S. degree from the MIT Media Laboratory in 1999.

 

Prize Raffle

In addition to the evening's presentation, there will be an IGDA members' raffle for game development books, t-shirts, games and other goodies.

 

Meeting Sponsor

Chapter Sponsors

 

Posted by della on August 29, 2007 01:00 PM | Comments (0)

Start of the 2007-2008 Season

The "season premiere" for IGDA-Montreal will be a BioShock post-mortem by 2K-Boston lead programmer Christopher Kline. The event will take place on Tuesday, September 11th at the SAT.

Full details will be provided shortly...

Also, note that we've posted the preliminary calendar of events for 2007-2008, as well as put up solicitation info for season sponsors.

Posted by della on August 21, 2007 01:48 PM | Comments (0)

June 12th: EA's Boogie - From Concept to Creation

 

Event Details

When: Tuesday, June 12th @ 7:00pm
What: IGDA Montreal Chapter Presentation Night
Where: The SAT, 1195 St.Laurent
Why: Boogie with Vander and Alfredo
Who: All game developers, and those related to the game industry
Entry: free for IGDA members; $5 for non-members

Presentation

"Boogie: IP creation from concept to implementation at EA Montreal"

This presentation will focus on how Boogie (upcoming Wii title) was born and evolved to become a full-grown Wii product. Vander and Alfredo will discuss the conception of the idea through prototyping and efficient implementation during production.

Vander Caballero, Design Director Vander Caballero has been a Design Director at EA Montreal since its opening in 2004. While his main focus has been to introduce innovation by changing the game design process, he has also worked in collaboration with Alain Tascan and Reid Schneider, in the development of EA's Army of Two. Before joining the Montreal Studio, Vander worked as an Art Director for the FIFA franchise at EA Vancouver.

Alfredo Chaves, Producer Alfredo Chaves has been working in the industry for almost a decade as Art Director, Director of Operations and Producer. His main role at EA Montreal has been to work on new IP on the Nintendo Wii console, concentrating his efforts on innovative gameplay. Having a traditional training in Architecture, his vision has allowed him to work in the gaming industry as well as in Film and TV. He has delivered work for companies like 3DO, 2K Games, EIDOS and LucasArts.

 

Prize Raffle

In addition to the evening's presentation, there will be an IGDA members' raffle for game development books, t-shirts, games and other goodies.

 

Meeting Sponsor

Chapter Sponsors

Posted by della on May 28, 2007 03:23 PM | Comments (0)

April 25th: GameCafé: The Future of Work

 

Event Details

When: Wednesday, April 25th, 6:30pm dinner / 7:30pm discussion
What: IGDA Montreal Chapter "GameCafé"
Where: Los Tios Mexican Restaurant (upstairs private room), 1465 Crescent Street (opposite Newtown)
Why: Lively discussion with your peers
Who: All IGDA members
Entry: free for members, must RSVP

Note: Each member is responsible for covering any personal food/drink consumption.

GameCafé

"The Future of Work "

The GameCafé concept is a fresh spin on the old roundtable discussion format, with a greater emphasis on intimate interactions in a more casual setting. For our next GameCafé we will explore the future of work in the game industry at three different levels:

1. Personal Career Level (eg, professional development, credit/trackrecord, quality of life, etc)
2. Team/Studio Level (eg, corporate structures, team dynamics, production methods, outsourcing, etc)
3. Industry Level (eg, business models, economic forces, impact of globalization, etc)

Each participant will have the opportunity to explore and discuss all three topics, as well as participate in a group-wide "debrief" at the end.

GameCafé Hosts:

The following members will serve as discussion "hosts" for the evening:

• Ben Mattes, Producer, Ubisoft
• Chris Crowell, Creative Director, A2M
• Jean-Pierre Faucher, Partnership Development Manager, Alliance Numeriqc
• Marie-Jo Leroux, Game Director, A2M
• Alexandre Parizeau, Producer, Ubisoft
• Elspeth Tory, Animation Manager, Ubisoft

 

Dinner

For those who want to enjoy a delicious Mexican meal, please arrive early at 6:30pm. Note, this is optional and at your own personal expense. If you only want to participate in the GameCafé discussion portion, please arrive no later than 7:30pm.

 

RSVP

Please RSVP to montreal@igda.org your intention to attend this GameCafé. Note, you must be an IGDA member in good standing to attend or become one prior to attending. Contact us if you are uncertain of your membership status.

Note: Space is limited to the first 60 members who reserve.

 

Chapter Sponsors

Posted by della on April 10, 2007 02:53 PM | Comments (0)

February 20th: Clint Hocking on Exploration

 

Event Details

When: Tuesday, February 20th @ 7:00pm
What: IGDA Montreal Chapter Presentation Night
Where: The SAT, 1195 St.Laurent
Why: Clint Hocking on Exploration
Who: All game developers, and those related to the game industry
Entry: free for IGDA members; $5 for non-members

Presentation

"Exploration: From Systems to Spaces to Self"

From cats playing with string to babies playing peek-a-boo, to tic-tac-toe or chess, every game is at some level an exploration of systems and rules. Modern games often leverage and reward our innate exploratory urges to motivate play based around exploration and discovery in spatial dimensions. The next and final step for designers is to extend what we know about exploration to facilitate exploration of self through play. This presentation examines the human compulsion to explore and the role of exploration in games, and investigates tools designers can use to allow players meaningful opportunities for self-exploration and discovery within their games.

- Clint Hocking, Creative Director, Ubisoft Montreal

Clint has been working for Ubisoft in Montreal for five years. Most recently he worked as scriptwriter, lead level designer and creative director on SPLINTER CELL: CHAOS THEORY. Before games he worked in the web industry and experimented with independent filmmaking while earning a masters degree in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. He lives happily in Montreal with his fiance and his dog.

Prize Raffle

In addition to the evening's presentation, there will be an IGDA members' raffle for game development books, a copy of SOFTIMAGE|XSI Foundation, t-shirts, games and other goodies.

Chapter Sponsors

Posted by della on February 12, 2007 09:53 AM | Comments (0)

January 26th: Members-Only "Just Because" Party

 

Event Details

When: Friday, January 26th from 8pm to 1am.
What: IGDA Montreal Chapter Members-Only Party
Where: The SAT, 1195 St.Laurent
Why: Just because!
Who: All IGDA members
Entry: free for members, must RSVP...

RSVP

Please RSVP to montreal@igda.org your intention to attend the party. Note, you must be an IGDA member in good standing to attend or become one prior to attending. Contact us if you are uncertain of your membership status.

Party Action

Hey, we all need a break and a chance to unwind once in a while. So, the IGDA Montreal Chapter is hosting a members-only party for local developers just because... Just because it'll be fun. Just because Montreal game developers kick butt. Just because we all deserve it. Just because we thought it would be a cool idea!

To help celebrate, we'll be dishing out double the number of free drink tickets for everyone. Also, we'll have hip DJ and VJ action to provide the ambient beats for our partying action.

Prize Raffle

In addition to the evening's festivities, there will be a raffle for game development books, several copies of SOFTIMAGE|XSI Foundation, t-shirts, games and other goodies (ie, we're trying to get our hands on a Wii!)....

Chapter Sponsors

Posted by della on January 17, 2007 10:32 AM | Comments (0)

November 29th : "DemoNight"

 

Event Details

When: Wednesday, November 29 @ 7:00pm
What: IGDA Montreal Chapter "DemoNight"
Where: The SAT, 1195 St.Laurent
Why: Live game demos from local indie dev community
Who: All game developers, and those related to the game industry
Entry: free for IGDA members; $5 for non-members

 

DemoNight

Ten game demos from a wide variety of studios/teams and different platforms have been selected for presentation to the chapter. Each team will have approx 8 minutes to demo their game on the big screen, discuss their development efforts and take questions from the audience. Following are the ten games scheduled for demoing:

glee. (PC) glee. is a one-player rescue game that uses the audio signal from live musical input (from your line-in or MP3 player) to create the gameplay elements. More info... By: kokoromi collective

Hot Potato Online (DS) Hot Potato Online is a fast paced arena sport game where players try to explode the opposition using a short-fused potato bomb. Think dodgeball with a grenade! More info... By: Potato Entertainment

Resonance (Xbox) In Resonance, you play Faye Wynter, a king's agent with paranormal abilities who faces the determination of religious zealots and the wrath of the almighty inquisition. By: Neocell Factory

FlatLine - Survival Horror, Psychological Thriller Where reality ends, insanity begins. By: Daniel Puglielli

Gone Fish’in (Mobile) Gone Fish'in is a casual game that uses an innovative beat-match fishing system and employs a challenging but very simple game play. Players quickly become gripped by the exciting and unique experience through charming scenarios filled with bright colors and captivating characters. More info... By: Q8ISMobile

Physics With Balls (PC) Physics engine which handles collisions and contacts between multiple spheres and planes with no interpenetration and no jittering with three mini-demos built on top of it. By: WalshCo

CosmoCrash (PC) A fast-paced multiplayer game which challenges you to keep your spaceship safe from music-generated asteroids while taking as many risks as possible. By: Clockwork Pangolin

PaddleSpace (PC) Just add 2 parts 'Pong', 1 part 'Asteroids', and a pinch of 'Galaga' to 3 cups 'Retro Arcade'. Blend on High for 2 minutes. And voilà, it's PaddleSpace! More info... By: Mikeware

Massive Snowboarding (Mobile) Incredibly real 3D graphics, four beautifully rendered mountains, five selectable characters, eight courses fully-stocked with ramps, rails and half-pipes, and all the tricks you would expect from a snowboarding game. More info... By: Gameloft

Carte Blanche (PC) Humoristic detective adventure game set in the 1920s. More info... By: Absurdus

 

Prize Raffle

In addition to the evening's presentation, there will be an IGDA members' raffle for game development books from Charles River Media, a copy of SOFTIMAGE|XSI Foundation, t-shirts, games and other goodies.

 

Chapter Sponsors

 

Posted by della on November 22, 2006 12:13 PM | Comments (0)

Call for Demos

The Montreal Chapter is now making a call for game demos to be showcased at the upcoming "DemoNight" chapter event on November 29th.

Please email the chapter via montreal @ igda.org your intention to demo your game. Please note the following rules:

• Must be an unreleased game.
• Can be on any platform, as long as you bring the tech to demo it on.
• Game must not be covered by NDA or restricted from public viewing.

Also, priority will be given to those games in playable/interactive form (versus just a gameplay trailer or video).

Each game will be allocated a block of time (approx 10 minutes, depending on number of entries) to be demo'd and presented to the audience on the main screen.

We are happy to accept demos from established game companies, indie developers and amateur/student efforts.

Deadline for submission is November 15th!

Posted by della on November 1, 2006 03:06 PM | Comments (0)

Summit Developer Party

The IGDA is co-hosting the Montreal Game Summit developer party on Wednesday night at Time Supper Club at 8pm. All IGDA members are invited to attend the party (even if they are not attending the Summit). Proof of IGDA membership will be required (eg, member card or confirmation email print out). Party details are available in the Summit program.

Also, online registration will be closing within the next few days and, of course, IGDA members still get their 10% discount.

Posted by della on November 1, 2006 03:05 PM | Comments (0)

October 19th: GameCafé: The Future of Games in a Long Tail World

 

Event Details

When: Thursday, October 19 @ 7:00pm
What: IGDA Montreal Chapter "GameCafé"
Where: Los Tios Mexican Restaurant (upstairs private room), 1465 Crescent Street (opposite Newtown)
Why: Lively discussion with your peers
Who: All IGDA members
Entry: free for members, must RSVP

Note: Each member is responsible for covering any personal food/drink consumption.

GameCafé

"The Future of Games in a Long Tail World"

The GameCafé concept is a fresh spin on the old roundtable discussion format, with a greater emphasise on intimate interactions in a more casual setting. For our first GameCafé we will explore the three forces behind the concept of the Long Tail: 1- democratization of production (XNA Xpress, middleware, outsourcing, etc), 2- the opening of distribution (Live Arcade, Manifesto, Steam, etc) and 3- connecting supply with demand (GameRankings, blogs, Amazon reviews, etc).

The concept of the Long Tail first appeared as an article in the October 2004 issue of Wired magazine, and is now a best selling book on the principle of selling less of more. The principles covered by the Long Tail will have sweeping implications on games: how they will be developed, how they will be distributed and how they will be consumed.

Familiarity with the book is not necessary to participate in the discussion, but it would be helpful to read the following links:

• Peter Moore On Long Tail Gaming
• The Long Tail  (the original Wired article)
• Wikipedia: The Long Tail
• About the Long Tail

GameCafé Hosts:

The following members will serve as discussion "hosts" for the evening:

• Chris Crowell, Creative Director, A2M
• Jason Della Rocca, Executive Director, IGDA
• Clint Hocking, Creative Director, Ubisoft
• Ben Mattes, Producer, Ubisoft
• Dany Savard, Producer, EA Mobile
• Reid Schneider, Senior Producer, Electronic Arts
• Others TBD...

 

RSVP

Please RSVP to montreal@igda.org your intention to attend this GameCafé. Note, you must be an IGDA member in good standing to attend or become one prior to attending. Contact us if you are uncertain of your membership status.

 

Chapter Sponsors

Posted by della on October 10, 2006 12:36 PM | Comments (1)

September 20th: Defining the Assassin

 

Event Details

When: Wednesday, September 20 @ 7:00pm
What: IGDA Montreal Chapter Presentation Night
Where: The SAT, 1195 St.Laurent
Why: Ubisoft discusses Assassin's Creed
Who: All game developers, and those related to the game industry
Entry: free for IGDA members; $5 for non-members

 

Presentation

"Defining the Assassin: Designing Next-Gen Gameplay in Theory and in Practice"

Patrice Desilets Creative Director, Ubisoft Montreal	Jade Raymond Producer, Ubisoft Montreal

This presentation explores the challenges involved in redefining gameplay for next-gen consoles from two different perspectives. Patrice Desilets discusses why as Creative Director he chose to focus on interactivity to create a new kind of game experience, while Jade Raymond gives examples of the production methods used and challenges faced in making the vision a reality.

The following points will be examined in an order that follows Patrice's creative process- Step 1: defining the Player Fantasy, Step 2: Selecting the setting, Step 3: Thinking about the three-Cs and Step 4: Making sure that the consequences of short and long term player actions are fun and satisfying.

As Patrice walks through the design decisions made at each step along the way, Jade will show visual examples of the production processes, tools and technical innovations that are enabling the Assassin's Creed team to (mostly) deliver on the promise.

This presentation should help any game designer that is trying to define what next-gen is supposed to be and any producer or developer trying to make that vision a reality without blowing development risks through the roof.

Notes: This is an English lecture. Photos and videos of the presentation are strictly prohibited.

 

Prize Raffle

In addition to the evening's presentation, there will be an IGDA members' raffle for game development books from Charles River Media, a copy of SOFTIMAGE|XSI Foundation, t-shirts, games and other goodies.

 

Chapter Sponsors

Posted by della on September 5, 2006 11:25 PM | Comments (2)