New Studios Meeting Recap

The Philadelphia IGDA Chapter's June meeting was a great success with over 35 professionals, students, media and interested parties attending the event. The meeting was kicked off by the chapter's four coordinators covering chapter updates and business.

• Alex Horn announced the Philadelphia Game Jam will be at the Game Expo and participation will be capped at 100 people. Also, there will be no July meeting, but we will be having a regular August meeting. Some initiatives were brought up for consideration including a monthly game night, a chapter road trip, and possibly going to the Distant Worlds concert in Baltimore later in June.
• Hardi Bhatt spoke next about the Philly GIG, which grew out from a chapter initiative into a fully fledged lobbying and interest group headed up by Mike Worth, Hardi Bhatt, Lou Tranchitella, and Grant Shonkwiler.
• Ian gave an update about education and recruiting, and other benefits for joining the IGDA.
• Tristin Hightower announced a logo contest for the Philadelphia chapter logo. Details coming soon!

Damon Alberts from Burst Online Entertainment, and William Stallwood and Dain Saint from Cipher Prime followed by presenting their different approaches to starting game studios in Philadelphia. Damon's presentation focused on research and potential pitfalls associated with a start-up MMO, while Will and Dain spoke to the importance of connecting with a community early on in the development of their game "Auditorium."

For more information about Burst Online Entertainment, please visit http://www.burstonline.net.

For more information about Cipher Prime, check out their website at http://www.cipherprime.com.

Below are the slides from Damon's presentation: