Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh IGDA chapter strives to serve the professional, social, and academic needs of the video game industry in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and nearby area.
News / updates
Logo Submissions Closed
Thank you to everyone who submitted logo concepts for our chapter. We had several excellent entries. We are in the process of selecting the finalists and then a general vote will be conducted with the whole chapter to select the winner. Stay tuned!
May 2008 Meeting- F & L Scavenger Hunt
On Saturday, May 10th, the Pittsburgh IGDA will be holding a scavenger hunt. No need to form teams ahead of time but we would appreciate if you signed up to let us know you're coming... The fun starts at 1pm in the parking lot of the Carnegie Mellon Entertainment Technology Center and is expected to finish by 5.
April Meet & Mingle Recap
Pittsburgh IGDA converged on our local Dave & Busters this past
weekend for some food and fun! Twenty-six of us flooded the dining
room and the waitstaff didn't know what hit them. While waiting for
our Eat and Play Combos to arrive, we discussed everything from
animation to code, dinosaurs to root beer.
After enjoying our meals, we migrated into the game area to race, save the world, and jump rope, all virtually of course.
Some Highlights:
Emily won 100 tickets by sticking with her case at the Deal or No Deal game.
Lauren, Mark, “Snake”, Emily and Russell raced each other for title of Best Race Car Driver – winner is still to be determined…
4 jumps at the Jump Rope game – makes you the Jump Rope Master! Isn’t that right Lauren, Russell, Shawn?
We hope you all met some one new from the local Pittsburgh game development community. If you have additional highlights you want to share… post them to forum!
PIGDA goes to Dave and Busters
Food and Fun at Dave & Busters!
This Saturday, April 26
From 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Where : Dave & Busters @ the Waterfront
http://tinyurl.com/5daj9o
Join other local industry members and students for an afternoon of food and games at Dave & Busters. Cost is $15 and gets you both lunch and a $10 play card for Dave & Busters' large arcade area!
Also, don't forget to check out the logo contest thread:
http://www.igda.org/Forums/showthread.php?threadid=31459
Local Developer Impact Games opens Public Beta for "Play the News"
Impact Games, a local games studio on the South Side, has recently opened their new game, "Play The News" to public beta.
"Play the News", in the tradition of Impact Games' well known PeaceMaker game, takes a unique approach to both games and social issues.
You can find the first partner created minigames for Play the News at ReadWriteWeb: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/play_the_news_google_app_engine.php
Check it out!
PIGDA needs a logo!
Pittsburgh Game Community-
The Pittsburgh IGDA chapter is seeking an official logo. We're hoping all the talented artists in the area can help us out. We want to see YOUR ideas for the Logo Chapter so we’ve decided to hold a contest! During the months of April and May we'll take submissions. We will select our favorites the first week of June and then let YOU decide on the winner.
The logo winner will receive the following prizes: Fame, Glory, a free PIGDA t-shirt featuring our new logo and free IGDA membership in 2009!
The PIGDA logo should:
- Represent Pittsburgh
- Represent the games industry
- Convert cleanly to a monochrome format
- Work well with the IGDA national logo
- Be original artwork that you have created and that you agree can be used freely and without restriction by PIGDA
Jason, a PIGDA planning board member has created a concept that we've been tossing around internally. Check it out! 
Start with this or create your own entirely! Post your entries here or email sabrina(AT)schellgames.com and we'll post it for you! Each person can submit 100 entries, so get those creative juices flowing! We can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Local Game Symposiums
Next week (March 31-April 4) there are two different conferences at CMU that PIGDA members might find interesting.
The first is the Art of Play symposium (Mon-Tues), that explores the relationship between games and art.
Read about it here: http://www.theartofplay.com/
Free to the public
The second is the Interactive Technologies for Peace conference, much of which centers on games. Info is here:
http://www.etc.cmu.edu/peace2008/
$75 registration fee
2008 Games - Get Your Team Together!
Are you ready for the 2008 Spring Games?
Think you've got game? Then get your team in shape to compete for the Gold in the 2008 Pittsburgh IGDA Games!
Date: Saturday, March 29
Time: 1-5pm
Location: ETC Multi-Purpose Room (700 Technology Drive) Map
Cost: $25 per team
Teams can have 4-6 players and each person will compete in individual and team events.
Round 1: Team Competition
Scattergories Rules
Round 2: Individual Competitions (simultaneous)
Quiddler Rules
Twitch Description
Wii Bowling
Twister (Yes, that's right- Twister)
Round 3: Team/Individual Competition (simultaneous)
Wii Tanks
Rock Band
Round 4: Super Secret Showdown
Prizes will be awarded for the Gold Medalists, as well as the teams with the best Team Name, Team Logo, and Team Uniforms.
Sign up now on the PIGDA forums.
Innovations Works' New Incubator for Pittsburgh Game & Internet Software Startups
Innovation Works, one of the nation's most active seed stage investors, would like to invite IGDA-Pittsburgh members to a panel on entrepreneurship next Wednesday February 27th from 2:30 pm until 4:30 pm at CMU's Entertainment Technology Center, located at 700 Technology Drive. The panel will include local entrepreneurs from the game design and Internet spaces, as well as local investors.
Innovation Works will also announce its new initiative, AlphaLab. AlphaLab is a catalyst for launching the next generation of software, game design and Internet-related companies. AlphaLab will provide funding, free office space, expert business advisors and services through an intensive six-month program in Pittsburgh, starting June 2, 2008. AlphaLab will help companies rapidly develop their technology, gain user feedback from early alpha or beta releases and move toward a successful commercial launch. AlphaLab will officially launch later this week; more information will be available at the launch time at www.iwAlphaLab.org.
To learn more about Innovation Works and their software, game design, and Internet portfolio companies, go to www.innovationworks.org.
GDC 2008: Are you ready?
If you're attending GDC 2008, you're not alone amongst Pittsburgh IGDA members. You'll be seeing a lot of Pittsburgh out in San Francisco, here's just a couple of ways:
Local IGDA GDC Scholarship Winner
Lisa Brown, a student at Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center, is one of 25 2008 GDC scholarship winners. Each year the IGDA awards the GDC scholarship to outstanding and promising students in game related programs. Here's what Lisa has to say:
"I'm extremely excited about the scholarship and attending GDC! I'll be hitting up the Worlds in Motion summit with my ETC project-mates (Bandology) to absorb what I can about massively multiplayer online worlds. Beyond investigating the game design and production tracks at the conference, I'm also really looking forward to the mentor program they have set up for the GDC scholars. "
Independent Games Festival
This year be sure to check out IGF Showcase to see three games that got their beginnings right here in Pittsburgh: World of Goo by 2D boy, Skyrates by Airship Studios, and Polarity by the Carnegie Mellon ETC. (Actually, all three of these games were conceived by ETC students.) All three games have also been nominated for the newly created Gleemie Award from Wizards of the Coast. The IGD Awards Ceremony will be 6:30pm Wednesday, February 20th, 2008, in the Esplanade Room in the South Hall.
Local Studio CEO Jesse Schell Speaking
Schell Games head, ETC Professor, and former IGDA Chairman Jesse Schell will be participating in a couple of events at GDC:
1. IGDA Educational Summit Tutorial (Monday-Tuesday)
2. Small Studio Survival Stories Roundtable (Wednesday-Friday)
If you know any other Pittsburgh ties to this year's GDC, please let us know by posting in the forum. Don't forget to drop by the IGDA booth to get your free tshirt, and of course, we hope you RSVP'ed for the IGDA party Tuesday night. See you in San Fran!
Sound Lecture, Feburary 17th, 2:30-4pm
Join Pittsburgh IGDA Sunday February 17th, 2:30-4pm at The Library for a talk presented by local composer and music effects artist Scott Gainar.
The talk is $10 and includes light food.
“How to get Music and Sound Effects for Your Game” - Part 1
Presented by Scott Gainar
So you and your development team just started working on a great new game. You’ve got some ideas for the sound... Where do you start? What are your options? What kind of music/fx should you use? How do you find a composer/sound designer that understands what you want? What is the process of working with an audio provider like? Scott will answer these questions and more as he guides you through the process of getting the perfect audio for your game.
Scott Gainar is a composer and the creative director for Gainar Creative Music – an original music service provider located in Pittsburgh, PA. Gainar Creative Music offers original music composition and professional audio services. For more info visit: www.gainarcreativemusic.com
Board Game Night Recap
About 25 local IGDA members pulled up to the tables at Shell Games to play all sorts of crazy games. As always, it was a great way to ring in the new year at Pittsburgh IGDA.
Gamers GAVE Back
On Saturday, December 1, 2007 the Pittsburgh Chapter of the International Game Developer’s Association (PIGDA) held their first annual Gamers Give Back Charity Event at Cyber ConXion in Squirrel Hill.
The event consisted of three video game tournaments and a used video game yard sale. All proceeds were used to buy new video games, accessories and consoles for Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.
PIGDA event coordinators worked with the Child’s Life department to create an Amazon.com wish list. People who could not attend the event were able to participate in Gamers Give Back by purchasing items from this wish list and sending it directly to the PIGDA for distribution at the hospital.
PIGDA and members of Child’s Life have described this event as a huge success. Forty people attended the event and PIGDA was able to donate over $2,500 in video games consoles, and accessories to Children’s Hospital in time for Christmas.
“We were shocked at the level of support this event had from the local gaming community. We have made staying at Children’s Hospital a little nicer for a lot of kids. I’m proud of everyone involved and I can’t wait to see what we can do next year, now that the event has been established in the community,” said Emily Skopic, event co-organizer.
Prizes for tournament winners were provided by the National Aviary, Eat n’Park, and various Game Stop and EB Game Locations in the Pittsburgh Area.
Donations: $1,122 (Cash Raised at Event)
Wii: $350 (After Event - Estimated Donation Value)
Wii Games $250 (After Event - Estimated Donation Value)
Xbox 360 $415 (Amazon Donation)
Xbox Controllers $80 (Event and Amazon Donation)
DS $120 (Event Donation)
Games at Event $200 (Estimated Donation value)
-------------------------------------------------------
Total: $2,537 (Gamers Give Back! YAY PIGDA!!!)
(Thank you everyone who came- we hope you all had as much fun as we did!)
In case you're interested, the complete list of systems, accessories, and games we were able to give to the Children's Hospital can be found by following the link below.
IGDA Members participate in ETC XO Game Jam
At the end of November several IGDA members participated in a Game Jam held by the Entertainment Technology Center XO Laptop team. The goal of the weekend long jam was to create games for XO Laptop and to get the game community of Pittsburgh familiar with development on the laptop.
Here's a look at the some of games that had PIGDA members on their teams:
Team Peru, including IGDA Members Brandon Bittner, Richard Colvin, Mark Tomczak, & Aaran Vanderbeek, created a physics based game called "Star Catcher" that challenges players to shoot down stars (and avoid danger) by bouncing their projectiles off various obstacles. In some situations, players must place additional obstacles on the map to reach more difficult stars. The game is intended to encourage an interest in physics and allow players to create their own levels and puzzles to share with friends. Team Peru also built the controls to feature the XO's hand held mode too, taking advantage of the d-pad and four button cluster.
Team Argentina, with IGDA member Lisa Brown, created a point-and-click puzzle game called "CakeTown" where clicking on various elements in the given scenes trigger events. The timing and order in which events are clicked solve puzzles and advance the story. The goal is to make the devouring of cake occur. Lisa and her team are continuing to develop this game, having completed two levels at the actual Jam.
IGDA member Ian Schreiber and his team (Libya) created a game called "Ride the Wind", a side-scrolling game where you guide a paper airplane around the world as fast as possible while trying to avoid obstacles. Ian wrote up a post mortem of his game jam experience.
IGDA members Sabrina Haskell, Shawn Patton, and Jason Pratt with their Team Thailand created "XO Maze", a collaborative maze game. XO Maze is a four player maze game where players must work together to help each other find their avatar's head hidden somewhere in the maze and then reach the exit as quickly as possible. XO Maze was honored to be voted the favorite game of the jam by the kid judges!
Congratulations all participants of the jam! We hope to see more events like this in the Pittsburgh area.
Gamers Give Back, This saturday!
Please join us for the first Gamers Give Back event!
Come to CyberConxion in Squirrel Hill this Saturday from 5 to 8pm.
For $10 you can play any of CyberConxion's games during the 3 hour period, plus you have a chance to pick up some games on the cheap at the charity sale (see the full list after the jump). Bring a used or new game to donate and be entered into the grand prize drawing to win an original gameboy with tetris game included! ALL money or new games donated will go to the Children's Hospital to help brighten the stay of sick kids.
Tell your friends- or better bring your friends and enter one of the three tournaments- Unreal 3, Halo 3, and Guitar Hero III- to win your choice of these cool prizes:
(Make sure you come at 5 to participate in the tournaments)
Gamers Give Back
The Pittsburgh Chapter of the International Game Developer’s Association (PIGDA) and CyberConxion invite you to attend: Gamers Give Back, a charity video game tournament and auction that benefits Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. We want to make staying at Children’s Hospital a lot more fun and we need your help.
All proceeds from this event will be used to buy new games and consoles from the Children’s Hospital Wish List. Donations of new-unopened games and consoles will be taken at the event or you can donate directly to the hospital from this Amazon wish list.
In addition to a game tournament and collecting new games, we will be accepting donations of used games and consoles for an on-site charity yard sale. For donating a new or used game or console your name will be entered to win the grand prize. The more you donate the better your chances are.
Details of the event:
When/Where:
December 1st, 2007 from 5-8 pm at CyberConxion in Squirrel Hill. For directions please visit their website at: http://www.pghcyberconxion.com/
Admission: $10 donation at the door (all proceeds go toward the purchase of wish list items)
3’s Video Game Tournament Details:
All of the winners will receive prizes.
Console Games: Halo 3 (2 vs. 2) and Guitar Hero 3.
PC Game: Unreal Tournament 3 (teams of 5 in advance or create your team at the event)
If possible, please register in advance with Leon at CyberConxion leon@pghcyberconxion.com or Jason at PIGDA jasonnavoyski@yahoo.com.
Please pass this along to all of your friends and family that may be interested in the event. Together we can make this a holiday that the kids at Children Hospital won’t forget.
You can talk about this event with other PIGDA members on the forums.
Forget what they say in the media about video gamers – we know the truth, Gamers Give Back!
One Laptop Per Child
Today One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), the non-profit organization started by MIT's Nicholas Negroponte which is devoted to creating and providing laptop computers for children in developing countries, opened up its "Give one, get one" program.
For $425 (with shipping) you can give an XO laptop to a child in a developing country and get another one for yourself or to give to a child in your life. You also get a free year T-Mobile HotSpot access!
Thanks for a great crawl!
The Second Annual South Side Game Studio Crawl was a huge success!
Over 90 people attended, making their way up Carson St. from Sim Ops Studios to Schell Games to SilverTree Media. Food and drink were
enjoyed and people chatted the night away. The costumes were all
wonderful and it was great to see everyone come out and support the
Pittsburgh IGDA!
The winners of the Costume Contest were:
Best Last Minute - Tetris Guy - Justin ?
Geekiest - Rasputin from Psychonauts - ? ?
Most Uncomfortable - Kool Aid man - David Shaver
Best Villains - Joker and Harley - Chad Metrick and Megan Robinette
Funniest - Spirit of Corrogation - Bryan Cash
Best Overall - Harvey Birdman and Bird Girl - Gabe Sabourin and Lauren Holt
See pictures of the event (and submit your own!) at the Pittsburgh IGDA Flickr Pool.
Thanks to everyone who attended, see you next year!
Student Scholarships for GDC 2008
The IGDA has just launched the Student
Scholarship Program for GDC08. Twenty-five
college students will be awarded complimentary
"Main Conference" passes to the 2008 Game
Developers Conference. The deadline to enter is
Friday, December 7th, 2007. Recipients will be announced mid January.
Applicants are required to be full-time college
students (or equivalent) and IGDA student members
for consideration. Scholarship applications will
be judged by a panel of professional game developers.
The Pittsburgh IGDA chapter has had several scholarship winners in the past so if you are a local student, we really encourage you to enter.
Students can now apply online:
http://www.igda.org/scholarships/
And don't forget, even you aren't a student or you don't win a scholarship, you can still get $50 off your GDC pass if you are an official IGDA member- just another perk of being part of the IGDA!