Level Upstate Pitch Day Recap

Executive DirectorLeave a comment

We did it! Our first in-person gathering since early 2020 was hosted last month, and we’re pleased to report that Operation: TVGS IRL was a success. The event provided a chance for many of our community members to reconnect with old friends – and in some cases, meet one another for the first time after interacting virtually for the past two and half years.

The TVGS portion of the proceedings featured a revival of our Interactive Showcase event, presented alongside the closing ceremony and pitch day for RPI’s Level Upstate game dev incubator. The full day extravaganza featured game demos from local creators, pitches from Level Upstate participants, an interactive panel from TVGS and OpenHub, and a few major announcements about our new TVGS coworking office, current job openings for curriculum developers, and the impending return of our Lift Off diversity incubator program. The event culminated with the announcement of 1UpState, a regional game dev conference debuting in 2023 with support from TVGS.

Read on for a full recap of the event, including details about the game projects that local creators demoed during the TVGS Interactive Showcase, highlights from the panels and pitches, and a summary of the special announcements that were shared with attendees.

OMG TVGS IRL

At its heart, TVGS is a community with close ties to the Capital Region. We started as a local meetup, and established our coworking space in Troy soon after forming the group in 2014. Since that time, we have hosted hundreds of in-person events and classes at numerous venues, and in collaboration with various partners in our area.

But maintaining that sense of local identity hasn’t always been easy over the past few years. Although our shared coworking space has remained accessible to paying members, we have been hosting all of our events and classes via the TVGS Discord ever since shifting to virtual meetups in early 2020. This has enabled us to connect with more creators from outside the Capital Region, but it felt like some of this expanded reach came with the downside of slightly reducing that shared connection between TVGS and our local community.

Since going fully virtual with our events, we have experimented with different formats in an attempt to recreate the deeper sense of connection that comes from being in close proximity to one another. One notable example was a wonderful space in Mozilla Hubs created by longstanding community member (and former TVGS board member) Abigail. But most TVGS events over the past two and a half years have been video chats on Discord. This works well for some formats, but a few of our favorite recurring TVGS events just don’t feel the same without a physical gathering.

The Interactive Showcase was one of our most consistently popular recurring TVGS events. Unfortunately, it has also proven to be a difficult format to recreate virtually and has been on hiatus since early 2020. Prior to the pandemic, we hosted the showcase every month during Troy Night Out in the digital lab at The Arts Center. These monthly showcases offered indie game makers a chance to playtest work in progress, and it provided attendees with an opportunity to meet and connect with local creators while sampling their projects.

Many of us have missed participating in this event over the past couple years. During that time, we have also frequently received questions from community members asking us when TVGS might consider hosting another in-person event. This summer, we finally felt like the timing was right to try hosting a physical gathering. When we thought about what type of TVGS event would benefit the most from being in-person, bringing back the Interactive Showcase was one of the first ideas that sprang to mind.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the Interactive Showcase is how it brings local indie devs together with new audiences. We’re always trying to create opportunities to increase the visibility of the game development scene within the Capital Region, and we love encouraging folks to step outside their usual bubble and make new friends. The best way to accomplish this is not only to organize the right event at the right time, but also to team up with the right partners.

In this case, we were fortunate that the timing of our return to in-person events also coincided with RPI’s Level Upstate game dev incubator. By coordinating with Darian Shump and other folks from RPI, we were able to come up with an event format that worked well as both the culmination of RPI’s incubator program and a grand revival of the TVGS Interactive Showcase. We were also able to collaborate with Anthony Rossi from 1UpState and Crosstalk Media, as well as Yulia Ovchinnikova and John Sturman from OpenHub, in order to expand the event to also include a panel discussion and some extra special announcements.

See below for the full list of games from our Interactive Showcase!

Interactive Showcase

The Interactive Showcase is all about trying out indie games and connecting with local creators! We’ve hosted many installments of this monthly event series over the years, and we’re proud to have provided so many Capital Region game makers with a platform to share their work and get feedback from players.

Here’s a summary of the projects that were included in the TVGS showcase:

Regicide

Created By

Jamey Stevenson & Spoony Bird

Project Website

dreamlogician.itch.io/regicide

Project Description

Regicide is a digital board game of courtly intrigue for 5-10 players. Claim the crown and avoid being dethroned, but beware! Deception and conspiracy lurk around every corner. Who will you trust?

TEA for well-being

Created By

Jamie Brewer

Project Description

Tea for Well-Being is a short visual novel/interactive comic about a desperate young woman, a mysterious tea shop, and the meaning of life.

So To Speak

Created By

Erik Andersen

Project Website

sotospeakgame.com

Project Description

So to Speak is a puzzle game that simulates traveling in Japan and using context clues to guess the meaning of what you see and hear. You encounter Japanese words in signs and conversations and must connect them to nearby objects or text with the same meaning.

PowerBots Builders

Created By

Nonage

Project Website

nonage.net/powerbotsbuilders

Project Description

PowerBots Builders is a base building game built for split-screen multiplayer fun! Collect PowerStones by building bases and fending off enemy robots.

It was truly inspiring to see the variety of projects on display during the event, and to have the opportunity to showcase the indie projects mentioned above alongside demos from this year’s Level Upstate participants.

There’s nothing quite like the experience of being in a shared space with so many creative folks, and getting a chance to directly ask them questions about their work. Thanks to everyone who played our showcase games! It was a great turnout, and we hope you’ll join us again.

But of course, there was much more to the festivities than just these interactive demos! The event also featured a unique panel discussion, and an evening of pitches from the Level Upstate teams.

Panel And Pitches

What would Pitch Day be without a plethora of pitches? With six different teams from RPI’s Level Upstate incubator program lined up to present, the pitches were plentiful.

But before the pitches got underway, TVGS teamed up with OpenHub to host a lively panel discussion featuring a stellar lineup of panelists:

The discussion topic for the panel was Breaking Out of the Indie Bubble and Connecting with Supportive Communities, and it featured a unique “fishbowl” format hosted by John Sturman from OpenHub. Thank you to all of our panelists for sharing their time and expertise, and special thanks to everyone in the audience who shared questions to keep the discussion flowing.

When the evening rolled around, it was pitching time. Six out of seven Level Upstate teams shared presentations about what they’d been working on during RPI’s summer incubator program. The teams that went through the program were MeDKit, Nauticus Studio, Growler Interactive, Werewolf Moon Studios, Headstone Interactive, Pine Drake Games, and Aestronauts. Check out the pitches for yourself here!

Special Announcements

Following the pitches, TVGS Executive Director Jamey Stevenson shared a few special announcements, including news about some exciting opportunities for folks in the Capital Region and beyond.

The special announcements were:

  1. TVGS has a new dedicated coworking office
  2. TVGS is currently hiring curriculum developers
  3. TVGS is now accepting applicants for Lift Off 2022

TVGS Announcement #1: New Coworking Office

The first announcement was that TVGS has a new dedicated office space that is accessible to all of our coworking members!

As you may know, TVGS currently offers 24/7 access to our shared coworking space for paying members. TVGS memberships are just $50/month, which makes it the most affordable coworking space in the region by a substantial margin. In comparison to more generic coworking venues, our space is also specifically tailored to the needs of game devs, multimedia creators, and digital artists.

Our coworking studio is within the first floor of the Quackenbush building at 30 3rd Street in Troy, colocated with the Tech Valley Center of Gravity makerspace. Until recently, our members have typically utilized the downstairs common area for coworking. But thanks to TVCOG’s generous support, we now also have a dedicated TVGS office up on the mezzanine. This bonus area is only for TVGS coworkers, but our members will retain access to the rest of the space as well.

We’re thrilled to be able to offer this upgraded space as a perk for our paying members! In addition to providing a cozy getaway spot away from the main coworking zone to recharge our introvert batteries, this new space allows us to further customize our shared office to better meet your game development needs. Here’s a small sample of the many useful features our space includes for members:

  • Powerful PC, Mac, and Linux workstations with monitors of various sizes
  • Digital art and audio creation peripherals, including drawing tablets and keyboards
  • VR-capable dev machines and multiple types of VR headsets (Oculus, HTC)
  • Shared pool of Android and iOS devices for testing mobile games across a range of phones and tablets
  • Vast collection of consoles and games spanning retro to modern era, for all of your “research” needs
  • Growing library of game development books and learning resources

Not a TVGS member? Click the button below to sign up now!

View TVGS MemberShip Options

TVGS Announcement #2: Curriculum Developer Job Openings

The next announcement was that TVGS is continuing to expand our educational partnerships within the region, notably via a partnership with Questar. TVGS is excited to be providing co-instruction and curriculum development support for Questar’s new full-year Gaming & Multimedia high school class. Along with this news comes the related announcement that we are currently hiring additional curriculum developers to help us create new lesson content in areas like 2D game art, animation, graphic design, and audio composition.

If you’re interested in applying for a curriculum development role, or if you just wanted to stay informed about upcoming job and volunteer opportunities with TVGS, be sure to let us know by filling out the TVGS educator, mentor, and guest speaker interest form.

View TVGS Educator Job Roles

TVGS Announcement #3: Lift Off Diversity Incubator

The grand finale of the TVGS presentation was the announcement that our Lift Off diversity incubator program will be returning in 2022 with a new and improved virtual format. Applications are open now!

Lift Off is a free six-week program for people with underrepresented genders (including cis women, trans women, trans men, non-binary people, and those who are otherwise marginalized) to make their first game; no prior experience needed!

This diversity-focused virtual workshop invites selected applicants of varied backgrounds and interests to create their own game project with direct, one-on-one guidance from professional mentors. Participants will practice applying essential game making skills including design, art, coding, audio composition, and more.

We’re also seeking additional organizers, mentors, and guest speakers to join our 2022 crew! If you’re open to sharing your expertise to support diverse creators, let us know by filling out this sign up form.

Lift Off will return this October, and applications for our 2022 program are open from now until September 23rd. Join our 2022 cohort and take the first step toward bringing your creative ideas to life with support from our team of experienced mentors and the friendly community at Tech Valley Game Space!

Learn More About Lift Off

1UpState – Celebrating Games & The People Who Make Them

Following the TVGS trilogy of special announcements, the final speaker of the evening was Anthony Rossi from Crosstalk Media. Anthony took the stage to reveal some launch details about 1UpState, a new game developer event coming to the Capital Region in 2023 with support from TVGS, Grifkuba Gaming Services, Discover Albany, Upstate Alliance for the Creative Economy, and RetroGameCon.

Anthony described 1UpState as “A Celebration of Games and the People Who Make Them,” and outlined the general vision for the event. The event will include a full day of talks from game developers, with a particular focus on indies and diverse creators. This will be followed by an after party in the evening that’s all about the games, featuring live music and a variety of playable demos.

There have been a few local gaming events in recent years, such as Empire Game Expo in 2019 and the annual HVGamerCon eSports tournament. We also have some more general tech conferences in the region, such as HVTechFest. But with the burgeoning game development cluster in our area, the timing feels right for a new conference that can shine a spotlight on creators from across the Capital Region and beyond. The event will aim to cover the full spectrum of game development, with talks and content for professionals, indies, students, aspiring creators, and general fans of gaming alike.

Visit the 1UpState website to learn more, and be sure to sign up for newsletter so you don’t miss out on the latest news and announcements about the event!

Learn More About 1UpState

COnclusion

As you can tell, our first in-person gathering since 2020 turned out to be quite an eventful day. It was wonderful to see so many of our community members meeting up and connecting with one another in our communal space. Thanks again to everyone who attended!

If you weren’t able to join us for Level Upstate Pitch Day, don’t worry – we have a feeling you might be getting another opportunity to attend a TVGS event in person some time in the not-too-distant future. Don’t forget to follow us on social media and check out our events calendar to ensure that you don’t miss any of our upcoming TVGS activities.

In the meantime, the best way to connect with our community continues to be joining the TVGS Discord and participating in our virtual events. We hope to see you there!

TVGS Interactive Showcase @ Level Upstate Pitch Day

Executive DirectorLeave a comment

We’re excited to announce that our first in-person event in two and a half years will happen Friday, August 19th from 12-8pm at TVGS. This is a one time only event, so be sure not to miss it!

We’ll be returning in style with a revival of our Interactive Showcase event, presented alongside the closing ceremony and pitch day for RPI’s Level Upstate game dev incubator.The event will feature game demos from local creators, pitches from Level Upstate participants, an interactive panel from TVGS and OpenHub, and major announcements about 1UpState and Lift Off.

Read on for more info about the event, including the complete schedule and important details about our health and safety protocols.

Event Details

Date: Friday, August 19th
Hours: 12-8pm
Location: Tech Valley Game Space
Address: 30 3rd St, Troy, NY 12180

Level Upstate Pitch Day Schedule

Get ready for a full day extravaganza of game demos, panels, and pitches from local creators! The event kicks off at noon on Friday the 19th, and you can stop by any time during the next eight hours. The daytime portion will feature demo booths where you can wander freely and playtest a variety of creative projects from Level Upstate teams and TVGS community members.

From 3:30-4:30pm, we’ll be hosting a special interactive panel on the topic of “Breaking Out of the Indie Bubble and Connecting with Supportive Communities.” With support from OpenHub, we’ll be mixing up the traditional panel format via a fishbowl-style setup that combines elements of a roundtable discussion and informal fireside chat. Stop by in person or tune in via the Level Upstate livestream for a lively conversation featuring special guests from Blizzard Albany, Armor Games, RPI, UAlbany, Tech Valley Game Space, and the IGDA Albany chapter.

Not able to stop by during the day? Not a problem! Join us from 6-8pm for the grand finale: a parade of pitches from all of the Level Upstate teams. We also have some exciting announcements in store from TVGS and 1UpState. We’re keeping those announcements top secret until the 19th, so be sure to stop by on Friday night (or tune into the livestream) so you don’t miss the big reveal!

Event Schedule:

  • 12-3pm: Open Playtesting & Game Demos
  • 3:30-4:30pm: “Breaking Out of the Indie Bubble and Connecting with Supportive Communities” Panel feat. TVGS + OpenHub
  • 4:30-6pm: Networking & Game Demos
  • 6-8pm: Level Upstate Team Pitches & Special Announcements from TVGS + 1UpState

health and safety protocols – Very Important!

We’re excited to be hosting an in-person TVGS event, but we also want to do everything possible to help protect our attendees. With that in mind, we’re playing it extra safe! Please review our COVID protocols below and make sure to plan accordingly.

Level Upstate Pitch Day COVID Protocols:

Proof of vaccination (physical card or photo of card) will be required for entry into the venue. Masks are also required for all event attendees. Please note that because of these protocols, we will not be serving food at the event; however, we will provide a list of local restaurants that will be open during the event.

Livestream Info

We hope you’ll be able to join us in person, but we also understand that it won’t be possible for everyone to attend. Even if you’re unable to join us on-site at TVGS, you can still participate! RPI will be livestreaming the panel discussion (3:30-4:30pm) and the final pitches (6-8pm) via the RPI Game Hub YouTube channel.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to stream the open playtesting period earlier in the afternoon. However, you can still follow along with some of the action by joining the TVGS Discord and following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Additional Questions About The Event?

For more information and event updates, be sure to keep an eye on the RPI Game Hub and Tech Valley Game Space Twitter accounts. If you have any questions prior to Pitch Day, please feel free to reach out to Darian Shump at shumpd@rpi.edu. For TVGS-related questions, you can use our contact form to reach out to us.

Join The TVGS Crew!

Executive Director

With the Fourth of July coming up this weekend, we figured now would be the perfect time to celebrate our Dependence Day by sharing a lovingly curated assortment of open calls for enthusiastic community members to join our fabulous TVGS crew.

Sam Sez: Happy Dependence Day!

As a small and scrappy nonprofit, we depend on our active crew of volunteers to help us keep our grassroots charitable efforts humming. Since the inception of TVGS in late 2014, we have achieved amazing things by working together!

If you’re curious to learn about just a few of the many benefits we have provided to the local game development ecosystem here in the Capital Region over the past six years, check out this TVGS overview flyer we recently created. There was far too much good stuff to fit onto a single page, so we ended up needing to make the flyer double-sided to fit more of the TVGS crew’s collective highlights.

If you share our belief that games and game development are for everyone, then please take a look at the opportunities outlined below to learn more about how you can make a difference by becoming an active member of the TVGS crew.

Volunteer Coordinator Nominations Now Open

Are you passionate about supporting a more diverse range of creative voices in game development? Do you want to collaborate with an enthusiastic team of local creators to help foster a more inclusive, approachable, and thriving community for game makers in the Capital Region? If so, now is your chance to get involved by signing up as a TVGS Volunteer Coordinator!

Tech Valley Game Space is currently seeking volunteers for our next six-month Coordinator term, which will begin in mid-July. The deadline to submit your nomination for the upcoming term is July 6th. Visit the sign up form to learn more: https://bit.ly/3msezuk

Since the early days of TVGS, our dedicated team of Coordinators have played a pivotal role in helping to grow and strengthen the community. We have accomplished incredible things as a group, and there are even more exciting opportunities coming up in the latter half of 2021. Sign up today to get involved and become a part of Team TVGS!

View VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR NOMINATION FORM

Calling All Game Developers and Educators!

Improving access to game development education is a major component of our efforts at TVGS. We believe that enabling indie game makers to provide diversity-focused skill training for aspiring creators is the key to a “virtuous cycle” that will serve as a vital foundation for strengthening our regional ecosystem.

Our educational programs help provide much-needed financial stability for local indies, freelancers, and entrepreneurs, enabling them to freely allocate their time between paid teaching opportunities and their own creative endeavors based on their current goals and economic needs. At the same time, these mentorship programs also help open up the pipeline to a wider array of aspiring creators, providing essential support and nurturing the next generation of talent who will continue to push our region forward in the future.

With that in mind, we are always looking to connect with local game developers and educators who are interested in adding themselves to our pool of potential candidates for future teaching, mentoring, and guest speaking opportunities. Visit the candidate sign up form to learn more: bit.ly/3625KBL

Signing up as a candidate does not commit you to participating in any specific TVGS classes or programs. It simply means you will be notified when we send out info about available openings for instructors, guest speakers, curriculum developers, mentors, and more!

VIEW EDUCATOR, MENTOR, AND GUEST SPEAKER CANDIDATE SIGN UP FORM

Come teach with us this summer! TVGS is actively seeking paid instructors for upcoming classes in July and August. We are also looking for volunteer lab assistants and guest speakers with industry/academic experience. Learn more and sign up here: bit.ly/35GcsgD

VIEW SUMMER CLASS INSTRUCTOR, LAB ASSISTANT, AND GUEST SPEAKER SIGN UP FORM

HELP US COUNT OUR COINS

Are you a stat master with an abiding interest in treasure? If so, now is the perfect time to join Team TVGS and put those accounting talents into play as our new Treasurer! We are currently seeking an organized and reliable collaborator who is ready, willing, and able to help us keep track of our coins (or pocket moths, as the case may be).

If you fit the bill, please email TVGS Board Chair Taro Omiya at board-chair@techvalleygamespace.com.

Meet the New TVGS Event Schedule!

Web Coordinator

This post outlines a series of improvements that Tech Valley Game Space is making to our recurring event schedule. These changes will take effect on June 1st, 2020.

Updated Event Schedule

Updated Event Info

Community Night

Community Night will be hosted as a monthly gathering on the TVGS Discord every third Wednesday of the month from 6:30pm-9pm. The event format will be updated to focus on fostering connections among community members and encouraging more interaction between attendees. This will be our primary monthly social event for community members and newcomers.

Social Night

Social Night will be hosted as a weekly gathering on the TVGS Discord every Wednesday from 6:30pm-9pm (except for the third Wednesday of each month, when it will be replaced by Community Night). The main purpose of these gatherings is to provide weekly opportunities for local game makers to interact and stay connected.

Transmissions

Transmissions will be livestreamed via the TVGS Twitch and YouTube channels every Friday from 6:30pm-9:30pm. Streams will typically focus on community members playing games together, and chatting via the TVGS Discord.

Orbit

Orbit discussion and mentorship groups will be hosted as monthly gatherings on the TVGS Discord, with different group meetups occurring on each Saturday of the month. Beginner Game Design will occur every second Saturday of the month from 11am-12:30pm. The rest of the groups will occur from 1pm-2:30pm on the first, third, and fourth Saturday of each month. The format of recurring Orbit meetups will be more freeform, with an emphasis on group discussions rather than formal presentations.

New Event Evaluation Process

When TVGS was first formed in 2014, our event schedule consisted of informal social gatherings every week and a larger communal event approximately every 1-2 months. In more recent years, our number of community events has expanded into the range of 200-300 per year. Most of these are free public events that rely on volunteer organizers to keep them running.

This increase in event frequency happened gradually, as a direct result of our vibrant and enthusiastic community. Unfortunately, this expanding event schedule eventually began to strain the capacity of our volunteers and event organizers. The more intensive schedule has also spread out our community across a much wider array of events.

To address these challenges, TVGS is introducing a new process for establishing, evaluating, and discontinuing events. This will enable us to manage our event schedule more effectively in the future.

Event Proposals

Our event proposal system empowers community members to pitch new event ideas and take the lead on organizing them with support from TVGS. Want to pitch an event? If so, simply fill out the event proposal form.

Proposed events will be evaluated by the Events Coordinator, who will follow up with the person proposing the event to discuss logistics. The Events Coordinator will work with the event organizer to establish the key metrics used to determine each event’s success, as well as target values for these metrics.

Alongside these target metrics, the Events Coordinator will also work with the event organizer to create a set of criteria that can be used to determine when the event should be discontinued. Typical discontinuation criteria will include falling below a minimum level of event attendance, and a lack of sufficient availability on the part of the event organizers.

Once these details have been finalized, they will be sent to the Executive Director for final approval.

Event Maintenance

The Events Coordinator will meet with the organizers of each recurring event on at least a quarterly basis to check on the status of that event, evaluate the metrics, and discuss potential improvements. Topics of discussion may include format adjustments, plans for increasing event promotion, and proposals for how TVGS can provide additional support.

Event Discontinuation

If a recurring event falls within its established criteria for discontinuation, the Event Coordinator will meet with the organizers to discuss next steps. Based on this discussion, the Event Coordinator will make a recommendation to the Executive Director. The Executive Director will then make a final decision about whether or not to continue the event.

Why Are We Making These Changes?

Since the inception of TVGS, we have hosted a variety of recurring events as a way of growing our community and connecting local game makers. We are always striving to improve these events by adjusting their frequency and format based on your feedback.

Incremental refinements are helpful, but we occasionally need to make larger updates to our event calendar to account for the evolving needs of our community and our region. Now is one of those times.

How Did We Determine These Changes?

Since early 2020, the TVGS Events Team has been working on a plan for improving our recurring event schedule. This plan incorporates feedback from our community members and volunteers, as well as format adjustments resulting from our recent shift to online-only events in response to COVID.

The improvement plan centers on a few key areas of focus that arose during these planning discussions: sustainability, variety, and impact.

Sustainability

One of our major goals is to ensure that all of our recurring events are sustainable, both in terms of the effort they require and the number of attendees they attract. Achieving this goal requires us to decrease the overall workload associated with event organization, and ensure that the frequency of events is appropriately scaled to demand.

In order to improve event sustainability, we have:

  • Simplified the format for frequently recurring events to reduce the amount of organizational work required
  • Established a process for discontinuing events that do not garner an audience
  • Limited the maximum number of separate events run by an individual volunteer

Variety

Another important goal is to keep events fresh and interesting for repeat attendees. Achieving this goal entails varying the format of recurring events to increase engagement and spice things up a bit.

In order to improve event variety, we have:

  • Adjusted the format of Community Night to include a unique group activity each month
  • Added a featured developer for monthly showcase events
  • Established a process for evaluating new event proposals from community members

Impact

Last but not least, a key goal is to ensure that our approach to events has a positive impact on our organization, our community, and our region as a whole. This means ensuring that we focus our efforts on addressing regional needs, and that we secure the resources needed to run our major events and programs.

In order to improve event impact, we have:

  • Streamlined the recurring event schedule to free up volunteer time and energy for larger initiatives
  • Focused our online events around ongoing needs like community-building, skill development, and providing visibility for local developers
  • Improved the consistency of our recurring event schedule to make events easier to attend

Updated Notice from TVGS regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Web Coordinator

Updated Notice from Tech Valley Game Space regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19):

In accordance with the recent mandate from Governor Cuomo’s office to limit the spread of Coronavirus/COVID-19, our venue will be locking its doors as of 8pm on Sunday, March 22, 2020. No one will be able to enter the facility after this time. Venue staff will not be on-site.

If you need to retrieve personal items from the facility, please do so by 8pm Sunday March 22, 2020.

If you are expecting mail at TVGS, you may want to consider having your mail forwarded to you. We are not permitted to remain onsite to receive orders or mail deliveries. usps.com/manage/forward.htm

Although our physical venue will be temporarily closed, our community will remain active via online events, classes, and activities. Most of these online interactions will be hosted via our TVGS Discord Server. If you haven’t already, please join our Discord and invite others to do the same.

For additional details, please review the Governor’s Executive Order mandating 100% Closure of Non-Essential Businesses Statewide, as well as the latest update from the Tech Valley Center of Gravity.

Keep up-to-date with what’s happening with COVID-19 around New York State:

Rensselaer County Department of Health

Troy City Hall

Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce

New York State Department of Health

Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Tech Valley Game Space will continue to do its absolute best to serve and communicate to our membership throughout this pandemic national emergency. Our cancellations and additional rules for usage are based on compliance with state and national mandates, which are being updated regularly. We encourage members to maintain their memberships if possible; your support is always critical to our existence, but especially needed through this very difficult time.

Thank you for your continued support. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out and let us know at info@techvalleygamespace.com.

Best,

TVGS Team

Notice from TVGS regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Web Coordinator

Notice from Tech Valley Game Space regarding Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19):

Tech Valley Game Space is a hub for game makers throughout the Capital Region, and our top priority is to ensure the health and safety of everyone in our community. With this in mind, we are taking the following precautionary measures to safeguard the welfare of all community members:

1. We are temporarily suspending all in-person TVGS events and meetings.
Where possible, we will aim to either reschedule these activities or conduct them as online-only gatherings. We will continue monitoring the situation around COVID-19, and we will provide updates regarding our event schedule as circumstances change.

2. Our venue will be temporarily closed to the general public.
Until further notice, only paying TVGS coworking members (and their supervised guests) will be permitted to access the venue.

3. We are instituting additional sanitization measures for those using shared facilities and equipment.
All community members are responsible for washing down and sanitizing communal tables and equipment before and after using them. This applies to all hands-on tools, hardware, and peripherals. Examples include (but are not limited to) mice, keyboards, game controllers, touchscreen devices, and VR headsets.

Additionally, TVGS members must ensure that they abide by all venue guidelines and regulations outlined by the Tech Valley Center of Gravity. Before utilizing the facility, members are required to review the following essential information about TVCOG’s protocols regarding COVID-19: tvcog.net/about/whats-news

You can help protect yourself and others by sanitizing diligently, washing your hands regularly (for at least 20 seconds), and staying home if you feel sick. That last item bears repeating: If you are not feeling well, or have been in contact with a person with COVID-19 symptoms, or if you have been at a public event that is correlated with a known case of COVID-19, please err on the side of caution by staying home and getting tested.

To help us maintain a safe and healthy community, please take the time to educate yourself on the preventative measures you can take to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. This information is readily available via public health agencies such as the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Rensselaer County Health Department.

We are continuing to track the situation around COVID-19 closely, and we will share information as new details become available. To help ensure that you don’t miss any relevant updates, we encourage you to follow us on social media, subscribe to our email newsletter, and join our online chat groups on Facebook and Discord.

We are all in this together, and we appreciate your understanding and cooperation. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out and let us know at info@techvalleygamespace.com.

Best,

TVGS Team

Lift Off 2019: Closing Ceremony Forum

Web Coordinator

The final day of Lift Off, opened with a forum between panelists Muse en Lystrala, Becky Arcovitch, and Jarell Pryor (with Frederika Edgington-Giordano as moderator) answering questions about how to get into the video game industry. The panelists focused on various perspectives of game making, from getting into professional studios, to starting independent studios. Topics covered includes where to learn more about game making, how to put together a creative portfolio, transitioning from one profession to another, and balancing one’s schedule while making games.

After the panel, everyone presented their final project. The six projects were (note: all titles are tentative):

  • Bip
    An artistic, 2D exploration game about slowly uncovering what the world looks like. Created in Construct 3.
  • Youth Gaming League
    A gamified task list teaching children and young teens how to improve the conditions of their local community, and hopefully themselves.
  • Go Robo Now
    A tabletop role-playing game set in the Go Robo Now universe. Explore the alternate universe of modern-day New York City, fighting monsters à la Dungeons & Dragons.
  • Plunge
    A metaphorical text-based adventure using a sci-fi universe to depict problems about poverty and systematic oppression. Created in Twine.
  • The Earth Present
    An environmentalist 2D platformer about restoring nature. Created in Unity.
  • Odyssey RPG
    An open-world RPG, similar to Skyrim. Created in Unity.

The event concluded with a celebration where each mentor congratulated their mentee with a certificate. Well done, everyone!

Lift Off 2019: Stress Management & Impostor Syndrome

Web Coordinator

3D Game Artist Kolel Pryor provides tips and tricks on how to manage stress while working in the game industry, and in the creative industry as a whole. In particular, he brings up the impostor syndrome, or the feeling that one’s accomplishments as just lucky flukes. He covers how to avoid overworking, finding motivation to work, and retaining your confidence in a field full of talented people.

After the presentation, the mentors covered what is expected for the Closing Ceremony, and what to prepare.

Resources:

Lift Off 2019: Quality Assurance

Web Coordinator

Quality Engineer Frederika Edgington-Giordano gives a rundown of what the job of a Quality Assurance (QA) in the games and software industry is like. A somewhat lesser-known field, QAs tests and confirms whether the game/software in development is up to the quality standard customers expect from said product. Frederika described what sort of people are desired in said profession, and provides some advice on being hired as one.

After the presentation, each participant reviewed with their mentor any feedback they’ve received from playtesting, and what changes they can make to tackle any problems brought up.

Resources: