Hello everyone! Your friendly neighberhood ig-da (that’s how they say it in Glasgow!) checking in with news from our Scottish Game Jam Play Party. Which was a total blast!

We’d like to thank all the teams and developers that brought along their laptops and let us get them all smudgy playing the games they worked so hard to finish at this year’s Scottish Game Jam.

The IGDA set up the Play Party initiative as a way to let participants of the global game jam share and discuss their work in an informal and relaxed manner, after the initial jam had taken place. We thank everyone who was able to attend Scotland’s first ever Play Party, and to the Scottish Game Jam organizers for their support and awesomeness-in-general.

We hope you had fun, and if you didn’t get the chance to come round, don’t worry, you can still try out the games created at the Scottish jam sites for free. Can you collect them all??

We have a line up of all the games right here for you too, aren’t we nice? Some were made in Glasgow, and some were made in Edinburgh, and we hope we can continue to support the Scottish Game Jam nationwide in a number of manners.

IGDA Scotland’s Top 4 Play Party Games (as voted by play party attendees)

•  Shplem
• Taffy’s Sweet Bunny Dreams
• Game Over Wep Wep
• Past Life

The Entire Glasgow Collection!

Game’s from Edinburgh Napier’s first GGJ!

Panel-Tastic

In addition to some stellar uber-experimental games, we also had a great panel session with industry veterans, game jam newbies, and industry commentators. Put them all in the same place after a couple of pints and you have something far too explicit to put on the IGDA Scotland blog. A big thanks to Dave Sapien, Jon Sykes, Phil Harris , Emma Droy and Kieran Nelson for sharing their insights and honest opinions on the jam. Nothing, nothing at all, was held back…

So you’ve played the games, read the blogs, and you think that you yourself might be able to give it ago? Cool! The next Global Game Jam isn’t until January 25th-27th, so you have plenty of time to hone your skills and sharpen your debuggers. Keep an eye on the IGDA Scotland and SGJ blog for details in the future on how to apply for next years jam site in Scotland!

In the mean time, we’ll keep working on spreading the game developer love around this bonnie wee land. Our next stop will be in Edinburgh (some time after GDC in March) See you there!

Follow Our Twitter

Like Us on Facebook!

Join the Group

Add Our Shiny New Google+ To Your Circles

Be Cool And LinkedIn To All Our Key Updates & Professional Discussions

Questions? Chuck us an email!

When: Wednesday, 8th of February

Where: The Admiral Bar, Glasgow

Register Free on Eventbrite Now! (Space Limited)

Last weekend was huuuge… Like… Crazy…

So crazy that we decided to dedicate a weeknight to celebrate how crazy and awesome it was. What are we talking about? The Global Game Jam of course!

IGDA Scotland will be hosting a fabulous GGJ Play Party, and we want YOU – the developers and participants to come along and have a bit of fun sharing and discussing this year’s blowout line up of games. We had two Jam sites in Scotland with over 130 participants making 26 games in 48 hours. This is amazing showcase of work done by the game development community in Scotland and just shows what you can do in such a short space of time.

Join us, play some games, discuss the highs and lows of taking part in the Game Jam!

IGDA Scotland loves Game Developers; It’s in our blood! We’re fascinated by all the stories and amazing works that come out of Scotland’s bubbling hub of technological and artistic marvel.

That’s why we’re really excited to announce that IGDA Scotland are backing this years Scottish Game Jam, part of the wider known Global Game Jam, where thousands of programmers, artists, and everyone in between get together to learn, create, and have fun!

Building up to the event at Glasgow Caledonian University – which is now out of free spaces, we’ll be posting some blogs and tidbits on our media streams to get participants up and running, whether this be their first game jam, or their hundredth!

During the weekend of the jam, the chapter committee will be on hand covering all the developments. Committee Kraig Walker & Brian McDonald are confirmed to be taking the plunge by joining the jammers to create a game in under 48 hours, while games AI guru Luke Dicken will be rallying the troops prior to the onslaught!

Didn’t get a place in the jam? That’s okay, it’s been the most successful uptake they’ve ever had. Another official jam site is taking place at Edinburgh Napier University too if you’re up that way, and you can still take part over the interwebs! If you’re streaming or blogging your rapid game creation experiences in Scotland why not get in touch? We’d love to hear from you!

The New Year is coming up fast, and that means another round of IGDA Scotland Touring Talks, Parties and Gatherings. Us chaps at the IGDA Scotland Committee have some pretty wicked ideas for 2012, and we can’t wait to get started on them.

We’re still meant to be on our holidays, but I couldn’t resist and spread our reach across the social-spheres and unwrap IGDA Scotland’s shiny new official Google+ Page!

Wicked right? We don’t like the idea of forcing people to align themselves with one specific way of finding stuff out about the chapter, so, as requested by YOU, we’re giving you as many ways as possible to be connected and in touch with the chapter and it’s followers!

But it’s not just Google+ We’re getting our hands messy in LinkedIn by creating our very own LinkedIn Group for all of you creative Scottish Game-type folks to connect and collaborate together.

This is kind of a big deal! Did you do some awesome networking at one our meetings? Did you make some great contacts who want to keep in touch with you? Did you lose their business card on the 11:10pm bus home to Drongan? If this had happened to you pre-2002 your chances may be scuppered forever! But as of now, that should be a thing of the past!

Make sure to get your profile in our group before coming to one of our events, Perhaps even download CardMunch  to your iPhone to automatically connect with your new found contacts on LinkedIn before you spill your drink on their details?

What’s more you’ll be kept in the loop about exciting opportunities and upcoming meetings from the IGDA Scotland crew.

It’s a win win being part of the IGDA Scotland community! So here’s our full rundown of social connections you can add us on:

• IGDA Scotland on Google+ *NEW*
• IGDA Scotland LinkedIn Group *NEW*
• IGDA Scotland Facebook Page
• IGDA Scotland Facebook Community Group ( Event Planning & Discussion)
• IGDA Scotland on Twitter
• IGDA Scotland Blog
• IGDA Scotland Google Mailing List

All that’s left to do now is wish you all a Happy New Year! See you on the other side!

Dundee tickets Here!

Have YOUR say on our Facebook Page!

We have a taste for awesomeness at the IGDA Scotland Chapter. We want to get awesome people into awesome places to talk about awesome stuff. With our high standards to fill, it can be a little bit of a challenge to fit things together.

We HAD some awesome speakers and stuff planned for Dundee, however, as is quite common, awesome people are in really high demand. With regret, our speakers have had to cancel prior to our event next week…

Also, our publicised venue HAS CHANGED. Turns out the Hannah Maclure Centre was double booked, but we’re moving ACROSS THE ROAD to the award winning Centre for Excellence at Abertay University (cheers Abertay!) and the show WILL go on!

We’re shaking up the format a bit with things. No speakers? No problem! For what will be our last IGDA Scotland meet-up of 2011 YOU DECIDE WHAT WE DO!

Simply pay a visit to our Facebook page and vote for the idea you’d most like to see happen. Currently having a Games night is popular, but if you have you’re own awesome idea then you’re MORE THAN WELCOME to add your own.

I like caps…

ROCK THE VOTE(S) NOW!

Get Your Ticket Here!

You’ve waited patiently enough. IGDA Scotland will be hitting it up big style once again in Dundee, Scotland’s capital of gaming!

The event will be held at 7pm on Wednesday the 30th of November.

Space is limited! So be sure to get your ticket (we’ll be checking for them) on Eventbrite before coming along. The lovely folks at Abertay University are putting us up in the spacious Hannah Maclure Centre, where you can also check out the latest N55 exhibition of open source living design, currently on display as part of the NEoN 2011 Digital Arts festival.

Stay tuned to our various channels, as we’ll be announcing speakers in the coming days. We look forward to seeing you there!

Want in? Add kraig.walker as a contact on Skype with the message “IGDA Scotland” and he’ll add you to the group conversation. You don’t need a mic since it’s all text…

Friday, 11th of November @ 8pm

Greetings Everyone!

November is here and the nights have drawn in. Even as I type, at three in the afternoon, the sun is already putting on it’s night cab after going on an all out binge over the summer months.

I’m just writing to let you know that we’re working on our next meeting in Dundee. The newly formed committee has been tasked with hosting the mini event, where you’ll have the opportunity to share your ideas, thoughts, or just find out how things are going.

We put on these meetings as an effort to maintain a level of transparency with the rest of the community, and we’d be super excited to hear from you.

On the agenda:

• Edinburgh Meetup Feedback and reaction
• Current plans for Dundee Meetup this November
• December plans (feasibility of a christmas party)
• Long term plans/ ideas for the chapter

]]> http://igdascotland.wordpress.com/2011/11/10/november-dundee-skype-meeting/feed/ 0 kraigwalker Group Meeting http://igdascotland.wordpress.com/2011/11/01/edinburgh-roundup/ http://igdascotland.wordpress.com/2011/11/01/edinburgh-roundup/#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:26:06 +0000 Kraig http://igdascotland.wordpress.com/?p=305 Continue reading →]]>

Follow us on Twitter

Like us!

Become a Groupie!

Watch some Videos!

What a week it’s been! IGDA Scotland has rocked Edinburgh for a second time! Thank you to everyone who came along to make an interesting evening of meeting, greeting, discussion and debate. We got a lot of feedback on how the chapter is going and even more ideas for the future, which we hope to be putting in place to make our journeys to the Edinburgh crowd even more special.

I’d like to say a big thanks to Chris Wright, from local firm <a title=”We Games Analytics, who gave a stellar talk on how to get Games Analytics “Wright” (ouch…)

Pics or it Didn't Happen!

Our camera buggered up on the night, the technician told us it’s awesomeness-ity reciprocator hadn’t been designed with an IGDA Chapter meeting in mind. Chris has however, given us his slides which will be able to give you all the juicy load out on using analytics, and how Chris and his guys can help you get started in a whim!

If you haven’t already, we’d be really interested in hearing your thought’s and opinions on what you’d like to see your IGDA chapter do. So you can spam Kraig, have a flame war on our Facebook Group, or kindly fill out our Survey Monkey Questionnaire. Every-time you do, something bad happens to a bad person! Honest!

Where: The Three Sisters, Edinburgh

When: Wednesday, 26th of October 2011 from 7pm

Sign up for free on Eventbrite!

We had a hoot in Glasgow, where all sorts of stuff went down! And now we’re taking our band wagon of of shenanigans back up north to the Capital herself!

We’ll be bringing out the big guns with high flying start up Games Analytics sharing their Top 10 Tips and why analytics is good for you! People paid good money to hear them speak at Develop this year, and we’re giving it to you all for £FREE!!!

Games Analytics (GA) is a new start up based in Edinburgh. Having launched at GDC this year they are now one of the leading providers of Analytics technology to the Games Industry. Their key technology is real time in game predictive modelling.

Speaking for us is Chris Wright, GA’s CEO, with over 15 years experience in the games industry in Scotland and Internationally.

It looks to be a great night of meeting new faces, greeting old ones, and (probably) packing out yet another unsuspecting venue in Scotland.

In case you didn’t know, we’re also recruiting volunteers and committee members! If you’re interested, then there’s still plenty of time to put your name in our book! We’re offering all committee nominees the opportunity to say a few supporting words before we open the digital polling booths. Getting a committee to help steer the chapter over the long term is the last piece of the IGDA formalisation puzzle, and we’re super pumped to welcome new helpers and folk just interested in Scotland’s Game Industry.

The Three Sisters says they can fit up to 140 in their back bar, but we prefer to have a little thing called “Air” in the room as well. Bring your Eventbrite tickets along with you for expedited entry!

We look forward to seeing you! Until then, why not add us on Twitter & Facebook to stay posted on all the latest updates wit the chapter. We’ve also got a nifty survey going on for all of you to share your thoughts and ideas with us!

Get Your Free Tickets Here!

Where: Skype

When: Monday, 10th October @ 8pm – 9pm (ish)

Monday’s are progressively getting worse nowadays. As Autumn draws in the runny noses and chilly winds catch up with us, and all the decent telly begins to dry up.

Fear not my friends! For one Monday only, we’ll be having a get together on Skype where all you interested IGDA Scotland folk, old and new, can come together and have a chat.

On the agenda is organising our next meet up in Edinburgh this month, where we’ll discuss potential venues, speakers, ideas etc…

As well as just that Kraig Walker will be available in person(ish) to discuss all things to do with the running of the chapter, as well as any questions you may have about our recently announced Committee Elections & formalising with the IGDA.

So how do you get in on all of this?

If you haven’t been added to our communal Skype conversation already, simply add kraig.walker or any other IGDA Scotland Skype chat member with “IGDA Scotland” in the message (or you’ll be marked as spam… sorry…)

If you’ve already been in one of our chat’s you don’t need to do a thing, we’ll be continuing it in the same one!

Feel free to join in at any point, and if you can’t make it in person but have a question, feel free to email us, and we’ll add it to our discussion.

Until then, have a great week! We can’t wait to chat with all of you!

Been to any of our previous get togethers? We’d love to hear what you think!

Check out what went down in Glasgow last month!