As most of my audience knows, the IGF has been drowning in even more drama than usual. That being said, I’d like to bring up something that has been bouncing around in my head for quite some time now. I am a fairly social person and enjoy sharing the knowledge that I have gathered throughout my time within the games industry. I want to create a place where developers, aspiring developers, and students can gather to create, promote, and enjoy independent games!

To me, this could be anything. It could be a game jam, an award ceremony, or both. It could be anything and everything that makes up game jams, other game expos, or game-related award shows. The emphasis would be POSITIVITY. I want it to be a gathering (whether in-person or online) that hasn’t adopted the drama or bias that is often displayed within our community lately. The idea is also to feature education by sharing our knowledge and being extremely welcoming to those who may know less than we do. If we can get people interested in game development, we are succeeding.

Eventually, I’d like to host something in Seattle. We could setup a game jam, gamedev talks, an awards night, etc. The whole deal. For now, I think I want to stick to a digital format. Keep things simple and get people interested. I want people interested in open and honest conversation. I want people who can handle judging games in an ethical and responsible fashion. I want people who can control themselves publicly.

There is a lot to figure out and things are far from coming together, but I’d like to get the idea out there. I would love to hear from you if you think you could help contribute to the idea or if you have any information regarding businesses or buildings that would consider sponsoring and supporting such an event.

Thank you all,

-Z