SAN MATEO, Calif. (March 8, 2022) – Evolution Championship Series (known as Evo), announced today the event is officially back and welcoming fans to its iconic home in Las Vegas with a combination of new and returning fighting games. The nine fighting games that will be featured at Evo on August 5-7, 2022 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino are:
Granblue Fantasy: Versus – PS4 (Cygames and XSEED)
Skullgirls: 2nd Encore – PS4 (Autumn Games)
The EVO 2022 lineup: Street Fighter V Champion Edition, Guilty Gear Strive, Mortal Kombat !! Ultimate, Tekken 7, King of Fighters XV, Melty Blood: Type Lumina, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Granblue Fantasy: Versus, and Skullgirls: 2nd Encore (Image: EVO)
“We are thrilled to present a slate of fighting games representing so many of the genre’s player-bases for Evo 2022,” said Rick “TheHadou” Thiher, General Manager of Evo. “Our team is incredibly excited to once-again host them in offline competition at Evo this August. There is nothing like the global Fighting Game Community’s energy when we gather for Evo, and I’m greatly looking forward to seeing what happens when we start the event series’ next chapter together later this year.”
As the largest and longest-running fighting game tournament, Evo’s storied history includes celebrating some of the best fighting game titles and players on the planet.
Street Fighter V: Champion Edition and TEKKEN 7 have been staples at Evo the last few years as two of the premier fighting games in the world. The popular newest entry in the series, Guilty Gear -Strive-, will be featured in the lineup at Evo along with the just-released THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV.
This year’s Evo will also mark the first appearances for Skullgirls: 2nd Encore, Granblue Fantasy: Versus and MELTY BLOOD: TYPE LUMINA in the lineup. Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate returns for the third time at Evo and DRAGON BALL FighterZ will once again feature unique true-to-the-anime gameplay and team vs. team matches.
Registration is open now and fans can purchase tickets at evo.gg. Hotel rooms will be available at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. For those who want to watch, tournaments will be streamed live for the entirety of the event.
Like many other events this year, such as CES and GDC, South by Southwest (SXSW) returns as a hybrid event in what looks to be in full force. Kicking off on-site in Austin, TX on Friday, March 11 and concludes on Sunday, March 20, it’s a massive celebration of brands, tech, music, movies and so on. One way to measure that is the number of parties, lounges and activations, and as of now there looks like there’s a lot of them.
To provide attendees (with a skew toward attendees with a gaming-related interest) with information they may be able to use, we’re assembling a list of resources including where to find the best events that may be of interest during SXSW 2022.
SXSW returns to downtown Austin in 2022, with a vast array of events and large crowds (Photo by Carlos Alfonso on Unsplash)
Held from Saturday, March 12 to Tuesday, March 15, this is the list of sessions SXSW has organized. Expect topics around the metaverse, NFTs, augmented reality and casual reality, international games markets, Hollywood and game development, and more.
The SXSW Gaming Expo, hosted on Sunday, March 13 to Monday, March 15, the gaming expo can be expected to include exhibits from game developers, publishers, arcade machines, tabletop and other related experiences one might expect from a gaming showcase.
This is the official SXSW list of lounges, parties, and activations, which, will not all inclusive, is pretty comprehensive on its own and would more than fill anyone’s schedule. This search covers all days and includes every event they’ve posted. But the search can be limited to specific days — such as the days when gaming content is the focus — for topics or specific venues.
Eventbrite has a very impressive list of tickets, from free events to paid seminars and summits at SXSW. At the time of posting, there’s 104 pages of events, which include gaming and much more. Caveats to keep in mind: Some of these events may be sold out; some may be duplicates of each other on Eventbrite or from other lists you find; many will require a SXSW badge and some may not; and some may be unrelated events caught up in the search dragnet.
Austin-based news station, KVUE-ABC, has posted a guide that attendees to SXSW may be interested in, which includes COVID guidelines, information about badge pick-up and getting around Austin during the bustling SXSW stretch.
While this post isn’t recent enough to include COVID-related norms or tailored to the Austin or SXSW experience, it includes a wealth of good advice about how to plan for, and attend, a larger convention.
Last but not least, for more official information about SXSW 2022, visit the official website.
SAN FRANCISCO – February 25, 2022 – Organizers of the 22nd Annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), the leading peer-based video game event celebrating the industry’s top games and developers, have revealed the recipients of the ceremony’s prestigious special awards. Steven Spohn, a driving force for accessibility in games and Senior Director of Development of the AbleGamers charity, will receive the Ambassador Award, given to someone who has helped video games advance to a better place through advocacy and action. Yuji Horii, the creator of the legendary Dragon Quest series, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for his decades of dedication to the craft of video game development.
The 22nd annual awards ceremony will take place at the 2022 Game Developers Conference (GDC) on Wednesday, March 23 and held in conjunction with the Independent Games Festival Awards (IGF). The ceremony is available to watch in-person for all GDC 2022 pass-holders as well as livestreamed on the official GDC Twitch channel. The 36th edition of GDC will be held in-person and virtually at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center from March 21-25.
The Ambassador Award will be presented to Steven Spohn for his work advocating for accessibility in video games as a streamer, award-winning author and the Senior Director of Development of the AbleGamers charity. Featured on CNN, NBC and other mainstream news outlets as an assistive technology and game accessibility expert, Spohn champions for people with disabilities to use the video game space as a means of defeating social isolation. Spohn and the AbleGamers charity have pushed the inclusive efforts of the industry forward by training and consulting studios while connecting them directly with players who can share their personal experiences.
Yuji Horii will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his groundbreaking work as the creator of the beloved Dragon Quest series, which has influenced and inspired role-playing game design since the release of Dragon Quest in 1986. Horii began his professional career as a freelance writer for newspapers and magazines before winning a game programming contest sponsored by Enix (now Square Enix), which led to his work with the publisher that lasts to this day. The seminal Dragon Quest series has spanned over 35 years and sold over 76 million units, with the most recent game in the series, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age,released in 2021.
“The video game industry has been forever impacted by the work of both Steven Spohn in accessibility and Yuji Horii in design,” said Katie Stern, who oversees the GDC as VP of Entertainment Media at Informa Tech. “They have both inspired creators and players alike and we look forward to honoring them at the Game Developers Choice Awards, where we are thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate the development community together in-person once again.”
Recipients of the Ambassador and Lifetime Achievement Awards were chosen by this year’s Game Developers Choice Special Awards Jury, which includes game industry veterans Chandana Ekanayake, Greg Kasavin, Dana Nightingale, Siobhan Reddy and Kiki Wolfkill, following suggestions from the International Choice Awards Network (ICAN).
For more information about the 22nd annual Game Developers Choice Awards, visit:http://www.gamechoiceawards.com. For more details on the Game Developers Conference, please visit the GDC’s official website, or subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, Twitter, or RSS. Official photos are available via the Official GDC Flickr account: www.flickr.com/photos/officialgdc.
LAS VEGAS (Feb. 24, 2022) – The votes have been counted, and It Takes Two, a cooperative platforming journey where players control a couple going through a divorce that takes a fantastical turn, was named the Game of the Year at the 25th D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Awards. Hosted by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS), members of the interactive entertainment industry gathered this evening at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas to celebrate the best achievements of 2021, crowning winners in more than 20 different categories.
The D.I.C.E. Awards are held annually by the AIAS, the game industry’s 30,000-member non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of the interactive arts.
“We are thrilled to celebrate a special 25th edition of the D.I.C.E. Awards by honoring our past legacy as well as bringing together interactive entertainment industry members to celebrate creators who continue to amaze us all with their talent, passion, and perseverance,” says Meggan Scavio, Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences president. “On behalf of the Academy, congratulations to all of the incredible 2021 nominees and winners chosen by their peers.”
The night honored multiple industry leaders, including Ed Boon (NetherRealm Studios), who was the 2022 Hall of Fame inductee, and Phil Spencer (Microsoft Gaming), who received the Lifetime Achievement Award. There were also a variety of stellar games honored across 23 award categories, with a few notable multi-award winners, including:
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart led the pack with four wins for Outstanding Achievement in Animation, Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction, Outstanding Technical Achievement, and Family Game of the Year.
It Takes Two had two awards, winning for Game of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Game Design.
Other top honorees were:
Deathloop for Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction.
Halo Infinite for Action Game of the Year and Online Game of the Year.
Lone Echo II for Immersive Reality Game of the Year and Immersive Reality Technical Achievement.
Marvel’s Guardian of the Galaxy for Adventure Game of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Story.
Returnal for Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design and Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition.
Unpacking for Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game.
The 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards ceremony included industry professionals who attended the event live for the first time since the start of the pandemic, and game fans worldwide who tuned in via livestream from media partner IGN. The Awards were emceed by six-time co-hosts Greg Miller, co-founder of the internet video show and podcast Kinda Funny, and Jessica Chobot, co-host of Expedition X on the Discovery Channel.
DICE Awards 2022 Livestream on-demand stream (From: IGN on YouTube)
The complete list of winners is below, and is also on the AIAS website:
Game of the Year It Takes Two
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction Deathloop
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design It Takes Two
Outstanding Achievement in Animation Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Outstanding Achievement in Character Resident Evil Village – Lady Dimitrescu
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition Returnal
Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design Returnal
Outstanding Achievement in Story MARVEL’s Guardians of the Galaxy
If you’ve attended any events that promised to bring attendees in from different backgrounds and from around the world, you’ve probably run into people who speak a different language. You may want to exchange ideas, to network, and so on, but you may find you’re spending as much time gesturing or using a little bit of shared language as best you can. Sometimes, to listen to a speaker, you have to borrow a headset and listen to a live translation. It’s a solution, but some might say it’s imperfect. It can be frustrating, right?
Not only that, to help diversify attendees, including in terms of culture and language, some thought leaders have worked to try to create experiences that help bring a lot of different people together wherever they are in the world or whatever language they speak.
One such initiative was an online game development conference, GameDev.world, created a few years ago by well-known independent game developer, Rami Ismail. In a VentureBeat interview, Ismail said, “The conference started for various reasons. The two big ones — I travel around the world, and one thing I kept noticing was that in all these different territories, where different languages are prevalent, you notice that the industry is very segregated by language. More than anything else, really. It’s segregated by gender in some ways, and by countries, but the biggest invisible border in our industry is language.”
Since then, bridging the language and accessibility gap in events (and of course, with many more aspects of the world, such as travel in particular) remains an issue that remains both a challenge and an opportunity.
That brings us to our Q/A interview with Brisa Freitas, VP of Marketing and Communications at Waverly Labs. Waverly Labs is a New York-based startup focused on using hardware like phones and wearables, cloud services and ever-growing bandwidth to help bring live translation to different businesses where many languages may be spoken, including events. They presented during CES last month, showing off current and upcoming technologies. In this interview, Brisa Freitas shares some of these updates, her perspectives about the opportunities in events, and more.
Events for Gamers (E4G): Thank you for taking the time to tell our readers more about Waverly Labs. To begin with, can you tell us about how you began in the translation space, about what was behind creating Waverly Labs and your real-time translation products and services?
Brisa Freitas: In 2014 we were inspired by our personal and professional experiences with the language barrier. The original founding team had backgrounds from the USA, Mexico, and India, and we had lived and worked in China and Africa, and we learned first-hand the difficulty with communicating across language barriers. So, we set on this journey to leverage our expertise in voice, wearable technology, and product development to solve the global challenge of translation.
In 2016 we debuted our first translating earbuds called Pilot, and in 2018 we began engineering our newest product called Ambassador Interpreter, an over-the-ear machine interpreter. Since then we’ve shipped over 50,000 packages of those translating earbuds and invented the product category. Today, we’re focused on developing a full suite of voice and interpretation solutions to meet the needs of professionals across various industries including hospitality, conferences & events, and remote meetings.
E4G: What’s the Waverly Labs main value proposition vs. other solutions like machine translation and human translation?
Freitas: Waverly Labs is focused on solving in-person interpretation experiences at a lower cost in comparison to human interpreters. We’re less interested in solving quick translation problems that can be addressed by a quick search, and more interested in solving longform or conversational interpretation needs. Think more along the lines of a business pitch or school parent-teacher meeting, where typing everything or using a translation app back and forth would feel unnatural. We’re focused on situations where fluidity and getting as close to a real-time exchange as possible are key.
E4G: How have translation-related wants and needs in the events and hospitality spaces shaped how Waverly Labs has designed its translation tools?
Freitas: We pride ourselves in designing our products around real customer feedback.
Subtitles was a direct response to the need for interpretation services that were safe and hygienic in a more transactional context, like a hotel front desk or airline check-in counter. The two-sided touchscreens remove the need to share earpieces and the safety screen provides additional health protection.
Audience solves the need for one-to-many interpretation services. Unlike our other products that solve conversational interpretation, Audience solves interpretation needs for presentations and performances. It doesn’t require any additional hardware since both the presenter and audience members all use their own mobile devices – the perfect solution for larger scale events.
To read more about Waverly Labs’ participation with events, their technology, and roadmap, visit Page 2.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — February 22, 2022 — The South by Southwest® Gaming Awards (SXSW®), celebrating the wide reach of gaming across areas such as art, design, narrative, gameplay, cultural innovation, and more, has today announced that this year’s virtual Ceremony will be co-hosted by two of TV’s freshest faces — Jana Morrison (“Astrid”; Dragalia Lost video game, voice talent, English version) and Samantha Aucoin (“Lilly”), the heroic leads of Astrid & Lilly Save the World, SYFY network’s new, critically acclaimed series hailed as a “charming” and “refreshing” modern take on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. In addition, a diverse roster of presenters from entertainment and sports has been assembled (see below), as well as some special partnerships and premiere content set to shape this ninth annual gaming industry celebration into a distinct, must-stream awards season event, Produced by Georgia-based Peach Maria Productions (pronounced muh-RY-uh), executive produced by Laurie Lockliear (upcoming esports reality competition series GameMaster), the Awards will stream for free as part of SXSW Online on March 12, 2022, at 7 p.m. CT.
Several platforms will be integrated to create the SXSW 2022 experience across web, mobile and TV. A dedicated SXSW TV app can be accessed via Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, and Android TV. In addition, SXSW TV is now available on iOS and Android. Additional live content, including Keynotes, Featured Sessions and Music Showcases, can be found in each of the 24-hour channels, during the SXSW 2022 event dates (March 11-20, 2022).
In terms of content, this year’s Ceremony will feature a first-ever integrated animated narrative, produced by Web3 animation studio, Toonstar (The Gimmicks, the first community-driven animated NFT series), in partnership with 6th Wall, the Web3 arm of Mila Kunis’ Orchard Farm Productions (Stoner Cats), Featuring a signature quirky, expressive and fast-paced animation style, these NFT animated characters and their friends set on a misguided adventure to this year’s SXSW Gaming Awards and beyond. See “The Gimmicks Road to SXSW” teaser clip HERE. In addition, viewers of this year’s Ceremony on March 12 will have special access to an exclusive offer from The Gimmicks.
Plus, Tik Tok sensation, pop punk band Punk Rock Factory (YouTube; Disney’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” cover) has written a new song, with its wet-and-wild video making its world premiere during the show. According to the South Wales-based band, they “rehearse, write, record, mix, master and film everything themselves in one dedicated space affectionately called The Sausage Factory and frequently bring friends along to enjoy the fun.”
The presenters reflect the most dynamic talent, executives and storytellers across the film/TV/music/gaming industry and sports, and represent some of the most distinctive and acclaimed projects in entertainment.
Presenters and talent appearing include (in alphabetical order):
MichaelAnthony, (Raising Dion, upcoming Paramount family action film Secret Headquarters)
Kadeem Hardison, (upcoming AMC’s Moonhaven, A Different World)
“We’re so excited…NO… ECSTATIC to be your hosts for the 2022 SXSW Gaming Awards!,” said first-time co-hosts, Astrid & Lilly Save The World co-stars and on/off-set best friends Jana Morrison (“Astrid”) and Samantha Aucoin (“Lilly”). “As gamers and award show season stans, we promise an all-out good time with plenty of fun surprises.”
For more of the ladies’ reaction, watch HERE. Catch all-new episodes of Astrid & Lilly Save The World on Wednesdays at 10 P.M. ET/PT on SYFY.
As previously announced live on G4TV’s XPlay, leading nominees include: “Kena: Bridge of Spirits,” from developer and publisher Ember Lab, scored four nominations. Five titles – “Deathloop,” “Inscryption,” “Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker,” “Forza Horizon 5” and “Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart” – each took three nominations.
Additionally, 12 titles received two nominations each, including “Before Your Eyes,” “Chicory: A Colorful Tale,” “Hell Let Loose,” “It Takes Two,” “Loop Hero,” “Lost Words: Beyond the Page,”“Resident Evil Village,” “Returnal,” “The Medium,” “The Wild At Heart,” “Unpacking” and “Valheim.”
Each year the SXSW Gaming Awards honor excellence throughout the industry, celebrating the talent that influences the medium and culture of gaming. The annual Gaming Awards celebrate the technical, artistic and design achievements of each year’s best titles and their creators.
Following a rigorous process of nominee selections, this year’s Awards will feature 40 unique games contending for honors in 12 categories (see list of nominees below).
As with each year, the SXSW community voted between February 1-8, 2022. Final winners will be determined through a weighted total of public voting, advisory board and SXSW staff input. More information about the entry and judging process is available here.
Editor’s note: For the full list of SXSW Gaming Awards nominees in this press release, proceed to page 2.
To help you discover upcoming game industry events calendar that includes conferences, conventions, festivals and many other types of events, we post a consolidated list here on Events for Gamers each month.
March is opening us up more to a very exciting year for game industry events. More and more events are becoming either hybrid or going back to on-site gatherings, especially we’ve noticed in the second half of the year. We’re also seeing more events coming up that extend into industries like bitcoin, NFTs, and others that previously had little or nothing to do with games.
We’d like to emphasize that just like last month, online events (both virtual/online and hybrid) are not going away, and in fact are also seeing continued growth. Just like with the working from home crowd, the event industry shift has been a monumental and permanent one.
View this month’s event list below. You can also click here for the main calendar view that includes events into 2022 and beyond.
After a two year hiatus, Events for Gamers is curating a list of events in and around the 2022 Game Developers Conference (GDC). As a hybrid event, there are sure to be thousands of physical attendees flocking to San Francisco for this annual gathering of developers, businesspeople and others in and around the gaming space. With them, there’s a return of related events, meetups, and more in and around 2022 GDC.
We recommend keeping a few considerations in mind for this early 2022 version of normal. When these events take place, COVID-19-related guidance on social distancing, mask-wearing, vaccination, and general hygiene will be baked in as a part of the event experience and should be part of your planning. Also, with fewer attendees and companies likely to attend in person with GDC returning with a physical presence after a long pandemic pause, it’s reasonable to expect fewer events this year vs. recent pre-COVID-19 years.
In keeping with past party lists we’ve curated, only public events in and adjacent to GDC’s conference week (generally between Monday, March 21 and Friday, March 25) will be included.
So it’s been a long day or week at GDC. What are your options for extending the networking, learning, and fun outside of the Moscone Convention Center? There are plenty of options that follow to explore. (Image: Official GDC on Flickr)
Have you seen an event posting we should add here, or are you a host of an event you’d like to share with the community? Events for Gamers’ GDC 2022 party list will be periodically updated with new events or updated statuses with events until GDC is underway.
Event: 2022 11th Annual Pre-GDC Dinner Time: 4:00PM-6:00PM Cost: Free Tickets available: None needed Location: District Six 428 11th Street San Francisco, CA 94103 Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/4116286085140395/ Description: “It’s that time again! Get ready for the (hopefully) 11th annual Pre-GDC CA dinner! Come on out for food trucks, meeting new and familiar faces, fun times, and did I mention food trucks?”
Event: The Game Executives Cabal 2022: COVID safe edition Time: 9:30AM-6:00PM Cost: $299 Tickets available: Invite only Location: Minna Gallery, 111 Minna Gallery 111 Minna Street San Francisco, CA 94105 Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-game-executives-cabal-2022-covid-safe-edition-tickets-289855594887 Description: “This is an invitation-only event for C-level game executives, mostly CEOs and Founders of game studios; attendance is limited and like past years, we expect the event to be at capacity. The press is not allowed, nor are uninvited guests or walk-ins. As past attendees know, we focus on creating a private, exclusive, yet collegial, event for executive networking and knowledge sharing, with three short presentations of topical interest. We will take over the whole 4700 square feet of open space in Minna Gallery for the day.” Editor’s note: Make sure to read the rules on their Eventbrite page regarding attendance and tickets.
Event: Happy Players’ Happy Hour Time: 5:00PM-8:30PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Yes Location: Peacekeeper, SF, 925 Bush St, San Francisco, CA 94109 Link: https://get.unitq.com/gdc-happy-hour-03222022 Description: Hosted by unitQ, Helpshift and Kustomer, this networking and thought leadership event during GDC is intended for sr. managers+, CS/CX, product and engineering leaders. “Enjoy complimentary cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Learn about innovations in customer retention from leaders in CX, Product, and Engineering. Network in Peacekeeper SF a trendy, new bi-level bar in Lower Nob Hill SF featuring a retractable roof and indoor fireplace. Attend the event for your chance to win a free VR headset.”
Event: It’s 5 O’Clock again Time: 5:30PM-8:00PM Cost: Free Tickets available: No Location: Fifth Arrow, 430 Mason St, San Francisco, CA 94102 Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/its-5-oclock-again-tickets-289720661297 Description: Due to the tremendous pent up demand to get back to networking parties for all, we are reserving this event for our Sponsors, Sponsor Guests, mobile growth experts, brand agencies, and mobile game developers with an overall limit of 300 guests.” This event features networking, a 360 photo booth, light appetizers, complimentary drinks, and raffle prizes.
Events such as AIXR’s GDC 2022 party will bring together networking opportunities with libations and new ideas and technology (Image: The Academy of International Extended Reality)
Event: AIXR GDC Party with HP and XR Games Time: 7:00PM-? Cost: Free Tickets available: Waitlist Location: Bar Fluxus,18 Harlan Place, San Francisco, CA 94108 Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aixr-gdc-party-with-hp-and-xr-games-tickets-293260478987 Description: “AIXR is hosting the GDC party of the year with HP and XR Games for the VR & AR developer community. A night of networking, free drinks (Generously sponsored by HP & XR Games) and general celebration are to be expected from developers big and small from across the XR world on Tue 22 March – just 3 blocks away from San Francisco’s Moscone Center! Tickets are very limited and on a first-come, first-serve basis only and there will be a guest list on the door. Reserve now to avoid disappointment.”
Event: SausageFest: Fundraising for the Ukrainian Dream Time: 7:00PM-11:00PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Waitlist Location: 255 9th St, San Francisco, CA 94103 Link: https://paymentwall.com/events/e/sausagefest-ukrainian-dream Description: “In 2022, Terminal3 and Paymentwall will be hosting SausageFest for the 12th time during GDC. This year, we’ll take you on a trip to Ukraine where our company always had an office.” Donations to Ukrainian humanitarian charities are encouraged. Space is limited and having a GDC pass won’t guarantee entry.
Event:POW x 10 @ GDC: MC Frontalot, Nullsleep, Crashfaster, Janus Rose + More! Time: 7:00PM-2:30AM (3/23) Cost: $15 advance; $20 day of show; $10 door with GDC badge. Tickets available: Yes (some sold out) Location: DNA Lounge, 375 11th St, San Francisco, CA 94103 Link: https://www.dnalounge.com/calendar/2022/03-22.html Description: “In honor of the return of GDC, 8bitSF and Monobomb Records present the epic 10th installment of Pow! Join us for a ginormous night of live chiptune and video game music, lush visuals, and gaming.” Digital or physical proof of full vaccination (including booster shot) and a valid photo ID will required for entry to the event.
Event:Slava Ukraini Charity Comedy Show Time: 7:00PM-? Cost: $25-30 (donation optional) Tickets available: Yes Location: PianoFight, Cabaret Stage, 144 Taylor St., San Francisco, CA 94102 Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/slava-ukraini-charity-comedy-show-tickets-300877220867 Description: “Join us at PianoFight to laugh and drink for a good cause at a game-developer produced, nerdy benefit stand-up comedy show for the Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund. Seating is first come first served, with 100% net ticket sales being donated to the fund to help Ukranian refugees as they escape the conflict. Come see comics you’ve seen on Comedy Central, SF Sketchfest, Buzzfeed, the Sporkful podcast, and more!: Panda, Ian Levy, Jeff Dean, Marcus Williams, Emily Van Dyke and Andrew Orofolo. Produced by Brian “Panda” Choi (3D Character Artist, Snap Inc.) @jadeeyepanda”
Event:Substance Days at GDC 2022 After-Party Time: 7:30PM-10:00PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Yes Location: Press Club, 20 Yerba Buena Lane, San Francisco, CA 94103 Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/substance-days-at-gdc-2022-after-party-registration-288028861077 Description: Following a day of talks and networking during Substance Days at GDC comes an after party: “Don’t miss the Substance Days After-party at the Press Club. Meet and mingle with the Substance 3D team, and the event speakers. Enjoy some food, drinks and special goodies.” Also, attendees must be 21+ and have a completed vaccination to access the venue, with proof and ID checked at the door.
Wednesday, March 23:
Event: Brunch & Learn UA & Ad Monetization Post-iOS 14.5 Time: 10:00AM-12:00PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Request to attend Location: The Veranda San Francisco, 772 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94107 Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/save-the-date-brunch-learn-ua-ad-monetization-post-ios-145-tickets-269742847117 Description: Breakfast and a discussion about “challenges, strategies, and best practices when it comes to growing and monetizing your app in the new world of iOS 14.5+, and beyond, including Android and other emerging channels” are the highlights of this Wednesday morning event. No GDC pass is required to attend. Also, while the event is public, take note from the event page to: “Please contact your Digital Turbine/Fyber/AdColony contact to request an invite.”
Event: Games [4Diversity] Dinner Time: 6:00PM-8:00PM Tickets available: Yes Location: District Six 428 11th Street San Francisco, CA 94103 Link: https://courage.events/event/games-4diversity-dinner/ Description: “Every year we gather at District Six (formerly known as Soma Streat Food Park) to meet game professionals that wish to contribute to improved diversity & inclusion in the game industry. Feel free to join in! Everyone’s welcome!”
Event: Qweerty Gamers GDC Mixer 2022 Time: 6:00PM-10:00PM Tickets available: Yes Location: Oasis, 298 11th St, San Francisco, CA 94103 Link: https://www.qweertygamers.org/qweerty-gamers-gdc-mixer-2022-signup Description: “This event will take place at Oasis at 298 11th St, San Francisco, CA 94103 on March 23rd from 6-10 PM PT. The event will be capped at 80 attendees. We encourage LGBTQIA+ & allies in the video game industry to attend, including Content Creators, Game Developers, and more. This event is 21 +. The following will be available: Light snacks, Photobooth, cocktails, and more.”
Event: Tapjoy GDC Party Time: 6:00PM-10:00PM Tickets available: Waitlist Location: 620 Jones St, San Francisco, CA 94102 Link: https://gdcparty2022.splashthat.com/ Description: “Tapjoy’s inviting you out for a night of drinks, dancing, and delicious food … Please note, you must show proof of vaccination or a negative rapid antigen test taken within 48 hours.”
Event: GDC 2022 Party/Meetup feat: Sledgehammer Games, Microsoft & Twilio at DNA Lounge Time: 6:00PM-11:59PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Yes Location: DNA Lounge, 375 11th St, San Francisco, CA 94103 Link: https://www.meetup.com/Monthly-SF-Game-Development-Community/events/283657326/ Description: “Make sure to RSVP for our event on Meetup for free entry. Pizza will be served at 6pm and drinks will be available for purchase at the bar which will support the venue. We will have live DJs performing at the event, and technical talks starting at 7:30pm from gaming industry professionals. This is a professional networking event for game developers, artists, students, indies, or really anyone interested in game development. You do not need a GDC pass to attend, this is an event open to the public, so please RSVP, attend and show your support.”
Event: The MIX Time: 7:00PM-11:00PM Tickets available: Yes Location: Apply for confirmation with location information Link: https://www.mediaindieexchange.com/event/mix-10th-anniversary-showcase/ Description: “Play games, chat and enjoy complementary food and drinks! We’re planning for a showcase with fewer guests and games than our most recent events as the world is in this Covid transition phase so guest list passes will be limited. This will be in a comfortable, spacious venue a short drive / Uber from Moscone.”
Event: Relentlo x OP Games x Harmony Happy Hour Time: 4:00PM-6:00PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Waitlist Location: Louie’s Bar, 55 Stevenson Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/relentlo-x-op-games-x-harmony-happy-hour-tickets-294066770627 Description: “Two of Silicon Valley’s hottest Web 2.5 gaming startups and a pioneer in the Web 3.0 space invite you to come join their Happy Hour after GDC to discuss all things gaming, monetization, advertising, Web 3.0, and the metaverse. Come debate the future of gaming, NFTs, and Web 3.0 over a free cocktail and get the inside scoop on how to make your game fly off the shelves (or NFT marketplace).”
Event: Women GDC2022 Hang out Time: 5:00PM-6:00PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Sold out Location: Yerba Buena Gardens 760 Howard Street San Francisco, CA 94103 Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/women-gdc2022-hang-out-tickets-288814982387 Description: “The girls that are participating in the Latam panel are also going to join us. We come from: Peru, Mexico, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, and more! If you also want to meet more women in the industry, come join our event. It doesn’t matter how much experience you have in the industry or where you come from, we’d love to meet you.”
Event: GDC 2022 Mixer + After Party Time: 6:00PM-1:00AM (3/25) Cost: $10-50 Tickets available: Sold out Location: Temple Nightclub San Francisco 540 Howard Street San Francisco, CA 94105 Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gdc-2022-mixer-after-party-tickets-243559201127 Description: “We are taking over one of the most talked about and biggest successful venue in San Francisco’s nightlife scene – The Temple Nightclub! We are doing a Networking Mixer from 6pm-9pm and the After Party starts at 10pm till 2am. We sold out in mere 4 days from the previous events and expect a high demand for our next event to network with other GameDevs, IndieDevs, Publishers, Executives, Venture Capitalists, Programmers, Producers, Animators, Concept Artists, and more!”
Event: DumplingFest: Hotel Beijing | GDC 2022 Time: 7:00PM-11:00PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Yes Location: 255 9th St, San Francisco, CA 94103 Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dumplingfest-hotel-beijing-gdc-2022-tickets-298905192477 Description: After a two-year hiatus, Terminal3 and Leaseweb have joined forces to bring back DumplingFest on Thursday evening during GDC 2022. Expect kicked-back relaxation along with networking, entertainment, plenty of Cantonese-style dumplings, lechon, and unlimited drinks for attendees.
Event: GDC 2022 Beach Party Time: 4:00PM-? Cost: Free Tickets available: None needed Location: Ocean Beach Fire Pits Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/262943079146602 Description: “As per tradition, it is setup towards the end of the conference where everyone wants to GTFO and chill to the other side of the city. We will setup camp at the fire pits like a penguin cluster, and we are allowed to grab snacks/drinks from the nearby Safeway, while pumping some music or bringing instruments (note: alcohol is not allowed on the beach.)”
As GDC 2022 nears, you’ll want to keep an eye on this party list as event information is updated and as more events are added.
UPDATE (2/26/22): The GDC 2022 party list has been updated with a fixed link, two revised listings, and two new events.
UPDATE (3/5/22): The GDC 2022 party list has been updated with two revised listings and four new events.
UPDATE (3/12/22): The GDC 2022 party list has been updated with two revised listings and five new events.
UPDATE (3/19/22): The GDC 2022 party list has been updated with six revised listings (several events now sold out) and twenty-two new events.
UPDATE (3/20/22): The GDC 2022 party list has been updated with four revised listings and two new events.
UPDATE (3/22/22): The GDC 2022 party list has been updated with five revised listings and six new events.
We’ve been sharing videos in recent months to share walkthroughs of shows that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, like at last year’s PAX West. Those looks and takes can be pretty interesting and insightful for folks who can’t attend these shows because of distance, cost, or health-related risks. But this time, let’s take a look at what many might find to be an interesting talk from PAX Unplugged 2021, a hybrid event hosted last December that focuses on tabletop, card games and other analog game experiences.
Rym DeCoster, Producer at GeekNights, a “talk radio show for hobbyists, tinkerers, and, for lack of a better word, geeks,” presents this hour-long talk on the subject of rare game mechanics and shares it on YouTube. In the video description, Rym describes what common game mechanics are in tabletop games, like drafting cards, rolling dice, and choosing actions.
The description then asks these questions:
Ever play a game with a Rondel? Experience the glory of a ‘Promise Cube?’ Wait until we talk about what can only be described as ‘Bohnanza Hand!’
If these terms are unfamiliar to you, you are not alone. In his YouTube video, Rym explains in some detail how these rare game mechanics function in tabletop/card games, so players can identify them and game creators can consider including them. Take a look at the full PAX Unplugged 2021 session video to answer the questions posed in the description plus other unusual mechanics:
And, if you also want to take a look at a PAX Unplugged 2021 walkthrough, stop on by this snappy seven-minute look at the show from Czech Games Edition.
Enjoyed the video? Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos!
Whether you are an event coordinator, press, or general attendee, if you have an event video to share with us, please let us know and we’ll be happy to feature it!
The 2022 Game Developer Conference (GDC) is just around the corner. And with it, the details about the speakers and content are coming together for the hybrid iteration of this influential game developer show. GDC’s organizers have recently announced their agenda is now online, covering both the online and in-person portions of the show. And, without a doubt, there is plenty to talk about after two years without an in-person GDC event.
It’s been a wild ride for the game industry in the last couple years, including high-visibility change and upheaval around unionization (such as at Vodeo Games), workplace culture (like at Activision Blizzard and UbiSoft), work-life balance, and managing a post-pandemic form of work. These topics are reflected in many of the sessions. For example, this is one of the GDC 2022’s featured sessions, a multi-session exploration of the changing dynamic of what it means to work in game development:
David Anfossi (Head of Studio, Eidos-Montréal) Davina Mackey (Director & President, PlayStation Studios QA & Black@PlayStation) Mike Wilson (Founding Partner, Devolver Digital)
“In this installment of the GDC Main Stage, ‘The Developer’s Renaissance’ is a multi-part presentation about the future of game development and the evolving workplace. It’s an introspection about how the pandemic allowed the industry to reexamine how things are done—figuring out what’s important (and perhaps what’s not), and how things can be better moving forward. Topics include: finding the right balance in a remote/hybrid work environment, taking a stronger approach to addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace, and empowering developers to ‘kill it with kindness.'”
One of GDC’s long-standing popular sessions are retrospectives, or “postmortems,” that look back on the good, bad, and the ugly from the development of classic and popular games — from the unique perspective of their creators. One such session includes a very familiar developer and first-person shooter game in the business and gaming development community:
Wolfenstein 3D is widely viewed as the breakthrough game that opened the doors to the development of many other FPS games, including the incredibly popular DOOM series that followed. (Image: id Software)
John Romero (Managing Director, Romero Games Ltd.)
“Wolfenstein 3D Postmortem: In early 1992, id Software had just shipped their latest 2D platform games and were ready for something different. Having released the first texture-mapped 3D shooter, Catacomb 3D, just a couple months earlier, they were planning what their next project would be. Wolfenstein 3D was an ambitious design for an MS-DOS PC in 1992. There were no GPUs, most games were 320×200 pixels, a lot of memory was 4GB, and mice were rarely used. Follow the journey that the four founders of id Software took to create a watershed moment in gaming history that showed the world that the PC could play a new kind of game that no other machine could replicate. Game designer, programmer, and id Software co-founder, John Romero, will take the audience through this short seven month timeline and show you just how much happened during Wolfenstein 3D’s development rollercoaster ride.”
The Virtual Reality Developer Summit was a standalone event that accompanied GDC, but it’s now reincorporated into GDC as the “Future Realities Summit.” There will be a broad number of sessions covering virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, and, of course, the catch-all concept of the metaverse. One of the sessions an interested GDC attendee may want to check out is:
“Tech companies are working hard to create the metaverse, but a number of games already offer their version of it. This talk will assess and quantifiably rank the main games contenders by looking at what makes a successful metaverse, and how companies both inside and outside gaming can benefit from it.”
Besides the Future Realities Summit, another new summit added for GDC 2022 is the Open Source Game Development Summit. This summit is about developers who are using, or who are interested in, using open source tools in their developer tool stack. One example of a talk an attendee may find in this summit is:
“Game studios are using open source at an increasing pace, but that’s not necessarily good. Like many things, the devil lies in the details. There’s much more to open source than getting utilities for free. With just a little thought and effort, open source can be a strategic super power for studios, reducing staff recruiting and onboarding times while giving a big boost to branding.
Come learn from a corporate open source strategist and the founder of a popular (and open source!) narrative design tool, then take your studio to the next level with open source.”
Of course, these examples barely scratch the surface of the sessions available through “GDC week,” which you can check out here. GDC 2022 takes place from Monday, March 21 to Friday, March 25, returning to the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. Conference health and safety guidelines that reflect current COVID-19 guidance can be found at this link. The virtual GDC event has a longer window for participation, with the event starting on March 21 until Friday, April 1. Virtual sessions will be available for on-demand viewing through April 1. For folks anxious to build their agenda, they’ll be able to plan out their schedule on March 14, which is when the virtual GDC event platform and mobile app should be available.
For virtual and in-person GDC pass options, visit the GDC registration page for more information.
February 15, 2022 – New York City – AWE, the foremost XR (Extended Reality) community complemented with premier worldwide events focused on the business of Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and the Metaverse, today announced the first wave of speakers participating in AWE 2022.
Following last year’s successful AWE show, which included keynote speakers such as John Hanke (CEO, Niantic®) and Bobby Murphy (CTO, Snap®), AWE is excited to now confirm industry legend John Riccitiello as a Keynote Speaker for 2022.
John is President & Chief Executive Officer at Unity® Technologies (NYSE: U), one of the world’s leading platforms for creating and operating real-time 3D content for mobile phones, tablets, PCs, consoles, and AR/VR devices. Mr. Riccitiello will kick off this year’s June 1-3 in-person event in Santa Clara, CA.
Every year at AWE, sponsors and exhibitors make some of the tech industry’s most compelling and important XR-related announcements. With this year’s conference focusing on ‘Where XR Business Thrives’, AWE 2022 will once again be held as a face-to-face, physical event featuring a wide range of hands-on demos available for the expected 5,000+ attendees.
A diverse range of speakers across 12 expertly-curated tracks, including high-level representatives from Autodesk®, Chick-fil-A®, Deutsche Telekom®, P&G®, Siemens® and Walmart®, are currently confirmed. With 250 exhibitors and 400 speakers comprised of visionary leaders as well as up-and-coming startups from across the XR industry expected, now is the time to apply to become an exhibitor, speaker or sponsor by reaching out to AWE staff via https://www.awexr.com.
“2022 is poised to be the biggest year in the history of XR and there is no better place to see it in action than at AWE USA,” said Ori Inbar, AWE CEO and co-founder. “Just 7 months after the very successful gathering in November, AWE will recreate the magic by bringing together the entire XR community – in person – under one roof. It will coalesce around 400 of the top speakers and thought leaders in the industry – continuing with our commitment for diversity and gender parity – and will feature the largest-ever exhibition for the XR industry.”
XR professionals and technology enthusiasts do not have to wait until the conference in June to get involved with AWE, thanks to AWE’s online ecosystem. The 24/7/365 community at www.AWE.live provides XR professionals and enthusiasts with:
Year-round online events and meetups in 25+ cities – an always-on platform that enables the XR community to learn, connect and grow;
High-quality educational classes and workshops with the best instructors from the XR community via the AWE Academy portal;
Resources for the XR industry in the form of news digests, talks and demos, jobs boards, enterprise research, and events listings;
The XR industry’s most prestigious and long standing awards competition – The Auggie Awards.
AWE USA 2022 will take place from June 1-3 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Tickets are on sale now, with Super-Early-Bird rates available for a short time until March 1. To purchase tickets and save up to $800 before these rates expire, click here.
To help you discover upcoming game industry events calendar that includes conferences, conventions, festivals and many other types of events, we post a consolidated list here on Events for Gamers each month.
February again brings a hopeful sign that the game industry events are starting to return to normal, even while we struggle with a resurgence in the pandemic. While 2022 is certainly going to be mixed for online-only vs on-site, part of that mix now includes online-only events not due necessarily to the pandemic but also due to simply good business. We shall see how the year progresses, but our estimate is by end of 2022 we will see the ‘new normal’ solidify for events moving forward long-term.
We’d like to emphasize that while a new normal is taking place, we don’t see the value in on-site events dropping, as they still have a valuable place for a variety of industry needs.
View this month’s event list below. You can also click here for the main calendar view that includes events into 2022 and beyond.
