Florence wins the Grand Prix and walks off with two other awards
San Francisco, CA (GDC) – 20 March 2019 – The International Mobile Gaming Awards (IMGA) today announced the winners of their 15th edition. In total, the jury selected 16 winners from a shortlist of 153 nominees that were previously hand-picked from nearly 800 submissions, with a 16th winner selected by the public.
The internationally acclaimed game Florence won the Grand Prix as well as the Best Meaningful Play and Excellence in Storytelling. The game Flippin Filip won the Jury’s Honorable Mention, while thousands of online voters chose Cooking Diary ®: Restaurant Game as the winner of the People’s Choice Award with more than 500 votes from all over the world.
The IMGA introduced a new category “Feel Good Games”, games that are intended to get you in a more relaxed mood. The game Valleys Between, made by Little Lost Fox, New Zealand.
“I’d like to thank our jury, for all their hard work: the 250 jury members who gave their scores online, working through the 800 submissions and the 15 jury members who gathered in Helsinki this February to judge the 153 preselected games,” says Maarten Noyons, Founder of the IMGA.
We want to thank all our sponsors: Rovio, Supercell, Resolution Games, Matchmade and Mobile Action and the City of Helsinki, host of the 15th IMGA judging session.
Winners of IMGA special category prizes include:
Excellence in Visual Art and Design: CHUCHEL, AMANITA DESIGN, CZECH REPUBLIC
Best Multiplayer Game: BRAWL STARS, SUPERCELL, FINLAND
Best Quickplay Game: ODDMAN, SET SNAIL, DENMARK
Guilty Pleasure: BACON – THE GAME, KAMIBOX, GERMANY
Best Meaningful Play: FLORENCE, MOUNTAINS, AUSTRALIA
Excellence in Gameplay: BRING YOU HOME, ALIKE STUDIO, SPAIN
Excellence in Storytelling: FLORENCE, MOUNTAINS, AUSTRALIA
Best Technical Achievement: ASPHALT 9: LEGENDS – 2019’s ACTION CAR RACING GAME, GAMELOFT, SPAIN
Best Upcoming Game: AGATHA KNIFE, MANGO PROTOCOL, SPAIN
Excellence in Innovation: GLADIABOTS, GFX47, FRANCE
Excellence in Audio: ELOH, BROKEN RULES INTERACTIVE MEDIA / JCSTRANGER / SALON ALPIN, AUSTRIA
Best Feel Good Game: VALLEYS BETWEEN, LITTLE LOST FOX, NEW ZEALAND
Best VR Game: NARROWS, RESOLUTION GAMES, SWEDEN
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People’s Choice Award: COOKING DIARY ®: RESTAURANT GAME, MYTONA, RUSSIA
Jury’s Honorable Mention: FLIPPIN FILIP, DEEDEMA GAME STUDIO, IRAN
Grand Prix: FLORENCE, MOUNTAINS, AUSTRALIA
Held during gaming week in San Francisco, the 15th IMGA ceremony was presented by the Australian host Maude Garrett at the Minna Gallery, followed by an exclusive after-party hosted by Rovio who celebrated the 10 years of Angry Birds, the party had over 700 guests.
About IMGA
Created in 2004, the IMGA is the longest standing mobile games award program. With its long history and unique judging process, it has recognized some of the world’s most popular titles in their early days, such as Plants vs Zombies, Badland and Monument Valley. It is the only competition that unites the industry by celebrating excellence and innovation in games. In 2016 the IMGA launched local competitions in Southeast Asia, China, and Middle East North Africa, while keeping an international competition, rebranded IMGA Global.
To see more about this year’s winners and stay in tune with our upcoming international programs, go to www.imgawards.com.
The World’s Largest Professional Game Industry Event Kicks Off 33rd Edition
With Five Days of Education, Inspiration, and Networking
SAN FRANCISCO – March 18, 2019 – The 2019 Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest event for professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games, kicks off today with its 33rd edition at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. This year, the GDC will again feature a roster of more than a thousand esteemed speakers across a week of lectures, tutorials, roundtable discussions, and networking events.
This year adds a new showcase presentation in the form of the GDC Main Stage: The Developers Journey, a multipart presentation that features speakers from Media Molecule, Hello Games, and Microsoft describing their experiences overcoming challenges and finding inspiration in the development process. GDC 2019 will also mark the return of the Vision Track, a series of mini-keynotes designed to provoke and inspire, featuring speakers from Niantic, Valve, Harvard University’s Desirability Lab, Walt Disney Imagineering, and others.
VRDC returns to GDC 2019 for its fourth consecutive year on March 18-19, giving attendees the opportunity to learn about virtual reality and augmented reality in game development across disciplines including Design, Production, Programming, and Visual Art. The GDC Summits, which also take place March 18-19, offer in-depth insight in focused, full-day Summits and Tutorials covering a comprehensive range of game development disciplines including Artificial Intelligence, Community Management, Education, Game Narrative, Mobile, Independent Games, and User Experience (UX).
Following VRDC and the GDC Summits, the main GDC conference content will kick-off on Wednesday, March 20. GDC 2019 will feature five Classic Game Postmortems, which will have the creators of Command & Conquer, Paperboy, Lemmings, Spider-Man 2 and the Panzer Dragoon series detailing the struggles, the spark of imagination, and the successes of some of gaming’s most revered titles. The content of GDC will again feature key insights from some of the biggest names in electronic entertainment, including Sony, Microsoft, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Capcom, Bungie, Epic Games, Bethesda Softworks, and hundreds more.
New to 2019, GDC will host a special set of activities in the beautiful Yerba Buena Gardens, adjacent to Moscone Convention Center. Called GDC @ The Gardens, together with Niantic, the area will be set up with chairs, picnic tables, and blankets, and those with or without a GDC pass can visit the area to relax in an open and welcoming space during the week of GDC. Courtesy of Pokemon Go maker Niantic, there will be a number of Pokestops and other promotional activations nearby. The team behind Off The Grid will also bring a number of food trucks for GDC pass holders to purchase local treats. A series of low-key, chilled musical performances are also scheduled to take place for two hours a day, starting at 3PM each day of the conference.
The 21st annual Independent Games Festival (IGF) Awards, which honor the most promising developers and projects from the world of independent video games, and the 19th annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCAs), which recognizes and celebrates the creativity, artistry and technical ingenuity of the finest developers and games of the last year, will both take place back-to-back on Wednesday, March 20, starting at 6:30pm PT. The GDCAs will also feature special honors for important industry leaders, including respected writer and creative director, Amy Hennig, who will be awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award, and veteran producer of iconic Sega titles, Rieko Kodama, who will be awarded the Pioneer Award. Both awards ceremonies are available to attend for all GDC 2019 pass holders and will be livestreamed on the GDC’s official Twitch, Steam, and Mixer channels.
For those attendees looking to connect with fellow gamers, the GDC will host a variety of Community Spaces that are open to all attendees throughout the week. After its successful debut in 2018, the GDC Film Festival will return to host a series of films that focus on the topic of games and game development. The festival is open to all attendees on a first-come, first-served basis. The alt.ctrl.GDC space will allow attendees to play creative new titles that use non-traditional controllers. The Community Spaces also include the VR showcase space, VR Play, the alternative games and digital experience showcase known as Mild Rumpus, the board game play area known as Shut Up and Sit Down, GDC Retro Play, an area for retro game fans to reflect on classics of years past, and The Train Jam area which will showcase titles developed in their entirety over the course of a Chicago-to-San Francisco train ride to GDC. GDC 2019 will also host a number of community spaces showcasing independent games, with the return of the Indie MEGABOOTH Showcase, GDC Play, IGF Pavilion and Day of the Devs by iam8bit and Double Fine.
In total, the GDC consists of more than 780 lectures, panels, tutorials and roundtable discussions. The GDC Expo will feature more than 550 exhibiting companies.
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/. Both the Game Developers Choice Awards and IGF ceremonies are available to attend for all GDC 2019 pass-holders.
About GDC
The Game Developers Conference® (GDC) is the world’s largest professional game industry event with market-defining content for programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals, business decision makers, and others involved in the development of interactive games and immersive experiences. GDC brings together the global game development community year-round through events and digital media, including the Virtual Reality Developers Conference (VRDC), XRDC, GDC Vault, Gamasutra, Game Career Guide, Independent Games Festival and Summit, and the Game Developers Choice Awards.
GDC is organized by UBM, which in June 2018 combined with Informa PLC to become a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B Events organizer in the world. To learn more and for the latest news and information, visit www.ubm.com and www.informa.com
We’re excited to be presenting yet another great list of upcoming industry events! To help you discover upcoming game industry conferences, conventions, festivals and other events, we post a consolidated list here on Events for Gamers each month.
View the complete May event list below. You can also click here for the main calendar view.
Lately, information security (infosec) and games have been starting to inch a bit close to together in the large digital sandbox they both play in.
Take infosec solutions provider McAfee, for example. The Santa Clara-based company has recently been beating the drum about that gradually increasing Venn diagram-style overlap of infosec and games. In mid-2018, McAfee put out a report describing how gamers make ideal candidates in cybersecurity, because of gamers easy embrace of competitiveness and inherent understanding of “gamification.”. Then, in early 2019, McAfee, published another games-and-infosec focused paper. This time the report was from the consumer perspective, discussing how online security is a major concern for PC gamers and how some online habits might put some of these gamers at risk.
Besides reports, conferences are another way to talk about influential topics driving an industry. For example, discussing all aspects of Europe’s comprehensive General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules that affect the data handling and data privacy, including those of gamers too, will be a big part of the show’s conversation this year.
More About RSA?
RSA Conferences are a multinational series of conferences and expos, which focus on the vast ecosystem of security. Granted, RSA is not likely a show the majority of gamers would be interested in. But, some game developers and publishers, especially from IT departments; professional gamers; some technology and financial transaction partners; hackers; career-switchers would be interested in what RSA offers. In fact, at last year’s RSA, game designer Jane McGonigal spoke about how games impact the future of everything, including security.
RSA’s North American conference, held in San Francisco, attracted over 42,000 attendees in 2018. (For scale, there were about 28,000 attendees from the most recent Game Developers Conference.) Coming up next: RSA 2019 will again be held in San Francisco, this year from March 4-8.
RSA for gamers
Even though most of the content at RSA overlaps with game development and gamers (like those GDPR data privacy rules) because the infosec field touches almost every business, there are a few talks and companies present that will be flying the “game” flag.
On the sprawling expo floor, look for companies using game mechanics, like security education providers, Security Mentor and Inspired eLearning among several such companies Other companies, like the aforementioned McAfee, will be showing off security solutions for gamers, like McAfee Gamer Security. Still other companies, like Cybereason, A10, and many others will be showcasing solutions using technologies shared in common with some game development, like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and so on. In short, you won’t lack for relevant companies to chat with if any of these topics are interesting to you.
This seminar looks like a panel designed with parents, who want to be aware of their kids’ online habits, in mind. Playing games safely are specifically discussed during a session in the morning and afternoon of this all-day seminar. But there are other tips for online safety that are covered too. Notably, this seminar is included among the “expo plus” access content.
Francis Dewing, CEO of Rubica, discusses how mobile gaming apps might seem harmless but are being used as a gateway to other devices and more sensitive information. Like the prior talk, this event is also offered as content under the “Expo
Plus header.
In this three-hour session, which requires a full conference pass, participants compete with each other, using different computer languages, in a “gamified” environment to become a “Secure Code Warrior. This might be a great exercise to compete in if you have a programming background but the gamer instinct to compete for the win.
How to Attend
There’s plenty of options to attend RSA at different levels of engagement, but if you primarily want access to the expo floor and some of the free content, the Expo Pass option — mentioned earlier — is your best bet. While the official site does not offer the pass for free, many RSA free expo pass codes can be found online.
Whether you’re attending because you wonder the best way to keep malware from your child’s phone or need to figure out a gamified security learning solution for your Fortune 1000 game development company, RSA likely has the education or the solution in their corner of that big digital sandbox.
March is one of those complicated months, at least in and around the games industry, that throws around a lot of scheduling headaches for event planners and attendees. In recent years, the schedules for South by Southwest (SXSW), Penny Arcade Expo East (PAX East), NVIDIA’s GPU Tech Conference, and the Game Developers Conference have sometimes run up against each other — even overlapped each other. Cross-country flights, complex scheduling gymnastics, making sacrifices of business over passion (and vice versa) sometimes ensue.
It should be mentioned that organizers do not do this deliberately, giving attendees and event marketers headaches, since they usually have to reserve event venues months or years in advance, so intersections like this can happen.
In this case, during March 2019, the event-planning powers that be have dictated that the Game Developers Conference and NVIDIA’s GPU Tech Conference are not only in the San Francisco Bay area but share overlapping schedules and interest groups. GDC is hosted from Monday, March 18 to Friday, March 22. GTC is hosted from that Monday to Thursday, March 21. As icing on this complicated cake, both events also have pre-activities taking place on Sunday, March 17th.
The struggle is real when trying to schedule how to attend both GDC and GTC (credit: Micah Blumberg)
What’s a conflicted game developer or business person in games to do when deciding between these high-profile events, each with different connections to the game industry?
If you’re struggling with making a choice on which of the two conferences to attend and when, here’s a few considerations that might help you decide how to invest your time at either, or both, events.
Topics:
NVIDIA’s GTC event has evolved into a conference focused on the cutting edge of cloud- and silicon-based computing. The GTC 2019 website helpfully categorizes talks by topics and industry. If you look in “Media/Entertainment,” then “Gaming and AI” talks, you’ll have drilled down to the gaming-focused talks. If gaming is not your main interest, there are plenty of other topics that might fit what you’re looking for.
One GTC attendee mentioned the technical depth and focus of that show’s talks as one reason why that show attracts him. “GTC is incredibly more technical, and has tracks for a wide swath of industries beyond games. I’d recommend GDC for anyone who’s not interested in research or programming,” said Paul Edmondson, an industry professional with experience in film, games, and computer graphics.
GDC talks cover a lot more ground for a lot more attendees. Beyond the main conference content, there are several topical summits across the business and craft of game development. As it happens, there’s plenty of NVIDIA-centered content at GDC 2019 too. Even if you can only commit to GDC, even with an expo pass alone, you don’t have to lose out on NVIDIA’s perspective if you don’t want to.
Cost:
If cost, more than anything else, is a determining factor, the options between both conferences are actually quite similar. The (current) regular registration rates for both end on March 15th, then the on-site rate kicks in. The expo pass option, which generally gives access to the expo floors and sponsored talk, is $250 at GDC and $300 at GTC (or $75 for Thursday only if you’re a student).
On the other end of the spectrum, with “all access” for both conferences, you can expect to shell out over $2,000. As one might expect, an all access conference pass type provides access to all levels of talks and the expo floor experience too. GTC, however, makes it easy to invest a specific day into the event by offering one-day passes, which some attendees may prefer, either for cost or convenience.
Networking: Because of the scale of GDC 2019, in terms of regions, topics, and attendees, there’s no shortage of networking opportunities in the venue-packed South of Market neighborhood near the Moscone Convention Center. Our Events for Gamers’ events list for GDC 2019 attests to that. If it’s important to you have a cornucopia of networking choices, for either business or fun, it’s well worth exploring the options in and around the Game Developer’s Conference — whether you’re attending the conference or not.
GTC, however, will have most of its networking options on-site at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. The receptions and “dinner with strangers” can be found on the conference agenda. There are likely to be a few offsite events as well but nothing at the scale of GDC’s offerings.
But, as has been mentioned before, if GPUs, AI, machine learning, deep learning, mixed reality, cloud computing light your fire, you are unlikely to do any better than GTC 2019 for finding professionals and enthusiasts of like mind.
If you try to go to both conferences
If you want the best of both worlds and have the ability to choose to attend both events, be sure to plan and prioritize for what’s most important to you during that busy week. Aside from topical differences, the sponsors reflect those differences too. More hardware, cloud computing and cloud hosting companies attend GTC, while GDC covers everything from development platform companies AAA developers and almost everything in games in-between.
Also include transit time between San Francisco and San Jose in the event-splitting plans you make, whether driving, ride-sharing or taking public transit. Traffic will definitely be a factor for the first two options.
One of the highlights of GTC is NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang’s keynote, which will be on Monday afternoon. The NVIDIA roadmap, discussions about machine learning, AI and robotics, even gaming, will be addressed in the wide-ranging keynote address. Or, set aside time to watch the keynotes on livestream.
I will only have expo pass this time and will split the time with GTC/GDC and meetings every day ….looking forward to it also….will be fun to meet all the brilliant people!!
Can you spare a day (or two) away from GDC between Tuesday or Thursday? One day GTC expo or one-day conference passes, as mentioned, are available. Checking out GTC’s expo hall is usually an interesting and insightful experience, with plenty of virtual reality, robotics, AI, machine learning and even some game demos and platform companies to check out
If you feel more invested in GTC but still want to check out the Game Developers Conference, keep in mind that GDC doesn’t offer day passes — only program passes, such as for tutorials, summits, and the main conference track. An expo pass might be the safest investment if you prefer to put your fingers on the pulse of the game industry without sinking a lot of money into a pass. Wednesday and Thursday offer full expo hours at GDC, which gives an attendee a good chunk of time to check out the vendor tables and game developer showcases.
Whichever way you go, if you have a game plan for this week and an understanding of your priorities, you will get the good stuff you need from either (or both) GDC or GTC.
LONDON, ON – February 26, 2019 – Canadian game developer and publisher Digital Extremes is ecstatic to announce ticket tier details for TennoCon 2019, its fourth annual Warframe® convention, and its official partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association, Middlesex Branch (CMHA Middlesex) of London, Ontario. To be held Saturday, July 6, in the London, Ontario Convention Center, TennoCon 2019 will be bigger and more exciting than ever, featuring fun activities, staff- and partner-led panels, an annual Cosplay Contest, playable game kiosks, and will finish with TennoLive, the bigger-than-life Devstream packed full of surprises. Last year’s event revealed Railjack, Fortuna, The New War, and Warframe on Nintendo Switch™. What will this year’s TennoLive offer? Come to TennoCon or watch it on www.twitch.tv/warframe to find out!
Interested in seeing the world’s largest gathering of Warframe players?
TennoCon 2019 tickets are available from a handful of tiers starting at 11 am PST/2 pm EST, Thursday, February 28, at the official TennoCon website, warframe.com/tennocon. A portion of the event’s proceeds will be donated to CMHA, Middlesex.
Full Day Ticket – $30 CAD – includes full-day access to the conference and Swag Bag, TennoCon digital Glyph, Sigil, Exclusive Cosmetic (Armor Set), 475 Platinum, Digital Art Piece (Ship Deco), Emote, and exclusive access to Baro Ki’Teer in the TennoCon Relay with a new extended time: 8 am PST/11 am EST, Saturday, July 6, to 8 am PST/11 am EST, Saturday, July 13.
Collector’s Ticket – $75 CAD – includes full-day access to the conference, Swag Bag, TennoCon digital Glyph, Sigil, Exclusive Cosmetic (Armor Set), 1,000 Platinum, Digital Art Piece (Ship Deco), Emote, exclusive access to Baro Ki’Teer in the TennoCon Relay with a new extended time: 8 am PST/11 am EST, Saturday, July 6, to 8 am PST/11 am EST, Saturday, July 13; and 2019 TennoCon Collector’s T-shirt.
Limited VIP Ticket – $250 CAD – includes full-day access to the conference, Swag Bag, TennoCon digital Glyph, Sigil, Exclusive Cosmetic (Armor Set), 1,000 Platinum, Digital Art Piece (Ship Deco), Emote, exclusive access to Baro Ki’Teer in the TennoCon Relay, with a new extended time: 8 am PST/11 am EST, Saturday, July 6, to 8 am PST/11 am EST, Saturday, July 13; VIP Brunch @ Digital Extremes, Early Access to TennoCon, Collector’s Statue: Choose your own (Valkyr/Nyx/Rhino/Mag), and 2019 TennoCon Collector’s T-shirt.
Limited Legendary Ticket – $1,000 CAD – includes full-day access to the conference, Swag Bag, TennoCon digital Glyph, Sigil, Exclusive Cosmetic (Armor Set), 1,000 Platinum, Digital Art Piece (Ship Deco), Emote, exclusive access to Baro Ki’Teer in the TennoCon Relay with a new extended time: 8 am PST/11 am EST, Saturday, July 6, to 8 am PST/11 am EST, Saturday, July 13; 2019 TennoCon Collector’s T-shirt, VIP Brunch @ Digital Extremes, Collector’s Statue: Choose your own (Valkyr/Nyx/Rhino/Mag), Early Access to TennoCon, 4x TennoCon T-shirt mega-pack, NPC Voice Recording Session: Voice a Relay NPC!, DevStream Team Session: Ask your own questions for a 15-minute personal Devstream Couch Session (not streamed)!, and Custom Personal Glyph (We’ll design a Glyph with you that’s yours and yours alone).
Digital Pack (sales start Tuesday, March 19) – $24.99 USD – For players unable to attend TennoCon, this Digital Pack offers these exclusive goods, including TennoCon digital Glyph, Sigil, Cosmetic (Armor Set), 475 Platinum, Digital Art Piece, Emote, and exclusive access to Baro Ki’Teer in the TennoCon Relay. Digital Packs can be purchased at warframe.com/tennocon, and at the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store and Nintendo eShop.
TennoCon is one of the most powerful ways for Digital Extremes to share, connect and celebrate Warframe with its community, who travel from as close as Toronto and as far away as Australia to attend. As a key pillar in its mission to embrace and support its community, Digital Extremes this year has partnered with Canadian Mental Health Association, Middlesex Branch (CMHA Middlesex) of London, Ontario. CMHA Middlesex will attend TennoCon with volunteer staff members and stage a booth with information of its vital services. Its team will participate alongside DE’s in celebrating the strength of communicative, supportive, and inclusive communities.
“CMHA Middlesex is excited to partner with Digital Extremes and bring a greater understanding of self-care and mental health to the digital and gaming industry,” said Beth Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Mental Health Association, Middlesex. “Mental health and addictions are at the forefront of our society’s conversations, and as more individuals come forward we are thankful for the partnerships with community-focused organizations that help us promote positive mental health and support those with mental health concerns. We look forward to partnering with Digital Extremes and continuing the conversation around mentally healthy lifestyles for the gaming community.”
Available now for free across four platforms and powered by more than 38 million registered users worldwide, Warframe has nurtured a devoted community by embracing it. Now in its fourth year, TennoCon is Digital Extremes’ way of thanking its community and celebrating its diversity, support, and citizenship!
This year, the Warframe Cosplay contest is rewarding more contestants than ever before. Digital Extremes is offering a grand prize total of $6,000 (CAD) to the best-of-show contestant, $3,000 (CAD) for second place, and $1,000 (CAD) for third place.
Players unable to attend TennoCon can tune into TennoCon online at twitch.tv/warframe throughout the day for exciting reveals and rewards, highlighted by the ultimate Warframe stream, TennoLive!
For more information about Warframe and to download it for free on PC, Xbox One, PS4, or Nintendo Switch™ visit the official website at warframe.com.
The first batch of speakers revealed: Atari, NEO, Reality Clash and Block.one confirmed to speak at Crypto Games Conference, April 25-26,Minsk!
Speakers Announced!
Today we are excited to announce the first batch of speakers for the third edition of Crypto Games Conference, which will take place in Minsk, Belarus on April 25th and 26th. The all-star lineup includes representatives of such renowned brands as Atari, Gumi, NEO, Block.one and OpenSea. Don’t miss the opportunity to meet industry leaders in person during the biggest blockchain gaming summit in the world!
Crypto Games Conference is the first conference in the world dedicated to games and gaming services with use of blockchain and cryptocurrencies.
What awaits you at the upcoming Crypto Games Conference ?
2 days of networking, learning and doing business; •1000+ delegates from over 30 countries; •100+ speakers in 3 business tracks full of talks and panel discussions; •CGC Showcase for startups and indie developers to demonstrate their games; •Legendary CGC networking events (pre-party, party, mingle, etc.).
Global judging session to be held February 25 & 26 at Helsinki’s premier games industry venue
MARSEILLE, February 18, 2019 – The International Mobile Gaming Awards (IMGA) are delighted to announce that, for the second consecutive year, the largest and longest-running global competition for mobile games will bring its jury of international experts to Helsinki to determine the winners of this year’s competition. Helsinki is the heart of the Finnish Game Industry, home to more than 100 gaming companies, and is widely considered the European capital of game design. The IMGA signed a three-year partnership agreement in 2018 with Helsinki, which secures a home for the competition’s jury through 2020.
The 15th IMGA Global judging session will be held on February 25 and 26th, 2019 at Helsinki Games Factory, Helsinki’s premier games industry coworking space and events venue. During the two days judging period, industry experts will gather from around the world to play and judge more than 100 nominated games. Together they will determine this year’s Grand Prize winner, as well as 14 category winners representing the best mobile, AR and VR games and developers of the year.
This year’s IMGA jury is comprised of a diverse cross-section of the industry and includes journalists, developers, designers, and industry executives. This year’s jury also includes a large number of female judges, which is a direct reflection of the industry’s growing efforts to eliminate the gender imbalance in STEM disciplines.
“Helsinki carries the best ecosystem for local connectedness in the world. The local gaming industry and community has contributed significantly to this success. The City of Helsinki together with the local industry are committed in keeping Helsinki region as the number one place to develop games in the years to come.” Said Tommo Koivusalo, Head of NewCo Helsinki, Economic Development City of Helsinki.
“Helsinki is where the first mobile game was created back in 1997: Snake,” added Maarten, Noyons, founder of the IMGA, “Over the last 20 years, Finland has produced many of the most influential mobile games, some of which are even past IMGA winners. Our partnership with the city will join experts from around the world with the talented professionals already present in Helsinki, and will serve to showcase the region for all those who want to join this unique hotspot of talent and expertise.”
Following the judging session in Helsinki in February, winners of the 15th IMGA will be announced in San Francisco on March 19, 2019, to coincide with GDC.
About IMGA
The IMGA is the longest standing mobile games award program started in 2004. With its long history and unique judging process, it has recognized some of the world’s most popular titles in their early days, such as Candy Crush Saga and Clash of Clans. It is the only competition that unites the industry by celebrating excellence and innovation in games.
Events for Gamers is partnering with Game Connection America to sell an exclusive set of passes through our system at a special 10% OFF rate. Are you looking to attend? Click the button below to register today.
All passes through Events for Gamers are backed by our exclusive partnership with Game Connection America. Upon arrival at the event, see the registration desk and provide your Events for Gamers Ticket Purchase #, Name, and Email Address.
At CES 2019, amidst the tech- and hype-fueled mayhem around the Las Vegas Strip, I took up an invitation to meet with the Anaheim, California-based up-and-coming accessories company, Mobile Edge, that’s been steadily building a name for itself.
Following our conversation in that (blessedly) quiet suite with wall-to-wall accessories, touching on esports, gamer culture, events and more, Events for Gamers whipped up a Q&A with Mobile Edge’s VP of Marketing, Paul June. He shares a few insights on the growth of influencers and competitive gaming — and where he sees the Mobile Edge brand fitting in.
Paul June, VP of Marketing, Mobile Edge (photo credit: Paul June)
Events for Gamers (E4G): We’d love to start off with a look at Mobile Edge and, especially, what the company offers for gamers?
Paul June: Mobile Edge has been at the forefront of producing products used by the gaming industry for more than 15 years. We work with Alienware and Razer to produce a wide range of gaming bags, backpacks, and accessories, including apparel for Alienware. And in 2017, we worked specifically with gamers to design and manufacture our own line of Core gaming products, which features the twice MVP award-winning Core Gaming Backpack, plus mobile power accessories and mouse pads.
E4G: What was the reason behind creating a Kickstarter campaign for your CES 2019 centerpiece, the CORE gaming backpack? How did that crowdfunding campaign go?
Paul: Our reasons for utilizing a Kickstarter campaign to introduce the Core Gaming Backpack to the market were numerous. We had worked for months with gamers to develop a prototype, so we wanted to validate the marketplace. Was the CORE Gaming Backpack something people really wanted? Would they buy it, use it, or at least check it out? We also wanted to open a new channel for early adopters and reward those people willing to partner with us in the development phase with some cool gear.
In addition, our own industry research and customer feedback—remember we’ve been doing gaming gear for 15+ years—showed that the marketplace was eager for this kind of offering. We were also looking for a springboard event for the new Core product line that would lead both into the 2017 holiday season (the Kickstarter ran from August to September 2017) and into the following year.
CORE 16″ laptop/gaming backpack (photo credit: Mobile Edge)
As for how the campaign went, you know you’re successful when you ask yourself “Given what I know now, would I do it all again?” and the answer is a resounding “YES!” Not only did the Kickstarter campaign generate the funding we targeted to launch the new product line, but it also helped us make many important new connections with people in the gaming industry, including gamers, esports teams, fans, and various gaming and esports organizations.
E4G: Besides your own products, which other gaming brands do you work with in terms of products you put out there for them in the marketplace?
Paul: We’ve been working with Alienware and Razer for 15 years (and counting) to produce a variety of gaming bags, backpacks, and accessories, including apparel for Alienware. Our Alienware cases and apparel are always among the favorites for gamers, especially when imprinted with the iconic Alienware logo, and the Razer Tactical Gaming Backpack is always popular.
E4G: What were your goals in attending a massive show like CES 2019? Do you feel you hit the bullseye of what you wanted to accomplish at a show as sprawling and busy as that one?
Paul: Relationships are always critical to the success of any company, and I’ve always found the best way to cement those relationships is to connect face-to-face. So as big as it is, there’s no place on Earth like CES where you can get such an amazing mix of innovators, buyers, distributors, sales reps, and media together in one place to show off and preview some cool tech while also developing and managing all-important relationships. In that regard, CES 2019 was a tremendous success for us and I suspect for many others. I can’t wait until CES 2020!
E4G: How does Mobile Edge work with influencers, streamers, and in esports? What are Mobile Edge’s plans for the future for these pathways to reach gamers?
Paul: The key to our success has been to utilize a wide range of channels to connect us with various stakeholders in the gaming industry. We leverage social media, public relations, strategic partnerships, sponsorships, and influencers to grow and nurture our brand “evangelists” and drive awareness and education about Core Gaming products and Mobile Edge—and it something we see ourselves continuing, and likely expanding, in the future. As you may know, the global audience for esports, including gamers and fans, was expected to reach 380 million people in 2018, and the annual revenue for esports is projected to be $1.5 billion by 2020. Clearly, esports and gaming is a big deal, and it’s only going to continue to grow.
As a leading manufacturer and producer of products used by the gaming industry, it certainly makes sense for us to remain active in this space. (W)e currently have a variety of team and sponsorship initiative in the works. From working with independent teams directly like Hush Mode Gaming and RoadHog Racing to developing college programs with the likes of Georgia Southern, teams, influencers programs, schools, bloggers, social Media, PR, and more fall directly into our “Word on the Street” campaign. It helps not only make people aware of Mobile Edge, but connects us directly to our esports community.
E4G: With so many unboxing videos, products in front of livestreams, brands worn on or used by big-name gamers at tournaments, and so on, is it tough to get products, such as a backpack, in front of a lot of eyes?
Paul: Yes, as the marketplace has gotten bigger, it’s also gotten much more crowded and more difficult to distinguish yourself from others. Simply said, our overall game better be tight!
In addition to all the outreach we conduct through various online and traditional marketing channels, we also pride ourselves on listening to and understanding our audience, their needs, and what they want. So not only do we engage gamers to help us prototype products like the CORE Gaming Backpack or use a Kickstarter campaign to launch a new product line or offer what we (and our satisfied customers) firmly believe are superior products, we also offer a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee that’s tops in the industry. It’s the kind of thing that sets us apart, plus it’s the right thing to do!
E4G: Lastly, what might gamers have to look forward to from Mobile Edge over 2019? At which gaming events might your products be found this year?
Paul: I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag, but our plan is pretty fluid at the moment. Suffice to say, there’s potential for big things ahead. Hope to see you at E3!
The legendary Game Developers Conference (GDC) party list we posted last year is back and rebooted — just in time for GDC 2019! The same rules from last year apply: only public (not private or invite-only events) events within GDC’s conference window, which is between Monday, March 17th and Friday, March 22nd, will be listed.
Included in this party list are (of course) parties as well as summits, meetups, showcases, ragers, and so on and so forth. Odds are, if you want to meet folks who share your interests, you’ll find at least one event that matches what you want during the hectic week of GDC.
Have you seen an event posting we should add here, or are you a host of an event? Events for Gamers’ party list will be periodically updated with new or changing events until GDC 2019 is underway.
Event:8th Annual Sunday GDC Kickoff Dinner Time: 5:00PM-10:00PM Cost: $27-$40 Tickets available: Yes Location: Canton Seafood & Dim Sum Restaurant, 665 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA 94017 Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/8th-annual-sunday-gdc-kickoff-dinner-tickets-56843598734 Description: “The 8th Annual Sunday GDC Kickoff Dinner is back again! EIGHT YEARS GOING STRONG and over 4000 attendees since the inception! Join Andrew Alcott (Games Recruiter currently at Glu Mobile) and Shirley Lin (Co-Founder and Chief BizDev at DOGI.io, a platform for Blockchain games) for a grand time meeting with fellow GDC attendees from around the world and enjoy a delicious buffet style dinner at the highly rated, always loved Canton Chinese Restaurant just a few blocks away from the Moscone Center!”
Covering a wide range of topics, such as AAA and indie case studies, the Xbox adaptive controller, games as occupational therapy, accessible player experience design patterns, and the varying perspectives of low vision & legally blind gamers.”
Event: Gaming and Disability Community Reception 2019 Time: 6:00PM-10:00PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Waitlist Location: Children’s Creativity Museum 221 4th St San Francisco, CA 94103 Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/19th-annual-women-in-gaming-rally-tickets-52735272620 Description: “Xbox is proud to host the 2nd annual Gaming and Disability Reception during the 2019 Game Developer’s Conference in partnership with GAConf. Join us to connect & network with other game creators, developers, writers, artists, and more who are striving to make gaming a more accessible medium.”
Event: Indigenous Meetup @GDC Time: 12:30PM-2:30PM Cost: Free Tickets available: No Location: Yerba Buena Gardens 750 Howard St San Francisco, CA 94103 Link: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/indigenous-meetup-gdc-tickets-55923820653 Description: “Calling all Indigenous and Native game people! Come enjoy a low stakes drop in lunch to relax and recharge at GDC while getting a chance to connect & network with other game creators, developers, writers, artists, and more! All you need to bring is a lunch, a drink and a blanket or coat to sit on.”
Event: Gaming for Everyone Community Nexus 2019 Time: 4:00PM-7:00PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Yes Location: Terra Gallery, 511 Harrison Street, San Francisco, California 94105 Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gaming-for-everyone-community-nexus-2019-tickets-53890074664 Description: “Xbox is proud to host the first ever Community Nexus event during the 2019 Game Developer’s Conference! We are bringing you this event in response to your feedback. Last year we held two of our community networking events together in the same venue and the feedback was overwhelming. “More, please.” We heard you and are bringing the Gaming for Everyone Community Nexus, a place where all our developer communities can come together.”
Networking at GDC is often going to take attendees to bars and other venues made for mingling (photo: CC0 license)
Event: CGX Canadian Party & Expo at GDC Time: 6:30PM-8:30PM Cost: Free Tickets available: Yes (with access code) Location: Lucky Strike, 200 King Street, San Francisco, CA 94107 Link: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/cgx-canadian-party-expo-at-gdc-tickets-57205462077 Description: “This event has a big focus on giving Canadian studios every chance of success via press, exposure, publisher meets, and even winning a trip to London UK to compete at Global Indie Pitch! OR you can just come and enjoy the amazing company, drinks, food, and make more incredible Canadian friends.”
After a successful event in 2018, Casual Connect, organized by CGA and Greenlit Content, is coming back to The Queen Elizabeth II Centre, London, UK on May 28-30, 2019. At Casual Connect Europe 2019, you’ll have unlimited access to the meeting system to network with games industry professionals like yourself. All attendees get access to three days of lectures, official networking parties, and 90 of the world’s best indie games with developers. The venue will also feature a large expo area where you can talk one-on-one with industry-leading companies.
INDIE PRIZE SUBMISSION DEADLINE
More than 1,500 developers apply to Indie Prize during the year and judges from throughout the games industry select the most promising games to participate at international Indie Prize showcases during Casual Connect conferences. Submit your game for the international Indie Prize London 2019 scholarship program before March 20 with more details can be found in the submission form. You can also join industry leaders as an established developer with the Developer showcase.
JOIN CASUAL CONNECT AS AN EXHIBITOR/ SPONSOR
Expo and sponsorship options are available at the sponsorship form. 50% off Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsorship packages are available for developers and funding publishers only. Discounts on the Developer showcase and Developer pass are subject for approval.
SCHEDULED CASUAL CONNECT EVENTS IN 2019
Casual Connect Europe 2019 in London, UK | May 28-30, 2019
Casual Connect USA 2019 in LA, CA | August 27-29, 2019
Casual Connect Asia 2019 in Shenzhen, China | November 10-12, 2019
Casual Connect Eastern Europe 2019 in Istanbul, Turkey | TBA
