Featuring a Post-Film Q&A moderated by Tim Kitzrow (the voice of NBA Jam and NFL Blitz) with Director Joshua Tsui, Eugene Jarvis, and George Petro

Eugene Jarvis, the creator of 80s classic video games such as Defender and Robotron, returns to the industry in the 90s. In the process, he assembles a team that pioneers the concept of bringing live action into video games, kickstarting a new era in the arcades.

The technology mushrooms into massive hits such as Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam and soon the team begins to conquer the world. What began as a small tight-knit group begins to deal with success and eventually the looming threat of consumer technology.

Extra Life Chicago Gaming Convention (ELCGC) is a brand new event designed to bring the gaming community in Chicago together. It is the first charity gaming convention in the area. ELCGC is a place to play games, support local vendors & performers, meet new friends, cosplay as your favorite character, and hear from expert panelists. The full programming schedule is available now!

IGDA Chicago will be moderating a panel of speakers discussing the Chicago Game Industry Scene. Curious about how to start a career in game development or just want to learn about some great communities where you can connect with other gamers? This panel talk and Q&A will help you join the game!

Source

From global VR eSports Leagues to the AR updating of classic tabletop games to the individual challenge of Beat Saber, technology is changing how we play both sports and games. Many believe this is the segment that will encourage mass adoption of VR/AR. Games like Pokemon Go and Half-Life: Alyx have shown signs of large market possibilities. We will explore this and more with our experts who are at the forefront of these gaming horizons.

SPEAKERS

SCHEDULE

6:00-6:15pm – Networking & Preparation

6:15-6:30pm – Introductions & Welcome

6:30-7:30pm – Panel Discussion and Q&A

7:30-8:00pm – Networking

IGDA Chicago is dedicated to providing an inclusive, welcoming, and harassment-free
experience for everyone. Our Anti-Harassment policy can be found at:
http://igdachicago.com/code-of-conduct/

This panel explores the current political situation in the US around Black Lives Matter, diversity, inclusion and representation with respect to the game industry. From game development, hiring practices, character design, and more, this panel conversation hopes to move beyond visible aspects of racism and look at institutional and structural barriers that prevent black creatives from entering and thriving in the game industry. 

Moderated By:

Ashlyn Sparrow | Assistant Director, Weston Game Lab, University of Chicago

Featuring:

Kevin Fair | CEO, I Play Games! 
Keisha Howard | Founder, Sugar Gamers
Jacob Mooney | Technical Designer, Level Ex
Derrick Fields | Waking Oni

This virtual event will be hosted by Crowdcast and live streamed to the IGDA Chicago YouTube Channel. Use the link below on July 15th at 6:50pm CST to join the audience on Crowdcast and participate in the event!

IGDA Chicago is dedicated to providing an inclusive, welcoming, and harassment-free
experience for everyone. Our Anti-Harassment policy can be found at:
http://igdachicago.com/code-of-conduct/

Covid-19 may be forcing us to change the way we meet, but it won’t stop us from bringing you content and industry experience. We will be hosting July’s event in Virtual Reality again. Unfortunately, that means we won’t be able to provide live demonstrations, but for those of you that have a VR headset you get to join us in VR. For those that don’t, you can join us in 2D on your PC or by watching the Facebook Live Stream.

The topic of the month is Law. Last year’s Legal Meetup discussed the wild frontier of AR as Burger King burned up competitor’s ads and AR objects inhabited spaces digitally. Is this just another form of grafitti and vandalism? Is it a legitimate space to play in when serious money is involved? Has the law begun to catch up with these new digital issues? What does it take to start a VR or AR company? How do enterprises address the legal hurdles involved with implementing immersive technology?

Join us in a virtual environment and hear from legal experts about how these problems are being resolved and where they think we are going in the future.

Join IGDA Chicago for our AMA Speaker Series that allows you to ask those burning questions you have always wanted to ask to industry veterans!

This event will be held Tuesday, May 19th with very special guest Josh Tsui!

Josh is a graduate of Columbia College's film program,and became known in the video game industry for his work at Midway Games. He went on to work at Electronic Arts, and cofounded two studios in Chicago, Studio Gigante and Robomodo. His upcoming documentary film Insert Coin, chronicles the rise and fall of industry giant Midway Games and was set to World Premiere at SXSW this Spring.

Attend this live event by logging on to the IGDA Discord Server and join the conversation!

Login Instructions:

1. Join the IGDA Chicago Discord Server

2. On May 19th, you can navigate to the AMA section of the IGDA Discord Server

3. Connect to the AMA voice channel to hear the conversation

4. Use the text channel to post questions to our guest

5. The channels will be open one hour prior to the event

IGDA Chicago is dedicated to providing an inclusive, welcoming, and harassment-free
experience for everyone. Our Anti-Harassment policy can be found at:
http://igdachicago.com/code-of-conduct/

Join IGDA Chicago for a new AMA Speaker Series that allows you to ask those burning questions you have always wanted to ask to industry veterans!

Our first installment will be held Tuesday, April 21st with very special guest Susan Gold!

Susan Gold is an American scholar with an academic career that spans 20 years in higher education. She is a proven leader, facilitator, collaborator and activist. She is the creator of the much loved Global Game Jam®, the annual event that brings together over 40k game developers from around the world for one creatively explosive weekend of fun and innovation.

In July of 2018, Susan launched a new extension of the event called GGJNEXT®, a game jam and curriculum for young creators age 12-17. She is widely regarded for her expertise in the areas of game education & game design, game jams, community development and large scale collaborative projects.

Attend this live event by logging on to the IGDA Discord Server and join the conversation!

Login Instructions:

1. Join the IGDA Chicago Discord Server by clicking here.

2. On April 21st, you can navigate to the AMA section of the IGDA Discord Server

3. Connect to the AMA voice channel to hear the conversation

4. Use the text channel to post questions to our guest

5. The channels will be open one hour prior to the event

IGDA Chicago is dedicated to providing an inclusive, welcoming, and harassment-free
experience for everyone. Our Anti-Harassment policy can be found at:
http://igdachicago.com/code-of-conduct/

You want a career as a game artist.

Awesome! How do you get there?

Game Art and multi-media jobs have been consistently increasing since 2014, with growing salaries to match. However, there are only a certain number of jobs available and the talent pool is growing. 

So how do you stand out?

• Is you portfolio strong enough?

• How do you ensure that you get call-back? 

• Do you know exactly what hiring managers are looking for?

• Do you have anxiety about the competition?

We can help! 

Join Dave Pasciuto, Roger Yuen in this exclusive webinar interview with special guest, Travis Overstreet, Senior Concept Artist at Electronic Arts!

We will have an in-depth conversation about the game industry, the inner workings of hiring and the importance of a well-thought out portfolio experience.

If you are interested in getting a job in the Game industry and want create an impactful portfolio, sign-up for this webinar now.

We will discuss the importance of game portfolios, how to curate them, and how management hires game artists.

Please join Women at Zynga, zPride, and The Voxel Collective for a panel discussion on creating supportive communities around you, organized by and for women and LGBTQ professionals who are passionate about building inclusive spaces in the game industry.

Beer, wine, sparkling juice, and tasty bites will be available at check-in!

Please RSVP, as space is limited.

5515 N Cumberland Ave

Suite 810

Chicago IL, 60656

Located right off of I-90 and the Cumberland Blue Line stop. Free parking is available for drivers.