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/

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 Thursday, November 12th with very special guest Rachel Nador!

Rachel Nador has an Art degree from the University of Iowa and started her career creating graphics for vehicle simulation, but soon became a video game environment artist. For eight years she worked for companies like Atari/Midway Games West, and Electronic Arts. She is currently a freelance 3D artist and has done extensive work creating medical and scientific graphics for AR/VR and other applications.

You can find examples of Rachel’s work on her website and can connect with her via LinkedIn.

Attend this live event by tuning in to the IGDA Chicago Twitch Channel

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 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 Thursday, September 24th with very special guests the IGDA Chicago Executive Board!

The IGDA Chicago Executive Board is a group with a certain set of skills including:

• Video Game Law & Business Development

• Marketing, Branding, & Opera Singing

• Video Editing, Streaming, Production, & Design

• Game Development, Teaching, & Community Engagement

• 3D Art, Animation, & Modeling

• VR/AR App Development, Unity, & Healthcare Communication

Attend this live event by tuning in to the IGDA Chicago Twitch Channel

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 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/

Chris Weiss is exploring the level design editor in Almost Human Games’ Legend of Grimrock!

Join him as he explores the tool set and discusses common practices with dungeon crawler level design.

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/

Chris Weiss is exploring the level design editor in Nintendo’s Mario Maker 2!

Join him as he explores the tool set and discusses common practices with platforming level design.

Chris Weiss is exploring the level design editor in Landfall Games’ Clustertruck!

Join him as he shows you this tool set and discusses common practices with level design.

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.

The law is always a step behind technology. In particular, the legal profession has expressed extreme difficulty in addressing the technical and expressive qualities present in video games. Video games are subtly complex by their very nature, and do not seem to fit completely into any singular field of law. The fields of copyright, trademark, patent, constitutional, and business law have all been applied to video games in an effort to regulate and protect them. As often as not, as many conflicting applications of law emerge as congruent ones.

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.

Do you design in Photoshop? Is getting usable stock images into Photoshop a huge chore? Are you looking to take your digital illustration skills to the next level?

Join Chimirus for their next Demolition Night featuring advanced Photoshop design techniques with PixelSquid! PixelSquid is a new tool used by award-winning concept artists, illustrators and designers all over the world.