GENESIS 4:21

In the fourth month, Hilary Duff commanded: “Let the rain to fall down,” so it did. And Duff saw it was good.

Thank based Lizzie Mcguire (or Blessed Beyonce, praise be #Beypril) for the rain. We appreciate how it soaks our fair city, cleansing squirrels of their sins and ruining everyone’s hair. For fan of games by emerging creators, April has a ton of events featuring games by students. We salute you, OSAP-burdened code monkeys! If you want to keep track of events and socials as they are posted, check out struggling pop punk singer Google Calendar. When she’s not making Canadian airwave-friendly one-hit wonders, she’s adding events as they are announced.

 

WHERE TO JAUNT – TORONTO GAME EVENTS

Friday, April 1

You can fulfill your dreams of screaming at actors onstage by heading to Electric Perfume’s Hypergame Storytime, a real-time choose-your-own-adventure kind of play where audience participation guides the plot. Apparently there’ll be a “song bar.” Functioning like skill bars in games, it will unleash MUSICAL PROWESS once full. Save the date (and your voice)!

 

Friday, April 1

This ain’t no April Fools joke — See-Scape is doing a games night! The sci-fi cafe/bar will host Weirdo Games Night, where teams can play rounds of their favourite games. Although there’s several booths, See-Scape has a capacity for up to 30 people (which makes sense, considering how this place is brimming with hundreds of games, consoles, and controllers).

 

Saturdays, from April to June 4 (except April 9)

Game Curious is still going at Ryerson University! If you don’t identify as a gamer or are curious about how games could be used for creative expression, drop by our weekly arcade at the Launch Zone. From now until April 23, we’ll be showcasing a variety of themed games on Saturday afternoons. Then from April 30 onwards, we start our MAKE sessions. Participants will get a chance to make their own games with mentorship for six weeks. All sessions are free, more details on MAKE registration to come.

Wednesday, April 6

Level Up’s sixth annual showcase of student-made games is taking over the Design Exchange.  Over 80 team projects from universities and colleges all across Ontario will be vying for your eyeballs and fingertips. Play and pass judgment for People’s Choice!

Saturday, April 16

As part of their Spring speaker series, Dames Making Games is holding We Are Fine: That Ain’t Your Old Folks Oppression 101. The Montreal makers We are Fine, We’ll Be Fine will be on-hand to discuss their board game, where players hold hands and listen to voices getting real about marginalization. Equitable seances FTW.

Sunday, April 24

Do you like videogames? Do you like knitting? At long last, here’s an event where you can combine both activities (or at least learn more about them)! Held at Lab T.O., Videogames Unraveled is part knitting circle, part interdisciplinary celebration of yarn-based videogames like Kirby’s Epic Yarn, Unravel, and… Super Mario Sweater? Knitting instructor Brenna MacDonald from Yarns Untangled in Kensington Market will be on hand to teach and inspire. Non-HES members will be required to pay a small fee to cover snacks, and anyone can bring their own materials, borrow some needles, or purchase a ball of yarn to get started. Participants are encouraged to talk about or bring items of interest that fit the theme, like yarn Amiibos or that knitting simulator you made during a game jam once. Please RSVP using the Facebook link so we have an idea of how many people to accommodate!

 

Thursday, April 28 and Friday, April 29

George Brown College’s School of Design will have games at Synergy, their Year End Show. Side-effects of attending may include attraction to The Magneatos or getting rowdy with Ruckus Games.

Thursday, April 28 to Saturday, April 30

In more George Brown College game news, they’re holding their technology culture festival Digifest on the Harbourfront. Workshops, panels, masterclasses, and installations will be there, as well an Interactive Zone that features virtual and augmented reality, gesture tracking, and wearable. If you’re a Hand Eye member, you’ve been sent an email code for 20 per cent off registration!

 

Friday, April 29 to Sunday, May 1

And if you’re somehow still raring for another event this weekend, the Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo is running. This gaming convention is cramming indie developer exhibits and speakers into the International Centre, right along with tournaments, demos, cosplay, and other con fanfare.

 

WHERE TO HAUNT – TORONTO GAME SOCIALS

Monday, April 4

Perfect for anyone new to Toronto’s indie game scene or devs itching for beta-testers, Bento Miso’s monthly Play Games With Friends is a super casual night where the public is invited to bring or play local games.

 

Tuesday, April 5

Toronto Virtual Reality (VR) Meetup Group’s monthly meetup will have their usual socializing, along with a look at Modbox, a sandbox game for the HTC Vive. Starts at 7 p.m., at Globacore Headquarters.

Thursday, April 21

Come and get it, Lizard Breath! Toronto Gaymers are watching the one-star cinematic masterpiece Super Mario Bros., while raising money to run their operations. Starts at 7 p.m., at the Imperial Pub.

Wednesday, April 27

Chitchat and drinkdrank at April’s Torontaru, the monthly game social for everyone interested and involved with Toronto indie games. Starts at 8 p.m., at the Get Well.

 

#ICYMI

#TOJAM: With a name sure to make anyone groan/laugh, TOJam: Don’t Stop BeELEVEN did a special egg day announcement! Join the annual public chaos from May 6 to 8 at George Brown College.

#DigiPlaySpace: Until April 24, Toronto International Film Festival’s digiPlaySpace is bringing families some incredibly breath-taking interactive installments/neat technology for kids to play with while parents silently prayed they didn’t break anything. Noteworthy pieces are Toronto’s own Trackoons, Miyazaki-esque Wanderment, and living Inuit artscapes in Art Alive VR. There is a discount for groups of 10 people or more, so if we can wrangle it, keep an eye out for a possible Hand Eye Society field trip!

#DiversityJam: I stumbled into Pytyvo Gaming and Techsdale’s Diversity Game Jam one weekend and they kindly stuffed me and other participants with samosas. You can scroll through this Storify of the jam for some insightful tweets, a neat “consent” boss feature, and my disgusting handwriting/drawings.  

 

PAPER TRAILS – GAMING IN THE MEDIA

GDC and all its media hype probably took over your social media dashboards, but in case you missed some cool Canadian coverage, the National Post reported on how Canadian developers contributed a lot to the con’s diversity programming. Developer Gaby Aveiro-Ojeda did a touching post-mortem of her trip too.

CBC published a neat story on young developers of colour making the game industry more awesome.

Play Dead, Gabby DaRienzo’s podcast about death in games, did a killer interview with Lucas Pope of Papers, Please and The Republia Times. Toronto Game Devs released four podcast episodes, which includes banter about best-selling line-up simulator, the Division.

 

COMING AND GOING ATTRACTIONS

IndieCade has announced its scheduling and the Dames Making Games crew is out in full force. Show some local love and check out panels featuring Izzie Colpitts-Campbell, Jen Costa, Tanya Kan, Gabby DaReinzo, Yifat Shaik, Kaitlin Tremblay, and Kara Stone. (For Waterlooers/Waterlooians/whatever y’all call yourselves, U of W professor Jennifer Whitson will be presenting too!)

I’m Fine by Rokashi, a first-person simulator of a man’s struggles with mental health and sexuality, is on Steam Greenlight. His complicated and immersive narrative makes players delve directly with the realities of multi-faceted struggles. To get a sense of what the finished game will involve, you can play the first chapter on itch.io.

 

MVP

This month’s MVP is Kai, Hand Eye’s new volunteer coordinator! When they’re not wrangling new volunteers for events, Kai works in audio production and does espionage work for insurgents trying to incite a robot uprising. You can watch Kai’s quest unfold on Twitter, @corementat1. If you want to volunteer with us, drop Kai a line at volunteer@handeyesociety.com

 

A BREADWINNER IS YOU – JOBS, GIGS, AND OPPORTUNITIES

Coding workshops in Toronto are great and all, but often they aren’t accessible for kids from marginalized backgrounds. Techsdale wants to fix that. A Rexdale-based charity, its organizers are running a crowdfunding campaign to bring game, app, and web development skills to diverse youth. Having come fresh from our Game Curious sessions in neighbourhoods like the Villaways and Glendower last year, we believe campaigns like these are bridging the community programming gaps that exist in Toronto. You can support them by donating through generosity (both your own and the website).    

Secret Location is hiring contractors for a few mysterious projects! They’re looking for a shader artist, a 3D animator, a 3D modeller, and an Android/iOS developer. Contact them as soon as possible at jobs@thesecretlocation.com or call 416-545-0800.

If you want to support all the good work Toronto Game Devs does (which is a lot), they have a Patreon!