While cobbling this digest together, I noticed this edition contained a disproportionate amount of robots. Take that as you will. Potential robot overlords, if you’re reading this, totally down for an uprising. Text me asap. This month’s packed with places to go and people to see, but more importantly, EVERYONE IS RELEASING EVERYTHING. 

 

WHERE TO JAUNT – TORONTO GAME EVENTS

Thursday, September 3 to Sunday, September 6

Time for everyone’s favourite summer gathering of nerds in Toronto, Fan Expo! The multi-geekdom convention’s gaming schedule includes the panel How To Get Involved In Toronto Videogame Culture, which features Leisha-Marie Riddel and Rachel Kahn, as well as Hand Eye Society’s own Sagan Yee, Chris Young, Douglas Gregory, and myself (Al Donato). We’ll be in Room 705 at 1:45 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4  if you wanna heckle us!

Tuesday, September 8

Girl Geeks Toronto is hosting She Got Game!, a game design workshop at Bitmaker Labs. Run by Brittney Oberfeld, attendees can expect to learn a lot from the game developer and technical lead of Girls Learn Code. The workshop is a Bring-Your-Own-Laptop event, open to all genders, and features time for socializing/stuffing your face with free food.

Friday, September 11 to Sunday, September 13

What better way to spend a Friday night than getting the crew together, hitting up downtown Toronto and creating artificial intelligence? All skill levels are welcome at this year’s Get Your Bot On!’s Robotics Hackathon, a three-day robot-making jam presented in partnership with MaRS. This year’s theme is Healthy and prizes will be awarded. Here’s some sure-fire winning ideas for you: how about a  kale-quinoa-chia emulsifier? Or a robot that screams Rocky lines while you work out? Maybe even a bot that vacuums the cheetos dust off your face? Possibilities = endless.

Tuesday, September 29 and Wednesday, September 30

GameON: Ventures is a two-day conference on the business of games for developers, investors, game publishers, and more. Taking place at St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, the conference is shedding its old name GameOn:Finance and finance-only focus. Now GameON hopes to explore all aspects of game commercialization. A subsidized rate is available for small studios.

 

WHERE TO HAUNT – SOCIALS AND MEETUPS

Monday, September 7

Pytvo Gaming and Notice Niche Games are holding a game night celebrating diverse creators at Bento Miso.  Guilty Gear and Genesis: Battle of Champions will be up for playing; Notice Niche has a particular interest in rare games, so you can expect to see uncommon multiplayer titles in the mix.

Saturday, September 19

Dames Making Games: Monthly social: picnic edition at Trinity-Bellwoods, starts at 5:00 p.m.

Wednesday, September 30

Torontaru: Monthly social at Get Well, starts at 8 p.m.

 

#ICYMI

#RobotCrashLanding– Cococucumber released Planet of the Eyes in late August, a sci-fi side-scroller starring a wandering robot on a strange planet, listening to their creator apologize. It looks gorgeous, the puzzles seem nifty, and the terrifying alien life murdering our protagonist got me googly-eyed.

#MiaoMiaoGames – Whisper Dungeon, a game by former Dames Making Games speaker Macy Kuang, uses Google Cardboard to make your phone home to bloody, panting insects. It basically simulates how you get rid of bugs in your basement every night, twirling wildly in the dark to smack at the menacing buzz behind your head. And then smacking your head.

#SomebodySaveMe – Knight & Damsel by MK-ULTRA Games came out in late August. The splitscreened un-cooperative co-op has players as knights and damsels thwarting each other’s attempts to clear the level.  In Knight & Damsel’s trailer an intriguing block mechanic looks like it would be fun to spend hours learning how to master.  The game’s out now on PC and Ouya, 20 per cent off until September 5.

 

COMING ATTRACTIONS

Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime is finally launching on September 9! Throughout the years, this adorable neon shooter has been at most Toronto game events, getting friends to co-pilot a love-fuelled rocketship and yell at each other about who’s supposed to be dodging asteroids. (Hint: no one does it.) The game’s already garnered awards and official selections from festivals around North America. You can decide if it’s worth the hype (Hint: it is) by getting the game on Steam or XboxOne.

Don’t forget about the Royal Ontario Museum’s Game Jam! This year’s theme is SPACE ROCKS. The jam’s from October 2 to 4, so plenty of time to hassle buddies into designing some asteroids for you.

 

PAPER TRAILS – GAMING IN THE MEDIA

Indigicade participants were on CBC Radio! Indigicade is a game-making incubator for indigenous girls and women, formed as a collab between Dames Making Games and Indigenous Routes. The games Meagan and Tara are developing sound intriguing as hell: one delves into the spirit world and explores belonging, the other investigates a mysterious theft at school.

Toronto writer Gabby DaRienzo wrote about death positivity in games, which obviously includes killing off her Sims — seriously what else is the game but a giant murder simulator? — and hometown favourite Guacamelee. Her piece was featured on Medium and Game Sutra. Keep a look out for her own grim game Mortuary Simulator.

Another Toronto writer, Kaitlin Tremblay, wrote a review for The Mary Sue on The State of Play: Sixteen Voices on Video Games. The book features perspectives from across the game criticism community, including Dames Making Games’ member merritt kopas.

Chris de Castro’s upcoming The Wizards of Trinity-Bellwoods, which we featured last month, has been getting loads of media love from CBC, NOW, and Torontoist. Looks like everybody loves a good slice of immigrant culture/picking-up-after-hipsters simulator.

We also were lucky enough to catch de Castro lurking around the tennis courts at Trinity-Bellwoods on night. You can see what happened over at our Tumblr!

 

MVP

Tweets: 1, 2

This month’s MVP is Spacing’s retail director Mike, who we have enthralled and ensnared with our latest Torontron installment. Recently, we moved of the Torontron arcade cabinets to their store near Queen St. W. and Spadina Ave. While you’re perusing their fine goods, you can play a slew of indie games for free.

 

A BREADWINNER  IS YOU – JOBS, GIGS AND OPPORTUNITIES

The Ontario Media Development Corporation is giving away ¢a$h mon€¥ to game developers and interactive media creators through the Interactive Digital Media Fund. Deadline to apply is Monday, October 5. You can register for September information sessions on their site, as well as request accomodations.

If you get high scores in the arcade and the kitchen, future eSports hangout Got Game Bar wants you to join their team of chefs. You can send your resume to the future eSports and casual gaming hangout at hr@bar.gg.

The Hand Eye Society is looking for a web designer good at slick interfaces and database interactions for a paid gig involving all the games ever made in Toronto. Email info@handeyesociety.com your portofolio.

LAST MINUTE ADDITION

From September 9 to 13, Real Escape Game Toronto is holding Escape From The Cursed Forest. The live real-time event will involve solving puzzles to wake a spellbound princess. You can play in teams of six with your friends or trudge along solo.