Hey everyone, this is on short-notice but this Tuesday we are tentatively kicking off a monthly meetup of sorts (working title: Game Dialogues) where we can get together to watch game design videos, online tutorials, microtalks, and have an opportunity to hang out with old friends and new faces. Eventually we hope to introduce more of a presentation component with a strong game design and interdisciplinary focus (so many ideas!!) but for now, we’re doing a soft-launch and watching a few inspiring talks from the Game Developer Conference, Extra Credits, Game Makers Toolkit, etc.

Details

Tues, Feb 23
6:30 doors open, 7 start watching
Lab T.O., 231 Wallace Ave, 2nd floor (just north of Landsdowne Station)
Hosts: Sagan Yee and Douglas Gregory
FREE for HES members
Non-member members: Suggested donation of $3, PWYC or bring a snack for everyone to share!

FAQ

What will we be watching? We’re thinking of starting with the microtalks, since they’re short with a lot of variety. From there, we can go where people want to go!

EDIT: We have a special guest coming who needs to practice an upcoming presentation; see the Facebook event page for details!

What’s the vibe gonna be like? Super casual, since this is the first time we’re doing it! Feel free to nice to drop by if you missed the Annual General Meeting or just want to know more about our plans for the future, or if you just want to hang out and learn some cool stuff about videogames. Executive Director Sagan Yee will be around to answer any questions. Our Safer Spaces policy is at the bottom of this post.

Is this event only for game developers? This event is open to anyone, but especially those with an interest in game design as an art form. You don’t have to be a game designer or even a “gamer” to come out; the material we’ll be watching may be aimed at people who may have some basic familiarity with common game mechanics and concepts, but we’ll be happy to explain or discuss anything that doesn’t make sense. And if you are an experienced gamer or developer? Be prepared to share your knowledge, but also remember to be respectful of people’s space. We can all learn something from each other, and I’m hoping to pull in more artists from other disciplines to share their stuff as time goes on — architects, writers, knitters, comedians, the possibilities are endless!

When will the next one be? Sometime in March: we’ll be sure to announce it at least a few weeks ahead of time, and there will likely be a speaker’s component of some kind. If you’d like to tell us more of the kind of content you’d like to see, come out let us know! Can’t make it out on Tuesday or looking for even more community games goodness? Bento Miso’s long-running Games With Friends (not related to Hand Eye Society) runs bi-monthly on Mondays starting Feb 29. Check out all the things!!

Tell me about the venue! Lab T.O. is a new co-working space located in the Junction Triangle, just across from Ubisoft Toronto, for digital professionals, creatives and entrepreneurs in Toronto. Their opening party is Feb 25 and features a ton of 3D/VR magic as well as good food and drink.

This event falls under the Hand Eye Society Safer Spaces policy. Incidents or concerns may be reported via e-mail at safe@handeyesociety.com or this anonymous online form. We want this to be an event that’s inclusive of everybody’s background and identity, including gender, sexual orientation, pronoun preference, race, ethnicity, physical appearance, etc. However, we do regret to say that this venue is not currently wheelchair-accessible; if you would like to participate but are unable to due to this barrier, please contact me at sagan@handeyesociety.com and we will work something out!