December’s Ice Cap Monthly Newsletter
Snow! Eww gross! It’s everywhere! What? It’s December already? How did we get here? Who did this? I want my money back!
*storms into the Weather Network*
*looks at sign*
[NO REFUNDS, RETURNS OR EXCHANGES]š
Welp, maybe we should get the best of it? Let’s check out some of the hot events this month that’ll keep you warm between streetcar rides and taxi stops!
Time to play some VIDEOGAMES!
By the way, egg nog is so gross! How do you even drink that? Is it egg? Is it nog? Who even knows at this point?! 2018 is wild!
šš¾Išš¾DONTšš¾LIKEšš¾EGGšš¾NOGšš¾
Back to VIDEOGAMES!
Donāt forget, thereāsĀ Google Calendar, in which you can check out all of the events here in one handy, downloadable place!
You can also submit news about Toronto/GTA games and events toĀ calendar@handeyesociety.comĀ at any time before the month in which the event takes place (preferably with a week to spare), post to ourĀ Facebook GroupĀ (as long as itās relevant to local games/playful media and doesnāt violate ourĀ Code of Conduct), or @ us onĀ TwitterĀ for a RT.
WHERE TO JAUNT ā EVENTS
December 1
Aquaman (lol) Cosplay contest at Yonge/Dundas! First 10 people to cosplay get an advance screening to Aquaman, so that’s no laughing matter! Plus there will be more prizes! Whoa, what’s a lot of sashimi!Ā (I hear the movie might even be…good?š¤Ā š) Hosted by EB Games Canada and (Super) Warner Bros.!
December 5
DMG is having a workshop on performance optimization in unity hosted by Greg Puzniak! This BYOG (Bring Your Own Game) and you too can optimize your current project! Linky! (Sold out, but keep an eye out for last-minute openings.)
December 2
It’s KupoCon! Kupo! How rad is it that we have a cute lil Final Fantasy event in Toronto?
December 8
Fan Expo is here…in December? Whaa? It’s their Holiday Show! And I quote “1-day shopping extravaganza.” š
Also December 8
Are you 16 to 24 years old and interested in digital avatars and learning Unity?Ā Subtle Technologies‘Ā 2018 festival program,Ā We++ includes aĀ day-long workshop series exploring virtual landscapes and self-representation in diverse cyberspaces, presented in partnership with Gamma SpaceĀ and Hand Eye Society. Check out deets and sign up šš¾Ā here!
WHERE TO HAUNT ā SOCIALS
December 1Ā
I know a lot of folks love Blade Runner and its aesthetic, so here’s it playing in IMAX at the Ontario Place Cinesphere! Maybe inspiration for a new game?
December 3
Yay! Queers & More Queers Game Night at TMAC! Hosted by Board Again Games! Looks like a gay ol time! Deets!
December 4
*Movie guy voice* FIGHT CLUB! Bring your sticks, pads and controllers to Toronto Gaymer’s weekly casual fighting game community! No shoryuken skills necessary!
SPINNNNNNING BIRD KICK!
November 30- December 2
Lanwar X! Ontario’s largest LAN party! Dang, seems rad!
December 6
Toronto Game Audio Thing (their title, not mine, hehe) Network and with craft beer, pizza, arcade videogames and great game audio-related conversations. Open to everyone and anyone interested in sound and music for videogames!
December 7
Kawaii for the Holidays (forgive us, Japan) Anyway, it’s a fun party hosted by our anime overlords Crunchyroll and Kawaii Box! Prizes, games, fun!, oh my! This is a 19+ event.
December 8
*inhales* Holidays with Attitude Fan Days After Party! Our friends at Power Up Game Bar has you covered for fun times! This event is 19+.
Super Smash Bros. Fan Meetup at the Toronto Metro Convention Centre during the Toronto Fan Days: Holiday Show! Show Luigi that Kirby is the one true hero!
December 10
Hosted by DMG, Open RPG Gaming Night! If you wanted to get into RPGs, now your chance to go and make new friends, too..!
December 14
Awww yeah! It’s Electric Perfume time! Get jiggy with it! (na na na na na na na) <- if you get that reference then we’re BFFs.
Lots of games, alt-controllers, interactive media and (much much) more!
December 18
Bonus Stage [Eat, Play, Mingle & 13AM Games] Go forth and socialize at Power Up Game Bar! at 6pm sharp!!
COMING AND GOING ATTRACTIONS
Soon…
Humber College has a new building going live in January calledĀ The Centre for Technology Innovation that is dedicated to studentsĀ solving problems with industry partners. The space will be filledĀ with computers, Cintiqs, VR/AR kits, a maker-space, mo-cap cameras plus heavy industrialĀ equipment from the School ofĀ Applied Technology!
Global Game Jam is an attraction, right? RIGHT?
It's TIME! to join the GLOBAL GAME JAM #ggj #ggj19 (Jan 25-27)āhost a site or sign up as a jammer. Two big sites in NYC are @NYUGameCenter @Playcrafting. Where are others in the area, for 2019? Pls comment a link. https://t.co/lhEEPzCy3p ALSO: GGJ offers 25 GDC scholarships.
— IGDA NYC (@IGDANYC) November 30, 2018
The 4th annual #GDoCExpo is returning to @SchomburgCenter in NYC this SUMMER 2019! š®š¢ Stay tuned for further announcements.
PLUS:
Weāre a @Official_GDC 2019 Scholarship Partner. Apply to get a free #GDC Conference + Summits pass (regularly $2000+) – https://t.co/5VoLYMqpll— Game Devs of Color Expo (@GDoCExpo) November 27, 2018
#ICYMI
Hurray! LongStory has launched on the Nintendo Switch! Congrats to the Bloom Digital team!
It's here! Today is the day! LongStory has officially launched on the Nintendo Switch! Get the game now #switch #nintendo #indiegames https://t.co/Zl31Ck6Hur pic.twitter.com/qTKZeCHxf5
— Bloom Digital Media (@Bloom_Digital_) December 6, 2018
Below is coming out next week. Yeah, I got nothing witty to say. This game is IT.
It's finally time. So excited (and a little nervous) to announce that BELOW launches on Xbox One & Steam on December 14th. Check out this new trailer, and wishlist on steam here: https://t.co/Kjc7FM2UtO pic.twitter.com/2Y1O0kmPmv
— Nathan Vella (@nathanvelllllla) December 6, 2018
Gabby is on a roll! (not a cinnamon one, mind you!)
https://twitter.com/gabdar/status/1067462967657062401
https://twitter.com/gabdar/status/1062359933272948736
THIS TRAILER IS VERY IMPORTANT šš¾
Partner up with a legend. @VancityReynolds is #DetectivePikachu in theaters Summer 2019! pic.twitter.com/QyX0TyUP74
— POKĆMON Detective Pikachu (@DetPikachuMovie) November 12, 2018
This real talk by our friends at the Toronto Public Library lol. Hey, maybe someday we’ll see videogames on that list!
Black Friday is on now! Get millions of books, movies, magazines and more for free ā oh wait, thatās every day. https://t.co/cl7XYW6Zla pic.twitter.com/ULbTD3Xo01
— Toronto Public Library (@torontolibrary) November 23, 2018
…and last but certainly not least, we had WORDPLAY! Our 6th annual festival of writerly games saw hundreds of attendees at the Toronto Reference Library, and included — among many other things — an impassioned case for de-colonizing punctuation and grammar, an intimate look into the romantic lives of queer elderly folk, and 2-hour Nicolas Cage-themed LARP in one of the computer labs (you had to be there).
Thank you, @handeyesociety for hosting WordPlay 6. I got to watch a father-daughter duo play my game, complete with typing practice, spelling lessons, and fun voices!ā„ļø Thanks to @torontolibrary & @wordnik, too. #retrogaming #indiegame #indiegamedev #pixelart #adventuregame pic.twitter.com/YU0ZqfRNU4
— thecrimsondiamond (@thecrimsondiam1) November 11, 2018
https://twitter.com/gregbuchanan/status/1061621200793858049
Bye Canada!!
Can't thank @HandEyeSociety enough for bringing me down. #Wordplay is one of the best events I've ever been to, the players/spectators of #CAGEGAME and Cult Talk were just awesome, and I am going to treasure the memories of the past couple days.
Until next time. pic.twitter.com/M0WpiuBTOy
— Xalavier Nelson Jr. (@WritNelson) November 11, 2018
Next up, itās @mirverburg from @Bloom_Digital_ talking about writing romance for the elderly! #wordplay
Older folks date too! pic.twitter.com/OwYDFpezEM
— Hand Eye Society (@HandEyeSociety) November 10, 2018
Laura Michet speaking on editing āWhere the Water Tastes Like Wineā. #Wordplay2018 ā¦@HandEyeSocietyā© pic.twitter.com/CRrJaJbMc7
— Jay Bond (@HulloImJay) November 10, 2018
BREADWINNER ā JOBS/GIGS/OPPORTUNITIES/DEADLINES
TORONTO GAME DEVS
Urgent request.
There's a delegation of high school students coming from Mexico Dec 10-14 who are meant to be visiting game studios in Toronto. We're still looking for 2 more indie or AAA studios for them to visit.
Just need 2-3 hours of your time. Pls RT.
— Jean Leggett (@JeanLeggett) November 30, 2018
Compiling a list of @Official_GDC (#GDC) scholarships available. Add any you find to the thread and RT please! Some have deadlines at the end of this week! š #gamedev #indiedev #GDCScholarship
— Nida AhmadāØ (@NidaAhmad_) November 16, 2018
Vector Festival’s Open Call for Submissions!
Returning festival curators Martin Zeilinger and Katie Micak are seeking new media artworks for inclusion in a flagship exhibition to be hosted by InterAccess, as well as offsite screenings, performances, and online projects.Ā The deadline for submissions is February 01, 2019 (midnight).Ā The festival will take place in Toronto from July 11-14, 2019.
Capybara Games is searchin’ for a Gameplay Programmer!
Get Set is looking for Programmers! Also, it seems that they’ve also partnered with Gearbox Publishing! A secret project, huh? Hmm…
Ubisoft is looking for a Level Designers as well as a bunch of other careers! Also…..*drumroll*
Ubisoft Indie Series is Back: Submissions Now Open!
The Ubisoft Indie Series presented by National Bank is an annual competition for independent game development studios in Ontario. The Grand Prize Winner of this yearās competition will receive a $50,000 cash prize, mentorship from Ubisoft Toronto, and creative, marketing and financial tools to help support the development of their game.
The application deadline is December 15, 2018 11:59 p.m. EST. Enter at http://toronto.ubisoft.com/indieseries
NEW FOR THIS YEARāS COMPETITION: In past editions of the competition, eligible entries were limited to games that were developed on PC, in addition to other platforms. The requirement that games must be developed for PC has been removed.
Uken Games is on the prowl for a bunch of various folks!
Code for Canada is hiring a couple of awesome people to help post flyers all over Toronto for the next several weeks!
We think this a great short-term job for students on winter break, or really anyone who wants to get out there, explore different parts of Toronto and help launch a really cool new civic tech program.
Details:Ā 10 hrs / week for ~4 weeks, $14/hour, TTC reimbursement
Start: Monday, December 10th
If you or someone you know might be interested, please emailĀ marisa@codefor.ca.
Humber College is looking for game programming instructors for courses starting January!
ContactĀ Umer.Noor@humber.ca for more details.
Intro to C# and Unity
Wed 1:30pm-3:15pm
Thur 1:30pm-3:15pm
Obj. Oriented Analysis and Design
Wed 2:25-6:00
Tues 1:30-5:00
3D Game Physics (using C++)
Fri 2:25-6:00
+ 4hrs online
NarraScope is an interractive games games conference (EXCUSE ME?? THIS IS A THING?)
Anywho, they’re looking for talks, panels, etc. If you’re the narrative type, you should do a thing and submit! Check it out! might be something you’re lookin’ for!
Disclaimer: This is a monthly compilation of various Toronto game news and events in and around the city ā many of which areĀ notĀ organized by Hand Eye Society ā and is by no means comprehensive. Always check official links for accurate details and credits, and please send any corrections, additions, or submissions for future months toĀ calendar@handeyesociety.comĀ before the month in which the event takes place.
