20 Feb 17

Austin Game Devs 2016 Year in Review

With Thanks✤ Randall Robbins for panels, leadership and awesomeness.

✤ Courtney Wilson for amazing marketing and energy.

✤ Edgar Gresores for a spectacular panel.

✤ Finn Staber for the Austin Game Showcase + Sponsors!

✤ Gordon Walton for his leadership and support.

✤ Jason Maltzen and Tess Snider for SXSW (again and again) + web!

✤ Kathy Amell for handling three SXSW game co booths.

✤ William Vickery for great student and university events.

Austin Game Devs

✤ AGD supports thousands of game developers and over 135 studios throughout the greater Austin area

✤ It’s 100% volunteer! 100% donation funded!

✤ What we want to do in 2017:

✤ Provide programs and resources that help great game developers make great game companies

✤ High-impact, business focused events. Business of games.

✤ For 2017… work with local stakeholders to help Austin become the indie game capital.

Who Are We?

Frank CoppersmithChair - IGDA AustinCEO, Possum Interactive

Randall RobbinsProject Manager

William VickeryGameplay EngineerQC Games

Gordon WaltonExecutive Producer / GMArtCraft Entertainment

Finn StaberProgrammer/Designer/World BuilderPortalarium / The Wave VR

Jason MaltzenFounderHidden Achievement

Tess SniderOwnerPixelsea Entertainment

Courtney WilsonDigital Artist Management

Sponsors and Contributors

Austin is Great for Games!

✤ Austin is one of the top cities for video game development.

✤ Forty-four major studios, 135 indie studios and thousands of designers, engineers, artists and others make Austin a vibrant location for game development.

http://www.gameindustrycareerguide.com/best-cities-for-video-game-development-jobs/

2016 Events

✤ How to Pay Your Mortgage

✤ 2015 Retrospective

✤ SXSW

✤ Networking Mixer

✤ Strategic Planning

✤ Sound Design

AGD was busy!

✤ Marketing Panel

✤ Partnering with Publishers

✤ Production Panel

✤ Women in Games

✤ Austin Game Dev Showcase

✤ Resume Roast

Pay Your Mortgage

✤ We started the year with a panel of indie game studio heads on how to turn your game talent into a thriving business.

January

Pay Your Mortgage

Women In Games

✤ AGD was thrilled to support The Women in Games Conference at the State Capital helping attendees learn about resources available for indie game devs.

February

Retrospective

✤ In March a great crowd came out to discuss our plans for 2016. Tons of great ideas and volunteers were had!

March

SXSW

✤ AGD again had a great event with SXSW. We were thrilled to help run three indie game booths on behalf of award nominated game teams!

March

SXSW

Welcome Swedish Game Devs!

Networking Mixer

✤ Sometimes it’s good to kick back. We held our first mixer at GamePlan Entertainment. Tons of gaming goodness!

May

Strategic Planning

✤ Building a game company takes more than just a great idea and talent, it takes planning for the long term. Z-Factor Group (management consultants) led 15 indie games teams through their “visioneering “ process to establish organizational and team goals and the plans to reach them.

June

Strategic Planning

Strategic Planning

Sound Design

✤ A group of amazingly talented sound designers came together to share their experiences and tell why sound design is critical for game devs.

July

Game Showcase

✤ Over 200 game developers and enthusiasts turned out for our first-ever showcase. 22 game developers showed off their latest work for mobile, STEAM and AR/VR.

August

Game Showcase

Game Showcase

Producers Panel

✤ Experts in game development came together to help our community get a first-hand account of what it takes to get a game finished.

September

Producers PanelSeptember

Resume Roast

✤ Getting into the game industry is tough! To help, members of AGD reviewed over 50 student resumes and held a panel at the University of Texas on how to make your resume better!

September

Austin Game Con

✤ Members of AGD were thrilled to moderate and join panels supporting the Austin video game industry.

Austin Game Con

Marketing Panel

✤ Some people just want to make games- others want to make great games that actually make it to the hands of customers.

✤ Panel covered what it takes to market your game, brand your studio, acquire a fanbase, foster loyalty, and garner media and industry attention.

Starr Long, Executive Producer, Portalarium

October

Publisher Talk

✤ Getting a publisher can make a game company’s dream a reality. Aspyr Media gave the Austin community a terrific explanation of how and why publishers make sense.

November

Where we meet!

We Work provides great co-working space for entrepreneurs of all sizes!

Mister Tramps is the home of socially redeeming events that promote the community spirit of the immediate neighborhoods.

Connecting Austin’s entrepreneurs with investors, talent and customers since 2009.

Tech Ranch is a supportive community to help move you forward.

2016 Speakers / Panelists

Yvonne TocquignyOwner Tocquigny Branding

Gordon WaltonExecutive Producer/GMArtCraft Entertainment

Chris PrimozichDirectorChaotic Moon

Carolyn FazioSound DesignerEveri

Adrian GloverExec ProducerScientific Games

John TalleyOwnerSimply Good Games

Kellen KincaidBus AnalystAspyr

Michael BlairSales ManagerAspyr

Emily MeoSound DesignerEveri

Autumn TaylorMedia DirectorPhaser Lock

Deborah BeckmanMarketing DirectorCertain Affinity

Elizabeth HowardVP, PublishingAspyr

Cy WiseMarketingOwlchemy Labs

Seraphina BrennanSr Community MngrTrion Worlds

Marc MencherRecruitergamerecruiter.com

More 2016 Speakers!

Kelley HustonVoiceover

Chris KokkinosSound DesignerRooster Teeth

Matt PiersallAudio DirectorGl33k

Jeff McMillenComposerGraceworks

Anthony CarranoConsultanZ Factor Group

Cindy GoldsberryConsultantZ Factor Group

Sheri Graner RayDesignerMeretz

Eric AbrahamsCEOMeretz

Cosmo RainesCOOMeretz

Finn StaberProgrammer/Designer/World BuilderPortalarium

... And more!

Jennifer BullardDirectorQuerium Corp

Austin Game Industry Roundtable

And many, many more…

2017 Events

✤ SXSW - Booth / Pitch Competition / Indie Devs

✤ Legal Workshop

✤ Austin Gaming Showcase Round II

✤ Game Monetization

✤ Austin Game Developers Conference Support

What We Are Looking For…

✤ Marketing Support + Website Content

✤ Event Planners + Have an Idea?

✤ SXSW Team Members + Lead

✤ Indie Devs for SXSW Booth + Show Us What You Got!

✤ Help for “Out of Town” Teams at SXSW

✤ Fundraising Chair + Show Me the Money!

✤ Steering Committee Members