Archive for the 'General' Category

WUP: With Great Pitches Come Great Prizes?! + 1 Day left to Register!

Published on May 21, 2012 in Events, General and News. 0 Comments

Attention all Perth-based Pitchers!

If you were still not convinced that pitching would be a great opportunity for you, Spacecubed, our very generous venue sponsor, will be giving away 2 x 1-month unlimited Subscriptions to Perth-based Pitchers.  This means that you get to use their great space for as much as you want for a whole month!  This is great for indie developers or freelancers who want a great, quiet and spacious working space with high-speed internet and friendly neighbours; or maybe for businesses who want to trial the space for their side projects, functions or meetings!  You can read more about their membership options over here.

The first prize will be awarded on the night by Spacecubed for best pitch of the night and the second prize will be awarded through a poll for most popular pitch on the LMG Facebook page following the event.

Spacecubed will be doing their Grand Opening on the 20th of June so put it in your calendars.

Photo courtesy of Spacecubed flickr stream.

 

1 Day left to register for a pitch

As a reminder, you have till tomorrow to register yourself or your team for a pitch(for FREE!) and have a chance to get your ideas out there and into the community as well as your chance to win a month’s worth of unlimited usage of Spacecubed!

To quote Nick on our event page:

We still have pitch places free and want to hear from a wide range of people: students, artists, programmers. Especially if this is your first event, don’t be shy!

Feel free to pitch esoteric things such as: preferred tools, programming languages, or libraries; under-utilised game design elements; workflow recommendations; game critiques; post-mortems; etc.

Send us an email at if you want more info!  Attending the event is completely free so even if you’re not pitching we’d love to see you this Friday 25th of May!

WUP: Only 1 Week Away! + Where is Spacecubed?

Published on May 18, 2012 in Events, General and News. 0 Comments

What’s Up Pitches is Only 1 Week Away!

That’s right, as from today, our event is only one week away!  We still have a few spots open for registration of a pitch so if you want in, send us an email now at events@letsmakegames.org.  As a quick reminder:

  1. Pitches are 3-minutes long (we will time them!)
  2. We will have a Projector and Microphone available at the venue. For any other extra requirements, please contact us!
  3. Registration deadline is Tuesday 22nd of May
  4. We would prefer to have a copy of your presentation by Thursday 24th of May
  5. To register, we will need a name, a title for your presentation and a way to contact you (e-mail is fine).
We will be announcing the official list of Pitches on Tuesday and we are also finalising some prizes for some of the best Perth-based pitches so stay tuned.
Photo courtesy of Spacecubed flickr stream.
Where is Spacecubed?
We’ve had a few people asking us where is Spacecubed so hopefully this should help you guys find it on the day! Spacecubed is found at the Ground Floor (rear), 45 St George’s Terrace, Perth WA. Here is the map view:
And here is the Street view:
Spacecubed is found just opposite St Martin’s Tower (There’s a Coffee Club opposite as well).  Once you see the circular glass and metal rotating doors, go through, up a short flight of stairs, turn right towards the elevators and then continue towards the rear of the building (on the same floor).  You should be able to glimpse the Spacecubed signage through an open corridor.  We should also have people on the day to help guide you through to the venue.
Parking in the city should be mostly free after 6pm but make sure to check the signs as we wouldn’t want you to have your car fined or worse, towed away. There’s plenty of public transport options and it is walking distance from Esplanade Busport and Train stations.

Special thanks to our great sponsors:

MVX by Sentient Computing

“We create virtual worlds using gaming technology. This enables companies to visualise their data, create interactive and engaging training systems and add a whole new dimension to managing their operations remotely.”

Qantm College - “Qantm College has been at the forefront of digital media education in Australia training students for employment in one of the fastest growing sectors in the country”

and Spacecubed - “Spacecubed facilitates a community of changemakers in a 550sqm co-working, collaboration and innovation space located at Ground Floor rear, 45 St Georges Terrace, Perth. Spacecubed provides central access to hot desks, team working space, events, seminar and meeting space”

 

WUP: Indie Game Doco and a New Sponsor!

Published on May 17, 2012 in General. 0 Comments

Indie Games Documentary at WUP?!

We’re happy to announce that Melbourne-based filmmaker Lester Francois from Studio Bento will be coming to our What’s Up Pitches?! event to gather some content for his short documentary in the making.  This is what he had to say about the project:

“I am developing a short documentary on the new wave of independent game developers/studios. In the wake of the iOS app store/Unity/UDK  there has been a surge of DIY game developers in Australia. The film aims to highlight this trend and promote the cottage industry.”

On top of our live stream of the event, this will be a great opportunity to get your story heard.  As a reminder, What’s Up Pitches?! is on Friday the 25th of May, from 6pm-8pm.  Attending the event and registering for a pitch is completely FREE!  We still have some spots available to pitch so contact us via or check out those links below for more info:

What’s is What’s Up Pitches?!, our limited Video Pitch Option and 5 reasons you should be pitching at WUP?!

 

New Sponsor!

We are very proud to announce Qantm College as one of our Silver Sponsors for What’s Up Pitches?!

“Qantm College has been at the forefront of digital media education in Australia training students for employment in one of the fastest growing sectors in the country. Qantm College offers specialised industry-focused courses in 2D and 3D animation, games design, games programming, interactive digital media, and graphic design – all aligned with emerging industry trends and technologies. Students are taught by passionate, industry-experienced professionals who are dedicated to providing high quality practical learning, inspiring creative confidence and preparing graduates with the applicable skills and knowledge needed for immediate entry into the workforce.”

They will also be doing a pitch on the night entitled “Sourcing skills in games design”.

 


Indie Games Marketing Course videos and materials

Published on May 16, 2012 in General. 0 Comments

Good news indie game developers! We’ve just updated our Releasing a Game resource page with the videos and course materials from the Indie Games Marketing Course. There you can find the presentation videos, slides and the Surprise Attack positioning workbook.

You can also find Tim’s presentation and Chris’ presentation on our YouTube channel.

Big thanks to our videography team for creating these fantastic videos, and to our guest speakers Tim and Chris!

New Gold Sponsor! MVX by Sentient Computing

Published on May 10, 2012 in Events, General and News. 0 Comments

We’re very happy to announce our brand new Gold Sponsor for What’s Up Pitches?!

MVX by Sentient Computing

“We create virtual worlds using gaming technology. This enables companies to visualise their data, create interactive and engaging training systems and add a whole new dimension to managing their operations remotely.”

A short excerpt from their website:

Sentient Computing is a specialist software company developing automation and visualisation solutions for industrial markets. Our products combine real and virtual data allowing clients to visualise and understand their plant better to increase production, reduce downtime and improve safety. Our technology is unique and complimentary to traditional control and maintenance systems. We have a strong customer base within the coal, oil and gas, mining, production, transportation, environmental and power industries in Australia and around the world.

Check out their website for more information, videos, or interactive demos of their product.

We’ll be getting busy to make the best use of their very generous contribution! MVX have also registered for a pitching spot on the day entitled “Using Game Tech for Industry” so come on down to hear about the wider application of game technology in other industries.  As a reminder, What’s Up Pitches?! is on Friday the 25th of May from 6pm till 8pm at Spacecubed.

If would also like to be a sponsor for What’s Up Pitches?! send us an email at and we’ll run you through our available options.

5 Reasons You Should be Pitching at What’s Up Pitches?!

Published on May 9, 2012 in Events, General and News. 0 Comments

We’ve had a very positive response so far for pitching spots but if you’ve been wondering how to make the most of What’s Up Pitches or what value it can bring to your ideas and projects, here’s a quick list we have compiled about why we think you will want to put your hand up for one of our pitching spots:

1. Pitching helps you formalise your ideas. There’s something about having to stand up and talk about your ideas that forces you to sit down and really think them through. It helps you discover your core themes through the process of distilling your thoughts into words and images and makes it more likely to get the right idea across in a very short time.

2. What’s Up Pitches?! is a great opportunity to share your ideas across all the layers of game-related industries. It is an event that has generally crossed a lot more boundaries due to its nature and accessibility. It is a chance to talk about games in a much more varied context and application than just entertainment. Games can be about culture, education, industry, social change, communication and ecological purpose among many others. If you have an idea for what games can and should be about, reserve a spot and come tell us about it!

3. WUP is a networking event. It’s like mini TEDtalks where you get a chance to be on stage and then talk to the people that loved your idea after the event to make it a reality. It’s a lot about meeting people and discovering what people are working on, or would like to work on. It’s an event where you can get to ask “what if” to your audience and leave it there for them to fill in the blanks with you.

4. Deadlines are your friends. Not always the best of things but sometimes deadlines really help you make decisions about what to cut and what to keep. If you have a project that’s been living in your head for a while but you lacked the motivation to get it going, you can use What’s Up Pitches?! to really focus your creative juices.

5. Great Exposure. If you already have an idea you’ve been working on and been meaning to show off, WUP is the perfect place to get some great exposure. Not only do you get to talk to the attendees face-to-face and engage with all of Let’s Make Games local, national and international community but this year we will also be trying out a new livestreaming feature for all the talks which will allow even more people to see and hear what you have to say.

And 6. Unicorns! I’ll add an extra one to the lot, What’s Up Pitches is about having some fun, showing off some great or perhaps wacky ideas and seeing how people respond. I once read a quote that read “This matter is too important to be taken seriously” and sometimes that’s quite true. Bring your left and right brains and your good sense of humour and tell us a good story… about unicorns… fighting robots… to save the world… from greedy corporations!

 

Contact Details
RSVP on facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/events/364668673570324/ or send us an email or a tweet so we know how many to expect on the day.  There’s plenty of space so don’t be afraid!  You can also check out our venue sponsor, Spacecubed, which is open to anyone every Wednesday from 12pm – 2pm for co-working and collaboration.  See their website for more details.
To register your interest for pitching, email us at
We have more exciting news coming very soon so stay tuned!

photos courtesy of ben.snider and sweetenough via Creative Commons (flickr)

2 days until the Indie Games Marketing Course!

Published on April 24, 2012 in General. 0 Comments

That’s right! The headline does not deceive you: there are only two days left until our indie games marketing workshop.

This informative evening will be valuable to anyone who has a game out in market, about to release their game, or is even at the early research and development stage for their project. Here’s some further information about who and what you can expect from the evening.

This is a limited event, so hurry up and get your tickets if you haven’t already!

  • When: 6:00pm – 9:00pm, Thursday April 26th
  • Where: Northbridge Piazza Community Building, cnr Lake St. and James St. (entrance is beneath the big screen)
  • Tickets: $35, available from Eventbrite or the order form below!
  • Event Page: Facebook
  • Refreshments? Provided!

Thanks to our sponsors ScreenWest and City of Perth for helping us bring this workshop to Perth.

Only One Week to Go!

Published on April 18, 2012 in General. 0 Comments

There’s only one week left to go before our Indie Games Marketing Course kicks off and it’s not too late to get a ticket!

Just as a reminder, the workshop is being held on Thursday 26th April at the Piazza Community Building (that’s the building right behind that awesome big screen at the Northbridge Piazza) from 6pm till 9pm.  That’s $35 dollars + Booking Fee for 2Hrs+ of marketing workshop and all the best tips to get your PR releases noticed. All of this brought to you by our two amazing speakers.  Tickets available in the widget below, or directly from Eventbrite!

 

The ABCs of Indie Marketing

Published on April 11, 2012 in Events and General. 0 Comments

So perhaps you’ve read the initial announcement about the Indie Games Marketing Course. Perhaps you’ve even read about our amazing guests.

Now you’d probably like to know what you’d get yourself into by attending our workshop. Lucky for you, we have some details right here!

 

The Indie Games Marketing Workshop

Tim Colwill: Approaching the Press

What does it take to catch an editor’s eye? How can you make your press release stand out from the other 6,000 that cross their desk every day? As editor-in-chief of the thriving game community games.on.net, Tim will give you first hand insight into what you can do to make your press materials attractive to even the most time-deficient editor.

Chris Wright: Indie Game Positioning Workshop

Chris will take you through his highly sought-after two hour interactive workshop on how to “position” your game. Using a variety of unique exercises, this Surprise Architect will get you thinking about your games’ hooks and themes, and how to emphasise these unique features within the global game market. Prepare to be delighted and astounded as you learn things about your game that you never knew (or perhaps were too humble to admit!), and how this information can boost your marketing efforts.

 

The Indie Games Marketing Workshop is being held on Thursday 26th April at the Piazza Community Building. Entry to this exclusive workshop is a measly $35. You can secure your ticket registration in the widget below, or directly from Eventbrite. It’s only two weeks until this great event, so make sure to get your tickets soon!

 

Meet our Marketing Champions

Published on April 4, 2012 in General. 1 Comment

The Indie Games Marketing Workshop is coming up quickly, and we thought you might like to meet the two people that are coming to unload their marketing artillery on your sponge-like brain machines.

Chris Wright (Surprise Attack)

Surprise Attack was founded by Chris Wright, a veteran of video games marketing with more than 100 campaigns executed under his care for publishers including THQ, Microsoft, Sega, Capcom, Disney Interactive Studios and many more.

Chris also spent two years as a member of Film Victoria’s Digital Media Assessment Panel, which assesses applications in respect of its Digital Media funding programs, providing recommendations to the Board for final approval.

You can check out Chris’s profile on LinkedIn here.

 

Tim Colwill (Games.on.net)

Tim is the worldʼs first, last, and only classically-trained combat raconteur. He was raised at an early age by bears, then later by humans, and then later again by humans dressed in unconvincing homemade bear suits.

It is this unique combination of completely untrue things which has made him into the man he is today: dehydrated, frequently confused, and editor-in-chief of games.on.net, Internode‘s gaming portal.

Tim’s LinkedIn profile is right here.

 

The Indie Games Marketing Workshop is on Thursday, April 26th from 6pm at the Northbridge Piazza Community Building.

Thanks to our major event sponsor ScreenWest, we’re able to bring this incredibly valuable and highly sought after workshop to Perth’s indie dev community for only $35 per person. Tickets are limited, so you should head over to Eventbrite and gets yours soon!