Village Gamer

September 6th, 7th and 8th, in between creating a theme-specific game, chowing down on catered snacks and finding time to catch a couple winks, eighty OrcaJam 4 participants will be treated to panels, design judging and advice from top industry professionals – for 48 hours straight. OrcaJam 4, a signature event brought to Thinklandia Festival by LevelUP, an organization determined to keep the local game design community in touch with each other, is helping to bridge the gap between emerging programmers, artists, writers, developers and those who are already leaving their mark on the city. This event is open to anyone and everyone, you don’t have to be an expert, the only prerequisite is a willingness to collaborate and have a little fun.

The 48 hour event schedule will give participants the chance to connect with Tectoria studio majors Ben Hesketh (Microsoft), Clayton Stark (KIXEYE), and Tim Teh (KANO/APPS), among many others. OrcaJam 4 is also thrilled to welcome Minister of Technology, Innovation, and Citizen’s Services Andrew Wilkinson as a surprise guest to address the crowd during the Friday night kickoff at VIATeC, starting at 6pm.

Saturday September 7th @ 3:30pm, VIATeC:

From Tourists to Tetris – Redefining Victoria as a Game Development Destination From AAA studios to indie developers, both internationally and locally grown, more and more game developers are calling Victoria home. We’ve assembled a panel of local industry veterans to discuss this transformation, share stories, and talk about what makes Victoria a desirable place to make games. Panelists include:

• Eric Jordan (DJArts Games)
• Edoardo De Martin (Microsoft)
• Paul Hill (KIXEYE)
• Alex Mendelev (TinyMob Games)
• Tim Teh (KANO/APPS)

Sunday September 8th @ 3pm, VIATeC:

Bring Me The Brain! On the Mad Science of Game Design Making video games has always been a bit of an experiment: combining art and technology, mixing genres, tinkering with mechanics. For this panel, we’ve combed the laboratories and padded cells of Victoria for the maddest game designers to share their best secret formulas and eureka moments, and maybe even tell a few horror stories. Panelists will include:

• Ashley Blacquiere (KANO/APPS Game Designer)
• Andy Moore (Radial Games)
• Chris Hoefgen (Tiny Mob Games)
• Ben Hesketh (Microsoft)

Sunday September 8th @ 6-8pm: Game Judging

• Andy Moore (Radial Games)
• Ira Willey (AddictingGames.com & OneMoreLevel.com founder)
• Ben Hesketh (Microsoft)
• Eric Jordan (DJ Arts)
• David Sandor (Inlight Entertainment)