It's covering the good stuff:
"Cambridge event to let game builders learn from each other" by Carli Velocci Globe Correspondent January 15, 2016
The Boston Festival of Indie Games has long been a place for gamers to play and creators to show off their wares.
It was a place for fun, not for lectures and panel discussions on the intricacies of developing video and board games. That changes Saturday with the launch of FIG Talks.
The one-day event will teach people that there is more to building games than just design. How do you market your game? How do you find funding? How do you get into the business of games?
Boston FIG in 2015 was more for the fan. One of the main goals of FIG Talks is to create more opportunities for professionals to network and learn from each other.
Organizers said many people attending the Festival of Indie Games in previous years came to play games, not to hear talks. Game creators wanted to learn from their peers but were too busy demonstrating their goods.
The annual event, held at MIT, allows video and board game developers to showcase their work.
It’s just one of many events throughout the year for aspiring and professional game developers. Gameloop, another daylong schedule of talks, hosted its annual event in August. Murphy also helps to run Boston Indies, which meets once a month for talks, networking, and demonstration nights.
Scott MacMillan, the founder of Gameloop and Boston Indies, recognized the need to have events where people could meet in person.
When he was running his studio, MacGuffin Games, out of a spare room in his home, he often found himself alone.
Gameloop differs from FIG Talks in its structure — instead of having a set schedule beforehand, participants choose topics they want discussed.
“These events are so important because the overall gaming ecosystem in Boston and Mass. has definitely shrunk in part because the big anchor companies like Irrational have gone away,” MacMillan said. “Having that support, getting to know the people that are doing the same things as you and having that reinforcement is super important.”
Murphy said FIG Talks received more submissions than it could handle. She said there are plans to create a larger educational conference for many of the talks that could not be fit in.
“The thing we hear over and over is that Boston has one of the strongest game development communities and one of the reasons is because people encourage each other, help each other, find funding, solve problems, and work together,” Murphy said. “The result is more businesses, and more successful businesses creating the opportunity for people to do what they love.”
Tell it to Curt Schilling!
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I feel like I'm running in loops rating the Bo$ton Globe these days.
