Getting Involved in Your Local Game Development Community
It’s not just what you know but who you know! The Australian games industry is a welcoming group and it’s definitely worth getting to know other developers.
Online
Join your local IGDA chapter’s Facebook and other local support groups:
Join Discord servers:
Offline
Attend local meet-ups:
- Brisbane
- Sydney (“Beers and Pixels,” check the Sydney IGDA Facebook group)
- Melbourne (“IGDAM,” check the Melbourne IGDA Facebook group)
- Adelaide (“Adelaide Game Dev Unwind,” check the Adelaide Game Developers Facebook group)
Game Jams
Think of a game jam as a hackathon focused on game development. You and your team are given an idea and you have a limited timeframe to come up with something playable. As such, game jams foster new friendships, increase confidence and opportunities within the community. People are invited to explore new technology tools, trying on new roles in development and testing their skills to do something that requires them to design, develop create, test and make a new game in a short time frame.
The best example is the Global Game Jam, the world’s largest game jam event taking place around the world at physical locations. Every year in January, thousands of participants around the world, including Australia, make a game within 48 hours.
Keep an eye out for other game jams, there are virtual game jams and even train game jams! A great overview of game jams can be found here.
Girl Geek Academy
If you identify as female or non-binary, the Girl Geek Academy offers a great network via its Games Career Incubator. Girl Geek Academy are skilled digital professionals who work to see an increase of women in tech, women in games, women who make, female designers, and female founders. So far, they have taught over 10,000 women and girls. Their Games Career Incubator is aimed at early career practitioners throughout Victoria who are ready to advance their careers & leadership in the games industry.