Industry veterans deliver keynotes and set the stage for participant-led workshops
Organizers of the annual Global Game Jam in Green Bay, hosted by UW-Green Bay professors Kris Purzycki and Ben Geisler, are pleased to announce Green Bay GATHRan “unconference” for the local game development community. This free event will take place on Saturday, August 17, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CDT at The Urban Hub, 340 North Broadway #200, Green Bay, WI 54303.
Green Bay GATHR will feature two notable keynote speakers: Chris Cantero (Unity, id Software) and Shawn Witt (Blizzard). These talks will provide insight and inspiration throughout the event. The program includes attendee-led workshops, demo sessions on various game development topics, and a lightning session for short presentations of games, tools, and concepts. Throughout the day, attendees will have the opportunity to network with other members of Green Bay’s game development community.
What is an unconference?
Green Bay GATHR introduces the unconference format to the local game development scene. Unlike traditional conferences, an unconference is a participant-driven forum that encourages collaboration, knowledge sharing, and networking in a more organic and interactive way. “The decentralized nature of an unconference is a cool thing for Green Bay,” says organizer and UW-Green Bay instructor Ben Geisler, who also coordinates the Green Bay site for the Global Game Jam. “Too often at conferences, we sit through talks and don’t get a chance to participate:”
Although the schedule is set, attendees can suggest and vote on topics for workshops, demonstrations, and lightning round demos. This format creates a unique environment where gaming professionals, hobbyists, students, and industry enthusiasts can learn from each other and grow through collaboration.
Geisler describes this format as a nod to a unique facet of Green Bay culture: “I’ve found over the years of hosting Global Game Jam in Green Bay that we have a lot of the DIY/punk aesthetic and mentality in our hometown and the surrounding area. This is a great opportunity to participate in gaming as an art form, and it fits well with our Game Jam in January.”
For more information and to register, visit GATHR’s Eventbrite page. For more information, contact Kris Purzycki at 414-940-3630 or [email protected].
