Game Developers At VRTO

I was given a list of game developers (both local and out of city/country) that will be attending/presenting at VRTO (which we've talked about here). Remember that TorontoGameDevs.com readers have a chance to save! Use the code: TOGameDevs15 to save 15% on tickets.

Game Dev Speakers

• Steve Gaynor - Fullbright (Gone Home, Tacoma) - Portland, OR

• Paloma Dawkins - NFB (Alea, Gardenarium, Palmystery) - Montreal

• Blair Renaud - IRIS VR (Road Warrior, GTA: London, Technolust) - Toronto

• Phillip Rosedale - Founder (Second Life, High Fidelity) - San Francisco

• Johnny Montsarrat - Founder (Turbine) - Boston, MA

• Elli Raynai - Cinehackers (Circuit Rider) - Toronto

• Lee Vermeulen - Alientrap Games (Apotheon, Cryptark, ModBox) - Toronto

• John Bolton - Globacore - Toronto

Game Dev Exhibitors:

• Stephen Shew - (Battleverse  - Multiplayer Augmented Reality RPG) - Toronto

• Martov Co. - (Chiaro and the Elixir of Life) - Montreal

• Paloma Dakwins - (Museum of Symmetry) - Montreal)

• Chris Cooper - Singular Dream (Shatter Everything) - Toronto

• Dustin Freeman - Escape Character (Moatboat, Shapeshifter/Tweetris) - Toronto

• VRulez - showcasing the Katwalk Premium VR treadmill seen in Ready Player One with various VR games - Toronto

• Globacore - Various

Members Of Gamma Space And Dames Making Games Speaking At VRTO

Friends of the site Henry Faber (from Gamma Space), and Jennie Robinson Faber (from Dames Making Games) will be speaking at the upcoming VRTO along with a bunch of other panelists. The event itself is this weekend, but this panel is on Sunday and can check out the full details here.

Titled: "SUPER SESSION: Artist-Run Media Art Centres and VR" - the event will look at non-profit's, and artist driven organizations and what they are doing with VR.

Artist-run media art centres typically provide access to production resources as well as training. The first equipment access centre for artists in Canada was founded 45 years ago. Trinity Square Video has been able to foster and support the birth of many other similar organisations which formed the foundation of our digital media culture of today. Their example has inspired a generation of artists, not only in Canada but internationally.

Media artists rise to the level of technology they can access. Media art centres make prohibitively expensive technology available to artists. Their art is driven by personal vision, not corporate interests or politics. Independent artists are a research engine for new media. They create content that demonstrates the range of possibilities for a particular technology. In short, artists contribute to the success of new technology, great content leads sales.

In Canada, we have cultivated a tried and true infrastructure for private industry to partner with artists by supporting artist-run media art centres with financial and/or equipment donations. Equipment manufacturers and software vendors can be certain their support will be made available to the maximum number of artists in an honest, reliable and democratic process.

Make sure to check out all the details here, and register for the event on Eventbrite.

GameON: Ventures - October 20th-21st

I've been in talks with the gang behind GameON Ventures, and they were nice enough to provide some copy for their event next week. They are on the Events page, but I've copied some more details below:

GameON: Ventures, Interactive Ontario's signature 2-day conference heads to MaRS Discovery District this coming October 20th and 21st.

Games (including mobile, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality) account for $3 billion of the Canadian economy, and while there is lots of event-based support for fans, GOV aims to develop and foster the business side. GameON: Ventures will provide an opportunity to meet and hear from speakers from Ubisoft, King Games (of Candy Crush), and Twitch, as well as business leaders in VC, VR and more. 

This year's keynote speaker is John Romero, widely considered the pioneer of the first-person shooter. An award-winning game designer, level designer and programmer, John's work spans over 130 games including the iconic works Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM and Quake.

We're looking forward to checking out The Interactive Digital Media Expo which will feature Canadian and International companies showcasing cutting-edge interactive products, including video games, virtual and augmented reality, eLearning and more. It will offer the attendees the opportunity to test out awesome new programs and ideas. 

A new Pitch Competition this year will invite 10 international and 10 local entrants —game developers or publishers—to pitch the next big thing in gaming/mobile—winners will receive $10,000 and in-kind support. 

Tickets to this conference are still available at www.gameonventures.io