Following the official unveiling of the program last week, MCV Pacific takes a closer look at Australia's premiere week of games.
Running from October 29 to November 7, Melbourne International Games Week is Asia Pacific’s largest digital games celebration featuring conferences, events and activities for the games industry, games enthusiasts and the general public.
This year, over 60,000 game enthusiasts will participate in key events across the city in game conferences and consumer shows including Game Connect Asia Pacific, Unite Melbourne, PAX Australia, the Women in Games Lunch, the Australian Game Developers’ Awards, Games: A Family Affair, Game Changer: VR Festival, live games from Pop Up Playground and digital artist Troy Innocent, and the Education in Games Summit.
The week’s events are held in close proximity in some of Melbourne's biggest and best event venues, from the Australian Centre for the Moving Image to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
For more information you can check the official website, and for the socially minded, the official hashtag is #MIGW16.
Here is a closer look at all the events that make up MIGW.
Where in Melbourne is Carmen and Diego
Saturday - Sunday 29/10/2016 – 30/10/2016
Time: 10:00am – 6:00pm
Location: CBD
Who for: Everyone
Carmen and Diego are hipster scientists who have planned the most Melbourne weekend ever. They’ll drink single bean coffee, critique street-art down the alleys and wear too much black for this time of year. But you’ve heard that Carmen and Diego have stolen secret information that they’re smuggling out of a major research facility and are trying to keep on the move to evade the authorities.
Specially commissioned by Melbourne International Games Week, Where in Melbourne is Carmen and Diego is a new street adventure by Pop Up Playground.
A satirical scavenger hunt.
A light hearted poke at Melbourne’s foibles and quirks.
A great fun way to get to know the city for the first time, or rediscover it.
Work together over the weekend to find the clues, interrogate the agents and solve the puzzles to find Carmen and Diego.
Where in Melbourne is Carmen and Diego is designed to be an ambient street game played all over the city on Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 6pm. Players can play at any time and for as long as they like during the day. The game is free to play. Players will need to register their email address with us in order to receive their starting kit.
Tickets: Free event. Information about how to register is coming soon.
#SheMakes_Games Workshop
Saturday 29/10/2016
Time: 10:00am – 8:00pm
Location: ACMI X, Level4, 2 Kavanagh Street Southbank
Who for: Students of game development
This is for anyone looking to dip their toes into the world of game development, it may be something you've been looking into for a while but haven't been sure on how to approach it.
If you've always wondered what it's like to work in the games industry and who works in this industry this is the event for you!
Get your curious mind ticking!
Tickets | Website
GCAP: Loading
Sunday 30/10/2016
Time: 8:30am – 7:30pm
Location: Melbourne Meat Market, North Melbourne
Who for: Students of game development
GCAP Loading is a new conference from the Game Developers’ Association of Australia specifically for student and graduate game developers to assist in kick starting their careers post-graduation. With practical, experience-based talks on how to start your own games company (from those who have done so), how to freelance, how to get a job in the Australian industry and overseas, how to network and more, GCAP Loading will be an exciting new event in Melbourne International Games Week
Keynoted by legendary independent game developer Rami Ismail, co-founder and business guy at Vlambeer, GCAP Loading will feature a variety of Australia’s industry talent, from developers who’ve been in the industry for just a year to veterans with decades of experience.
Tickets & Website
Games: A Family Affair @ ACMI
Sunday 30/10/2016
Time: 10:00am – 4:00pm
Location: Australian Centre for the Moving Image
Who for: Families
The day will feature a range of fun and exciting gameplay opportunities, suitable for all ages. Families explore the world of games, both digital and physical, discover new worlds and take part in creative workshops. The day will also showcase the many age appropriate games that have been developed in our own backyard as well as opportunities to delve into the development process and learn the art of game making and coding with hands on activities.
Tickets: Free event. Information about how to register is coming soon. | Website
Unite Melbourne
Monday 31/10/2016
Time: 9:00am – 6:00pm
Location: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Wharf
Who for: Developers who work with Unity
Unite Melbourne is the opportunity for you to connect with Unity engineers, learn how to get the most out of the Unity Engine, and network with your fellow professionals to get the full lowdown on the Unity development road map.
Unite Melbourne 2016 is Unity's third annual Australian event amongst a global series of conferences that includes tours in Asia, Europe, and the United States. It brings together developers from around the globe to learn, network, and party in a creative and energetic environment. The event features hands-on workshops and lecture sessions from Unity's own specialists, as well as domestic and international professionals sharing their insights and best practices.
Tickets | Website
MIGW Wayfinder Live
Saturday - Monday 29/10/2016 – 07/11/2016
Time: 24 hrs
Location: CBD
Who for: Everyone
Fragments of a micronation are floating undiscovered on the streets of Melbourne. Find and map pieces of the puzzle to collect tokens. Join a clan and invest your tokens back into your favourite places to claim them for your clan.
Wayfinder is an augmented reality game playable via a free mobile phone app. Sixteen urban MIGW codes are placed across the city for players to scan with their phone. Scanning an urban code on the street reveals site-specific animation and sound and generates tokens for the player and clues to the next code.
Tickets: Free event. Information about how to register is coming soon.
Game Connect Asia Pacific
Tuesday - Wednesday 1/11/2016 – 2/11/2016
Time: 8:30am – 6:00pm
Location: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Wharf
Who for: Games Industry Professionals
Game Connect Asia Pacific (GCAP) is Australia’s premier game development conference, focusing specifically on skills development, addressing industry trends and international business matching. GCAP delivers thought provoking, creative and innovative sessions covering programming, art, design, business and more, from leaders in the local and international game development industry.
The GCAP theme this year is 'The Shoulders of Giants'. Inspired by the diversity and strength of the Australian industry, the theme represents the idea that we all stand on the shoulders of giants, and we are all shoulders for others. It speaks to the incredible community we have in Australia, past, present and future - and how through collaboration and communication we can all achieve success.
With tracks for design, post-mortems, art, tech and programming, business and commercialisation, people and industry, panels and fireside chats as well as a heavy focus on skills, professional development and cultivating new and existing relationships within the community, this year will be GCAP's biggest yet.
Tickets | Website
Australian Games Developer Awards
Wednesday 2/11/2016
Time: TBC
Location: Melbourne Meat Market, North Melbourne
Who for: Developers and Industry
The Australian Game Developer Awards are an annual celebration of the talent that makes up the Australian game development industry. The AGDAs are presented by the Game Developers’ Association of Australia (GDAA) and the event is held in conjunction with the Game Connect Asia Pacific conference (GCAP2016).
Eligible games include Australian games released since 1 September 2015 OR are not yet released, but substantially feature-complete and are intended for release within 3 months of the AGDA Ceremony.
Nomination categories are as follows:
Studio of the Year
Game of the Year
Excellence in Art
Excellence in Design
Excellence in Audio
Technical Excellence
Innovation Award
Accessibility Award
Representation Award
The Adam Lancman Award
Tickets & Website
Game Changer: ACMI VR Festival
Thursday 3/11/2016
Time: 12:00pm -8:00pm
Location: ACMI
Who for: Everyone
Taking place at ACMI, Federation Square, this event explores the immense and exciting possibilities of VR and serious games to enact real social change.
The day gathers industry researchers and practitioners from the worlds of art, games, technology, health and journalism to demonstrate how games and VR are innovative applied across a number of industries.
HTC (Taiwan) will be offering a masterclass workshop on their technology to invited games developers.
Tickets: Free event. Information about how to register is coming soon. | Website
Women in Games Lunch
Date: 03/11/2016
Time: 12:30pm
Who for: Women in the games industry
Location: The Kelvin Club, Melbourne
The Women in Games lunch is presented by Film Victoria and is a terrific networking opportunity for games developers and gamers. In its third year and now firmly entrenched in the Games event calendar in Victoria, the event includes an In Conversation with an international woman games developer. Past special guests have included Brie Code (2014) and Siobhan Reddy (2015).
This is an invitation only event however if you have attended previously, you will automatically receive an invitation to WIG Lunch 2016.
Website
PAX Australia
Friday- Sunday 4/11/2016 – 6/11/2016
Show Hours: 4 & 5 Nov 10:00am – 11:30pm 6 Nov 10:00am - 6:00pm
Exhibition Pavilion Hours: 10:00am - 6:00pm
Who for: Everyone (U15s must be accompanied by an adult)
Location: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Wharf
PAX or Penny Arcade Expo is a festival for gamers to celebrate gaming culture. Connecting the world’s leading game publishers with their most avid and influential fans, the first international PAX was held in Melbourne, Australia in 2013 and is now an annual event. PAX Australia returns to Melbourne this November for its fourth year!
Tickets | Website
Megadev
Sunday 6/11/2016
Time: 7:00pm – 12:30am
Who for: Industry (over 18s event)
Location: Beer DeLuxe Federation Square
The IGDA Melbourne and friends gather to cap off Melbourne International Games Week (MIGW) with everyone who worked in front of and behind the scenes as part of the week that was.
Stop by for a last drink for the week with friends from near or far involved in the game development sector.
STEM Video Games Challenge
Sunday 6/11/2016
Date: 7/11/2016
Time: TBC
Location: TBC
Who for: Primary and secondary school students
The Australian STEM Video Game Challenge is a national competition open to all Australian students in Years 5-12.
The Challenge is completely free to enter, and represents a great opportunity for upper primary and secondary students to engage in learning about science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) in a fun and challenging way.
Students are encouraged to work collaboratively to design and build an original video game based on STEM concepts or themes. Entries can be from individuals or from teams of up to four.
Entrants have an opportunity to earn recognition and great prizes for themselves and their school. The games will be played by industry professionals as part of the judging and the winners will be recognised at a national level, and by international bodies within the global gaming industry.
If you’re an Australian student, in Years 5-12, and you’ve got a great idea for a game – join the Australian STEM Video Game Challenge and share it with the world!
Website
Education in Games Summit
Monday 7/11/2016
Time: 8:30am – 5:30pm
Location: ACMI
Who for: Educators, primary and secondary
The Education in Games Summit 2016 is supported by The Department of Education and Training, in partnership with Creative Victoria and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI).
Themed Inspire+Design+Play, and part of Melbourne International Games Week, the Education in Games Summit 2016 invites professional educators to join us for a day packed with insights and practical takeaways about games, gameful thinking, and techniques to bring the Digital Technologies Curriculum to life.
The Summit is a fantastic learning opportunity offered by Victoria, the Education State, featuring keynote speeches, great-practice talks and panels, workshops that create connections with games that can be applied in the classroom, as well as tools and techniques that align with curricular demands, from beginner to advanced levels.
Tickets | Website