Bathurst Street Theatre (736 Bathurst Street) at 9:00 am
Doors open at 9:00 am on Friday. Get your Gamercamp Lv3 started at our registration table.
Morning
Doors Open and Registration
Keynote Presentation: Seth Cooper
Bathurst Street Theatre (736 Bathurst Street) at 9:30 am
The first day of Gamercamp Lv3 kicks off with opening words from co-founders and co-organizers Mark Rabo and Jaime Woo, followed by our keynote presentation.
Players of the protein-folding game FoldIt gained global attention when they solved a key problem within weeks that had eluded scientists for years. Games do not need to create change, but if they can—why not? Seth Cooper is the lead designer of FoldIt and will discus how to use games to solve difficult real-world problems.
Theatre Presentation: A Walk Through the Trash
Bathurst Street Theatre (736 Bathurst Street) at 11:15 am
The morning presentations conclude with inspiration from an unlikely source: the trash!
The TRS-80 microcomputer was released in 1979, and some games featured amazing mechanics that have been completely forgotten. Within those games, each contains a proven kernel of brilliance that can inspire modern game developers. In “A Walk Through the Trash: Celebrating the Games & People of the TRS-80 Microcomputer,” Bigpants Games co-founder Jim McGinley will draw lessons from the past and what they mean for today’s game designers and developers.
Emerging Artist Showcase
Bathurst Street Theatre (736 Bathurst Street) at 11:45 am
Toronto’s great calibre of incisive and innovative game studios has made it a central hub for independent game development. Come check out the next generation of game creators, poised to make their mark on the industry, as they share their ideas. Not only will you witness fresh art and innovation, you’ll see it before anyone else!
Afternoon
MakerU Opening Presentation
CSI Annex (720 Bathurst Street) at 1:00 pm
MakerU puts you in the middle of a game development studio. In this presentation, you’ll hear from some of the amazing people who are leading the games communities, supporting the creation of new video, board, and physical games in the city. Then, it’ll be your turn to give making games a try.
Even if it’s your first time, by the end of MakerU, you’ll find the game designer inside.
MakerU: Board Games
CSI Annex (720 Bathurst Street) at 1:15 pm
Make a simple game within hours at MakerU: Board Games, led by Adam Clare of the Toronto Board Game Jam.
More about Toronto Board Game Jam: With its inaugural edition in January 2011, the Board Game Jam led over 40 participants through creating a board game, some for their first time! Created by Adam Clare and David Fono, the one-day event resulted in 14 new games being produced.
MakerU: Physical Games
CSI Annex (720 Bathurst Street) at 1:15 pm
Create a game within a game at MakerU: Physical Games, led by David Fono and Kate Raynes-Goldie of Atmosphere Industries and Recess.TO.
More on Recess.TO: A forum for experimental games in Toronto, Recess.TO is interested in seeing what happens when you take games off of screens, and plant them in the facets of the everyday world. This is about exploring the possibilities of interconnected mobile and ubiquitous devices, and about a reinvention of playground games and make-believe. The games we feature push the boundaries of play, participation, and public space.
Also: catch Recess.TO at a two-hour play session on Sunday.
MakerU: Video Games
CSI Annex (720 Bathurst Street) at 1:15 pm
A video game in an afternoon? Doable! Try simple programs to make games at MakerU: Video Games, led by Jason Kaplan of the Game Prototype Challenge.
Nearby, MakerU Iron Chef will be happening where you’ll see video game programmers attempt to make a game around a “secret ingredient” in three hours… right before your eyes. Wanna sign up? Read how here!
More about the Game Prototype Challenge: The Game Prototype Challenge is a spur-of-the-moment motivator for making games. Inspired by Gamercamp Lv2, the GPC is a (mostly) monthly event featuring a pair of semi-opposing themes and a timeline of one week to help encourage people to get making games.
MakerU Play-Test Zone
CSI Annex (720 Bathurst Street) at 1:15 pm
Be a part of the game development cycle by play-testing works in progress. The Play-Test Zone is the place to try out new games and meet the people behind them.
And if you’ve created a game, bring your laptop and some controllers: this is the chance to share your baby with a broader audience!
MakerU Iron Chef Games Presentation
CSI Annex (720 Bathurst Street) at 4:15 pm
Check out the MakerU Iron Chef games made in just three hours. Vote for your favourite and help crown the first Iron Chef champion. At stake? Not just the title, but a Gamercamp Gaudy Trophy!
Evening
Casual Gala
Where: CSI Annex
When: 8:00 pm
Friday 8:00 to 10:00 pm. Join us for the Casual Gala at CSI Annex. Gamercamp gives back with a party hosted by Electric Playground‘s Shaun Hatton celebrating a year of great games from local designers and developers. See Toronto’s future talent with the emerging artist showcase and get your hands on one-of-a-kind game art with an exciting charity raffle supporting the Hospital for Sick Children.
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