Will O’Neill – Hand Eye Test https://test.handeyesociety.com My WordPress Blog Tue, 10 Nov 2015 14:38:48 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 WordPlay 2015 Photos and Recap https://test.handeyesociety.com/2015/11/10/wordplay-2015-photos-and-recap/ Tue, 10 Nov 2015 14:38:48 +0000 http://handeyesociety.com/?p=23247

WordPlay 2015 was our third year at the Toronto Reference Library, attracting over 200 people who came to experience and learn more about writerly games.

Interactive fiction author and critic Emily Short began the afternoon with an introduction to why interactive fiction matters, and is satisfying to engage with as a creator.

Scott Benson and Bethany Hockenberry from the development team of Night in the Woods took to the stage in our second session, offering the audience an insightful conversation on how their own experiences have rendered an influence on the narrative of their game.

In addition to our mainstage talks, we also featured our annual curated showcase of 25 playable writerly games submitted from around the world.

Additional features and attractions included free workshops in Inform, Twine and Ren’Py, as well as the interactive storytelling experience of The Choosatron.

CYOA-style author Sherwin Tjia took to the stage in our third session to talk about intersections between his own work as an author and the art of creating narratives within games. The launch of his latest book You Are a Kitten! was held concurrently at the library.

Our fourth session featured developer Kara Stone speaking with Christine Love in a retrospective of her career to date, including a discussion of her upcoming game Ladykiller.

For our final session, Her Story creator Sam Barlow was put to the test with an innovative, Twine-based and audience-interactive interview hosted by critic and developer Kaitlin Tremblay.

On behalf of the Hand Eye Society, thank you to all of our attendees, organizers, guests and sponsors! Your support made our event a tremendous success for the third year in a row.

Congratulations to all our WordPlay 2015 Showcase games!

 

partners
Produced with the support of the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council, and the province of Ontario through the Ontario Arts Council.

WordPlay 2015 – Committee

Festival Director: Will O’Neill
Technical Coordinator: Daniel Harley
Submissions Coordinator: Kelsi Morris
Volunteer Coordinator: John Rathiganthan
Members at Large: Kara Stone, Kaitlin Tremblay
Promotions & Publicity: Evan Munday
Festival Identity: Beehive Design
Founder: Jim Munroe

2015 Showcase Jurors: Sam Kabo Ashwell, Jake Elliott, Brendan Hennessy, Soha Kareem, Tom McHenry, Squinky

Workshop Instructors: Emily Short, Patrick Rainville, Megan Patterson

Photos: Al Donato, Jim Munroe

]]> Announcing WordPlay 2015! Call for Submissions, Volunteers https://test.handeyesociety.com/2015/07/24/announcing-wordplay-2015-call-for-submissions-volunteers-2/ Fri, 24 Jul 2015 13:00:59 +0000 http://handeyesociety.com/?p=22789 WordPlay is our free one-day festival celebrating the most interesting uses of writing and words in contemporary games. Now in our third year, we will once again host a curated game showcase, talks by creators about their craft, and ways for the public to try their hand at making games.

Sat. Nov. 7, 2015, 12-5pm
Toronto Reference Library
789 Yonge St. (Bloor-Yonge subway)
Free

This year, our mainstage will host a variety of international guests working in writerly games, including:

– Emily Short (Galatea, Metamorphoses)
– Sam Barlow (Her Story, Aisle, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories)
– Scott Benson & Bethany Hockenberry (Night in the Woods, Lost Constellation)
– Christine Love (Ladykiller in a Bind, Hate Plus, Analogue: A Hate Story)

Additional guests and program details to be announced in the months ahead!

Submissions for the WordPlay 2015 Showcase are now closed.

If you would like to volunteer for the festival (10 volunteer hours earn you Hand Eye Society membership and voting rights in the January Annual General Meeting) please email us and we’ll loop you in on volunteer opportunities in the lead up to and on the day itself.

WordPlay 2015 – Showcase Jury

Sam Kabo Ashwell (Invisible Parties, IF Criticism)
Jake Elliott (Kentucky Route Zero)
Brendan Hennessy (King of Bees, Bell Park: Youth Detective)
Soha Kareem (reProgram, Penalties)
Tom McHenry (Horse Master, Tonight Dies the Moon)
Squinky (Dominique Pamplemousse, Coffee: A Misunderstanding)

WordPlay 2015 – Committee

Festival Director: Will O’Neill
Technical Coordinator: Daniel Harley
Submissions Coordinator: Kelsi Morris
Volunteer Coordinator: John Rathiganthan
Members at Large: Kara Stone, Kaitlin Tremblay

WordPlay is presented with the Digital Innovation Hub at Toronto Reference Library.

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