Please be patient with us as we go through this process and get everything up to speed while we’re also organizing for our major festival this fall, SUPER FESTival! I also want to thank all Hand Eye Society Members, friends, partners and volunteers for working with us and we can’t wait to let you know the future of what we’ve been up to! Your support means everything to us!

Also, all Hand Eye Society staff are going to take a break, so we will be off starting August 1st and we’ll be back in business on August 8th! If you need to get in contact with us, give us a tweet/DM or email us at info@handeyesociety.com and we’ll get back to ya ASAP! Honestly we deserve this break lol.

Anyway, thanks for everything and we’ll be back soon! Enjoy your summer!

I’ll be quick about this one. We’re super excited to announce that Hand Eye Society will soon be hosting a variety of workshops! It’s something we’ve been meaning to return to, and now it’s happening! What kind of workshops will we be hosting? Here’s a few–check ’em out! Right now the workshops are being workshopped, so we would love your feedback on things you’d be interested in seeing and what you think of them.

April 13, 2021 @ 6pm EST

• • Intro To Game Development – Scratch

April 20, 2022 @ 6pm EST

• • Storytelling with Twine

May 11, 2022 @ 6PM EST

• • Grant Writing for Creatives

June 1, 2022 @ 6PM EST

• • Intro to Livestreaming

June 15, 2022 @ 6pm EST

• • Intro to 3D Modeling – Blender
    

July 6, 2022 @ 6pm EST

• • Intro To Game Development – Unity

Workshops will cost $20, and as always, Hand Eye Society Members receive a discount for all workshops! We want to make sure that we have a wide variety of ‘shops available that are accessible and we’re already thinking of other workshops we can add to our growing list! Interested in running a workshop with us? Fill out this form and let us know.

Stay tuned on our website and our socials for updates! For more information on our workshops, visit RIGHT HERE! If you have any questions, comments or wanna chat with us, as always, reach out to us at info@handeyesociety.com!

See y’all soon!

A lot of good news all around at Hand Eye Society where figuring out ways to get the community engaged! How are we doing this? We Stream! We’re planning workshops! We’re planning [REDACTED] and we think you’re going to like [REDACTED] a lot! That being said, we again want to thank all our members and supporters for bearing with us! Your support is greatly appreciated! We want to make sure we can support and showcase as many developers and creators as possible and we couldn’t do it without you! So thank you!

This year is a very special year for Hand Eye Society and we want to be able to share it with you! Stay in touch and stay tuned for more fun opportunities with Hand Eye Society!

Have a safe month, y’all!

We would love to welcome everyone to our official Hand Eye Society Discord channel! 

Note: Events may be cancelled, or change form, like a transformer, or like a popsicle in the sun.

Don’t forget, there’s Google Calendar, in which you can check out all of the events here in one handy, downloadable place!

#ICYMI

BREADWINNER – JOBS/GIGS/OPPORTUNITIES/DEADLINES

https://twitter.com/Silcris88/status/1508510160599220232

Disclaimer: This is a monthly compilation of various Toronto game news and events in and around the city — many of which are not organized by Hand Eye Society — and is by no means comprehensive. Always check official links for accurate details and credits, and please send any corrections, additions, or submissions for future months to calendar@handeyesociety.com before the month in which the event takes place.

Do you miss the days when you would stay up all night listening to the radio, waiting for the perfect song to record for your crush? How about scouring Limewire trying to find an actual download of “Simple and Clean”? There’s something awesome about collecting something you think is really cool and being able to share it with friends, so we’ve decided to put together a bundle of Toronto-made games! We’re looking for 5 games to include in Volume 1 of the HES Mixtape.

APPLY NOW!

What type of games?

• Toronto-made
• Playable and complete (as defined by the creator)
• Any length
• Any genre
• Any visual style
• Able to be zipped into an Itch.io bundle

Games included will receive a $50 honourarium for being part of the bundle. The Mixtape will be distributed for free on our Itch page. If you’re interested in supporting the Mixtape directly and other showcasing opportunities send us an email at sponsor@handeyesociety.com.

Once the bundle is done, we’ll be playing the games over on our Twitch, so keep an eye out for the announcement! You can also join us weekly for Hand Eye Hangouts, every Tuesday at 6PM ET. Come chat, play some games, and talk about art.

This call closes March 21 2022 11:59 EST

Send us your weird games!!

Have questions? Want to know more about what the Society does? Send us an email at info@handeyesociety.com!

I know y’all are busy getting rings or whatever in Elden Ring, but check this–Hand Eye Society is hard at work making the next thing…a thing! We’re so happy and excited to be working on our next festival and we can’t wait to share for news and information on ways you can participate and volunteer! I’m calling it! 2022 is now our year! You can’t take it back from us! It’s ours!

Anyway, have a great month! Stay safe out there!

We would love to welcome everyone to our official Hand Eye Society Discord channel! 

Note: Events may be cancelled, or change form, like a transformer, or like a popsicle in the sun.

Don’t forget, there’s Google Calendar, in which you can check out all of the events here in one handy, downloadable place!

#ICYMI

this made me so mad lmfaooo like wtf?? 

anyway, they accepted it

BREADWINNER – JOBS/GIGS/OPPORTUNITIES/DEADLINES

Jam3 is hiring for many roles right now but we’re always looking for good developers, from junior on up. We are a design/experience agency, but often end up game-adjacent: we internally developed East of the Rockies and an unannounced project; and we often do award winning sites for things like Medal of Honor. If you’re looking to apply, email mike.nowak@jam3.com and mention HES.

Disclaimer: This is a monthly compilation of various Toronto game news and events in and around the city — many of which are not organized by Hand Eye Society — and is by no means comprehensive. Always check official links for accurate details and credits, and please send any corrections, additions, or submissions for future months to calendar@handeyesociety.com before the month in which the event takes place.

Oh hello! It’s been a while! But have no fear, the newsletter is here! There’s a lot of exciting things planned this year with Hand Eye Society, so stay tuned and keep an eye out for workshops, events, socials and more! We can’t wait to show all y’all what we’ve been up to! It’s going to be a very exciting year! I can tell! I can feel it in my bones…or maybe it’s because I don’t drink milk? I’m not sure, but what I DO know, is that it’s going to be a fun time! No milk necessary–or cereal for that matter.

We would love to welcome everyone to our official Hand Eye Society Discord channel! 

Note: Events may be cancelled, or change form, like a transformer, or like a popsicle in the sun.

Don’t forget, there’s Google Calendar, in which you can check out all of the events here in one handy, downloadable place!

#ICYMI

BREADWINNER – JOBS/GIGS/OPPORTUNITIES/DEADLINES

Our friends over at Mighty Yell are looking for a Unity VR Consultant! Apply here!

Jam3 is hiring for many roles right now but we’re always looking for good developers, from junior on up. We are a design/experience agency, but often end up game-adjacent: we internally developed East of the Rockies and an unannounced project; and we often do award winning sites for things like Medal of Honor. If you’re looking to apply, email mike.nowak@jam3.com and mention HES.

Disclaimer: This is a monthly compilation of various Toronto game news and events in and around the city — many of which are not organized by Hand Eye Society — and is by no means comprehensive. Always check official links for accurate details and credits, and please send any corrections, additions, or submissions for future months to calendar@handeyesociety.com before the month in which the event takes place.

The 9th WordPlay Festival takes place Saturday, November 13th & Sunday November 14th 2021 starting at 1pm EST both days!

FREE

Watch on our Twitch Channel

What an incredible time of the year! We’ve been waiting for this one for a very long time. We’re so happy and excited to be able to put together another event for everyone a fan of narrative games alike! This year we’re following the same format of being nice and safe online, so you can enjoy the festival while wearing your pajamas! We want to thank the community, friends of Hand Eye Society, the land we stand on, as well as our sponsors, Hand Eye Society members and staff who have worked tirelessly for the past few months to make this event possible, not only for free, but to also be able to support exhibitors for their work!

Well that’s it from me, look at these games! Play them! Buy them! Support the creators! Get cozy and listen to some talks! We got you! Stay safe and we’ll see you at WordPlay this weekend on our Twitch channel!

Games~

Raptor Boyfriend: A High School Romance

Rocket Adrift

Toronto, Ontario

Twitter | Steam |

Raptor Boyfriend: A High School Romance is a dating sim about a teen girl who moves to a small secret community of cryptids. Romance a magical Fairy, a sensitive Sasquatch and a bold Velociraptor. A satirical 90’s teen drama about trying to find love in your last year of high school.

Milton Summons the Devil

Gus Fuss Games

Brooklyn, NY

Itchio | Twitter |

You are Milton, a nine year old boy. You must search your house for the ritual items scattered everywhere throughout the house so you can summon the devil and kill your gym teacher. Just don’t wake up your parents or anger the devil!

Clam Man 2: Headliner

Marafrass/Team Clam

Canada

Marafrass | Team Clam | Steam

A combatless stand-up comedy RPG where jokes are loot and the boss fights are comedy shows. Under the sea. With fish people.

Frantic Fantic

Zeekayart and Michael

Toronto, Ontario

Twitter | Zeekayart | Website

A hilarious free-to-play creative writing party game where friends furiously write each other’s fanfiction. A round-robin style story game that is played like exquisite corpse but with words instead of pictures!

The Hayseed Knight

Maxi Molina (SandraMJdev)

Spain

Twitter | Steam

Join a ragtag band of misfits as they piece together how Ader, a one-eyed farmboy with seemingly impossible dreams, becomes the most celebrated knight the kingdom of Acazhor has ever known.

Divide Et Impera

Mauro Vanetti & Open Lab

Pavia + Florence, Italy

Mauro | Open Lab | Itchio | Pino | Pietro 

You: A disingenuous political leader keen on using some good old hate speech to further your aims.

Your Goal: Splitting your community in half, by detaching at least 12 people from the interconnected grid of 5×5 people.

Your Weapon: You have to choose hateful contents to post online and a specific target of 3×3 people for each post.

CW: Strong Language

Over Easy: A Diner Heist

Julian K. Jarboe

Salem, Massachusetts, USA

Twitter | Website | Itchio | Play

You and your crew are regulars at the local diner. This evening, the driver of a certain scrapyard truck will make a final pit stop at the diner before hauling away the remains of your neighborhood’s beloved, unique, and weird old landmark. Unless, of course, you and your crew can snatch it back.

Read The Room

Blah Books Studio

Chicago, IL

Devin | Devin’s IG | Jess | Itchio

Doors are locked and Grandma is missing! People are confused and you can read their minds somehow! What’s going on!?

Karen: An Outrage Simulator

Vagabond Dog

Toronto, Ontario

Twitter | Steam

You are Karen – Argue your way through ridiculous scenarios, and get everything you rightfully deserve in this short comedic game about entitlement.

The Fall and Rise of Sadcock-upon-Avon

Orbis Tertius Games

Lincoln, UK & Berlin, Germany

Twitter | Website | Itchio |

In the fiefdom of Sadcock-upon-Avon, strange things are happening. There are rumours of penises not looking or acting as they should…

CW: Sexual Themes

Union Drive

Matajuegos

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Itchio | Studio | Lunafromthemoon | Leno | PfQ | Trailer

Union Drive is a Latin-American visual novel about workplace unionization. You’ll step into the shoes of a young supermarket worker trying to strengthen the union at their place of work and fight against unjust working conditions.

Throughout the game you’ll build strong relationships with your coworkers and get to know their stories, all while learning organization skills used by real-world union organizers.

Internet Court

Oh, a Rock! Studios

Ithaca, NY

Twitter | Website | Paul | Arglefumph

A live-action courtroom comedy, where YOU are the prosecution, defense and the judge! It’s the year 20XX, and crime can happen anywhere—even in cyberspace.

If someone gets caught writing bad fanfiction or unfriending without due cause, they get hyperlinked directly to… The Internet Court. Where the courtroom is virtual, and trials are livestreamed for the whole world to watch.

Insomniac: The Movie: The Game

Insomniac Film Festival, Insomniac: The Movie filmmakers, and Lina Wu

Toronto, Ontario

Insomniac’s Website | Lina’s Website| Insomniac’s IG| Lina’s IG | Itchio

Insomniac: The Movie: The Game was developed as an interactive choose-your-own adventure experience in accompaniment with Insomniac: The Movie, a collaborative quarantine community cinema project.

In addition to watching the film, it’s also a way to explore the cinema, chat with filmmakers, and explore the fantastical horizons of the youth film community even during lockdown.

Quick Fix

Lawrence Le

Ontario, Canada

Twitter | Itchio

A short visual novel with point-and-click elements. What starts off as a simple errand quickly (d)evolves into a tale of fake currencies, goose sleuths, and caffeine abuse. Rub elbows with the oddball inhabitants of Yorkel and outsmart its cruel, coffee-drinking despot to finally secure some decent internet service.

Glom

Nice Games Club

Minneapolis, MN

Website | Twitter | Ellen | Mark | Stephen | Dale Lynn

You have three minutes to come up with a Glom: Re-write the Phrase, while following the Rule, to best meet the Goal… that’s it!

A romp of rewording regular remarks, for wordsmiths of all ages and skill levels. A tabletop party game from the hosts of the gamedev podcast “Nice Games Club.”

Loopy Lore

Guilherme Bandini and Thi My Nguyen

São Paulo, Brazil & Toronto, Ontario

Twitter | Itchio

Loopy Lore is a co-op storytelling game where friends collaborate in telling a story they know nothing about.

Using the cards and their imagination, players take turns as the narrator, giving shape to their tale. To win, they must work together to reach the ending created during setup.

An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs

Strange Scaffold

El Paso, Texas

Twitter | Steam

An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs is a first-person open-world comedy adventure game with a very long name. You and your fiancée are the last two human beings left in the universe.

Dogs run airports, along with the rest of society. Deal with alien logic, travel issues, and strange stock photo dogs as you attempt to stay in touch with the person you love, when you both live your lives on the go!

Speakers~

Martin Hanses (he/him)

Itchio

Roleplaying Comedy: Letting the player have the last laugh

In this talk, Martin Hanses goes over his work with the design and philosophy of writing comedy for role-playing games that the player can deliver, rather than be the recipient of.

Based on the work and research done for the stand-up comedy game Clam Man 2, the talk covers a series of techniques and approaches that can be implemented in the writing of most games, with a specific focus on player expression and assuming choice ownership.

Ryan Woodward (he/him)

Itchio | Steam

Cute, Funny, and Sad – Writing on Button City

Button City is a colorful game about a cute fox who tries to save the local arcade in the sky.

In this talk Ryan Woodward goes over how he approached writing for Button City to create a lighthearted comedy experience while also incorporating sad heartfelt moments.

Colton David (he/him)

Oops, All Characters: How to Write a Hundred Different Humans*: A character writing panel

Video games have characters; oftentimes, many characters. From RPG towns full of one-liner
randoms, to visual novels with 30 person main casts, game writers constantly need to fill space
with unique and memorable voices. Sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, oftentimes pointless –
this panel seeks to share practical ways game writers can harness their brain to produce
characters that stick with players. Many, many characters.
The panel will have a light-hearted, conversational bent to it. Attention will be given to writing
funny characters, in keeping with the comedy theme of Wordplay, while also delving into pulling
deeper emotions from.

Carrie Patel (She/Her)
Game Director at Obsidian Entertainment
Carrie has been writing with Obsidian since 2013, writing and co-leading the Pillars of Eternity
franchise, narrative designing The Outer Worlds, and directing an exciting unannounced project.
Aside from her game writing, Carrie is a published author, having released acclaimed
speculative fiction novels: The Buried Life (2015), Cities and Thrones (2015), and more!

Giselle Francis (She/Her)
Writer at Red Thread Games
Giselle is a writer and game designer, currently working on Dustborn, an upcoming title being
developed by Red Thread Games. Previous to that, Giselle has worked on Project Alina, a
puzzle-action RPG for Microfun Inc. As well, Giselle has also done advocacy work and panels
with Latinx in Gaming.

Cobysoft Joe (He/Him, They/Them)
Writer, Artist, and Composer of Dome-King Cabbage
Cobysoft Joe is the one-man band behind Cobysoft Co. a real (but also fictional) gaming
company that makes the award winning Dome-King Cabbage. Dome-King Cabbage is a visual
novel that takes place within the world of a monster collecting RPG. Joe currently lives in the
Midwest of the United States after having spent three years in Japan teaching English. Joe
spends his spare time making 3D images on his computer and playing with his hamster
Thimble.

Jaclyn Seto (She/Her)
Writer at Respawn Entertainment
Starting her career in the medical field, Jaclyn transitioned from physician’s assistant, to writing
on Apex Legends, carrying with her a unique insight into both fields. An avid fan-fiction writer in
her youth, Jaclyn persisted with her passion, graduating from Vancouver Film School’s
screenwriting program in 2019, then working on Project Alina, a puzzle-action RPG for Microfun
Inc.

Marina Kittaka (She/Her)
Co-Director at Analgesic Productions
marinakittaka.com
Currently working on Sephonie.

Melos Han-Tani (He/Him)
Co-Director at Analgesic Productions
@meloshantani (tiktok)
Currently working on Sephonie.

Host & Panel Organizer
Colton David
Writer at Lo-Fi Games
Colton is a writer and narrative designer based out of beautiful Toronto, Canada. For his day
job, he writes with Lo-Fi Games on the sequel to the hit sandbox RPG Kenshi. In his off-time he
develops games with Bad Pet, notably releasing Devil Express in March of 2020. Devil Express
has gone on to be one of the top 10 highest rated adventure games on itch.io! Currently Colton
is working on Anti, a narrative platformer, with his friends at Bad Pet.

Y’all, I am literally doing like 9999999 things. Some of them are helping organize the 9th WordPlay Festival for all of you! Can you even believe that it’s been an entire year since the last one? What even is time? 

Anyway, we’re so excited to be able to have this event yet again in a safe online space…our official Twitch channel! Be sure to keep an eye out for our next blog post, which will feature all the games and speakers for this year’s event! See you November 13th & 14th!

We would love to welcome everyone to our official Hand Eye Society Discord channel! 

Note: Events may be cancelled, or change form, like a transformer, or like a popsicle in the sun.

Don’t forget, there’s Google Calendar, in which you can check out all of the events here in one handy, downloadable place!

Where to Jaunt & Haunt 

November 13 & 14

WordPlay 2021! Happening on our Twitch channel at 12pm EST! 

This year’s theme was comedy, so we’ll be showcase some funny talks and games! See you there!

#ICYMI

BREADWINNER – JOBS/GIGS/OPPORTUNITIES/DEADLINES

Our friends over at Mighty Yell are looking for a Unity VR Consultant! Apply here!

Jam3 is hiring for many roles right now but we’re always looking for good developers, from junior on up. We are a design/experience agency, but often end up game-adjacent: we internally developed East of the Rockies and an unannounced project; and we often do award winning sites for things like Medal of Honor. If you’re looking to apply, email mike.nowak@jam3.com and mention HES.

Disclaimer: This is a monthly compilation of various Toronto game news and events in and around the city — many of which are not organized by Hand Eye Society — and is by no means comprehensive. Always check official links for accurate details and credits, and please send any corrections, additions, or submissions for future months to calendar@handeyesociety.com before the month in which the event takes place.

Howdy, all! Things are happening! We are in motion! Wordplay, Fund Futures and [REDACTED]! We’re doing our best! Stay tuuuuuuuned~

Anyway the important news is that we are having our Annual General Meeting this month and will take place on our Discord! Be sure to join!

We would love to welcome everyone to our official Hand Eye Society Discord channel! 

Note: Events may be cancelled, or change form, like a transformer, or like a popsicle in the sun.

Don’t forget, there’s Google Calendar, in which you can check out all of the events here in one handy, downloadable place!

Where to Jaunt & Haunt (literally lmao lmao)

October 3

Hand Eye Society Annual General Meeting!

October 5

Organizing Committee Meeting with DMG

October 6

IDGA Toronto’s The COVID Game Changer Panel

October 30

October Speaker Social with DMG

October 31

#ICYM

Are you a tabletop publisher? Help out community member Guil!

BREADWINNER – JOBS/GIGS/OPPORTUNITIES/DEADLINES

Our friends over at Mighty Yell are looking for a Unity VR Consultant! Apply here!

Jam3 is hiring for many roles right now but we’re always looking for good developers, from junior on up. We are a design/experience agency, but often end up game-adjacent: we internally developed East of the Rockies and an unannounced project; and we often do award winning sites for things like Medal of Honor. If you’re looking to apply, email mike.nowak@jam3.com and mention HES.

Disclaimer: This is a monthly compilation of various Toronto game news and events in and around the city — many of which are not organized by Hand Eye Society — and is by no means comprehensive. Always check official links for accurate details and credits, and please send any corrections, additions, or submissions for future months to calendar@handeyesociety.com before the month in which the event takes place.

The program will be running Saturdays starting October 9 through November 27th from 1-4PM.

Applications close October 1st!

Over the course of the past 4 years, we’re refined the course using interviews with experienced game creators, past alumni, and working closely with partners to get to the most critical and useful business learning for folks in the Ontario region. From things like tax credits to how to run your social media you’ll be going through a wide array of exercises via talks, homework, and discussion.

This program could be a good fit for you if:

• You have an awesome game prototype with commercial potential -OR- you’ve made game prototypes in the past and have an idea for a game with commercial potential
• You have less than 3 years of full time industry experience
• You are able to connect online for sessions
• You can commit to 3-6 hours a week for the hands-on assignments
• You are an Ontario resident

We ask that one or two representatives from your team attend. Throughout the program, you’ll be working on getting yourself, your studio, and your game ready to hit the ground running for things like pitching and applying for funding. Every week there will be homework associated with the topic of the upcoming session.

Selections will be made by Hand Eye Society staff in consultation with Ontario Creates, with an eye towards cultural innovation and viability. The HES is also committed to ensuring a diverse range of participants are considered, so you are strongly encouraged to apply if you or your team are from a traditionally underrepresented background such as women, BIPoC (Black, Indigenous or Person of Colour), LGBTQIA+, etc. If you have any questions do not hesitate to reach out at info@handeyesociety.com.

The six (6) participants who complete the program will be eligible to submit an application to the IDM Fund Concept Definition or Production programs starting in the Spring 2022 deadline. This will allow you to bypass the 3 years of full time industry experience requirement. Applicants that apply to more than one partner organization in the Fund Futures stream will only be accepted to one program.

Fund Futures covers topics about how to start your studio, hiring, building your community, and so much more!

Topics covered in this years programs are as follows:

• October 9: Pitching and Financing: Funding Sources, Publishers, Tax Credits, Deferrals
• October 16: Legal: Incorporation, Insurance, and Contracts
• October 23: Budgeting: Payroll, Cash Flow & Accounting
• October 30: Production Methodology: Scaling Up, Hiring, Timelines/Schedules
• November 6: Audience Connection: Community Building, Publicity & Marketing
• November 20: Strategy: Designing Your Company & Alternate Income Streams
• November 27: Repitch: Moving Forward With Grant Writing

Apply By October 1st!

There is no cost to apply. If selected, you will be required to become a Hand Eye Society member ($7/month) and pay a $100 deposit that will be returned to you on successful completion of the program. As we only have 6 spots available, we want to ensure that all the spots are filled by participants who are committed to finishing the course.

Got questions about the program? Feel free to send us an email at info@handeyesociety.com! Make sure you’re signed up to our mailing list for updates, as these programs tend to fill up fast.

This program is in partnership with Ontario Creates.