[button size=large” style=” text=’Comics X Games 2019 Submission Form’ icon=” icon_color=” link=’https://goo.gl/forms/RxEUGPR5LeWL9r6B3′ target=’_self’ color=” hover_color=” border_color=” hover_border_color=” background_color=” hover_background_color=” font_style=” font_weight=” text_align=” margin=”]

SUBMISSIONS END FEBRUARY 7 2019 AT MIDNIGHT EST. 

Exhibitors MUST be able to attend TCAF in Toronto, Canada both days to set up and staff their table. Please send any questions to the Comics X Games Team at cxg@handeyesociety.com (Sagan Yee, Royel Edwards, Ken Cho, Amanda Wong, Alenn Predko).

APPLICATION FAQ

When and where is TCAF?

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2019 will take place Saturday, May 11th, 9am-5pm, and Sunday May 12th, 10am-5pm, at Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street. The Comics x Games exhibit usually takes place on the second floor.

How does Comics X Games fit into this?

TCAF is its own event/organization, but the Comics x Games programming is coordinated by the Hand Eye Society and promoted as a cross-disciplinary part of the main festival. It’s a partnership that started in 2012 between TCAF and HES c0-founder, Miguel Sternberg, with support from TIFF.nexus. We are extremely grateful to TCAF for being a great host all these years!

Do I need to live in Toronto to take part? 

Nope. International guests are welcome as long as you’re able to travel to Toronto for TCAF and staff your table over the two days. TCAF’s FAQ has some good travel information for out of town visitors.

Is there a table fee for confirmed applicants? 

Yes, but we are very flexible. Since 2018, we are charging a small optional fee of $30 per table and $10 for each piece of loaned equipment (computer and/or monitor) so the maximum ask won’t be higher than $50 CAD. This money will go towards the wear-and-tear on our equipment, which is expensive to replace and difficult to fund through normal channels. However, you won’t be penalized for waiving the fee – we want to keep things as accessible and inclusive as possible! Simply check the appropriate boxes when filling out your submission to indicate your preferences. You can read more about the decision to implement table fees here.

Can I sell merchandise for my game?

Yes; in fact we encourage it! Banners, postcards, download codes, plushies, etc. are all fine. However first and foremost this is a games showcase so you need to have your game set up for people to play, and to please respect your neighbour’s table space.

My game has nothing to do with comics, so can I still apply?

Yes! While we are always excited to see game submissions with some connection to the world of comics, such as visual novels or interactive experiments that play with the concept of sequential art (or comic artists who are also making indie games), all are welcome to apply! Click here to see a list of previous exhibitors.

I don’t have a game, but my comic is super relevant to games, can I exhibit at Comics x Games?

Unless it’s some form of interactive comic (like Meanwhile or Framed), probably not. Send us an email if you want to be put on a list and we’ll let you know if extra space becomes available. Alternatively, you can let us know you are interested in being a speaker or a panellist, as we’ve had many guests such as Jason Shiga talk about their comics in an interdisciplinary context.

How do you decide which games get selected for the arcade?

We get more and more submissions every year and only have enough table space to select about 30 games, so there are many factors that go into making the final selection. Once submissions close, the HES team sits down and plays through all of the games that were submitted. There is no main criteria that governs our choices, but we like to see a wide variety of types of games (multiplayer, story-driven, puzzle, experimental, even tabletop), as well as prioritizing games that demonstrate the independent creative spirit of TCAF. Some of the other things we look for are: Is the artist/studio from Toronto or the GTA? Are they a student or emerging artist who could use the exhibition experience? Are they from a marginalized or traditionally underrepresented background? Above all, balance is key!

Do I need to provide my own computer equipment?

Yes, you should bring everything you need to showcase your game. However, you can rent a computer and/or monitor if you’d like (see the form). A small number of loaner set-ups will be available, although they are fairly underpowered and we will have to test your game on them to make sure they run properly. Priority will be given to guests coming from outside of Toronto/the GTA.

Will there be internet on site?

Not particularly. While the library technically has free Wi-Fi, it’s spotty at the best of times and borderline useless during TCAF. We strongly recommend having a build that is is playable offline.

I only want to showcase for one of the days, can I do that?

Probably not. Unfortunately, priority will be given to exhibitors showing both days, but you can send us an email with your preferred day if you want to be put on a list.

I exhibited in previous years and the space was kind of difficult to navigate. Will there be any changes this year?

Unfortunately there is unlikely to be any changes to the physical area as long as TCAF remains in the Toronto Reference Library. The second floor space is what we’ve been given to work with, and the tables are bolted to the floor, which makes changing the layout basically impossible. We’ve flagged the risers as an accessibility issue, but until a solution is found, we will continue to do our best to make sure everyone’s needs are met!

Question not on the list? Email us! cxg@handeyesociety.com

For more information about TCAF:

Website: www.torontocomics.com
Twitter: @Torontocomics
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TorontoComics

Logo by Cory Schmitz

The seventh annual Comics x Games is coming your way for TCAF 2018! We’ve got two amazing panels lined up, both at 1:30 PM in the Learning Centre in the Toronto Reference Library. These talks will offer a glimpse of comic artists and publishers venturing into the world of digital and tabletop games. Gain insights about the creative vision and development process behind two different but complementary disciplines, and meet contemporary artists forging new paths through the Comics x Games scene.

• SATURDAY: Tea Dragons Spotlight: Comic Publishers Getting Into the Game
• SUNDAY: From Panels to Pixels: 3 Comic Artists Making Videogames

If you have any questions, please contact cxg@handeyesociety.com (all e-mail will be forwarded to the CxG/HES Logistics team: Amanda Wong, Ken Cho, Alanna Predko and Sagan Yee).

Tea Dragons Spotlight: Comic Publishers Getting Into the Game

Saturday, May 12
Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge St.
1:30 PM, Learning Centre
FREE

“Everything fit the lore so perfectly, and it felt so magical and special to have such a thoughtful game based around the world I had made built by talented game designers! It feels so true to the spirit of the story, and I hope that when people play it and raise their Tea Dragons, they’ll make their own memories to share with friends and families.”

-Artist Katie O’Neill on The Tea Dragon Society Card Game by Oni Games and Renegade Games

Meet the game designers and artists who are working together with comics publishers to create playable worlds! VIZ Media has recently partnered with Portland-based Rose City Games to create original videogames, starting with supernatural teen adventure The World Next Door. This year, we put the spotlight on The Tea Dragon Society, a card game adaptation of Katie O’Neill’s charming webcomic published by the Oni Games division of Oni Press. Discover how artists, publishers and game designers collaborate to form unique partnerships bridging two communities, each with their own challenges and rewards.

PANELISTS:

• Steve Ellis – Game designer, Oni Press/Oni Games; Tea Dragon Society: The Card Game
• Katie O’Neill – Comics artist and illustrator; Tea Dragon Society
• Moderated by Rachel Kahn – Illustrator and designer of comics and tabletop games (she’ll be showcasing Pocket Dungeons in the CxG arcade on the 2nd floor!)

From Panels to Pixels: 3 Comic Artists Making Videogames

Sunday, May 13
Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge St.
1:30 PM, Learning Centre
FREE

Three indie comic artists are taking their creative vision to the interactive digital world, with eye-catching results. Explore the shifting boundary between indie comics and videogames with three projects in different stages of development: Tropical Depression Tendency, a visual novel where a seemingly flawless paradise masks deep trauma; Spinch, a psychedelic, fast-paced sensory experience; and Bravery Network, a Pokemon-for-adults futuristic fighting game with a hand-inked visual style. Learn about the diverse roles of the artist in the indie game dev process, from DIY development to collective creation.

PANELISTS

• Iasmin Omar Ata – Comic artist and game designer; Tropical Depression Tendency
• Jesse Jacobs – Comic artist on various Koyama Press titles; Spinch
• Kelly K – Cartoonist and illustrator, now working on Bravery Network

Panelist Bios

Katie O’Neill

Katie O’Neill is an illustrator and graphic novelist from New Zealand, and author of Princess Princess Ever After and The Tea Dragon Society, both from Oni Press. She mostly makes gentle fantasy stories for younger readers, and is very interested in tea, creatures, things that grow, and the magic of everyday life.

http://ktoneill.com

Kelly K

 

Partners and Sponsors

Logo by Cory Schmitz

The seventh annual Comics x Games (formerly known as Comics vs Games) is coming your way for TCAF 2018! We’re on the second floor of the Toronto Reference Library, as usual and we have quite the lineup planned.

• Speakers and panel info – TBA!!
  • SATURDAY: Panel 1
  • SUNDAY: Panel 2
• Arcade Lineup
• Credits

If you have any questions, please contact cxg@handeyesociety.com (all e-mail will be forwarded to the CxG/HES Logistics team: Amanda Wong, Ken Cho, Alanna Predko and Sagan Yee).

Finally: Do you wanna volunteer? Fill out our Volunteer Registration Form within the next day or so; we’ll be recruiting a small army, so keep an eye on your inbox for notifications!

Full Arcade Lineup!

[Edit] you used to be someone by Dietrich Squinkifer is unable to make it to this year’s Comics x Games.

Chasing Birds
David Czarnowski
Toronto, ON

Chasing Birds is a relaxing, exploration game. Play as a dog in a park and chase those pesky birds!

Chiaroscuro
Recharge
Toronto, ON

Chiaroscuro is a two-player co-op isometric puzzle game, with light and dark as its primary puzzle mechanic.

circuits
Eileen Holowka
Montréal, QC

circuits is a narrative-based Twine game that explores the act of remembering, witnessing, and narrativizing sexual trauma. Through poetry and photography, circuits looks specifically at an individual’s experiences with sexual trauma in order to explore how the act of writing sexual trauma is negated and rehashed through institutions, on media platforms, and in courtrooms. circuits’ fragmented and cyclical construction reflects the chaos of remembering and repeating trauma.

Dispirited
Marishka Zachariah and Jesse DeNobrega
Toronto, ON

For spirits and cryptid creatures, healthcare is difficult when 99% of the population doesn’t believe you exist. Players take on the role of experimental surgeons, using their conversational and metaphysical steady hands to understand and then cure mysterious cryptids of their physically manifested existential crises, even from deep inside. A spirit surgery simulator in glorious VR!

Don’t Wake the Night
Brujería @ Werk
Toronto, ON

DON’T WAKE THE NIGHT is a 2D point-and-click narrative game about witches and conflict. You, the player, are the spirit summoned by them and by eavesdropping on their conversations, you will piece clues together to make an important decision: who is to be punished for this commotion?

Double Cross
13AM Games
Toronto, ON

Double Cross is an exciting action adventure game that has players take on the role of Zahra, an agent of RIFT (Regulators of Interdimensional Frontiers and Technology) whose job it is to maintain peace and order between all dimensions. Developed by 13AM Games, the studio behind Runbow, Double Cross features an adventure-game style investigation crossed with an intense action platformer. Players are also free to customize Zahra’s play style in order to become the top RIFT agent.

Fossil Hunters
Reptoid Games
Toronto, ON

Fossil Hunters is an action-adventure game about digging for fossils and building your own dinosaurs.

GTAnimalia
Jason Bond
Toronto, ON

Greater Toronto Animalia (GTAnimalia) is an open-world game set in a recreation of Toronto (generated from real map data), allowing you to play as one of several local wildlife species.

Heaven Will Be Mine
Pillow Fight Games
Washington, DC

Heaven Will Be Mine is the spiritual successor to our cult hit, We Know the Devil, that explores relationships in the void of deep space. As one of three ace mecha pilots, you use a scifi console to measure your alignment to one of three warring factions, then choose which missions to take and how to engage.

Love on the Peacock Express
Circle of Eyes
Scarborough, ON

Love on the Peacock Express is a visual novel where you play as a gutsy private investigator. You’ve always been interested in two things: solving mysteries, and kissing hot older women. Now you’re on a luxury train with as many mysteries as there are hot older women. So… who do you kiss first?

Luna: The Shadow Dust
Lantern Studio
Shanghai, China

Behind the veil of reality, lies an enchanted world. When the world lost its balance, it fell upon a boy to take on an unexpected journey. Until the moon rises again, the order of the world will not be restored. One can not go back in time to correct his mistake. Whatever happened is irreversible…or is it?

Together with our main character and his mystery friend, players will experience an unique adventure that requires both courage and determination. Enter the ancient tower that stands at the edge of world, help the character bring back his lost memories and find out the darkest secret beyond the tower itself.

Media is Dead, You are Alive
MrTedders
Brampton, ON

Media is Dead is a game about various pieces of media that have value to me that I can’t express in words. It plays like a first person explotory game with puzzle elements.

Museum of Symmetry
Paloma Dawkins
Montréal, QC

Museum of Symmetry is an “other-dimension”, 2D-in-3D playground, virtual reality adventure game that disrupts conventional storytelling with a unique experience between humans and nature.

Produced by the National Film Board of Canada in collaboration with Casa Rara Studio, Montreal-based pioneers in virtual reality projects.

Pike ‘n Shot
Smith’s Fine Electric Amusements
Toronto, ON

Pike ‘n Shot is inspired by both the Gameboy game Mercenary Force as well as the battlefield part of the NES/Amiga game North & South. These games looked so cool to me as a kid whenever I saw them in magazines but then when I actually played them they both proved to be pretty awkward and unsatisfying. Pike ‘n Shot is my attempt to make a good game out of the idea of a fast paced, real-time renaissance battle that is streamlined, fun, and plays sort of like a shoot’em up.

Salad Hunt
Salad Hunters Inc.
Boston, MA

Salad Hunt is a kitchen destruction game inspired by classic arcade shooters and compresses them into a mobile form that is accessible to the next generation of gamers. Players take the role of The Chef and find that their kitchen has been invaded by ultra fresh salad ingredients that have come alive as cute, but mischievous characters. The Chef tosses forks, bowls, and lettuce at them in the hope of saving what remains of his kitchen, but ironically destroys it even further in the process.

The Sword and the Slime
Dennis McCorry
Rochester, NY

The Sword and the Slime is a quirky fantasy puzzle action game in which the player stars as a magical flying sword that is charged with protecting various characters they are bound to.

The Tower
MrTedders
Brampton, ON

As a tiny pixel with a shotgun, make your way through the levels of a swaying, dissolving Tower while a barrage of enemies attempt to take you out from the darkest of creeping corners.

The Unfathomable Anthology
The Unfathomable Siblinghood
Toronto, ON

Choose your own mini adventure! We have BBQ Postponed, our murder mystery/monster dating simulator, Analysis Complete!, our alien science scavenger hunt, Swamp MD, in which you much collect icky swamp materials to heal yourself, and Aggie vs the Forest, where you car breaks down in a magic forest.

Toronto Graffiti
Pied Piper Games
Toronto, ON

Run around Toronto, cover up advertisements with graffiti to reveal more art. 2D platformer with some stealth mechanics and touch controls. THE ARTIST A.K.A. LOGIC sees it as his mission to free his neighbourhood from corporate control by covering up Omni’s advertisements with inspirational public art.

Trap Labs
Nonce
Toronto, ON

Trap Labs is an action-adventure game inspired by bounds and mazes from classic RTS custom maps.

Untitled Paper RPG
Adam Robinson-Yu
Toronto, ON

This is a turn-based RPG adventure game, inspired by entries in the Mario RPG series. The game follows a paper crocodile who sets out rescue a missing family member. You can explore a 3D world and fight enemies in turn-based combat.

Fighting Words [Tabletop]
Jonathan Lavallee
Toronto, ON

It is a word card game that doubles as a fighting game. You choose your fighter and draw a handful of cards and use those consonants and all the vowels to make words.

Loopy Lore [Tabletop]
Guilherme Rosolia
Toronto, ON

Loopy Lore is a Collaborative Improv Storytelling Card Game for 2-4 people where you and your friends join forces to create the world’s best/worst Fanfiction. It mixes a mobile support app, physical cards and improv exercises to give people an opportunity to create a story together.

Pocket Dungeons [Tabletop]
Rachel Kahn
Toronto, ON

Pocket Dungeons are small zine-sized tabletop RPG adventures, packaged with illustrated peripherals such as a fabric patch of the location, a fabric map of some aspects of the location, and an illustrated pencil case in which will fit all peripherals and the zine itself, along with pencils, dice and folded paper if the owner so desires.

The Tea Dragon Society: Card Game [Tabletop]
Oni Press / Oni Games
Portland, OR

Players take on the role of caring for a Tea Dragon. Throughout this process there will be ups and downs but as players progress through the four seasons the bond they form with their Tea Dragon will grow and they will create memories together that are the victory points at the end of the game.

Comics x Games Credits

Arcade Jury
Sagan Yee
Ken Cho
Amanda Wong

CxG Jam Consultant and TCAF Liaison
Kim Hoang

Hand Eye Society Logistics Team
Sagan Yee – Executive Director
Ken Cho – Tech Director
Alanna Predko – Communications and TCAF Liaison
Kai Winter – Volunteer Coordinator

CxG Founder
Miguel Sternberg

TCAF Staff
Christopher Butcher
Miles Baker

Sponsor
Ontario Media Development Corporation

[button size=’large’ style=” text=’Click here for the 2018 Exhibitor Application Form’ icon=” icon_color=” link=’https://goo.gl/forms/rkaJfHnw1hZuVYq92′ target=’_self’ color=” hover_color=” border_color=” hover_border_color=” background_color=” hover_background_color=” font_style=” font_weight=” text_align=’center’ margin=”]

Submissions end January 31 2018 at midnight EST. 

Exhibitors must be able to attend TCAF in Toronto, Canada both days to set up and staff their table. Send any questions to the Comics X Games Team at cxg@handeyesociety.com (Sagan Yee, Ken Cho, Amanda Wong).

New Table Fees In Effect: Please Read!

Taken by our Director of Technology Ken Cho while prepping for WordPlay

For the first time in 7 years, we are requesting a small fee of $30 per table and $10 for each piece of rented equipment (computers and monitors) for a maximum of $50. This money will go directly towards replacing and maintaining our tech, which takes a lot of wear-and-tear during events like this. Capital costs such as computers, monitors and speakers are often disqualified from funding sources such as government grants, and we’re always on the lookout for ways to replenish our weary machines. Additionally, financial support for Comics x Games often varies widely from year to year, so this will help ensure that we can continue to run this program sustainably.

You always have the option to waive the fee if you feel it would be a barrier to applying; simply check the appropriate box when applying through the exhibitor form.

Compared to other trade show table fees and considering games don’t make a ton of money off merch, we feel this is a fair price. However, you won’t be penalized for waiving the fee – we want to keep things accessible and inclusive! Consider it a suggested donation for those who are able to afford it, and know that we will forever appreciate your contributions to making our programming free and open to the public. This is a new thing we’re trying out, so we look forward to hearing your feedback.

For Toronto/GTA and sometimes international artists, we have several non-vendor exhibition opportunities where we pay out artist fees (such as Waterfront Arcade, Curious Cabinets, WordPlay and the Oakwood Village Residency in 2017), so please keep an eye out for ongoing activities throughout the year!

Application FAQ

When and where is TCAF?  The Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2018 will take place Saturday, May 12th, 9am-5pm, and Sunday May 13th, 10am-5pm, at Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street. The Comics x Games exhibit usually takes place on the second floor.

How does Comics X Games fit into this? TCAF is its own event/organization, but the Comics x Games programming is coordinated by the Hand Eye Society and promoted as a cross-disciplinary part of the main festival. It’s a partnership that started in 2012 between TCAF and HES c0-founder, Miguel Sternberg, with support from TIFF.nexus. We are extremely grateful to TCAF for being a great host all these years!

Do I need to live in Toronto to take part? Nope. International guests are welcome as long as you’re able to travel to Toronto for TCAF and staff your table over the two days. TCAF’s FAQ has some good travel information for out of town visitors.

Is there a table fee for confirmed applicants? Yes, but we are very flexible. For the first time in 7 years, we are charging a small fee of $30 per table and $10 for each piece of loaned equipment (computer and/or monitor) so the maximum ask won’t be higher than $50 CAD. This money will go towards the wear-and-tear on our equipment, which is expensive to replace and difficult to fund through normal channels. However, you won’t be penalized for waiving the fee – we want to keep things as accessible and inclusive as possible!

Can I sell merchandise for my game? Yes; in fact we encourage it! Banners, postcards, download codes, plushies, etc. are all fine. However first and foremost this is a games showcase so you need to have your game set up for people to play, and to please respect your neighbour’s table space.

My game has nothing to do with comics, so can I still apply? Yes! While we are always excited to see game submissions with some connection to the world of comics, such as visual novels or interactive experiments that play with the concept of sequential art (or comic artists who are also making indie games), all are welcome to apply! Click here to see a list of previous exhibitors.

I don’t have a game, but my comic is super relevant to games, can I exhibit at Comics x Games? Unless it’s some form of interactive comic (like Meanwhile or Framed), probably not. Send us an email if you want to be put on a list and we’ll let you know if extra space becomes available. Alternatively, you can let us know you are interested in being a speaker or a panellist, as we’ve had many guests such as Jason Shiga talk about their comics in an interdisciplinary context.

How do you decide which games get selected for the arcade? We get more and more submissions every year and only have enough table space to select about 30 games, so there are many factors that go into making the final selection. Once submissions close, the HES team sits down and plays through all of the games that were submitted. There is no main criteria that governs our choices, but we like to see a wide variety of types of games (multiplayer, story-driven, puzzle, experimental, even tabletop), as well as prioritizing games that demonstrate the independent creative spirit of TCAF. Some of the other things we look for are: Is the artist/studio from Toronto or the GTA? Are they a student or emerging artist who could use the exhibition experience? Are they from a marginalized or traditionally underrepresented background? Above all, balance is key!

Do I need to provide my own computer equipment? Yes, you should bring everything you need to showcase your game. However, you can rent a computer and/or monitor if you’d like (see the form). A small number of loaner set-ups will be available, although they are fairly underpowered and we will have to test your game on them to make sure they run properly. Priority will be given to guests coming from outside of Toronto/the GTA.

Will there be internet on site? Not particularly. While the library technically has free Wi-Fi, it’s spotty at the best of times and borderline useless during TCAF. We strongly recommend having a build that is is playable offline.

I only want to showcase for one of the days, can I do that? Probably not. Priority will be given to exhibitors showing both days but you can send us an email with your preferred day if you want to be put on a list.

I exhibited in previous years and the space was kind of difficult to navigate. Will there be any changes this year? Unfortunately there is unlikely to be any changes to the physical area as long as TCAF remains in the Toronto Reference Library. The second floor space is what we’ve been given to work with, and the tables are bolted to the floor, which makes changing the layout basically impossible. We’ve flagged the risers as an accessibility issue, but until a solution is found, we will continue to do our best to make sure everyone’s needs are met!

Question not on the list? Email cxg@handeyesociety.com

For more information about TCAF:

Website: www.torontocomics.com
Twitter: @Torontocomics
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TorontoComics
Tumblr: torontocomics.tumblr.com

TTC SUBWAY ALERT: For those of you travelling by public transit, Line 2 (the main East-West green line) will be CLOSED on Saturday May 13 from St. George to Broadview. Unfortunately this affects the station closest to the Toronto Reference Library, Bloor-Yonge Station, so give yourself plenty of time as the shuttle buses aren’t quite as fast and a lot of other TCAF-goers may be using them as well. Click here for more info.

Find us on social media:
Twitter: @HandEyeSociety
#TCAF / Comics x Games / CxG
Facebook group

CxG Panels: 1st Floor, Learning Centre 1

PANEL 1: JAMMING WITH THE COMICS X GAMES JAMMERS
For artists looking to get into making games, or anyone who likes comics, games, or both!
Saturday, May 13
1:30 PM

PANEL 2: DETECTIVES, DEVILS AND DATE NIGHTS: A CONVERSATION WITH PILLOW FIGHT
For anyone interested in visual novels, narrative or character-driven storytelling in games, and making a living from your art!
Sunday, May 14
4:00 PM

Arcade Exhibit: 2nd Floor

Exhibitor Game Guide

JAM GAMES: A grocery shopping adventure gone awry, a VR spirit surgery sim, and a 2-player battle for zine supremacy! Check out the Comic x Game Jam games at the arcade, and meet the artists at their panel on Saturday at 1:30 PM.

HEY GRAB ME SOME- • Dispirited • Battle Zine Turbo V

VISUAL NOVELS: Get your noir on with a couple of detective-themed tales, flirt with a slime girl, hack the enemy, and learn about the business and pleasure of North American visual novels with Pillow Fight (We Know the Devil, Rose of Winter) at their panel on Sunday at 4 PM!

Rose of Winter • Monster Girls Gaynerations: Ghoulfriends For Life • Code Romantic • PURITY & DECAY • Detective Madson in Drop Dead Gorgeous

TABLETOP: Craving some cardboard? We’ve got Earthbound-meets-Smash Bros. and Veronica Mars-meets-the Apocalypse in tabletop game form!

Tiny Swords SMAAASH! • We Used To Be Friends

MULTIPLAYER: Brawl, solve puzzles, shoot arrows, get hats, and make a really bad version of Stonehenge with this colourful party platter of multiplayer games.

Arrow Heads • King of the Hat • Monumental Failure • Dead Winter • Runbow • Riverbond

SOLO: A wonderful variety pack of gameplay and art styles, from pixel-perfect arcade games and hand-drawn street dance, to the art of Pascal Campion as a mobile jigsaw puzzle app.

Pirate Pop Plus • Fish Fly Fever • Russian Subway Dogs • Tram-Panic! • Floor Kids • Jigsaw Story

AUTOBIO: Get personal with two autobiographical games exploring — respectively — a job, a relationship, and how sometimes these things come to an end.

I Get This Call Every Day • This is My Memory of First Heartbreak, Which I Can’t Quite Piece Back Together

STRANGE WORLDS: Mystery awaits you here, whether exploring haunted cybernetic realms, human sacrifice, a labyrinth of disembodied hands, or just hanging out with a blind bear in the forest.

Forgotten • GEMETON • Holoscope • The Shrouded Isle • Unspokin • Palmystery

Click here to see the full description of panelists and exhibitors!

ARCADE/TCAF HOURS:

Saturday, May 13th, 9am-5pm
Sunday May 14th, 10am-5pm

If you have any questions, please contact cxg@handeyesociety.com (all e-mail will be forwarded to the CxG/HES Logistics team: Alicia Contestabile, Ken Cho, and Sagan Yee). This event was co-organized with TCAF, sponsored by the OMDC.

Logo by Cory Schmitz

The sixth annual Comics x Games (formerly known as Comics vs Games) is coming your way for TCAF 2017! We’re on the second floor of the Toronto Reference Library, as usual and we have quite the lineup planned. We got tabletop! We got VR! We got noir detectives, blind bears, Russian subway dogs, psychedelic hands, autobiographical elegies, and many more delights both arcade and arcane! We had more submissions to the CxG exhibit than ever before, including tons of diverse student and international work as well as exciting local talent by artists from both the comics and games disciplines. Thanks to our sponsor, the OMDC, we’ve also brought back the Comics x Games Jam for its first run in five years! There’s a ton of ground to cover, so keep scrolling on down for the following info:

• Comics x Game Jam
• Speakers and panel info
  • SATURDAY: Comics x Games Jam Panel
  • SUNDAY: Pillow Fight Visual Novel Panel
• Arcade Lineup
• Credits

If you have any questions, please contact cxg@handeyesociety.com (all e-mail will be forwarded to the CxG/HES Logistics team: Alicia Contestabile, Ken Cho, and Sagan Yee).

Finally: Do you wanna volunteer? Fill out our Volunteer Registration Form within the next day or so; we’ll be recruiting a small army, so keep an eye on your inbox for notifications!

Return of the Comics x Games Jam!

The Hand Eye Society is proud to announce the return of the Comics x Games Jam, which pairs comic artists with game designers to create unique works of interactive digital art. First held in 2012 as part of the TIFF.nexus initiative, it resulted in great games by stellar artists like Cumulo Nimblers (John Martz, Farbs) and The Yawhg (Damian Sommer, Emily Carroll). And now, for the first time since that inaugural event, three teams once again collaborate on unique interactive projects to be showcased as part of the arcade exhibit at TCAF! Also, thanks to our sponsor the OMDC, everyone gets paid a handsome honorarium for participating. Meet the teams, and check out their games in the arcade as well as their panel on Saturday!

TEAM 1: Ginette Lapalme X Taylor Bai-Woo

Ginette Lapalme lives in Toronto with two cats and likes to make STUFF ~ brightly coloured paintings, cartoon jewelry, doodly stickers and more (u 3 u) She is a member of Wowee Zonk, an illustrator collective and contemporary comic book anthology. A collection of her work, Confetti, is available from Koyama Press.

Taylor Bai-Woo, also known as From Smiling, is an artist from Toronto submerged in video games. With a fondness in her eyes she’ll bring you captivating worlds for exploring an array of human experiences. At other times she’ll hike you through a city of silly characters, with plenty of bad jokes along the way. In both cases, though, she dots her “i”s with good will and crosses her “t”s with hopes that you’ll crack a smile or even shed a tear. She’s currently a co-founder of Gloam Collective, working on their upcoming game Bravery Network! Most notably, Taylor’s past works include Frail Shells, I Am Dead Where Are My Keys, Claw Champion Earth, and CHOPSQUARES. Her games have been shown at various events, both locally and internationally.

TEAM 2: Jesse DeNobrega X Marishka Zachariah

Jesse DeNobrega is an artist from the outer rings of Toronto, making comics, prints, animations and music. He is a student at Sheridan College in the Bachelor of Illustration program, recently self-published the first volume of the comic “Concentrate”, and is looking forward to future explorations of interactive flowery computer worlds. Jesse’s work is currently most influenced by confusion about the self, childhood apocalyptic anxieties, and the complex conflicting feelings that get stirred up while stargazing.

Marishka Zachariah is a game developer, designer and digital artist who partakes in many other projects involving VR, AR, UI/UX and narrative design. Her work has been showcased at ReFiG, SXSW, CES, ITP and numerous other shows across North America. As a graduate of OCAD University in the Digital Futures program, Marishka has a strong multidisciplinary background, having an immense appreciation of indie games and accompanying alternative controllers that bring strong and unique narratives, art styles and game mechanics. Marishka believes making games is intrinsic to her life, and shares this belief by teaching videogames and open-sourced hardware and software to peers of all ages.

Team 3: Jenn Woodall X Altopunk

Jenn Woodall is an illustrator and comics maker from Toronto. She is a member of the Friendship Edition Collective, a group of Toronto-based artists who create comics and art. Her work is inspired by 80s anime and manga, bright colours, classic video games and fashion. She is the creator of the ongoing comic series, ‘Magical Beatdown’ as well as the editor of ‘FIGHT! Zine.’

altopunk/alto89, also known as Liesl A. to human folk, is an artist, game developer, zinester, wannabe witch and all around super weird kid. Her claims to fame include a visual novel about an android lady’s brain (Homo Synthetica) and a tiny make-up game parody about a bored queer babe turned cyber god (Femmepocalypse).

This jam was sponsored by the OMDC.

CxG Panels and Speakers!

PANEL 1: Jamming with the Comics x Games Jammers

Saturday, May 13
Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge St.
1:30 PM, Learning Centre
FREE

This panel will feature the three teams from this year’s CxG Jam, who will talk about making a game together in two months, their creative process, and collaborating from different artistic mediums. Audiences will be able to play the commissioned games in the Comics x Games arcade exhibit on the second floor of the Toronto Reference Library during TCAF weekend.

PANEL 2: Detectives, Devils and Date Nights: A Conversation with Pillow Fight

Sunday, May 14
Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge St.
4:00 PM, Learning Centre
FREE

How does a video game studio manage to develop narrative-rich, beautifully illustrated visual novels, while managing to be financially sustainable, radically collaborative, inclusive, diverse, AND manage to pay everyone fairly? We welcome Pillow Fight (We Know the Devil, Rose of Winter, Ghosts of Miami) to TCAF to help us answer some of these burning questions! Operating at the intersections of comics and games, business and art, networking and community, Pillow Fight gives artists from marginalized backgrounds the freedom to channel their voices into fully-realized and critically acclaimed projects.

Also: Come check out their booth at the Comics x Games arcade on the second floor, where they’ll be showing Rose of Winter, among other things!

PANELISTS:

• Jo Fu – Co-founder and Boss at Pillow Fight, also the writer on Ghosts of Miami
• Magnolia Porter – Creator of webcomic Monster Pulse, Creative Lead on Rose of Winter
• Kim Nguyen – UI Designer for Ghosts of Miami and Hustle Cat
• Priya Huq – Creator of the comic Mana, assistant writer on Starfighter: Eclipse

Moderated by Gabriela Aveiro-Ojeda – Freelancer, co-director at Dames Making Games

Full Arcade Lineup!

HEY GRAB ME SOME-
Ginette Lapalme and Taylor Bai-Woo
*** CxG JAM GAME ***

A faultless accumulation of all things both grocery shopping and grabbing things with your giant grabby hand.

Dispirited
Jesse DeNobrega and Marishka Zachariah
*** CxG JAM GAME ***

For spirits and cryptid creatures, healthcare is difficult when 99% of the population doesn’t believe you exist. Players take on the role of experimental surgeons, using their conversational and metaphysical steady hands to understand and then cure mysterious cryptids of their physically manifested existential crises, even from deep inside. A spirit surgery sim in glorious VR!

Battle Zine Turbo V
Jenn Woodall and Altopunk
*** CxG JAM GAME ***

A 2-player comic convention survival/face-off! Getting the zines on your list is already hard enough, without having to transport them back to your zine-less dystopian future for archival fame and glory.

Rose of Winter
Pillow Fight Games
Washington, DC

*** SUNDAY PANELIST ***

Rose of Winter is a romantic visual novel set in a fantasy world of dragons, knights, and monsters. Rosemary is an aspiring knight with big dreams, but for now, she’s doing odd jobs where she can find them. Choose a prince and help Rosemary find romance by making decisions! From the studio that brought you We Know the Devil.

Tiny Swords SMAAASH! [Tabletop]
Brian Wolf
Portland, OR

Tiny Swords SMAAASH! is a 2-4 player Smash Bros. style board game. Each player leads a team of uniquely themed monsters into battle. Players push and shove each other’s monsters around the board. The more times you shove a monster, the more damage it takes and the more spaces it flies away, pushing any other monsters in its path. Knock a monster out of bounds, and it’s gone for good. Use your Captain’s powers to be the last team standing!

We Used To Be Friends [Tabletop]
Firestorm Ink
Toronto

A collaborative teenage detective game that’s powered by the apocalypse. In the vein of Veronica Mars and Riverdale, play a group of teens dealing with their relationships, and friendships while there’s a mystery going on.

Arrow Heads
OddBird Studio
Oakville

Arrow Heads is an isometric archery battle game.  It pits you against your avian counterparts in a heated deathmatch scenario, or working together to fight the bears!  From bear traps to rocket arrows, there are five power ups that should help give your opponents the kick-in-the-pants they deserve. Join your friends on this zany 2-4 player adventure, where the chaotic moments wait around the corner.

King of the Hat
Hyroglyphik
Montreal

It’s a hat based game in a hat based world and if your hat gets killed you die. Whip your hat across the map to hit your friends, and then scramble to pick it back up before it gets crushed. Are you brave enough to use your life source as a weapon? Do you have what it takes to become King of the Hat?

Monumental Failure
Scary Wizard Games
Toronto

Monumental Failure is a comedic and historically (in)accurate physics-based monument construction simulator! The game empowers you to recreate some of the world’s most impressive architectural feats using incredible, and hard-to-believe, construction techniques. From the great ring at Stonehenge, to the genius of the ancient Roman aqueduct, will you have what it takes to re-create these feats of engineering?

Riverbond
Cococucumber
Toronto

Embark on a journey down an enchanted river to explore an ever-shifting landscape and rebuild the passage to the Great Beyond. Riverbond is a 1-4 player local co-op action-adventure game set in a charming voxel world.

Runbow and Pirate Pop Plus
13AM Games
Toronto

Pirate Pop Plus is a super addictive, gravity-defying, score-chasing, bubble-busting, retro-style arcade game on Steam, Wii U, and New Nintendo 3DS. Pop bubbles and collect powerups to raise your score, but watch out for Bubble Pirate’s gravity-switching mischief!

Runbow Pocket brings the Wii U game that you know and love to the New Nintendo 3DS eShop.

Code Romantic
Pretty Smart Games
Seattle, WA

Join the Human Defense Department’s last ditch effort to save the world from sentient machines: by teaching the brightest students still alive how to hack into the brains of the enemy. Help Mina Lovelace as she follows in her mother’s footsteps and tries not to embarrass herself in front of her childhood crush in the process! If you enjoy visual novels, problem solving, political intrigue and love stories, you’ll love Code Romantic! Try out the preview at https://prettysmart.itch.io/code-romantic

Dead Winter
Lucky Raven Games
Massachusetts

Based on the long-running webcomic of the same name, Dead Winter is a classic arcade brawler for up to four players. Choose one of four characters with unique strengths & perks and navigate your way through the city with no name!  You can learn about the characters and the backstory by reading the comic for free at http://www.deadwinter.cc

Detective Madson in Drop Dead Gorgeous
Bespoke Games
Oakville

This game is a narrative driven metroidvania platformer. The player takes on the role a down on his luck detective who must now find the ever illusive handsome man. Players can climb on everything in game. It’s all about feeling like a detective and making deductions. Players must talk to various NPCs around the map to gain information, which will lead them to more information. To help them keep track of information they can make notes and connections on their map while in conversation.

Fish Fly Fever
Froach Club
Knoxville, TN

Fish Flys are microscopic creatures that exist in the depths of Planet Overling. They’ve been sent on an important mission: to take out the deadly trio that has been terrorizing their home turf. Spin left or right to attack planktons with your constant stream of bubbles you leave behind. Popping planktons creates a gem for you to collect, if you collect them quickly enough you’ll enter FEVER mode, granting you immense power. Defeat the bosses, get upgrades, and unlock new fish flys!

Floor Kids
MERJ Media
Montreal & Victoria, BC

Floor Kids is an upcoming rhythm and dance battle game. Guide hand-drawn bboys and bgirls through intense dance challenges. Master the game’s freestyle touch controls. Recruit new playable characters, each with their own unique set of break moves. Dance to 30+ original tracks by KID KOALA. Join the Floor Kids crew today!

Forgotten
Sophia Park and Arielle Grimes
Toronto

A short, experimental interactive fiction game that places you within a decaying computer, where you meet the remaining population of an RPG as their world falls apart. Described by Wired magazine as “like lyric poetry,” Forgotten is a quick, existential trip with the characters — and computers — we leave behind.

GEMETON
Hangedman Design
Ottawa

GEMETON is a fortune-telling toy/card game/mystery object, styled after mysterious Nintendo games from our youth. The player shuffles a deck of digital cards from a unique Tarot, and selects a fortune for themselves. The fortune is then told as a series of short stories detailing the player’s gentle journey through the underworld, with generative text and images imparting to the player. Fortunes are saved as passwords to be recalled later.

Holoscope
Magic Circle Games
Neo Vancouver

Holoscope Chapter 0 is a cybertwee adventure game where you play the role of Xena Santiago, betamax rental girl by day, fabulous hacker by night. Money is sparse and your rent is months late. If you don’t come home with something tonight you’ll be back to a life of couchsurfing with your cat. You’ve got one evening of server breaking, sweet talking, and black market deals to get what you need. Are you up to the task?

I Get This Call Every Day
David S Gallant
Brampton

A lightly filtered experience pulled from the creator’s (now former) day job in a customer service call centre, made interactive in a point-and-click format. The caller needs to change his address. Ask him the security questions you are required to ask. Choose how to respond when he cannot answer them. Lose politely, or lose spectacularly; the choice is yours.

Jigsaw Story
Happy Square Studio
Toronto

Designed specifically for women 25+, Jigsaw Story is a mobile puzzle game that combines traditional jigsaw puzzles with high quality art, short stories, and music to ensure a fun and de-stressing experience for its players. Puzzle artists include Lucy Truman, the illustrator of Confession of a Shopaholic series book covers; Robert McCall, the NASA illustrator who also designed the original movie poster for 2001: A Space Odyssey; and Pascal Campion, one of the most respected independent digital artists today.

Monster Girls Gaynerations: Ghoulfriends For Life
Spooklight Games
Oakville

You’re a bartender at a club frequented by monsters. One night after making a mistake, you’re cursed to be a ghost forever, until four monster girls decide to try and help you break the spell. Choose between a werewolf, a slime girl, a witch or a medusa to help you. Make the right choices, and perhaps you’ll find true love along the way.

Oniri Islands: Children of the River
Tourmaline
Montreal / Genève

Oniri Islands is a 2-player collaborative adventure and exploration game, with something quite unique: the characters are two smart toys coming to life on your tablet. Once the toys are placed on the screen, you can move them to explore a gorgeous world full of wonders and mysteries. Oniri is made for adventure game lovers from 6 years old and up!

Palmystery
Paloma Dawkins
Montreal

Palmystery is a cartoon stream of consciousness game about getting lost in a world made up of disarticulated hands. It was made by Paloma as a response to the surreal sense of horror and anxiety felt during the aftermath of the USA 2016 Presidential elections.

PURITY & DECAY
Achimostawinan Games
Hamilton

The year is 2262 and you’re a tough as nails P.I. working in the slums of one of the last major cities in North America. Life is all missing kids and cheating spouses until a dame barges in and changes your life. Murdered sisters and flying cities, this case goes way farther than the banks of this one detective’s little slum in this indigenous cyber-noir. A narrative (choose your own adventure)  detective game that let’s you solve who did it. Currently in early development.

Russian Subway Dogs
Spooky Squid Games
Toronto

Every morning dozens of stray dogs make the commute by train from the Moscow suburbs to the downtown core in search of food and fortune. Russian Subway Dogs is an action arcade game inspired by the real life stray dogs of the Moscow Metro. Surviving isn’t easy when you are dodging volatile vodka, rival dogs, and the rare and dangerous Subway Bear!

Coming to Mac & Windows on Steam and Itch.io in 2017.

The Shrouded Isle
Kitfox Games
Montreal

The Shrouded Isle is a human sacrifice cult simulator in which you play as the high priest of a secluded island village, preparing for the awakening of a dark god by purging sinners in your community. Five families vie for power as the storms roll in and things beneath the waves threaten to wake. Play the demo and meet the art director, Erica Lahaie or @aurahack, who will sign prints and answer questions. Published by Kitfox Games, the creators of Moon Hunters.

This is My Memory of First Heartbreak, Which I Can’t Quite Piece Back Together
Jenny Goldstick, Stephen Betts, Owen Roberts
Brooklyn, NY

This game is a graphic memoir—it is an interactive, sequential experience centering around the author’s memory of her first heartbreak. Users see a series of fragmented memory scenes, & after each they can click a “memory trigger object” to connect them to a related scene. Choice has no bearing on the outcome of this story, as the characters inevitably break up every “loop” of the game, but users can choose how to get there and learn more about the characters each time they play.

Tram-Panic!
Bitr Blok Games
Toronto

A single-player mobile game where the player plays as a streetcar operator, collecting pedestrians and dropping them off at stations throughout the level until their shift ends. Players strive to achieve a bigger score for each round, trying to overcome their high score from previous playthroughs.

Unspokin
5Horsemen Games
Oakville

The trust-based companionship between a young mute and a blind bear are the only hope in replenishing the last habitable part of nature. Cairenn lost her capacity for speech after exposure to damaging levels of carbon monoxide; a product of the growing deforestation problem. She stumbled upon a bear trapped in a pool of toxic runoff. The two team up to stop industry’s destruction in order to restore their world’s former glory.

Comics x Games Credits

Arcade Jury
Sagan Yee
Ken Cho
Alicia Contestabile
Jim Munroe
Kadeem Dunn

Programming Consultants
Kim Hoang
Kalervo A. Sinervo
Miguel Sternberg

CxG Jam Consultant and TCAF Liaison
Kim Hoang

Hand Eye Society Logistics Team
Sagan Yee – Executive director
Ken Cho – Tech director
Alicia Contestabile – Artist liaison
Al Donato – Social media
Kai Winter – Volunteer coordinator

CxG Founder
Miguel Sternberg

TCAF Staff
Chris Butcher
Miles Baker

Documentation
Evil Beach Media

Sponsor
Ontario Media Development Corporation
Ryerson Transmedia Zone (HTC Vive)

The Hand Eye Society is holding an open call for videogames to showcase on-site at the Toronto Comics Arts Festival (May 13th and 14th) as part of this year’s Comics x Games 6! Comics x Games (formerly known as Comics vs Games) fosters collaboration between the independent game and comic communities through a variety of projects, partnerships and events. Every year with our partners during the TCAF, we present unique, game-focused content — from arcades and gallery shows, to panels and talks. It’s a great opportunity to expose your game to TCAF’s diverse audience of over 20,000 visitors. Table space is limited, so apply now!

*** click here for the Exhibitor Application Form ***

Applications end March 21 2017 at Midnight EST. Exhibitors must be able to attend TCAF (in Toronto, Canada) both days to set up and staff their table. Send any questions to cxg@handeyesociety.com

Application FAQ

When and where is TCAF?  The Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2017 will take place Saturday, May 13th, 9am-5pm, and Sunday May 14th, 10am-5pm, at Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street. The Comics x Games exhibit usually takes place on the second floor.

Why did you change the name? Until 2017, this program was previously known as Comics vs Games. We changed it to better reflect the program’s collaborative spirit!

Do I need to live in Toronto take part? Nope. International guests are welcome as long as you’re able to travel to Toronto for TCAF and staff your table over the two days. TCAF’s FAQ has some good travel information for out of town visitors.

Is there a table fee for confirmed applicants? Not currently! We have considered it for future exhibits and it may happen someday, but so far it has always been free.

Can I sell merchandise for my game? Yes; in fact we encourage it! Banners, postcards, download codes, plushies, etc. are all fine. However first and foremost this is a games showcase so you need to have your game set up for people to play, and to please respect your neighbour’s table space.

My game has nothing to do with comics, so can I still apply? Yes! While we are always excited to see game submissions with some connection to the world of comics, such as visual novels or interactive experiments that play with the concept of sequential art, all games are welcome to apply! Click here to see a list of previous exhibitors.

Do I need to provide my own computer? Yes, you should bring everything you need to showcase your game. However, you can request a table with a monitor if you’d like (see the form). A small number of loaner set-ups will also be available. Priority will be given to guests coming from outside of Toronto/the GTA.

Will there be internet on site? Not particularly. While the library technically has free Wi-Fi, it’s spotty at the best of times and borderline useless during TCAF. We strongly recommend having a build that is is playable offline.

I don’t have a game, but my comic is super relevant to games, can I exhibit at Comics x Games? Unless it’s some form of interactive comic (like Meanwhile or Framed), probably not. Send us an email if you want to be put on a list and we’ll let you know if extra space becomes available. Alternatively, you can let us know you are interested in being a speaker or a panellist, as we’ve had many guests such as Jason Shiga talk about their comics in an interdisciplinary context.

I only want to showcase for one of the days, can I do that? Probably not. Priority will be given to exhibitors showing both days but you can send us an email with your preferred day if you want to be put on a list. Question not on the list? Email cxg@handeyesociety.com

For more information about TCAF:

Website: www.torontocomics.com
Twitter: @Torontocomics
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TorontoComics
Tumblr: torontocomics.tumblr.com

Some highlights: A lively discussion about Twitch streaming as a platform for artists to engage their audiences online; constant lineups to try the VR Superhero game; microtalks on every subject from designing games for colour-blindness to the digital hybridity of comic and game art; and inventive table displays including a moss-covered keyboard, helium balloons, and an entire papercraft Russian castle! Click here for the full list and summary of every game and speaker.

For feedback or inquiries about Comics vs Games and the Hand Eye Society, or to submit corrections to this post, please contact the team at cvsg@handeyesociety.com! And if you’re currently working on a game, consider exhibiting with us at next year’s TCAF. There are no restrictions on the types of games that are selected; as long as you can be physically present with your game at the festival, you are eligible to submit! Sign up for our newsletter to get next year’s announcements.

Finally, as a reminder to those of you who are Hand Eye Society members, you can keep celebrating your love of comics, graphic novels and sequential art all year round with a 10% discount off regular titles at the following stores:  The Beguiling, Little Island, and Page & Panel: The TCAF Shop.

Photos by Beck Sorley

Here’s  a Dropbox link to the full photo set!

Testimonials

The show was a great experience for our whole team. We had a blast, met cool people and most of all it was a powerful experience. Having people of all ages play our game and show excitement was incredibly rewarding and invaluable. — Kyle, Project Grand Vault

The diversity in players at CvsG was inspiring. It presented us with an interesting opportunity to see how a truly general public perceives our game. Unlike other festivals which focused on more traditional gamers, CvsG offered us a space to see what folks from all walks of life thought of our game. The diversity in audience was match by the diversity of the curation. This resulted in an event which showed people the wide breath of games in a way which is rarely done so effectively. — Maurice Grela, No Holds Billiards

Comics vs Games is always one of the highlights of TCAF. The Hand Eye Society works tirelessly to bring interesting speakers together in unique ways and exhibit games that are truly important–and it shows. I was honored to be a part of the CvsG programming after so many years of being a fan, and what I learned from my fellow panelists can’t even be measured. — Kalervo A. Sinervo, microtalks panelist

Comics vs Games was a lot of fun, and everyone who ran it was a pleasure to work with! I hope to attend again in the coming years. — Dawn, Those Without Shadows

It was a great chance to exhibit for a slice of society that you don’t necessarily see at videogame conventions and aren’t necessarily diehard gamers. I got a lot of invaluable observations from playtesting that I probably wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. I’m not really a big comics fan, so it was also a mind-broadening experience to merely be around a bunch of creators from a medium I don’t really interact with. — Kenny, Sky Rogue

We loved attending Comics vs Games, and got to meet a whole bunch of cool new people and introduce our game to hundreds and hundreds of new fans! — exhibitor

Comics vs Games was a great way to show Real Army Simulator to a whole new audience! — Derek Quenneville, Real Army Simulator

This year’s event went extremely well. It was fun, our volunteers were diligent and helpful, and there was even time for me to get to play some of the games. — Kai Winter, HES volunteer coordinator

I had a lot of fun, met awesome people and everyone from TCAF were really helpful. — Rafael Pacheco, GalaCollider 

For exhibitors like us, I believe you measure the success of an event to the professionalism of the organizers. So it’s with no doubt that I would say this event was a huge success. Thank you everyone and see you next year! — Mark Mikulec, Cupkins

As the biggest event I’ve ever presented at, I expected to see some backlash regarding the themes within my game An/Other. Instead, I received nothing but overwhelmingly positive feedback from all players. At around noon on Saturday, I received a tap on the shoulder. Much to my surprise, it was a reporter from CityNews who had heard about An/Other and wanted to feature it on the news that day. After giving me some time to mentally prepare, the reported returned with their cameraman and they interviewed me and filmed my booth. The segment featuring my interview and An/Other was broadcast on CityNews that night.

In addition to the wonderful TCAF attendees who played An/Other all weekend, I met several people on Sunday who came to play An/Other after discovering it through that CityNews interview and have been getting e-mails from others. Over the course of the weekend I had many amazing conversations with audiences about An/Other that wouldn’t have been possible without the Comics Vs Games exhibit at TCAF. Thank you for giving me such an invaluable and unforgettable experience. — Jordan Sparks, An/Other

Thanks to our speakers!

Benjamin Rivers, Keith Makse, Yifat Shaik, Derek Quenneville, Kalervo A. Sinervo. Alex Rushdy and Andrew Baillie, Leisha Riddel, Nic ter Horst, Rosemary Brennan, Shawn Mcgrath, Rachel Kahn

Thanks to our exhibitors!

A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build – Alan Hazelden, Benjamin Davis, Ryan Roth
Aces Over Eights – 14 Hours Productions
Alea – Paloma Dawkins, Cale Bradbury, Caila Thompson
An/Other – Jordan Sparks
Auto Age: Standoff – Phantom Compass Inc.
Balloon Buoyancy – Nawaf Bahadur, Peter Harthen
Bravery Network – Gloam Collective
Cryptark – Alien Trap Games
Cupkins – Joydrop Ltd
Dodge Club Party – James Montagna, George Mathews, Lindsay Collins, Tommy Pedrini
Don’t Fall In The Hole – Oooweeooo
Endlight-Outside – Bigpants
GalaCollider – NeoCrux Ltd
Hackers Versus Banksters – Crawley Software
Last Fight – Piranaking
LongStory – Bloom Digital Media
LOUD on Planet X – Pop Sandbox
MANDATORY UPGRADE: X MARKS THE SPOT – One More Story Games
No Holds Billiards – Maurice Grela, Kevan Yip, Michelle Skarupa, Em Halberstadt
Project Grand Vault – Dead Cell Games
Quick Drop – Woolly Walrus Games
Real Army Simulator – The Really Serious Game Company
Runbow – 13AM Games
SHNIPERS – Brenden Cameron
Shuyan – Mark Media
Sky Rogue – Fractal Phase
Sokobond – Alan Hazelden, Harry Lee, Ryan Roth
Super Hero VR – Red Meat Games
Those Without Shadows – Dawn Davis
Visual Novel Chill Zone – PIZZAPRANKS (Andrew Baillie)
Wits & Warfare – Red Meat Games
Za Vas (To You) – Brittney Oberfeld, Kimberly Koronya, Lee Tran, Jen Costa, Mike Romaniak

Thanks to our staff, volunteers, TCAF and sponsors!

Hand Eye Society Staff
Miguel Sternberg
Ken Cho
Sagan Yee
Leisha Riddel (Twitch panel moderator)
Kai Winters (volunteer coordinator)

Comics vs Games Volunteers
Aedan A
James Brownlee
Annie Lee
Jessie Sheng
Joshua P’ng
Archie Wisco
Jason Bond
Leif Conti-Groome
Beck Sorley (photographer)

TCAF Staff
Christopher Butcher
Miles Baker
Kim Hoang

And last but not least, a HUGE thanks to the OMDC, official sponsor of this year’s Comics vs Games program!

The Hand Eye Society is holding an open call for videogames to showcase on-site at the Toronto Comics Arts Festival (May 14th and 15th) as part of this year’s Comics vs Games 5! Comics vs Games fosters collaboration between the independent game and comic communities through a variety of projects, partnerships and events. Every year with our partners during the TCAF, we present unique, game-focused content — from arcades and gallery shows, to panels and talks. It’s a unique opportunity to expose your game to TCAF’s diverse audience of over 20,000 visitors. Table space is limited so apply now!

*** click here for the Exhibitor Application Form ***

Applications end March 10 2016 at Midnight EST. Exhibitors must be able to attend TCAF (in Toronto, Canada) both days to set up and staff their table. Send any questions to cvsg@handeyesociety.com

Application FAQ

When and where is TCAF?  The Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2016 will take place Saturday, May 14th, 9am-5pm, and Sunday May 15th, 11am-5pm, at Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street.

Do I need to live in Toronto take part? Nope. International guests are welcome as long as you’re able to travel to Toronto for TCAF and staff your table over the two days. TCAF’s FAQ has some good travel information for out of town visitor.

How much will my table cost? Since this is a relatively new space at the library, we’re offering tables for free this year while we work out any kinks.

Can I sell merchandise for my game? Yes! However first and foremost this is a games showcase so you need to have your game set up for people to play.

My game has nothing to do with comics, so can I still apply? Yes! While we will give preference to games with some connection to the world of comics, all games are welcome to apply! Click here to see a list of previous exhibitors.

Do I need to provide my own computer? Yes, you should bring everything you need to showcase your game. However, you can request a table with a monitor if you’d like (see the form). A small number of loaner set-ups will also be available; check the box if you’re interested.

Will there be internet on site? Sort of. While the library technically has free Wi-Fi, it’s spotty at the best of times and borderline useless during TCAF. We strongly recommend having a build that is is playable offline.

I don’t have a game but my comic is super relevant to games, can I exhibit at Comics vs Games? Unless it’s some form of interactive comic (like Meanwhile or Framed), probably not. Send us an email if you want to be put on a list and we’ll let you know if extra space becomes available.

I only want to showcase for one of the days, can I do that? Probably not. Priority will be given to exhibitors showing both days but you can send us an email with your preferred day if you want to be put on a list. Question not on the list? Email cvsg@handeyesociety.com

For more information about TCAF:

Website: www.torontocomics.com
Twitter: @Torontocomics
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TorontoComics
Tumblr: torontocomics.tumblr.com