Friends, collaborators, and community members: We at Hand Eye Society are making moves and planning schemes on how to prioritize our activities in the years to come, and we need your help! We are inviting all members of the independent videogame community to take part of our stakeholder and environmental scanning process, facilitated by Currents Group. The resulting strategic plan will guide us throughout a major transitional period which will include adaptations to the pandemic, as well as significant changes in staff and Board.

If you’ve ever had blue-sky ideas for what a local videogame arts organization could accomplish, now is the time to let us know! More professional development and exhibition opportunities for BIPOC creators? Artsier, weirder events that push the boundaries of  what a game even is? Virtual spaces for discussing fun stuff and tough issues? Whatever your dreams for the future of indie games in Toronto/the GTA, we want to hear from you!

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This is the first time we have undergone this process in a decade of operations, so your input would be massively appreciated. All information will be kept anonymous and presented in a way that cannot be attributed to participants.

Stay safe out there, and don’t forget to wear a mask!

Sunday August 25 itinerary:

1:00PM – 6:00PM – Indie Game Arcade
2:00PM – 5:00PM – Game Developer Panel
5:15pm – 5:45PM – Prize Raffles

This month’s theme is all about Art, Aesthetics, and Game Design. Our arcade will be focus on games with striking visual styles and memorable art-related mechanics. This month’s panel will bring artist Ryan Deane out to chat with our panelists about drawing inspiration from other art forms to use in games!

The Indie Games Showcase presented by Microsoft Store in partnership with Hand Eye Society is a celebration of the passion and innovation of indie game developers from across the GTA! We will be featuring a variety of games such as: RPG, strategy, adventure and many more. You do not want to miss out!

Interested in participating?

[button size=”medium” icon=”” target=”_self” hover_type=”default” align=”center” text=”Sign up here!” link=”https://forms.gle/VyMRLUVMce4VZv177″]

We’d also like to invite any developers who have games in progress, or would like feedback to submit their game to Play2Practice as well. We hope to cultivate a space where developers feel comfortable showing their games, even if they’re not quite finished!

We’re also looking for volunteers! Interested? Please send an email to volunteer@handeyesociety.com for more information!

Sunday June 14 itinerary:

12:00PM – 6:00PM – Indie Game Arcade
3:00PM – 5:00PM – Game Developer Panel
5:15pm – 5:45PM – Prize Raffles

The Indie Games Showcase presented by Microsoft Store in partnership with Hand Eye Society is a celebration of the passion and innovation of indie game developers from across the GTA! We will be featuring a variety of games such as: RPG, strategy, adventure and many more. You do not want to miss out!

We’re also looking for volunteers! Interested? Please send an email to the store’s Community Development Specialist at aimastro@microsoft.com!

Date: July 12, 2019

Time: 1:30PM – 3:30PM

Where: Microsoft Store in Square One Shopping Centre, Mississauga

Type: Videogame Workshop

Category: Xbox, Windows 10

Audience: All Gamers alike

Join us in-store on July 12th for an exercise-driven, non-technical approach to game design in partnership with Hand Eye Society! Attendees will immerse themselves in the iterative process of refining a game design and discover design concepts that will help them think more clearly about their designs and making better games.

*Space is limited please register ASAP to secure your spot*

For any other questions please email the stores Community Development Specialist at aimastro@microsoft.com

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WHAT

What’s Camp Make-A-Game you might ask? Camp Make-A-Game is a camp that teaches campers how to create digital and physical games. Mornings are spent indoors with digital screen instruction, teaching kids to use point-and-click game creation tools. Because these tools don’t require coding, most of the instruction can focus on design principles like game mechanics or game feel and not just be focused on technical hurdles. Afternoons are spent outdoors, discussing and playing physical games like tag and soccer – and then the kids will re-design the rules and play the modified games, learning about game design while getting some exercise. By the end of the week, they’ll be game makers!

WHEN

Mon July 15 – Fri July 19
Camp will run from 9am-3pm with a break for lunch.

WHO

For ages 8-12.

WHERE

Maria A. Schuka Toronto Library Branch
1745 Eglinton Avenue West

Space is limited. Call 416-394-1000 to register or for more information. This is a featured Summer Wonder Camp.

Camp MAG 2018 Photo Album

Thanks to Reptoid Games, Stitch Media, Little Guy Games, Dave Burke, DrinkBox Studios and VRGEN for supporting last year’s Camp!

[embed-google-photos-album link="https://photos.app.goo.gl/14jKJ2WGXUky5Qx38"]

Huge Thanks to our 2019 Studio Membership Supporters

Want to support a free week of Camp Make-a-Game for just $200/year? Find out more about Studio Membership here!

Thanks to Matt Hammill for Camp Make-a-Game’s amazing logo!

The Arcadian Renaissance exhibit at Nuit Blanche was an amazing success. Hundreds of people came and played, many more watched as games were projected on the wall. The energy was phenomenal. If you missed it, get into your time machine and set the date to October 2nd, 2010 @ 7pm, or if your time machine is in the shop, check out this video.

The Arcadian Renaissance was made possible by our sponsors, the gamemakers, and the volunteer membership of the Hand Eye Society.

Cabinet Retrofitting: Jph Wacheski
Curator and Producer: Jim Munroe
TIFF Bell Lightbox Liason: Nick Pagee
Volunteer Coordination: Jori Baldwin
Media Outreach: Mike Drach
Deployment Officer: Callum Hay
Cabinet Graphic Design: Nadine Lessio
Flyer Graphic Design: Ben Rivers
Proposal Writer: Peter Marshall

Thanks to the folks who donated hardware and space to the project:

Tony Wong and Xtreme Labs
Rick Weiss
Jonathan M. Guberman
Alex Snukal and Interaccess
Marc Reeve-Newson
Adam Blake
Susan Bustos
Tyler Moore
Carol Mark

Thanks to

Joanna Rankin
Shawn McGrath
Miguel Sternberg
Emma Scratch
Paul Laroquod
Mark Rabo
Jaimie Woo
Sara Malabar and Scotiabank Nuit Blanche
Jim McGinley
Em McGinley
Shane Smith
James King
Andrei Gravelle
Dallas and Bill and the Pinball Exchange

Thanks to Jonah Hundert for ringside announcing and the volunteers at
the event itself:

Leif Conti-Groome
Tyler Moore
Jamie Tucker
Mike Drach
Emma Scratch
Will Perkins
Rene Shible
Chris Yurkovich
Ian-Patrick McAllister
Emily Afran
Rene Shible
Michelangelo Pereira Huezo
Carlos Yusim
Callan Burgess
Jason Spitkoski
Adam Blake
Stephen Kriedemann

Brandonnns, Messhofs, beer, popsicles, games, and goodtimes. Photos of last Thursday’s Hand Eye Social are up here.