+++ Buy Tickets! +++

Already got your tickets? Please RSVP on the Facebook event and spread the word!

UPDATE 1: First Six Games Announced, Sept 12!

Cuphead / Line Wobbler / Multibowl / Last One Standing / VHS vs BETAMAX / Tilt Brush Pictionary VR

UPDATE 2: Even More Games  and Music, Sept 16!

Brolly Folly / Criquette / Pico Park / Nothing Good Can Come Of This / ???

MUSIC: Scarlet Spades / C418 / dualryan / Ryan Henwood / Coins

At long last, our third annual fancy videogame party is back in town, ready to dazzle your senses with another spectacular night featuring music, dancing, and the best party videogames from around the world. Our last two shindigs — held at the Art Gallery of Ontario in 2014 and the Masonic Temple on Yonge Street in 2015 — sold out, so don’t wait too long! We have some great games, art installations, DJs, and other mysteries yet to be unveiled; click on the links above for screenshots and information about the games. If you want to stay updated, why not subscribe to our e-mail newsletter, Facebook group, Twitter feed, and secret brainwave frequency which we broadcast to all our telepathically adept initiates? And if you’re not psychic, feel free to use the hashtag #HESBall16 to spread the love around.

Scroll down past last year’s smiling faces for event details, ticket prices, membership discounts and volunteer info!

Ticket Info

•  Regular ticket price: $25 

•  Hand Eye Society members get 25% off! 

  A special promo code will be e-mailed to all currently active Monthly, Annual, and Volunteer Members with valid credit cards. Not a Member? Become one today!

•  BONUS: Free ticket to all NEW ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS! 
  

  Sign up for Annual here any time between August 19 and Sept 23 and we will e-mail you to confirm your membership and free HES Ball ticket. Note: This offer applies only to new Annual memberships, not Monthly.

As a Hand Eye Society Member, you don’t just get tons of perks like discounts to our events and from community partners such as Real Escape Games and The Beguiling; you also help support tons of awesome year-round activity such as game-making workshops, festivals, socials and much more. We have lots of great videogame arts and culture events planned for the rest of this year and beyond, including this presentation on the connections between architecture and videogame design, an arcade featuring games about social change at the Reelworld Film Festival, our mental health-themed workshop Mind Games with Workman Arts, and big news for our interactive fiction festival WordPlay. What else does a videogame arts non-profit do, you may ask? Check out our Initiatives and News pages for a partial list!

Event Details

THE HAND EYE SOCIETY BALL
A Fancy Videogame Party

Saturday, Sept 24 2016
8pm-1am
The Masonic Temple – 888 Yonge St. at Davenport (Bloor/Yonge Station), Toronto
Facebook RSVP
*** This is a 19+ event. Please bring ID! ***

Volunteer Information

If you’ve signed up using our Volunteer Form and checked off “Hand Eye Society Ball” as something you’d be interested in helping out with, we will be in touch very soon about opportunities to help out for a few more hours towards the 10 hours needed to earn a Volunteer Membership (which comes with the same perks as a paid membership) such as postering and flyer distribution. More involved on-site roles such as game station attendant, ticket taker, coat check and Safe Spaces Officer will of course include a complimentary ticket, and the work will be divided into shifts so you can enjoy the party!

About the Venue

The Masonic Temple wasn’t always just the former home of the secretive Freemasons; this heritage building at Bloor and Davenport was also a ballroom in the ‘30s graced by Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra… then a concert hall that hosted Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, and The Ramones… and now, in a rare event open to the public, it will be the setting for an elegant night of videogames from around the world. Dress up fancy, enjoy a curated selection of delightful and surprising games amidst music and mingling, and support your videogame arts not-for-profit at the same time!

Thanks to Our Sponsors

Thanks to our Gold Sponsors Unreal Engine, Info-Tech Research Group, Kase Insurance and Creechurch; our community sponsors LIFT, Ryerson Transmedia Centre, and Tract 9; and our poster artist Roman Arabia.

Chesh

Creator: Damian Sommer (Toronto, Canada)
Website: http://www.chesh.club
WORLD PREMIERE

The history of chess is over a thousand years old, so it’s about time it got a makeover! Played with cryptic, insectoid pieces and randomized movesets, the game forces players to wipe clean and then reconstruct their short-term strategic memory every round.

SOCIETY BALL SPECIAL! To celebrate the launch of Chesh, the game will be housed in custom-built SpriteBox indie arcade cabinets. These classic cocktail tables are being made by Nik & Megan Stewart — get in touch if you’d like to see your game on a SpriteBox in the future!

Donut County

Creator: Ben Esposito (Los Angeles, United States)
Website: http://donutcounty.com
UNRELEASED ~ IGF FINALIST

Donut County puts the player in the shoes of a decidedly unique character — or, it would if bottomless, inexplicable holes had shoes. With gently bizarre internal logic, every puzzle manages to evoke both delight and alarm in equal measure.

SOCIETY BALL SPECIAL! We are also excited to announce that Louis Roots from Perth Australia — a peripherals artist with a half-car controller, plush cats and skateboard/trackball under his belt — stopped by Toronto this week and built us a custom controller for Donut County. Now you can move the all-consuming void around by putting your hand into an actual hole: Immersion on a wHOLE new level. Yes, we went there.

Mushroom 11

Creator: Untame (New York City, United States)
Website: http://mushroom11.com
UNRELEASED ~ IGF FINALIST

You are a faintly glowing green blob with the ability to squish, split, and morph on a cellular level. Collect mushrooms and ponder the mysteries of your own existence as you ooze your way across an industrial wasteland that offers more puzzles than answers.

Runbow

Creator: 13AM Games (Toronto, Canada)
Website: http://runbowgame.com

An unconventional 9-player side-scroller where, if a platform’s colour matches the background, it doesn’t exist! Lots of cameo appearances by other indie titles (including Toronto games!), and it comes packed with more gameplay modes than there are colours of the rainbow.

Shoot Shoot Mega Pack

Creator: Jon Remedios / Gavin McCarthy / Ryan Roth (Toronto, Canada)
Website: http://www.ssmpgame.com
UNRELEASED

Like its oft-abbreviated title, SSMP dispenses with frills in favour of thrills in this minimalist multiplayer shooter. Originally a prototype for Global Game Jam 2014, it has since evolved into a nimble party game with rounds that can last fewer than five seconds, depending on the tools of (self-)destruction at your disposal.

Cocktail Previews!

Society Ball mixologist Adam Axbey is furiously concocting some delightful drinks named in honour of our generous gold sponsors: on the left, the Globacore-inspired “Core Concept”, and on the right, the Ubisoft Toronto-inspired “Assassin’s Kiss”.

That should give you a tantalizing taste! The rest of the lineup and other treats will be announced later this month. In the meantime, check out ticket information and details on the October 9th event or the FAQ and volunteer opportunities.

You nosy bastards asked for it: here’s some Fancily Asked Questions we get, questions you’ve screamed into our chauffeur’s ears as we scramble out the back of our limousines, hastily swatting the gold-flaked caviar from our designer sweatpants. This is all you need to know about the Society Ball and how we’re turning

What the hell is this?

Our Society Ball is a chance to buttonmash with the best-dressed gamers this side of Norm Kelly’s house.

Expect indie video games from Toronto and around the world, live DJing, wearing the classiest attire you could buy on sale that you’ll probably return tomorrow, mysterious chanting, blood oaths to shadow organizations… So yeah, typical Friday night.

Why are you doing this to us?

We pulled it off last year, and gosh-dammit we’ll do it again! NO COURT WOULD CONVICT US. NO JURY WOULD DARE. It helps that y’all seem to be into this. Last year, over 600 people showed up and we sold out two weeks in advance. This year, we sold over 100 tickets in the first 12 hours. You might want to get tickets soonish…?

Do I gotta be a grown ass adult wearing grown ass clothes?

Yeah, you’ve got to be over 19 & we’ll be checking IDs. The theme is fancy, so might be a good time to blow the dust off your grandpa’s top hat or polish your distant ancestor’s cursed pearl necklace that’s been passed down for generations and has brought nothing but failed crops into every village it stays in.

But there’s no mandatory dress code. Donning a monocle and squeezing into those size 3.5 glass slippers is totally optional.

How much? C’mon. Cut me a deal.

$25 a ticket, get yours here and RSVP on Facebook. Existing Hand Eye members get a free drink. If you sign up for a yearly membership now, you’ll get a free ticket!

Is that the only way to get a free ticket?

You can also volunteer your skills to help us make this happen & score free entry! You can either work prior to the event with street team or tech setup, or work half the event. Let us know what you’d like to do on this form!

Why should I care?

This is a fundraiser for us, your friendly neighbourhood videogame arts not-for-profit. Your ticket money goes towards supporting Hand Eye Society programs like Game Curious and Wordplay, our interactive fiction festival. Both serve to engage folks who don’t typically identify as gamers and give everyone in Toronto a chance to explore games as mediums for creative expression. You’ll also be contributing to future year-round workshops, such as the Artsy Games Incubators, which have helped numerous aspiring game artists to go on to great things!

Who else cares about this?

Right now, here’s what the buzz is about the Society Ball:

• “[The Society Ball] bridges the gap between the high culture of the art world and the city’s indie videogame scene” — Luke Simcoe in The Metro
• “This might have been foretold on the US $1 bill…” says @BenjaminRivers, who knows too much
• “A fancy video game party at the Masonic Temple? Yes please!” –@yeahtoronto

Will this be a safer space?

We’ve got a safer space policy that will be enforced, to keep the Society Ball safe and comfortable for all attendees. We encourage everyone to read our policy before partying. (This is our first event with it in place, so feedback welcome.) If you are interested in joining the Safer Spaces team for this event, please fill out the volunteer form.

Accessibility Information?

The Society Ball will take place in the Masonic Temple, a wheelchair-accessible space with an elevator. Overhead room lighting will be used in all spaces, but may be dimmed or turned off. Various games make loud noises and live music will be playing throughout. The event will take place with a bar and alcohol being served. Should it not interfere with access to the event, we ask for all attendees’ participation in making the conference fragrance-free. If you have access needs that would ensure your attendance, please contact us.

*First date voice* SO TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF

The first Fancy Videogame Party was at the Art Gallery of Ontario. It looked a little like this.

That party was kind of a big deal. Not only did we wake up with a massive hangover and a cryptic latin tattoo, we somehow got media love too, including coverage by VICE, Toronto Star, and the National Post.

All right so what kinda games?

We’ll be making announcements on this very newsletter/blog in the next few weeks. Stay tuned!

UPDATE: Second Wave of Featured Games and DJs!

UPDATE: First Wave of Featured Games and Cocktail Preview!

UPDATE: Society Ball FAQ & Volunteer Opportunities!

This heritage building at Bloor and Davenport was a ballroom in the ‘30s graced by Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra… then a concert hall that hosted Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, and The Ramones… and now, in a rare event open to the public, it will be the setting for an elegant night of videogames from around the world. Dress up fancy, enjoy a curated selection of delightful and surprising games amidst music and mingling, and support your videogame arts not-for-profit at the same time!

(And if you’d like to support us even more — we’re offering a FREE TICKET as a bonus for NEW ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP signups for the Hand Eye Society. Full details here.)

We invite the community to suggest or submit a game before September 1st that they think would suit this event for consideration.

Just as last year, we have lots of surprises planned some of which will be unveiled over the coming weeks. Such as: what is going on in the Red Room? Is that… chanting?

THE HAND EYE SOCIETY BALL
A Fancy Videogame Party
Friday, Oct 9 2015, 8pm-1am
The Masonic Temple
888 Yonge St. at Davenport (Bloor/Yonge Station), Toronto
TICKETS HERE
Facebook RSVP
**This is a 19+ event, please bring ID**

Thanks to our Gold Sponsors Globacore, Ubisoft Toronto, and Info-Tech Research Group; our community sponsors LIFT, TOJam, and Storefront Arts; and Michael Pitropov for creating the poster art. Gold Sponsor Double Trouble, an Ontario craft brewer, will be the exclusive beer supplier for the Ball.