PGM NEWS
Game devs in the forest, August's Playtest Night, and on the horizon, a park get-together on the Delaware, A GameBreakers event, and more!
PGM Game Dev Hike
On Saturday, July 19th PGM devs met in the Wissahickon for a ~4 mile hike. It was a leisurely adventure for outdoor enthusiasts of all levels followed by a gathering at Manayunk Brewing Company for drinks, bites, and chats!
August Playtest Night
On Thursday, August 8th, we had another fantastic Playtest Night at Majux Hub in Old City.
Above: The show-and-tell portion of the evening
We tried out a new format this month, reducing the speaking time for presentations in favor of allowing more devs to be able to present. Things went well and we got to see a total of eight projects showcased, with each speaker getting three minutes each to show off their project! Of course, devs are always able to show more of their projects and take further questions during the playtest portion of the evening.
Heather Flowers showed off the trailer for her new coin-flipping game, Unfair Flips, which is a game about flipping the world’s worst coin. We even got to see someone win during the course of the evening, which wasn’t a given!
Eric showed off the progress on his in-development game, V-Town Beatdown. There’s a new protagonist and some fun brawling so far!
Sara shared about her artistic contributions to Zoominoes.
Ethan showed off progress on previous Global Game Jam entry, Bubbles and Blood. It’s cute and bloody!
Jack also showed off some bubbles and enticed us with some math as he explained his process in creating the bouncing bubbles he showed off on screen.
Jon Dare filled the room with music as he showed off his demo reel with a variety of projects.
Issac Ari Barker showed off some of his books and the video game, The Great Food Fight, that’s being created based on his stories.
Shaun showed us two projects, one being a game where you perform train maintenance in hopes that the train will be able to go fast enough to escape a time loop, and a photography simulator, both of which are still in development.
Above: People enjoying the networking and playtest portion of the evening
During the playtest portion of the night, folks mingled, networked, and played and gave feedback on a ton of great games!
As always, thank you to Majux for hosting us each month!
Upcoming and Newly Released Games from PGM Members
Just Released
Gimme 10 by Tom Sennett is now in beta!
Play this trivia game right in your browser and share your results with friends!
One Million Stars by Tom Sennett Games was featured in our last newsletter, but now its Steam page is officially live!
“Get stars, avoid monsters. The rules are simple, but the goal massive. Pilot 4 different ships, choose stackable upgrades, and grab wild powerups in an endless, dynamically generated roguelite arcade space adventure. Take each run as far as you can, banking progress on the road to ONE MILLION!”
Fish Fear Me by Heather Flowers is out now!
“A top-down action roguelite about catching fish, fighting them, selling their bones, and catching more fish. Upgrade your boat and weapons, hunt down sea monster bounties, delve into eldritch mysteries, and try to pay off cosmic debt millennia in the making.”
The first paid episode of of the Devil by nth Circle Studios has just been released!
“Immerse yourself in neon, smoke, and high-stakes legal gambles as a Defense Attorney with uniquely Killer insights in this diabolically stylish visual novel adventure game.”
You can also checkout the free prologue if you’d like to give the series a try.
Coming Soon
Boast Guards has just been announced by Starworks Studios.
“In this casual multiplayer Co-Op game, play as a squad of vainglorious lifeguards and work together to keep your chaotic beach safe, clean, and most importantly famous! Experiment with game-changing Gear & many passive-effects to create the highest fame-generating strategies with friends!”
Don’t forget to wishlist!
Special Announcements
Playtest Night Satisfaction Survey
If you have attended a recent Playtest Night, we want to hear from you! Help us level up the experience with your feedback on this short survey. It would really help us out!
Upcoming Events
PGM Game Job Hunting Advice Sessions
Monthly job hunt advice sessions are hosted in the PGM Discord server. The next will be Saturday, August 16th at 11am, so be sure to join in for advice on interview tips, resume and portfolio reviews, and general job hunting advice! These sessions are led by RJ Reyes, and you can sign up here.
Spruce Street Harbor Park Meetup w/ Philly IGDA
Hang out with us at Spruce Street Harbor Park on Tuesday, August 19th at 7pm! This is a chill hang on the bank of the Delaware co-organized with the Philly IGDA. There’s plenty of food and drink around: pick some up, enjoy the water, and talk to your fellow game devs!
Find more details in the PGM Discord server or on our Meetup page!
GameBreakers
At Playtest Night, Sam shared about an upcoming GameBreakers event—multiplayer, tournament-style competitions where aspiring professional games play your games! The event is open to fighters, FPS, and racers. It takes place on August 23rd from 12-6pm at New Game Studios (613 E Baltimore Ave, Lansdowne, PA 19050). You can claim your Player Pass here, or submit your game here.
PGM Planning Session
The PGM Planning Session is a recurring meeting to help organize events for PGM. These events are open to everyone who would like to attend and are hosted in the Discord server the first Monday of each month. The next one is Monday, September 1st at 7pm.
Playtest Night
The next Playtest Night will be Thursday, September 4th at our usual spot, Majux Hub (230 N 2nd St).