A MAZE. / BERLIN 2016

Produced by Voice Republic For more podcasts visit http://voicerepublic.com

A Lovely Chat About Game Zines Five zinesters will present their work, and have a lovely chat about small-run publishing. Speakers: Pat Ashe (http://patrickashe.com/), Arnaud De Bock (https://sectordub.itch.io/), Hannah Nicklin (http://www.hannahnicklin.com/), Llaura Dreamfeel (http://dreamfeel.org/) Source: http://amazeberlin2016.sched.org/event/6ggc (http://amazeberlin2016.sched.org/event/6ggc) Produced by Voice Republic For more podcasts visit http://voicerepublic.com

Diversity in Games: Pitfalls and Possible Solutions Speakers: Agnieszka Mulak (http://moacube.com/), Hubert Sobecki (http://moacube.com/) Many people want to play games with a diverse, unique cast of characters. Who could be more suited to oblige than us, two somewhat discriminated writers, fed up with sexist and homophobic content as well as both lack of representation and overt tokenism? Soon enough feedback about our game forced us to realize, how difficult the task actually is. Our creation definitely was not as transparent and self-aware as we imagined. Now we would like to share our experiences with you so that the next time you try to create a diverse world in your game, you have it just a little easier. And when you fall in yet another stereotype trap of your culture (and you will!) you'll be better prepared for it. Source: http://amazeberlin2016.sched.org/event/6oFV (http://amazeberlin2016.sched.org/event/6oFV) Produced by Voice Republic For more podcasts visit http://voicerepublic.com

Dimension Drive Kickstarter Marathon Speaker: Alejandro Santiago (http://www.aeonphyxius.com/) Normally developers run a Kickstarter campaign, for Dimension Drive we did a marathon! A total of 60 crazy days of non-stop work spanning two Kickstarter campaigns back to back. The story of how our first campaign got infamously trolled is well know but is less known how the community helped us come back stronger than before. This talk is aimed at any developer that is planning a crowdfunding campaign. We will go over what worked for us, what didn't, how to prepare for it and some big mistakes that should have been avoided and how important is the community. Source: http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6ktH/alejandro-santiago-dimension-drive-kickstarter-marathon (http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6ktH/alejandro-santiago-dimension-drive-kickstarter-marathon) Produced by Voice Republic For more podcasts visit http://voicerepublic.com

Enter the void: Videogames and nothingness Speaker: Llaura Dreamfeel (http://dreamfeel.org/) Llaura Dreamfeel will perform in full new interactive works of her own (plus some lesser known games by other folks), and talk about different creative communities she's been a part of. How she got better at making videogames by not making videogames, but by stapling zines, writing weird prose, and playing with brightly coloured markers. Source: http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6gys/llaura-dreamfeel-enter-the-void-videogames-and-nothingness (http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6gys/llaura-dreamfeel-enter-the-void-videogames-and-nothingness) Produced by Voice Republic For more podcasts visit http://voicerepublic.com

The Power of Love in Games Speaker: Patrick Jarnfelt (https://twitter.com/pjarnfelt?lang=de) Traditional media have a long-standing and mature relationship with subjects like romance, love and sex. Why are games different? Games have historically tried to gamify love and this has led to a goal-oriented implementation. What could work as a win state in the game of love? Sex, of course. But it doesn’t have to be this way. The power of love, romance and sex in games can be vast and emotionally effective. Sex does not have to be a goal, it can be a journey and love and romance don’t have to be banal, there can be nuances. These topics can be used to tackle subjects like sexual development, gender, body positivity, consent, pregnancy and a myriad of other subjects. Join Patrick Jarnfelt as he shares his experiences organizing the Lyst Summit and things he has learned on the way. Let’s explore one of the last frontiers in games. Source: http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6f0z/patrick-jarnfelt-the-power-of-love-in-games (http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6f0z/patrick-jarnfelt-the-power-of-love-in-games) Produced by Voice Republic For more podcasts visit http://voicerepublic.com

Curating Videogames and New Media Speakers: Jo Summers (http://amazeberlin2016.sched.org/artist/josummers1), Simon Bachelier (http://www.simonbachelier.com/), Stefan Schwingeler, Zuraida Buter (http://www.zo-ii.com/) http://amazeberlin2016.sched.org/event/6lNY (http://amazeberlin2016.sched.org/event/6lNY) Produced by Voice Republic For more podcasts visit http://voicerepublic.com

A Nomad Shifting Between Lines Speaker: Ansh Patel (https://twitter.com/lightnarcissus?lang=de) What can a game designer learn from a ballet performer and painter? What does that designer become once they incorporate aspects and techniques of the performer and painter into their work? How do we begin to create a body of work in an age where our attention rapidly flickers between tabs, windows and devices? This talk delves into blurring the boundaries between different media for creating inter-disciplinary works. Rather than letting your identity and work be chained by increasingly meaningless terms like "developer", "artist" "programmer", this talk starts deconstructing our current understanding of creating and how can we function between disciplines, while drawing influences and incorporating techniques from other fields. Source: http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6f14/ansh-patel-a-nomad-shifting-between-lines (http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6f14/ansh-patel-a-nomad-shifting-between-lines) Produced by Voice Republic For more podcasts visit http://voicerepublic.com

Inspiring Inventive Play with Social Installations Speaker: Alistair Aitcheson (http://www.alistairaitcheson.com/) Alistair Aitcheson is an indie developer who - among other things - attaches buttons to walls and dresses people up in tight spandex to form human game controllers. In his games players make physical contact and are encouraged to perform, to cheat inventively and to collaborate to solve unusual problems. In this talk Alistair takes a deep dive into his projects to explain how game design can encourage social interaction - in particular, how to inspire groups to use their creativity, break the rules and make the game their own. Source: http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6f1B/alistair-aitcheson-inspiring-inventive-play-with-social-installations (http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6f1B/alistair-aitcheson-inspiring-inventive-play-with-social-installations) Produced by Voice Republic For more podcasts visit http://voicerepublic.com

VRUnicorns: VR Sports @VRUnicorns (http://www.vrunicorns.com/) are a crazy bunch of semi-professional game jammers making VR games featuring sports they don't have any clue about IRL. #SelfieTennis ended up as an HTC Vive launch game on Steam and the next game from @VRUnicorns, #SkiJump (an ode to Thorsten/A MAZE.), is played live on stage during this talk on the development of #SelfieTennis & #SkiJump and room scale VR in general. VRUnicorns are: Horatiu Roman (https://twitter.com/horatiu665), Milan Grajetzki (https://twitter.com/atomtwist), Andreas Jörgensen (https://twitter.com/hideous_), Julie Heyde (https://twitter.com/julieheyde) Source: http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6mJw/vrunicorns-virtual-sports-reality (http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6mJw/vrunicorns-virtual-sports-reality) Produced by Voice Republic For more podcasts visit http://voicerepublic.com

The Making Of Line Wobbler Speaker: Robin Baumgarten (https://twitter.com/Robin_B) We'll go into the details of how Line Wobbler - a one-dimensional custom hardware dungeon crawler - went from just a spring and an LED strip to a successful indie hit, with particular focus on fool-proofing the hardware, iterating through exhibitions, and taking it further to museums and arcades. Source: http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6f0N/robin-baumgarten-the-making-of-line-wobbler (http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6f0N/robin-baumgarten-the-making-of-line-wobbler) Produced by Voice Republic For more podcasts visit http://voicerepublic.com

A MAZE. Masterclass Speakers: Naomi Clark (http://deadpixel.co/) und Krystle Wong (http://www.krystlewong.com/) The A MAZE. masterclasses are 1 hour long in-depth conversations between a journalist and a "veteran" of the game scene. This year Krystle Wong (A MAZE. Magazine) is going to talk with Naomi Clark (game designer, teacher and creator of Consentacle). Produced by Voice Republic For more podcasts visit http://voicerepublic.com

Doing the Hindu Shuffle Speaker: Martin Nerukar (https://twitter.com/mnerurkar) The qualities of digital card games are examined and the difficulties and challenges involved in implementing them are explored. Digital card games have become increasingly popular, for both big name studios and small indie teams. The purpose of this talk is to examine the properties of card games, specifically within a digital context. Using the digital deck-building game Nowhere Prophet as an example, this lecture will provide insight into the pitfalls and advantages of designing a digital card game. This includes a look at the general game rules as well as the specific rules defined by individual cards. Additionally, the talk will also cover a possible method for implementing a flexible and modular system to create and resolve cards. Source: http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6f18/martin-nerukar-doing-the-hindu-shuffle (http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6f18/martin-nerukar-doing-the-hindu-shuffle) Produced by Voice Republic For more podcasts visit http://voicerepublic.com

Building a Better Website For Your Game Speaker: Andreas Zecher (https://twitter.com/andreaszecher?lang=de) A decent website is an essential part of marketing your game. It should be the canonical resource where both players and press can find information about your game. However, it can be hard to keep up with the rapid speed of change in web development when your focus is making games. In this tech talk, we’ll take an in-depth look at how to design and develop a promotional website. We’ll discuss different open-source tools that can help you to build an engaging, user-friendly and performant website for your game or studio. We’ll cover topics like Responsive Design, Static Blogging, Asset Compilation, Content-Delivery Networks, CSS Frameworks and Livereload. Source: http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6gjg/andreas-zecher-building-a-better-website-for-your-game (http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6gjg/andreas-zecher-building-a-better-website-for-your-game) Produced by Voice Republic For more podcasts visit http://voicerepublic.com

Context is Everything: A History Lesson from the Escape From Woomera Project Speaker: Katharine Neil (http://www.cheapdrunkgames.com/) There was a time, not so long ago, when if you suggested the idea that so-called small-budget “indie” games could one day be popular you would be met with derision or disbelief. Suggest that games could be a respected art form like film or literature, or that games could contain serious social themes, and you would be met with bafflement at best, and open hostility at worst. If you were very unlucky, a governmental inquiry would be commissioned by the Minister for the Arts in an attempt to put you and these outrageous notions of yours back in your box. Source: http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6gje/katharine-neil-context-is-everything-a-history-lesson-from-the-escape-from-woomera-project (http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6gje/katharine-neil-context-is-everything-a-history-lesson-from-the-escape-from-woomera-project) Produced by Voice Republic For more podcasts visit http://voicerepublic.com

The Necessity of Violence Speaker: Winnie Song (https://twitter.com/songfeuds?lang=de) People often ask about my game BADBLOOD: “But why does it have to be so violent?” Questioning the necessity of violence in video games dismisses its potential to inspire creative and unpredictable gameplay. A game can be a playable treatise of human nature, and the blood-soaked fields of BADBLOOD is an intimate stage to confront the primal survival instincts in us all. Source: http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6f0d/winnie-song-the-necessity-of-violence (http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6f0d/winnie-song-the-necessity-of-violence) Produced by Voice Republic For more podcasts visit http://voicerepublic.com

SUPER.HOT.SUPER.HOT.SUPER.HOT Speaker: Piotr Iwaniki (https://twitter.com/pioiwan?lang=de) We asked our players to tell everyone, that SUPERHOT "It's the most innovative shooter I've played in years". Many people said "WTF are they thinking?!?". I will tell you what we were thinking. I will share the design philosophy behind SUPERHOT, our experimental FPS where time moves only when you do. Source: http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6gxA/piotr-iwaniki-superhotsuperhotsuperhot (http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6gxA/piotr-iwaniki-superhotsuperhotsuperhot) Produced by Voice Republic For more podcasts visit http://voicerepublic.com

Moving Beyond Starving Artist: Funding for Indies Speaker: Jason Della Rocca (https://twitter.com/jasondellarocca?lang=de) For many developers, getting funding is still one of the most complex and indecipherable processes on the path to success. This lecture will be a "from the trenches" reality check on how indies are getting projects funded and their studios financed today. Source: http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6f0T/jason-della-rocca-moving-beyond-starving-artist-funding-for-indies (http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6f0T/jason-della-rocca-moving-beyond-starving-artist-funding-for-indies) Produced by Voice Republic For more podcasts visit http://voicerepublic.com

Imagine VR is a Dream Machine Speakers: Daniel Ernst (https://twitter.com/camefrombeyond), Niki Smit (https://twitter.com/MonobandaPLAY), Sara Lisa Vogl (https://twitter.com/saralisavogl) Daniel Ernst (The Shoebox Diorama), Niki Smit (Deep) and Sara Lisa Vogl (Lucid Trips) are responsible for some of the most innovative virtual reality games out there. In this panel moderated by Thomas Bedenk (Virtual Reality Consultant at Exozet Berlin) they will discuss their visions for the future of the technology. Source: http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6ggb/imagine-vr-is-a-dream-machine-panel-with-daniel-ernst-sara-lisa-vogl-niki-smit-moderated-by-thomas-bedenk (http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6ggb/imagine-vr-is-a-dream-machine-panel-with-daniel-ernst-sara-lisa-vogl-niki-smit-moderated-by-thomas-bedenk) Produced by Voice Republic For more podcasts visit http://voicerepublic.com

Defying short attention span Speaker: Niklas Akerblad (http://elhuervo.tumblr.com/) Ramblings about how to employ subtle and unexpected measures when handling artistic expressions in games. Trusting your audience in achieving unexplainable sensations and using dissonance as a weapon as well as the importance of not only sugarcoating whatever the fuck it is you are doing.  Source: http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6f0C/niklas-akerblad-defying-short-attention-span (http://program.amaze-berlin.de/event/6f0C/niklas-akerblad-defying-short-attention-span) Produced by Voice Republic For more podcasts visit http://voicerepublic.com