DOOMSDAYS & IMPOSTERS - #AKLGAMEDEV BIG-HOON ON MAY 4

This one is gonna be a big one...

5.50PM NZ AURAL TALENT (https://soundcloud.com/pigstygames/sets/nzgda-local-talent)

6.00PM MARIO WYNANDS - DOOMSDAY CLICKER

Wellington's Pik Pok Managing Director Mario Wynands will give a peek at the behind the scenes of their latest success Doomsday Clicker. (http://pikpok.com/games/doomsdayclicker/)

6.20PM STEPHAN SCHUTZE - IMPOSTER SYNDROME: "Everyone at this meetup is a fraud!"

“There are barely enough words to describe the joy and fear I currently have working in games development”

The desire to create lies deeply within the psyche of many people who work in this industry. We hunger to see our visions and imagination brought to life. But often for many of us underscoring our passion lies a deep seated insecurity: “I am a fraud, I do not belong here, and I am not good enough to be doing this.”

Imposter syndrome is a very real challenge that affects even the most accomplished artists around the world and it can be crippling. Regardless of level of experience, gender, age or number of achievements this fear can affect anyone.

This session builds on the personal experiences of the presenter to discuss the difficulties of developing a career in one of the most challenging industries in the world. From an inexperienced newbie in an Australian studio, to joining one of the world’s leading production teams the presenter will pull no punches, inform and hopefully inspire. This talk will appeal to everyone, from aspiring students, to seasoned professionals.

Through understanding how this issue arises, how widespread it is and how specifically our society in Australia and New Zealand can exacerbate the challenge, we can develop strategies to combat it. It may even be turned to our advantage so the love of our craft is not diminished by fear.

Biography

For over sixteen years, Stephan has produced music and sound effects for a variety of projects.
Most of this time has been spent working in the games industry where he has produced the audio for games on nearly every available platform across a wide range of genres. He has produced musical scores ranging from a solo musician up to full orchestra.
Stephan is considered the world's leading authority on working with FMOD Studio. His company produced the user manual and developed the first and only official educational material on FMOD Studio.
He is an expert on producing generative adaptive music as well as implementing existing musical scores to function dynamically within an interactive product.
Stephan is widely published online and in print. He is a sought-after speaker at conferences and has presented numerous lectures and talks for prominent organisations worldwide and is now exploring the leading edge of audio for VR/AR/MR working in both R&D and production.

7.00PM-ish OPEN MIC

• Phantasmal (http://store.steampowered.com/app/342550/) release shout out and they have something special planned for this month's meetup attendees. The game will be there - come along and have a hoon on it!

• The NZGDA YouTube channel is going live. We're recording more and more content and we have a massive backlog of videos for you to have a hoon on at your leisure.

• More content to come. Stay tuned to the comments and have a hoon on #AKLgamedev on Twitter.

Got a problem, a bug, a job vacancy, an opportunity, an event? Have a hoon on the mic for a minute and we'll help you spread the word.

7.15PM-ish CONNECT

SHOW YOUR WORK! (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1flJivmd6b2Lno_rX4aIns254x8uaEGCNr7l84iH_yA8/pub) If you have an unfinished game, letting others have a hoon on it at the #AKLgamedev Big-Hoon is a great way to get support, build community buzz and get feedback.

We encourage studios to send along recruiters and budding game developers to bring along their work to show and CVs.

...we'll even supply you with free pizza for you to have a hoon on.

PUB

After drinks are going to be downstairs @BluestoneRoom. There'll be plenty of space because their quiz is upstairs. People leave the meetup at different times so we'll see you there sometime between 8ish-9p.

Don't get lost on the way. https://goo.gl/maps/ryyV78sbUTU2

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Stay tuned to #AKLgamedev (https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q=%23AKLgamedev&src=typd) on Twitter or the Facebook event for more info.

GETTING THERE

The meetup is at the AUT City campus. This one is not at either of the two usual rooms.

The entrance to WS is on St Paul Street. Go through the sliding doors and turn right.

We'll take everyone down to WG407 (shown above) for the pizza session. Feel free to set up beforehand if you don't mind missing some or all of the talks.

PARKING

Parking is not easy in the city. You can catch buses to St Paul's Church.

If you are showing work and have a lot of equipment and you want to bring your car, send your name and license plate number to [masked] and I'll see if I can get you a parking space. No promises but I'll do my best.

SPONSORS

A big thanks to our sponsors ATEED (http://www.aucklandnz.com/ateed), AUTODESK (http://www.autodesk.com/industry/media-entertainment/game-development), PIGSTY (https://pigsty.aut.ac.nz/), COLAB (https://colab.aut.ac.nz/)and AUT UNIVERSITY (https://www.aut.ac.nz/study-at-aut/study-areas/art-and-design-at-aut-university-auckland/undergraduate/game-and-play-design)

Thanks also to our partners GAME DEVELOPERS OF WELLINGTON (http://www.meetup.com/Game-Developers-of-Wellington/) and THE ARCADE AUCKLAND (https://www.facebook.com/groups/980962541942137/).

OTHER EVENTS

• Week of Play and Wonder (http://www.techweek.co.nz/events/week-of-play-wonder#content) - May 16 - 22 @MOTAT

• Week of Play and Wonder Evening Event (https://www.facebook.com/events/262439284089946/) - May 20 - FREE @MOTAT

• Virtual Reality in Real Life (http://www.campaignbrief.co.nz/2016/04/media-design-school-presents-v.html) - May 5th - FREE seminar @MDS

• Magnify VR Summit (http://www.techweek.co.nz/events/magnify-the-virtual-realityaugmented-reality-pacif#content) - May 19 - 20