IGDA Indianapolis 2011 December Toy Drive Event

It's that time of year Developers!

The IGDA December event will be a charitable Toy Drive for Peyton Manning and Riley Children's hospitals hosted at Tilt Studio Arcade in the Downtown Circle Center Mall on 20 December @ 7pm. In addition to toy drive, we will have presentations from the JH Specialty, Ball State, Tethys Interactive, the Cheer Guild and Plow Digital!

There will either be a $5 charge, "OR" the donation of a toy(Donation rules below) to attend the event.(All Proceeds will go to the Peyton Manning and Riley's Children's hospital foundations.) Those who donate a toy will receive a 30 minute Tilt Arcade play card so it's a no brainer!

Presentations:

JH Specialty with Michael Vaughn Green

Power Up! How a web development team found the inspiration to start making their own games.

JH Specialty, Inc is a Fort Wayne based company and provides full service marketing, advertising, and application development to all types of clients.

Michael Vaughn Green

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Michael Vaughn Green is the Director of Digital Design for JH Specialty, located in Fort Wayne, IN. His partner in crime, Tim Jones: Director of Development at JH, are hard at work on their first iOS game. They hope to have it published on the Apple Store in early March. They have recently launched a new website, www.gamedesigncenter.org, that focuses on game design and development. Michael's game credits include Tron Evolution for 360/PS3 and Toy Story Mania! for the Wii.

Ball State with Dr. Paul GestwickiRelationship between fun, learning, and games, and the implications these have for responsible game design.

Dr. Paul Gestwicki

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Dr. Paul Gestwicki is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Ball State University, where he leads projects in game design and development. His most recent project is Morgan's Raid, an educational game for Indiana fourth-graders about Civil War history, which recently won the Outstanding Project of the Year Award from the Indiana Historical Society. This Spring, Dr. Gestwicki will be a fellow with the Virginia Ball Center for Creative Inquiry, through which he will continue his work on interdisciplinary educational game design and development.

Tethys Interactive with Amy and Chris Wightman

Creating a startup, the current state of the industry, and sneak peak of Tethys latest project currently in production.

Tethys Interactive is an independent interactive studio based in the Indianapolis, Indiana area focusing primarily on creating stunning game environments and interactive content. Founded in 2011 by Indianapolis-area entrepreneurs and avid gamers Amy Wightman, Chris Wightman and Adam Cuzzort, Tethys Interactive has over 25 years combined experience in creating beautiful and engaging interactive environments. Tethys Interactive is a company founded by gamers for gamers. We specialize in game development, but offer many additional services including 3D visualization, interactive software and mobile application design. - www.tethysinteractive.com -

Amy Wightman

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Amy has a knack for organization and business solutions. She brings years of experience with project management and consulting, as well as a knowledge of various programming languages and technical development. Amy has held various positions in her professional career with the majority of time spent in Web Development and Project Management. Amy is the owner and co-founder of Media Outbreak, a web design & multimedia company, as well as Tethys Interactive(www.tethysinteractive.com), an independent interactive studio. Amy holds a Masters Degree in Project Management from Keller Graduate School, and a Bachelors of Science degree in Computer Information Systems with a focus in Web Development from Devry University. Amy enjoys playing online games that feature support classes, specifically the medic or healer.

Chris Wightman

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Chris is a talented Devigner with a vast variety of skills ranging from visual design and 3d to sound design. Chris brings 11+ years experience to his role of Game Devigner (a new term in this industry that covers people who are both designer and developer), and is able to create designs by using 3D Studio Max, Maya, Unity, Photoshop, XHTML, C# and Javascript. He also has 9+ years experience in animation, modeling and lighting techniques, as well as is experienced using Viewpoint Technology and Unity for real time cutting edge 3D interaction over the web. Chris has held various positions in his professional career as an Animator/Graphic Specialist with an E-Learning company and as a Multimedia Developer/Art Director with a local software development firm. Chris is the owner and co-founder of Media Outbreak, a web design & multimedia company, as well as Tethys Interactive, an independent interactive studio. Chris holds a Bachelors degree in Interactivity and Game Design from Savannah College of Art and Design, and an Associates Degree in Computer Animation from the Art Institute of Atlanta. Chris's favorite games are fantasy MMOs.

The Cheer Guild with Heather Dawes

Bringing cheer and comfort to pediatric patients at Riley Hospital for Children through the Toy Room and Music Therapy Program.

The Cheer Guild is a volunteer auxiliary that was formed in 1924 by a group of volunteers wanting to support Riley Hospital for Children by bringing comfort and cheer to the patients and families. Over the years it has grown to also become a section 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization. The mission is to enhance the experience of a hospital stay by providing volunteer services and financial assistance, as well as offering gifts and resources needed to aid in minimizing stress for patients and their families.

The Cheer Guild supports Riley Hospital primarily through two large programs. The fist is called the Toy Room. The Cheer Guild accepts all of the toy and handmade donations given to Riley. Within the Toy Room, volunteers screen all of the toys to ensure safety and quality prior to distribution. All items are given as gifts for the children to keep. On a monthly basis, more than 14,000 items are given to the pediatric patients from the Toy Room!

The second program is The Cheer Guild Music Therapy Program at Riley which we have funded for the past 11 years. Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions. Through live music, Board Certified Music Therapists create a safe, inviting environment where patients and families can explore their thoughts and feelings. Music therapy is designed for each patient based on individualized needs. At Riley, you can find music therapists with patients leading songwriting, singing, playing instruments, making digital music, improvisation or simply listening to music.

Heather Dawes

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Heather is a graduate of Purdue University. She began working at Riley Hospital for Children in 2000 within the Child Life Department as the Special Events Coordinator. Throughout the course of 11 years she advanced her career within the hospital as a Riley Event Fundraiser, Manager of IU Health Volunteer Service and in 2006 she became the Director of The Cheer Guild. Heather is married with 3 children (Jacob 8, Jeremy 4 and Juliana 2). Next to being a Mom, she found her passion in life with the ability to share information about Riley Hospital for Children and The Cheer Guild!

Plow Digital with Donald Stout

Never taking games too seriously: Challenging game design with critical thinking and experience.

Plow Games develops online, mobile, social, and iOS and Android games for the consumer, business, educational, and entertainment markets. Plow has worked with game publishers and brands such as; Activision, THQ, Atari, Brady Games, Destineer Studios, BRP,BMW, Audi, Guinness World Records, and many others. www.plowdigital.com

Donald Robert Tiberius Stout

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Donald Stout has worked for Plow Digital as an Artist, Animator and Designer since 2010 on a variety of interactive games and products. He received his degree from the Art Institute of Chicago and currently sits on the Independent Video Game Development Association Board of Directors as the Vice Chair and is working on Rhythm Fighter, a collaborative game with the association as the lead animator and assistant game designer. Donald is also on the IGDA Indianapolis Advisory Board.

Toy Donation Guidelines(Riley and Peyton Manning Hospitals)

New Toys Needed

Intant/Toddler

Baby Einstein Baby Neptune Soother, Wrist Rattles, Small Musical Toys, Bright Starts Teether Books, Leap Frog My First Book, Precious Plant Soothers Fisher Price, Small Stuffed Animals (Newborn +), Brilliant Basic Stack & Roll Cups, Play Skool Toys, Fisher Price Classical Stackers, Learning Links

Preschool/School ages

Barbie Dolls, Crayola Color Wonders, Models (Cars/Planes/Trucks), Sesame Street Elmo, Stuffed Animals, Art Drawing Pads, Paint with numbers books

Teens

Pottery Craft Kits (Cups & Banks), Colts & Pacers Hats & Shirts, Uno Games, Wal Mart/Target/Meijer, Inc. Gift Cards, Bionicles (Large & Small), legos, Sun Catchers with paint

Craft Items Handheld Games Infant Toys Activity Books Nintendo DS™ Games Game Boy® Games Character Items Princess Items Talking Books Character Pillows Boxed Puzzles DVDs Board Games

Event Location Sponsor

Tilt Studio Indianapolis
Circle Center Mall, Indianapolis
Tilt Studio Indianapolis is Indy's last and largest deducated arcade, featuring state of the art games and attractions, we guarantee a fun time for all. We gladly welcome this panel because without designers and developers creating the next generation of great games, we wouldn't be here.

Thomas D. Marshall, Chapter Coordinator for IGDA Indianapolis is the Point of Contact for this event. Please email thomasdmarshall@hotmail.com if you have any questions or concerns about any IGDA Indianapolis Event.