Independent Game Development

AI tools are evolving at breakneck speed and what we thought worked yesterday (prompt engineering, RAG etc.) are being made obsolete with newer models and tools like Claude Code or Codex etc. At the same time, inside enterprises we are constrained by approval cycles and security restrictions. Come hear what other enterprise developers and architects and other Tech folks in Austin are experiencing firsthand, and share what's working (or not) in your own environment. **Agenda** * Intros & settle in * Discussion: AI tools in use today and the real-world challenges of adopting them at work * Bigger picture: keeping up with the rapidly evolving AI landscape and knowing where to invest your time * Brainstorm topics and shared problems for future deep dives **Details** * This is our first meetup and is intentionally conversational and interactive and you will have say in the way we take this forward. * Share the tools and workflow but do NOT share any confidential information about/from your workplace. **Who this is for** For software developers, architects, engineer, tech leads, engineering managers, dev ops folks and other technical people working inside enterprise or corporate environments.

***[CLICK HERE TO GRAB TICKETS](https://pinballz.com/events/pinballz-laser-tag-championship/)*** Get ready for another adrenaline-fueled tournament and celebrate the best laser tag players in Austin at the Pinballz Laser Tag Competition! Establish your legacy on the laser tag battle field at Pinballz Lake Creek and feel the thrilling rush of being crowned champion. We are hosting a free-for-all tournament, where players will have to work together or against each other and go up against rival participants in our laser tag arena. The name of the game: Get the most points possible and stand out among the competition! The top 3 winners will receive awesome Pinballz-themed prizes at the end of the evening. Will you dominate the arena and emerge as the ultimate champion? To secure your spot in this competition, register online registration for just $8 per player. This tournament has a limited number of spots, so once they are filled up the spots are gone. Please note that participants must be 12 years or older, and we kindly request compliance with this age restriction. ***[Secure your spot today and we’ll see you in the arena!](https://pinballz.com/events/pinballz-laser-tag-championship/)***

You do NOT need to sign up for this event. It is a placeholder only. You DO need to visit this site to register -- https://www.meetup.com/robotics-69/events/301714176/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_events The Robot Group has this to say... We currently meet simultaneously in person and on line. The in person venue is the Diogenes Makerspace which shares a building with the Collete night club. Our door is at the far left end of the building. Nature Nerds of Austin has this to say... If Collete has an event please park in the street, apologies if the walk is long or the weather is bad.

### **Guided Personal Development Book Club & Open Group Coaching** This free, ongoing book club features ideas and discussion inspired by various Personal Development Books. Reading the books are optional. Led by local Certified Professional Life Coach, Lisa Concepcion, This group provides a safe space for connection and open conversation about topics such as. * Codependency or over-giving / people pleasing * Anxious attachment * Low self-worth or self-trust * Difficulty setting boundaries * Attracting emotionally unavailable or narcissistic partners * Manifesting your ideal relationship * Reinvention after break-ups / divorce * Navigating Tricky Relationships (what to say and how to say it). This is **not therapy**—it’s a guided personal development conversation led by a Certified Professional Life Coach. ### How This Book Club Works Each meeting includes: * A brief overview of a key concept from the book * Open discussion and reflection * Group coaching offering clarity, insights and guidance * Real-life application to relationships, boundaries, and self-growth ***You do not need to attend every session and you do not need to finish the book to participate. Each session stands alone.*** ### Open Group Coaching Format This book club functions like a fun, dynamic, empowering, **group coaching space**: * You’re welcome to ask questions * Share experiences * Learn from others * Gain clarity about your own emotional patterns * Get insights and ideas to move you forward Many people find that hearing others’ experiences creates powerful insight and validation. ### Who This Is For * Adults interested in emotional healing and personal growth * People who grew up feeling unseen, unheard, or emotionally unsupported * Anyone working through relationship patterns or self-worth issues * Those curious about why they repeat the same emotional dynamics * People who want to meet like minded, high conscious people who self reflect and are working to be better. * People who crave connection In Real Life and value intelligent, meaningful, deeper conversation. * People who are open to making new friends. This group is respectful, confidential, and growth-focused. What happens in book club, stays in book club. This is the group membership oath. Free Event!

Come draw with us at our monthly meeting at Gong Cha (RR 620 location). This is a casual drawing meetup for anyone who likes to create art/draw, no matter their experience level.

Make sure to come prepared with something to draw/illustrate with, which can include: tablets, paper and pencil, sketchbooks, notepads, paint (ex. watercolor), markers, colored pencils, etc. There is no theme; just come out and have fun! While at the event, it is *not* mandatory but encouraged to purchase an item to support Gong Cha’s hospitality. Thank you! ☺️

**Trades Together** is not your typical networking event. This is a curated, construction-focused mastermind designed specifically for owners and decision-makers in the trades and the businesses that support them. Each meeting is structured, intentional, and centered on real conversations about growth, leadership, systems, and scaling—not awkward pitches or passing business cards. Join us for a dynamic discussion with other driven owners who understand the challenges of running a trades business and are committed to helping each other win. Expect meaningful connections, practical insights you can apply immediately, and a room full of people who actually show up to contribute. Guests are welcome to attend and experience what makes Trades Together different.

Join us for our vibrant *50+ Silver Social*, where camaraderie, laughter, and great rallies take center stage. Whether you're new to the game or a seasoned player, this is your time to connect, play, and have fun in a welcoming, all-levels environment. Make new friends, share stories between points, and enjoy the joy of pickleball in a space built for connection. It’s more than just a game—it’s your (new) community. We will divide courts by level: beginner, intermediate, and advanced! Never played? No problem, we can teach you the rules, and we have paddles for rent ($5 each)! \*\*\* **Important: Please sign up on the Pickleland App ([iOS](https://pickleland.com/ios) \| [Android](https://pickleland.com/android)) or [website](https://play.pickleland.com/) directly.** \*\*\* ## **🙌 Completely free for members** ## **Vendors / Sponsors:** * Want to be a vendor/sponsor at future events? Please email us at [sponsors@pickleland.com](mailto:sponsors@pickleland.com) If this time doesn't work for you, we are open M-F 8am to 10pm, and Sat-Sun 8am-8pm. Find other times on the Pickleland App ([iOS](https://pickleland.com/ios) \| [Android](https://pickleland.com/android)) or [website](https://play.pickleland.com/). The website and app will show the most accurate roster and sign up count! Follow [@picklelandatx](https://www.instagram.com/picklelandatx/) for more! **⭐️ Come see why we were recently named the "Best Pickleball Club" in Austin by Austin Pickleball Update and 750+ other players!**

Quick Survey to let us know what you'd like to get out of the monthly meetup: https://forms.gle/NF9V2EakADhhmBPb8 Don't forget to RSVP! (It helps us plan.) April 9: Staying Ahead of the Game: The Power of Early Access to Emerging Technology Adam Creighton and Kevin Nappoly will be give a version of their Arm Summit GDC talk In the fast-evolving world of game development, timing is everything. Early access to new technology like SDKs, plugins, engine integrations, and all-new technologies is the difference between following trends and setting them. In this session, Enduring Games shares real-world benefits from working closely with technology partners, including Arm and Unreal Engine, to integrate the latest hardware features before launching games. We walk through the typical lifecycle of a game (concept, mid-development, and release, variations like ports and remasters) and show how factoring in early access to technology enables smarter planning, smoother integration, and better performance. Through candid case studies and practical examples, we explore the opportunities and challenges that come with early access programs, including managing third-party dependencies and providing actionable feedback to hardware partners. We also explore forward-looking technologies such as AI/ML integration, ray-tracing, and next-generation rendering techniques, illustrating how these innovations should transform production pipelines and in-game quality. About Kevin Nappoly: Kevin Nappoly Rendering & Graphics Lead at Enduring Games, focusing on low-level graphics pipelines, platform specialization, early technology proof-of-concepts, and optimization & data-driven profiling With a strong background in rendering paradigms, extensive experience in console and PC development, and expertise in customizing game engines, Kevin works to advance the state of real-time graphics in games Games include Borderlands 4, Risk of Rain 2, Immortals of Aveum, Redfall, and more. About Adam Creighton Adam Creighton is the Founder & CEO for Enduring Games, an independent studio in Austin, TX. Inside and outside of his studio, Adam works practical processes & create quality strategic partnerships to elevate the people working in the video game industry He has contributed to more than 40 titles, including Borderlands 4, Demon's Souls & Godfall for the launch of the PS5, Bugsnax, DOOM, Rocket League, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, Warframe & Hob for Nintendo Switch, the Disney Infinity franchise, and many more. * By attending events at venues serving alcohol beverages, you confirm you are legally allowed to attend such events.) Agenda --- Speaker Timothy Porter - Mod Tech Labs, Inc. (Co-Founder, CTO) A 20-year veteran of the entertainment industry, Tim Porter began his career as an artist before transitioning into Technical Art and serving as a Pipeline Technical Director. His career is defined by building scalable infrastructure for industry leaders such as Gameloft, Sony, Paramount, and NBC/Universal. Hosted By Adam Creighton, Community Organizer Founder and Studio Head, Enduring Games – Bringing best-of-class co-development, new IP, and micro publishing to the video game industry. • Companies include Enduring Games, ex-(Panic Button, The Walt Disney Company (Walt Disney Interactive), Emergent Game Technologies (the Gamebryo game engine), Visa, IBM) • Key projects and brands include Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Crunchyroll, DOOM, Borderlands, Warframe, Rocket League • Professional actor (voice and on-camera) [PRO] DRAGON, Creative Director/ Community Manager / Game Dev I’ve spent the last 8+ years living and breathing the Fortnite Creative and UEFN ecosystems. Whether I’m diving into hands-on development or leading large-scale community initiatives, my mission has always been the same: supporting creators with the clarity and empathy we all need to build something great. Currently serving as Epic Developer Community Co-lead, I’m passionate about keeping the creator’s perspective at the forefront of evolution. 🏆 Epic Developer Community Co-lead 🏆 Award-Winning Game Dev @_ProdigyGames_ 🗒️ Game Dev Writer @thecreativeblok 🎮 UEFN + Fortnite Creative Educator (8+ yrs) 📘 Published Author 🎧 Producer | 📱 App Dev 🎙️ Voiceover 💖 Philanthropist | Leader of 💖 Giving Back 🏆 21x #Epic FNC Featured, including 3+ Epic Picks Feature! 🏆 W3Award Winner for Game Development for Entertainment Branding Join me for virtual events, tutorials and developer chats. Reach out anytime with questions! Happy Developing! Complete your event RSVP here: https://communities.unrealengine.com/events/details/epic-games-austin-presents-staying-ahead-of-the-game-the-power-of-early-access-to-emerging-technology/.

Join us to try out and provide feedback on games in development by local game designers, or bring a game of your own to playtest! This session will meet at Emerald Tavern. Food and drink are available for purchase on-site. We’ll do our best to accommodate both short (30-60 min) and longer games. Please arrive by the start time, especially if you have a game; if we have more games than players, you'll be signing the game in so it can enter a drawing for tables. Where you'll find us: Check the room beyond the bar (back and to the left); we're often in there. If we aren't, we'll be at tables indoors or out and typically have a table sign to help you locate an organizer. If we don't, look for the people with handmade games! **COVID Note:** Masks are optional for attendees who are vaccinated and boosted. If you prefer to be masked and play with other masked players, please let us know and we will accommodate through pairing up or the use of an outdoor table on the patio.

We play a wide variety of Euro-style board games, including anything new that's out there plus usual favorites. Bring your favorite game! Someone will most likely want to try it. Game Kastle has snacks and drinks, plus there is a Subway, Taco Bell, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Wing Street and Wanfu in the shopping center. Sorry, no alcohol allowed in the store. There are usually 10+ folks playing games, regardless of the number that sign up. If you show up after 1pm, you may have to wait.

Come join us for a fun night out with drinks, dinner and new friends! We’ll hangout, watch sports, play games, converse and have a great time. Feel free to bring your friends with you and we’ll see you there! Disclaimer: The host of this event and meetup are not liable for any injuries, loss of funds, or any type of unfortunate event that happens to any attendees of the meetup.

**The world keeps changing. Fast. The question is whether your approach is.** KAA 2026 is where Agile practitioners, leaders, and builders come to work through what's actually hard right now: delivering real value, building trust across teams, and figuring out where AI fits without losing the human system underneath it. This isn't a theory conference. The speakers are doing the work. Our keynote, **Kevin Koym**, has helped over 6,500 entrepreneurs across 42 countries build something real. He founded Tech Ranch Austin. He's seen what stalls people and what moves them. If you're building something, leading something, or still figuring out what comes next, his talk is worth your whole morning. The rest of the lineup covers leadership, product, teams, and technology. Talks and workshops. Practitioners and executives. A room full of people who take this seriously. **If that sounds like your kind of day, purchase tickets here:** [https://www.agileaustin.org/kaa-2026-ticket-info](https://www.agileaustin.org/kaa-2026-ticket-info) Want to see who's speaking first? [https://www.agileaustin.org/kaa-2026-speakers](https://www.agileaustin.org/kaa-2026-speakers)

Come join us for a fun night out with drinks, dinner and new friends! We’ll hangout, watch sports, play games, converse and have a great time. Feel free to bring your friends with you and we’ll see you there! Disclaimer: The host of this event and meetup are not liable for any injuries, loss of funds, or any type of unfortunate event that happens to any attendees of the meetup.

FREE event [https://www.ccad.edu/chroma](https://www.ccad.edu/chroma) Friday, May 16, 3–7 p.m. CCAD campus, 60 Cleveland Ave, Columbus, OH Join Columbus College of Art & Design for *2025* *Chroma: Best of CCAD*, our annual campuswide exhibition showcasing outstanding student work from across the college’s academic programs. This faculty-juried show features select work from CCAD students of all class years, and is a can’t-miss end-of-year campus celebration recognizing their tremendous achievements. It’ll be a night of fun and entertainment, with interactive games, animation and film screenings, art symposiums, poetry and prose readings, and more (along with some of the best local food trucks). *Chroma* is free and open to all. Many exhibitions including... **Game Art & Design:** **DSB, first floor, Welcome Center lobby and Room 115**

Join us for a night of board gaming with FANG (Fem All Night Gaming). **We are an all fem board game group** in Columbus, Ohio. No cis-men, please! We play modern hobby board games! If you're unsure what that is, we can teach you! We'll be meeting on the second floor of Giant Eagle in their cafe area. Giant Eagle has a lot of food and beverage options including their hot foods bars. You are also welcome to bring in any outside food.

**Important time note:** Please plan on arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 as the elevators lock after 6 and you'll need to message us and we'll need to come get you. The building address is 4450 Bridge Park The entrance is 6620 Mooney St, Suite 400 You will need to scan your ID at the door to get a visitor badge. **Abstract** GitHub Copilot is powerful, but what if you could scale from a solo AI assistant to an entire team of specialized agents working in parallel? This session introduces Squad: an open-source framework for multi-agent orchestration that lets you define teams of AI agents with specific roles, responsibilities, and expertise. We'll progress from Copilot basics to the Copilot CLI, explore how Agents add autonomy, and see how Instructions and Skills let you customize agent behavior. Then, the climax: a live demo where a Squad team of 3 agents (Lead, Developer, Tester) stands up and builds a working application in real-time, showcasing true multi-agent collaboration. Whether you're new to AI or exploring how to scale your use of Copilot, this session will show you what's possible when agents work as a team. **YouTube Link** TBD

Welcome to Casual Boardgames, where we enjoy classic tabletop games and social deduction games while bonding over good food, drinks, and great conversations. 
We started this group to meet new people and make new friends, and bonding over games in a relaxed atmosphere is a great way to do that. We currently meet near route 23 and Polaris Parkway, and this is close to areas like Powell, Lewis Center, Worthington, and parts of Westerville and Columbus. 
Feel free to bring your own games or play one of the many games our members bring. If you are inexperienced, we will help you learn. 
Here are just a few examples of the kind of games we play. 
Tabletop/board games: Splendor, Catan, Azul, Dominion, 7 Wonders… 
Social deduction games: Code Names, Chameleon, Werewords… 
IMPORTANT: 
1. While we love playing a variety of games and competing, we are not just about the games. We interact and talk while playing, and this leads to a lot of laughter and fun. If you just want to compete and focus solely on the game, then this is probably not the group you are looking for. 
2. Many people join groups like this and never (or rarely) show up after weeks or months. If you join and never really come, we will eventually remove you from the group as a courtesy to our members. Why? Because limiting group conversations (on the app) to regular members makes communication and planning much easier. Also, while it may be rare, it protects members from people who join because they are interested in following a person instead of having a real interest in our group. If you get removed, it is just because you haven’t come, and we follow this protocol as a courtesy to our regular game players.

CABS Saturday Meeting - come play some boardgames with us. Doors open at 10am and close around Midnight. We have 2000+ games onsite for playing !!! Your first visit is FREE!!! IT'S YOUR MOVE !!! JOIN US AT CABS!!!

This week is Twos-day on a Wednesday. Bring your favorite 2 player games and be ready to teach some and learn others. We'll bounce around and get to know new people and new games. Think speed dating but without the stress, romance or dating! And we don't judge, if you'd prefer to stick to bigger games by all means, go for it! The Forge does have a full bar and kitchen. There is no cover charge but they do request all attendees to purchase a minimum of ~$20 per person. Soft drink refills are $1 each. Please support our hosts so we can continue to provide great events for the group! The Forge has a large library of games available for us to enjoy. Hosts and regulars will also provide numerous popular games but please bring any games you would like to teach and/or play. Doors open at 6, and we expect gaming to be rolling by around 630. Please promptly end your games and clear out the space at 10pm when the bar closes. We encourage socializing but do not permit disruptive behavior of any kind. Thank you for your continued commitment to providing a fun and welcoming space to veteran, newbie, and rookie gamers in the Columbus area. Parking can be challenging. There is a parking lot behind the neighboring Mexican restaurant that is free and easy to walk from but it's a bit hidden.

AI is changing how art is made. But when does it stop being your work and start being the machine’s? This month we're going to be doing a panel with with digital image, music, and written word artists, talking about at what point, while using AI in the creation process, does the work become not the artist creation? We encourage audience participation during this event that will be moderated by Chris Slee. Whether you’re deep in the field or just getting curious, come connect with others building and exploring AI in Columbus. Sponsored by [Transform Labs](https://www.transformlabs.com/services) Sign up also accessible via [Transform Labs Luma](https://luma.com/55umjqta)