Console Gaming San Francisco

Oakland potluck and lawn games

Let's Play "LISA: The Painful"

For this month's game we are playing the RPG *LISA: The Painful*. *The miserable journey of a broken man...* *LISA: The Painful* is available on Steam, Switch, PlayStation and Xbox. Play through the game as much as you can for our discussion; even if you don't complete the game, you're welcome to come to discuss as well as nominate future titles. We will be meeting at Patriot House, a bar on the top floor of Two Embarcadero Center. Look for us in the back patio area! To discuss the meetup, access more information, and keep in touch with other members, join the VGBC Discord: https://discord.gg/t97Bfv6qsF

Sandbox Socials: A VR Experience (IRL Party)

Welcome to an IRL party filled with VR experiences For only $20, your purchase includes entry, one free VR experience, and one free food menu item at Sandbox VR Emeryville. Drinks sold separately The events typically run from 7:00 PM to 11:30 PM, featuring live music, exclusive team prizes, and the chance to compete against other groups. It’s a great way to mingle, enjoy themed bites, and try out popular VR worlds like *Stranger Thing*s and *Squid Game*s Reserve tickets for the specified date as early as possible. Tickets are limited. https://sandboxvr.com/checkout/sandbox-socials

Board Game Playtesting at Dogpatch Games (San Francisco)

Welcome to the Golden Gate Gamemakers' board game playtesting event at Dogpatch Games in San Francisco! We meet last Thursdays 6pm-10pm. We are a community of tabletop game designers & board game fanatics who meet monthly at Dogpatch Games (1095 Tennessee St. in San Francisco's Dogpatch district) to playtest each other's prototypes, provide feedback, help each other get published, and most importantly... have fun! Whether you’re game is days away from Kickstarter, or just ideas on a napkin, or you just want to hangout and playtest other prototypes (we LOVE playtesters!)…all are welcome! A few notes if this is your first time joining us: \- Our goal is to provide a community around creating new games\. Every designer will get their prototype to the table\. We give everyone the chance to play games and get their game played\. \- Each designer gets equal time\, which is about one hour\. This includes rules explanations\, gameplay\, and time for feedback\. \- Please arrive on time if you have a game to playtest\. At the beginning of the night each designer will pitch their game to the group\, then breakout into smaller groups\. If you arrive and playtesting has already begun\, we will try to accommodate you later in the evening\. \- If your game requires more than one hour\, or requires a player count of 6 or more\, please contact us ahead of time so we can make arrangements\. \- Please stay for as long as you can to playtest others’ games\. \- When you arrive\, please check in with the cashier and inform them you’re with the San Francisco Board Game Designers\. Dogpatch Games charges customers an hourly fee \(monthly subscriptions are available\)\, but we have negotiated **a flat rate of $12 per person you'll need to pay for the evening**. \- Dogpatch Games does not yet sell food or drink\, but outside food is very welcomed\. There are many great options within a couple blocks\. \- Street parking is readily available nearby\. Or take BART to the Powell Street station and transfer to San Francisco Muni “T”\-line and take that eastbound to 20th & 3rd Ave stop\. Dogpatch Games is then one block away\. \- Please no “blind playtesting”\. You must teach your game yourself and not require playtesters to read rules during the event\. \- This is an event for playtesting your game and gathering feedback\, and not promoting your upcoming Kickstarter campaign\. \- Reach out to Phil Schwarzmann \(phillip\.schwarzmann@gmail\.com\) or for any questions\. Looking forward to seeing you there!! Phil [See GGG's full code of conduct here.](https://goldengategamemakers.com/Code_Of_Conduct/) Up-to-date details and our many other events can be found at [meetup.com/playgoldengate](meetup.com/playgoldengate)

Play Go and Socialize

Visit our Japan Center Go Club and play Go with others. We are open every Friday 4-8pm with more times coming soon.

Open Board Gaming !

We play and teach games every Thursday [at](https://www.itsyourmoveoakland.com/)[ Its Your Move Games](https://www.itsyourmoveoakland.com/clubs) until 11pm. The cost is $5. Drop in any time from 7:00pm to 10:30pm or so and you're sure to find something to play! Bring your games from home or use any of the games from our extensive used game library. We often have many tables going on at once for lots of variety. The earlier part of the evening is ideal for families with kids. We play all sorts of board games and card games on Thursday nights, but also: We are at[ 7th West](https://www.7thwest.com/) Every Wednesday night with a nice sized board game library. There is no cover charge there and they have Pin Ball machines a great menu and a large patio for smoking. Got a favorite game you'd like to find others to play? Bring it along! Let us know in advance if possible so we can help with recruiting players. In addition to these Thursday Meetups and the ones linked above, there are yet more game-specific events for adults and youth over the course of each week, including Scrabble, youth Pathfinder, youth chess and youth Go classes/play, so check out our full schedule here (http://www.meetup.com/oaklandgames/pages/Event_schedule/). There's more to come, so be sure to stay in touch! We request a donation of $3 to help offset the cost of keeping the store open so late every Friday. Hope to see you soon! \-\- Chris Specker and Will Kreber \(owner/managers\)

Board Games at Upcider

Ordering a drink/food item is required. Our hosts are gracious enough to allow us to use their space; we should reciprocate accordingly by supporting their business. **Food & Drinks x Board Games** Join us for a casual evening of board games at Upcider. Whether you've been playing for years or just want to try something new, all are welcome. **Event Details:** * **Date:** Every Saturday * **Time:** Start at 6:00 PM. End time is open-ended. * **Location:** Upcider (1160 Polk St, 2nd floor) **What to Expect:** * We play whatever board games members bring. Recent games have included Avalon, Bang, Codenames, Exploding Kittens. You're encouraged to bring any games you'd like to share :) * We also have a WhatsApp group for coordination. Ask an existing member during the event to be added to the group. Look forward to some relaxed game time with everyone.

Game Dev Coworking

Come hang out, chat, and work on your projects at the MADE's new space in downtown Oakland!

Hype o'clock Game Dev & Tea Time

Come hang out, have some tea, and work on/share your projects with other cool folks! Please see the "How to find us" section below for more info. This event is scheduled for every 3rd Saturday of the month.

Puzzical Chairs at Public Market

This event is to attend Assemble Puzzlery's Puzzical Chairs at Public Market Emeryville on Wednesday August 12. Puzzical Chairs is a low-key mixer where you work on a puzzle in a group of 4 and after a set amount of time you get up and move to a new table with a new puzzle and a new group of people. The game requires registration and spaces fill up. There is also free, drop-in community puzzling and a swap table. For more info visit Assemble Puzzlery's [webpage](https://assemblepuzzlery.com/collections/puzzical-chairs-at-best-friends-7-12-26-copy). Puzzling is a great, low-stress, way to mix and mingle and make new friends!

Game Night at Armistice

Join us for great beer and quality board games every Thursday evening at Armistice Brewing Company from 6 to 9. I'll have a selection of games from the vast library ready to teach. No experience required! It's free to play, but please support the brewery and amazing staff by buying something while you're there. Message me (Stephen) if you have any questions. GAME ON!

Showcase Showdown

**WIKI:** https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Showcase_Showdown # Showcase Showdown 2nd & 4th Fridays Showcase Showdown is an indie game showcase and fighting game tourney featuring Smash Melee competition. * **WHEN: 2**nd and 4th Fridays at [Noisebridge](https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Noisebridge "Noisebridge") at 7pm-12am. * **WHAT:** Play indie games showcases & competitive games like [Super Smash Brothers Melee](https://www.noisebridge.net/index.php?title=Super_Smash_Brothers_Melee&action=edit&redlink=1 "Super Smash Brothers Melee (page does not exist)"). * It is part of our [Fighting Game Fridays](https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Category:Fighting_Game_Fridays "Category:Fighting Game Fridays") alternating with [School of Melee](https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/School_of_Melee "School of Melee") 1st and 4th Fridays. * It started as Noisebridge's first [GDC](https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/GDC "GDC") IndieSmash event in 2026. * **WHERE:** [Noisebridge](https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Noisebridge "Noisebridge") Hackerspace, [272](https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/272 "272") Capp St. San Francisco, CA * **COST:** **FREE!** Noisebridge runs on donations and 24 hour access card memberships. # Indie Games Showcases * **GAMERS:** Do you want to see the next generation of games being showcased and playtested? * **DEVS"** Do you have a game in the works or released that you'd like to share? ## GAMERS COME PLAY THE NEXT WAVE We have a wide variety of exciting new games in development or recently released for you to try! * Meet the developers and share your playtesting feedback to help shape the future of gaming. ## DEVS COME SHOW YOUR HARD WORK We are seeking games to show so get in touch and show up with your games to share! * We can help you set up your demo station and promotional materials to help attendees play, wishlist, give feedback and buy your game. * Come to [Gamebridge](https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Gamebridge "Gamebridge") Wednesdays and we'll set you up. * Introduce yourself on our [Discord](https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Discord "Discord") #games channel and tell us about the game you want to showcase and what promo material and setup you plan to have. # Competitive Game Tournaments ## Smash Melee Tourney Smash Melee is our founding game tourney that we began with and will continue every event. ## Halo We are planning a Halo tourney soon with some folks volunteering to do that. ## Street Fighter & Marvel VS Capcom Street Fighter games are at the roots of the fighting game community and we play these games too. ## Soul Calibur A tale of souls and swords, the soul still burns from our days with the Dreamcast. * We would like to have a Soul Calibur 6 tournament soon. * We could play console Calibur games if we get the right set of consoles and discs or figure out how to get them. ## Aether A newer kind of fighting game. ## Skull Girls A really artistic and cool fighting game. ## Bring them blue sparks! Suggest a game Do you have a game you'd like to arrange to play at Showcase Showdown?