About us
The St. Louis Game Development meetup is dedicated to bringing game developers, both professional and amateur, together to socialize and collaborate. Each month we host a get together for veterans and newcomers of the development world. This includes individuals with skills or aspirations in game design, programming, animation, 3D modeling, or any other craft related to producing a video game.
At its core, game development depends on the relationships between all those involved to bring a project to fruition. We'd like to provide a supportive atmosphere for people to get together and share their experiences, and maybe make a few friends along the way. Who knows, you may just find someone who can help you with your next idea!
Links to our Discord server and socials are on our website! Get connected!
Upcoming events
10
Game Night at MO History Museum
Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, MO, USThe Missouri History Museum is having a big Game Night featuring games and creators from the St. Louis area (including STLGameDev)! This event is FREE and open to the public!
From backyard games to board games to video games, St. Louisans love a good game night! Spend the evening connecting with contemporary game designers, chatting with historians about the city’s gaming past, and of course, playing games! From retro favorites to classic board games—and even a round of washers—there’s something for everyone as we celebrate the creativity, competition, and community behind games in St. Louis.
Come back for more! Thursday Nights at the Museum are sometimes the most fun, sometimes the most thought-provoking, and always the most interesting night of your week. The museum exhibits are open late, and you’ll enjoy cash bar and food for purchase, pop-up activities, lectures, and more.21 attendees
August Game Audio Club - Woodwind Quintets!
St. Louis County Library - Clark Family branch, 1640 South Lindbergh Blvd, St. Louis, MO, USWe’re going to have a special Game Audio Club session this time around where folks from the VGMO community will come in as our sit-in woodwind quintet. We’ll have a chance to create a woodwind quintet piece, and they will sight‑read our scores (play them without practicing beforehand). Afterward, they’ll give us feedback about what works and what doesn’t for their instruments.
This is important because outside of DAWs, we need to think about real human players performing on real physical instruments. Their feedback is extremely valuable for becoming better at writing for acoustic instruments and eventually for full orchestras. I will also record the sessions so everyone has reference material afterward.
I’m providing a resource page for anyone who isn’t familiar with writing for woodwind quintet or using engraving software. We will be making actual scores for the musicians, so you’ll need an engraving software—software that lets you create physical sheet music. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on Dorico or Sibelius, there is a free option I personally use called MuseScore, and I’ve included links to the download as well as MuseScore’s official video tutorial list. That alone should get you off to a good start, but if you have any questions about anything specific, feel free to message me privately on Discord or via email at lazcomposer@gmail.com
If you’re not familiar with the woodwind quintet: it consists of flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and—surprise—French horn, which is not actually a woodwind instrument. For this event, you can write for the full quintet, but if that feels overwhelming, you can also write for any solo instrument, any duo, any trio, or any combination of the five instruments. Do whatever feels comfortable. I want this to be a learning opportunity no matter what level you’re coming in at.
I’ve also added examples of woodwind quintet music. I’ve always been a huge fan of the remake of Link’s Awakening, which uses many woodwind‑quintet‑style pieces. Not all of them are pure quintet, and some include extra instruments like snare or electronics, but they’re still great examples of woodwind writing in video games. I’ve also provided examples of classical woodwind quintet pieces.
On top of that, I’m including videos on how to write for woodwind quintet, how to write for woodwinds, and how to write for French horn. I’m also providing note‑range charts for each instrument, since we need to think about physical limitations—computers can do anything, but real instruments cannot.Feel free to create new original works, or you can arrange an existing piece for woodwind quintet if that feels more manageable. Whatever angle you want to take is totally fine. I really wanted to give people a chance to do something different—something most folks wouldn’t normally have access to outside a university setting or without a ton of fame to get live recordings in a giant Hollywood studio. Please keep the piece to at most 3-5 minutes. You can of course do much less than that, but please take in account that we need time for everyone to get a chance to have their piece played.
Please get the finished score and separate parts to me by no later than Thursday 8/6 at 7:00pm. I need to print them out for the musicians at least a day before.
If anybody has any questions about anything, just let me know. I want this to be a comfortable and exciting learning experience for everyone.
1 attendee
August GameDev Social!
BoCo Boba, 500 N Grand Blvd, St. Louis, MO, USChat with fellow creators about making, playing, and admiring games! Talk about your game ideas and get inspired! Make friends and find collaborators. Our monthly hangout is open to EVERYONE!
This is mainly a social event, but feel free to bring your sketchbook, tablet, laptop, or card/board game prototype to show off whatever you're working on! Table space is limited though, so please do not bring desktop computers or anything that will take up a lot of space.
WE WILL BE AT A SPECIAL LOCATION THIS MONTH!
BoCo Boba is a new bubble tea shop in the Grand Center area just down the street from The Fabulous Fox Theater. They are staying open late just for us, so we will have the whole place to ourselves! Street parking is available along Olive on both sides and is free starting at 7pm. Bubble tea, refreshing drinks, savory crepes, and yummy desserts are available for purchase from the venue! You can browse their menu here.This is an all ages event. Minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. This event is indoors and masks are not required. Please do not come if you have any symptoms of being sick or any recent exposure to others who are sick.
5 attendees
Game Club: Chants of Sennaar
Sauce on the Side, 701 N. New Ballas Road, Creve Coeur, MO, USGame Club is like a book club except we pick a game to play each month and then meet up to discuss it with a focus on game design.
To keep the group budget-friendly, games we play are generally under $15. Each month we randomly select someone in the group to pick a few game options and then we vote on which one to play for the month. You must attend a meeting to be selected, and voting is done on our Discord server.
Our game for this month is Chants of Sennaar!
Join us in person to discuss the game at Sauce on the Side in Creve Coeur.2 attendees
Past events
344
