Independent Game Development

There's been a bit of demand for a meet-up on the south side of the city so we're going to trial a new location. You'll find us in the main bar. This is a casual meet up for people who want to play boardgames. Lots of people bring plenty of games and rules will always be explained so don't worry if you're new to the hobby and you don't have anything to bring along or think you won't know how to play. Late comers always welcome, you just might have to wait a little for a game to open up. **The meet ups are free of charge but we do ask that people support the bar by buying food and/or drink. The bar is very accommodating to us and it's important that we support them in return. Bringing in outside food or drink is completely unacceptable.** Check out the comments below where people will say what games they are bringing and express your interest in joining if interested

Try a new board game or play your old favourite or bring one along. Gaming event to meet new people and try something new. [TICKETS!!](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/adult-board-games-social-night-byob-tickets-1984875980489?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true) Fun event for meeting new people while playing board games. Join us for our board game night in This Must Be The Place in Smithfield. No experience is necessary and throughout the night you can play multiple games and meet new people. Our host will help everyone settle in and also run some of the games. There is unlimited tear or coffee & biscuits included for everyone attending. Play some new games, get stuck in to your favourite or bring one along and share with others.

**From Code to Connection: The Human Reality of Building an AI Startup** **About the Event:** Welcome to Rebel Dublin! No shiny sales pitches. No corporate jargon. We host free, no-nonsense events for Entrepreneurs, Creators, and Freelancers. We are a global community dedicated to creating a safe space for honest conversations, real learning, and the stories people usually hide—like the lowest points in the startup journey. This month, we are diving into how AI is fundamentally shaping modern startups, and more importantly, how humans actually fit into the equation. **Our Guest Speakers:** * **James Ahearne:** A Dublin-based entrepreneur building AI-powered products (AgentikAds, JamesOS) that automate growth and operations. Having built and exited businesses in foreign markets as an outsider, James believes AI makes starting a business more accessible than ever before—even if you still have a full-time job. * **Ashley Nichols:** Founder & CEO of Familiar Futures, an AI workforce adoption platform. With 15 years leading digital transformation at Accenture and PwC, and a past background as a US Diplomat, Ashley focuses heavily on bridging the "useful-to-me" gap between fancy tech and human adoption. Whether you are an AI expert, a curious freelancer, a side-hustler, or just looking to connect with a larger global community and hear inspiring Irish stories, this room is for you.

Wednesday 24th June *8 -10.30pm\*\* Join us for Irelands best and biggest open mic featuring original Singer-songwriters and established artists in the beautiful surroundings of the Lansdowne Hotel. This weeks special guest is the fantastic PRTLND This is a unique opportunity to share and enjoy, original songs and connect with fellow artists in a vibrant, supportive atmosphere. This is a night not to be missed! Come celebrate the power of music and creativity. With limited performance spaces available, reserve your spot today! We want to ensure that as many people as possible get to play on the night, so we ask that you do* two *things: 1.\*\ *RSVP here on MeetUp.\*\* 2.\*\ *Get to the venue as early as possible to confirm your attendance\*\* 1. Please note we do our best to accommodate everyone. 2. We would be grateful if you only sign up if you fully intend to go as we have limited spots available. (Walk-in's are welcome but you might only get to play one song). **BRING YOUR FRIENDS AND CREATE A FANTASTIC AUDIENCE!** (Audience members and friends don't need to sign up, just performers.) We are\*\ *now asking that you made a conscience effort to .....\*\* **BRING A FRIEND THIS HELPS GROW YOUR AUDIENCE !!!!** **DONATION** Donations are welcome on the night to cover costs. **LOCATION** Landsdowne Hotel 27 Penbroke Rd, Ballsbridge, Dublin

Please PREPAY for this game either by https://revolut.me/davidandl or Paypal ([kenna.david@gmail.com](http://kenna.david@gmail.com/)) √ We have just 60 minutes to play, so please come along a few minutes early to ensure we can start on time. √ The maximum number of players is 14. If you are not among the 14, please do not attend the pitch. If you are one of the 14, please be sure you show up. Places are in high demand, so unfortunately, failure to show will result in your immediate removal from the group. √ As always, you participate in these games at your own risk and agree to indemnify the organisers from any injury, loss, claim, or infection.

Our free-of-charge meet-up in the Black Sheep Pub on Capel Street. This is a casual meet up for people who want to play boardgames. Lots of people bring plenty of games and rules will always be explained so don't worry if you're new to the hobby and you don't have anything to bring along or think you won't know how to play. The meet-up runs for the whole day but late comers always welcome, you just may have to wait a little for a game to open up but games will be starting and ending throughout the day. **IMPORTANT!** **The meet up is free of charge but we do ask that people support the bar by buying food and/or drink. The bar is very accommodating to us and it's important that we support them in return. Bringing in outside food or drink is completely unacceptable.** Check out the comments below where people will say what games they are bringing and express your interest in joining if interested. Any questions contact either of the organisers Gavin or Stephen.

Join us every Sunday and tell a story as a group by playing a beginner-friendly roleplaying game. Every week we have 2-3 different games - you will choose which game you play on the day. All materials provided and rules are explained at the start of each game, you just need to bring your imagination. *** Details for the event (number of groups and games) will be published here or earlier on our [Discord server](https://tinyurl.com/indie-rpgs-dublin). Feel free to ask the organisers any questions you have (here or on Discord).

The Game Dev Group is a chilled, friendly place for anyone interested in game development to meet, learn and collaborate together. Speakers for this event - TBA If you're interested in bacomming a speaker please fill out the form below: https://forms.gle/hHqaB192jdoJzbT1A Structure: 6:30PM - Doors Open - Bar Snacks, Drinks, Networking/ Chatting 7:00PM - Introduction and Talk Begins 8:30PM - Talk Finishes, More Chatting, More Snacks, More Drinks 9:30PM - Last Orders Please let your game dev friends and colleagues know about this group too. We hope to build it into a great resource for the community over the coming months and years. 1 Mill Street is the incredible home of TheGDG, a place designed to blur the lines between work and play. For more information about the co-working facilities, podcast studio or event space, check out their website. Maverick Games is a UK-based independent video game studio, focused on creating premium open-world AAA titles for consoles and PC. The studio champions a developer-first culture that encourages creativity, bold ideas, and risk-taking to craft innovative gaming experiences. Playground Games are an award-winning studio based in the heart of Leamington Spa. They have built one of the biggest franchises on Xbox with Forza Horizon, and are currently building one of the most highly anticipated games of the decade: Fable. They are recruiting across both teams, so check their website to see if there is a role for you! Code Wizards Group – Code Wizards and Multiplayer Wizards – help studios build and run games that players love. Their company specialises in video game consulting services for backend elements, powering up gaming projects with expert gametech, esports-tech, and LiveOps services for game dev professionals and studios. Rebellion is an independent video games studio that also produces books, comics, TV, Film, board games, etc. They make great games such as the genre-defining Sniper Elite series and Zombie Army, and before 2010 have worked on multiple amazing external projects including the likes of Aliens vs Predator and Star Wars Battlefront. Creare Capital is a financial platform dedicated to empowering small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and freelancers in the creative industries by connecting them with tailored grants, loans, and investment opportunities. Their mission is to bridge the gap between finance and creativity, offering inclusive, flexible funding solutions that help creative businesses grow and thrive. Sorcery.gg is a jobs platform built by game devs, for game devs. The platform is one of the biggest in the industry, with over 15,000 roles listed. Sign up for an account and start your hunt. Black Cat Entertainment is an indie studio focused on supporting junior game devs get their chance in the industry. In order to show appropriate respect to the organisers, speakers, and your fellow community members, please ensure you attend if you RSVP! See you there! A disclaimer: This event is intended for an audience of people aged 18+ and alcohol will be present. Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Mysterious murders, complex logic, good company and twisted lies. Join us for a game of Blood on the Clocktower 🗡️ 🕵️ Social Deduction Blood on the Clocktower is a game for 5–15 players where everyone gets a secret role and tries to uncover who is playing for the evil team. Most of the game is spent in private whispers and public debates as you share information, build theories, and decide which suspects to execute. 🇺🇦 Save Lives in Ukraine Your ticket is a direct donation to Ukrainian Action in Ireland, a registered charity organization (RCN 20206588). 100% of the proceeds will be used to buy ambulances, medical evacuation vehicles, and charging stations for front-line areas. 👀 What to Expect * Played in English: The entire event, from the rules explanation to the gameplay itself, will be conducted in English. * Beginners Welcome: We will teach you the rules on the spot, no preparation needed! * Meet New People: The game is full of conversation and interaction, so the time flies. * Unlike other games, you stay involved and keep playing even if you are "killed" in the game. Please note that RSVP does not guarantee a seat, tickets must be reserved via TicketTailor. Get your ticket here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/graforukraine/2240656?ref=meetup

A weekly board game meet up in "Mc Mahon’s Bar and Eatery" which is a pub. We get our own section, it's wheelchair friendly and parking is free! 🙂 Whether you are new or a veteran player you are all are welcome! General guidelines are: 1. Avoid handing drinks to people OVER a game. 2. We cannot take responsibility in the event of theft so keep your valuables close to you. 3. Strictly over 18+ only. The "rules" would be: 1. Be respectful to each other. 2. Don't be a creep. 3. Be patient to players of all skill levels. Failure to be a decent human being\* will jeopardise your participation in future events. The pub owner is really nice and are letting us use the space so if you can - please buy a tea, coffee or a drink on the night to support them if you can but don't feel obligated to do so. They also do food so you won't go hungry! The event starts at 7 PM and everyone is free to play until 11 PM where we'll wrap it up for the cleaners. Feel free to bring your games, join in on a game if there's space or organise a game here for the upcoming event to get participants. We advertise the games we want to play ahead of time on our discord server, so feel free to check it out. https://discord.gg/xW8WryXmKu If you get lost or have any questions feel free to message me on WhatsApp at 0858405446. Just a note for those coming by car from Dublin: 1. I highly recommend using the motorway then driving into the pub. There's a slightly faster way with the back roads but unless you are from the area its not worth the 2 minutes saved since it's barely lit and the bends are somewhat hazardous. 2. Traffic from 5 - 6:30 is horrendous but the roads are clear enough after this time.

Welcome to NeuroGamers Ireland, an event for those of us of all neurodiversity and their friends and allies who want to meet, hang out and play board and card games. We'll be meeting at Third Space at Smithfield, which is only a 5-minute walk from the LUAS Red line station of the same name. We're happy to help in travelling using other forms of transport if you message. Each event costs €5 which you can pay through cash or Revolut. It'll especially be appreciated with the space being booked for our group alone. We have a range of games available please see list below. Feel free to message if there is one you want us to bring and feel free to bring own games. [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16JHgxxDlY3x83S1VdYIPx5ZWorBZrrjCMVSbSZaqLks/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16JHgxxDlY3x83S1VdYIPx5ZWorBZrrjCMVSbSZaqLks/edit?usp=sharing) Please read our guidelines before attending one of our events as attendending one will be an agreement you agree to them; https://docs.google.com/file/d/1mJFuGaGPXbMIlsSl8naUmIcAKNFWTLdc/edit?usp=docslist_api&filetype=msword Also, for the purposes of health and safety, this event is 18+.

**Building AI Products That Matter** explores what it really takes to turn AI ideas into products that create real business impact. Join us for an honest discussion on moving beyond experimentation, identifying meaningful problems, validating outcomes, and building AI solutions that scale in production. Expect practical insights, lessons learned, and real-world perspectives from teams actively delivering AI products. **🔹 Talk 1: Building AI Into Products: Why Some Efforts Fail Before They Begin** AI is rapidly becoming a core part of modern products, with teams increasingly able to add powerful capabilities in a matter of days. When done well, it can unlock entirely new user experiences, drive efficiency, and create meaningful competitive advantage. But while the technology has never been more accessible, successfully integrating it into real products requires more than just plugging in a model. Many teams move quickly to add AI features without first addressing the underlying foundations — particularly data quality and workflow design. The result is often inconsistent outputs, low adoption, and systems that struggle to deliver real value at scale. In practice, AI tends to amplify the strengths and weaknesses of the environment it operates in, making these prerequisites critical. **Speaker:** [Cathal Ó Riain](https://ie.linkedin.com/in/cathal-o-riain-298b8a1), Director of Data Products at Cubic³ Through roles with Accenture, Aon, Flutter and Cubic, Cathal has experience building and scaling data-driven products and AI-enabled systems in enterprise environments. In this talk, he explores the key foundations required to effectively integrate AI into products — from preparing high-quality data to embedding AI into processes where it can genuinely add value — along with practical lessons on how to set AI initiatives up for success from the outset. **🔹 Talk 2: The Customer Insights Stack: What It Really Takes to Build (And When You Shouldn't)** Every company sits on a huge amount of customer insight data - call recordings, support tickets, sales conversations - that rarely gets revisited. At the same time, building internal AI tooling has never been easier, leading many teams into a “build everything” mindset. But when building becomes cheap, deciding what’s actually worth building becomes the real challenge. Teams often end up with fragmented tools that don’t scale, are difficult to maintain, and fail to deliver clarity or adoption. **Speaker:** [Richard Blythman](https://ie.linkedin.com/in/richardblythman), Co-Founder & CEO of Naptha AI Richard has experience building both custom enterprise solutions and scalable productized platforms in this space. In this talk, he explores the spectrum from lightweight AI workflows using Claude Code to fully productionized customer insight systems, including the trade-offs, investment considerations, and performance comparisons against custom-built solutions. **What to Expect:** * **Interactive Q&A:** Bring your toughest product challenges; our speakers are ready for your questions. * **Networking:** As always, we’ll have plenty of food and drinks to fuel the conversation. It’s the perfect opportunity to reconnect with familiar faces and meet new people from Dublin’s product community. **⚠️ RSVP & Check-in Information** Please RSVP **only if you can attend in person.** **Transport:** The venue is easily accessible via the Green Luas Line, with direct access from Dublin City Centre. Thursday, Jun 25 · 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM IST Cubic³ Office Dublin · The Hive, Carmanhall Road, Sandyford Industrial Estate, Dublin 18, D18 Y2C9 See you soon! [Sima](https://www.linkedin.com/in/simaban/), [Anna](https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-savelieva/), [Elham](https://www.linkedin.com/in/elham-hesaraki/), [Antonella](https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonellabettati/)

*We'll update this with the specific topic(s) once they're set for the month.* A relaxed, community-driven Unity GameDev meetup. No strict agenda — just developers getting together to talk shop, share projects, and exchange ideas. Some topics that may come up (based on attendee interest): * Frame Debugger & performance tooling * Addressables & additive scene workflows * Input System, localization, responsive UI * AI integration approaches * DevOps & LiveOps experiences * Full lifecycle: idea → cross-platform publishing * Favorite Asset Store tools and hidden gems * Weird Unity quirks we've all run into Nothing is locked in. Bring a project if you'd like, bring a question, bring a lesson learned — or just come hang out and meet other developers. All skill levels welcome. Food and drinks provided.

Do **NOT** sign up to this one and sign-up at https://www.meetup.com/columbusjs/events/313386504/ ======================================= A hand tracker gives you joints, not a gesture. This talk shows how you get from raw joints to a "thumbs-up" in Unity: the pipeline that cleans up the data, how a gesture becomes a few 0-to-1 values within tolerance, and why orientation matters as much as finger shape. Includes a live demo of tuning gesture thresholds. Food and drinks will be available. **LOCATION:** 6515 Longshore Loop, Suite 300, Dublin, OH 43017 **FREE PARKING:** 6725 Longshore Street, Dublin, OH 43017

*We'll update this with the specific topic(s) once they're set for the month.* A relaxed, community-driven Unity GameDev meetup. No strict agenda — just developers getting together to talk shop, share projects, and exchange ideas. Some topics that may come up (based on attendee interest): * Frame Debugger & performance tooling * Addressables & additive scene workflows * Input System, localization, responsive UI * AI integration approaches * DevOps & LiveOps experiences * Full lifecycle: idea → cross-platform publishing * Favorite Asset Store tools and hidden gems * Weird Unity quirks we've all run into Nothing is locked in. Bring a project if you'd like, bring a question, bring a lesson learned — or just come hang out and meet other developers. All skill levels welcome. Food and drinks provided.

PLEASE NOTE!!! This event will be In-Person for our 2nd Improving collab! If you know the [Columbus Unity group](https://www.meetup.com/columbus-unity-user-group/) location, we'll be at the same place. This is our 2nd event at this location so bare with us as we grow into this space. There's paid street parking on Saturdays but you can also pay to park in any of the local garages. See image of [parking map here](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Mr9_LFIggbs-0_Zd3AJTGNqEhgMf2TzQ/view?usp=sharing). \-\-\- On the last Sunday of the month, we're having our usual end-of-the-month social gathering with our GameDev Meetup meeting. There will be announcements and presentations followed by some social networking Let's continue the conversations with good vibes and friends. All are welcomed from all ages and backgrounds to this public event. If we can, we'll be streaming or uploading the video later via our COGG YouTube channel here: [https://www.youtube.com/@TheCOGG/streams](https://www.youtube.com/@TheCOGG/streams) (Also please do subscribe if you have not done so!) No game development experience required! If you are interested in doing a 20 minute game development related presentation, please fill out our form online here: [https://goo.gl/forms/lVdTJZiNJewlPJuj1](https://goo.gl/forms/lVdTJZiNJewlPJuj1) Or e-mail us at [info@thecogg.com](mailto:info@thecogg.com) with the following: Your Name, Company/Affiliation, Name of Your Game/Topic, Description, Tech Needs, and Your Contact. Be sure to check out our Discord for real time news updates: [https://discord.gg/NrBhuNQ](https://discord.gg/NrBhuNQ)

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 sometimes fill esrly. There is additional parking lot behind the neighboring Mexican restaurant that is free and easy to walk from but it's a bit hidden.

**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** *Customize the IDE: Building Extensions for Visual Studio Code* Visual Studio Code is one of the most widely used development environments today, and much of its flexibility comes from its extension ecosystem. Extensions allow developers to customize the editor with new features, integrations, and workflow improvements tailored to their needs. In this session, we’ll cover what extensions are and the different types available, including full extensions written in TypeScript or JavaScript, along with lighter-weight extensions such as color themes, language packs, language support, code snippets, and keymaps. We’ll also look at practical reasons a developer might create an extension, from automating repetitive tasks to adding custom tooling. The session includes a hands-on walkthrough of creating a new extension, testing it locally, and understanding the basic project structure. We’ll close with a brief overview of how extensions are packaged and published to the Visual Studio Marketplace and other distribution options. **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.