Game Programming
Meet other local people interested in Game Programming: share experiences, inspire and encourage each other! Join a Game Programming group.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Check out game programming events happening today here. These are in-person gatherings where you can meet fellow enthusiasts and participate in activities right now.
Discover all the game programming events taking place this week here. Plan ahead and join exciting meetups throughout the week.
Absolutely! Find game programming events near your location here. Connect with your local community and discover events within your area.
Game Programming Events Today
Join in-person Game Programming events happening right now
Board games at The Forge
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.
Columbus PHP: Monthly Meetup
Our monthly PHP meetup.
A virtual shindig courtesy of Zoom. Check back here for the details around 6:15 pm
Beginner and Intermediate Salsa Dance Classes with Todd Smith!
**✅ Salsa Wednesdays with Todd Smith!**
**👉 Beginner Salsa Class**
**$15 In Advance / $20 At the Door**
7:00 pm – 7:15 pm … Registration
7:15 pm – 8:15 pm … Beginner Class
**👉 Intermediate Salsa Class**
**= $15 In Advance / $20 At the Door**
8:15 pm – 8:30 pm Registration
8:30 pm – 9:30 pm Intermediate Class
**👉 If You Take Both Salsa Classes**
**= $25 In Advance / $35 At the Door**
**👉 Buy Advance Tickets Now at:**
https://columbussalsadancing.com/salsa-wednesdays-dance-class-tickets/
**👉 Questions? Text Todd @ (614) 774-8146**
Data & Analytics Wednesday - Finding Product Insights
**The Behavior Gap: Where Products Win or Lose**
Teams today have more data than ever, and yet many still struggle to understand why customers adopt, engage with, or abandon their products. Teams sprint, ship faster, and chase more signals… all while metrics stall and confidence drops. The missing piece isn’t more data. It’s often the behavioral insight between the metrics, explaining why the numbers move in the first place. Dashboards can tell you what customers did, but understanding why they did it (and how to influence what they do next) requires a deeper blend of insights. This session is about closing that gap.
Drawing from real-world experience designing and scaling products as [ZoCo Design](https://zocodesign.com/)’s CEO, [Lacey](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laceypicazo/) will share how to cut through the noise and identify the insights that actually change behavior—moving people, and moving metrics. You’ll learn:
* Why understanding customer behavior is a quant and qual challenge
* How to spot the signals that actually predict behavior change
* Where AI accelerates insight, and where it creates distraction
* How to get meaningfully closer to customers, without adding more tools
This talk reframes how to evaluate performance and identify what levers actually improve it, helping your team to make smarter bets with greater confidence. Every meaningful outcome is driven by behavior change. And when you know how to design for behavior, you stop guessing, and start building things that work.
**About Our Speaker**
[Lacey Picazo](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laceypicazo/) is the Founder and CEO of ZoCo, a healthcare product studio that turns complex, high-stakes ideas into products that drive real-world adoption. She partners with healthcare organizations to uncover critical care delivery insights, focus product strategy through behavior design, and build solutions that patients and providers actually use.
Thanks to our 2026 sponsors:
[Clarivoy](https://www.clarivoy.com), [What Box Consulting Group](https://www.whatboxconsultinggroup.com), [Conductrics](https://www.conductrics.com), and [Piwik PRO](https://piwik.pro)
More info at [cbusdaw.com](https://cbusdaw.com)
Pop-up Book Club 4: Going to Meet The Man, stories by James Baldwin
Let’s meet and share discussion of the James Baldwin short story collection, Going to Meet The Man.
Game Programming Events This Week
Discover what is happening in the next few days
CABS Friday Boardgaming 6/12
Thanks for being a part of the CABS Meetup Group! We meet @ the COFFEE UNDERGROUND on Indianola Avenue. We play many different games @ CABS - bring your own or play one of the OVER 2222 in our library. What are your favorite games? What was the last game you played? Hope to see and game with you soon! Check us out on Facebook! Doors open early on Saturday Mornings at 10am and around 4pm on Fridays if you are interested in learning new / simpler games ... or new to the hobby or just want to check us out come in early just after noon and we will show you around before the crowd grows. Stay for a game or two, an hour or two or for the day! Your first visit is free and after that it's $5 a meeting or you can join for the year! It's Your Move
Introductory Microgame meet
This is a chance to set up & play some of your old favorite games, and maybe learn some new ones.
Game Programming Events Near You
Connect with your local Game Programming community
[Eric Rico: Unity3D, Topic TBD] (In-Person) #13
Let's get together and listen to **[Eric Rico](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericrico/)** from Unity3D (title TBD).
Eric also runs the **[Columbus Unity User Group](https://www.meetup.com/columbus-unity-user-group/)**. Check it out!
***Bring your laptop and expect to write some (non-AI-generated) code!***
*(title subject to change)*
Food and drinks will be available.
**LOCATION:**
6515 Longshore Loop, Suite 300, Dublin, OH 43017
**FREE PARKING:**
6725 Longshore Street, Dublin, OH 43017
Claude Code with Unity
A session on using Claude Code, Anthropic's AI coding agent, in real Unity development. We'll cover what coding agents are, where Claude Code fits, and how to apply it to an actual game project.
The format is presentation-style, with live demos and time for questions throughout. After brief scene-setting on coding agents and what makes Claude Code distinct, we'll go problem-driven: demoing it live on a released Unity game and introducing each feature as a solution to a problem we hit.
What to Expect:
* An intro to coding agents and where Claude Code fits
* A live demo on a real Unity project
* Key features as solutions to real problems: 𝖢𝖫𝖠𝖴𝖣𝖤.𝗆𝖽, context management, hooks, skills, subagents, and MCP
* Unity-specific pain points, including Domain Reload and MCP caveats
* Putting it together
All experience levels welcome. Food and drinks provided.
*Note: meetup topics may change — check back for the latest details.*
Unity GameDev Hangout (Topic TBD)
*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.
St. Petersburg Virtual Speed Dating on Zoom
**🌙 St. Petersburg Singles Night — Speed Dating Over Zoom**
Hosted Zoom rounds, St. Petersburg singles your speed, and matches sent the next day. Easy as that.
**Here's how the night runs:**
- Register and take a short personality quiz
- Jump on Zoom when the event starts
- Meet singles in guided one-on-one rounds
- Get your mutual matches by email afterward
**Pick the age range that fits you:**
→ **Ages 18-32** — [Register here](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=573&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=St.%20Petersburg&groupurlname=manga-k-drama-foodie-language-feast-network&ar=18-32&face_v=8.0)
→ **Ages 30-46** — [Register here](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=573&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=St.%20Petersburg&groupurlname=manga-k-drama-foodie-language-feast-network&ar=30-46&face_v=8.0)
→ **Ages 40-58** — [Register here](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=573&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=St.%20Petersburg&groupurlname=manga-k-drama-foodie-language-feast-network&ar=40-58&face_v=8.0)
→ **Ages 55+** — [Register here](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=573&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=St.%20Petersburg&groupurlname=manga-k-drama-foodie-language-feast-network&ar=55+&face_v=8.0)
> Important: RSVP is not the same as registering. Use your age link below and complete the quiz to secure a place. Limited capacity.
Register, relax, and let the night do the work. 🥂
Customize the IDE: Building Extensions for Visual Studio Code - Alan Barber
**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
AI Improv: let’s build a game together with Claude Code, Codex, and Gemini and b
We are going to build together with all the CLIs! E will be doing it at Columbus Code and Coffee
Agenda
---
Hosted By
James Power, Organizer
Pete Gordon, Organizer
Just a Software Guy in the age of the Internet.
Complete your event RSVP here: https://gdg.community.dev/events/details/google-gdg-columbus-presents-ai-improv-lets-build-a-game-together-with-claude-code-codex-and-gemini-and-be-the-judge/.
NSCoder Night
We've moved to guild.host Look for us there.
https://guild.host/events/buckeye-cocoaheads-nscoders-tcbrk5





















![[Eric Rico: Unity3D, Topic TBD] (In-Person) #13](https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/8/8/2/2/highres_532774850.webp?w=640)





