The Future of Video Games

Zagreb language and culture exchange meetup. Chat in many languages, meet new people and plan adventures together. Hey everyone! 👋 As spring arrives in Zagreb and the city wakes up again, we’re keeping Thursdays social with **Small Friday International Zagreb** ([SFIZ.FUN](https://sites.google.com/view/smallfridayinternationalzagreb/)) a relaxed international meetup where locals, expats, Erasmus students and travellers gather to chat, exchange languages, share stories and plan the next adventure. Think of it as Zagreb’s global living room with lively conversations, and that moment when a random Thursday evening decides to surprise you. ✨ Whether you’ve just arrived in Zagreb, been here a while, or live around the corner, you’re very welcome. 📍 **When & Where** 📍 **The Beertija** Pavla Hatza 16, Zagreb 🕗 **Every other Thursday from 8PM** ✨ Free to join: simply grab a drink and support our host bar 🍺🎸 ✨ Open to everyone: all ages, backgrounds and language levels 💬 **What Happens at [SFIZ.FUN](https://sites.google.com/view/smallfridayinternationalzagreb/)**? Expect a relaxed, social atmosphere where conversations flow naturally. 🗣️ La**nguage Exchange** English, Croatian, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Ukrainian, Russian… and often more. 🌍 **Cultural Exchange** Locals, expats, travellers and Erasmus students sharing stories, experiences and perspectives. 🤝 **New Connections** Real conversations, genuine laughs, and the occasional new friend. 📅 **Weekend Planning** People often end up planning hikes, concerts, trips, festivals or nights out together. No formal structure, no pressure, just people meeting people. 🌸 **Why Join in Spring?** Spring is when Zagreb truly comes alive. Magnolia trees bloom across the city, café terraces fill with conversation, and longer sunny days invite people outdoors. Locals stroll through parks, cycle along the Sava, run around Jarun and Bundek lakes, or escape to the nearby Medvednica mountain for hikes and views above the city. At the same time, Zagreb’s cultural calendar blossoms with exhibitions, concerts, festivals and theatre performances, while markets like Dolac overflow with seasonal produce: asparagus, wild garlic, strawberries and fresh flavours of the season. It’s the perfect time to meet people and explore the city together. And many of those plans begin right here, at [SFIZ.FUN](https://sites.google.com/view/smallfridayinternationalzagreb/). 🌍 🍺 **Why The Beertija?** Because it’s more than a bar, it’s our headquarters. Expect: 🌿 leafy terrace vibes 🎸 rock-inspired atmosphere 🍺 excellent beers 🛋️ relaxed living-room energy 🚭 non-smoking indoor space It’s the kind of place where you pop in for one drink and suddenly realise the evening flew by. 💡 **First-Timer Tip** If it’s your first time: 👋 arrive early 🙂 smile and say hello 💬 jump into a conversation Everyone was new once and that’s how all starts. 🌍 **Join the Crew** [SFIZ.FUN](https://sites.google.com/view/smallfridayinternationalzagreb/) is a community built by the people who show up. So if your Thursday evening could use a little more conversation, laughter and international energy, come by and join us. Bring a friend if you like, or come solo and meet new ones. ✨Ditch the screen, grab a drink, meet the world🌍 See you on Small Friday! 🍻 **SFIZ Crew** P.S. Spread the word https://sites.google.com/view/smallfridayinternationalzagreb 🔎 **How to Spot Us** New here? Best trick is to swing by right at the start, that’s when it’s easiest to find the crew and jump straight in, or ask the bar staff about the event ✨ Need quick updates or can’t see us straight away? No worries, our [WhatsApp group](https://sites.google.com/view/smallfridayinternationalzagreb/faq/sfiz-whatsapp-guide-keeping-it-fun-and-respectful) is where you can ask quick questions. 💖 #ZagrebGlobalMingle 💖

Open Heart Meditation Sessions with Amrita Rani (Live Online on Selected Thursdays via Zoom) You are warmly invited to join the Open Heart Meditation Sessions with Acharya Amrita Rani — a living space of awakenings and direct experience. These sessions are created both for beginners and seasoned practitioners who wish to deepen their meditation practice, stabilize awakening, and walk the path of enlightenment with guidance and support. Whether you are new or experienced, each gathering offers a grounded structure to help you build consistency in daily practice and grow in confidence on your spiritual path. At the heart of Open Heart teachings is direct recognition. Through the Two-Part Formula and precise meditative guidance, you are supported in shifting from self-based mode into selfless awareness, again and again, until cessation of suffering takes place. A central and deeply transformative practice in Open Heart is guru yoga. Through guru yoga, the practitioner directly connects with awakened awareness through devotion, transmission, and experiential recognition. With the help of this profound method, one recognizes their true selfless ease, the natural, effortless state beyond space and time. Alongside guru yoga, the sessions include insight meditation (Vipashyana), tantric methods, dynamic concentration, trauma-healing techniques, and foundational practices such as Bodhicitta prayers. Each session includes guided meditation, space for questions, reflection, and personal support. Rani’s meditation sessions are held live on Zoom on selected Thursdays from 18:30 to 20:00 (CET). Recordings may be available for continued integration and practice on her YouTube channel, The Sweetness of Enlightenment. Participation fee: 15 € per session Please make your payment in advance via PayPal before joining, to Rani’s PayPal account: kaisaeskeli@gmail.com Upcoming Thursday Sessions for Summer Season: 7.5.2026 at 18:30–20:00 (CET) 14.5.2026 at 18:30–20:00 (CET) 4.6.2026 at 18:30–20:00 (CET) 11.6.2026 at 18:30–20:00 (CET) 18.6.2026 at 18:30–20:00 (CET) 25.6.2026 at 18:30–20:00 (CET) 2.7.2026 at 18:30–20:00 (CET) 9.7.2026 at 18:30–20:00 (CET) 23.7.2026 at 18:30–20:00 (CET) 30.7.2026 at 18:30–20:00 (CET) Zoom link for all sessions: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89766267672 Welcome all! Visit our home page for more information www.openheartofallbeings.com

**Navigating the challenges of exiting hyperscalers in favor of EU cloud providers.** Are you in a toxic relationship with a major cloud provider? It’s expensive, overly complicated, but somehow... comfortable. Are you staying just because it's a known safety zone, even though the monthly bills and architectural overhead are causing constant anxiety? It’s time for a group therapy session. At this meetup, we are opening up the floor for an honest conversation about breaking up with big hyperscalers (AWS, GCP, Azure, Oracle Cloud) in favor of European alternatives like Hetzner. Using the metaphor of psychotherapy, we will dissect why exiting a comfortable but restrictive environment is so difficult, the real risks of staying, and what the path to infrastructure recovery actually looks like. **What's on the Agenda?** **Facing the Dependency:** Why do we stay with hyperscalers and how do you know when it’s time to leave? **The Developer’s Journey & Open Source Contribution:** A deep dive into the builder's mindset. Eduard will share the backstage story of creating a custom solution: * Why he decided to write a dedicated plugin instead of relying on existing workarounds. * The tech stack used, the development process, and the actual time investment required. * How to promote an open-source tool and the real-world feedback/impressions from active users. **Case Study:** A practical look at the **Hetzner Rancher nodedriver provider**—a plugin designed to make provisioning and managing Kubernetes clusters on Hetzner simple, smooth, and trauma-free. **Meet Your Therapist (Speaker)** **Eduard Bulai** – Coming all the way from Romania, Eduard is the very first international speaker to join the Karlovac Developers group. As the CEO of [zsys.ro](https://zsys.ro/), a boutique infrastructure engineering company, he brings 15 years of deep infra experience to the couch: * One half of his career has been strictly focused on OpenStack, Kubernetes, Rancher, Canonical MaaS, and Juju charms. * The other half was spent managing the full lifecycle of deployments on AWS, GCP, Azure, and Oracle Cloud. Having authored a custom Rancher plugin to bridge the gap between enterprise orchestration and European hosting, Eduard has lived through both sides of the cloud spectrum and is ready to share the raw, unvarnished truth.

Zagreb language and culture exchange meetup. Chat in many languages, meet new people and plan adventures together. Hey everyone! 👋 As spring arrives in Zagreb and the city wakes up again, we’re keeping Thursdays social with **Small Friday International Zagreb** ([SFIZ.FUN](https://sites.google.com/view/smallfridayinternationalzagreb/)) a relaxed international meetup where locals, expats, Erasmus students and travellers gather to chat, exchange languages, share stories and plan the next adventure. Think of it as Zagreb’s global living room with lively conversations, and that moment when a random Thursday evening decides to surprise you. ✨ Whether you’ve just arrived in Zagreb, been here a while, or live around the corner, you’re very welcome. 📍 **When & Where** 📍 **The Beertija** Pavla Hatza 16, Zagreb 🕗 **Every other Thursday from 8PM** ✨ Free to join: simply grab a drink and support our host bar 🍺🎸 ✨ Open to everyone: all ages, backgrounds and language levels 💬 **What Happens at [SFIZ.FUN](https://sites.google.com/view/smallfridayinternationalzagreb/)**? Expect a relaxed, social atmosphere where conversations flow naturally. 🗣️ La**nguage Exchange** English, Croatian, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Ukrainian, Russian… and often more. 🌍 **Cultural Exchange** Locals, expats, travellers and Erasmus students sharing stories, experiences and perspectives. 🤝 **New Connections** Real conversations, genuine laughs, and the occasional new friend. 📅 **Weekend Planning** People often end up planning hikes, concerts, trips, festivals or nights out together. No formal structure, no pressure, just people meeting people. 🌸 **Why Join in Spring?** Spring is when Zagreb truly comes alive. Magnolia trees bloom across the city, café terraces fill with conversation, and longer sunny days invite people outdoors. Locals stroll through parks, cycle along the Sava, run around Jarun and Bundek lakes, or escape to the nearby Medvednica mountain for hikes and views above the city. At the same time, Zagreb’s cultural calendar blossoms with exhibitions, concerts, festivals and theatre performances, while markets like Dolac overflow with seasonal produce: asparagus, wild garlic, strawberries and fresh flavours of the season. It’s the perfect time to meet people and explore the city together. And many of those plans begin right here, at [SFIZ.FUN](https://sites.google.com/view/smallfridayinternationalzagreb/). 🌍 🍺 **Why The Beertija?** Because it’s more than a bar, it’s our headquarters. Expect: 🌿 leafy terrace vibes 🎸 rock-inspired atmosphere 🍺 excellent beers 🛋️ relaxed living-room energy 🚭 non-smoking indoor space It’s the kind of place where you pop in for one drink and suddenly realise the evening flew by. 💡 **First-Timer Tip** If it’s your first time: 👋 arrive early 🙂 smile and say hello 💬 jump into a conversation Everyone was new once and that’s how all starts. 🌍 **Join the Crew** [SFIZ.FUN](https://sites.google.com/view/smallfridayinternationalzagreb/) is a community built by the people who show up. So if your Thursday evening could use a little more conversation, laughter and international energy, come by and join us. Bring a friend if you like, or come solo and meet new ones. ✨Ditch the screen, grab a drink, meet the world🌍 See you on Small Friday! 🍻 **SFIZ Crew** P.S. Spread the word https://sites.google.com/view/smallfridayinternationalzagreb 🔎 **How to Spot Us** New here? Best trick is to swing by right at the start, that’s when it’s easiest to find the crew and jump straight in, or ask the bar staff about the event ✨ Need quick updates or can’t see us straight away? No worries, our [WhatsApp group](https://sites.google.com/view/smallfridayinternationalzagreb/faq/sfiz-whatsapp-guide-keeping-it-fun-and-respectful) is where you can ask quick questions. 💖 #ZagrebGlobalMingle 💖

\*\*\*\* Practice Foreign Languages with Native Speakers \*\*\*\*\* === \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* at the Language Conversation Table \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* ================================================ The caffe Domenico provides us with a back-room reserved just for this event, where we get to practice Croatian and other languages three hours for free. The entrance is free, but to be sure that Domenico will continue to host us, please have at least one drink when you're coming. at Domenico, Preradovićeva 33/3 See you soon! P.S. IF U HAVE ANY PROBLEMS FINDING THE PLACE BE FREE TO CONTACT THE ORGANIZER: +385958865552 \*\*\*\*\* Vježbajte Strane Jezike sa Izvornim Govornicima \*\*\*\*\* =============================================== Za organizaciju događaja se ne mora nista platiti. Radi korištenja prostora u kafiću (koji se nalazi u dvorišnoj zgradi) , bilo bi poželjno kad bi svatko naručio barem jedno piće. Nedjelja 18:00 - 21:00 sati Domenico Preradovićeva 33/3

Open Heart Meditation Sessions with Amrita Rani (Live Online on Selected Thursdays via Zoom) You are warmly invited to join the Open Heart Meditation Sessions with Acharya Amrita Rani — a living space of awakenings and direct experience. These sessions are created both for beginners and seasoned practitioners who wish to deepen their meditation practice, stabilize awakening, and walk the path of enlightenment with guidance and support. Whether you are new or experienced, each gathering offers a grounded structure to help you build consistency in daily practice and grow in confidence on your spiritual path. At the heart of Open Heart teachings is direct recognition. Through the Two-Part Formula and precise meditative guidance, you are supported in shifting from self-based mode into selfless awareness, again and again, until cessation of suffering takes place. A central and deeply transformative practice in Open Heart is guru yoga. Through guru yoga, the practitioner directly connects with awakened awareness through devotion, transmission, and experiential recognition. With the help of this profound method, one recognizes their true selfless ease, the natural, effortless state beyond space and time. Alongside guru yoga, the sessions include insight meditation (Vipashyana), tantric methods, dynamic concentration, trauma-healing techniques, and foundational practices such as Bodhicitta prayers. Each session includes guided meditation, space for questions, reflection, and personal support. Rani’s meditation sessions are held live on Zoom on selected Thursdays from 18:30 to 20:00 (CET). Recordings may be available for continued integration and practice on her YouTube channel, The Sweetness of Enlightenment. Participation fee: 15 € per session Please make your payment in advance via PayPal before joining, to Rani’s PayPal account: kaisaeskeli@gmail.com Upcoming Thursday Sessions for Summer Season: 7.5.2026 at 18:30–20:00 (CET) 14.5.2026 at 18:30–20:00 (CET) 4.6.2026 at 18:30–20:00 (CET) 11.6.2026 at 18:30–20:00 (CET) 18.6.2026 at 18:30–20:00 (CET) 25.6.2026 at 18:30–20:00 (CET) 2.7.2026 at 18:30–20:00 (CET) 9.7.2026 at 18:30–20:00 (CET) 23.7.2026 at 18:30–20:00 (CET) 30.7.2026 at 18:30–20:00 (CET) Zoom link for all sessions: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89766267672 Welcome all! Visit our home page for more information www.openheartofallbeings.com

**Navigating the challenges of exiting hyperscalers in favor of EU cloud providers.** Are you in a toxic relationship with a major cloud provider? It’s expensive, overly complicated, but somehow... comfortable. Are you staying just because it's a known safety zone, even though the monthly bills and architectural overhead are causing constant anxiety? It’s time for a group therapy session. At this meetup, we are opening up the floor for an honest conversation about breaking up with big hyperscalers (AWS, GCP, Azure, Oracle Cloud) in favor of European alternatives like Hetzner. Using the metaphor of psychotherapy, we will dissect why exiting a comfortable but restrictive environment is so difficult, the real risks of staying, and what the path to infrastructure recovery actually looks like. **What's on the Agenda?** **Facing the Dependency:** Why do we stay with hyperscalers and how do you know when it’s time to leave? **The Developer’s Journey & Open Source Contribution:** A deep dive into the builder's mindset. Eduard will share the backstage story of creating a custom solution: * Why he decided to write a dedicated plugin instead of relying on existing workarounds. * The tech stack used, the development process, and the actual time investment required. * How to promote an open-source tool and the real-world feedback/impressions from active users. **Case Study:** A practical look at the **Hetzner Rancher nodedriver provider**—a plugin designed to make provisioning and managing Kubernetes clusters on Hetzner simple, smooth, and trauma-free. **Meet Your Therapist (Speaker)** **Eduard Bulai** – Coming all the way from Romania, Eduard is the very first international speaker to join the Karlovac Developers group. As the CEO of [zsys.ro](https://zsys.ro/), a boutique infrastructure engineering company, he brings 15 years of deep infra experience to the couch: * One half of his career has been strictly focused on OpenStack, Kubernetes, Rancher, Canonical MaaS, and Juju charms. * The other half was spent managing the full lifecycle of deployments on AWS, GCP, Azure, and Oracle Cloud. Having authored a custom Rancher plugin to bridge the gap between enterprise orchestration and European hosting, Eduard has lived through both sides of the cloud spectrum and is ready to share the raw, unvarnished truth.

Come join CORGSCON the Columbus, Ohio retro gaming expo at the Bricker Building – Ohio Expo Center June 6th-7th Saturday: 11am-6pm Saturday After Party: 6PM – 10PM Sunday: 11am-4pm PLEASE NOTE: RSVP for this event does NOT give you access to the event. Please buy tickets for the event on the website here or onsite at the event: [https://www.corgscon.com/tickets/](https://www.corgscon.com/tickets/) We'll have COGG game developers there showcasing their games alongside the [GDEX game expo](https://www.thegdex.com/) also happening later this year. Find out more here: [https://www.corgscon.com/](https://www.corgscon.com/)

[https://www.originsgamefair.com/](https://www.originsgamefair.com/) [https://tabletop.events/conventions/origins-game-fair-2026](https://tabletop.events/conventions/origins-game-fair-2026) ### **Discover the Heart of Tabletop Gaming at Origins Game Fair** Celebrate over 50 years of gaming, community, and connection at Origins Game Fair 2026, June 17 to 21 in Columbus, Ohio! Since its inception in 1975, Origins has been the premier gathering for gamers, creators, and fans, offering something for everyone - from seasoned veterans to first-time attendees. Explore exciting events like board and card games, miniatures, roleplaying adventures, LARPs, collectible card games, cosplays, and more. Compete in game tournaments, test your skills in our puzzle competition, and immerse yourself in the Origins Film Festival. Plus, don't miss the massive exhibit hall, filled with the latest games, accessories, and collectibles from top publishers and indie creators alike. Whether you're here to play, learn, shop, or connect, Origins Game Fair offers a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere for all. Be a part of a community that has fostered friendships, sparked creativity, and built memories for five decades. Get your tickets today and experience the ultimate tabletop gaming event! ### **Important Dates** **Volunteer Applications Open:** November 28, 2025 - May 15, 2026 **Event Submission Open:** November 14th, 2025 - February 2, 2026 **Volunteer Shift Selection Opens:** February 3, 2025 **Late Event Submission Opens:** February 3, 2026 *There is no guarantee that any events submitted after February 2 will be reviewed or approved.* **Late Event Submission Closes:** April 5, 2026 **Perk Request Deadline:** April 10, 2026 **Layout Request Deadline:** April 15, 2026 **Event Registration Opens:** April 25, 2026 (1 PM EST) ### **Registration Hours:** **Self Serve - Scan and Go** Wednesday - 8am - Midnight Thursday - 7am - Midnight Friday - 7am - Midnight Saturday - 7am - Midnight Sunday - 7am - 2pm **Full Service / Materials Pickup** Wednesday - 8am - 9pm Thursday - 8am - 8pm Friday - 8am - 8pm Saturday - 8am - 6pm Sunday - 8am - 4pm **In 2026 you can go to Scan and Go for tickets purchased after you already have your badge just by scanning the barcode on your badge! Less waiting in line!** ### **Exhibit Hall Hours:** Wednesday - Closed Thursday - 9am - 10am - Premier Badge Holders Thursday - 10am - 6pm - All Attendees Friday - 10am - 6pm - All Attendees Saturday - 10am - 6pm - All Attendees Sunday - 10am - 4pm - All Attendees ### **Gaming Hall:** Wednesday - Noon - 1am Thursday - 8am - 1am Friday - 8am - 1am Saturday - 8am - 1am Sunday - 8am - 4pm ### **Important Information:** **Refunds:** There will be a 10% service fee for ALL Refunds; Badges and Tickets. **Badge Refund Deadline:**. April 15, 2026 No refunds on badges will be processed after this date. **Event Tickets:** \- will be refunded up to 24 hours before the event starts\. All event ticket refunds will have a 10% service fee\.

QA or the Highway is a one-day, affordable, regional, professional conference featuring real-world experience and thought leadership in the QA and testing industry. This is a ticketed event please register here: https://www.qaorthehwy.com/ Featured Keynote Speakers: **Matthew-Hope Eland** **(Wizard at Leading EDJE)** \- An AI Specialist and Wizard at Leading EDJE who is known to teach software engineering\, AI\, and data science concepts in the most ridiculous ways possible\. Matt has used machine learning to settle debates over whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie\, reinforcement learning to drive the behavior of digital squirrels\, data analytics to suggest improvements to his favorite TV show\, and AI agents to play board games and create an AI agent with the personality of a dog\. Matt is the author of "Data Science in \.NET with Polyglot Notebooks" and "Refactoring with C\#" as well as several LinkedIn Learning courses\. Matt helps organize the Central Ohio \.NET Developer Group\, runs several blogs and a YouTube channel\, has a Master’s of Science in Data Analytics\, and is a current Microsoft MVP in AI and \.NET\. **Tatyana Arbouzova** **(CEO at Innovate QA)** \- Tatyana Arbouzova is an engineering and business leader with a strong background in Quality Engineering across multiple industries\, including Big Tech\, Healthcare\, and Entertainment\. She has held leadership roles at world\-class companies such as Microsoft\, VMware\, Disney\, and The Pokémon Company International\, where she focused on building quality\-driven cultures and scaling teams to deliver high\-impact products\. With decades of experience\, Tatyana has helped organizations transform their quality practices so teams can deliver software efficiently\, confidently\, and with measurable business outcomes\. Today\, Tatyana advises software companies on adopting AI to optimize quality practices and improve how software is delivered at scale\. She is also a passionate community builder and the founder of Innovate QA\, a thriving Seattle\-based community and conference for quality professionals\.

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.

Boardgaming and boardgaming and MORE boardgaming .... we have over 2000 games onsite to play Join us !!!

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

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/.