Video Game Design

We are a welcoming community of board game designers and playtesters, please join us and bring your games in development for feedback, to play upcoming games, or just to chat about the hobby and industry! We range from first-time designers, hobby designers, published designers, and publishing companies. We meet **every Tuesday** at The Ludoquist board game cafe in Croydon, from 6:30pm-10pm. We try to ensure that as many games can be played in an evening, and prioritise those that haven't been able to test their games recently, although we cannot guarantee that your game will be played in the first session you join. The **final meeting of each month is reserved for playing published games**. We use this time to catch up on games that we want to try or discuss. You can also join our Facebook Group community for feedback and discussion: https://www.facebook.com/groups/playtestuksouthlondon We look forward to seeing you!

Join our weekly Walthamstow Meetups and play some games with us! **💜Everybody Welcome:** We meet up every week to play a bunch of modern board games, card games and party games in pubs. If you would like to get involved, RSVP to the event. You can bring games with you if you like, although not a requirement. 🌱**Something For Everyone:** Whether you're a seasoned board game veteran or just starting out, you're welcome. No previous experience necessary, we go through the rules before playing. We play a range of games, from lighter card and party games to epic strategies. **📌Where:** We meet at the **The Village Club** in Walthamstow, which is a 10 minute walk from Walthamstow Central underground station.. When you arrive please press the buzzer to gain entry. Just say you are joining the board game group. Come say hello and the event hosts will get you settled in. The Village Club is a member's club but you can attend our board game evening without becoming a member. As the space will stay open for the use of our group the expectation is that you will buy a drink or two to cover the cost of the bar staff. If you so wish you have the option of joining the club in future for £10 a year. ⌚**When**: * **18:30** \- Arrival & Game Sign Up * **19:00** \- Games Begin * **23:00** \- Venue Closes If you arrive after games begin, you may have to wait until the next game starts. If you are running late on the night, please do let us know. **👥Community** **Hosted:** We'll always get folks involved, but you can join the community and sign up for games in advance! Many games played on the night get organised ahead of time. Come join the fun at **https://discord.gg/mHZSKq2** 📸**Photos:** Help us satiate the algorithm-beast, upload photos of your favorite games and consenting participants! When taking photos please do make sure that people in the photos are comfortable to appear in them. **💫Food** 🍴 Drinks are available and crisps. You can order food to be delivered if you wish.

This meetup is to reserve a 6x4 table to play whatever you like! An appropriate mat and terrain will be provided on the day. Please make sure you state your game system, opponent(s) name in the meetup question answer when you sign up. **NOTE**: This meet up is for 6 x 4 tables only, if you would prefer a smaller table, please book via our 'Small Tables' meetup. These tables are typically located in our 'bar area'. **Booking Tables - sign up here and include the following in your RSVP Question answer:** 1. **Game System -** Warhammer 40K, Age of Sigmar, Historical's, Kill Team, Necromunda, Etc) 2. **Opponent(s) Name -** State your opponent(s) name(s). Don't have any? find one in our chats! You can then update (EDIT) your RSVP to let us know their name(s). **Cancellations** * If you can't make it, please change your RSVP to 'Not Going' by 'Editing' your RSVP. This helps us manage capacity. **About Us** The LWG have vibrant community of nearly 2,000 active members looking for games in and around London, and generally discussing the hobby in the widest sense. If you'd like to be a part of this thriving community reach out to the event organiser who will add you to the appropriate chat group. We LOVE it when people share their experiences. Please follow us on Instagram and share your pics with us @lwarguild - we do regular WIP Wednesday's and Finished Friday - you may win something!

For the second event of the year I'm excited to be hosting at the Meta Offices. We'll have 2 speakers and a fireside chat again. Details below with more to come closer to the time. **PLEASE NOTE:** Guests will HAVE TO SIGN UP to the event with first name and last name to be allowed into the building. If you're bringing someone with you, they'll need to register for the event as well. Registration will close 24 hours before the event. If you've not been to one of our events before then here is what you can expect. CRAP (Conversion Rate Optimisation, Analytics, Product) Talks is a cross-discipline event. We don't work in silos so why network and learn in silos. In the past we've had speakers from Data, Analytics, CRO, Product, Marketing, Data Science, Design and Research and so many more. If you work in tech, chances are you work cross-functionally, so come along and meet people doing amazing things in tech. **Hosts:** Meta **Venue:** Meta Brock, 10 Brock St, London NW1 3FG **Date:** 17/03/2026 6pm doors open Talks kick off at 630 Wrap up approximately 9:00pm. **Speakers:** * **Speaker Name:** [Tom Collingburn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-collingburn-7b7b5a16a/) \| [Tom Milne](https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-milne-3422482b/) * **Title:** Senior Data Analyst \| Head of Experience Insights * **Talk Name:** The Measurement Dilemma: ITV's Long Term Holdout Group * **Talk Summary:** ITVX reaches more than 15 million viewers each month across web, mobile and 16 different TV applications. Our Product & Tech teams are rapidly expanding and updating the viewer experience to meet the challenges of an extremely competitive entertainment marketplace. But how do we know the cumulative impact of these Product changes is positive, in a content-driven business that is hugely influenced by competition and seasonality? In this talk we’ll show how we adopted a Long Term Holdout Group to answer this critical business question. We’ll share the technical successes, the inevitable hurdles, and the hard-won learnings we gathered along the way. * **Speaker Name:** [Igor (Iggy) Skokan](https://www.linkedin.com/in/igorskokan/) * **Title:** Director, Marketing Science, Meta * **Talk Title:** Measure What Matters with Incrementality * **Talk Summary:** Shifting consumer behaviors and the rise of formats with limited click opportunities like video have made the attribution models most advertisers rely on less effective. To capture a fuller picture of performance, advertisers must build a trusted suite of tools and methods to get closer to measuring incrementality, i.e., the true, additive value of their campaigns. This session covers how to build a practical measurement stack to estimate incrementality - the true impact of campaigns.. **Fireside Chat hosted by Parveen Downer:** * **Guest in the hot seat:** [Manasi Goel](https://www.linkedin.com/in/manasi-goel-9aba52a1/) * **Title:** Head of People & Culture at EE * **Talk Title:** Stop the Slop: Building a Real AI Builder Culture * **Talk Summary:** Most organisations are currently caught in the "AI Slop" trap: generating pages of meaningless text , chasing "10x productivity" myths , and seeing zero actual return on investment. But for product teams in mature, complex organisations (or most organisations for that matter), the real opportunity isn't about doing more work—it’s about doing better work. Join us for a candid, hype-free conversation on what it actually takes to integrate AI into the heart of a "legacy" organisation. We’re moving past the scaremongering and the "human-in-the-loop" clichés to explore how teams can "slow down to speed up". Forget the tech-bro manifestos. This is a session for those who want to build a career that is inspired, hopeful, and—most importantly—slop-free.

It's **Tuesday** & our main night of the week & the fun & games are just getting started here at DWL! We're located here in the Cinema (which can be found on the 3rd floor of the Mercury Mall Shopping Centre) on: * **Tuesdays & Thursdays**: From 17:30 to 22:00. * **Saturdays**: From 12:00 to 22:00 🦁 And we're still running every Monday 6pm to 11pm at the Golden Lion Pub too. 🌭☕ There are hot & cold food & drink options available from the cinema at low prices! Supporting Premiere Cinema by buying their food & drink IS supporting Dicing With Life! The cinema has been very generous to us by bringing us into their space & our way of showing our gratitude is by sending some business their way. And their menu is surprisingly cheap! Especially compared to any other cinema. Here's some cool examples of some great **offers**: Buy a large **Popcorn** (it's a huge bucket!) or a large **fizzy drink** & it'll initially cost you £4, BUT, take your bucket or cup back to the bar for a **refill** & the cinema will refill it back up to the top for just £2! 🍿🥤 That's half price Popcorn & Pop! This also applies to **Ice Blasts** too (£5 initially but to refill it's just £3). There's also Hot Dogs, Nachos, Pick n Mix & many other treats in store too! Check out their menu 😋 If you have any questions, please ask & let the fun commence! 🎲

**Details 🚀** This meetup is a **social coding jam** where we use AI to quickly turn fun ideas into functional prototypes. Whether you’re an experienced developer or have never written a line of code, you’ll fit right in. You can use any AI tools you like: **Google AI Studio, ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, Replit**, whatever! And see what you can build together before the last orders 🍻 **Format 🛠️** We’ll be teaming up in small groups (2–3 people). Everyone gets the same open-ended challenge (or a choice between two), and then it’s heads-down building with your teammates. The goal is to **vibe, learn from each other, and see where the collaboration takes us.** **New to vibe coding? ✨** No worries! We begin with a simple starter guide with example prompts and tips so even total beginners can dive in without stress. *** **Schedule 🕒** *(Doors open early so we can settle in — aim to arrive by 6:50 PM so we can kick off on time)* * **7:00** – Presentation * **7:25** – Assignment + team formation 🤝 * **7:30** – **Round 1:** Build together 💻 * **8:15** – Break (grab a drink, swap ideas, hang out) 🍺 * **8:30** – **Round 2:** Keep building 🏗️ * **9:00** – Optional demos 📺 * **9:15** – Hang out, network, make friends ✌️ *** **Who is it for?** **Anyone!** Curious coders, tinkerers, designers, artists, entrepreneurs, and anyone who wants to explore AI-powered creativity in a fun, social pub setting. **What to bring:** * **Laptop!** 💻 * **Vibes** ⚡ 👉 **No pressure, no gatekeeping.** Just good people, fun ideas, and some fast-paced collaborative building.

**BOOK HERE**: https://sportas.co.uk/games/44686 **Game Description:** Minimum experience required: 3–6 months of formal playing experience. This session is not suitable for complete beginners. For those new to volleyball, we recommend our Adult Coaching Practice. **Rules** By booking this session, you acknowledge and agree to comply with our terms and conditions, privacy policies, and cancellation policy, which can be found below. **Terms & Conditions at:** https://www.littlegiantsvc.com/terms-and-conditions **Privacy Policy at:** https://www.littlegiantsvc.com/privacy-policy

IMPORTANT UPDATE: The event will take place in the National Theatre Welcome to London 2-player Playtests—a friendly meetup open to everyone interested in playing 2-player or solo games. You don't need to bring a game - we always love to have new playtesters! For designers: Whether your game is for TWO PLAYERS, a SOLO experience, or a larger game you’d like to test with fewer players, this event is for you. Please comment with the game length, whether you need 1 or 2 playtesters, and a brief description. The event is free and will take place at the National Theatre: https://maps.app.goo.gl/74QGHXWPs5KZH6MC9 We'll meet around 6:15 pm, and playtesting sessions will begin at 6:30 pm. Join us for an evening of engaging playtests and creative feedback!

Looking for a relaxed, friendly board game night in London? Join us every Thursday at **Hiver Taproom**, one of the Top 20 London taprooms, just minutes from London Bridge and close to Bermondsey. Whether you're brand new to board games or a seasoned strategist, this is a welcoming space to meet people, try great games, and enjoy excellent craft beer. ## **🎲 What Happens on the Night?** We’ll have a wide variety of board games available to play — from light, social party games to deeper strategy favourites. ✔ Solo players and groups welcome ✔ An experienced boardgamer hosting and teaching games ✔ No need to bring anything, but you're welcome to bring your own games if you want! ✔ Friendly, inclusive vibe ✔ Great for after-work socialising Just turn up, grab a drink, and we’ll help you find a table. ## **🕯️ Featured Game: Blood on the Clocktower (Upstairs Room)** We’ll also be running a dedicated game of **Blood on the Clocktower** in our upstairs private room. If you enjoy social deduction games like Werewolf or Mafia, you’ll love this immersive experience filled with hidden roles, strategy, bluffing and dramatic reveals. Spaces for this game are limited, so check out our other [Meet Up](https://www.meetup.com/bermondsey-board-gaming/events/313537869/?recId=011e01f4-928d-46e7-8c80-a4f2bb539617&recSource=event-search&searchId=ef0f242b-9ae4-4596-ac34-a13066bd9b75&eventOrigin=find_page%24all) and please RSVP if you’d like to take part. ## **🍺 Why Hiver Taproom?** * One of London’s Top 20 taprooms * Known for craft beer brewed with British honey * Spacious tables perfect for gaming * Easy walk from London Bridge Station * Relaxed, community atmosphere ## **Who Should Come?** * Board game beginners * Experienced hobby gamers * People new to London looking to meet others * After-work socialisers * Anyone who prefers dice and strategy over noisy bars If you’re searching for a regular Thursday board game meetup near London Bridge, this is your new weekly spot. RSVP now and join us for great games, great beer, and great company. 🎲🍻

The Game Dev Group is a chilled, friendly place for anyone interested in game development to meet, learn and collaborate together. The Speaker for this event is **Jack Valentine.** Jack is an industry veteran with over a decade of experience, most of which was spent as a producer, working for companies such as Riot and Netherrealm studios, now Lead Producer at Team Junkfish. In his talk, he will demystify the role of a producer and discuss the different archetypes as well as the pros and cons of producer life. Structure: 6:30PM - Doors Open - Bar Snacks, Drinks, Networking/ Chatting 7:45PM - Introduction and Talk Begins 9:00PM - 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.

***Enter the live meeting room here: [https://discord.gg/5wgxtr4c2u](https://discord.gg/5wgxtr4c2u)*** ***Download the engine here: [https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/download](https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/download)*** Welcome to the **Unreal Engine Workshop!** In each session we'll tackle essential game design discussions, then transition into hands-on project creation. Participants will build and expand their skills continuously as we explore every aspect of game development. From basic blueprints and interactive mechanics, to advanced rigging, animation, environment design, and lighting, we'll work our way up to creating small complete games. We encourage experimentation and peer teaching, so whether you're a beginner or experienced developer looking to deepen your expertise, our sessions provide a supportive environment to learn, create, and innovate together in Unreal Engine 5.

**Saturdays \| Every Saturday 1pm \- 3pm** In partnership with The National Lottery, SHYNNE Neurodiverse Weekly Gaming Club provides a welcoming, inclusive space where neurodivergent gamers can connect, play, and be themselves in a supportive environment. **What We Offer** * **Inclusive Gaming Environment**: A sensory-friendly space designed with neurodivergent needs in mind * **Diverse Game Selection**: Board games, card games, tabletop RPGs, and video games catering to various interests * **Structured Activities**: Clear schedules and optional guided gaming sessions * **Social Connection**: Opportunities to meet others with similar interests in a low-pressure setting * **Support Staff**: Knowledgeable facilitators who understand neurodivergent experiences * **Important Details** * **Time**: Fridays, 1 pm - 3 pm * **Cost**: **£5** per session * Carers/support workers attend free * **What to Bring**: Just yourself! All gaming equipment provided * **Accessibility**: Our venue is fully accessible

We playtest all sorts of games - strategic, silly, creative, or whatever. Some games are almost done. Some are very early ideas. We test anything that will fit into 90 minutes. You don't need to bring a game - we always love to have new playtesters! Please let us know in the comments when you plan to arrive/leave and whether you are bringing a game or not. This helps us to plan the day better. The schedule is: 10am onwards - gathering, chatting 11am sharp - playing for 90 min ('slot 1') 12:30ish - break for food/chat 1pm sharp - playing for 90 min ('slot 2') 2:30ish - break for food/chat 3pm sharp - playing for 90 min ('slot 3') 4:30ish - finish up Often, we might hang around afterwards, to play some already-published games. We are strict on timings, so please try to arrive a few minutes before the session to limit disruption. You can just come for part of the day if you wish. The reason we have fixed timings for the 3 'slots' is to make it easier for folk to do so. Designers of all levels of experience are welcome! But if it's your first time, we ask that you don't bring a game and just spend some time learning how the group works. The group works based on reciprocation. If you expect to test your own game, make sure stay for long enough to play other games. As a general rule of thumb, you can expect to play one of your own games every third 90-minute session. So if you stay a whole day (3 sessions), you can expect to have one session to play your game(s). A good rule of thumb is that if you come all day, you will have one 90 minute session with two other playtesters in which to test your own games. It is sometimes possible to test games with more players. If your game requires 4 or more, please note that as standard you will be allocated half of a session (45 minutes). Pre-covid, we were getting unmanageable. As a result, we may have to limit attendees. This is a free-to-use venue, and we have to be mindful that other folk want to use the same space. Please note: This is an adults only event. We look forward to seeing you!

This is a relaxed, community-driven Unity GameDev meetup. There’s no strict agenda this time — 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!

We meet to learn and practice American Sign Language and to grow our familiarity with Deaf culture. Facilitated by hearing folks (with a connection to a professional interpreter) using Deaf-created content. People of all ASL skill levels are welcome! As we learn, we hope to connect more with the Deaf community in Central Ohio. Join us as you're able! Come regularly or just once - whatever you're looking for! Each meetup will explore different topics related to ASL/Deaf culture, and will feature time to practice conversation with one another. Just bring yourself and a willingness to learn!

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

Join us for a night of board gaming with FANG (Fem All Night Gaming). **We are an all fem board game group** in Columbus, Ohio. No cis-men, please! We play modern hobby board games! If you're unsure what that is, we can teach you! We'll be meeting on the second floor of Giant Eagle in their cafe area. Giant Eagle has a lot of food and beverage options including their hot foods bars. You are also welcome to bring in any outside food.

**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 **Abstract** Web Forms gave .NET developers a powerful abstraction for building reusable UI controls long before design systems were a thing. Web Components finally bring that same idea to the browser natively. This session explores how the Web Forms mindset translates into Custom Elements, Shadow DOM, and HTML templates. We’ll examine how Web Components enable design systems that work across frameworks, how they differ from server‑driven controls, and why they’re becoming a foundational layer for modern UI. Whether you’re maintaining legacy apps or building greenfield projects, you’ll leave with a practical understanding of how to apply familiar patterns in a modern, standards‑based way. **YouTube Link** TBA

NFT's are here to stay folks! This is a group for like minded people interested in understanding, leveraging, using, creating for, profiting from, trading too i suppose, NFT's.. everything around them, complexity, fear and exploits, best practices and more. **PLUS** This group will talk AI ART tools, techniques, artists, video, audio, prototypes and more in the AI assisted production space- ART specifically, but we can get into any aspect of some of the cooler things happening in AI in general.

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 2000 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