Time for another PIGSquad general meeting! Join us to talk about indie game endeavors everywhere!

We will be welcoming new friends and fellow Jammers that we met this past weekend at Global Game Jam 2012, having a tiny little post-mortem to see a bit of each others' games, and discussing the larger, open-to-the-public post-mortem that will take place within the month! Feel free to bring other creative projects that you're working on, suggestions for future events, a gamer's attitude for the night's subsequent "Hackett's Game Attack," and we'll see you there!

PIGSquad is a community of game developers and enthusiasts based in Portland, Oregon, providing events, jams, networking opportunities, etc. to creative minds everywhere!

Bring your laptop, drawing tablet, paper, etc. to work on some game code, art, reviews, or anything in between in the company of fellow local game devs and enthusiasts! Be open to giving or receiving feedback, as well, as everyone will be curious as to what everyone else is working on!

E-mail us at pigsquad at gmail dot com if you have any questions!

Time for another PIGSquad general meeting! Join us to talk about indie game endeavors everywhere!

By Sunday, we will have arted and coded at an art/code night, Game Attacked, participated in Barcamp, attended our GGJ Postmortem, and screened Indie Game: The Movie! By the end of this upcoming meeting, we will have discussed the state of our arcade cabinet, a music jam in collaboration with Beep Box creator John Nesky, and the upcoming April Apathy Game Jam!

E-mail us at pigsquad at gmail dot com if you have any questions. See you there!

Time for another PIGSquad general meeting! Join us to talk about indie game endeavors everywhere!

In addition to bringing your own projects to show off, there's a lot to talk about regarding the near and far future – please come with suggestions for our PAX shirts this year, ideas for the next steps with our game cabinet, and questions about our upcoming Game Jam sponsored by the Art Institute of Portland (May 25th-27th)!

E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions!

The Portland Indie Game Squad will be hosting its third local Game Jam this coming May 25th at the Art Institute of Portland!

We will be starting up at 7pm that Friday evening upon delivery of a game prompt, and our space will be available to us through the evening of Sunday the 27th. A majority of teams will be constructed beforehand, though jammers may participate individually, form a team the night of, or join an existing team.

Some equipment will be provided, including computers w/Unity, UDK, Adobe Suite, Maya/Max, and Office Suite. Jammers will be responsible for providing their own bedding (should they choose to spend the entirety of the weekend in our workspace), food, and additional equipment. Bringing food in the spirit of a potluck is appreciated.

To assist in creating Jam teams, RSVP via http://pigsquad.com/events/mayhem-pigjam with your preferred game development skillset if you plan on participating and do not already have a team formed. Please RSVP regardless; we have room for 50 jammers.

Big thanks to Keld Bangsberg, John Wilkes, and the Art Institute of Portland for their efforts and sponsorship!

E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions!

Time for another PIGSquad general meeting! Join us to talk about indie game endeavors everywhere!

Members will be bringing their results from our recent Game Jam in addition to other projects we've all been working on! This meeting, we'll be talking about our recent 48 hours of development, more ideas for PAX, and the proposed Nomad Jam!

E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions!

Time for another PIGSquad general meeting! Join us to talk about indie game endeavors everywhere!

Since our last meeting, we've met others who are interested in bringing their games to the aid of nonprofits, participated in a busy art/code night, produced a few PIGSquad Podcasts, and seen a local chiptune performance! Join us this upcoming July 1st to talk about future plans for PAX, a new Game Jam, another art/code night, and the proposed PIGSquad comic anthology! We will also have time to show off projects and network with other meeting attendees, so bring what you need to do so!

E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions!

"This month we are celebrating 1.337 years of music, dancing, drinking, and tournaments!

Portland Indie Game Squad is running Skull Girls and Super Smash Bros video game tournaments with prizes, DJ Switch from Dangerous Kids is DJing the geeky tunes, and we have guests from your favorite local podcasts and geeky groups! Prizes are being provided by Jupiter Hotel, Ground Kontrol and Sock Dreams!

Event is 21+

Join us at the Space Room for the celebration that wont happen again until we hit 13.37 YEARS!"

Join PIGSquad in an evening of getting together and working on our projects!

Feel free to bring your laptop, drawing tablet, paper, prototypes, etc. to work on some game code, art, reviews, or anything in between in the company of fellow local game devs and enthusiasts! Be open to giving or receiving feedback as well, as everyone will be curious as to what everyone else is working on!

The listed time restriction is only recommended; feel free to come earlier or stay later if you'd like. The venue is listed as 21 and over, but no one IDs unless you ask for an alcoholic drink.

E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions!

Time for another PIGSquad general meeting! Join us to talk about indie game endeavors everywhere!

We've got lots going on leading into our upcoming meeting, including a Games For Change meetup on the 25th and the videogame tournament we're hosting at the Space Room on the 27th! In addition to going over these events and covering other July events such as the Chiptune house show, join us this upcoming August 5th to talk about future plans for PAX, a Game Jam scheduled for the end of the month, a proposed PIGSquad comic anthology, our arcade cabinet, ChickTech, and a table at Orycon! We will also have time to show off projects and network with other meeting attendees, so bring what you need to do so!

E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions!

The Portland Indie Game Squad will be hosting its fourth local Game Jam this coming August 25th at the East Portland Eagles Lodge! Participants will be challenged to make a game within an 18-hour period, following a theme delivered at the beginning of the Jam!

August 25th 7am - Lodge will open for Jammers.
August 25th 8am - Jam will begin.
August 25th 6pm - The Lodge will be closed to Jammers.
August 25th 7pm - Jammers are welcome to join others at 1718 SW 16th Ave., Portland, Oregon 97201 to continue work on their games, or Jam at home until 11pm.
August 25th 11pm - The 1718 house will be closed to Jammers.
August 26th 7am - Eagle's Lodge will reopen for Jammers.
August 26th 12pm - Jam ends.

The space we have available to us allows for an approximate 18-hour Jam. Because of this limited amount of time and Jammers' responsibility for their own equipment/supplies, it is strongly recommended that teams construct a board/card game, though any medium of game is allowed as long as it follows the prompt delivered at the beginning of the 18-hour period.

A majority of teams will be constructed beforehand, though jammers may participate individually, form a team the night of, or join an existing team. Jammers are responsible for their own supplies/equipment, food, safety, and transportation. There are numerous restaurants located in the area.

To assist in creating Jam teams, please post below with your preferred game development skillset or team interests if you plan on participating and do not already have a team formed. Please RSVP regardless; we have room for 60 jammers.

Big thanks to Jeffrey Sens, Sasha Orme, and the East Portland Eagles Lodge for their efforts and sponsorship! Also feel free to join PIGSquad for the Pwning Cancer game tournament and free play session after the Jam on Sunday in conjunction with the Hawthorne Street Fair!

E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions!

Let's all get together and work on our projects!

Feel free to bring your laptop, drawing tablet, paper, prototypes, etc. to work on some game code, art, reviews, or anything in between in the company of fellow local game devs and enthusiasts! Be open to giving or receiving feedback as well, as everyone will be curious as to what everyone else is working on!

The listed time restriction is only recommended; feel free to come earlier or stay later if you'd like. The venue is listed as 21 and over, but no one IDs unless you ask for an alcoholic drink.

Games For Change PDX and PAGDIG will also be having get-togethers at the same time and place!

E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions!

Time for another PIGSquad general meeting! Join us to talk about indie game endeavors everywhere!

At this meeting, we'll be revisiting PIGSquad's September activities, including the OMSI Mini Maker Faire, XOXO Arcade, the recent Jane McGonigal lecture, the Mechlo/Tonight We Launch chiptune show, the September Art/Code Night, and the Portland Retro Gaming Expo! Prepare to talk about an upcoming Game Jam, and bring what you need to network and show off projects!

Email us at [email protected] if you have any questions!

Time for another PIGSquad general meeting! Join us to talk about indie game endeavors everywhere!

At this meeting, we'll be revisiting PIGSquad's October and early November activities, including Pixel Arts' Guts for Glory Game Summit, an Art/Code Night, and Orycon! As for future events and projects, be prepared to discuss the PIGSquad arcade cabinet, ideas for future jams, and ideas for future get-togethers (such as idea pitch parties, panel-viewing "movie nights," brainstorming half-jams, and more)! Also come prepared to show off your projects, ask for help on projects, and see what others are working on!

E-mail us at pigsquad at gmail dot com if you have any questions!

Hello everyone, it's that time again. Yep, it's the last PAGDIG of the year.

Pizza and beverages will be provided, feel free to bring stuff to eat/drink to share or bring a couple of bucks to offset pizza costs. But all of that is strictly optional.

The roundtable discussion this month:

Managing Time While Staying Productive and Inspired: How Creative Game Developers Get Work Done

Anyone who does game development (art, design, programming, music), whether they be a full-time indie/employee or a part-time dev or student/hobbyist knows there's several fine balances we have to maintain. We split time between finding inspiration and buckling down and getting things done. We split time between the work that we care about and well, Real Life. When does looking for inspiration become detrimental distraction? When does working for hours on end become hazardous and counterproductive?

Let's all talk about how we deal with this in our daily work: how we stay focused, how we stay excited, how we budget our time and attention. I think it would be pretty educational to share and compare notes on how we all as developers of all types actually split our time up and what kind of schedules we maintain.

See you all soon!

"The Global Game Jam (GGJ) is the world's largest game jam event occurring annually in late January. GGJ brings together thousands of game enthusiasts participating through many local jams around the world. GGJ is a project of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA)."

Hello jammers! Hosted by the Portland Indie Game Squad and the IGDA, Portland's Global Game Jam 2013 gives us a 48 hour opportunity to develop a game amongst friends and new acquaintances!

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please visit pigsquad.com or e-mail me at pigsquad at gmail dot com!

When we think of games - video games, board games, any kind of games - they are often trivialized as mere childish pastimes to entertain us. Yet games are and have always been so much more than that. From the Olympics to epic man-vs-machine chess matches to daily “games” in which an underdog rises above and beats the system, games are powerful artifacts of our everyday lives with a potential for creative expressivity and change beyond that for which we give them credit. In this talk, game designer and artist Brenda Romero talks about the expressive power of games and her current work in the award-winning Mechanic is the Message series.

Following the talk, Portland Indie Game Squad will introduce the exciting work happening in Portland and lead a discussion for generating ideas and making connections in the local game development community.

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Brenda Romero is an award-winning game designer, artist, writer and creative director who entered the video game industry in 1981 at the age of 15. She is the longest continuously serving woman in the video game industry. Brenda worked with a variety of digital game companies as a game designer or creative director, including Atari, Sir-tech Software, Electronic Arts and numerous companies in the social and mobile space. She is presently the game designer in residence at the University of California at Santa Cruz and the co-founder and chief operating officer of Loot Drop, a social and mobile game company. In recent years, Brenda has become known for an award-winning series of non-digital games titled The Mechanic is the Message. So far, Train, Siochan Leat, the New World and Pre-Conception have been released. In 2009, her game Train won the coveted Vanguard Award at IndieCade for "pushing the boundaries of game design and showing us what games can do."

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A collaboration among: Portland State University Pixel Arts Game Education Portland Indie Game Squad

This event is free and open to all.

Free & All Ages Play games, meet developers, celebrate Portland games! Have dinner and drinks with us to raise money for the PIGSquad nonprofit!

Join us in an evening of games, special announcements, and community fun as we celebrate 2016 and kick off our end-of-year pledge drive for the nonprofit. We are Charity of the Day for Oregon Public House: A portion of all food and drink purchases on Monday, December 5th (including lunch!) will benefit the Portland Indie Game Squad. In addition to having games available for play, we will be revisiting our year and hosting a PIGSquad organizer Q&A session for a "Town Hall" meeting.

11:30am-6pm: Restaurant Open & Games Downstairs 6pm: Party Starts in Ballroom 7pm: Town Hall 8pm: Party Resumes 10pm: Party Ends

Attendees are required to follow the PIGSquad Code of Conduct: http://pigsquad.com/code-of-conduct/

See you soon!

Join us in a live horror game marathon as we play through scary games like Until Dawn, Witch's House, and Damned on the big screen! This will also conclude the Portland Indie Game Squad's funding drive for the year, so we'll be streaming and counting new pledges to the nonprofit as we edge through the night. Be ready to show your fear ;D

Pizza and PBR (for those of us over 21) will be provided. Attendees are expected to follow the PIGSquad Code of Conduct: http://pigsquad.com/code-of-conduct/ Some games are rated M for Mature!

This week we have Kyle Rhône joining us to talk all about game development!

Kyle has been creating animations for the Portland entertainment industry for over 20 years, and has worked in game development for the past 12 years.

Bring your questions about Game Development including what tools to learn, how to break into the industry, and how games are made. You won't want to miss this opportunity to get connected with some awesome local game developers.

Join us on August 20th at 1pm PT, 4p ET in our Google Meet room, or:

RSVP on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/163263813461

RSVP on Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/techacademy/events/278711776/

Can't make it live? Watch the recording on our YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/TTA-techtalks