Toronto Games Week brings together gamers, creators in 14 events

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Toronto’s status as a hub of indie creativity within the global video game industry is set to be reinforced during the inaugural Toronto Games Week. During the first seven days of June  Ontario’s capital will play host to a series of loosely connected events designed to celebrate the city’s thriving game culture, bring together developers and players and dive into creative aspects of the medium.

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“Just as the city of Toronto is a diverse, rich ecosystem, the games scene in the city reflects this wealth of perspectives,” said Marie LeBlanc Flanagan, who works with Game Arts International Network, one of the event’s organizers, which also include OCAD University and Interactive Ontario. 

With over a dozen separate events — most free to attend — it looks like there will be something for just about anyone interested in video games, including both players and creators wanting to expand their knowledge and professional network.

Game fans, for example, can head to the Revue Cinema on June 4 where Pietro Righi Riva, director of cult hit survival horror game Saturnalia, will chat about how he designed the game before screening the Italian Giallo cinema classic Blood & Black Lace, a graphic, 60-year-old slasher film that served as inspiration for the game.

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Developers, meanwhile, can work on honing their craft by attending a pair of events on June 3 at OCAD University. The first is a workshop called Indie Superboost: Refining Your Game Hook hosted by veteran indie designer Ryan Clark (Cadence of Hyrule, Crypt of the Necrodancer), who will offer critiques and advice to any designers bold enough to bring their game ideas and trailers to the event. Then, in the evening, a showcase of work from students at OCAD, York University, and Sheridan College will be on display, followed by a talk from veteran festival curator Zuraida Buter who will discuss the importance of international game exhibits for indie game makers.

Folks interested in taking in the broader culture of games can attend a pair of game-themed media launch parties. The first, set for June 4t at The Local, is for the sci-fi novel We Are Raccoons that focuses on a group of game designers who accidentally create the first artificial superintelligence. Author Jim Munroe will be on hand to sign copies. The second is for a new comic, If You Don’t Like the Game, Change the Rules, which tackles the subject of labour co-ops and unions — always a hot-button topic in the game industry. It will take place the evening of June 5 at the Palmerston Public Library.

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The week of festivities will wrap on June 7 at the Artscape Daniels Launchpad, where Interactive Ontario will host a Summer Showcase featuring several new and upcoming indie games made in Ontario while celebrating the launch of Endlight, a chaotic, trippy-looking audiovisual gaming experience from Toronto’s Bigpants Studio.

You can learn more and see a complete schedule of events on the official Toronto Games Week website.