Saturday, August 17 Game Developers to ‘GATHR’ for Collaborative Unconference in Green Bay
Industry veterans to deliver keynotes, setting the stage for participant-driven workshops
Hosted by UW-Green Bay Professors Kris Purzycki and Ben Geisler, organizers behind the annual Green Bay site of the Global Game Jam are excited to announce Green Bay GATHR, an “unconference” for the local game development community. This free event will take place on Saturday, August 17, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CDT at The Urban Hub, located at 340 North Broadway #200, Green Bay, WI 54303.
Green Bay GATHR will feature two notable keynote speakers: Chris Cantero (Unity, id Software) and Shawn Witt (Blizzard). These talks will offer insights and inspiration during the event. The schedule includes participant-led workshops, demo sessions on various game development topics, and a lightning round for quick presentations of games, tools, and concepts. Throughout the day, attendees will have opportunities to network with others in the Green Bay game development community.
What is an Unconference?
Green Bay GATHR introduces the unconference format to the local game development scene. Unlike traditional conferences, an unconference is a participant-driven forum that fosters collaboration, knowledge sharing, and networking in a more organic and interactive way. “The decentralized nature of an unconference is a cool thing for Green Bay,” says organizer and UW-Green Bay Lecturer Ben Geisler, who also coordinates the Green Bay site for the Global Game Jam. “Too many times we sit through lectures at conferences and we don’t get a chance to participate:”
Although the schedule is preset, participants propose and vote on topics for workshops, demonstrations, and lightning round demos. This format creates a unique environment where game professionals, hobbyists, students, and industry enthusiasts can learn from each other and grow through collaboration.
Geisler describes this format as a nod to a unique facet of Green Bay culture: “I’ve noticed through the years doing Global Game Jam in Green Bay that we have a lot of the do-it-yourself/punk aesthetics and mentality in our hometown and the surrounding area. This is a great opportunity to participate in games as an art form and it dovetails nicely into our January game jam.”
For more information and to register, those interested may do so on the GATHR Eventbrite page. For more information, please contact Kris Purzycki at 414-940-3630 or purzyckk@uwgb.edu.
