Alberta’s game industry is going to be getting a multi-player experience this week, as the Alberta Game Series conference returns to Calgary on Oct. 3 and 4.

The conference aims to connect video game developers and members of the industry like publishers and investors, in an effort to grow the homegrown talent that comprises both indie and industry leaders.

The conference is also attracting international attention, with speakers flying in from around the world to deliver nine TEDx-style talks to the gaming industry.

“The goal definitely is to bring some experience down for our members and reassure them through the experience of others that this is a career that you can pursue, and this is something that actually pays off,” said Vieko Franetovic, Head of Engineering at Devolver Digital and Calgary Game Developers Association board member.

“We need to match where our community is at. We need to meet them at the level they’re in, and start with a talk about somebody that has been in games for a fairly short period of time, who took a took a leap in and launched their first game.”

That speaker, Zu Ehtisham, who is the lead developer and animator at Beserk Boy Games, launched the retro-inspired platformer Beserk Boy in March of this year.

Franetovic said that kind of experience of going through the process of developing a game and working with publishers was the kind of information that the conference wanted to impart to participants.

“If we’re going to put a theme into this, we’re looking at giving you the tools to proceed with whatever it is you build today, and continue to get you to the point where you’re ready to either self publish, find a partner in a publisher, or find a partner in somebody that can help you with the investment,” he said.

Talks for all types of professionals in the game development industry

Other talks include Ben Schmidt, Head of Technology at Noodlecake, talking about the best practices for game makers, building community through Discord with Alex Nilsen, Community Team and Discord Manager at Devolver Digital, and how to build a pitch deck with Omar Khalil, Design Director at Firestoke Games, among others.

The conference is being put on by Digital Alberta, Calgary Economic Development, Edmonton Screen Industries Office, and the Calgary Game Developers Association (CGDA), with support from Game Camp Edmonton and the Lethbridge Game Developers Guild.

The City of Calgary, Bow Valley College, and NAIT in Calgary are also sponsors of the event, alongside Devolver Digital.

Franetovic said that Bow Valley College worked closely with the Alberta Games Series organizers, along with local Calgary-based developer Shifty Eye Games.

He said that there was a hope that local students from BVC and SAIT would also be attending, and networking to help build their careers in the game industry—but that everyone up to senior developers and industry professionals would find something of interest at the conference.

“Calgary has a fairly healthy community of game makers already, and we have grown quite a bit over the past like 10 years since we the CGDA got started with this. I wouldn’t miss it,” he said.

“We are actually having a panel discussion on breaking into the industry. We’re going to try to answer those questions, put people at ease, and manage the expectations of how is it, and how much effort am I actually going to have to put in in order to get into this.”

He said that anyone curious about getting into the business side of gaming would also find the networking valuable.

“This is going to give you a little bit of perspective on a number of things. One, where is Calgary truly at? You’re going to get to see the people that are actually working on games, making games, and trying to make a run for this,” Franetovic said.

“You’re going to run into publishers as well that you can talk to and learn a little more about this. You’re really tapping into the community which you’ll be working with, should you decide to make an investment. This is a provincial push.”

For more information, and for tickets, see www.alberta.games.