Format: Hybrid (In-Person & Online)

Description:

Dive into the world of video game creation with this hands-on workshop, facilitated by digital media artist and game developer, Tamara Duplantis. This beginner-friendly session is tailored for aspiring game designers eager to explore the fundamentals of narrative game design with Bitsy, a free, web-based, and user-friendly gaming engine. Whether you are a complete novice in game design or looking to brush up on your skills, this workshop is the perfect starting point. 

No prior experience in game design is required. Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptops. This workshop is in partnership with the Game Creators Coalition and a part of the Global Game Jam 2024 event. 

About the artist: 

Tamara "Tammy" Duplantis (she/her) is a Louisiana-born game developer, digital media artist, and arts educator. With an MFA from the Center for Contemporary Music at Mills College, her expertise spans across sound design for interactive media, procedural music composition, experimental game design, and the histories of play. Her work focuses on reclaiming outdated and neglected forms of technology as new interfaces for musical play, and creating games that express queer Louisianan identity in a time of climate catastrophe. She also create music, sound experiments, and videos.

Objectives: 

• Learn the basics of Bitsy, a user-friendly game-making tool.
• Explore essential principles of narrative game design.
• Understand how to weave compelling stories into interactive experiences.