[Event] AMAZE - Johannesburg 2013 - 5-7 Sept

hanli

A MAZE. / Johannesburg
2ND INTERNATIONAL GAMES / MEDIA ART FESTIVAL
THURS 05 – SAT 07 SEPTEMBER, 2013
http://www.amaze-festival.de/johannesburg-2013/

The Full Program is Available at the Link ^


[old post]
Hello Everyone,

The official program for AMAZE. will be announced later this week. There is some great international content coming, and I am really really excited.

From our side the following MakeGamesSA members have been invited to participate, and we are waiting for confirmation from you/them as to their availability:

Workshops:
Travis Bulford - "Building 2D engine from scratch in Unity"
André Odendaal - "Sound in Games"

Talks:
Peter Cardwell-Gardner - "The psychology of why we to fail to fail"
Evan Greenwood - "Let's Play"
Ruan Rothmann - "Greenlight is a Path, not an Obstacle"
Danny Day - "Breaking out of SA"

Street Games:
Danny Day - "En Garde"
(others tbc when I get the rules)

PC/mac/etc Games:
Gaint Box Games- "Pixel Boy"
Christopher Bischoff - "Stasis"
RETROEPIC - "Day in the Woods"
Richard Pieterse - "Escape Velocity"
Manikin Games - "Silhouette"

Mobile Games:
Tsoopid - "Snail Boy" (even just a demo?)
Tasty Poison - "Neon Shadow" (even just a demo?)
Kerosene Games - "Bounty Arms"

None of the games that were on the show last year have been selected. I think it sucks, because I know how far many of those games have come, but I also understand why the ruling was made.

I hope that everyone who is invited to will be able to contribute, and that every one else comes out to support! I'll post the full international program as soon as we have the all clear.

best

Tuism

(good call on starting a new thread :) )

Congrats to all selected - the lineup and quality looks amazing, looking forward to hands-oning all of them at A MAZE!

Is the format going to be about the same as last year, ie, games on machines downstairs? Are there still going to be as many as last year? And international titles? (last year Hotline Miami and Proteus was downstairs, so I'm just wondering) Art games? (that shovel game last time was interesting)

I think it's a good idea to focus more on local content, and quality content, but the list seems shorter than last year's lineup overall? Or more likely there's a whole international component that just hasn't been mentioned here, right? (Just checking)

hanli

No no! This is just the local list. There are just as many internationals, and African games coming as local games. There will in fact be more internationals than last year :) (I just can't post that until the program is out).

These are here because they are from us. I am also waiting for confirmation from many of these guys to make sure they are, in fact, on board before we publish the full program.

So: If you have received your emailed invitation from me, or somehow missed it but you're on this list, please get back to me ASAP to confirm!

The format is pretty similar:
Workshops in the morning (various venues), talks in the afternoon (Upstairs in the same rooms), key note and panel in the early evening on the stage, party (various venues).
The exhibition will be on the stage and backstage area (so not in the basement) as you walk in to the side entrance. There will also be work on display in the foyer, and at iLounge (a dedicated coffee shop lounge a block down where iPads are installed at couches for the public to use).

While the time span is shorter, the content is actually more.

atomicdomb

We are really super excited for this :)

hanli

The AMAZE website, provisional program, and workshop registration is up:
http://www.amaze-festival.de/johannesburg-2013/

Go take a look, and don't forget to sign in for workshops you want to attend, space is limited!

Rigormortis

@hanli, how does one sign in/up for the workshops?

hanli

On the website, in the workshops section, at the bottom of each workshop description there is an email address and a subject line. eg:
Registration: workshop@amaze-festival.de
Subject: 2D in Unity

Put the subject in the subject, and send an email.

I STILL don't know why we couldn't just have done a web form, but hey.... :/

Tuism

Please put up the dates and some details of the even on the first post, I imagine a lot of people will have missed that.

Thanks :)

hanli

done - is that better? or should i just drop this thread and start another?

Nitrogen

@hanli:

On the website, in the workshops section, at the bottom of each workshop description there is an email address and a subject line

I do think you need to put a little instructions message on the top of the Workshops page to let people know exactly how to register - without reading this forum thread, I wouldn't have known exactly what to do with the email and subject lines below each workshop. Do you need names, surnames, contact info or is just an email address enough?

Tuism

Yeah I think that's good, no need for a new thread as long as this has all the info :)

Tuism

Amaze is this weekend! How're everyone's things going? :D

hanli

Hi All,

I've been away, so sorry if I didn't get back to you. @Nitrogen just the email address is fine, thank you!
Everything on this side is looking great, and we are very excited to see you all this weekend!

tbulford

I am feeling a little like a noob here.

So forgive my question is the answer is glaringly obvious to everyone else. I know where I will be doing the workshop. Is AMAZE been held around the campus? Does this mean we will be able to park in the campus? I know the parties are at various other venues. I kinda need a map with a glaring big red arrow saying COME HERE.

Travis

Bensonance

@tbulford

Here's a map of the relevant areas for Amaze:



Here's a PDF for it: http://www.makegamessa.com/uploads/FileUpload/86/3daa05c91c71fff538d2f0f2bf906f.pdf

tbulford

Woot thanks

Fengol

I just got an email saying Workshop 2: Hands-on: Quick and Dirty Animations has been cancelled due to illness.

@Hanli, I'm very sad to hear this as it was the workshop I was most excited to attend. Would it be possible for the presenter to put together a video and samples of what they were going to present when they are well again?

Nitrogen

So I went around to the Alex theatre last night at 6pm, and there was only a skeleton crew of helpers there - no visitors and no game authors demoing their own games.

Mooched around for a bit, played a couple of the games on offer with the Amaze staff people (some of which were very cool - the games and the people). But didnt leave the Alex theatre - it's not safe walking around Braamfontein on your own at 8pm.

I would make a suggestion that next time it be held all on Wits Campus or even somewhere like the Microsoft Offices or Didata Campus

Bensonance

@Nitrogen Sorry to hear you couldn't find us! :(

We were all actually at the opening party down the road at Kitcheners Bar :). The talks only started today so it was much busier and more lively at the Alex Theatre. Today (Saturday) will likely be even more so - if you're still able to make it, you should pop in for a bit :).

Tuism

I was super sad that I couldn't make it during the day today, it was so good last year... Then I wondered why I could make it last year during the day... Then realised I wasn't working during A MAZE last year XD

I also didn't realise that Saturday was the last day of A MAZE! That means I can only make it one day of it this year... Boo!

See ya'll early tomorrow... And way late too! (Just managed to finish off my Pecha Kucha @_@)

dislekcia

Bluh. Tired. Everyone should be at AMAZE. End transmission. Awesome overload.

Nitrogen

Yeah @Tuism, I cant understand why all the cool stuff was on Friday morning! I'm assuming most of us here have day jobs and we just simply cant be there on a weekday morning. Sad that I missed all the cool talks :(

The workshop was quite fun today though!

Tuism

A Maze Saturday was absolutely incredible, such an amazing meeting of great minds, I'm still abuzz with awe from meeting Rami of Vlambeer, his incredible drive and life view (which, mind, pretty much echoes some of the greats on our very own forum), and Rami telling me "your talk was good".

Taking a moment.

And then meeting Sos and his boundless energy from whence McPixel came. Thanks to Hanli and Thorsten and all the organizers and speakers for making it possible, it was yet another mind blowing experience, you guys outdid last year's AMaze (despite the size being smaller it was very much more incredible, for me personally), and that's no small feat.

<3

Stray_Train

Merrik

I'm not sure if I learnt more about game design or beard grooming this weekend, but either way I had an awesome time!

Bensonance

@Merrik Remember the eternal wisdom of Rami: "A real beard grows in your heart."

atomicdomb

Best thing ever! I had so much fun! this was an amazing experience for Pixel Boy and I can't stress enough how much fun I had and how awesome the atmosphere was!!

Meeting Rami and Sos and all the other devs there was amazing!!

Big thanks to @hanli for the opportunity and big thanks to Thorsten for organising!!

EvanGreenwood

This has been a truly wonderful festival. I'm so impressed with the wonderful joburg people. The Wits students are all bros, and I'm expecting many brilliant things to come from them.

Karuji

Yay for post con flu, or err whatever it was that I spent the day sleeping through to get over.

But Amaze this year was simply killer.

@atomicdomb pixel boy looks like it is going to be great!

And I wish I hugged the guys from FreeLives more :< though @TheFuntastic seems to be creating more excuses for me to visit CT. And sorry to the rest of the CT that you couldn't make fun of JHB because we also think it is derp, though we have Amaze which I would love to see more of the CT, and other parts of SA, at.

Also super props to @hanli mad stuff that got pulled off this year, and I'm looking forward to what is to come. Oh and lets not forget about all of Hanli's little minions that kept the event running.

dislekcia

I have to say huge, huge thanks to @hanli and Thorsten for making this happen. Huge thanks also due to Wits and the Wits game design students (epic mega-props for the real time En-Garde ideas) and everyone else involved in making this happen.

I'm still vibrating with how cool the festival was. Simply hanging out with everyone, meeting the devs from across Africa and obviously the European developers that could come out. AMAZE JHB is quickly becoming the reason to be up north at least once a year :)

(That animated gif above is only a fraction of the awesomeness that is SJ, everyone that didn't make it to AMAZE will never know the true brilliance of what went on - we will only whisper it)

Manikin

Whew, after recovering from a combination of exhaustion and the world's most confusing illness, I wanted to chime in and say how incredible this was! Thanks so much to @hanli, Thorsten and co. for making it happen. It was also so awesome meeting some of you Joburg folk! You guys are great, and while it's good that there's stuff happening all around SA, there's a part of me that would really like us to combine forces more often. Of course, it was also hugely exciting to have the international devs there, and I found Rami's talk and general insights really interesting.

I'm also really keen on what @dislekcia and others were saying about the Wild Rumpus parties. There was something special about combining our usual discussion about games, and playing them, with a social element (read: drink, dance and tomfoolery), and it would be really nice if we could organise these kinda things on occasion.

Will most definitely be back next year!

Karuji

@Manikin the post Amaze plague was really weird. I am sure it was neither a flu nor a cold.

tbulford

@Karuji perhaps it was withdrawal after been exposed to all the coolness.

Manikin

@Karuji @tbulford Totally. I'm still exhibiting symptoms from about 5 different sicknesses. Of course, the plane air could've also mixed up a nice disease cocktail :P

dislekcia

AMAZE was so kickass that @TheFuntastic was able to heart something twice.

Wow.

Tuism

Mechanical Proto Juice is up on my blog, without the 6 minute 40 seconds limitation, so lots of words incoming!
http://www.thesteventu.com/mechanical-proto-juice-my-amaze-2013-short-talk/



Can't embed the Vine here or I would have :)

Fengol

There's supposedly Vine support on the hosted Vanilla forums but I can't find anything in the developer build.

Ant

I'm very bummed to have missed this. It was on my to-do list all year and I'm pretty sure I signed up for a newsletter to remind me when it came around. Was there a newsletter or notice sent?

Tuism

Wrote up a post about Amaze 2013 with a selection of photos and all the vines Simon Bachelier so graciously took, should I spam them here too? :)

http://www.thesteventu.com/a-maze-2013/

hanli

Just emerging from my AMAZE flu and Post-amaze work catchup...
Thank you all for coming through. It was, in our view, a great success and we are all looking forward to making next years as cool, if not cooler.
:D

Nitrogen

@hanli I feel a bit shortchanged by AMAZE - two things:

1. A lot of the cool talks and conferences were on friday morning during business hours so us 9-5 office workers were unable to attend. It would great if the hours could be adjusted next time. (friday afternoon to sunday perhaps?)

2. I found the schedule confusing - I wasnt sure when things were happening and the schedule on the website was still an unconfirmed draft version as the event was live and made no mention of the individual games that were going to be on show (If I had known Broforce was going to be demoed I would have made an effort to see it). I went to the alex theatre on opening night expecting it to be the best time to go but instead apparently there was an invite-only party happening elsewhere so the whole place was basically deserted.

Overall it was a very cool experience and I hope to get more out of it next time!

hanli

@nitrogen Got it. It is something we have listed as an issue. Would you mind putting it in the feedback thread I created as well? i'm going to be using that as a record :)

Nitrogen

Cool, I didnt know there was an official feedback thread - going to find it now & post.

hanli

Just made it :P

Nitrogen

Done and done :)