Because there’s no such thing as too many game jams [citation needed], this month marks our fifth Downtown Trimester Game-Making Adventure (DTGMA): folks choose from among the listed themes and take anywhere from 30 minutes to 30 days to riff on a concept. This month, we’re even getting together for a very special Notman House jam on the 27th and 28th to get those projects finished!

Come check out the games and take part in the monthly meetup recommended by 9 out of 10 medical professionals [citation needed].

It’s that wonderful time of year again: jackets and boots are no longer twice the size of the humans they contain, and the Saint Lawrence Lowlands haven’t yet trapped enough heat and humidity to match conditions within a healthy human body.

Doctors have been saying for millennia that the best way to take advantage of this short-lived season is to gather at a bar to play and discuss video games, and we’re not ones to argue with science. Whether you’re recovering from GDC, bringing a game to demo (email us!), or just interested in the game-making scene, let’s all get together — for our health.

Meetup: can you dig it?

Is the year 13/73rds over already? Well, no, not exactly — but it’s only a matter of time! And what better way to celebrate those fruitful and nutritious 73rds than with another MRGS meetup? Mark your calendars — this kind of party doesn’t come around every 5/73rd years!
 

The Royale will be at the Bibliotheque St Henri from Feb 23 – Mar 2
and Bibliothèque Jean-Corbeil Mar. 3-10

More info and festival programming here:
Montreal Joue

Also! MRGS will once again be participating in the SAT’s Nuit Blanche festivities on March 2nd, 2013. The Royale will be present, and our friends from Toy Company will be there tearing it up in the SATosphere (which if you’ve never been in, is incredible).

Facebook Event

Lineup of Royale games by our wonderful cast of developers:

Fuzzer by Henk Boom

Game Game Videogame by Joachim Despland

Greedy Piggy Chase by Neverpants Studio

Pax Britannica by  No Fun Games

Space Dastards with Sauropod Studio

SWOOOORDS! by Kenny Backus

Thrustburst by Umlautgames

Verteidiger by Kenny Backus

Volkenessen by Les Collégiennes

There may even be more to announce in terms of programming in the near future, stay tuned.

As if people somehow needed a reason to avoid temperatures of -35°C with windchill, January served up no less than two fine excuses to stay indoors and complain on Facebook about the cold: our own trimestrial DTGMA game-making challenge, alongside the yearly Global Game Jam game jam. Game January, you might say.

The upshot of all this activity is that our monthly meetup should be stocked with enough game demos to make it worth braving the cold weather. Bring your games, wear your scarf, & be excellent to each other.

Well, first the bad news: our traditional first-Wednesday-of-the-month meetup has been canceled.

On the other hand, we’ve scheduled a new, entirely unrelated meetup the following week, January 9th, at our new favourite spot, with all the hijinx you’ve come to expect from a bar full of people playing video games. What are the odds?! (The odds are above average.)

We’re taking an extra week off at the start of the new year to recover from the traditional Boxing Day festivities and to finish off our holiday playlists — ready to make 2013 the largest number in the common-era Gregorian calendar yet!

See you (one week later) in the New Year.

The Prince of Arcade has passed, leaving behind only the residual hum of electronic memories and a light scent of jasmine. This was our third year of coming together in a gallery space to celebrate the beauty and expressive power of upcoming indie games — and it was a team effort from the start.

First and foremost: thanks to the Eastern Bloc for co-producing the event and providing the fantastic venue and super-awesome staff.

Thanks also to our sponsors — Hexagram-Concordia, IGDA Montreal, and TAG — for simplifying the equipment situation and for doing what sponsors do best.

A massive thanks to all the volunteers who jumped at the chance to run cables all day and/or somehow keep coat check running amidst the chaos — if the event ran smoothly, it’s because of your help.

Thanks to everyone who documented the event! Documents are the best. Check out some of the wonderful photos!

And finally, thanks to all those indie developers who shared their wonderful games with us. You gave us a reason to celebrate.

BaraBariBall — Noah Sasso

Memory of a Broken Dimension — DATATRAGEDY

Panoramical — Fernando Ramallo & David Kanaga

qrth-phyl — hermitgames

Rain World — Joar Jakobsson

Samurai Gunn — Teknopants

Tennnes — Jan Willem Nijman

Photos via Antonella & Sagar…

It’s time to break out your culturally-appropriate holiday gear and get ready to party within reason! December is upon us, and so is another MRGS meetup: we’re heading back to our new favourite digs at the Royal Phoenix to share in some games, a few drinks, and lot of inspiration.

Bring your laptops, your demos, and (why not) an amusing hat, and we’ll play 2012 off in style.
 

WHEN?
Wednesday, December 5th, 19h30

WHERE?
The Royal Phoenix
5788 boul. St.-Laurent
On the 55 bus line, and a short walk from Rosemont metro
(Directions)

WHAT?
It’s a social! Bring your game demos already!

The invitations have been sent, the gallery has been prepared, and the punch has been spiked.
The Prince of Arcade awaits…but Where? And When? And Price and Facebook event?!

WHERE
Eastern Bloc
7240 rue Clark
Near De Castelnau (blue line)
Near #55 bus

WHEN
Tuesday, November 13th, 8pm

PRICE
$9

FACEBOOK EVENT
Yonder.

A NEW CHALLENGER
As if there weren’t enough incredible games in the lineup, analysts are now predicting that this year’s Prince of Arcade will feature the public unveiling of the latest iteration of the Arcade Royale — a home-grown, hand-crafted beauty of an arcade cabinet. Featuring exclusives from the Montreal indie game dev community — as well as a special guest or two — the arcade is a fusion of old-school aesthetics and exciting new gameplay.

The Royale beckons! Will you answer?

Looks like folks had a productive October! Whether it was at home or at our in-person Notman House weekend jam, the results of this month’s Downtown Trimester Game-Making Adventure (DTGMA-III) were a polished bunch. Check them out below!

Cat Hat — Saleem Dabbous & Bronson Zgeb

Klepto — Martine Chapuis & Travis Martin

Slimeful: Greedy Piggy Chase! — Dom2D, Technobeanie, SeventySevian, & FX Dupas

Spookers — Mike Ditchburn, Caroline Breault, & Jeff Cancade