Game developers in the Midwest United States are finally getting their own convention. The Midwest Game Developers Summit (MGDS) is a new game conference that’s planting its stakes in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.
The newly-formed summit has turned to Kickstarter for some crowd-funding love, with a goal of $8,000.
MGDS originally started last year as the Wisconsin Game Developers Summit, a venture partially funded with grant money by the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. 300 people attended last year’s summit, along with 40 speakers from the gaming industry. Representatives from various Midwestern studios were in attendance, including The Amiable, Disney Interactive, Flippfly, Human Head Studios, and Volition.
“Our new name better represents our goal of creating a Midwest centric conference where AAA and Indie studios, students, and up-and-coming game developers can share their projects, network face-to-face, and have fun sharing their passion of video games,” reads the MGDS Kickstarter page.
Keith Fuller, IDGA Wisconsin Chapter President, and previous Raven Software Producer, will be delivering a keynote presentation at the Summit. Several other speakers have been announced, including Nathan McClure, CEO of Scientifically Proven Entertainment, Aaron San Filippo, Co-Owner of Flippfly, Forest San Filippo, Co-Owner of Flippfly, and Nathan Thorin, CEO of Galactavision.
The organizers are determined to make MGDS an annual event for Midwestern developers.
MGDS is scheduled for July 12-13 at the Olympia Resort in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Check out their website, Twitter, and Facebook page for more info.
