The gaming community heads to the Columbus Interactive Media Festival

The third annual CIMFest returns to Columbus this weekend on July 14th. Starting early morning, attendees can expect speakers tackling subjects for beginner and advanced game developers. This years speakers include “Chris Patterson (Startups), Jesse James Allen (Storytelling with VR), Michael Brown (PR for Games), Andrew Greenberg (Game Design Improv), Joe Cassavaugh (How to Develop a Successful Career in Games), Dr. Rodrigo Obando (AI), and more.” The event will take place at Columbus State University in the Student Davidson Center. Attendees may arrive for registration at 9am. The event celebrates the game and simulation developers of the South, and hopes to bring together people from all aspects of the gaming industry from design to security and everything in between. The festival offers a great opportunity for hiring and networking within the gaming community, and a chance to see the latest in an ever advancing field.

The Georgia Game Developers Association have provided the following schedule:

Friday, July 13, 2018

• 05:30PM-07:30PM – Launch Get Together

• Location: Ruby Tuesday

Saturday, July 14, 2018

• 09:00AM-09:45AM – Registration

• 10:00AM-11:00AM – Talks A

• PR 101 What is PR and Why You Need It

• Michael Brown

• Patches, Engines and Glitches v 2.5.7.1 (The 4K, VR, AR and cross platform update)

• Anthony Obando

• 11:15AM-12:15PM – Talks B

• If I Could Turn Back Time

• Joe Cassavaugh

• Art (Character and Concept Art)

• Evan Giles, Bassirous Kane and TBA

• 12:15PM-1:45PM – Lunch

• Cookout

• Sponsored by: Vicarious PR

• GGDA Regional Meeting

• Raffle

• 2:00PM-3:00PM – Talks C

• A one-move AI strategy for Alquemist’s Ascendance

• Rodrigo A. Obando

• Game Design Improv

• Andrew Greenberg

• 3:15PM-4:15PM – Talks D

• Prepare For Battle

• Jesse James Allen

• Getting started in Blender (Workshop)

• Zach Smith

• 4:30PM-4:45PM – Remarks

• 4:45PM-6:00PM – Keynote

• Business Startup

• Chris Patterson

CIMFest 2018 Speakers/Talks as provided by the GGDA website:

• Joe Cassavaugh

• Company: Puzzles By Joe

• Talk Title: If I Could Turn Back Time

• Talk Description: Everything I did wrong in my career and what I would do differently if I were starting out today. I’m going to Time Travel 40 years ago and trace all the mistakes I made that led me to this point in my career. I will then sip from the fountain of youth and talk about what I would do if I was starting out in today’s world.

• Evan Giles

• Company: Student at Columbus State

• Talk Title: Art Workshop

• Talk Description: We will be making a level and a character with the help of the audience.

• Anthony Obando

• Company: Student at Columbus State

• Talk Title: Patches, Engines and Glitches v2.5.7.1 (The 4k, VR, AR and cross platform update)

• Talk Description: This is the video game history talk from 2016, but updated with 4k compatibility.

• Bassirou Kane

• Company: Student at Columbus State

• Talk Title: Art Workshop

• Talk Description: We will be making a level and a character with the help of the audience.

• Jesse James Allen

• Company: Falcons Creative Group

• Talk Title: Prepare for Battle

• Talk Description: This year Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Falcon’s Creative Group co-developed a large scale action VR theme park ride called “The Battle For Eire”. Jesse James Allen: Editorial Director for the project offers storyteller’s insight on how to plan out, design and reiterate a story for VR before significant development begins.

• Chris Patterson (KEYNOTE)

• Company: Bricks and Minifigs

• Talk Title: Business Startups

• Talk Description: Business startup from idea to reality

• Rodrigo A. Obando

• Company: Ringtuple, Inc.

• Talk Title: A one-move AI strategy for Alquemist’s Ascendance

• Talk Description: AI writing is such a costly endeavor since any implementation, in general, has to be written specifically for the game at hand. I present the thought process behind the creation of an artificial opponent for the iOS and Android game Alquemist’s Ascendance, a strategy game for 2 players.

• Zach Smith

• Company: Blue Hat Studioes

• Talk Title: Getting started in Blender (Workshop)

• Talk Description: Blender 3D has often been praised for its power as a free modeling software, but the steep learning curve often discourages many who try to use the extensive program. This hands-on workshop is designed to help guide new users to overcome the first steps required to using Blender. The workshop will cover the basics of the Blender Interface, an introduction to 3D modeling, and a glimpse into some useful Blender Modifiers. While primarily aimed at beginners, intermediate users will also find a variety of helpful shortcuts throughout the workshop.

• Michael Brown

• Company: Vicarious PR

• Talk Title: PR 101 What is PR and Why You Need It

• Talk Description: An Introduction to PR, why its important and giving an overview to the practice.

More information can be found here:
https://ggda.org/events/cimfest-2018