For three days, Krakow became home to video game enthusiasts from all corners of Poland. This was made possible by the Małopolska Game Production Conference, which took place on November 28-30 at Jagiellonian University. IndieGames, as a media partner, actively participated in workshops and lectures teaching game development from various perspectives.
I must admit that our participation in this year’s conference was quite a challenge in terms of organization. On the one hand, I wanted our first visit to this event to be as fulfilling as possible, who wouldn’t want to meet famous Polish game developers in person and get tips from them? However, on the other hand, the conference took place at the same time as this year’s edition of Magnificon Winter Expo, a festival we couldn’t miss. However, the scheduling conflict did not prevent us from participating in both events, hence, the conference report below covers Friday and part of Saturday, when we managed to find time for gamedev activities.
Friday was a day dedicated to various workshops. At first, we went to a class on writing shaders. We learned how to go from light and shadow, through all the machinery responsible for the appearance of the cube, to increasingly specialized tricks. By programming everything in Godot Engine, we learned the basics of how it works and a few useful effects. Although the tasks were quite challenging for someone who had no previous experience with the technical side of shaders, we managed to familiarize ourselves with the most important aspects of the process in an hour and a half.
Then we went to a workshop on creating pixel art graphics. This time, using the Aseprite program, we managed to draw a 2D sprite and then apply a short animation to it. After doing this, we exported our project and implemented the finished work into Unity. What I liked most of all was the creativity of the participants – from jumping bread to shaking jelly, to bringing characters from Pac-Man and Angry Birds to life, everyone created their own unique pixel masterpiece.
Remaining in an artistic mood, we set off for another practical exercise. Using Zbrush digital sculpting software, we tackled the task of sculpting enviro objects. Using the example of a gravestone design, we attempted to sculpt damage, decorations, and surface details. Although everyone agreed that the program’s UI was quite overwhelming at first glance, after a while everyone began experimenting with brushes, models, and tools.
The last lecture in our schedule was dedicated to game mechanics. In groups, we prepared game prototypes in which mechanics form the basis of unique player experiences. We also learned about patterns and methodologies used in practice by professional designers. And all we needed was a pen and a piece of paper, and, of course, a huge dose of imagination.
And so ended the first day of the conference. The next event awaited us on Saturday, it was a lecture entitled “How NOT to make your first game.” We had the opportunity to learn how working on a game as part of a team differs from being a solo developer. In addition, we drew attention to mistakes that should be avoided at various stages of production, and we also received useful materials with tips for the future.
This lecture concluded our participation in Małopolska Game Production Conference. The event definitely made a good first impression on me – I had the opportunity to meet and talk to many gaming fans and aspiring developers. The knowledge I have gained will certainly be useful when reviewing games – thanks to it, I know what the creation of various game elements looks like from the inside and how much work is needed to create the final project.
We will also continue our cooperation with the Gamedev Students Association, the organizer of this conference, thanks to which we can learn about the perspectives of young creators and enthusiasts of video games. I hope we will have the opportunity to meet at the conference next year and broaden our gamedev horizons – until then, we will be on the lookout for new projects that IndieGames can get involved in. Until next time!
