This Thursday, come enjoy the first of Critical Hit’s Speaker Series, with guest speaker Tanya Short. Taking the place of the slow jam playtests now that phase 2 of the incubator has begun, the speaker series will feature game creators and researchers of all stripes who will share their experiences in the field and in the community.
Tanya Short is the creative director of Kitfox Games, the co-founder of the women-in-games initiative, Pixelles, and an expert blogger at Gamasutra. She has helped design worlds for over seven years, including Funcom’s The Secret World and Age of Conan, as well as the more indie Dungeons of Fayte and Aetolia: The Midnight Age.
Some of our participants made their first solo games thanks to the Pixelles initiative, and we could not be happier to welcome Tanya as our inaugural speaker for the series.
This week, Tanya will be talking about level design:
Traditional level design principles (flow, player directing, atmosphere) can be applied to even the most dynamically generated gameplay spaces. This talk will contain no actual programming, but instead look at the details of how tech and design can and must intertwine to achieve ultimate replayability and the best player experience, using specific examples from Shattered Planet and Moon Hunters.
Since we may end up being quite the crowd, anyone who wishes to attend this week’s talk should meet in the Hexagram Game Lab (EV 11.425, 1515 St. Catherine O.). Should we fill the room past capacity, we will move to the District 3 Innovation Center (EV 7.105).
Watch this space for more news about upcoming speakers in the series!
WHO: Tanya Short, of Kitfox Games and Pixelles
WHAT: A talk about Level Design
WHEN: Thursday, July 10th, 5PM
WHERE: Meeting in the Hexagram Game Lab (11.425), possibly moving to the D3 Innovation Center (EV 7.105).