07 Jul 2017

## FOR IMMEIDATE RELEASE ##

Peterborough, Ontario – July 7, 2017 – If at first you succeed, and then succeed again, there’s really only one course of action to follow – do it again and do it better.

PTBO Game Jam 03 will be staged Friday, August 4 to Sunday, August 6, 2017 returning to the new conference space at Fleming College’s Kawartha Trades and Technology Centre, 559 Brealey Drive in Peterborough.

This past February, game developers, seasoned and novice, gathered at the same location for PTBO Game Jam 02, creating 33 new games over the weekend. The semi-annual not-for-profit showcase of all things game development drew more than 150 participants.

Hosted by Peterborough-based game development studio dotBunny, with support from the International Game Developers’ Association, PTBO Game Jam 03 will see game programmers, designers, artists and others involved in game-development disciplines gather to plan, design and create games in a 32-hour time frame.

PTBO Game Jam 03 is actually three events rolled into one, with two Educational Blocks being offered in addition to the 32-hour game creation marathon.

On Friday, August 4, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., a Youth Educational Block will focus on introducing youths under the age of 16, accompanied by a guardian, to the world of game development via the provision of free toolsets geared to them as well as instruction on how to use MIT’s Scratch to create a simple game mechanic, showing how it can be easily changed and added onto to create unique and fun gameplay.

Also Friday, August 4, 6 to 9 p.m., an Adult Educational Block will provide a terrific opportunity for those 16 years old and older who have wanted to create a game but didn’t know where to start. Again, instruction on the use of game creation industry toolsets will be provided to help participants create a simple game that can be expanded upon.

That sets the stage for the main event which starts Saturday, August 5 at 9 a.m. and continues until 5 p.m. Sunday, August 6. Organizers assure “there will be pressure, there will be pizza and there will be awesomeness” as new games are created around a forthcoming theme.

Admission to PTBO Game Jam 03 is again free but pre-registration is required. Visit https://ptbogamejam03.eventbrite.ca/ and click the Register button. Please note that a ticket is required for each event you plan to participate in.

PTBO Game Jam History

With the goal of fostering a local game development community to the benefit of future generations of game developers, Matthew Davey, the founder of Peterborough-based game development studio dotBunny, organized and hosted the inaugural not-for-profit PTBO Game Jam 01 in August 2016 at the Holiday Inn Peterborough-Waterfront. That event saw 11 games created.

Based on the response to, and success of, that initial foray, a follow-up event was held in February 2017 which saw the number of new games created triple and Educational Block attendance rise dramatically.

With the organization of PTBO Game Jam 03, a team of industry professionals continues to work together towards the continued success of the PTBO Game Jam to the benefit of the industry as a whole as well as participants.

It’s estimated that more than 19 million Canadians identify themselves as “gamers,” participating, at some level, in an industry which is expected to grow to a startling $100 billion market value come 2019.

Contact Information

Matthew Davey

matthew.davey@dotbunny.com

  • PTBO Game Jam 05
    Postponed