Dev Room

Dev Room is an event created and organised by Tom Schuller and me. It’s an event where Game Developers can showcase the games they make. These games can still be in any phase, such as prototyping, early development or already published. It’s a great opportunity to get some early impressions of what the audience might think.

Also, it’s open to everyone! Dev Room is usually hosted at the MotMot Gallery at Electron, which is a very relaxed environment where guests and developers can enjoy a drink and network with each other.

The Idea

After we successfully completed the Global Game Jam and created Unscrewed, we had the opportunity to showcase the game at a local film exhibition. It was received really well, and we liked this idea so much that we wanted to bring this kind of game showcase to an audience that isn’t familiar with it yet. We got in contact with a local art gallery, who were really excited about the idea. We invited peers from school to show the games that they created(or were still in development) during school projects to show to the audience.

Dev Room 1.0

All beginnings are difficult, and Dev Room was no different. We had the idea of creating a bar-like experience where we host the video games showcase and have live music with a DJ who makes music with old Gameboy’s. However, loud music and showcases don’t go very well together. There’s also the issue of expensive electrical equipment and drinks. Thankfully, it was all positive feedback and the general consensus was very positive.

Dev Room 2.0

After Dev Room 1.0, we wanted to create a more mixed audience and focus more on the showcase. Previously, all the games shown were student projects, so for Dev Room 2.0, we wanted to invite external people as well. We also hosted a Deconstruction Workshop on Dev Room 2.0, because we got inspired by the White Nights conference. Industry professionals (Studio Gobo, Guerilla Games and INDIGO) took part as our panel professionals, giving all kinds of advice and feedback on the games that were showcased. Even though we had fewer people show up because of Corona, it was still a great success and had all kinds of guests show up for Barcade 2.0.