Just west of the Wisconsin State Capitol, hundreds of people filed into the Orpheum Theater. A mixture of suits, slacks, t-shirts, newsie caps, sneakers, and dress shoes adorn the attendees as they sit down and wait for the presentation to begin. It’s MDEV, the Wisconsin Games Alliance’s annual convention that brings together professionals, indie developers, students, and enthusiasts to discuss, network and play games. Tonight is the kickoff event, which includes a big screen video presentation and panel discussion about video games in the Midwest, as well as a social that follows.

The main event takes place Friday, Nov. 7 and Saturday, Nov. 8 in the Alliant Energy Center, fifteen minutes south of downtown Madison. For two days, its halls will be filled with handshakes, lectures, demos, and presentations.

The main stage covers topics heavy on the minds of many companies and developers. On Friday, a panel including Respawn Entertainment CEO Ryan Burnett, MDEV Founder Timothy Gerritson, Midwest Games CEO Ben Kvalo, and Wolfjaw studios CEO Mitchell Paterson will cover the future of the games industry. Other main stage events and panels cover other angles of game development as a business. In smaller rooms to the side, speakers will give talks on more specialized subjects such as level design, art, game architecture, and the journeys of specific studios to success. Some eye-catching lectures include “The Perils of a Banana,” “That’s Alt Ctrl, Baby,” and “Building the Plane While Flying It.”

Another section of the event features booths from major companies and university programs, some of which sponsor or partner with the event. This includes established companies such as Raven Software, Respawn Entertainment, Xbox, and PuBG Studios. It also includes several universities in the University of Wisconsin Network, DePaul, and University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.

Another section of the event is dedicated to indie and student developers showcasing their work. Some are looking for feedback or more playtesters, while others are looking to draw the attention of the many established members of the industry in attendance.

“MDEV is a testament to the incredible talent and innovative spirit thriving in the Midwest games scene. It’s inspiring to see how local creators are shaping the future of game development, blending creativity with cutting-edge technology to build amazing games that are played all over the world,” said Jennifer Javornik, WGA board member and chief partnerships officer at Filament Games. “This event is an opportunity to provide professional development and networking opportunities for game development talent in the Midwest so that we remain competitive in the global game development scene.”

Featured Image: MDEV

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