Brought to you in 2022 by core partners WellingtonNZ and Wellington City Council, Platinum sponsors Tourism NZ, Epic and Mytona, Silver sponsors Dinosaur Polo Club, Bronze sponsors Niantic and Big Mouth Voices
The New Zealand Game Developers Conference (NZGDC) is a professional game development conference for a primarily New Zealand and Australian audience which focuses equally on actionable and inspirational content, while providing networking opportunities to the community in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The core elements of the conference include:
Workshop Day
A full day of technical skill development from game development and design, through to narrative, audio and business-related skills
Talks and Panels Day 1 and 2
Two full days of talks and panels are presented across a number of key themes:
- Art
- Audio
- Business and Marketing
- Culture
- Game Design
- Production and QA
- Programming
- Realities (VR/AR/MR)
- Serious and Educational Games
- Story and Narrative
Between the internationally-acclaimed opening and closing keynotes, speakers make submissions to a programme curation committee representative of industry, who chose the best in class to share their learnings and insights with their peers.
Brought to you in 2022 by Gamerfuel and CODE – Centre of Digital Excellence.
The Kiwi Interactive Showcase is a multi-day exhibition element of the conference, where game developers from across the motu have the opportunity to showcase their games. This is an opportunity to exhibit to peers in the industry as well as the wider public, who will have access to this showcase for the first time from 2022.
The event showcases our vibrant games industry and promotes the mahi of many talented local independent game developers. By creating a space where developers can connect with platform providers, service providers, and the community, we hope to enable more New Zealand games to further bolster the ranks of our games industry and its growing contribution to the economy.
Formerly known as “Indie Biz Showcase”, the event was renamed in 2022 ‘Kiwi Interactive Showcase’ in order to include more types and sizes of studios, as well as other forms of entertainment such as interactive experiences.
Brought to you in 2022 by eSports Federation, Amazon Web Services and CODE – Centre of Digital Excellence
We’re in Games Social (WinGS) is a catered social event celebrating diversity in our industry and providing a safe and inclusive space for underrepresented groups. The event is one of many ways we work to support a diverse and inclusive New Zealand games industry that in turn will create more diverse and inclusive games.
Examples of underrepresented groups in games we want to include:
- Gender (women, non-binary, trans)
- Sexuality (LGBTQI+)
- Ethnicity
- Disability (hearing impaired, limited motor function, etc.)
- Neurodiversity
WinGS is a free social event offered to attendees of the conference but due to limited venue spaces and the popularity of the event, registrations are crucial to reserve a spot.
Brought to you in 2022 by Gold sponsors PikPok and Silver sponsors A44 Games
This is a party open to NZGDC attendees, hosted by the NZGDA to celebrate the final day of the main conference.
The After Party is a chance for the community to come together over kai and drinks to celebrate the highs, and commiserate the lows, of another year of collaborative and transformative work.
Convergence Day will bring new professional development and networking opportunities for creatives working with emerging technologies across the video game and screen industries in Aotearoa, namely in virtual production: where the physical and digital worlds combine in modern screen storytelling.
Keynote Connie Kennedy travels from the US where she is Head of Epic’s LA Lab after a career spanning almost two decades in visual effects and virtual production .
The programme will feature a fireside chat with Academy Award™ and two-time Golden Globe™ producer Jon Landau, plus talks from acclaimed visual effects supervisor, director and artist Sheena Duggal (“Venom”, “”Thor: The Dark World”, “Iron Man 3”) and Wētā FX VFX Supervisor Dan Lemmon (“The Batman”, “Man of Steel”, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”), among other renowned industry experts.
The full day of expertise-sharing and networking will see game developers, creative technologists, researchers, academics and students come together with traditional film producers, directors and writers for the first time. They will explore collaborative opportunities in the future of content creation through digital technologies, including virtual production and XR/mixed realities.
Brought to you in 2022 with the support of Massey University.
Student Day is a separate event held after the main conference finishes.
It is aimed at university students studying game development and other related courses, enabling them to hear from industry professionals, experience workshops run by industry technical service providers and network for their career planning.
It is generally held on the weekend to allow students to attend when they don’t have classes.
