Comstock's magazine 1217 - December 2017

n GAMING ichelle Hill didn’t know where video games came from. Growing up in Sacramento in the 1990s, she was a huge fan of "Sonic the Hedgehog" and the "Final Fantasy" series. She was into the characters, the stories and the art, but had no idea how these games were made. And she had no one to talk to, either. This was in ancient pre-Face- book times, so Hill never found her tribe. “I was the nerdy weirdo, the outcast,” Hill recalls of her days at West Campus High School. “I had friends, but I didn’t really feel like I had a group of people who I could talk to about video games and nerd out. There are moments when you feel a little lonely like, ‘Am I the only person into this?’” Now, at 31, Hill works as a motion capture technician for 2K Games, one of the largest video game publishers in the world. In April, she returned to Sacramento to keynote the fourth annual Sacramento Indie Arcade, a gaming conven- tion where local developers showcase their creations. It’s the type of community she wishes she had growing up, she says — one that inspires learning, ignites creativity and brings people together, no matter their gender or race. Like Hill, the Sacramento Indie Arcade had its own coming-of-age, growing from humble beginnings at the now- closed mixed-use spot, Bows & Arrows, to this year’s event at the West Sacramento Community Center. More than 30 developers unveiled indie titles with storylines that ranged from salvaging ships in space to battling pirates at sea to Ma- yan warfare with magic. Briana Aea — a self-described “first Game Boy kind of girl” — has helped organize the convention since 2015, step- ping forward as a rallying voice for the community. With her accounting background, she also guides nascent developers with tips on protecting IP, writing business plans and grant proposals, and marketing themselves online. “The beautiful thing about video game development is it encompasses multiple disciplines: programming, music, voiceover acting, art,” Aea says. “In Sacramento, the more we’ve been able to educate others and remind them we can work together, that’s really helped with growth. Our innova- tion is coming in the form of collaboration.” For the past several years, the Capital Region has been riding the tech wave, claiming to be a viable Silicon Valley alternative. From agtech to biotech, different fields have set up shop here to take advantage of the lower costs of living and small-town vibe. Hunched over on the fringes of this movement is the field of game development, which some call an overlooked, undervalued pillar of the innovation commu- nity. With EA Capital Games (formerly BioWare Sacramento 64 comstocksmag.com | December 2017 and KlickNation) and 5th Planet Games, we already have two homegrown heroes of the gaming world, companies that have survived shifts in technology and the economy. But the indie scene is picking up steam despite the fact that, for local developers, the difficulty level is a lot higher. Local creators want the River City to stand on its own in the video game industry, but they understand it takes time and teamwork to reach the top. LEVEL ONE It looks like 2017 will mark a critical turning point for the world of gaming: For the first time, app-based games (which can be played on smartphone, tablet or browser) surpassed traditional games in revenue, and the upward trend isn’t stopping anytime soon, according to Pricewaterhouse- Coopers. In terms of devices, a study by Newzoo has mobile gaming (smartphone and tablet) lagging a bit behind tradi- tional (PC or console), but still earning about $46 billion in revenues and accounting for 42 percent of the total global market — and on track to claim 50 percent by 2020. This surging market has opened doors for indie develop- ers. Still, without funds and resources, these entrepreneurial creatives are fighting against extreme odds. Competition is fierce. Some developers feel they need to relocate to find jobs. “The only way to keep developer talent in Sacramento is either by luring outside major companies to the area, or growing an industry from the ground up through entrepre- neurship,” says Nathan Allshouse, president and CEO of Square One Clubs, a software and game developer business incubator in Sacramento where amateur game designers re- ceive support and mentoring. Allshouse believes that with the right tools and profes- sional tactics, local creators can transform their indie titles into full-fledged gaming companies. At Square One Clubs, developers collaborate on video games, virtual and aug- mented reality, and mobile app development. Memberships for Square One Clubs start at $19.99 per month for startups, with more expensive advanced tiers for established busi- nesses. The organization currently has about 20 full-time members, including three video game development compa- nies who operate businesses there. This year, Square One Clubs received a $50,000 Rapid Ac- celeration Innovation and Leadership grant from the City of Sacramento’s Innovation and Growth Fund. The money al- lowed Allshouse to expand his initial concept to include a training center that offers game-design classes and an event center to host organizations and industry speakers. In Oc- tober, Square One Clubs hosted special guest Josh Rother, a senior marketing artist with EA Capital Games, who did il- lustration work to promote "Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes" and

Comstock's magazine 1217 - December 2017 | Page 64