The Indie Game Magazine February 2015 | Issue 46 | Page 4

editorial
It’s Hero Time

H

ave you ever thought about what super hero you’d be if you could only choose one? Of course you have.
You’re nerds. Like me. The ol’ Webhead is my favorite hero, so I spend most of my days looking around
for fun places to wall crawl. But during the winter months, I find myself envious of one of Peter’s closest
friends, Johnny Storm. Admittedly, the Human Torch seems like the most impractical hero ever. Unless a crook is
outdoors or robbing a Home Depot (they have high ceilings), it seems like Johnny’s abilities are more of a hazard
than a help. Still, it would sure be nice if I could stay warm all year round, and “shoveling” the driveway would
be a whole lot more fun if I could lit erally throw flames.
But before I get too caught up daydreaming about comic book worlds, allow me to transition into this month’s
topic: Helping others. Last month, I spoke about wanting to help build a positive gaming community, in whatever
small ways I could contribute. Since then, I’ve found a couple of ways for IGM to start doing our part. The first of
which is through sponsoring a handful of Game Jams.
How will sponsoring Game Jams contribute to making the gaming scene a better place, you ask? Actually, in a
couple of really great ways. The first of which is just through healthy community building. Game Jams, ideally,
provide developers a safe space to be creative and sociable. This is especially true of on-site events such as the
Global Game Jam, with venues all over the world where anyone interested in developing games can come join
the fun. It’s not just an amazing opportunity for networking and trial-by-fire development training, it’s also a
wonderful place to connect with peers that all share a common interest. Of course, thanks to the internet age,
Jams like The Arbitrary Game Jam (TAG Jam) can also connect folks all over the world using social networking.
As great as socializing and fraternizing can be, there’s also another great way Game Jams can benefit the community, and that’s by raising awareness about issues and spreading a positive message. Another Jam IGM is
happy to sponsor is the ongoing Jam For Leelah (which will continue until mid-February, so it’s not too late to
take part!) Briefly, for those who may not know, #JamForLeelah is dedicated to the memory of transgender teen
Leelah Alcorn, who tragically committed suicide in late December. In her final note, she hoped society could find
a way to change their views and be more accepting of youths struggling with gender identity. To that end, Jam For
Leelah hopes to raise awareness about LGBT issues, while also allowing developers who submit games to raise
donations for trans-specific charities. It’s a very positive community-centric project, and I certainly hope future
Jams can help call attention to other important issues as well.
As a final sendoff, I just want to encourage anyone who is planning an indie game-related community event to
reach out to us and share some details. It doesn’t have to be a Game Jam; so long as you have an idea for a project
that can positively impact the community, send us an email! It can be as big as a brand new gaming convention,
or as small as a weekly game night at a local coffee shop; either way, we want to help bring gamers together. Everyone could use a friend, and we’re all lucky enough to be passionate about the same thing. Sounds like reason
enough for us to be able to get along.

Vinny

Parisi

Editor-in-Chief
Indie Armada Fleet Admiral