A New Game Dev Expo

New York’s Tech Valley is home to a video game development cluster, ranging from small, independent studios to internationally recognized names. 1UpState is a new Developer Expo coming to the Albany Capital Center on October 21st. Join us for a day of panels and speakers, networking opportunities, vendors, and an after-party that will be all about the games!

For this inaugural year, 1UpState will be a single day event with an after-party. The event will consist of two main areas: The Main Hall for Exhibitors and a separate breakout rooms for panel discussions and speakers. The exhibitors in the main hall will range from independent developers to larger studios from the Tech Valley region. Additionally, attendees will be able to meet and network with local creatives who also support the games industry.

1UpState Goals

Ultimately, 1UpState has three goals:

Goal 1: Full Workforce Development Lifecycle Representation

As gaming grows as a hobby, more high schools are embracing its growth by supporting student clubs and events. Moving on to secondary education, the support for gaming continues with more colleges supporting Esports teams and offering Game Development curriculums that will allow students to continue pursuing Game Development beyond just a hobby. Finally, once they graduate from college, they will be ready to work for one of the globally recognized studios right here in the Tech Valley Region. From public schools, through college, and into the local workforce, the full workforce development lifecycle can be represented at the same event.

Goal 2: Supporting the Creative Economy

There is no denying the robust and vibrant creative and technical community in the Tech Valley Region. 1UpState will promote these creative efforts by soliciting exhibitors which are all focused on either Game Development or Gaming Culture. These will include Game Development studios, independent creators, service providers, local creatives, and crafters with the intention of giving demonstrations of their products and games at their booths. It takes more than just writing code to bring a game to life, and we intend to promote all the creative efforts required to do so.

Goal 3: Afterparty that’s all about the Games

The third goal of 1UpState is for after the event, attendees, guests, and exhibitors will be welcomed back for an After Party that’s all about the Games! Studios and producers will put their games into full demonstration mode allowing freeplay for all. There will also be a DJ to provide background music and refreshments served for the nighttime crowd.