We are Warwick Game Design Society - we make games. Video games. Card games. VR games. Board games. You can be a programmer, artist, writer, designer, musician, animator, modeller, or not yet know what you want to be. No prior experience is required so come along and get stuck in!
We may also run some events over Discord, and that's where we'll be most active outside of events, so please join our server: https://discord.gg/H5BqyXv7zu
Term-time Schedule
Workshops/Showcases - Wednesday 2-5 pm
The workshop is a drop-in session for people to come along, collaborate with others on games and bounce ideas off one another. We welcome people who want to show off what they're working on, find playtesters, and get feedback, so don't be shy if you've got something to show!
We're also running sessions on how to use the Unity game engine, after a few successful sessions online in the past (which are available on our YouTube). Each one will bring you closer to making your own games! These will be in person and we will provide a summary sheet of what was taught and a worksheet based on the content demonstrated each week via a Google Classroom.
Industry Talks
We hold occasional talks by games industry professionals and society members. We've had diverse topics in the past, such as:
- Surviving your first game jam: how to prepare your tools and get into a healthy mindset before jamming
- Making your game stand out: tips to make the first 5 minutes stand out in a crowd and things to avoid doing
- How AAA games are made: the roles in a AAA team and the process from planning to release
- Introducing narrative in games: making the narrative a key part of the design process
- How to make music for games: the tools available and a bit of introductory music theory
There's also usually a Lightning Talks session once a term for anyone to have their five minutes in the limelight talking about any game design topic they fancy.
We also hold showcase sessions on some weeks - anybody in the society can show off their games to get feedback in real-time. Don't be shy - being proud of what you've created is great!
Game Jams
Around twice a term, we host a Game Jam during the weekend. A theme is announced at the start and you're free to use whatever tools and assets you'd like to make a game by the end! Working in teams is greatly encouraged but not enforced. They're a great event for prototyping new ideas, or you can just use them as an excuse to work on a longer-term project! In the past, we've had:
- Collaboration with Warwick Tabletop Games and Roleplaying Society on a board games jam
- A narrative-focused game jam
- Access to our HTC Vive to make VR games
- A Global Game Jam site every year
- Ludum Dare sites wherever possible
Other events
We hold other regular and one-off events whenever the opportunity arises, including:
- A Gaming Social once a term to play local multiplayer games such as Jackbox, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, board games, Nidhogg, Ultimate Chicken Horse and Super Smash Bros - it's great fun!
- The WGD Quiz at the end of each term - test your gaming knowledge and you might win a prize!
- Trips to EGX and Rezzed - two of the biggest annual gaming events in the UK!
- Trips to the V&A Videogames exhibit, GameCity in Nottingham, and Interactive Futures in nearby Leamington Spa!
There are one-off events in the pipeline all the time so look out on our social media channels for more information!
Contact Information
- Warwick SU: https://www.warwicksu.com/societies/warwickgamedesign/
- Discord: https://discord.gg/H5BqyXv7zu
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wgdsoc/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/WGDSoc
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/WarwickVGDSoc
- Email us: exec@warwickgamedesign.co.uk
Our exec members
For the 2023/24 academic year, the executive committee is as follows:
- Aliza Marlow - President, Welfare Officer;
- Nathan Green - Treasurer
- Jasmine Ellis - Secretary
- Harsh Brahmbhatt - Media Officer
- Anaya Shah - Event Officer
- Gwon Yueng Chiu - Careers Officer
- Joshua Humphriss - Teaching Coordinator
Resources
The constitution outlines the purpose of the society and some rules regarding how it is run. Anyone can suggest changes to the constitution at the AGM each year, which will affect how the society is run in future. It is available on GitHub.
If you have any further questions, shoot us a message!