Learn About the Industry at RENDER: Good Game Conference
RENDER: Good Game Conference is a gaming industry conference held at Betaworks Studios by Betaworks and Playcrafting located in Little West Manhattan. If you were looking for some insight with what goes on behind the scenes then RENDER is the place to go. This event is more for people in the industry, those trying to learn more about it, or those trying to get into it. Here is what we learned at the Good Games Conference.
If anyone has been to Betawork’s events in the past, you would all know that it’s more of a social event space then a giant convention center. It is the go-to place for a lot of Industry related events which they hold quite a few every month. The membership pass is worth the price for the year if you're looking to connect with industry professionals on a weekly basis. The event area is still spacious enough to walk around, sit down and eat or talk with those around you. It’s nice that they have a limit when it comes to tickets as it prevents the space from getting overcrowded.
They bought on a range of speakers from different parts in the industry in Programming, Developing, Financing, Streaming, Blogging, and more. It was very insightful to see industry professionals such as Peter Rojas, Jamin Warren, Dan Butchko, Narz, Jess Brohard, and many more. It was great hearing the different perspectives from the industry as there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes. Events like this are especially great for people in the industry looking to interact or to look for future investments as there were quite a lot of programs that were demonstrated here at this event.
Here are some of the sessions that stood out to us
Good Gaming by Peter Rojas - Peter Rojas is the founder of Joystiq which was the first video game blog to be created. In this session, he talks about the Global Games Market and where the revenue is at with each system. He also talks about how single purchase games such as Red Dead Redemption vs. free-to-play games such a Fortnite make their revenue. How streaming and e-sports are becoming more popular with each passing day, where it used to be seen as a hobby but now it is seen as a potential career and sport. Not to mention that gaming companies are partnering with Youtube Gaming and Twitch influencers to boost views and sales.
The Awesome Power of Community to Pioneer the Future of Games by Dan Butchko - Dan Butchko is the founder of Playcrafting in which they host gaming events and conferences that are meant to bring people and gaming together. In this session, he talks about how playcrafting came to be, how the gaming community has grown over time, and the educational aspects of it as well. They host various events whether it be networking, showcasing your game, how to use the unreal engine, game testing, and more. They host Global Game Jam, Bit Awards, and PlayNYC every year.
Ghost Commander by Lauren Liedel & Keenan Mosimann - Lauren Liedel & Keenan Mosimann are the founders of Ghost Commander which is an interactive haunted house in where the viewers can both direct the ghost hunters and the ghost. The viewers help the ghost hunters by guiding them through the haunted house but the viewers can also help the ghost out by activating traps to startle the hunters or purchasing boosters to help the hunters, the series will be on Twitch once it launches. Interactive Gaming is on the rise especially with Netflix’s Black Mirror: Bandersnatch & Bear Grylls’ You vs. Wild. They also speak about how live video can be monetized nowadays as well.
Women Who Stream by Jess Brohard, Narz, Cresta Starr & Ali Baker - Jess Brohard is an esports event host & interviewer, Cresta Starr is a game journalist & event host, Ali Baker is a gaming host & content creator, and Narz is an esports host & streamer. In this session, they speak about the reality of being a female in the gaming community and the hardships that can stem from it. They covered how the gaming community for females has grown over the years as well. How to start if your a woman who wants to get into streaming, where and how to monetize from it, and how to build your name brand as well.
Intro to Monetization in Mobile Games by Nir Efrat - Nir Efrat is the CEO of Dots which is a series of mobile games. He covers how to monetize your mobile games and what to be on the lookout for and what to pay attention too. He mentions how to keep track of your LTV and CPI. How to get good retention metrics, how to push your monetization up but push your CPI down. Also how adding ads and subscriptions can prove to be useful as well. What ideas for in-app purchases depending on the kind of mobile game you have can prove to boost revenue sales and which KPI’s you should be keeping track of.
Each session was between about 15-45 Minutes long depending on what you were showing which was a necessary amount of time to showcase your product or speak about your experience in the field. There were quite a few DEMOS that were shown as well which deserve some looking into such as Bunch by Selcuk Atli, Stream Captain by Bradley Ross, Genvid by Chris Cataldi, and Ghost Commander by Lauren Liedel & Keenan Mosimann.
Wonderville also provided some of their handcrafted arcade games for the conference as well. They are an indie arcade and event space located in Brooklyn, they also partner up with independent artists to showcase upcoming indie games for people to get their hands on about twice a month. They were also the sponsors for the Happy Hour at this event.
It was a great event and I can’t wait to come back to the next one however, I do wish there was more gender diversity at this conference as the flyer was a little misleading. So I do hope to see more women in the industry at the next RENDER: Good Gaming Conference. Other than that the conference was great, it was very insightful and I will be keeping an eye out for the next one. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in getting to know more about the industry.
