Most people don’t realize this, but Baltimore is one of the largest hubs of video game developers outside of California. Big studios such as Zenimax Online, Zynga East, and Firaxis are located in the northern suburbs of Baltimore, and many more small studios are scattered around the state. After leaving Bethesda Softworks and entering the indie scene, I was amazed at how few people knew about Baltimore’s history in video games and its continual significance to the overall video game industry.

So, we came up with an idea to host a video game showcase at ArtScape to bring awareness about the local industry, and to inspire kids to pursue video games as a career. And Gamescape was born. It’s hard to believe that it’s been only three years since we created and hosted the first event, but since then, thousands of people have been exposed to the video game industry here; and we’ve found and bonded with many other indie studios in the area.

The third GameScape begins next Friday, July 20th, and we couldn’t be more excited! As the curators, it is our job to help find interesting and talented developers to showcase their work, and I believe this year will feature is the best group yet! We have a game where the controller is a teddy bear, another where it’s an exercise bike, and several really cool indie arcade games. We’ll also have a bunch of old school arcade cabinets for those who want to get retro :) For a full list of exhibitors, go here.

A wonderful side benefit to exhibiting at Gamescape has been the feedback that we get from players. Last year we left the show with over five pages of notes that helped us improve My Pet Rock. It’s been very gratifying seeing first-hand how happy people are when they see and play our games.

We take a lot of pride in curating the show’s content, and remain very grateful to BOPA for their continued support and collaboration.  If you live near Baltimore, come check out Gamescape next weekend! And don’t forget to stop by our table and say hello!

Dates & Times:
Friday, July 20: 11AM – 9PM
Saturday, July 21: 11AM – 9PM
Sunday, July 22: 11AM – 8PM

Location:
Pinkard Gallery, located inside the Bunting Center at MICA.

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