Wisconsin Games Alliance

We’re excited to announce Hathora as our MDEV 2025 headline sponsor! Hathora’s cutting-edge infrastructure powers real-time GPU and CPU workloads. Their commitment to supporting game developers aligns perfectly with MDEV’s mission to help studios thrive. We couldn’t ask for a better partner to help us make this year’s event the biggest and best yet. Stay tuned for more updates, this one’s going to be special!

“MDEV has become the center of gravity in the Midwest that pulls game developers, new and experienced alike, together to exchange ideas, inspire each other, and explore the possibility space that video games inhabit.” We’re thrilled to announce that Chris Melissinos, author, Principal Evangelist at Amazon Web Services (AWS), livestream host, and previous Chief Gaming Officer will headline MDEV 2025 as our Day 2 Keynote Speaker! Chris Melissinos is the Principal Evangelist for Video Games and Immersive Technologies at AWS, where he helps influence the next generation of game technology and offerings from AWS while also acting as a developer advocate, ensuring that the needs of game developers are met. Prior to AWS, he was the Chief Gaming Officer at Sun Microsystems, Inc., creator of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s “The Art of Video Games” exhibition, Executive Director of Media and Entertainment for Verizon, and a founding board member of the Video Game History Foundation. His “The Art of Video Games” exhibition explored the 40-year evolution of video games as an art form, demonstrating its impact on American culture, and traveled to 10 additional museums across the US. For this work, he received the industry “Ambassador Award” at the 2013 Game Developers Choice Awards at the Game Developers Conference. He co-authored the book, “The Art of Video Games: From Pac-Man to Mass Effect”, and has contributed to or been featured in numerous other works. A frequent speaker at major industry events and universities around the world, he has been featured in more than 30 news outlets including CBS, ABC, BBC, NPR, Wired, Time Magazine, National Geographic, Nintendo Power, Game Informer, and TEDx. He is also the host of the weekly “Boss Rush” video game industry news livestream on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitch. 🎟️ Don’t miss his keynote at MDEV 2025, grab your tickets now at https://www.mdevconf.com/

This is your daily reminder that you can apply to speak, volunteer, or showcase your game at MDEV 🎮 MDEV is coming up soon in less than a month and we'd love to have you participate! 📍 The Alliant Energy Center, Madison WI 🗓️ November 7-8th Learn more and apply today at https://www.mdevconf.com/

If you’re attending MDEV 2025 (or even if you’re not), we’ve got something special planned! 📸 We’re thrilled to announce MDEV: The Kick-Off Event - a pre-event social to kick off the week in true Midwest fashion. Entry is free with an MDEV ticket (no additional registration is required). Not attending MDEV but still want in? Or maybe you’re bringing a +1 (or +20)? Tickets for non-MDEV attendees are available online (https://lnkd.in/eG4u6Rck) or at the door. 📍 Location: The Orpheum Theater, 216 State St, Madison, WI 53703 🗓️ Time/Date: Thursday, November 6th; Doors Open @ 6 PM, Program Starts @ 8 PM This is your chance to celebrate the Midwest games industry in style,  whatever your style may be. Enjoy our signature cocktail, take on an IRL Quest, and mingle with developers, creators, and industry leaders from across the region. The evening will feature a special big-screen video presentation, Made in the Midwest: This Year in Video Games, followed by an insightful panel, “2025: A Look at the State of the Midwest Games Industry”. The dress code for this event is 'Choose Your Own Adventure' (formal, casual, cosplay — anything goes), and you'll strut down the MDEV red carpet to get your photo snapped. This event is open to the public and cash bar. Whether you’re part of the industry or want to celebrate the video games industry in the Midwest 💬 Have questions? Join our Discord (https://lnkd.in/eBpnEwVH) to stay in the loop and chat with the MDEV community.

Our President was profiled by StartMidwest about his journey from Wisconsin through his career. Hear Ben Kvalo speak at MDEV next month!

We’ve got something exciting brewing for all our MDEV friends (let’s just say it involves drinks, great games, and even better company) 🍻🎮 Full details drop Monday, but here’s your heads-up that you may want to include Thursday, November 6th in your travel plans 😉

We’ve got just a few speaker spots left for MDEV 2025! 📈 Oh and speakers get a free ticket to the event... Don't miss your chance and apply today at https://www.mdevconf.com/

"The Midwest has always been a quiet powerhouse in game development.” We’re thrilled to announce that Gordon Bellamy, Executive Director / CEO of the Gay Gaming Professionals, board member of Directors of Wave, and Director of Cinematic Ethics at USC, will headline MDEV 2025 as our Day 1 Keynote Speaker! Gordon is a Professor of the Practice of Cinematic Arts at USC and the Director of Cinematic Ethics, helping to cultivate the next generation of leaders in our craft. He has played key business and product leadership roles at Tencent, Electronic Arts, as a designer on Madden NFL Football, and MTV Networks. In 2020, Bellamy was honored by Games for Change as their Vanguard Award winner for his contributions to the craft. In 2019, he was awarded the first ever Jerry Lawson Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2018 he was featured in Nickelodeon's Black History Month. Currently, he is featured in Netflix's Game Documentary, High Score, Amazon’s It’s In The Game Docuseries, and on The World According to Jeff Goldblum on Disney + . Gordon serves as the Executive Director / CEO of the Gay Gaming Professionals and on the Board of Directors of Wave and has served as Executive Director of both the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences and the International Game Developers Association. He is a graduate of Harvard College with a BA in Engineering, and resides with his husband Joe Heally, and their dog, Colby Janet, in Los Angeles, California. 🎟️ Don’t miss his keynote at MDEV 2025 Grab your tickets now at https://www.mdevconf.com/ and stay tuned for the announcement of our Day 2 Keynote Speaker!

Don't miss your chance to win an MDEV ticket from this SciPlay giveaway!

Enter the International Game Developers Association (IGDA®) giveaway for a chance to win a free tickets!