EPX Animation & Gaming Conference
Art Building West, University of Iowa — April 26-27
The video game industry is a diverse network of creative, design-oriented professionals whose names resonate with millions of video game fans across the world. For every J.J. Abrams, there is a Phil Fish. For every Guillermo Del Toro, there is a Jonathan Blow. Their keynotes draw thousands, and their philosophies on interactive design and player agency are incredibly complex for a hobby that’s often derided as a brainless exercise in destruction.
On April 26-27, EPX Studios (pronounced “epics”) will bring a number of these industry professionals to Iowa City with its EPX Animation and Gaming Conference. Created in 2011, EPX is a student organization that specializes in animation, 3D rendering and video game production on campus. EPXCON will draw in creatives from Disney Interactive’s Playdom, stop-motion experts Laika Studios, Gazillion Entertainment and more. The two-day event will feature masterclasses, keynote speeches and student opportunities for one-on-one time with the visiting professionals.
Renaud Bédard, co-creator of the award-winning indie game Fez, will also be in attendance. Bédard is perhaps most commonly known through his divisive role in Indie Game: The Movie, wherein the troubled development of Fez and Bédard’s terse relationship with co-creator Phil Fish was documented in great detail. As fans of the documentary know, Bédard and Fish’s game would eventually sweep through the indie gaming landscape, winning countless awards and being named Eurogamer’s 2012 Game of the Year.
http://youtu.be/yCqKb1yBQck
Join EPX, Bédard and more on April 26-27 for 12+ hours of game-related pomp and revelry. April 26 events begin at 3:30 p.m., with April 27 events resuming at 1:00 p.m.
On this week’s “Talking WIth . . .” special Guest host (and huge gaming fan) Josh Eklow talked with Alexis Riley and Ryan HoltKamp from EPX Studios about the growth and history of the gaming industry and this weekend’s big EPX Animation and Gaming Conference.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t5Q-t1pR6A
You write:
“Bédard is perhaps most commonly known through his divisive role in Indie Game: The Movie, wherein the troubled development of Fez and Bédard’s terse relationship with co-creator Phil Fish was documented in great detail.”
Nope. The divisive role was held by a former Polytron business partner who left the project early on. Renaud is the programmer who kept with Phil until the game’s release. In fact even though he’s now at Capybara, he’s still working on the various FEZ ports.