GREEN BAY, Wis. — Billy Sweetman has been working on his video game called “Dire” for about a year.
“It’s a narrative, single-player story adventure similar to Gone Home where you’re walking through an environment and experiencing a couple of stories as you discover and go deeper into the different levels,” he said.
Sweetman was part of Game On Green Bay, a multi-day event that showcased game development in the region.
It culminated with designers showing their games. Some participants were part of a game jam that saw them create titles in 72 hours.
Others, like Sweetman, were part of independent game showcase.
“This is the first bigger project that I’ve worked on that I’ve tried to market out and show a few more people than I normally do,” he said.
The video game industry is worth about $106 billion dollars in the United States alone.
The Wisconsin Economic Development corporation said there are about 70 game developers in the state, many of those are in and around Madison.
Kelly Armstrong, vice-president of economic development for The Greater Green Bay Chamber, said Game On Green Bay brings independent developers together to create and showcase their work.
“So that more people know that this exists here and that other folks exist here who are doing the same thing to be able to build more collaboration and more awareness,” she said.
Armstrong said helping those in the industry find local and regional connections is a key part of keeping workers in the area and state.
“People knowing this industry is here and there are ways to connect into this industry here is huge for talent retention and attraction,” she said. “No longer do you just have to go to the west coast if you want to get your game published or to work with people in the industry, you have that connectivity now, here.”
Sweetman said events like Game On Green Bay will help further solidify the industry in Wisconsin.
“I’d love to see more studios spawn up in the area, or independent developers who are out there making their own games locally and have that support network that is much needed,” he said.