Thank you for ten years of TVGS!

Executive DirectorLeave a comment

The first meeting of TVGS was ten years ago today. Our community began as a meetup to help indie game devs in the Capital Region (myself included) connect, support each other, and hopefully feel a bit less isolated.

Within a few short months, the enthusiastic response from local creators had already enabled us to host our first communal project showcase, start teaching free game making lessons, open a game dev coworking office, host our first game jam, and collaborate on various creative projects – including a game that warned players about the perils of doing too much laundry.

I genuinely could not have imagined all of the wonderful things that have happened since that first gathering. I’m so grateful to have been able to work with all of you to build this community together, one day at a time. Organizing a group like TVGS comes with a lot of emotional highs and lows – but looking back over the past ten years, I find myself filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for everyone who has contributed to making our community thrive. ❤️

Keep watching this space and the TVGS Discord in the coming weeks as we celebrate our ten-year milestone together, give thanks to our community members, discuss some upcoming plans for future in-person meetups, and more. Here’s to another ten years together, Space Cadets!

Updated Notice from TVGS regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Web Coordinator

Updated Notice from Tech Valley Game Space regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19):

In accordance with the recent mandate from Governor Cuomo’s office to limit the spread of Coronavirus/COVID-19, our venue will be locking its doors as of 8pm on Sunday, March 22, 2020. No one will be able to enter the facility after this time. Venue staff will not be on-site.

If you need to retrieve personal items from the facility, please do so by 8pm Sunday March 22, 2020.

If you are expecting mail at TVGS, you may want to consider having your mail forwarded to you. We are not permitted to remain onsite to receive orders or mail deliveries. usps.com/manage/forward.htm

Although our physical venue will be temporarily closed, our community will remain active via online events, classes, and activities. Most of these online interactions will be hosted via our TVGS Discord Server. If you haven’t already, please join our Discord and invite others to do the same.

For additional details, please review the Governor’s Executive Order mandating 100% Closure of Non-Essential Businesses Statewide, as well as the latest update from the Tech Valley Center of Gravity.

Keep up-to-date with what’s happening with COVID-19 around New York State:

Rensselaer County Department of Health

Troy City Hall

Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce

New York State Department of Health

Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Tech Valley Game Space will continue to do its absolute best to serve and communicate to our membership throughout this pandemic national emergency. Our cancellations and additional rules for usage are based on compliance with state and national mandates, which are being updated regularly. We encourage members to maintain their memberships if possible; your support is always critical to our existence, but especially needed through this very difficult time.

Thank you for your continued support. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out and let us know at info@techvalleygamespace.com.

Best,

TVGS Team

Notice from TVGS regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Web Coordinator

Notice from Tech Valley Game Space regarding Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19):

Tech Valley Game Space is a hub for game makers throughout the Capital Region, and our top priority is to ensure the health and safety of everyone in our community. With this in mind, we are taking the following precautionary measures to safeguard the welfare of all community members:

1. We are temporarily suspending all in-person TVGS events and meetings.
Where possible, we will aim to either reschedule these activities or conduct them as online-only gatherings. We will continue monitoring the situation around COVID-19, and we will provide updates regarding our event schedule as circumstances change.

2. Our venue will be temporarily closed to the general public.
Until further notice, only paying TVGS coworking members (and their supervised guests) will be permitted to access the venue.

3. We are instituting additional sanitization measures for those using shared facilities and equipment.
All community members are responsible for washing down and sanitizing communal tables and equipment before and after using them. This applies to all hands-on tools, hardware, and peripherals. Examples include (but are not limited to) mice, keyboards, game controllers, touchscreen devices, and VR headsets.

Additionally, TVGS members must ensure that they abide by all venue guidelines and regulations outlined by the Tech Valley Center of Gravity. Before utilizing the facility, members are required to review the following essential information about TVCOG’s protocols regarding COVID-19: tvcog.net/about/whats-news

You can help protect yourself and others by sanitizing diligently, washing your hands regularly (for at least 20 seconds), and staying home if you feel sick. That last item bears repeating: If you are not feeling well, or have been in contact with a person with COVID-19 symptoms, or if you have been at a public event that is correlated with a known case of COVID-19, please err on the side of caution by staying home and getting tested.

To help us maintain a safe and healthy community, please take the time to educate yourself on the preventative measures you can take to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. This information is readily available via public health agencies such as the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Rensselaer County Health Department.

We are continuing to track the situation around COVID-19 closely, and we will share information as new details become available. To help ensure that you don’t miss any relevant updates, we encourage you to follow us on social media, subscribe to our email newsletter, and join our online chat groups on Facebook and Discord.

We are all in this together, and we appreciate your understanding and cooperation. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out and let us know at info@techvalleygamespace.com.

Best,

TVGS Team