The Christchurch Game Developers Association is a not-for-profit incorporated society that works to support, grow, and advocate for video game development in Ōtautahi Christchurch, New Zealand.
Originally founded in 2015, the Christchurch Game Developers Association (CGDA) is an organisation dedicated to supporting the local Ōtautahi Christchurch Game Development Community.
CGDA works with local sponsors and tertiary institutes to provide monthly Meetup Events, featuring a wide variety of Talks from local and international guest speakers. We also facilitate Canterbury sites for Game Jams (weekend-long collaborative game creation events) and Playtest Exhibitions, with the goal of showcasing local talent and illuminating pathways into the Game Development Industry.
CGDA also functions as the local advocacy body for game development in Canterbury. Our efforts involve working with local government, education and industry partners, as well as collaborating with the NZGDA in their efforts and events. We also liaise with other Screen Sector partners to ensure that game development is included in wider discussions and policy decisions.
Who We Represent
Who We Represent
We have a huge spectrum of members, including commercial game development studios, individual developers and industry-employed artists, self-employed freelancers, independent game developers, hobbyists, teams working in applied immersive game design, students, educators and researchers.
We have over 1200 members on Meetup, and a Discord Community with over 400 users. Since our inception we have hosted over 95 events, including Talks, Workshops, Game Jams and Showcases. CGDA is proudly supported by Cerebralfix, Screen Canterbury NZ, HitLab, Yoobee Colleges, plus a selfless crew of individual Patrons, all committed to our vision for the growth of Game Development in Ōtautahi.
Our Events
Our Events
The CGDA takes part in and runs a number of events for Canterbury based game developers.
We frequently offer casual follow-up events either in person or digitally to continue the conversations and share stories, encouraging community growth, connection-building and the sharing of knowledge and expertise.
A typical meetup includes:
A Guest Speaker or Panel presenting on a core topic
An opportunity for Q&A with our Guest Speakers
Games Industry News and Events from around New Zealand
In order to educate and generate interest in the Game Development pathways available in Christchurch, The Christchurch Game Developers Association has been running Playtest Events in collaboration with Tūranga Central Library and Yoobee Colleges.
During these Playtests, student work from Yoobee Colleges is showcased alongside projects from local studios and developers, providing great visibility and cross-pollination for exhibitors and attendees within the game development community.
The Game Jam events we host throughout the year give our community an opportunity to come together, collaborate, experiment, learn, and have fun making small games over weekend jam sessions.
We facilitate sites for (or online support) the following Jams:
