Student game developers showcase projects at IGDA event

The highlight of Vamsi Varra’s Saturday was seeing a dad and his toddler play the video game he’s been creating with peers during Game Studio. The family even gave Varra, who will graduate in the spring from the Becker School of Design & Technology MFA program, some positive feedback.

“There’s nothing that makes me happier than seeing people enjoy the game I’ve made,” he says. Varra’s action game, called “KamiKaZe,” was on display during the Fall Game Expo hosted by Clark’s chapter of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA).

The semesterly event was created to help students meet developers and build community. The IGDA sets up expo booths in a way that emulates the popular PAX East gaming convention and encourages students and developers to chat with one another.

Varra, the marketing lead of Clark IGDA, was one of at least 50 students to show projects at the expo on Saturday, Nov. 9, in the Center for Media Arts, Computing, and Design. In total, 21 student groups presented games alongside 17 professional showcases from notable game developers including Dream Sloth Games, which showed Duelyst II: the Board Game, and IconicArts, which showed GoobnBalloonsDX. Roughly 250 people attended the event.

Alex Supron ’25, MFA ’26, president of the IGDA, says the Expo helps prepare students for their post-graduation job searches.

“Building connections within the industry is the best way to give students a leg up in the future because the most common way to get a job is by having references that are already in the industry,” Supron says. “Having a casual setting for everyone to show off passion projects creates space to make those meaningful connections. Throughout the event I was able to connect developers I knew with rising talent at Clark.”

The Expo also helps BSDT students market their projects to fellow Clarkies who are interested in technology, such as computer science majors, says Varra.

“You don’t need to have gaming experience to enjoy our work,” Varra adds.

Supron echoes that sentiment. “The Expo was an opportunity for other students to learn about what we do and interact with us,” he says.

Supron and Brien Rondeau ’24, MFA ’25, showed their game “Unsent,” which explores the stories behind lost love letters as players move between 3D platforms.

“I was able to reconnect with developers that I have known for some time now and show them what I’ve been up to and in turn hear what they’ve been doing. It’s nice to have a dedicated time and space to catch up with everyone,” says Rondeau, who is a past president of IGDA and helps advise the club now.

The students say developers are always excited to showcase games at Clark.

“Most game developers have been in our position before, whether they were a game dev student or a student wanting to get into games,” says Rondeau. “They know how hard it is and how much passion goes into everything we do here. They also have passion for their projects, and they want to show people what they’re working on. It’s been a very positive experience for both developers and students.”