Hi. I’m really pleased to be able to announce GameStorm: Indie Hurricane! Come hang with us in Portland, OR (Vancouver, WA actually, but it’s only a few minutes away from Portland) March 28-30th, 2008!

Next March GameStorm, Portland’s premier (and only) gaming convention, will host GameStorm: Indie Hurricane. Indie Hurricane brings 3 days of indie gaming to GameStorm with a projected 40+ scheduled gaming sessions, games on demand tables, panels, an indie games demo and sales booth and an after hours Guitar Hero/Rock Band lounge!

Last year Christian Griffen. Travis Brown, Chris Weedin, Nick Smith and I sat up a small booth at GameStorm and ran demos, games and panels all weekend. We had a lot of fun, met a lot of great people and played a lot of great games. The response from GameStorm attendees was fantastic, so we’ve decided to return this year with an even bigger and better event. Matt Gagen, Matt Schlotte and Chris Goodwin have joined us in planning Indie Hurricane, a special multi-day GameStorm event designed to cater to fans of story, small-press, alternative and indie games!

Why it will be awesome:

Scheduled Games! Indie Hurricane features 3 days of scheduled indie gaming! We’re planning for 40+ scheduled indie games over the weekend!

Games on Demand: Indie Hurricane will feature Games on Demand tables and after hour gaming for attendees who don’t want to commit to scheduled games!

Demo and Buy: The Indie Hurricane Booth offers games from attending indie designers and publishers. Our booth staff will be running demos and organizing games all weekend. Last year we found that the booth was a great gateway for GameStorms more traditional attendees to be introduced to indie gaming. We ran a lot of demos and sold a lot of books! This year we want to feature more books and more demos! If you are planning to attend Indie Hurricane we would be happy to stock your game/ashcan at our booth and provide space for you to run demos. Contact me at the email below for booth information.

Panels: GameStorm has asked us to plan some indie/small press/story/alternative game panels. Last year we ran an ad hoc panel on game publishing. This year we’re interested in expanding our panels to cover more topics and to help introduce GameStorms more traditional attendees to indie gaming. If you have a suggestion for a panel or would like to participate please let us know!

Guitar Hero/Rock Band lounge: We’ll be hosting an after hours Guitar Hero/Rock Band lounge! Come ready to rock!

All the great GameStorm stuff: GameStorm offers all kinds of great fun besides just Indie Hurricane. Sign up for hundreds of games, tournaments, panels and events!

Here’s the vital info:

How much will it cost? The purchase of a GameStorm ticket covers all Indie Hurricane events. Tickets cost $30 for the weekend. The con is being held at the Red Lion at the Quay in Vancouver, WA (just across the river from Portland). Special room rates are available for GameStorm attendees. Check out the GameStorm site (link below) for more info. Dining is available at the Hotel, and GameStorm runs a pretty sweet hospitality lounge.

How do I register and sign up for games? Registration will be online at the GameStorm site very soon. Since Indie Hurricane is part of GameStorm, all you’ll need to do is register for GameStorm! Once you register you’ll be able to use the GameStorm site to sign up for scheduled games and events or sign up to run games. All Indie Hurricane events will be tagged and organized so that attendees can easily find and recognize them!

While waiting for the GameStorm registration page to come online, feel free to visit the Indie Hurricane forum on the Portland Indie Gamers page (link below) and ask questions, plan games and give suggestions.

Who can attend? Indie Hurricane is open to everyone! You don’t have to be a “leet indie gamer” to enjoy Indie Hurricane! Everyone is welcome. We’ll be offering demos, starter games and panels specifically designed to introduce new and traditional gamers to indie gaming. We want to provide a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere where everyone can have fun and play some great games. We want to be open to everyone!

I’m interested in helping out: Please! Contact me at the email below to make suggestions or to find out how you can help.

I’m a game designer/podcaster/artist. Can I be a GameStorm guest? I think so. Contact me for more info.

Will there be t-shirts? Of course! T-shirt sales will help offset our costs. Look for shirt preorders soon.

I’ll be posting more info about the event over the coming weeks and months. If you have any questions (because I’m sure there are things I forgot to mention here) please email me at the below address!

Thanks,

Jake Richmond

Contact Jake Richmond for more information: [email]jake@atarashigames.com[/email]

The official GameStorm site: http://www.gamestorm.org/

The Indie Hurricane/Portland Indie Gamers site: http://www.goplaypdx.com/

The Indie Hurricane forum: http://www.goplaypdx.com/forum/index.php?board=2.0