Community Update # 88 — Playtests and GDC
Things are heating up on Planet Atmos, literally and figuratively. We’re kicking off another round of community member playtest events to gain further insight and perspectives on a pre-alpha build of ExoGP. In industry news, we share the latest about Xbox’s new inclusivity framework for developers. One of our Community Managers shares their assessment from GDC and, as always, we celebrate two of our outstanding citizens in our community highlight.
GDC
Community Manager for Planet Atmos Tradesgiving (aka The Collab King) toured the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco CA this week. GDC is a week-long celebration of the art, craft, and business of game development featuring over 500 exhibitors, such as Epic, Microsoft, and Google, and more than 700 speakers from every facet of game development. Here’s what Trades had to say about his experience:
“Hey Citizens! Had such a blast representing Planet Atmos at GDC this year. It was such a surreal experience meeting many of our awesome community members, partners, and other friends in person along with learning about what people were excited about in the Web3 gaming space and all the innovations going on. 2024 is going to be such an action-packed year for the Web3 gaming space!! Our team is happy to be a part of this new wave of innovators to provide y’all an immersive experience with the Planet Atmos ecosystem.”
Industry News
In gaming dev news, Xbox has introduced the “Gaming for Everyone Product Inclusion Framework” to elevate inclusivity in game development. This comprehensive model, developed after conversations with Xbox’s global studios and adopted internally since 2019, prioritizes approachability, representation, globalization, and accessibility. Those four platforms cover and overlap on topics such as ensuring games are able to be played by as wide an audience as possible and portraying a wider variety of characters in games. Xbox executive Katy Jo Wright stresses that the framework is not a mandate but a guide to authentic inclusivity. Developers looking for further resources on inclusivity can also access their dedicated Discord channel for more info and to provide their feedback.
Community Highlight
We have two fine Atmosians to celebrate for this week’s community call-out. First, we’d like to give a virtual high-five to kcaryths. Not only are they always a welcome voice in the community dialogues, but this week they came across a stranger in need and they stepped up to the plate to do whatever they could to help. To quote H.D. Thoreau, “Goodness is the only investment that never fails.” Additionally, one of our brethren is entering into some big life changes very soon, so we send our communal support and congratulations to Kryptonverse on their evolving journey.
