Chicago Makes Games

Chicago’s first Indie Games festival celebrates games that create social play, feature alternative controls, or promote community diversity.

A members-driven community for project work and collaboration with special focus on game development and creative and technical disciplines.

A charitable organization that unites gaming and nerd communities to do good around Chicagoland.

A user group for devs working with the Unity 3D game engine.

A place where anyone using UE4 can get together and share projects, demos, ideas and any fun things they’re doing with the engine.

Our city’s premiere video game law related event featuring academic panels and debates.

Meetup catering to aspiring game developers that further the boundaries of play.

Local chapter of the International Game Developers Association focused on improving the games industry.

A monthly forum for Midwest-based developers learning, playtesting, and talking about indie games. Extremely active Discord! Also runs the one-day con Chicago Indie Game Showcase aka C.I.G.S.

A group of independent game developers, students, and fans welcoming amateur and professional game developers who create and play video games. Meetups last 2 hours were you can build great relationships with other developers and creators.

A monthly social gathering for game developers of all disciplines and proficiencies. Ask for a Discord invite!

This non-profit seeks to increase cultural appreciation and education of video games through exhibition, study, and sale of art.

The Weston Game Lab at the University of Chicago features a classroom, studio space, and open work areas for collaborative design and development games that produce social impact or experiment with form.