Chicago Makes Games ✶ Game development communities and resources

Welcome to Chicago’s free directory promoting local Game Development communities.

4/24/23

Hey, it’s been a while!

Jamie here with an update. Thanks to all you regulars who stop by and share CMG. I’m glad this site has helped increase visibility for Chicago’s many game dev pockets, and I’m flattered for the continued traffic.

The world has changed plenty since our 2015 launch. 👏 It’s time for Spring Cleaning.

We now accept links for tabletop, role-playing, and other games-adjacent creator communities. Chicago makes games of all kinds! Please send your links.
Given the new rhythm of gatherings, the Event Calendar has been removed temporarily. Please check each Community for recurring meetups and event announcements.
Large events with enough notice might get special treatment. Send those links and we’ll play it by ear.
The site’s underlying structure got overhauled, and the design is in flux. Please send bug reports.

You can reach me here, here, and here. Thanks for your support!

— Jamie

Communities

Bit Bash Chicago’s first Indie Games festival celebrates games that create social play, feature alternative controls, or promote community diversity.
Chicago Game Lab A members-driven community for project work and collaboration with special focus on game development and creative and technical disciplines.
Chicago Loot Drop A charitable organization that unites gaming and nerd communities to do good around Chicagoland.
Chicago Unity Developers Meetup A user group for devs working with the Unity 3D game engine.
Chicago Unreal Engine Heroes A place where anyone using UE4 can get together and share projects, demos, ideas and any fun things they’re doing with the engine.
Chicago Video Game Law Summit Our city’s premiere video game law related event featuring academic panels and debates.
Experimental Game Dev Group Meetup catering to aspiring game developers that further the boundaries of play.
IGDA Chicago Local chapter of the International Game Developers Association focused on improving the games industry.
Indie City Games A monthly forum for Midwest-based developers learning, playtesting, and talking about indie games.
Industry Night A monthly social gathering for game developers of all disciplines and proficiencies.
Junior Development Experience A student-run studio at DePaul University for people of various disciplines to work together on projects as they would in a real development environment.
PETAL et al Non-profit organization providing entertainment technology arts education, which co-hosts a bi-monthly meetup with the Indie Video Game Developers Association.
Sugar Gamers Company specializing in tech advocacy and inclusivity in gaming, geek and tech spaces.
VGA Gallery This non-profit seeks to increase cultural appreciation and education of video games through exhibition, study, and sale of art.
Weston Game Lab 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.