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About the Organization

Who we are

STLGameDev is a volunteer-run organization providing support to game creators of all levels and all walks of life in the greater St. Louis Missouri region.

We are dedicated to establishing an open, inclusive, and harassment-free community where creators of all types of games– video, board, card, tabletop, and any other unique methods of play– can share ideas, receive constructive feedback, find resources, and build connections in order to bring their game projects to fruition.

What we do

STLGameDev facilitates conversation and collaboration virtually through our Discord server where creators can freely discuss ideas, share works in progress, and receive help and feedback from peers and mentors.

We promote connection through a variety of free in-person events:

  • Monthly social events
  • Semiannual demo/playtesting events
  • Semiannual game jams (both online and in-person) including the Global Game Jam each year.
  • Semiannual educational lecture events and workshops

Sign up for our events through Meetup!

Community Guidelines

We are dedicated to establishing an open, inclusive, and harassment-free community where creators of all backgrounds, beliefs, and lifestyles can work together safely.

We will not tolerate:

  • Inappropriate Decorum
    unwanted attention, unsolicited advice, speaking out of turn or for longer than suggested during introductions, or dominating conversations
  • Oppressive Behavior
    any conduct that demeans, marginalizes, rejects, threatens or harms anyone on the basis of identity, background, or ability
  • Harassment
    deliberate intimidation; stalking; following; harassing photography or recording; disruption of events; aggressive, derogatory, or threatening comments; and unwanted physical contact or sexual attention
  • Destructive Behavior
    damaging or altering any part of the building, inside or out, including furniture, equipment, or other people’s belongings
  • Exclusionary Actions
    denying certain participants opportunities to share views, skills and other contributions; engaging in favoritism; and creating or reinforcing an inequitable learning environment

Anyone violating these guidelines will be banned from events and community spaces (such as our Discord server).

Our History

Our organization has grown and changed over many iterations since it began as a humble Meetup group in 2010.

In 2013, a local chapter of the IGDA (International Game Developers Association) was established, but we eventually found being under the umbrella of the IGDA too restrictive to the needs and ambitions of community members.

This led to the formation of the St. Louis Game Developer Co-op nonprofit organization in 2015. For several years, the Co-op grew and thrived, supporting our community with events, game jams, social outings, and more– until the Covid-19 pandemic brought in-person events, the lifeblood of our community, to a halt.

Due to the burden of maintaining the organization as volunteers, the Co-op leadership decided to dissolve the nonprofit and step away from the group near the end of 2024.

The new leadership is dedicated to continuing the mission of the organization and rebuilding the community going forward.

Our Leadership

STLGameDev is led by a core team of volunteer administrators:

  • Wes Ehrlichman — SuperWes, SuperWes, SuperWes, wesleyte
    Wes, or SuperWes, has been a consistent presence in leadership of the community since the meetup began in 2010. He has a passion for collaborative problem solving through software. Wes has worked at Riot Games, BradyGames, The Gamer’s Quarter, Pelaaja, and countless video game stores. He currently manages a mobile development team at World Wide Technology and spends most of his game development time designing board games.
  • Dan Eichling — kinglord, dan@callsigngames
    Dan is a game industry veteran, agile enthusiast and AI harbinger. An OG community member and speaker that has his 2009 GGJ pin somewhere. Still enjoys making and playing games of all shapes and flavors, except eggplant.
  • Tim I Hely — seifertim, seifertim, axolstudio
    Tim has been a member of the St. Louis Game Development community since his first Game Jam in April 2014. He is the Founder of Axol Studio game company.
  • TimConceivable — timconceivable, timconceivable
    TimConceivable! is a 2D artist, game developer, and musical dabbler. He has been an active member of the community since 2010 when he started his game dev journey. In the following years he has participated in over 40 game jams and completed zero games. He was also a Co-op board member from 2018 to 2019.
  • Chris Taylor — shredder2500 shredder2500, shredderct
    Chris is a seasoned software engineer with a passion for solving complex problems and bringing ideas to life through code. With over a decade of experience in game development, he has built custom game engines, contributed to various game jams—including one where he worked on four games simultaneously—and actively supports the game development community. Chris thrives in both collaborative environments and individual projects, always looking for ways to improve his skills. In addition to his technical expertise, he enjoys mentoring others, sharing his knowledge at meetups, and helping developers unlock their potential. His contributions since 2014 reflect a commitment to fostering creativity and innovation within the industry.

Contact

You can reach someone in leadership by one of the following methods:

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