ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -1UpState returned to Albany for its second year. Developers from across the Capital Region came to showcase their latest games, many of which have not even been released yet.
“We have all different types of levels here. From hobbyists, to students, to professional developers, and we’re all coming to the Albany Capital Center to share these experiences and put forth what we’ve created,” said Anthony Rossi, Event Manager of 1UpState.
Local developers put their best and latest work on display, ready to get feedback from eager players. A game demo called The Songbird Guild was too fun for many to put down.
“I’ve been having a problem with people staying too long when other people are trying to get a turn,” explained Tess Wainwright, Writer and Programmer at Yurisoft. “I think that’s probably the best feedback you can get.”
Not every game has a huge team or large budget behind it. Polyhedron Productions is making a small game called Keepin’ it Reel for the also small Playdate handheld console, “It could just be a group of friends who got together, have an idea, put something together for fun, and then go, ‘No, there’s more to it. Let’s pursue it,” said C.J. Kershner, Studio Head.
For 2024, 1UpState has more to show for than just pixels on a screen. Balancing having fun and turning the hobby of gaming into a career.
“So, one of the things that we came up with was adding the board game playtesting, a financial workshop for small business owners. So, we are expanding the programming for year two and hope to keep that growth moving forward,” described Rossi.
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