A type treatment of Toronto Games Week

A celebration of playable arts & culture


You can view or subscribe to all the TGW events via Google Calendar.

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KICKOFF

Thu June 13, 6:30pm-12am

IO Connect: Summer Mixer 2024 - TGW Kickoff & XP24 Afterparty

Join Interactive Ontario and the Ontario video game and XR industry for an evening of video game celebration, officially kicking off Toronto Games Week 2024 in style with a live DJ, game showcases, and networking opportunities. Tickets available here.

1087 Queen St W.

Industry

CONFERENCE

Thu June 13 & Fri 14, 9am-5pm

XP Game Summit

Over two days, connect with global industry professionals to explore crucial industry trends, develop new and innovative business-building opportunities, and help shape the future of gaming and video game Intellectual Property (IP). Tickets, program, and speaker details.

370 King St W.

Industry

TALK

Thu June 13, 6:30pm

Vector Festival Game Jam Keynote: deu(s ex) machina

Kicking off Vector Festival 2024 Game Jam:deu(s ex) machina is a keynote talk by new media artist and poet Shawnรฉ Michaelain Holloway. Holloway โ€‹โ€‹shapes the rhetorics of computer programming and sadomasochism into tools for exposing structures of power. deu(s ex) machina explores how technology has enriched/hindered pursuits for sexual intimacy and self-understanding. More info and free tickets here.

950 Dupont St. Unit 1

Academic

Game Curious

RAVE

Thu June 13 - Sunday 16, 8pm

R.A.V.E.

Itโ€™s a dance party. Itโ€™s a theatre show. Itโ€™s a rave opera for desperate times. Me Time is one of Torontoโ€™s favourite underground DJs, known for her inclusive events and infectious energy. Sheโ€™s teamed up with Outside the March to โ€œremixโ€ live performance, bringing interactive theatre to the dancefloor. Itโ€™s an immersive mashup like no other. In association with Luminato Festival Toronto. More info and tickets here.

123 Garratt Blvd

Community

Game Curious

E-SPORTS

Fri June 14 - Sun June 16

Final Kombat

At the Mortal Kombat 1 Final Kombat World Championship nineteen invited players from the Pro Kompetition Global Leaderboard and one final kontender from the Last Chance Qualifier will compete in Toronto, Canada for their share of $200,000 and the title of MK1 first ever world champion. Registration and info here. WELCOME TO FINAL KOMBAT!

43 Gerrard St E.

E-Sports

MOVIE

Fri June 14, 6:45-11pm

Moon and Double Dragon Screenings

A free screening of working class sci-fi flick Moon paired with a presentation by Trey Smith, creative director of working class sci-fi game Hardspace: Shipbreaker (free tickets here)! Then the legendary Blackbelt Cinema presents 1994โ€™s Double Dragon ($ tickets here, event trailer here).

400 Roncesvalles Ave.

Community

Industry

ESPORTS

Sat June 15, 9am-1pm

France x Canada:Empowering Inclusive Play

Taking esports beyond national borders, this cross-cultural conversation will explore the relationship between esports organisations and gaming communities in creating spaces for all gamers to thrive. Join Christine Kev (France Esports & Women in Games France), Pauline PUYBAREAU (Women in Games France), Dr. Lisa Funnell (Mohawk College & Femme Gaming), and Carol Meissner - Esport Canada & Georgian College) for this engaging discussion on empowering play and supporting diversity within the esports ecosystem. Free.

59 Hayden St Unit 400

E-Sports

Community

PRESERVE

Sat June 15, 12-4pm

Retro Games Play and Preserve Forum

Join Broken Games Collective and play rare retro games from the University of Toronto Mississauga Libraryโ€™s Syd Bolton Collection and enjoy a fireside chat with Phil Salvador, Library Director at the Video Game History Foundation and author of 2023's groundbreaking Game Availability Study. Plus: Bring your game cartridges and we'll help you to preserve them along with your save data!

789 Yonge St.

Community

Academics

PRESERVE

Sat June 15, 12-3pm

Playing the curator: an introductory workshop to digital exhibitions

Get started building video game and digital art exhibitions with new artist-driven tools from the MacKenzie Art Gallery! Digital artists and exhibition builders Cat Bluemke and Jonathan Carroll share their software, workflows, and best practices through this free workshop in partnership with InterAccess. The workshop is free but requires registration.

950 Dupont St. Unit 1

Creators

Academics

TEA

Sat June 15, 1-3pm

Pekoe Tea Party

Join us for a tea paw-ty! We will have tasty tea flavours from local stores and a DIY tea blending stations. Don't miss our tea-themed stamp rally for a chance to enter the Pekoe raffle for a copy of the game. It's a celebration of tea, creativity, and furry fun that promises to leave you feeling warm, fuzzy, and utterly delighted.

Beverley St & McCaul St.

Community

Hang

Sat June 15, 7-9pm

East End Arcade Bar Hang

Socialize and partake in classic arcade games, burgers and craft beer!

185 Danforth Ave.

Community

Creators

NIGHT

Sat June 15, Sundown to ?

Night Parkcade: Forest Frolick

The sequel to last yearโ€™s game projection party in Trinity Bellwoods, in a new secret location! Featuring a shirt that you can play Frogger on and leafcore games like Kleiโ€™s Rotwood and A Short Hike presented by the creator Adam Robinson-Yu (who ~might~ have something new?). But in a city blessed with many glorious ravines, where could it be? Only TGW newsletter subscribers will get the treasure map!

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Community

WORKSHOP

Sun June 16, 11am-4pm

Games Made Open

Interested in open source game engines and hardware? Come down to the TTLMakerspace for a day of hands-on hacking and learning about free open-source tools like Godot and Blender. Make and laser-cut your very own mini arcade cabinet for your phone! Create and flash your own game on a Gameboy cartridge with GBStudio, an open source program! FREE with registration here.

192 Spadina Ave. Unit 001a

NextGen Creators

WORKSHOP

Sun June 16, 12pm-4pm

The Dream Game Museum

Get inspired by playing one-of-a-kind games, draw your own game cover and concept, then watch as Hypergame Storytime improvises a theme song right in front of your eyes and ears! An all-ages kid-friendly event in the back room of the last weird video rental store in the city.

1176 Bloor St W.

Kid-Friendly

Community

HOOK

Sun June 16, 4-6pm

Writing a New World

The writing workshop hosted by Tanya Kan (Solace State, @vividfoundry) emphasizes designing for positive change and care that you want to see in the world, guided by writing prompts. The workshop will also engage with the challenges with promotional channels, where social media can amplify negative self-image, perfectionist expectations, the infringement of artist and writersโ€™ rights, and the devaluation of creative labour due to the proliferation of non-consensual โ€˜Gen-AIโ€™. No computer required, just bring paper, pen, and your curiosity!

192 Spadina Ave. Unit 001a

NextGen Creators

NEXTGEN

Sun June 16, 7-9pm

NextGen Showcase

A curated showcase, handpicked by an esteemed international curator, featuring games crafted by emerging talents in Toronto's vibrant game development scene. Immerse yourself in an evening of extraordinary gaming experiences accompanied by delectable appetizers. Supported by Epic Games Education. FREE, no ticket required!

192 Spadina Ave.

NextGen Creators

Industry

CONFERENCE

Mon June 17, 7-11pm

Bonus Stage

The long-running, free social features multiple talks, with headliner Xalavier Nelson Jr. - a BAFTA-nominated studio head, narrative director, writer, and Forbes 30 Under 30 luminary, with dozens of titles under his belt including Stranger Things VR, Magic: The Gathering and Hypnospace Outlaw.

379 Adelaide St W., 4th Floor

Community

CONFERENCE

Mon June 17, 11am-3pm

Mesh to MetaHuman Workshop - Epic Games

This workshop with cover the Epic Games Mesh to MetaHuman pipeline using free photogrammetry software (iPhone or Android compatible), Unreal Engine 5 and MetaHuman Creator. Participants will use scans of their own face to create a high fidelity digital character in their own image that is ready to use in the real-time interactive 3D software Unreal Engine (game dev, animation, virtual production, and more). Free with signup, spots are limited.

80 Gould St.

Academic

NextGen Creators

TEA

Tue June 18 2pm-2am

Lady Arcaders: Out of Bounds Toronto

Out of Bounds is a women & femme speedrunning event hosted by the Lady Arcaders, schedule here. Folks will play games as quickly as possible, showing off their talents and challenging themselves! You can also watch online at twitch.tv/ladyarcaders! Everyoneโ€™s welcome to join the fun!

347 Keele St.

Community

E-sports

TEA

Tue. June 18 7pm-10pm

Seriously Fun: Showcase and Social hosted by Wero

Join the community of serious game enthusiasts and developers as we gather for a free mini-showcase highlighting innovative projects and fostering a casual exchange of ideas, insights, and camaraderie. Everyone interested in games being used for educational, instructive or political purposes are welcome! Free registration here.

1237 Queen St W.

Community

Industry

TEA

Tue. June 18 7pm-10pm

Lost in Internity: Game demo launch party and performance

Wake up and smell your food pellets as you prepare for your first day of your virtual unpaid internship! Join the Toronto-based art collective Tough Guy Mountain as they launch Internity, a new visual novel in virtual reality. The event features a performance from TGM and audience gameplay stations for both VR and desktop. Free registration here for address.

Near Trinity-Bellwoods

Community

Game Enthusiasts

CLOSING

Wed June 19, 7pm-12am

Toronto Games Week Closing Celebration

The final event of the week features a select showcase from Toronto Game Jam 2024, performances by Hypergame Storytime, and a '90s video dance party presented by Mighty Yell! Visit the tiny but mighty microMix arcade, a collection of 30-second microgames concocted by Sheridan students and hosted on the Hand Eye Society 2UP Bartop Torontrons. Navigate the digitally-corrupted landscapes of Luis Hernandez's Electro-Vivisection, where classic games have been modified beyond recognition. Bring your game on USB and Render File will improvise music as people play it! Plus, a zine launch by Paradise! Tickets here. NOTE NEW VENUE!

379 Adelaide Street West #4th Floor

Community

Attention humans, many creatures from across the multiverse have stumbled into your dimension. The Gloam Tourism Association is asking for your help in locating and returning these creatures to their native dimensions. It is believed the cryptid signs that have appeared by Toronto Games Week events may offer clues to their whereabouts. Please help us rescue these displaced beings. For more information call 1-844-517-4445 Extension 765