Playing Narratives x Shift2Games in Tirana

Playing Narratives 25.06.2024.
Time 6 PM
Language English
Location Coolab, Tirana
Price Free
FREE ENTRY

Playing Narratives x Shift2Games in Tirana

After the phenomenal gathering in Sarajevo, SGA continues its regional tour! In June, we are connecting with the game dev community in Albania, through the presentation of our two programs that we are realizing this year in cooperation with the RECONOMY progra - Playing Narratives and Shift2Games.

We will use this special event, and our first guest appearance in Albania, with whose gaming community we have been cooperating for a long time, to share information about the Playing Narratives project*** through which young creatives get to know the process of developing narrative games with a socially engaged dimension. On the other hand, the Shift2Games platform is being localized for the entire region of the Western Balkans this year, in cooperation with the RECONOMY program, and one of the novelties will be a complete platform available in the Albanian language, which we are working on in cooperation with the Albanian Gaming Community initiative.

Both programs will be presented on behalf of SGA by the Program Director Relja Bobić, while one community representative from Serbia and Albania will share their experiences. Milan Ličina from the Metropolitan University, one of the most prominent educators in the field of video game development in Serbia, will talk about his original projects and how to integrate “serious” topics into gaming experiences, while Fatjon Gjata & Renato Toni, Co-Founders of the Outerlynx company, will also present their work. Lorena Gjana will be the host and moderator of the event in front of the Albanian Gaming Community, while the topic of climate challenges, which is also the umbrella theme of the Playing Narratives program this year, will be addressed by Irida Lazić in front of the Faculty of Physics of the University of Belgrade.

Entrance to the meetup is free for everyone, and we invite you to stay with us after the lecture to get to know each other over a drink and continue the conversation about our favorite topic, which is video games, as well as about the future cooperation of game creators throughout our region.

Really a lot of interesting insights into climate challenges and video game development, and together we will look for the common points of these two fields!

This year, Playing Narrartives is realized in partnership with, among others, the Center for the Promotion of Science from Belgrade, which, in addition to the lectures within the meetup, will also present its Climate Capsule, a traveling exhibition within the Climate Europe 2 project, which will also be officially opened in Tirana the day before, June 24.

***

*** This year, the program would not have been possible without the support of the RECONOMY* program, as well as dedicated industry partners – the company 3Lateral as part of Epic Games and the program partner Center for the Promotion of Science (CPN). In addition to them, the Goethe-Institut and the French Institute in Serbia, as well as the EU Infocenter, are participating in the project.

*RECONOMY is a regional inclusive and green economic development program of the Swedish Development Agency Sida, which is implemented by HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation, in cooperation with the organization Help – Hilfe zir Selbsthilfe e.V. and other partners in the countries of the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership.

Fatjon Gjata,
Co-Founder, Outerlynx
About the lecturer

Fatjon is the co-founder and Executive Director of Outerlynx, a company specializing in interactive, immersive and gamified experiences. He has played a key role in the successful launch of several games on a global scale, collectively amassing a user base exceeding half a million players.

Renato Toni,
Co-Founder, Outerlynx
About the lecturer

Co-Founder at Outerlynx with  several years of expertise in designing and developing immersive gameplay experiences, strong background in programming and a passion for pushing the boundaries of game development. Successfully delived several titles that have attracted and engaged thousands of players.

Milan Ličina,
Professor, University Megatrend / Vidra
About the lecturer

Milan Ličina is a visual artist, born in 1990 in Belgrade.

In his practice he operates across the fields of emerging technologies and experiential design, using the intersection of art, design and technology as a platform to create unique narratives, with extensive experience in new media, computer graphics, creative industries, event and exhibition design.

He is active as a lecturer at the Metropolitan University and at the Crater Training Center, and in addition collaborates with Galerija12+, the Center for the Promotion of Science and many other initiatives.

He is one of the few Unreal Engine Authorized Trainers in our country.

Irida Lazić,
Researcher, Institute of Meteorology, Faculty of Physics, University of Belgrade
About the lecturer

Irida Lazić is a Research Assistant and Teaching Assistant at the Institute of Meteorology, Faculty of Physics, University of Belgrade, Serbia. As a PhD candidate, she is intensively involved in climate numerical modeling, researching the land-atmosphere interactions in climate model, and analyzing climate data. She enjoys exploring innovations in programming in the field of meteorology and actively participates in various workshops focused on applying machine learning and artificial intelligence in this field. In her free time, Irida is passionate about traveling, karate, running and beekeeping.

 

Lorena Gjana,
Founder, Albanian Game Community
About the lecturer

An active part of the innovation ecosystem, contributing to startup mentoring and development, Lorena is pioneering the Gaming Industry in Albania, driving growth and innovation in the creative industry. As a Women in Games Ambassador, she passionately fosters collaboration among various stakeholders, identifying and nurturing gaming talent to cultivate a thriving community.

Relja Bobić,
Program Director, SGA
About the lecturer

Ever since the early 2000s, Relja Bobić was the author of numerous cultural and artistic projects realized in Serbia, as well as across Europe, in USA and Canada. Active as an independent curator, arts and events manager, music promoter, radio author and translator, he initiated and took part in 100s of events, co-founded four international festivals, curated many exhibitions, conferences, publications and informal education projects.

In 2012, he was one of the co-founders of Nova Iskra creative hub, and later on the European Creative Hubs Network. He enjoys designing physical and cognitive spaces within which young creatives can collaborate and create in new ways. Since 2020, he is the Program Director at SGA (Serbian Games Association).

View all programs