DemoCamp13 review

There was plenty of applause at DemoCamp13 for the unveiling of the latest in video game design and software development.

The Arnie was host to six presentations from members of Hamilton’s technology community, debuting everything from video games to health care apps. Software Hamilton, a non-profit organization that supports the growth of software development at the grassroots level, organized the event.

“All the presenters did a great job showing off what the local technology community has made,” said Kevin Browne, founder of Software Hamilton.

The event was kick-started with keynote speaker Colin Ferguson, founder of Snakehead Games. This company manages free, browser-based games including Star Pirates and Spybattle 2165.

The presenters demoing their software included George Geczy from Battlegoat Studios, Todd Dow from Cryptogeddon, Ryan Barichello from SOAPvault, Drew Thachuk from Advantag, Dan Zen, creator of Tilty and Sebastian Dwornik of Qriffic.

Barichello’s SOAPvault demo gained widespread appeal, stirring up a number of questions from the audience. SOAPvault is a web-based software for documenting patient charts for massage therapists, physiotherapists and chiropractors.

Mike Kubes. Owner of Kubes Media Design, was in the audience for DemoCamp. Reflecting on Barichello’s presentation, Kubes said, “I like software that is innovative. Innovation is fundamentally practical in nature. Anything that reduces paper, creates consistency across an industry and more importantly saves time (and thus money) gets two thumbs up from me.”

Although not the most practical, Zen’s presentation was by far the most captivating. Dressed in plaid pants and sporting a haircut resembling Willy Wonka, Zen grabbed the attention of his audience by stomping his feet on the ground, making an enthusiastic entrance.

Zen is the creator of such mobile games as “Tilty” and “Touchy”, games which require the user to balance a ball on their smart devices while pushing each other around.

“It’s a beloved opportunity for people to have fun on their iPhones or Blackberry’s or Androids and still play with each other in the real world. It’s a modern day version of Twister,” said Zen.

After the event, Browne reached out to Mohawk students.

“I really would love to have more Mohawk students engaged in this community because it’s creating jobs. This an industry that’s growing and an industry they can find a career in.”