6/7-8/2008:
Summertime is finally here, and you know what that means? Yes, time to buy some comics! This year's MoCCA Art Fest is fast approaching, and I'll be on-hand along with my partners in crime, Katie Skelly and Hilary Florido!
MoCCA is simply put the place to feed your buring desire for awesome mini comics, hip silk-screened attire, and assorted super cool arts and crafts thingys. But aside from being New York's premiere small press event, it also happens to be this time around the very first big indie comics show of the year! So the excitment of the year is ten-fold? Maybe because, not only will I (hopefully) have yet another preview mini-installment of UNLUCKY, but perhaps the very first half of HARVEST, the naked girls covered in goo and being cloned, science fiction spectacular that everyone will be talking about!
For more info on the show, be sure to hit the offical site. BTW, myself, Katie, and Hilary will be found on the top floor, so don't miss it, or us!
4/4-6/2008:
Spring is almost here! And I personally cannot think of a better time of year to visit the lovely campus of Stony Brook University, to enjoy the fresh air, the sights of trees and rolling green hills, the sounds of... nerds passinonately arguing whether Episodes 1-3 should be acknowledged or ignored as part of Star Wars canon? And perhaps for the last time?
This year will mark by fifth, and quite possibly final, appearance at the northeast's premiere fantasy and science fiction (and science fact) convention, aka ICON. Once more, I'll be on-hand to talk about the history, art, politics, and anything else related to video games. Even girls. Plus, like before, I'm bringing some friends, but this time there will be even more. And, the last two years in a row I've hit home runs with my hour long talks/rants. But instead of doing another top ten list, I'm going to do something a bit different...
For more information, check out the ICON 27 homepage.
2/18-22/2008:
So I'm finally making my (somewhat long-awaited) debut appearace at the Game Developer's Conference. I have been asked to attend and act as judge for The Independant Games Festival's inagural mobile gaming competition!
For years the IGF has brought together the best of the best independent game designers and producers, and this will be the first time that the focus is purely mobile platforms, such as the Nintendo DS, the Sony PSP, and cell phones. Additional info can be found here.
10/9/2007:
I just got word that Vanilla Gorilla, the story that appears in the first UNLUCKY preview mimi, which was illustrated by Katie Skelly, was given a honorable mention in The Best American Comics 2007! Yay! More information can be found in the journal.
8/18-19/2007:
Hey Canada! Folks living up in the Great White North will be the absolute first ones to get a chance to check out the latest preview mini of UNLUCKY!
The third installment includes two additional tales, one illustrated by Matthew Bernier, and the other by Toby Craig. It will be making its official debut at The Toronto Comic Art Festival, so if you're able to, come to the show! Though unfortunately, I will not be able to attend due to a scheduling conflict, but MK Reed will be there! She'll not only have issue three, but the first two as well, at her table.
Also, that following Monday, the 20th of August, issue three will be available for sale via the store, for those of you who can't make it up to Canada either. Plus, expect it in all the brick & mortar shops where my comics are already readily available (such as the always awesome Rocketship), PLUS, coming very soon, my books will also be available on at the Optical Sloth online store. So if you plan on buying books there, and have an extra dollar or two or five to blow...
5/1/2007:
As of today, am I am officially the brand new blogger over at Zedge.net!
So what exactly will I be doing there? Well, more or less the same exact thing I do over here, just with an emphasis on cell phones and the mobile lifestyle. As I see it, 95% of cell phone blogs are rather dry and too heavy on the technical side of things, which makes zero sense given that 95% of the cell phone users out there are by no means techheads. So expect the same, straightforward, somewhat humorous, and occasionally inane banter, as well a wacky link or two, about the wild and wacky world of cell phones! I'll be posting pretty much everyday, so be sure to stop by often!
BTW, my handle there is "ZedgeNova".
3/23-25/2007:
It's that time again.... ICON, the northeast's largest fantasy and science fiction (and science fact) convention is back, and once more, I'll be on-hand to talk about video games, naturally. Among the regular points of discussion, such as censorship, video games as art, the next generation of consoles, and what it's like to be an indie game developer, I will be doing a follow-up to my highly successful and popular discourse from last year, which was "the 10 best games of all time". This time around it will be "the 10 worst games of all time... that you probably like"!
To be amoung the 6,000 geeks that travel wordwide to this event each every year, simply go here for more info.
UPDATE: For those of you who couldn't make it, you can read about my top ten list at MTV News!
11/21/2006:
Some might recall my recent guest appearance over at the Weekly World News website. Well I will now be a regularly appearing talent at the paper's online portal! Keep your eyes peeled for video starring myself, either recalling an appearance of a disembodied cat's head with just the legs attached, my search for Bigfoot (as an obsessed furry), and much more.
10/13-14/2006:
It's time once again for SPX, the Small Press Expo. I'll be on-hand once again, along with everyone else from RMK Books, including MK Reed, Robin Enrico, and Katie Skelly. Unfortunately, I won't have any new books this time around (due to time constraints and other assorted reasons), but if you haven't gotten either of my minis, here's an excellent opportunity, plus everyone else definitely has new books available!
Each year and every year SPX brings together the very best from the world of small press and independent comics. This time around, things have changed a little; to find out more, such as the new location of the show, please refer to the official site.
UPDATE: SPX 2006 was simply A-M-A-Z-I-N-G ! For my detailed account of the whole show, click here.
9/24/2006:
That's the date of the Philadelphia Zine Fest, and I'll be in attendance as part of RMK Books, which will also see the debut of the "label".
And what does RMK stand for? Well... either Reed, Mary Kate... Robin (Enrico), Matt (that's me, obviously), and Katie (Skelly)... though Liz Baillie is also part of our crew. The important thing to know is that it's the one stop place for all our books at comic shows (and soon on the web).
Anyway myself, MK, Robin, and Liz will be at the show, so stop on by if you're in the Philly area! For more info on the event, simply click this link.
9/21/2006:
By now a few folks might have noticed my name pop up here and there over at GameSetWatch, as well as my special report on the NYC game culture scene that I filed earlier in the summer. Well, I now have a regular column!
It's called Cinema Pixeldiso and I'll be reviewing movies either based upon or dealing with video games, with an eye towards the obscure or the misunderstood. You can check them out here.
8/31/2006:
I have decided to relinquish my position as lead game designer at PixelJump. I am also leaving the company as a whole.
PixelJump was formed by myself and my colleague Jason Sawtelle back in the fall of 2002, and since then the original two man operation that was just about making games from cell phones evolved into something else, a fully-fledged company that sought to create cutting edge mobile entertainment, beyond just games. But at a certain point, it eventually became apparent that my original vision for PixelJump and the course that the company was on was no longer the same, hence the decision to break away.
I learned quite a bit throughout the entire process of starting and managing my own company, and I would like to wish everyone at PixelJump the very best of luck with all their future endeavors.
7/5/2006:
Some are already aware that I'm a special contributor to GameSetWatch, which I believe to be, pound for pound, the best video game blog out there. Those of you who have been interested in the video game culture in New York City might be interested in checking out my very special report To Live and Game in NY, which can be found here.
6/24/2006:
In addition to my game design course, am I now teaching Mac Basics at the School of Visual Arts. So for those of you who wish to be more familiarized with the Mac OS X environment, simply call 212-592-2200 or follow this link.
6/10-11/2006:
That's when this year's MOCCA Art Fest will be taking place. In just five short years, it's become New York City's premier small press event, with tons of mini's, silk-screened shirts, and assorted other cool comic related art-type stuff on-hand. Plus, it'll be the first NYC show to have UNLUCKY. And I hope to have some other cool stuff ready in time as well. For more information on the show, please visit the offical site.
Though if you're local to New York City but can't make the show, you can always pick up a copy at Rocketship.
5/13/2006:
I will be appearing at SPACE, the Mid-West's largest small press exhibition, which will take place in Columbus, Ohio. I'll be there with MK Reed, so if you're in the area, stop on by and get some comics! For more information, simply check out the site.4/8-9/2006:
Those of you in the San Fransico area can pick up the second installment of UNLUCKY which will be making its debut at the Alternative Press Expo. This edition has two new stories from the upcoming comics anthology, and features the talents of K. Thor Jensen and MK Reed. MK will also be at the show will copies of both Unlucky minis, along with her new book Pale Fire.For more info of on the show, here you go. But if you can't make it to APE, there's always the store.
3/24-26/2006:
This will be my third year as a special guest at ICON on the behalf of their electronic gaming programming. As before, I'll be talking about a number of issues related to video games, such as the creative process, their social value, gender issues, and much more, as well as other topics related to freedom of speech and socialization via the internet.This year will also mark ICON's 25th year as the northeast's largest science fiction and fantasy festival. For more information, please check out this link.
3/11-12/2006:
Parsons School of Design and Atari are once again bringing together students from schools all across the NYC area to see if they can create a video game in just 24 hours. Last year it was the 2600, and this year's platform will be cell phones, hence why it's no longer a game design jam, but a mosh, as in the Mobile Game Mosh.
I was on-hand perviously as a mentor for the SVA team, but now I will be one of several local game design professionals who will offer advice to each team and playtest their games. And like last year, I'll be in attendance the whole 24 hours to file a report for Gamasutra.
1/17/2006:
I've just been signed by Allworth Press to write a textbook on game design. It will serve as an introduction to the subject, by covering the fundamentals and exploring key concepts that any designer should keep in mind, as well as provide a historical context by pointing towards noted works from the past, and even a look into the possible future.The book is slated for a spring/summer release in '07. I'll be passing along further information as things develops.
9/30/2005:
You can now purchase the first preview minicomic featuring stories from my upcoming comic book anthology UNLUCKY from the brand spanking new store section! There are two stories, based on stuff that really happened to me, and drawn by Joe Simko and Katie Skelly.The next preview mini will feature stories illustrated by MK Reed and myself. Look for it early next year, or perhaps even later this year! Also, keep an eye at the store section; I hope to have tons of other cools stuff for sale, such as t-shirts and the like!
9/23-24/2005:
I'll be appearing at this year's Small Press Expo with the first preview minicomic to feature stories from my upcoming "Matt Hawkins Anthology" (working title). The mini will feature the work of Katie Skelly and Joe Simko. I'll be sharing a table with MK Reed, who will have her acclaimed comic Catfight on-hand; the collected volume will be making it's SPX debut.Each year SPX brings together the finest artists from the world of small press and independent comics, and this year's show marks the Expo's tenth anniversary. For directions, hotel info, and all other questions, simply check out the official site.
5/2/2005:
I will be a participant in Hi-Res vs. Low-Res: A Game Design Debate, sponsored by the IGDA and SIGGRAPH. I'll be appearing alongside fellow game makers in the New York City area to discuss the role of graphics and how it affects both the game and game player. For more information can be found here. UPDATE: You can check out a report of the entire event right here.4/8-10/2005:
I'll be making my second appearance at ICON this year as a guest speaker on the behalf of the gaming programming. I'll be talking on numerous panels the whole three days of the convention, with topics ranging from the art of video games, gender issues, ratings and censorship, games that are yet to be and have never been, cultural differences related to those who produce games and those who play them, plus more.ICON is the northeast's largest science fiction and fantasy festival, with over 6,000 attendees each year. For more information, please check out this link.
4/2-3/2005:
Parsons School of Design and Atari presents Retro Redux: a 24-Hour Game Design Jam. Students will have just one day to create a fully playable game for Atari's Flashback game console, which is based upon the classic 2600 system. The winning game may even appear in a future version of the machine later this fall.I will be on-hand as a mentor for the School of Visual Arts team, as well to report on the event on the behalf of Gamasutra. I recently began writing for the esteemed site, starting with a series of interviews with various folks from the world of game design. Keep an eye out for the very first one, with Eric Zimmerman, as well as my coverage of Retro Redux, in the coming weeks.
UPDATE: Team SVA's game received the award for Best Visual Design! For more info, go here.