Roguelike Radio Episode 156: Roguelike Celebration event
Sep 27, 2020
Em Lazer-Walker, indie/experimental game creator and developer advocate who curates talks and programming. Noah Swartz, longtime roguelike organizer who founded the Celebration to connect community. They discuss the event’s origin and growth. They talk programming choices like single-track and lightning talks. They cover the move online, custom social spaces, accessibility, interactive demos, and plans for future in-person and regional meetups.
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Episode notes
Why Roguelike Celebration Was Founded
- Noah Swartz created Roguelike Celebration after discovering a large, dispersed NetHack community and finding no inclusive US event for players and fans.
- He organized a broad, non‑exclusive conference in 2016 that drew ~200–250 attendees and featured original Rogue developers as a keynote, proving wide interest beyond niche dev circles.
Single Track For Better Conversation
- Organizers moved from multiple tracks to a single track to reduce FOMO and encourage shared in‑person conversation after talks.
- Single track plus lightning talks preserves variety while keeping the audience unified for post‑talk discussion and socializing.
Design Social Spaces Like Real Rooms
- Build an online social space that mirrors small in‑person conversations rather than a giant chatroom.
- Em Lazer‑Walker implemented a MUD‑style room system so you only hear the people in your current room, keeping groups to ~5–6 people.