Nicodemus Madehdou, co-founder and CEO of JumpButton Studio, arrived in Philadelphia with his family in 2004 when he was just eight years old. As a young Black kid with a heavy accent in a new country, making friends felt impossible. And then he discovered Runescape, a fantasy online multiplayer game where he made his first friend — who just happened to live in the same neighborhood, right around the corner.

“What are the odds?” he laughs. “I could not have done that outside of my home. So that made me very intrigued and interested in the [gaming] industry in general at such a young age.”

Twenty years later, Madehdou and Councilman Isaiah Thomas are embracing the greater promise in the games industry that Philly has yet to tap into with PHL Gaming 2024. The 2nd annual Philadelphia Gaming Conference and Expo, hosted by Nerd Street Gamers at their venue Localhost Philly, will be held September 14 from 10am to 7pm. All ages and skill levels, from novices to aspiring professionals — and even parents — are encouraged to come play, network, and learn about the gaming community and industry. The organizers aim to build and solidify the city’s position as a gaming industry hub.

As a student at New Foundations Charter School, Madehdou got serious about trying to break into the business without getting into college debt. However, internships weren’t forthcoming without college, so he began working independently with other gaming and tech enthusiasts on games, apps and animation projects. He founded JumpButton Studio, a game development and animation producer, unofficially while still in high school in 2011, and officially in 2015.

“We’re up to the challenge when it comes to making Philadelphia a gaming city.” — Councilmember Isaiah Thomas

JumpButton’s first major contract opportunity came from Temple University — who would become excellent partners — but when his team arrived to present their animation project, Madehdou recalls, “We didn’t see ourselves in that room for that discussion, and it was the first time we had that experience as young adults trying to build a startup, and that led to us dive even deeper into the workforce within the game industry.”

Though some progress has been made in diversifying the gaming workforce and leadership in game development and publishing companies, globally, the video game industry is still predominantly White and male. More can and must be done before the industry truly reflects the players. Even in-game, it’s only been over the last ten years that representation has drastically improved. We have role-playing games (RPGs) featuring LGBTQ+ characters and indigenous peoples’ artwork and storylines, Black leading characters in huge franchise games, and women in battle scenarios featuring actual armor. Think Aloy in Horizon, as opposed to … this.

There are rapidly growing opportunities for talented individuals to make professional careers out of creativity and skills in arts, storytelling, design, software development and coding.

Eds, Meds, Beds….and Devs?

PHL Gaming is not all about fun and games. I mean, it absolutely will be fun and games, but the greater goals are focused on the future of a lucrative, job-producing gaming industry based in Philadelphia. Video game revenue reached over $214 billion in 2021, and is projected to surpass $321 billion in 2027. The global tabletop games market, valued at over $13 billion in 2023, is on track to grow to $32 billion by 2032. The local games industry is still small, but is growing. The biggest company is 9th Level Games, with dozens of different tabletop offerings; also popular is indie video game developer Previously Pluto Games. Philly’s gaming cafes and shops are growing in popularity, with two having expanded into larger locations over the last five years.

Drexel University’s Bachelor of Science in Game Design & Production is ranked one of the top undergraduate game design programs in the country, but the majority of graduates are taking those skills to California and Washington, which dominate the industry.

This failure to retain talent and diversify the workforce was on Madehdou’s mind when entrepreneur and cultural maven Tayyib Smith, whom Madehdou calls one of his mentors, introduced him to Councilman Isaiah Thomas, at an event in 2022.

Thomas had only recently discovered Philly’s gaming community. “This wasn’t something that was on our radar,” he admits. “But once Covid hit and we all saw what it was like working from home, it really not only highlighted the gaming industry, but all the industries that are new to the economy that are innovative, and that’s going to define not just our city or our country, but the world.”

Through a series of panels and dialogues with experts in the gaming industry and people on the ground working in game design and development, Thomas’s office and the JumpButton team got a handle on the issues and recommendations on how to grow the industry. Madehdou conceived the idea of a conference and expo, and the first PHL Gaming event was held last year, attracting more than 200 attendees and featuring music, panels, and a number of local game designers, developers and tech startups.

Thomas sees enormous potential in adding gaming to Philadelphia’s economic foundation, stating, “When I think about eds, meds and beds, when I think about the growing biotech industry, I want gaming to be in that same category.”

What to expect if you go

This year’s event promises to be bigger than 2023. The program includes discussion panels on the gaming world and career and entrepreneurship in the industry; the Gaming and Tech Expo featuring leading businesses, career development opportunities, and expert career guidance; and the Local Game Dev Showcase, where attendees can immerse themselves in new gaming experiences created by local developers and meet the creators.

Dom Miller, chief of staff for Councilman Thomas, outlined the goals for this year’s conference. First, they need to gauge the community about what would make Philadelphia a gaming city. At the same time, they’ll be highlighting folks that are already here doing amazing work in the field. Miller is especially hoping that the event helps parents to see gaming in a different light: as something that can be productive and introduce young people to careers in STEM, business and art.

Video game revenue reached over $214 billion in 2021, and is projected to surpass $321 billion in 2027. The global tabletop games market, valued at over $13 billion in 2023, is on track to grow to $32 billion by 2032.

The Expo will allow people to connect with the existing tech networks in Philly. More than 20 individual studios already creating in Philly will be there, and many are coming through the Drexel program. Local tech startup Lyfer will be circulating surveys during the conference to allow attendees to build customized networking lists.

Developers also have the opportunity to meet their audience and get instant feedback.

Attendees can also expect to have a good time. In addition to playtesting new games, meeting entrepreneurs and developers, and live music, there will be game competitions with prizes. (Brush up now on your Madden and Super Smash Bros. skills.)

Making Philadelphia a home for the gaming industry isn’t going to happen overnight. After the expo, Thomas plans on introducing a resolution in Council to explore what the city can do to support and grow the industry, taking recommendations gleaned from PHL Gaming into account and putting together a legislative package and advocacy initiatives on the city, state, and federal level that can be implemented starting in 2025. “We’re up to the challenge when it comes to making Philadelphia a gaming city,” Thomas says.

“Philly is already a gaming city,” Miller adds. “We’re just trying to figure out how to solidify that. That’s the biggest thing right now. We know that internally, the developers here know that, but we just want the world to know that, as well as make sure people feel like they can stay in the city and actually be successful in this industry.”

PHL Gaming 2024, Saturday, September 14, 10am to 7pm, Localhost, 401 N. Broad Street. Register to attend here.

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