# Philadelphia Game Lab

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The **Philadelphia Game Lab** (PGL) was a non-profit organization ([501c3](/source/501(c)(3)_organization)) to facilitate the growth and visibility of small-team development of creative technologies in the [Philadelphia](/source/Philadelphia) region.[1] PGL created game development tools, including a toolset for the creation of audio-only games and a platform for the creation of collaborative games. Both tools were developed under a [permissive MIT License](/source/MIT_License).[citation needed] As of 2022, PGL is no longer in operation.[2]

## Location

PGL was formerly located on the 5th floor of 30 South 15th Street (the Graham Building). Prior to this it was located at the Benjamin's Desk building.[3]

## Funding

PGL was backed by a D2PA Grant from the Commonwealth of [Pennsylvania](/source/Pennsylvania).[4]

## History

Nathan Solomon founded PGL in late 2011.[5] Philadelphia Game Lab compared itself to diverse initiatives, including Boston's MassDiGi, Toronto's [Hand Eye Society](/source/Hand_Eye_Society), [New York University](/source/New_York_University)'s Game Center, and creative facilitators/organizations such as The Wild Rumpus, [Babycastles](/source/Babycastles), and Juegosrancheros.[citation needed] Solomon said of the Philadelphia business environment: "We should emphasize bootstrapped entities, and reject the model of massive scalability (required by the conventional tech [venture capital](/source/Venture_capital) model), as the primary requirement of a tech startup. I'm not saying that if someone has offered funding and takes it, that's a bad thing; however, this city should brand itself as so good for bootstrapping that it has a unique value that cannot be found in NYC or San Francisco or even Boston."[6]

Regarding PGL's location in Philadelphia, Solomon said, "From a hard numbers perspective, Philadelphia probably has the lowest per-capita number of professional game developers for a city its size in North America. At the same time, though, Philadelphia is a great place for creative and technical initiatives, and I think there's a valid argument that we're uniquely strong in grassroots initiatives here, especially those for social or creative good."[7]

## Grassroots Game Conference

The Grassroots Game Conference was an annual event hosted by PGL that targeted game developers, as well as those involved in arts, non-profits, and education. The conference was first held in coordination with [Philly Tech Week](/source/Philly_Tech_Week) 2012 from April 23 to April 28.

The Grassroots Game Conference was dedicated to facilitating small-team game development, with tracks in Games and Art, Games and Music, and Games and [Gamification](/source/Gamification) for Non-profits.[8][9][10][11] The conference differed from user-focused events (such as [Penny Arcade Expo](/source/Penny_Arcade_Expo) and [ComicCon](/source/ComicCon)), events focused on professional developers (such as the [Game Developers Conference](/source/Game_Developers_Conference)), and retail events (such as the [Electronic Entertainment Expo](/source/Electronic_Entertainment_Expo)). Events similar to the Grassroots Game Conference included [Indiecade](/source/Indiecade) and the [Games for Change](/source/Games_for_Change) Festival.[12]

Nationally recognized game developers and educators spoke at the 2012 event, including representatives from the [Smithsonian](/source/Smithsonian), the [National Endowment for the Arts](/source/National_Endowment_for_the_Arts), and Glitch Labs. [Gabe Zichermann](/source/Gabe_Zichermann), a gamification expert, gave the keynote speech.[12][13]

The 2013 Grassroots Game Conference was significantly larger than 2012, including more events and additional interest tracks, as well as international presenters.[14]

## References

1. ["Nurturing a nascent video game industry in Philadelphia — NewsWorks"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140314204620/http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/health-science/item/31539-nurturing-a-nascent-video-game-industry-in-philadelphia). Newsworks.org. December 22, 2011. Archived from [the original](http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/health-science/item/31539-nurturing-a-nascent-video-game-industry-in-philadelphia) on March 14, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2012.

1. ["Philadelphia Game Lab"](http://philadelphiagamelab.org/). Retrieved 2022-09-30.

1. Ufberg, Max (March 10, 2014). ["Should Pennsylvania lure video game developers with tax credits?"](http://technical.ly/philly/2014/03/10/pennsylvania-lure-video-game-developers-tax-credits/). *Tech Philly*. Retrieved May 10, 2014.

1. Betagole, Cary (November 5, 2013). ["it's game on at philadelphia's second annual grassroots gaming conference"](http://www.flyingkitemedia.com/features/grassrootsgaming110513.aspx). *Flying Kite Media*. Retrieved May 10, 2014.

1. Beeler, Carolyn. ["Nurturing a nascent video game industry in Philadelphia"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140314204620/http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/health-science/item/31539-nurturing-a-nascent-video-game-industry-in-philadelphia). WHYY. Archived from [the original](http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/health-science/item/31539-nurturing-a-nascent-video-game-industry-in-philadelphia) on March 14, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2012.

1. Nathan Solomon (June 19, 2012). ["Considering Philadelphia as a Tech Bootstrapping Community Rather Than a Tech Startup Community"](http://www.flyingkitemedia.com/features/nathansolomon0619.aspx). Flyingkitemedia.com. Retrieved October 15, 2012.

1. ["Inaugural Grassroots Game Conference targets Philly's low score for game developers"](http://www.flyingkitemedia.com/innovationnews/grassrootsgame0417.aspx). Flyingkitemedia.com. April 17, 2012. Retrieved October 15, 2012.

1. Shue, Jordan. ["Exploring Gamification at the First Annual Philadelphia Grassroots Game Conference"](http://www.pcah.us/management/blog/exploring-gamification-at-the-inaugural-philadelphia-grassroots-game-confer/). Pew Center for Arts and Heritage. Retrieved August 21, 2012.

1. Borofsky, Yael. ["Grassroots Game Conference: companies to spend more than $2.5 billion on gamification, says Gabe Zichermann"](http://technicallyphilly.com/2012/04/25/grassroots-game-conference-companies-to-spend-more-than-2-5-billion-on-gamification-says-gabe-zichermann-video). Technically Philly. Retrieved August 21, 2012.

1. ["Gamification is best for 'influencing and impacting behaviors:' Wharton panel event — Technically Philly"](http://technicallyphilly.com/2011/10/06/gamification-is-best-for-influencing-and-impacting-behaviors-wharton-panel-event). Technicallyphilly.com. Retrieved October 15, 2012.

1. ["Blog : The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage"](http://www.pcah.us/management/blog/exploring-gamification-at-the-inaugural-philadelphia-grassroots-game-confer/). Pcah.us. April 16, 2012. Retrieved October 15, 2012.

1. ["Game Conference Launches in Philadelphia with Focus on Grassroots Game Development | Corzo Center at the University of the Arts"](http://corzocenter.uarts.edu/blog/game-conference-launches-philadelphia-focus-grassroots-game-development). Corzocenter.uarts.edu. Retrieved October 15, 2012.

1. ["Grassroots Game Conference: gamification conference in conjunction with Philly Tech Week — Technically Philly"](http://technicallyphilly.com/2012/04/17/grassroots-game-conference-gamification-conference-in-conjunction-with-philly-tech-week). Technicallyphilly.com. April 17, 2012. Retrieved October 15, 2012.

1. Reyes, Juliana (October 11, 2013). ["Grassroots Game Conference: 30+ events in 2nd annual game festival"](https://technical.ly/philly/2013/10/11/grassroots-game-conference/). *Tech Philly*. Retrieved May 10, 2014.

## External links

- [Official site](http://www.PhiladelphiaGameLab.org)
- [Philly in Focus](http://www.phillyinfocus.com/channel/philadelphiagamelab/)
- [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/user/philadelphiagamelab)
- [Twitter](https://twitter.com/phlgamelab)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Philadelphia Game Lab](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Game_Lab) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Game_Lab?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.