HARRISBURG, PA – Harrisburg University of Science and Technology (HU) will host board gaming professionals and enthusiasts at the first annual Playtest HU on September 7, 2024. Hosted by members of Harrisburg University’s Game Design and Interactive Media faculty, the event will run from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM at the Student Union, located on the second floor of The Whitaker Center at 222 Market Street in Harrisburg. You can register to attend right now.
The event will feature dedicated playtesting spaces for professional and aspiring board game designers to play their works-in-progress with the public and members of the HU community. In addition to playing these in-development games, attendees will be able to play published board games in the free-play area and browse the wares of local gaming and nerd-culture vendors.
The board gaming hobby has seen astronomical growth in recent years, as evidenced by, among other things, the growth of Harrisburg Board Game Day and Board Game Yard Sale. In fact, signs point to analog board games and tabletop games entering a new golden age. In 2022, forecasters predicted a 7 to 11 percent rise in value for the global board game industry over five years. The market for analog games was valued at more than $14 billion in 2024 and is likely to rise to $32 billion by 2032.
Last December, Game Design students from HU attended PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia. PAX is a celebration of all things tabletop gaming. Board games, role-playing games (RPGs), card games, and miniatures all saw strong representation in Philly. “Our students got so much out of their PAX experience,” said Greg Loring-Albright, PhD, who co-teaches the Board Game Design class. “Even students who are more interested in digital game design learn a lot from designing and playtesting board games.”
Proceeds from the event will support HU’s Board Game Design students, who are attending PAX Unplugged (December 6–8, 2024) in Philadelphia again this year as a part of their game design coursework.
Attendee tickets cost $15; designers can reserve a playtesting space for $20; and VIP tickets cost $50. Local gaming businesses are also invited to promote their services or products as a vendor for a $75 fee, or a $50 fee with a donation to the pool of raffle prizes. Aspiring game designers can purchase a VIP pass for a half-hour consultation with industry insiders Luke Peterschmidt, head of studio for Office Dog Games, and Mike Mullins, a local designer specializing in solo games and microgames.
“You never know what opportunities may come from a convention like this,” said Game Design co-instructor Anthony Ortega. “Harrisburg University is all about providing experiential learning, and having a game playtested by dozens of gamers, designers, and publishers over a weekend is a significant learning opportunity for any designer.”
Want to attend? Don’t forget to register today!
ABOUT HARRISBURG UNIVERSITY
Harrisburg University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and is a private, nonprofit university offering bachelor’s and graduate degree programs in the fields of science, technology, and mathematics. For additional information about the University’s affordable, demand-driven undergraduate and graduate programs, please call 717.901.5146 or email Connect@HarrisburgU.edu. Stay updated by following Harrisburg University on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
