Software Development

Gaming as a Social Movement: Join Technical.ly on July 23 for live game play and local leader dialogue

PTW20 Virtual's Gaming Day features a lunchtime conversation with Nerd Street Gamers' John Fazio and Balti Virtual's Will Gee alongside a friendly livestreamed match of Rocket League.

90s kids bringin' Sega back. (Photo by Giselle Dávila)

The organizers of Philly Tech Week presented by Comcast and the heads of Nerd Street Gamers and Balti Virtual have joined up to form a unique virtual event collaboration for PTW20 Virtual’s Gaming Day.

Join us at 1 p.m. EST on Thursday, July 23, for our Gaming as a Social Movement event, which features a lunchtime conversation with local industry leaders streamed alongside a friendly match of Rocket League. Panelist players will explore the impact of current events on the industry, all while battling things out with rocket-powered cars on a virtual soccer field.

Topics include:

  • How a pandemic changes your local gaming industry
  • The role of gaming platforms in racial equity movements 
  • How AR, VR and gaming help to expand access to technology and education
  • If, how and when businesses should engage in public discourse 
  • The evolution and future of AR, VR and gaming

Joining us for the day are:

  • John Fazio, CEO of Nerd Street Gamers
  • Will Gee, founder and CEO of Balti Virtual
  • Donte Kirby, reporter for Technical.ly

This event is free and will be livestreamed on Twitch starting at 1 p.m. EST on Thursday, July 23:

Watch on Twitchhttps://js.hscta.net/cta/current.js hbspt.cta.load(2084427, ’65eb7a12-299d-400a-a9ea-5a53485fa92d’, {});

A special offer from our partner, Insomnia Cookies:

As a special thanks to our community members, Insomnia Cookies is offering a digital coupon special to all attendees. Be sure to sign up for our emails for instructions on how to access the special offer.

About our speakers

Fazio is the founder and chief executive officer of Nerd Street Gamers (NSG), a national esports infrastructure company based in Philadelphia. NSG’s infrastructure includes a network of esports facilities akin to traditional sports training complexes. Fazio is determined to increase accessibility to the esports industry and ultimately wants to provide anyone in the world with the opportunity to compete in any esport of their choice free of charge.

  • Find him on Twitter at @jfaz. NSG can be found on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter at @nerdstgamers.

Gee spent his 20s trying to be the second-greatest 3D graphics programmer in the video game industry and cofounded an interactive software company in 2003 that created a VR training tool for the NFL. He is currently the cofounder and CEO of Balti Virtual creative studio, delivering the highest quality virtual reality experiences and augmented reality applications possible on the latest hardware available. Specialties include augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, extended reality and actual reality.

Kirby is a reporter for Technical.ly Baltimore and a Report for America fellow for 2020-2021. A Philadelphia native and graduate of Temple University, he moved to Baltimore in May 2020 after spending over a year in Rwanda serving as a Peace Corps volunteer. Find him on Instagram and Twitter at @kurbskidurb.

About PTW20 Virtual

Gaming Day is part of the PTW20 Virtual Summer Series collection. In collaboration with Nerd Street Gamers and Balti Virtual, this unique event is part of the all-virtual experience recently unveiled for the 10th annual Philly Tech Week.

PTW20 Virtual features a summer series of partnered programs aligned to the year’s event tracks and focused on celebrating resilience, technology and innovation. From immersive daylong conferences to dynamic idea exchanges and more casual fireside chats, PTW Virtual keeps you connected to the ideas and opportunities that create a better today and tomorrow for our hometown.

Grow your reputation as a leader in tech and innovation.

There are a variety of ways you can get involved with Philly Tech Week 2020. Email katrina@technicallymedia.com to discuss partnership options or learn more about sponsorship opportunities.

Explore Sponsorship Optionshttps://js.hscta.net/cta/current.js hbspt.cta.load(2084427, ‘9f17614a-9141-4565-83fd-774377e7174a’, {});

Never miss an announcement.

Get updates on speakers, sessions, attendee specials, and more. Sign up for Philly Tech Week emails today:

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Companies: Nerd Street / Balti Virtual / Technical.ly

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