DemoLab Mentoring Program
DemoLab - Make your first demo!
The demoscene is all about making, not just consuming. It's space like no other - together, we play with technology, dive deep and improve our skills by simply having fun.
But getting started is hard, especially in communities that seem to already have it all figured out. What are the best tools to use? How does one even go about to make a demo?
Often, it’s the first step, the very first release, that takes years to complete - large ideas clash with knowhow, and in the end they stay unrealised.
We let you in on a little secret: we had the same problem when we got started. Many demosceners did.
So MountainBytes became a demoparty built around a workshop, where everyone, no matter their skill level, is welcome to try their hand in a constructive, inclusive environment. So far, we haven’t had a single attendee who didn’t have their first demo produced by the end of the weekend.
We are inviting you to join us, introducing you to different tools and guiding you on your first steps to make your very first real-time scene e.g. with Processing ( https://processing.org/ ), p5.js ( https://p5js.org/ ) and Cables.gl ( https://cables.gl/ ).
Here are some examples from previous editions:
Awesome-NES by binary-sequence, a demo made on the Nintendo Entertainment System https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jm10EW6Ut4
!gamehearts by B4ckB0ne, a demo in cables.gl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnKjUIrsOak
Space-Flight by Bitgoat, an animation made with Blender https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVX-TeC2rgs
EAN Papers V1.0 by Martinland, a demo made for the TIC80 fantasy console https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiKPIFdK1ic
As you can see, you are not limited to coding - if you are rather interested in making music, digital drawing, animation or 3D-models, we are also happy to have you. And maybe, you even find your future groupmates amongst the other attendees!
But if I attend, I’ll miss all the fun!
No - actually, the program is built in a way that centers around the workshop.
Our mentors reach out to you prior to the event to have a chat, introduce themselves and - perhaps - even already gauge what you are interested in learning.
On Friday, we and the Meteoriks Team present the best demos of 2024, as to inspire you. Our mentors will already be able to tell you a little bit more about the tools that are being used, or how the effects came together.
On Saturday, you will have a full day to install any software, play around with it, and select music that demosceners from around the world have provided for you (or you can make your own sounds, of course). After the competitions, our compo organisers as well as participants will be there for you in a roundtable setting, where you can ask questions or bounce ideas off them. And suddenly, you will have a first demo - all while enjoying the competitions and learning from them, as we ask all participants to list the tools they use transparently.
Latest on Sunday morning, our mentors and you will upload the releases together into our party system - just like you would in a real competition. After a good, homemade Swiss breakfast, we will then watch your releases together and celebrate them with you. You will receive a little prize for finishing your first demo, and to say:
Welcome to the Demoscene!
After the party, we will of course log your release in our demoscene-databases and archives - and hope to have you back on the big screen sooner rather than later, having found a group you can work with or polished your skills to next time submit to the friendly competitions we host.
Who can participate?
Whether you are completely new to the demoscene and want to know where to start, have been around a long time but never got around to build a demo yourself or are an organiser who would like to host workshops like this in the future - we are happy to have you! This workshop does not require any previous programming experience and is open to anyone from age 12 to 120.
You will require a 3-day ticket to MountainBytes to join the workshop. If you are a student or otherwise have limited financial capacities, we are also happy to provide you with a social ticket at 35 CHF for the entire weekend. You can also sleep on site if you bring a sleeping bag, and affordable grocery shopping is available within walking distance. If you have any additional accessibility needs, please let us know. We are happy to accomodate you.
Participation will be limited to 15 people, and can be held in English, German and French.
What do participants need to bring?
You will need to bring a laptop (that shouldn't be more than 5 years old). Don’t have a sufficient machine? Get in touch with us before the event!
Looking for Helping Hands!
One of the most rewarding things you can do is help people along the way - explore some tools together with them, and help on the first steps to make their first demo or digital art piece.
What is required of a Mentor?
- Curiousity and some at least high-level knowledge about (FLOSS) tools and creative processes (we have some briefing materials)
- Some experience in the demoscene, e.g. how to use a party system and common communication channels
- A friendly attitude and hands-off approach to empower attendees (Their Keyboard is Lava!)
- Being able to reach out to others with questions you can't answer
- Available on-site at MountainBytes from Feb 14-16th (remote support is welcome, too)
- English-speaking and/or any of the Swiss main languages (German, French, Italian)
What do I get out of being a Mentor?
- Free entrance to MountainBytes
- Free softdrinks and snacks
- A very warm and fuzzy feeling enabling others to join the scene
- Perhaps that coder/graphics artist you've been looking for, all fresh and excited to continue doing stuff!
I'm a Musician - what kind of music snippets are you looking for?
- In principle, all formats are possible; but normal mp3 or ogg-files are usually the most sought-after
- Length: About 30 seconds to 1 minute is perfect, it's of course helpful if it loops
- You will of course receive full credit, part of the workshop is showing how to prepare an entry for upload
- You can send your music-snippet donations to info@mountainbytes.ch
