Minneapolis, MN
Have a video game concept? Twin Cities group will help you make it a reality
It’s a hectic scene at the Noble Robot co-working space in Minneapolis, where roughly 25 indie video game developers are huddled around monitors to test out their friends’ latest creations.
Each screen has a different game on it, made by one of 14 groups last month as part of “Global Game Jam,” an international annual event where game developers gather in their respective cities before attempting to make a game from scratch in one weekend based on a prompt.
Last week, the designers reconvened at Noble Robot to show off the games they made and to get feedback. This year’s prompt was “make me laugh,” and the resulting games did not disappoint.
Event organizer Mark LaCroix said initially he was skeptical that the creators’ game ideas and jokes wouldn’t land.
“I was pleasantly surprised and a little embarrassed to be so skeptical, because all the groups came up with amazingly clever and nuanced approaches and concepts,” said LaCroix, 40..
Andre Denney, who works as a business analyst and website designer, was showing off his group’s game, “Voyage Dans La Loons.” The title is a play on words of the 1902 French movie, “Le Voyage dans la Lune,” and has players control three loons in a rocket ship as they fly it into the moon.
Although Denney had no game programming experience, the 28-year-old contributed by creating the visuals, music and in-game text. The 48-hour time limit led to some stress, but Denney said it catalyzed his group’s focus to finish in time and made him want to come back.
“When our group got together to test the game out yesterday, we all just thought, ‘I haven’t had a more productive two days since the game jam,’” Denney said. “It was such a kick.”
Several of the developers said they enjoy that the event brings together people who envision making game design a career one day.
“This feels like a space to keep pushing in, and one where if I’m going to find more of a future in it, this event and these people and this group seems like everything that I would want to be involved in,” Denney said.
LaCroix is a board member for the Twin Cities chapter of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), which hosted last Wednesday’s event to show off the Global Game Jam creations. It’s a volunteer-led group that aims to connect people making games, and to welcome newcomers who otherwise might feel intimidated trying to break into the industry.
LaCroix has been thrilled with the growth of the game developer community, but there’s still work to be done to improve its inclusivity, given how historically white and male-driven it has been, he said. In recent years, IGDA has offered monthly events for women in games and for people of color.
“If we’re going to stand up and say we represent the community, it’s a moral obligation, I think, to put in extra effort to make sure that we aren’t having those invisible doors that are keeping people out,” LaCroix said.
Game developer Stephen McGregor, who leads the people of color get-together, said he was excited when someone encouraged him to lead the event. He said there isn’t a lot of turnout for the people of color gatherings, but that he thinks it’s important to discuss the challenges that exist due to the lack of diversity in the game developer world.
“As much as I appreciate being part of the community here, I do oftentimes feel like I’m one of two people of color who go to certain events, with the second one being my brother,” said McGregor, who is Black and now works making video games full-time. “Even though the event I’m running now isn’t super well-attended, I can still be around other people of color and talk about the issues we face working in games.”
McGregor first discovered IGDA events around nine years ago, when he and his brother were looking for assistance with the game they were working on. He said the skills and connections he got from the group helped him secure his first full-time job as a game developer.
In the game McGregor made for the game jam, “Apocalypduck,” players control an army of rubber ducks that shoot laser beams and convert household objects into additional ducks as they escape their bathtub and explore the surrounding house.
Some other games highlighted last week included a cooperative original Nintendo console game, where two clowns-in-training compete to make a giant clown face smile by throwing pies at each other or setting up banana peels to slip on. The players then break the clown’s teeth with a hammer before walking inside to find a message that reads: “Sorry, but your clown diploma is in another stomach.”
Another, titled “Stand-Up Battle” has two stand-up comedians duking it out in a turn-based combat game. The twist is they fight by using different kinds of joke abilities, such as “dad joke,” “punchline” and “quip.” Most of these games can be found online to play for free at globalgamejam.org/games/2024. Dates for IGDA events are online at igdatc.org.
Minneapolis, MN
Truck driver dead after crash sends Metro Transit bus into home in south Minneapolis
It happened early Monday morning in Minneapolis.
One person is dead and another is hospitalized after an early-morning crash in south Minneapolis on Monday that sent a Metro Transit bus into a home.
It happened at around 4 a.m. at 10th Avenue South and East 38th Street, just a few blocks east of George Floyd Square.
A spokesperson for Metro Transit police tells 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that a truck was speeding down 10th Avenue when it hit the back of the bus, ripping a tire off the bus and sending it into the front of a home.
The driver of that truck died, according to Metro Transit police, while the driver of the bus was taken to a hospital but is expected to be OK.
Officials say nobody besides the driver was on the bus at the time, and the home the bus hit was also empty at the time.
Investigators are still at the scene, working to clean up all of the debris and determine exactly what led up to the crash.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS is at the scene and working to learn more. Download the KSTP app and follow 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS on social media for the latest updates.
Minneapolis, MN
Atlanta Dream survive thriller in Minneapolis, edge Lynx 91-90 to open 2026 WNBA season
The Atlanta Dream trailed by double digits, fought back twice and still needed Angel Reese’s game-saving block in the final seconds to survive.
Atlanta opened the 2026 WNBA season with a 91-90 victory over the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday night, powered by Allisha Gray’s 24 points, Te-Hina Paopao’s pull-up jumper with 12 seconds remaining, and a performance that left little doubt about what this team intends to do this season.
Reese’s block on Emese Hof’s layup attempt in the closing seconds sealed one of the most dramatic opening-night wins before 10,821 fans at Target Center.
When Minnesota pushed its advantage to 13 points in the second quarter and the Dream looked like they were in serious trouble, Allisha Gray took over. The veteran guard finished with a game-high 24 points on 7-of-18 shooting, going a near-perfect 9-of-11 from the free throw line to go along with eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Gray’s ability to get to the line and convert kept Atlanta within striking distance throughout a game that could have spiraled out of control multiple times. She scored 11 points in the third quarter alone as the Dream chipped away at Minnesota’s lead.
Rhyne Howard was equally important on both ends, finishing with 15 points, five assists and three steals. Jordin Canada ran the offense efficiently with 12 points and six assists, and Paopao added six points and four assists in a composed performance off the bench.
With Atlanta trailing 85-87 and the clock winding down, Naz Hillmon stepped back and drained a 22-foot three-pointer with 2:44 left to tie the game and silence the fans in the Target Center. It was the shot of the night, and arguably the play that won Atlanta the game.
Hillmon finished with 15 points on an efficient 6-of-10 from the field, adding seven rebounds in 33 minutes. She was the Dream’s most reliable scorer off the bench and delivered her best basketball when Atlanta needed it most.
Rookie Madina Okot also impressed in her WNBA debut, scoring eight points on 3-of-6 shooting with four rebounds in just 10 minutes, showing the poise and physicality that earned her a roster spot out of training camp.
Angel Reese’s first game in a Dream uniform was complicated. She shot 4-of-11 from the field, committed five turnovers and picked up a first-quarter technical foul that gifted Minnesota a free point. At one point in the first half, she missed three consecutive shots on the same possession.
But Reese also grabbed 14 rebounds, nine on the offensive glass, blocked three shots, came up with two steals, and made the most important play of the game when it mattered most. Her block on Hof’s layup in the final seconds was the kind of athletic, instinctive play that changes games and defines seasons.
That is the player Atlanta acquired this offseason. On opening night, in the most pressure-packed moment of the game, she showed exactly why.
Minnesota had every opportunity to win this game and couldn’t finish it. Olivia Miles finished with 21 points on 6-of-14 shooting and eight assists to go along with eight free throws made. Kayla McBride scored 20 points and hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:11 left that looked like it might be the dagger.
Courtney Williams added 14 points and six assists, and the Lynx shot 50 percent from the field, a number that should have been good enough to win.
But 15 turnovers and an inability to execute in the game’s final minute proved too costly. Minnesota had chances to put Atlanta away in the fourth quarter and couldn’t. The Dream made them pay every time.
Atlanta continues its opening road trip Tuesday against the Dallas Wings before returning home for the May 17 opener against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces at State Farm Arena. Minnesota hosts Atlanta again on May 27.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A shooting in south Minneapolis left a woman dead Saturday night.
Fatal shooting on Pillsbury Avenue South
What we know:
According to Minneapolis police, officers responded to a report of gunfire near Pillsbury Avenue South and West 25th Street around 5:30 p.m.
A woman was found at the scene with life-threatening gunshot wounds. She was taken to the hospital where she later died.
Police believe that an argument inside an apartment led to gunfire.
The suspected shooter fled the scene before police responded.
What we don’t know:
Police did not say what led up to the shooting or if they made any arrests.
The woman has not yet been identified.
What you can do:
Anyone with information on the shooting can call 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or click here to submit a tip.
The Source: A press release from the Minneapolis Police Department.
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