Brand Strategy New York
Elevate your brand strategy skills in New York

Designing for a Feeling: MDA, Immersive Experiences & Emerging Technology
Tue, Nov 10, 12:00 AMWhat do you want your audience to feel—and how do you design an experience that gets them there? Join Columbia DSL on Monday, November 9, for an evening with **Nick Fortugno** exploring MDA (Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics) as a framework for creating compelling immersive experiences. In MDA, aesthetics refers to the emotional experience of participating: wonder, tension, discovery, connection, belonging. We’ll explore how those feelings emerge through the rules you create, the choices you offer, and the interactions that unfold between participants. Together, we’ll consider: * **Mechanics:** What can participants do? What rules and systems shape their choices? * **Dynamics:** What happens as people interact with those systems and one another? * **Aesthetics:** What does the experience make people feel? Whether you’re working with AI, interactive storytelling, games, or live performance, MDA offers a practical way to connect creative intention with audience experience. Come explore how starting with a feeling can shape what you build. ## About Nick Fortugno **Nick Fortugno** is a game designer, interactive storyteller, and educator. He is Director of Digital Game Development and a Distinguished Lecturer at The City College of New York, part of CUNY, and co-founder of Playmatics. With more than two decades of experience, his work spans games, immersive experiences, and emerging technology. His credits include lead designer of *Diner Dash* and lead interactive narrative designer on *Frankenstein AI*, presented at Sundance’s New Frontier. He also co-founded Come Out & Play, a festival that transforms public spaces into places for play.

Tuesday Board Game Night (400+ Game Library)
Wed, Nov 4, 12:00 AMJoin us every Tuesday for Board Game Night at Play! Hoboken! Whether you are coming solo or bringing friends, our community is welcoming to everyone from complete novices to advanced strategy gamers. 📅 WHEN: Every Tuesday from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Feel free to arrive as early as 6:00 PM for warm-up games!) 📍 WHERE: Play! Hoboken 1012 Grand Street, Floor 3, Hoboken, NJ 07030 🎲 HOW IT WORKS: • 400+ Game Library: Pick anything off our shelves—from light party games to heavy strategy titles. • Multiple Tables: Attendees break into several groups based on what everyone wants to play. • New Game Unboxing: Every single week, we choose a brand new game to be opened and played the following week! • Who can join: Adults (18+) welcome. Come by yourself or with a group; we'll get you seated at a table. 👉 RSVP now to save your spot at the table! to get a discount go to www.playhoboken.com

Beers & Data
Tue, Nov 3, 11:00 PMWE ARE BACK IN PERSON!

Free Funk Rock Jam Sessions Mondays - Random Strangers Jam at Shrine Harlem
Tue, Nov 3, 1:00 AMBring your instrument. Be a stranger. Join the jam. Mondays from 8-10pm with Random Strangers Jam at Shrine World Music Venue in Harlem! Online RSVPs get priority and in person sign ups start at 7:45pm. RSJ is a fully improvised psychedelic funk rock jam session led by Sky Demetri and his band. Come prepared to create new music on the spot - every 5-7 minutes, half the band takes a seat and is replaced by musicians from the audience, the new group of random strangers jams on a fresh key and concept - and the rotation continues! Join the email list at [RandomStrangersJam.com](http://randomstrangersjam.com/)! All jammers must sign in on the official sign up sheet in person. The sign up sheet becomes available in person 15 minutes before the jam. *Drums, keys, mics, amps, and a PA/DI are provided, please bring all other instruments.*

SDNNYC: Systems Behind the Services
Tue, Nov 10, 11:00 PM**Tuesday, November 10th, 6:00-8:00 PM EDT** **Presentation & Discussion** **Systems Behind the Services: How Design Systems and Service Design Make Each Other Stronger** Presented by **Mar Emilia** **Event Description** What do ferns, Romanesco, and your product’s button component have in common? They all get endless variety from a few reusable parts. Join me for a talk on design systems through a service design lens. We’ll trace how they grew from pattern languages and style guides into living systems, and look at what they do for products and services. Then we’ll ask the question that matters most for this community: what happens when service designers and design systems start working together? **About Our Speaker** **Mar Emilia** Mar is the Lead UX Designer at JPMorgan Chase in New York, where she leads a team focused on design systems and digital standards for the firm’s corporate web presence. Over 15 years, she has designed products and services for Samsung, P&G, Nestlé, Hewlett Packard, and Telefónica Innovation, working through every phase from research and ideation to prototyping and implementation guidelines. She holds a Master’s in Research for Design and Innovation from ELISAVA and has studied at SVA and The Fountain Institute. Driven by curiosity about human behavior, she designs systems that make good experiences repeatable at scale. https://www.linkedin.com/in/maremilia/ **Agenda** * 6:00-6:30PM Meet & mingle over food and drink * 6:30-7:30PM Presentation * 7:30-8:00PM Discussion & Networking * 8:00PM - ? After-Party **Address** Intuit 51 Astor Place New York, NY 10003 **After-Party**: Cuna Bar The Standard 25 Cooper Sq **Financial Transparency & Scholarships** As a non-profit, we do our best to strike a balance between making our events available to all and ensuring we keep the lights on. For this event, we are charging $10. * If this amount is prohibitive for you to attend this event, please email [Barr](https://www.meetup.com/sdnnyc/members/267573171/)y at sdn.newyorkchapter@gmail.com as we may miss messages on this platform. * If you’d like to **provide** scholarships, please message [Barry](https://www.meetup.com/sdnnyc/members/267573171/) at at sdn.newyorkchapter@gmail.com and he will follow up with you. * Please only use the email address provided as we may not see messages on this platform. See you there :) David, Francesco, Yasmin, Lynn, Nicholas, & Barry

Games with Strangers
Sun, Nov 8, 12:00 AMLove board games? Looking for someone to play with or something new to play? Come play games with us! Every Saturday night we run Games With Strangers. Grab a drink or dinner, meet some new people, and learn a new game. Our game expert will teach you our featured games for the night and make sure that things are running smoothly. Come be a part of our community!
Trusted by millions worldwide
Popular groups

The White & Private Label Expo Networking Community

SDN New York Chapter (NYC Service Design Collective)

New York Data Strategy Meetup

NYC Consumer Insights & UX Research Meetup

Business and Branding Group

Sooner Safer Happier - Americas (#BVSSH)

NY Video & AI Content Accelerator

Design Thinking Professionals_New York
Frequently asked questions
Related content
Discover more groups and events that match your interests





