Image from Indie Games Channel
Simple, artistic, and intriguing, Jake Elliot and Cardboard Computer's point and click game A House in California reveals the story of a home through a beautifully poetic and surreal gameplay experience. Short and very sweet. Download here and play it for free!
The incredible awards from the IndieCade award ceremony. To the left we have the Innovative Gameplay award for Marc Ten Bosc's Miegakure, and to the right we have the Sublime Experience award for Steph Thirion's Faraway.
This was my second year attending the IndieCade conference down in Culver City, and as one can expect from these kinds of things, this one was even better than the last. Mingling along the ranks of courageous developers and other aspiring game makers (like myself), it's hard to leave IndieCade without the motivation to just get excited and make things. And with games spread across the city's gallery spaces while swarms of people play ARG games into the night, you become overwhelmingly charmed by the spirit of imaginative play that colors this conference like no other.
I spent the majority of my time attending lectures and playing games alongside Steph, Cory, and Maré. Of course there was plenty of buddy mingling too with the likes of Brandon Boyer, Richard Lemarchand, Adam Robezzoli of Attract Mode, and many other game folks where just standing next to them is like inspiration by osmosis. My favorite lecture was That Game Company's presentation around their upcoming game Journey, which demonstrated just how much care is put into designing a game that feels organically cooperative (The Brainy Gamer has a great summary of the talk here.) And of course, Mr. Boyer's talk "All Play is Personal" served as a loving reminder that now is really the time to make a game if you've ever want to.
The Indicade award show was also better orchestrated than last year, having the perks of Levar Burton hosting and leading an all-audience Reading Rainbow sing-a-long, Old Spice actor Isaiah Mustafa (!), and a of course Ron Gilbert awarding Tim Schafer the Trailblazer award. The fact that Steph received the "Sublime Experience" award for his game Faraway was another unexpected but delightful treat. I can't tell you how proud of him I am.
Overall, a terrific experience. Well done Indiecade! I am definitely looking forward to what's in store next year.
P.S. Aside from the live demonstration of Humanoid Asteroid, the coolest thing that I saw this past weekend by far was this awesome Out Run go car. The photo below was taken by Ted Martens (another inspiring game maker!), but you check out this video by Cory to see how fast it went! Also, random, does anyone else see Richard Lemarchand as the Tim Gunn of indie games? I'd watch Project Gamemaker the show (I would!)!
A quick HH gameplay test from richard Hogg on Vimeo.
From the creators of the charming Poto & Cabenga (one of the select games showcased at this year's Gamma IV show) comes the curiously colorful Hohokum. From the demo video above one can grok that this game involves a courageous one-eyed flying worm-thing that rescues helpless sky people, and judging by how the worm quickly meanders across the screen I'm going to guess that this might be (maybe?) motion controlled (either via a handheld or a controller). (Update: My friend Bill pointed out to me that the video showcases what looks to be an Xbox 360 controller in the left-hand corner... )
That's all I can deduce about the gameplay at the moment, but I really love what artist Richard Hogg is bringing to Hohokum's game world. Oh, you love it too? Thankfully Mr. Hogg has supplied some savvy desktop art for the early-Hohokum-lovers out there. Lucky us.
Note: View the video here on vimeo if you're having trouble seeing it on the blog. Don't know what's up!
Hohokum via GameSetWatch
After you've taken the time necessary to take in this regal capture of the beautiful Helen Mirren serenely playing the Wii, let me catch you up on a few things. This last month has been a bit hectic, so I'm really looking forward to attending IndieCade this weekend down in Culver City.
This year I'll be roaming alongside the likes of THE Cory Schmitz and Maré Odomo, attending lectures (particularly those of a certain Mr. Steph Thirion), and awaiting the IndieCade award ceremony where (get this) today's hottest power couple Ron Gilbert and Tim Shafer will be attending. Oh boy oh boy!
Did I forget to mention that Levar Burton is the host of the ceremony? Let's take a moment to absorb all of this awesome...
via Jennatar
Anyway, if you're at the conference come and find me! I will be playing games and hanging out with some of the best of the best indie folk.
PS. Of course I made one of these (you can make one too).
A month or so ago beloved game designer Keita Takahashi announced that he was leaving Namco Bandai to pursue projects of his own, a departure which many saw as a very great thing. Having expressed interest in working with other developers and continuing his efforts to design playgrounds, yesterday it was announced that he and his wife are starting their own company called uvula. According to their site...
We mainly work with music and video games. However we have started designing a playground recently. We want to widen our horizons. So we are glad if we make something new with you. thanks.
There we go. Now who's going to make something new and awesome with the Takahashis?
Be sure to check the site for Keita's status ("Whether I'm alive or I'm not alive") as well as some cool photos of Keita's former sculptural work. Exciting stuff!
