One of my favourite appointments at E3 this year was the time I was able to spend with the fine folks at IndieCade. An entire booth dedicated to the imagination, innovation and creativity which could possibly set the standards for future games of every genre, platform and medium… including but not limited to video games, tabletop games, card games and more. In an industry that is growing at an astronomical pace it’s refreshing to see a group like IndieCade giving support to more than just your usual triple-A Call of Duty type fare.
There’s a good chance many of you have never even heard of IndieCade despite this being their eighth visit to the LA Convention Center and E3. Not only that they’ve been around doing their thing away from E3 for even longer. IndieCade is the International Festival of Independent Games and this year it takes place from October 9th thru 12th in Culver City, California. The games on display at the IndieCade booth this year were only a smattering of what you’ll see at the festival itself. Honestly, the 30 or so games on offer at E3 hadly make a dent in the 150+ you’ll see should you visit IndieCade in October! What was there however, covered every genre and style you could imagine and a few that perhaps you couldn’t imagine if you tried (Bloom, wow… just wow).
I wanted to pick just a couple of the standouts for me this year although if I had the time I’d likely cover them all. First and foremost for me was that amazing ‘Neverending Nightmares’ from Infinitap Games and Matt Gilgenbach. A 2D animated psychological horror game rooted deeply in Matt’s own struggles with mental illness. Equal parts terrifying and fascinating it is a stunning representation of what a video game can be without over the top expectations set by the big publishers. A true next level experience we were actually able to preview the game and are looking forward to the final work when it’s released.
I was absolutely blown away by the Plethora-Project’s ‘Bloom’ which in a way is less game and more of an interactive architectural toy. Providing ‘Bloom Cells’ to the public at an event setting results in amazing structures that are adapted to the environment they’re built around (up and around a tree trunk for example) and not only encourages cognitive thought but community interaction. A game that brings people together and pulls them away from their electronic devices you say? Unbelievable! No matter how I try to explain it I’m certain I’d never do it justice. It is something that needs to be felt, held in your hands and played with, to be understood. Still this was just another example of the kind of ingenuity that IndieCade prides itself on not only representing but nurturing.
The past couple of years have seen a massive resurgence in indie game development partly due to support from big players like Sony and Microsoft but also because of other players in the game like Steam and Ouya for example. IndieCade only further shines the spotlight on amazing games and ideas with what they do. Quite honestly I’d like to think that they’re more responsible for this resurgence than anyone else.
After touring everything IndieCade had to offer I took a minute to chat with Stephanie Barish, one of its founders and its CEO. Acknowledging the fact that despite being on their eighth visit to E3 she made mention of numerous people coming to the booth not knowing that they existed in the first place. Even in the face of the growth of independent games there are still a lot of potential fans to be reached. Still, she was proud of the strides that IndieCade had made in bringing independent development to the forefront of the collective mind of gamers everywhere. Not only that she’s thankful for the support of the top dogs like MS and Sony for not only recognizing indie culture but also helping to foster their development.
There’s no denying that this is an exciting time to be a gamer but I strongly suggest that everyone take some time away from their Halos and their Gods of War to give a serious look at IndieCade and everything they represent. The imagination of today that you’ll find through them will undoubtedly be the catalyst for the amazing innovations of tomorrow.
You’ll find lots more information as well as a comprehensive list of all the developers they’re supporting at the official IndieCade website. Please do take a look!