Festival attendees will have the chance to play and vote for their favorite independently developed video games, board/card/tabletop games, and play live action/street games, all at no cost.
The fest also includes a 12-hour game jam, game art exhibit, film screenings and special guest speakers from the national indie games space, and an awards show for showcase winners. In 2013 we will also feature a live music venue at the Middle East nightclub in Cambridge, MA.
Digital Games Showcase
Register for the 2013 Digital Games Showcase Here!
Come check out a selection of independent games from the Greater Boston Area and beyond. There are over 30 games in the Digital Games Showcase, from top and brand new talents, in states ranging from Prototypes to Polished Perfections. Attendees at the Boston Festival of Indie Games can vote for their favorite games in the following categories:
- That’s So Indie (Game Design)
- Excellent Experience (Technical Quality)
- Awesome Aesthetic (Visual Art)
- Stunning Sound (Audio Design)
- Epic Epic (Narrative/World Building)
Learn more about the Digital Games Showcase and see all entries here.
Speakers
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Robin Hunicke, Game Designer/Producer
“Finding Meaning in Gameplay”
Time/Location TBD
Game designer and producer Robin Hunicke is known for her role on the award-winning downloadable game Journeyon Sony’s PlayStation Network (PSN). Her keynote presentation, titled “Finding Meaning in Gameplay”, will focus on how developers can create games that inspire new feelings, by looking inward and examining the everyday experiences of their own lives.
As the executive producer of Journey, Hunicke ran a small indie team of roughly a dozen game developers. The game takes players from desert to mountaintop, through a breathtaking series of landscapes. Along the way, they cross paths with other players and can choose to adventure on together or alone. The experience struck the game world with its uniquely emotional qualities, while illustrating the high level of polish that a relatively small game development team can deliver. Journey achieved worldwide critical acclaim and marketplace success, as well as securing countless awards and nominations for game design, online innovation and artistic execution from numerous respected organizations such as BAFTA and the Grammys.
An artist and computer scientist by training, Hunicke recently co-founded the independent game studio, Funomena. There, alongside fellow Journey developer Martin Middleton, she is building a team to work on experimental gameplay projects and games for social good. Robin’s interest in the unique power of games to bring people together began with her early work on family-friendly franchises MySims and Steven Spielberg’s Boom Blox for Nintendo Wii.
Recognized as an influential woman in games, Robin is an evangelist for diversity of thought and participation in game design and game culture. She co-organizes the annual Experimental Gameplay Workshop at GDC, has chaired the IndieCade Festival, and has published and lectured extensively on the MDA model of game design. She believes developers can create novel, experiential games by focusing on the feeling.
More information regarding 2013′s Speakers Coming Soon!
The 2012 Festival Featured the following keynote speakers:
Leigh Alexander
Leigh Alexander covers the art and business of video games at Gamasutra, and writes a monthly column on the culture surrounding games and gamers at Kotaku, as well as a monthly column on industry issues at EDGE Magazine. She is editor of the games section at NYLON Guys magazine, maintains her Sexy Videogameland weblog and is a contributor to Thought Catalog, where she often focuses on the social media and internet culture landscape. Her work has appeared in Slate, Variety, the Los Angeles Times, Paste and a host of other publications, and she frequently speaks at events on the business and design of social media and the intersection of interactive design with the real world.
Jason Scott
Card/Board/Tabletop Games
Information regarding the 2013 Tabletop Showcase Coming Soon!
This year’s card/board/tabletop games will be invited to participate in a competitive showcase where they will be eligible for great prizes! The board gaming area will also allow participants to check out games for group play courtesy of festival sponsors Days of Wonder and Rio Grande Games.
In 2012, our tabletop game room featured demos from indie board and card game designers. Check out 2012′s list of games and their descriptions here.
Street Games/Live Action Games
Information regarding 2013′s Live Action Games Coming Soon!
In 2012 we featured Silver Twilight Lounge, a 1920s one-shot Cthulhu Live game! This year we expect to have a lot more content. Keep an eye out for game registration!
Adobe Game Jam
Information Regarding the 2013 Adobe Game Jam Coming Soon!
As part of the first Boston Festival of Indie Games 2012 we hosted the Adobe Sick Day Jam. Have you ever wondered what you could create if you stayed home from work for just one day? From 10:00 AM to 7:30 PM we invited you to find out the answer by making your own game.
Participants proposed game concepts, formed teams, designed the core features, developed the technical and artistic elements, playtested with other teams and finally presented their work, all in under 10 hours.
Interested participants prepared with laptops, writing materials and any special equipment like musical instruments or drawing tablets that might have pertained to their work. Due to time constraints, we strongly advised jammers to come prepared by downloading some of the recommended tools and checking out the posted tutorials. We met at 10 AM sharp in MIT rooms 26-204 and 26-210.
Film Screenings
2013 Screening Info Coming Soon
2012′s films included:
- Indie Game: The Movie
- Get Lamp
- Ecstasy of Order
- Darkon
- Going Cardboard
Art Show
More info coming soon!
Live Music
This year’s festival will feature a variety of artists performing game-centric music! More info on ticketing coming soon.
Venue: The Middle East
Location: 472 Massachusetts Ave Cambridge, MA 02139
