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xot

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Registered: 2007-08-18

Posts: 1,239

IGF 2010 Entries Announced

The 12th Annual Independent Games Festival (IGF) has just announced the entries for their 2010 competition. By all appearances indie development is continuing to accelerate. According to TIGSource, since 2007 the number of entries have gone from 143 to 173 to 224 to 306 entries for the upcoming event in 2010.

Previous trends have included in overall increase in game quality. I'm curious if that trend continues. When I see entries like "Don't Shit Your Pants", I have to wonder if a new trend is taking over the indie scene: shovelware. It's annoying to see joke entries like this when so many qualified designers don't have the resources to foot the IGF entry fee.

Another trend has been the vast increases in graphics sophistication for each succeeding event, especially 3D graphics. There doesn't seem to be any end to that trend in sight as pro-level tools become less and less expensive.

A possible trend in the making has been the reduction of Game Maker finalists. Last year there were none. I hope that was an anomaly. Realistically, I think qualified designers are probably moving on to other tools as GM's development continues to stagnate. I think I spotted a few GM games on the entries list for 2010 but I'm not really all that knowledgeable about the GM games that are out there. Will any of them make it through?

GM entries I noticed:

Saturated Dreamers - This one is by Paul Eres (aka rinkuhero). It's looking gorgeous although I don't know anything about how it plays. I especially like this description: "Saturated Dreamers is an experiment: it has action without harm, a shooter without explosions, bosses which become friendly once defeated."

RunMan: Race Around the World - Really charming platformer with some nice level design. Graphically in the dumps but it's perfectly handled. A deceptively well made game by Tom Sennett & Matt Thorsen (of Jumper fame).

If you spot any GM entries, I'd love to hear about them.

Some non-GM games that caught my attention:

I was pleased to see an homage to one of my all-time favorites. I can't wait to try Starflight - The Lost Colony.

Great to see Star Guard entered. I love this superb retro flavored game. It's a very simple Megaman-like affair with some outstanding level design and an interesting approach to narrative.

Mystic Mine is a nifty little Escher-esque game I've had my eye on for a while.

Cogs is truly outstanding design in every way. I like this beautifully rendered game a lot. Like Star Guard, it builds great things with only a few simple elements, but this game really takes retro to the next level.

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