GMLscripts.com

xot

Administrator

Registered: 2007-08-18

Posts: 1,239

IGF 2009 Finalists Announced

In what seems to be a surprising turn of events, I don't see a single Game Maker game among the finalists this year. Previous years have had a healthy helping of GM goodness. This year the trend seems to be toward games with far greater budgets and technical sophistication. Several console games even make the list. XNA Creators Club aside, this really begins to stretch the definition of "indie".

http://www.igf.com/02finalists.html

While the lack of Game Maker representation is a little disappointing, maybe this is a sign that substantial funding is increasingly making it to smaller, innovative producers, particularly those with cross-platform and console distribution in their sights. The success of previous IGF entries like Braid, World of Goo, flow, and Everyday Shooter are compelling reasons to take the indie movement seriously. It's never been a better time to be an indie in the game industry, nor has it ever been easier for an indie to get on a console. We are in the midst of a golden age of gaming and game production.

---

Abusing forum power since 1986.

Yourself

Member

Registered: 2007-10-09

Posts: 48

Re: IGF 2009 Finalists Announced

I don't get it.  Is Blueberry Garden actually finished, or are they just giving away awards based on videos of games?

xot

Administrator

Registered: 2007-08-18

Posts: 1,239

Re: IGF 2009 Finalists Announced

Braid won the Innovation in Game Design award at IGF nearly two years before it was released. I'm pretty sure to be considered you have to supply a playable prototype at the very least. I believe the qualifying entries, showcased at the IGF Pavilion, have to be available for play to any GDC attendees.

Speaking of GDC, look who's giving a session this year:

(304) The Four-Hour Game Design by Cactus
Speaker: Jonatan Soderstrom (Game Creator, Cactus Software)
Date/Time: TBD
Track: Independent Games Summit
Format: 30-minute Lecture
Experience Level: All

Session Description
Acclaimed indie creator Jonatan 'Cactus' Soderstrom (CLEAN ASIA, PSYCHOSOMNIUM) is renowned for the wide-ranging, eclectic multitude of freeware games that he creates. In this lecture, discusses how he creates standout, beautiful games in as little as four hours - what's the secret behind fast prototyping with such speed, and still creating compelling titles? Practical tips and plenty of charming examples will help Jonatan show how.

What's the secret, indeed.

---

Abusing forum power since 1986.