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Independent Games Festival Nominees Announced

Posted by simoniker on from the savages-and-pirates-oh-my dept.

Thanks to the IGF website for revealing their list of nominees for the 2004 Independent Games Festival awards, which have been running since 1998 "to encourage innovation in game development and to recognize the best independent game developers." The finalists in the 'Open Category' include everything from "blend of puzzle and action" Fuzzee Teevee, budgeted at a mere $10,000, to the $1-1.5 million "FPS and RTS [hybrid]" Savage: The Battle For Newerth. The 'Web/Downloadable' category also has some interesting entries, from seeing "two possessed cue-balls duke it out in realtime battle" courtesy of Kung-Fu Chess follow-up Billiard Boxing, to recently-featured "puzzle-based massively multi-player online roleplaying game" Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates.

1 of 16 comments (clear)

  1. Re:$1.5 million = independent? by danieljames · · Score: 2, Interesting

    As developer of one of the entrants with a relatively high budget, I can't imagine how we could be more 'independent'. Two friends had a ridiculous idea for a Pirate game, hired another friend, two artists, and another friend, made a game. Yes, we were lucky enough to be able to rustle up the money from friends and family to pay salaries, buy servers, etc. If we hadn't, the game would never have been made (for better or for worse none of the development team are at a time of life where they can live without earning some money).

    As it is we've made PP for substantially less than 1/20th of the cost of recent big-corp developed MMPs such as the Sims Online. So we're pretty cheap. Restricting the budgets of entrants to ~$10,000 would make it the 'cheap games written by moonlight or students' competition, not the independent games festival. There's a place for both, of course.

    This is indeed analogous to the independent movie vs. studio movie distinction. I believe that most independent films cost hundreds of thousands, some a lot less, some quite a bit more.

    That said, I agree about the points below regarding entrants being required to attend. There is a student showcase, perhaps there should be another category for people who are unable to made the GDC. I don't think $100 entry fee is out of line, although I did baulk at the $1,000 entry fee for the 'Interactive Academy' or whatnot awards.