Museum of the Moving Image and IndieCade the International Festival of Independent Games will present Indie Essentials: 25 Must Play Video Games, an exhibition of more than two dozen games that represent the diversity and innovation of the “indie” video game scene.
All games were created by individuals or small teams working independently of large studios and publishers. Visitors will be able to play all titles featured. Games will include the 2013 IndieCade Festival award winners presented alongside a selection of independent games that have had great impact on game design and culture in the last decade. Among the games are popular and groundbreaking titles such as Minecraft (2011) and Braid (2008), as well as underappreciated ones such as the web- based game QWOP (2008), and new discoveries Gone Home (2013) and Quadrilateral Cowboy (planned 2014).
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Alien Hominid,2002,PS2.
Developer: The Behemoth (San Diego,CA,USA).A 2-D side-scrolling shooter, Alien Hominid is notable for its comic book visual aesthetic, arcade-style gameplay, difficult levels, and quirky sense of humor . The game’s online success encouraged its creators to develop versions for game consoles.
Credit: Courtesy of The Behemoth.
Braid.2008,PC
Developer: Jonathan Blow (San Francisco, USA). A critically acclaimed puzzle platformer, Braid features a painterly style and unique time- control mechanics that address narrative themes of causality, desire, and regret.
Credit: Courtesy of Jonathan Blow.
Canabalt. 2009,iOS.
Developer: Adam Saltsman and Daniel Baranowsky (Austin,TX,USA). Canabalt pioneered the endless runner genre, which uses procedural level generation to dynamically create a different level every play.
Credit: Courtesy of Adam Saltsman.
Dear Esther.2007/2012,PC.
Developer: The Chinese Room (Brighton, United Kingdom). Dear Esther applies the interactive conventions of a first person shooter to craft a non-linear narrative. The game’s atmospheric visuals and haunting score composed by Jessica Curry immerse players in a lonely and isolated world.
Credit: Image courtesy of The Chinese Room.
Diner Dash.2004,PC.
Developer: GameLab, published by PlayFirst(New York City,NY,USA).Creditedwithpopularizingthetimemanagementgenre in video games,Diner Dash places players in a fast-paced system where they must prioritize tasks to make as much money for the restaurant as possible.
Credit: Courtesy of Game Lab.
Everyday Shooter.2007,PS3.
Developer:Jonathan Mak(Queasy Games)(Toronto,Canada. A traditional shooter placed in the context of a musical album, each level plays a new song that works in congress with the level’s unique visual design, sound design, and puzzle mechanic. The result is an aesthetically cohesive experience,rooted in a conventional genre.
Credit: Courtesy of Jonathan Mak.
Flower.2009,PS3.
Developer:thatgamecompany(Santa Monica,CA,USA).The player controls the wind, guiding petals tobring life, color, and light to a dark and devastated landscape, in this meditative game.Flower’s vivid graphics,simple gameplay,and accessible controls made it popular among gamers and nongamers alike.
Credit: Image courtesy of Thatgamecompany.
Gone Home*.2013,PC.
Developer:The FullbrightCompany(Portland, OR,USA).In this interactive story,the player explores a domestic environment to slowly uncover the history of the family who lived there.
Credit: Image courtesy of The Fullbright Company.
Kentucky Route Zero(Act I and II)*.2013–,PC.
Developer: Cardboard Computer(Chicago,IL,USA.Kentucky Route Zero is a magical realist adventure game about a secret highway in the caves beneath Kentucky. The game’s evocative visual design, distinct setting, and original music appropriate the common point-and-click mechanicto expose characters’inner emotions.
Credit: Courtesy of Cardboard Computer.
Machinarium.2009,PC.
Developer:AmanitaDesign(Brno, Czech Republi.This point-and -click adventuregame is notable for its dream logic and distinctiveb hand-drawn aesthetic. The player solves puzzles hidden in the game’s visual design to advance the story.
Credit: Image courtesy Amanita Design.
Minecraft.2011,PC.
Developer:Mojang(Stockholm, Sweden).In the popular open world game Minecraft, players can explore and craft structures in a 3-D environment made of simple building blocks.
Credit: Courtesy of Notch.
N.2004,PC.
Developer: MetanetSoftware(Toronto, Canada). A minimalist single-screen puzzle platformer,N has 500 notoriously difficult levels, where death is frequent and dramatic.
Credit: Image courtesy of Metanet Software.
Passage.2007,PC.
Developer:Jason Rohrer(Potsdam, NY, USA. A five-minute game in which the player navigates a lifetime of obstacles and choices,Passage uses low-resolution graphics and audio to enhance its visual and mechanical metaphors, creating a deeply affecting and emotional experience.
Credit: Courtesy of Jason Rohrer.
The Path.2009,PC.
Developer:Tale of Tales(Ghent, Belgium).This atmospheric gothic horror story, based on Little Red Riding Hood, uses careful level design to misdirect and manipulate the player into violating the game’s one instruction.
Credit: Image courtesy of Tale of Tales.
Porpentine’s Twine Compilation*.2012–2013,PC.
Developer:Porpentine(Oakland,CA,USA). In this collection of experiments,statements,tricks,stories,and games,players explore the edges of poetry and interactivity.
Credit: Image courtesy of Porpentine.
Quadrilateral Cowboy*.(Releasing in 2014),PC.
Developer:Blendo Games(Los Angeles,CA, USA).By manually typing code, players hack through security systems in a 1980s-era cyberpunk world.
Credit: Courtesy of Blendo Games.
QWOP.2008,PC.
Developer:Bennett Foddy (Oxford, United Kingdom).In this Flash game—notorious for its frustrating yet addictive gameplay—the leg muscles of a virtual athlete are mapped to individual keys that the player must carefully coordinate to move the character forward.
Credit: Image courtesy of Bennett Foddy.
Slash Dash*.2013,PC.
Developer:Nevernaut Games(New York City,NY,USA. A strategic capture-the-flag game,in which two opposing pairs of players dual as ninjas, Slash Dash is part of the recent popular rebirth of local multiplayer games.
Credit: Image courtesy of Nevernaut Games / Adnan.
Spaceteam*.2012,iOS.
Developer:Henry Smith(Montreal, Canada). Focusing on shared physical space rather than virtual space, players work together as a team of spaceship personnel, shouting nonsensical instructions to each other as they race to keep their ship from falling apart.
Credit: Image courtesy of Henry Smith.
Spelunky.2009/2013,PC.
Developer:Mossmouth(San Francisco,CA,USA).A 2-D puzzle platformer set deep underground, Spelunky is notable for its randomly generated levels that make no two playthroughs the same.
Credit: Image courtesy of Derek Yu.
Spin the Bottle: Bumpie’s Party*.2013,WiiU.
Developer:KnapNok Games& Redgrim(Copenhagen,Denmark). A party game for two to eight players,Spin the Bottle’s creative use of the Wii platform and its controllers show how independent developers are creating innovative play experiences for gaming consoles.
Credit: Courtesy of Knapnok Games & Redgrim.
Today I Die.2009,PC.
Developer:Daniel Benmergui(Buenos Aires, Argentina). Today I Die is an interactive poem in which the player must manipulate words, objects, and characters to save a drowning girl.
Credit: Courtesy of Daniel Benmergui.
Tower Fall*.2013,PC.
Developer:Matt Thorson(Vancouver, Canada). An archery combat plat former, Tower Fall features easy-to-learn rules and high-energy action,where up-to-four players battle with bows and arrows.
Credit: Image courtesy of Matt Thorson.
World of Goo.2008/2011,iOS.
Developer:2D Boy(San Francisco,CA,USA).World of Goo, an engaging physics-driven puzzlegame where players manipulate squirming globs of goo,achieved widespread success on mobile devices because of its natural user interface.
Credit: Image courtesy of 2D Boy.
In addition, the exhibition includes a tabletop game which won the 2013 IndieCade Impact Award:
Dog Eat Dog*.2013.Developer:LiwanagPress(OaklandCA,USA).
In this roleplaying game about colonialism and its consequences, players explore systems of power and complicity as they dive into themes of occupation, resistance, and assimilation.
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December 14, 2013–March 2, 2014
Museum of the Moving Image.
Matilda Evans.
overthekneeproject.wordpress.com 