Nostalgia might be the first things visitors at Indie Game Con felt when they walked into the Lane Events Center. Monitors displayed retro-style games reminiscent of the 1990s, when Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis dominated the video game scene. The games all share one thing in common: They were all made in Oregon by small independent companies.
The event ran Saturday, Nov. 2 through Sunday, Nov. 3. Students, families and industry professionals gathered at the 7th annual Indie Game Con in Eugene, Oregon. The event showcased 17 games developed in Oregon.
David Lo makes video games in his spare time, his day job is working a graveyard shift at a call center. Lo moved to Eugene about a year ago, “I met all the people that do video games here at Pipeworks. They were hyping up Indie Game Con last year and I ended up going,” Lo said. He is now the director of the convention.
Independently developed games have been making a splash in the video game scene since mobile platforms and console systems like PlayStation and Xbox have made it easier for small companies to publish their own games. Indie games often stray from the stereotypical actions or sports genres we associate with video games.
One recent example is the Untitled Goose Game, by developer House House out of Melbourne, Australia. Players take on the role of a rambunctious, trickster goose who wreaks havoc in a small town. The game’s success earned it an article in The New York Times.
The games vary from playing soccer in a stress inducing field laden with landmines and with aliens shooting at you, to a casual puzzle adventure where players manipulate objects to block light and remain in shadows.
Then there is King Pong, the classic game of table tennis played on a massive controller. Each paddle is controlled by a swiveling foot stool. Projected on 20 foot screen, King Pong is a different kind of video game experience.
The game that most resembles modern video games is called Invader Simulator, an action title where you take on the role of a robot sent to terraform an alien planet. Mandela Shabazz is the game director. This his first video game, his previously experience is in modifying other games. “When I was 14 I started modding Unreal Tournament,” Shabazz said.
Indie Game Con put a spotlight on Eugene’s video game development scene and showed that in a field generally associated with massive programmer teams and big budgets, there is room for small teams pursuing game design as a passion and hobby.
Indie Game Con was held at the Lane Events Center in Eugene, Oregon on Nov. 2 and 3. The convention featured 17 games made by Oregon based developers. Kevin Smear (left) scoring the winning point using the giant King Pong Controller. His mother, Andrea Smear cheered him on. (Robin FitzClemen/Emerald)
