So that time of the year is on us again, roll on The Independent Game Festival 2018


As usual, the most interesting thing is off course the IGF awards.

[url=http://www.igf.com/article/2018-independent-games-festival-announces-main-competition-finalists ]This years finalists are: [/url]


SEUMAS MCNALLY GRAND PRIZE
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy (Bennett Foddy)
Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall)
West of Loathing (Asymmetric Publications)
Into the Breach (Subset Games)
Heat Signature (Suspicious Developments)
Baba is You (Hempuli)

Honorable Mentions: Tacoma (Fullbright); Rain World (VIDEOCULT); Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator (Game Grumps); Cosmic Top Secret (klassefilm); Hollow Knight (Team Cherry); Cuphead (StudioMDHR); Everything Is Going to Be OK (Nathalie Lawhead)

EXCELLENCE IN VISUAL ART
Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall)
Cuphead (StudioMDHR)
Echo (ULTRA ULTRA)
Luna (Funomena)
The Gardens Between (The Voxel Agents)
Chuchel (Amanita Design)

Honorable Mentions: Jettomero: Hero of the Universe (Ghost Time Games); Dead Cells (Motion Twin); AER - Memories of Old (Forgotten Key); Tooth and Tail (Pocketwatch Games); Rain World (VIDEOCULT); Shape of the World (Hollow Tree Games); Hollow Knight (Team Cherry)

EXCELLENCE IN AUDIO
Tormentor X Punisher (e-studio)
Cuphead (StudioMDHR)
Vignettes (Skeleton Business)
Rain World (VIDEOCULT)
Uurnog Uurnlimited (Nifflas Games)
Celeste (Matt Makes Games)

Honorable Mentions: Tumbleseed (Benedict Fritz, Greg Wohlwend, Joel Corelitz, David Laskey and Jenna Blazevich); Hollow Knight (Team Cherry); Tacoma (Fullbright); Tooth and Tail (Pocketwatch Games); Million Onion Hotel (Onion Games); Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall)

EXCELLENCE IN DESIGN
Into the Breach (Subset Games)
Shenzhen I/O (Zachtronics)
Wilmot's Warehouse (Richard Hogg, Ricky Haggett, Eli Rainsberry)
Baba Is You (Hempuli)
Uurnog Uurnlimited (Nifflas Games)
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy (Bennett Foddy)

Honorable Mentions: Heat Signature (Suspicious Developments); Dead Cells (Motion Twin); Factorio (Wube Software); Space Pirate Trainer (I-Illusions); Battle Chef Brigade (Trinket Studios)

EXCELLENCE IN NARRATIVE
Tacoma (Fullbright)
Attentat 1942 (Charles University and Czech Academy of Sciences)
Where the Water Tastes Like Wine (Dim Bulb Games)
Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall)
Butterfly Soup (Brianna Lei)
Tooth and Tail (Pocketwatch Games)

Honorable Mentions: A Mortician's Tale (Laundry Bear Games); Lost Memories Dot Net (Star Maid Games); Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator (Game Grumps); Bury me, my Love (The Pixel Hunt, Figs and ARTE France); Cosmic Top Secret (klassefilm); West of Loathing (Asymmetric Publications); Rakuen (Laura Shigihara)

NUOVO AWARD
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy (Bennett Foddy)
Tarotica Voo Doo (TPM.CO SOFT WORKS)
10 Mississippi (Karina Popp)
A Mortician's Tale (Laundry Bear Games)
Cosmic Top Secret (klassefilm)
Everything Is Going to Be OK (Nathalie Lawhead)
Baba Is You (Hempuli)
Kids (Playables)

Honorable Mentions: Where the Water Tastes Like Wine (Dim Bulb Games); IO Interloper (DANG!); The Norwood Suite (Cosmo D Studios); Cheap Golf (Pixeljam); Witchball (S.L.Clark); Million Onion Hotel (Onion Games)

BEST STUDENT GAME
IO Interloper (DANG!)
Don't Make Love (Maggese)
Penny Blue Finds a Clue (DigiPen Team Cactus Curse)
We Were Here (Total Mayhem Games)
Baba Is You (Hempuli)
Guardian of the Gears (DigiPen Team Studio 76)

So Hollow Knight didn't get a single nom? And Rain World got one but for audio of all things? Huh.

What exactly is their criteria for declaring a game "independent"?
Because as far as I'm concerned, games like Divinity: Original Sin 2 or Expeditions: Vikings are indie too and way better than any of the stuff on that list of nominees.

https://youtu.be/P6DAFwiYmtQ

If this wonderful student game was made in 2017 instead of 2018, it would definitely be on that list.

there is non...

but see here:
http://sinisterdesign.net/what-makes-a-game-indie-a-universal-definition/

and here:
http://blog.wolfire.com/2009/08/what-are-indie-games/

Yeah, while I agree with parts of those definitions, I kind of disagree about the "small team or solo effort" part. I mean, if you're successful and can afford to hire more people, you're suddenly no longer indie? That doesn't really make sense imo.

Also, I'm not sure I agree about the licensor part. If said licensor doesn't interfere in the development process, I don't see why that should matter. Same thing if the licensor is actually part of the team, like for the recent Shadowrun games.

Anyway, even if you stick to the "independent from a publisher or licensor, and small team" it would exclude D: OS 2 since Larian is pretty big, but not Expeditions: Vikings or other such games, which are imo way more fun than any of the artsy stuff that has been nominated. I mean, the only nominee that looks at all interesting to me is Into the Breach.

Not that I really care, it's their awards, they can do what they want with them, but they seem to deliberately pick niche, "conceptual", "original" stuff as opposed to just good, fun games.

They really don't (<.<), they pick from the submissions. And, when submitting, you have to consider the grand prize is $30000 and the minor prizes are $3000. I wouldn't begrudge people their stratospheric successes (e.g. Into the Breach), but if $30k is laughable compared to impersonal-your labor costs, kindly get the fuck out of the ball pit.

Just a fyi, Humble is having a sale on many of the titles:

https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/igf-awards-sale/

Awards, be they for games, movies, movies, or books prove one thing: I evidently have no taste.

Could always start your own....

The true definition is a game by a company like Larian and Epic and even CDP or any other company that develops and/or publishes a game without third-party backing or influence.

But in the case of IGF, IGDC, etc. it is a group of hipsters sitting around patting themselves on the back for being in "the know" and nobody else understands.
.

I really Hope Ghost of a Tale wins next year! It definitely caters their appeal, and the developer could really use that money
(Unless it turns into a Million copies sold game, which will be of course far better - Definitely deserves it! :)

The winners of the 20th annual IGF Awards are:

Excellence in Visual Art ($3,000)
Chuchel (Amanita Design)

Excellence in Audio ($3,000)
Uurnog Uurnlimited (Nifflas Games)

Excellence in Design ($3,000)
Baba Is You (Hempuli)

Excellence in Narrative ($3,000)
Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall)

Nuovo Award ($3,000)
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy (Bennett Foddy)

Best Student Game ($3,000)
Baba Is You (Hempuli)

Audience Award ($3,000)
Celeste (Celeste Team)

ID@Xbox Gaming for Everyone Award
SpecialEffect

alt.ctrl.GDC Award ($3,000)
Puppet Pandemonium

Seumas McNally Grand Prize ($30,000)
Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall)

which then makes EA, UBI, Valve and many others indie studios, as they all "develops and/or publishes a game without third-party backing or influence"

I've literally never heard of a single one of those games. Talk about perpetrating the stereotype that indie games are all weird/obscure/artsy.