(From Freeplay)
The Freeplay Independent Games Festival today announced that the Freeplay Awards are open for submissions for the 2011 awards to once again celebrate the best in Australian independent, artistic, and creative development.
Categories for the 2011 Awards include:
- Best Game
- Best International Game
- Best Design in a Game
- Best On-Paper Design
- Best Art in a Game
- Best Concept Art
- Best Technical Innovation
- Best Game Writing
- Best Audio
The 2010 awards drew more than 50 entrants from across Australia and the world – requiring the creation of a ‘Best International Game’ category. Winners include Brawsome’s Jolly Rover for Best Game; The Voxel Agent’s Train Conductor for Best Audio; PVI Collective’s Transumer for Best Game Writing; and Colorbind by Finn Morgan for Best Technical Innovation.
The 2011 finalists will be chosen by a soon to be announced expert panel of developers, educators, artists, and critics.
Dates for the 2011 awards are:
- 27th June, 2011 - Awards submissions open
- 25th July, 2011 – Submission deadline
- 8th August, 2011 – Announcement of shortlisted projects
- August 20th & 21st, 2011– Freeplay Independent Games Festival
- August 21st, 2011 – Freeplay Awards Ceremony
“We’re excited about the return of the Freeplay Awards in 2011,” said Freeplay co-director Paul Callaghan. “The response in 2010 was greater than we’d anticipated in our first year and we’re hoping to see even more creative and unique projects in 2011.”
He continued, “game development is undergoing significant changes and we’re starting to see existing developers step into the independent arena at the same time as a new generation of artists and creators emerges, creating an inspiring culture of ideas and projects that we want to celebrate and showcase.”
For full rules and submission guidelines, see the Freeplay website – www.freeplay.net.au/awards
The Freeplay Independent Games Festival takes place at the State Library of Victoria on August 20th and 21st 2011.
Indie spirit?
One of the eligibility criteria is that the game is made in the "indie spirit"... I'm curious about what that actually means?
Indie spirit...
I guess it's one of those 'we'll know it when we see it' type things, but to try and quantify it, the 'indie spirit' for us manifests as a game that contains one or more of the following attributes: creatively driven over commercial imperatives; a unique and personal world view; is the sort of experience that could only be created through a game; is mechanically, technically or artistically experimental; shows us something we've never seen before, or takes us ona journey we've never been on before.
Paul.
Thanks
Cool, gotcha. I think. I mean, LA Noire satisfies several of those, but I doubt many would consider it an indie game. It's a tricky one, defining the difference between indie and independent studio.