The IndieCade 2022 Anywhere & Everywhere award winners have been announced. The virtual festival presented general, spotlight, and honorary awards to indie games and developers from around the world.
IndieCade began more than 15 years ago with a mission to support indie game development and showcase the future of indie games. From November 4 to 11, IndieCade is hosting the Anywhere & Everywhere virtual festival on Steam, and attendees can play demos and watch streams of the nominated titles. Jury reviews have determined which among the 42 nominees would receive special recognition. Unique digital trophies created by ibb & obb game designer and generative artist Richard Boeser were awarded to the winners.
General:
- Grand Jury: Svoboda 1945: Liberation
- Jury Prix: Unpacking
- Developer’s Choice: Lost in Play
- Innovation in Interaction Design: Midnight Protocol
- Innovation in Experience Design: Atuel
Spotlight Awards:
- Audio Design: Ambition: A Minuet in Power
- Impact: Return at Night
- Live Action: TIKATMOS
- Narrative: The Case of the Golden Idol
- Performance: Artholomew Video’s Stream Challenge
- Mike Sellers Systemic Design: Babble Royale
- Tabletop Design: Remember August
- Visual Design: IDEA
Honorary Awards:
- Bernie DeKoven Big Fun: Kaho Abe
- Game Changer: Morgan Romine
- Trailblazer: John Romero
The Grand Jury Award is presented to the game that stands out the most from all submissions and represents the values and ideals of indie game development. Lo-Fi People, the developers of the 2021 Grand Jury Award winner Blind Drive, announced this year’s recipient — Svoboda 1945: Liberation. Created by Prague-based studio Charles Games, Svoboda 1945: Liberation combines adventure gameplay with video interviews to illustrate the chaos of life in a small village after World War II. The Jury Prix Award recipient, Unpacking, was selected for its environmental storytelling, artistry, and innovation. Unpacking, developed by Australian studio Witch Beam, is a relaxing puzzle game about decorating a home while learning about unseen characters.
Among the Spotlight Award winners are Return at Night and Babble Royale. Return at Night, by Taiwanese solo developer and 3D artist Yi-Wen Hsu, is a virtual reality horror game about the fear of walking home alone at night as a woman. The title won the Impact Award for challenging players to confront their gendered experiences in navigating real world spaces. Babble Royale is the recipient of the Systemic Design Award, which has been renamed in memory of Mike Sellers, a professional game designer and educator. Released as Early Access by Everybody House Games, Babble Royale is a blend of Scrabble and battle royale, pitting online players against each other until one survives with the Last Word.
IndieCade also recognized three leaders in the gaming industry with the Honorary Awards. Media artist and game designer Kaho Abe was presented the Bernie DeKoven Big Fun Award for her work in creating physical games that connect people. Cultural anthropologist Morgan Romine received the Game Changer Award for founding AnyKey, a non-profit focusing on diversity and inclusion in gaming, and Frag Dolls, an all-women competitive gaming team at Ubisoft. John Romero won the Trailblazer Award for his lifelong career in indie game development, which began in 1979, and his work on more than 130 games, including Wolfenstein 3D and DOOM.
While awards may have already been presented, there’s more in store during the rest of the virtual festival. IndieCade attendees can learn more about non-digital games at Beyond Screens broadcasts, which showcase interviews with creators and playthroughs of games nominated in the categories of Tabletop, LARP, Alt Control, Playable Theater, and Escape Room. Participants who purchase a ticket on Eventbrite can access daily Behind the Scenes talks called “Tales from the Trenches” to have an intimate conversation with nominated game developers.
