I Licked All the Games at the Game Developer Conference
Ok — in the interest of full transparency — that was a bold-faced lie to get you in here. I only licked one of the games at GDC. And not in the Mark Twain “we got that problem licked” sense. “Licked” as in a “mouth-based video game.” But more on that later.
First, I want to tell you what it’s like going to GDC. This was my first time at a game industry event, and I had no idea what to expect. There’s lots of unfortunate video gamer stereotypes: that they are difficult to talk to, avoid sunlight, whatever. But honestly, all that couldn’t be further from the truth at GDC. This was one of the most accepting and culturally diverse conferences I attended. Everyone was friendly and accepting. Some people were tan. The games weren’t all about blowing up aliens. There were games designed to teach you “the harsh realities of growing up on the south side of Chicago” or raising a family in war-torn Serbia.
Game developers can be lumped into 2 basic categories. There are the big studios, who pump out the big name “AAA” games — Call of Duty, Halo, etc. These are the people with budgets in the millions of dollars, who have huge marketing campaigns including commercials and billboards. Then there are the indies. They are the ones working on their projects on the side, whenever they can find the time. Or maybe they are trying to make it on their own as a small studio. They are scrappy. They do weird shit, and I love them for it.
ctrl.alt.GDC
My favorite section at GDC is the punnily named alt.ctrl.GDC section. It is a section devoted to games that have alternative control schemes and interactions. Imagine all of the cool exhibits at the science museum, except hooked up to a cuddly octopus or a tank.
Some of these games aim to teach you compassion. Some are about screwing over your friend. All of them are weird, whacky, and most importantly, fun. So without further ado, the games!
Planet Licker
First up, as promised, we’re at the delectable Planet Licker. You are a space monster who flies through space and, well, licks planets. There are other monsters to avoid. The game is completely controlled by licking 3 different ice pops in the controller.
I was assured that the process was completely safe and sanitary. It’s been 3 days since my planet licking experience, and I have to admit, I am feeling better than ever. And I’m pretty confident that my high score (16th place!) will be hard to beat.
Crank Tank
Crank Tank is a new take on the classic top-down tank battle game. You actually have to, well, crank the tank to make it move. The controller is a big wooden block with 2 wheels attached. Spinning the left or right wheel spins the corresponding left or right tank treads. The game is extra fun when you have 2 people controlling a tank, one responsible for the left side and one responsible for the right side.
Disc Jockey Jockey
Disc Jockey Jockey is a game in the vein of “do somebody’s job for fun.” And it is both really fun and really hard. You are a DJ in charge of 3 radio stations. You have to listen in to all of them, and switch the audio input between the host’s microphone and music programming in real time. There are no clear instructions when to do this, you have to listen for audio cues — is the host done talking, or is the song winding down? The game can be played on a touchscreen, but the best way to play is with an actual MIDI controller.
Suck My Rainbow
Suck My Rainbow is a vacuuming game. The vacuum lights up with a target color. Your goal is to find that color in the real world, and suck it up. Instead of sucking up air as you vacuum, you suck up colors. This creates a cool effect as you see the colors creep up the vacuum tube. Cleaning has never been so fun, or awkward, as I witness players asking strangers if they could vacuum up the colors from their shoes.
Threadsteading
Threadsteading is a game played on fabric using a sewing machine. The coolest part is that when the game is over, the final score is stitched out on the fabric — you get a real, physical record of the game!
Octobo
OCTOBO is an adorable stuffed octupus that loves eating food, swimming, and hugging friends. She is a blend of interactive storybook, stuffed animal, and iPad app. The cool thing here is that the iPad slides into the animal and becomes the talking octopus face. Sensors around the body, and in pieces from the storybook, allow it to react to your actions!
Petitwo
Petitwo is a very cool blend of new and old tech. The game is played by putting an iPad inside of a zoetrope. If, like me, you have no idea what a zoetrope is, it’s a spinning cylinder that creates a short animated looping sequence. In other words, a pre-computer animated GIF.
The game is played using wooden control panel with a button, dial, and a foot pedal. Along with the zoetrope, this really helps you forget that you’re playing an iPad game.
Palimpseste
Palimpseste is a really cool “filtered reality” game. The game is played on a mostly-white screen using a custom headset that filters different colors. You must change your color filter to reveal different parts of the game world and make it through the maze.
Ziff
Ziff is a cool little blend of physical-toy & video game. The controller is an reconfigurable action figure — think Mr. Potato Head as a game controller. You can move the appendages between legs, fins, and wings to let the in-game creature walk, swim, and fly.
Sentree
Sentree is “a cooperative, physical mobile game for 2 or more players about helping each other survive through the night in a dark, unfriendly forest.” One (or more!) player serves as the “spotter” and the other serves as the “shooter.” The shooter is blindfolded. The spotter(s) must describe to the shooter where enemies are, and the shooter must rotate, fire, and reload.
It’s really interesting to see how many different ways people play this game. Some people describe turns in degrees, other in half-turns, quarter turns, and even others in terms of a clock.
There were a bunch of other games at alt.ctrl that I didn’t get a chance to grab videos of. You can check them out here:
- Little Book
- DOBOTONE
- Disruption
- Fabulous Beasts
- Hello, Operator
- Operator
- Please Stand By
- ROTATOR
- Slap Friends! Dispute Resolution Simulator
- The Von Neumann Personality Test
- Wiz
Lastly, I want to give a shout out to all the indie game developers out there. Seeing their work at the conference made it very clear that a lot of time and love went into these creations. There were many excellent games at the Indie MEGAbooth and Independent Games Pavilion. Check them out. Give them some love.
Thank you for reading! I’m interested in “local multiplayer gaming” — good old fashioned games that you play with your friends in the same room. I made a multiplayer game for Apple TV that you play using your mobile phone, read more about it here:
If you’re interested in chatting or collaborating, please feel free to reach out! You can find me on Twitter (I tweet mostly about iOS and games) or email me at pdesantis3@gmail.com.
Lastly, if you liked this article, please give it a recommend so other people will be able to read it as well!
