It’s less than two weeks remaining before the Game Developers Conference 2013 (GDC13), show organizers are detailing its special workshop dubbed “Experimental Gameplay Sessions,” which returns to GDC for its 11th year.
This jam-packed, two-hour session – which takes place Friday, March 29 at 2:30pm in Room 2014 of the San Francisco Moscone Center’s West Hall – will showcase an eclectic mix of unusual game prototypes that defy convention and explore new ideas and genres.
With this year’s Experimental Gameplay Sessions (EGS) curated and organized by leading creators Robin Hunicke (Journey), Richard Lemarchand (Uncharted franchise) & Daniel Benmergui (Storyteller), it’s an exciting opportunity for presenters and attendees alike to explore some brand new territory in game design.
A number of ‘experimental’ titles that debuted in previous years have gone on to become some of the most well-regarded in the industry. Some of these stand-out games include flOw, Braid, Portal, World of Goo and Today I Die. Some of which have been available through the Humble Indie Bundles in the past.
This year, the session aims to recapture that innovative spirit, with over 20 titles from some of the industry’s most creative developers.
Highlights include Katamari Damacy developer Keita Takahashi and Hohokum developer Ricky Haggett’s new project, Tenya Wanya Teens; Passage developer Jason Rohrer’s MMO burglary and home defense game, The Castle Doctrine; and Indie Funded, post-apocalyptic puzzle-platformer Mushroom 11 by Itay Keren.
The event includes even more puzzle/platformer hybrids, with the fiendish 6180 the moon by Sun Park and Jongmin Jerome Baek, the landscape-shifting puzzler Perspective by Pohung Chen and Jason Meisel, and the 4D puzzle-platforming game Miegakure by Marc Ten Bosch.
Vertex Dispenser developer Michael Brough will show there’s a lot of fun and experiments to be had with multiplayer games, demoing Glitch Tank, Kompendium, O, and more. Kaho Abe has a pair of multiplayer physical games: the hard-hat-tapping Hit Me and photo booth arcade game Ninja Shadow Warrior.
In addition to the above games, the rest of the lineup includes the following games from leading indie developers and breakout new notables, some of them being showcased for the first time in public:
Mexican Kitchen Workers by Brenda Romero
Searchlight by Margaret Robertson, Adnan Agha
Plus Gun by Kevin Cancienne
Starseed Pilgrim by Alexander Martin
Kachina by Ben Esposito
Versu by Richard Evans, Emily Short
SpaceTeam by Henry Smith
Soundodger by Michael Molinari (Bean)
Memory of a Broken Dimension by XRA/Ezra Hanson-White
Architecture Games by Eric Zimmerman
Since limited information on many of these titles is available online, the best way to see what’s on offer is to check out the Experimental Gameplay Sessions in person. The session will be open to All Access and Main Conference pass holders and will take place from 2:30pm to 4:30pm PT on March 29.
GDC13 still offers over $100 discounts to select pass purchases made by March 20th, at 11:59pm EST, with prices increasing for on site registration. GDC 2013 itself will take place March 25-29 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
For more information about previous Experimental Gameplay Sessions events, visit the independently run Experimental Gameplay website.
