IndieCade 2009:
The International Festival of Independent Games

Join IndieCade at its Annual Festival October 1-4, 2009.

IndieCade is open to the public and draws a diverse audience of savvy professionals interested in cutting-edge digital media, game developers, publishers, artists, and enthusiasts of all ages.

2009 Festival Highlights include …

Hands-On Exhibition: A hands-on exhibition of the top finalist work which will be showcased in multiple gallery locations across downtown Culver City.Read more ...

Conference, Workshops, Panels, & More: A robust conference, salons, workshops, panels and keynote by industry leaders, thinkers, and featured gamemakers presentations will be held throughout the festival with specific sessions catering to industry professionals, aspiring gamemakers, and fans. Speakers include Keita Takahashi (Katamari Damacy, Nobi Nobi Boy), Henry Jenkins, Brenda Brathwaite and more. Read more ...

Previews of Anticipated New Work: Each year IndieCade holds theatrical previews of new innovative work.

Awards: A dynamic Award ceremony, this year held at Sony Pictures Entertainment, will announce and celebrate the awardees from the finalists of this year’s competition. Read more ...

Outdoor Gameplay: Through the course of the festival outdoor gameplay will be held in the park and downtown plaza areas drawing the general public into the festival.Read more ...

Gamewalk: A Gamewalk (an artwalk-like quest) will take place through downtown Culver City incorporating local businesses and drawing their patrons to the event.Read more ...

Daily Artist Talks: All gamemakers present will hold daily artist talks and presentations.Read more ...

The IndieCade Happening (opening gala), VIP, and Social Events: Special VIP and networking events include a fantastic IndieCade Happening at the Royal-T Café and Gallery with finalist game talks and performances, intimate lunch and evening programs, a closing party and audience awards show at Rush Street, and happy hours throughout the event.Read more ...

Aspiring Gamemaker Events: A special series of events, programming, and gameplay over the weekend designed specifically for youth and adults interested in exploring gamemaking. Read more ...

A detailed schedule of events will be posted shortly.

Locations

IndieCade 2009 Festival will take place across the walking streets of Downtown Culver City. Culver City is perfectly located between downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica, California and is full of independent and artistic spirit.

Festival Headquarters for Ticket Pick-Up, Conference Registration, Information, Maps for Outdoor Events, and Daily Happy Hours are located at the Culver Hotel.

Culver Hotel 9400 Culver Blvd., Culver City 90232

Downtown Plaza

Gregg Fleishman Gallery, 3850 Main Street, Culver City 90232

Ivy Substation/ Actor's Gang Theater, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City CA 90232

Media Park

Royal-T Cafe and Gallery, 8910 Washington Blvd., Culver City 90232

Rush Street, 9546 Washington Blvd, Culver City 90232,

Sony Pictures Entertainment Plaza, 10202 Washington Blvd., Culver City CA 90232

Wonderful World Art Gallery, 9517 Culver Blvd., Culver City 90232

Parking & Directions

Parking

CARDIFF STRUCTURE: The Cardiff Parking Structure is located, a half block west from of Festival Headquarters (Culver Hotel), at 3846 Cardiff Avenue between Culver and Venice Boulevards.

INCE PARKING STRUCTURE: The Ince Parking Structure is located one block east of the Festival Heaquarters (Culver Hotel), at 9009 Washington Avenue. You can also enter the structure from Culver Blvd. at the Trader Joe’s entrance.

Directions:

From the South and LAX Airport:
 Take 405 Fwy North to Culver Blvd exit, make a Right onto Culver Blvd. Continue heading East until you reach the Festival Headquarters (Culver Hotel) and proceed to the Hotel loading doc (hotel guests only), the Cardiff parking structure, or the Ince parking structure.

From the North and West:
Take 405 Fwy South to Venice Blvd exit, make a Left. The next light is Washington Place, make a Left. Washington Place will merge with Washington Blvd and then merge with Culver Blvd. After this merge, the Festival Headquarters (Culver Hotel) will be on your right hand side. You may proceed to the Hotel loading doc (hotel guests only), the Cardiff parking structure, or the Ince parking structure.

From the East/ Downtown Los Angeles/ Pasadena Area: 
Take 10 Fwy West to Robertson Blvd exit, make a Left. The next light is National Blvd, make a Left again. Go one block to Venice Blvd, make a Right. The next light is Culver Blvd, make a Left. Pass the hotel on your left hand side, at next traffic signal, Irving, make U-turn at left turn signal to proceed to the Hotel loading doc (hotel guests only), the Ince parking structure, or continue straight for the Cardiff parking structure.

From the Beverly Hills/West Hollywood area:
Take La Cienega Blvd South to Venice Blvd, make a Right. Proceed approximately 1.5 miles to Culver Blvd, make a Left. Pass the Festival Headquarters (conference hotel) on your left hand side, at next traffic signal Irving, make U-turn at left turn signal to proceed to the Hotel loading doc (hotel guests only), the Ince parking structure, or continue straight for the Cardiff parking structure.

Travel

The Culver Hotel is the preferred conference hotel. Special IndieCade rates will be available. To access the rates, please call the Culver Hotel @ 310.448.9400 and ask for Asher.

The Culver Hotel, 9400 Culver Blvd., Culver City 90232. Tel. 310.558.9400 www.culverhotel.org (Special rates are not available online).

Hotel Guests Parking Information: Before checking in, please pull into the Hotel LOADING ZONE on Culver Blvd, on the north side of the hotel. The front desk staff will direct you to the two nearby parking structures. Overnight parking is available for $6 per car.

More

Throughout 2009 IndieCade will continue to shine a light on the best of independent games. We look forward to seeing you there.

IndieCade Festival 2008

IndieCade's 2008 Flagship Festival

Held in Bellevue, Washington the technologically progressive East Side of Seattle and headquartered at the Open Satellite, this landmark event was the first major exhibition of international, independent videogames and videogame art in the Seattle area and the first stand-alone independent videogame festival in the nation.

At this critically acclaimed event, an audience of professionals, independent gamemakers and artists, and the general public had hands-on access to more than two-dozen games, artist talks, featured premieres, performances, and awards. Juried awards were given in the following categories; Aesthetics, Design Innovation, Finalist Choice, Fun, Jury Award, Sublime Experience, Technical Innovation, World/Story.

Other 2008 IndieCade Appearances

IndieCade @ GameCity

IndieCade hosted 20 shining international examples of independent gamemaking GameCity, a gathering for European and UK gamemakers, industry, and fans in Nottingham, England.at GameCity, UK, October 24-28, 2007.

IndieCade @ E for All

IndieCade featured 18 examples of independent gamemaking at the IndieCade Games Showcase at E for All a large public mainstream videogame expo in Los Angeles which attracted tens of thousands of game enthusiasts, October 19-21, 2007.

IndieCade @ E3

The pilot IndieCade Showcase graced the exclusive E3 Industry and Media Summit July 2007, targeted to the mainstream publishing and game press establishment. IndieCade brought 19 pioneering examples of independent gamemaking to the event and by the time the event opened, two of the games featured in the IndieCade Showcase had obtained publishing deals, one featured company had just released its first downloadable PS3 game, and another had just received an influx of $10 million in funding. IndieCade and the featured games received tremendous industry and media attention, garnering articles in dozens of publications including a feature on the front page of the Yahoo! website.

IndieCade Events 2007 Snapshot (PDF)

Background

IndieCade’s Independent Games Showcases and Festivals celebrate and elevate the innovators and pioneers of this creative industry. With an eye toward inspiring the creative center of tomorrow’s game business, the latest independent videogames are juried and curated by a panel of game experts and showcased to fellow developers, industry stakeholders, and fans. By bringing these audiences together, IndieCade serves the global independent videogame marketplace, similar to the origins of cinema’s Sundance Film Festival and American Film Market, and creates a public venue for fans to experience the latest creative innovations from indie developers.

Each event features continual screenings and hands-on play experiences. The risk-taking, inventive, and entertaining alternative games span genres, styles, screens, and formats. They include independently produced commercial games, art games, serious and activist games, big games and alternative reality games, mobile games, browser-based casual games, student games, learning games, and games whose genres and audiences are yet to be defined.

Like the independent videogame developer community itself, IndieCade’s focus is global and includes producers in Asia, Europe, Australia, and anywhere else games are made and played.

Each IndieCade Showcase is tailored to its venue. Events vary from a collection of handpicked games to more elaborate exhibits, workshops, and presentations by creative legends in the industry; game-design jam tournaments, large-scale social games, works-in-progress, and special events honoring the indie spirit in legacy games.