Experimental Game Workshop 2023 Update!

Find the session’s new website here:

https://www.experimentalgameworkshop.org/

2023 Open Call for Submissions

Click one of these links if you are ready to apply!

GAME PROJECTS FORM  | CULTURE PRESENTATIONS FORM
Submission Deadline: Jan 1, 2023

What is new with EGW?

An overview and update on this year’s Experimental Game Workshop at GDC 2023

Formerly the Experimental Gameplay Workshop, EGW is a GDC tradition in its 21st year, an annual session where many developers have shown novel game ideas through prototypes and design retrospective microtalks.

Given the increasing amount of work that broadly fits the scope as "experimental" and the general difficulty in the past of defining what exactly "experimental gameplay" is and isn't, we decided it was appropriate to broaden the scope. So now, the session is just called Experimental Game Workshop, with a continuing interest in play but not a prioritizing focus on it.

We've heard criticism from industry peers about how EGW's prior focus on gameplay often emphasized specific types of experimentation over others. To some, this felt at times overly narrow and missing the bigger picture of what’s happening in different spheres of game development across the world. So we’re opening the selection criteria even further, bringing in a new and expanded set of judges + organizers, and continuing with the evolving goals of the session.

Those goals are:

•   Showcase games with unexpected play experiences or unique feelings in interactivity.

•   Encourage exploration of uniquely deep and resonant experiences through play. 

•   Grow diversity in game types, game creators, game subcultures, narrative representations, and the use of new mediums. 

•   Responsibly steward a tradition of sharing inspiring work.

We want this session to represent a larger swath of the unique and compelling experimentation that is happening in the world of games than it sometimes has in the past. Because of this, we're aiming to turn this session into a showcase of experimentation across the whole spectrum of interactivity: not only in gameplay, but in all aspects of game development. Including accepting new non-game presentations on community and culture!

We strongly encourage designers from BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and underrepresented communities to apply. We’re also in the process of growing the EGW community and further developing connections between experimental creators.

For many, the EGW is a first chance to go to GDC and learn from other developers while also showing their work. We have a Discord server of recent EGW participants who are interested in sharing their projects and processes with each other around the conference. We’re actively looking for suggestions on how to grow and support this community at GDC, online, and beyond.

By making a submission, we will consider you a part of that community and extend an invitation to participate in it, regardless of whether your game or presentation is selected for this year’s GDC showcase. We’re excited to see what you’re working on!

What is an experimental game?

Experimental games take interesting and unusual approaches to interactivity that haven't been tried before. They often challenge existing ideas about what can be done in an interactive medium. This definition can be unavoidably vague by necessity, so we've provided some kinds of experimentation that we’re familiar with and may guide your explanation of your submission:

  • Concise unique or novel mechanical exploration

  • Philosophical or personal statement / poetic games

  • Aesthetic or narrative experimentation with resonant affect

  • Generative or systemic depth, player experimentation within robust dynamics

  • New interaction methods / models / devices / experiences

  • And More! Stuff we can’t define! Tell us about it!

How is the EGW changing? 

We aim for this session to be more holistically focused on all aspects of game making and game culture than before. Alongside microtalks featuring individual games, we also would like to include presentations about broader cultural movements in experimental game making. If you are a community organizer, academic, culture writer, or some other person with awareness of one of these spaces and would like to speak about it, we’d love to hear from you. In this category we imagine speakers could give presentations overviewing topics such as:

Interactive art exhibitions, modding communities and practices, zine making for critical discourse or generative rpg storytelling, user generated content trends, interactive fiction, alternate reality games, unique game jam formats, or anything else in the larger goal of novelty and expression within interactive mediums.

This aspect is still very much a work in progress and dependent on the submissions we receive in a given year - but is something we’d love to move towards featuring more of in the future.

Who is currently running the session?

Judges: Carol Mertz, Liz Ryerson, Hesi Mendez, Yiyi Zhang

Organizers: Sebastian Gioseffi, Sebastian Blanco, Jake Weidner

Our goal is to cycle judges and organizers every couple years, along with some new longer term advisors to keep the showcase going and evolve its focus alongside the medium. This is, of course, subject to further revision in the future - as the EGW is a growing and evolving organism.

What kind of work is accepted?

For Game Projects

We accept both finished games and playable prototypes. Work presented in submissions that are finished games may be from the past, as long as the concepts still feel fresh in the current design landscape.

NOTE THAT in showcasing finished work from the past, we generally prefer submissions from developers who have had less exposure for their work, or who have not presented their work in a setting like GDC before.

Projects can be in any stage of development, so long as the aspects that make the game experimental are playable. The submission doesn't need to be fun, but the experimental idea behind it has to be interesting and clear. This session is about celebrating the process of experimentation over fully polished and successful results. We look for work that demonstrates a deep and consistent exploration with the game’s mechanics, themes, and/or motifs.

For Culture Presentations

We accept video submissions of the talk you intend to give, a sample of yourself speaking on a relevant topic, or the entire talk itself (if you’ve already given a similar presentation). You can include slides, images, or other materials as part of the submission.

The video does not have to be super polished or have high production value, so no need to to acquire any kind of specialized video or audio equipment. We’ll gladly accept laptop webcam or phone video submissions. We are only assessing the relevance and quality of the content.

Depending on the number of available slots for the session, we may also decide to offer you to show a video instead of a live presentation.

How do I submit?

To submit your experimental games or community/culture presentations for consideration, please fill out the corresponding form: 

GAME PROJECTS FORM  |   CULTURE PRESENTATIONS FORM

What if I cannot attend GDC?

Being unable to attend GDC will not prevent you from sharing the space with our friendly and talented community of creators. We can show a prerecorded video project or presentation during the show.  

Although we typically accept a small fraction of submissions to showcase at GDC, you’re welcome to share your games, prototypes, and presentation topics with the EGW community on Discord and in future events. Selections are shown at our session at this year’s GDC (traditionally Friday midday), and speakers who are selected for the showcase will receive a free Speaker's pass to the entire GDC conference.

By submitting, you’ll gain access to the EGW community virtually (initially via Discord), even if your project isn’t accepted for this year's showcase. We reserve the right to deny or revoke admission to games/creators that we feel perpetuate discriminatory values in the community at large or otherwise make the space feel unsafe. Our moderation abilities in this community will be initially “as available”, and if you are interested in helping maintain the online community as an inspiring, safe, and respectful space, please let us know and get involved.

Note: More than one project can be submitted by the same person - and we encourage this when a body of work reflects a series of related or ongoing experiments. If you have submitted a project in the past that was not featured, please consider submitting again as our focus for the showcase is expanding.

- - -

If you have questions about your submission or need clarification about the process, please email us here or find us on Twitter at @ExpGameWorkshop. We look forward to hearing from you - and hope to see you at GDC!

Experimental Gameplay Workshop - Call for Proposals 2022 !!!!!

Hello once again, fellow game design explorers! The time has come to open submissions for the 2022 GDC Experimental Gameplay session! This year's submission deadline will be Sunday, January 9th.

This year marks EGW’s 20th Anniversary!!! It’s been two incredible decades of amazing prototypes and presentations showcasing new mechanics, genres, and mediums for games. This year we’re continuing to recognize the developers eager to share their novel ideas with the industry at large, reflect on the history of the event, and pass the torch to new creators and organizers. As part of all that, our selection criteria is broader than ever before. We want to continue to build a platform for as many new faces as possible, while also putting on an exciting show!

Just in case you are new to the process (or need a refresher) the call for submissions below lists what kinds of games and prototypes we're looking for. In a nutshell: if you’re working on something weird and wonderful, it’s worth applying! We also strongly encourage designers from BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and underrepresented communities to apply. You can also check out the workshop's original inspiration and philosophy, history and organizers. And if you know of any creators doing interesting things in this space, please ask them to apply!

We’re also in the process of growing the EGW community and further developing the format of our events to build connections between experimental creators. We’ve started with a Discord server of recent EGW participants who are interested in sharing their work and processes with each other. We’re actively looking for suggestions on how to grow and support this inspiring community at GDC, online, and beyond!

By making a submission, we will consider you a part of that community and extend an invitation to participate in it, regardless of whether your game is selected for this year’s GDC showcase. We’re excited to see what you’re working on!

- - -

What is Experimental Gameplay?

Experimental games take interesting approaches to interactivity that haven't been tried before. Since this definition is unavoidably vague, here are some examples of previous selections to clarify.

This is our focus for featuring Experimental Gameplay:

This is typically not what we look for in Experimental Gameplay (with some exceptions):

  • Novel content, narrative, settings, character designs, artwork, audio or plots alone - unless they affect the core gameplay in a major way, or combine to create a uniquely deep and resonant aesthetic experience. (Selected examples of exception: That Dragon Cancer, Thumper, Walden)

  • New hybrids of already-existing genres - unless the resulting gameplay is unexpectedly more than the sum of its parts. (Selected examples of exception: Noita, Hack ‘n’ Slash)

  • Purely technical innovation, experimental business models or distribution mechanisms - unless the game itself is experimental as outlined above.

- - -

What kinds of prototypes are accepted?

Only playable prototypes are accepted.  They can be in any stage of development, so long as the experimental part of the gameplay is playable. The submission doesn't need to be fun, but the experimental idea behind it has to be interesting and clear. This is because we favor the process of experimentation over the success of results.  We look for work that demonstrates a deep and consistent exploration with the game’s mechanics, themes, and/or motifs. Work presented in submissions may be from the past, as long as the concepts still feel fresh in the current design landscape.

By submitting, you’ll gain access to the EGW community virtually (initially via Discord), even if your prototype isn’t accepted for this year's showcase. We reserve the right to deny or revoke admission to games/creators that we feel perpetuate discriminatory values in the community at large or otherwise make the space feel unsafe. Our moderation abilities in this community will be initially “as available”, and if you are interested in helping maintain the online community as an inspiring, safe, and respectful space, please let us know and get involved.


Note: More than one prototype can be submitted by the same person - and we encourage this when a body of work reflects a series of related or ongoing experiments. If you have submitted a project in the past that was not featured, please consider submitting again as our focus for the showcase is expanding.

How do I submit?

To submit your experimental prototype for consideration, please fill out THIS FORM HERE. Although we typically accept a small fraction of submitted prototypes to showcase at GDC, you’re welcome to share your prototypes with the EGW community on Discord and in future events. Selected prototypes are shown at our session at this year’s GDC (traditionally Friday at 2pm), and speakers who are selected for the showcase will receive a free Speaker's pass to the entire GDC conference.

What if I cannot attend GDC?

This will not prevent you from sharing the space with all the awesome devs. We can show a video about your prototype during the show.  

- - -

If you have questions about your submission or need clarification about the process, please email us here or find us on Twitter at @ExpGameWorkshop. We look forward to hearing from you - and hope to see you at GDC!

Experimental Gameplay Workshop - Call for Proposals 2021 !!!!!

UPDATE: The deadline has been extended to June 7th! You may also edit your submissions until that date.

Hello once again, fellow game design explorers! The time has come to open submissions for the 2021 GDC Experimental Gameplay session! This year's submission deadline will be Friday, May 28th.

Just in case you are new to the process (or need a refresher) the call for submissions below lists what kinds of games and prototypes we're looking for. In a nutshell: if you’re working on something weird and wonderful, it’s worth applying! We also strongly encourage designers from BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and underrepresented communities to apply. You can also check out the workshop's original inspiration and philosophy, history and organizers. And if you know of any creators doing interesting things in this space, please ask them to apply!

This year, we’re hoping to begin an ongoing transformation of EGW as a showcase, community, and platform. We would like to expand the kinds of experimental gameplay and development we recognize in the showcase. We plan to reflect on the diversity of games and creators featured, and grow a community around past, current, and future experimental developers. By making a submission, we will consider you a part of that community and extend an invitation to participate in it, regardless of whether your game is selected for this year’s GDC showcase. We’re excited to see what you’re working on!

What is Experimental Gameplay?

Experimental games take interesting approaches to interactivity that haven't been tried before. Since this definition is unavoidably vague, here are some examples of previous selections to clarify.

This is our focus for featuring Experimental Gameplay:


This is typically not what we look for in Experimental Gameplay (with some exceptions):

  • Novel content, narrative, settings, character designs, artwork, audio or plots alone - unless they affect the core gameplay in a major way, or combine to create a uniquely deep and resonant aesthetic experience. (Selected examples of exception: That Dragon Cancer, Thumper, Walden)

  • New hybrids of already-existing genres - unless the resulting gameplay is unexpectedly more than the sum of its parts. (Selected examples of exception: Noita, Hack ‘n’ Slash)

  • Purely technical innovation, experimental business models or distribution mechanisms - unless the game itself is experimental as outlined above.

What kinds of prototypes are accepted?

Only playable prototypes are accepted.  They can be in any stage of development, so long as the experimental part of the gameplay is playable. The submission doesn't need to be fun, but the experimental idea behind it has to be interesting and clear. This is because we favor the process of experimentation over the success of results.  We look for work that demonstrates a deep and consistent exploration with the game’s mechanics, themes, and/or motifs. Work presented in submissions may be from the past, as long as the concepts still feel fresh in the current design landscape.

By submitting, you’ll gain access to the EGW community virtually (initially via Discord), even if your prototype isn’t accepted for this year's showcase. We reserve the right to deny or revoke admission to games/creators that we feel perpetuate discriminatory values in the community at large or otherwise make the space feel unsafe. Our moderation abilities in this community will be initially “as available”, and if you are interested in helping maintain the online community as a safe and respectful space, please let us know and get involved.


Note: More than one prototype can be submitted by the same person - and we encourage this when a body of work  reflects a series of related or ongoing experiments. If you have submitted a project in the past that was not featured, please consider submitting again as our focus for the showcase is expanding.

How do I submit?

To submit your experimental prototype for consideration, please fill out THIS FORM HERE. Although we typically accept a small fraction of submitted prototypes to showcase at GDC, you’re welcome to share your prototypes with the EGW community on Discord and in future events. Selected prototypes are shown at our session at this year’s GDC (traditionally Friday at 2pm), and speakers who are selected for the showcase will receive a free Speaker's pass to the entire GDC conference.

What if I cannot attend GDC?

This will not prevent you from sharing the space with all the awesome devs. We can show a video about your prototype during the show.  


If you have questions about your submission or need clarification about the process, please email us here or find us on Twitter at @ExpGameWorkshop. We look forward to hearing from you - and hope to see you at GDC!

Experimental Gameplay Workshop - Call for Proposals 2020 !!!!!

Hello once again, fellow game design explorers! The time has come to open submissions for the 2019 GDC Experimental Gameplay session! This year's submission deadline will be November 1, 2019.

Just in case you are new to the process (or need a refresher) the CFP below lists what kinds of games and prototypes we're looking for. You can also check out the workshop's inspiration and philosophyhistory and organizers.

- - -

What is Experimental Gameplay?

Experimental games take interesting approaches to interactivity that haven't been tried before. Since this definition is unavoidably vague, here are some examples to clarify.

This IS Experimental Gameplay:

  • Creating unexpected play experiences or promoting unique feelings within players through mechanics (GravitationPassageThe Marraige).

  • Generative games, where the gameplay or world changes based on choices the player makes (SpelunkyflOw).

  • Emergent gameplay, where the game systems interact to provide suprising situations (ROM CHECK FAILPortal).

  • Interactive storytelling, where the plot or dialog changes in a fine-grained manner, as opposed to discrete "branching points" (Facade).

  • Innovative user interfaces - natural language processing, image recognition, gestural control, new hardware devices (Guitar HeroRENGA)

  • Novel multiplayer interactions (Journey)

This is NOT Experimental Gameplay:

  • Novel content, narrative, settings, character designs, artwork, audio or plots - unless they affect the core gameplay in a major way.

  • New hybrids of already-existing genres - unless the resulting gameplay is unexpectedly more than the sum of its parts.

  • Purely technical innovation, experimental business models or distribution mechanisms, or games for under-served audiences - unless the game itself is experimental as outlined above.

What kinds of prototypes are accepted?

Only playable prototypes are accepted.  They can be in any stage of development, so long as the experimental part of the gameplay is playable. The submission doesn't need to be fun, but the experimental idea behind it has to be interesting and clear.

This is because we favor the process of experimentation over the success of results.  We look for work that demonstrates a deep exploration, as opposed to the shallow implementation of an interesting idea. Note: More than one prototype can be submitted by the same person - and we encourage this when a body of work  reflects a series of related or ongoing experiments.

How do I submit?

To submit your experimental prototype for consideration, please fill out THIS FORM HERE. Of the 100+ submissions we get each year, we typically accept 15-20 prototypes. These are shown at our session on the Friday, March 18th (traditionally at 2pm), and speakers who can attend to demo in person will receive a free Speaker's pass to the entire GDC conference.

What if I cannot attend GDC?

This will not prevent you from sharing the space with all the awesome devs. We can show a video about your prototype during the show.

- - -

If you have questions about your submission or need clarification about the process, please email us here. We look forward to hearing from you - and hope to see you at GDC!

Get ready for the EGW 2019!

Hello, Game Design Explorers! The EGW is back!

EGW stands for "Experimental Gameplay Workshop", a presentation session during the Game Developers Conference (San Francisco, California) where we display a selection of games that are interesting, surprising and explore original game mechanics or use them in an unexpected way. This is the 17th year we are running it and at this point we can guarantee you'll come out of this session inspired to think outside the norms, feeling like your mind has been expanded, and maybe even decide to try doing something new yourself :)

We're back again at GDC 2019 for our 17th annual session, and the EGW Faculty is extremely happy to be showcasing design ideas that push the boundaries of our medium, by asking questions like: 

  • What if we play a tile-placement adventure game to discover secrets? Sunhead Games will go into detail with Carto.

  • What if we have to solve language puzzles? Gerben Grave will show Eloquence.

  • What if we play a game where you have ROM hacking mechanics? Frank DeMarco will explore the question with Picture Processing.

  • What if you have to reconstruct events of a crime by combining testimonies into a single timeline? Kitfox Games will expose Lucifer within Us.

  • What if you are given tools to generate magnetic fields anywhere and manipulate the magnetic properties of objects to survive? Antti Sandberg and Juuso Toikka will be showing Plusminus.

  • And many many more surprises!

Join us to see all these crazy prototypes and their amazing creators: Meet us at GDC on Friday 22th (1:30-3:30 pm.)

Experimental Gameplay Workshop - Call for Proposals 2019 !!!!!

Hello once again, fellow game design explorers! The time has come to open submissions for the 2019 GDC Experimental Gameplay session! This year's submission deadline will be November 1, 2018.

Just in case you are new to the process (or need a refresher) the CFP below lists what kinds of games and prototypes we're looking for. You can also check out the workshop's inspiration and philosophy, history and organizers.

- - -

What is Experimental Gameplay?

Experimental games take interesting approaches to interactivity that haven't been tried before. Since this definition is unavoidably vague, here are some examples to clarify.

This IS Experimental Gameplay:

  • Creating unexpected play experiences or promoting unique feelings within players through mechanics (GravitationPassageThe Marraige).
  • Generative games, where the gameplay or world changes based on choices the player makes (SpelunkyflOw).
  • Emergent gameplay, where the game systems interact to provide suprising situations (ROM CHECK FAILPortal).
  • Interactive storytelling, where the plot or dialog changes in a fine-grained manner, as opposed to discrete "branching points" (Facade).
  • Innovative user interfaces - natural language processing, image recognition, gestural control, new hardware devices (Guitar HeroRENGA)
  • Novel multiplayer interactions (Journey)

This is NOT Experimental Gameplay:

  • Novel content, narrative, settings, character designs, artwork, audio or plots - unless they affect the core gameplay in a major way.
  • New hybrids of already-existing genres - unless the resulting gameplay is unexpectedly more than the sum of its parts.
  • Purely technical innovation, experimental business models or distribution mechanisms, or games for under-served audiences - unless the game itself is experimental as outlined above.

What kinds of prototypes are accepted?

Only playable prototypes are accepted.  They can be in any stage of development, so long as the experimental part of the gameplay is playable. The submission doesn't need to be fun, but the experimental idea behind it has to be interesting and clear.

This is because we favor the process of experimentation over the success of results.  We look for work that demonstrates a deep exploration, as opposed to the shallow implementation of an interesting idea. Note: More than one prototype can be submitted by the same person - and we encourage this when a body of work  reflects a series of related or ongoing experiments.

How do I submit?

To submit your experimental prototype for consideration, please fill out THIS FORM HERE. Of the 100+ submissions we get each year, we typically accept 15-20 prototypes. These are shown at our session on the Friday, March 18th (traditionally at 2pm), and speakers who can attend to demo in person will receive a free Speaker's pass to the entire GDC conference.

- - -

If you have questions about your submission or need clarification about the process, please email us here. We look forward to hearing from you - and hope to see you at GDC!

Warming up for EGW 2018

Hello, Game Design Explorers!

EGW stands for "Experimental Gameplay Workshop", a presentation session during the Game Developers Conference (San Francisco, California) where we display a selection of games that are interesting, surprising and explore original game mechanics or use them in an unexpected way. This is the 16th year we are running it and at this point we can guarantee you'll come out of this session inspired to think outside the norms, feeling like your mind has been expanded, and maybe even decide to try doing something new yourself.

We're back again at GDC 2018 for our 16th annual session, and the EGW Faculty is super happy to be showcasing design ideas that push the boundaries of our medium, by asking questions like: 

  • What if we simulate *every pixel* in an action roguelite? Petri Purho will go into detail with Noita.
  • What if we use game mechanics to express the feeling of being hopelessly optimistic while everything is breaking around you? Nathalie Lawhead will be showing EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OK.
  • What if we play a stealth game where you are an infuriating goose? House House Games with explore the question with Goose Game.
  • What if we put physical things on a table that brings them to life? Chaim Gingold & Luke Ianinni will be showing their research & games for La Tabla.
  • And many many more!

Join us to see all these ideas and their amazing creators: Meet us at GDC on Friday 23th (1:30-3:30 pm.)

2018 Call for Participation

Hello once again, fellow game design explorers! The time has come to open submissions for the 2016 GDC Experimental Gameplay session! This year's submission deadline will be Sunday, December 31, 2017 at 11:59 PM Pacific Standard Time. We encourage folks submitting from outside the US to submit on the earlier side of the window, so that we have time to help work on visas and letters should the need arise!

Just in case you are new to the process (or need a refresher) the CFP below lists what kinds of games and prototypes we're looking for. You can also check out the workshop's inspiration and philosophy, history and organizers.

- - -

What is Experimental Gameplay?

Experimental games take interesting approaches to interactivity that haven't been tried before. Since this definition is unavoidably vague, here are some examples to clarify.

This IS Experimental Gameplay:

  • Creating unexpected play experiences or promoting unique feelings within players through mechanics (GravitationPassageThe Marraige).
  • Generative games, where the gameplay or world changes based on choices the player makes (SpelunkyflOw).
  • Emergent gameplay, where the game systems interact to provide suprising situations (ROM CHECK FAILPortal).
  • Interactive storytelling, where the plot or dialog changes in a fine-grained manner, as opposed to discrete "branching points" (Facade).
  • Innovative user interfaces - natural language processing, image recognition, gestural control, new hardware devices (Guitar HeroRENGA)
  • Novel multiplayer interactions (Journey)

This is NOT Experimental Gameplay:

  • Novel content, narrative, settings, character designs, artwork, audio or plots - unless they affect the core gameplay in a major way.
  • New hybrids of already-existing genres - unless the resulting gameplay is unexpectedly more than the sum of its parts.
  • Purely technical innovation, experimental business models or distribution mechanisms, or games for under-served audiences - unless the game itself is experimental as outlined above.

What kinds of prototypes are accepted?

Only playable prototypes are accepted.  They can be in any stage of development, so long as the experimental part of the gameplay is playable. The submission doesn't need to be fun, but the experimental idea behind it has to be interesting and clear.

This is because we favor the process of experimentation over the success of results.  We look for work that demonstrates a deep exploration, as opposed to the shallow implementation of an interesting idea. Note: More than one prototype can be submitted by the same person - and we encourage this when a body of work  reflects a series of related or ongoing experiments.

How do I submit?

To submit your experimental prototype for consideration, please fill out THIS FORM HERE. Of the 100+ submissions we get each year, we typically accept 15-20 prototypes. These are shown at our session on the Friday, March 18th (traditionally at 2pm), and speakers who can attend to demo in person will receive a free Speaker's pass to the entire GDC conference.

- - -

If you have questions about your submission or need clarification about the process, please email us here. We look forward to hearing from you - and hope to see you at GDC!

GDC 2017 Video

GDC 2017 Video is now LIVE on the GDC Vault. We encourage folks new to the session to watch and of course check out prior years to get a sense of what we show at this event!

As noted in this year's presentation - we lost a local developer and longtime EGW friend and game developer Roger Hannah Morash in 2017. The memorial page for Roger and his wife is here, and donations to the scholarship created in their memory can be made here

Life is short and full of unexpected events! Keep making the art you want to see in the world. <3

2015 RECAP

Once again we had a fantastic Experimental Gameplay session thanks to the amazing work of so many fearless game design explorers. 

Games featured in this year's session included Thumper, Parable of the Polygons, Earth Primer... as well as a series of novel controller games including Line WobblerSoundSelf and Curiouser and Curiouser. After the demonstrations, we actually kept the hall open for 2 more hours, so that people could hang out and play the experimental prototypes for themselves. A wonderful time was had by all. Not to mention - delicious donuts!

But by far, the highlight of this year's session (and arguably one of the most touching moments in our entire 13-year history) was the amazing, moving and deeply inspiring presentation by the team behind That Dragon Cancer - who have begun screening a film about their work Thank You For Playing in theaters across the U.S.  A very difficult game to make, talk about and process, this amazing post-mortem on its design process left the crowd in tears... and culminated in a thunderous standing ovation. 

But don't just take our word for it: watch it on the GDC Vault right now! Thanks to GDC for continually supporting Experiental Games, giving us the biggest best room at the show for our presentations, and of course the amazing audio and visual staff at Moscone who every year surprise us with how amazing our games can sound, look and feel. 

EGW 2014 - Another Success!

Thanks to all the amazing developers who participated in this year's EGW - we had a stellar session with amazingly high marks, and many wonderful games!!! Check out this lovely writeup which lists the games and links to them as well!

We'd like to extend a heartfelt thanks to everyone who submitted and participated, and offer our congrats to those who also picked up noms and awards at this year's IGF!

Finally - a huge shout-out goes to the great AV staff at GDC who worked pretty tirelessly with the devs and organizers to make sure we had all the tech we needed to bring you these amazing games. We look forward to seeing you all at next year's session!

2014 CFP Opens January 1, 2014

Hello game design explorers! Just a quick note to let you know that we will begin accepting submissions for this year's Experimental Gameplay Workshop session starting on January 1, 2014. Submissions will close on February 1, 2014 at midnight. We will post the official CFP on New Year's Day - but you can refer to last year's CFP in the meantime.

The session will be held on the Friday of GDC 2014 (March 21st) - from 2:30-4:30 pm. As always, we look forward to your submissions and to a packed and exciting session!

GDC 2012: Hardware-tastic!

This year's write-up must start with a tremendous thank-you to the amazing audio/visual staff at GDC 2012. Because we had so many different types of games being demonstrated, and several were focused on alternative audio/visual mechanics, We had *several* evening sessions in the conference hall, setting up and testing the various games.    We simply could not have done it without your help.

The tireless folks over at Gamasutra wrote up a nice piece comparing us to a high fashion show (nice!!) and listing the prototypes in all their glory. My favorite photo from the event is definitely this shot of all of us on stage together - what a sight! Not sure that we can commit another insanity like the show that was our 2012 lineup - but you never know, do you?

See you in 2013!

IndieCade 2011

This year's  IndieCade Festival of Independent Games featured a special Experimental Gameplay session. Our annual GDC session typically focuses on rapid-fire demonstrations of digital games. In contrast, the IndieCade session is designed to give creators an opportunity for a more involved discussion about the processes and inspiration behind experimental work. This particular gathering brought together several experimental duos, to discuss their work and how it is influenced by the act of collaboration.

Eric Zimmerman and Nathalie Pozzi talked about their collaboration Starry Heavens, in the context of several projects they have been working on for festivals and museums. In addition, the panel discussed how  Nathalie's background in architecture both compliments and challenges Eric's sense of game design & design process.

Auriea Harvey and Michael Samyn who comprise Tale of Tales (participating in the session over Skype) introduced their in-progress work CnCnTrC.  Because this experiment explores intellectual and physical intimacy, Auriea and Michael each created half of it individually, and then combined the parts later.

Heather Kelley and Damien DiFede explored their long-standing relationship as collaborators - first   as part of the Kokoromi collective, and later on Body Heat (now OhMiBod app) project that allows users to use an iPod touch to control the OMiBod vibrator.Heather reflected upon her experiences as a travelling designer, touching on more recent museum installations, as well as her work with DareDroid.  In closing, Damien was then joined by his most recent collaborator Matt Piersall, to demonstrate Noddables - their protoype of an iPad jam-session/DJ toy (now Cosmic DJ).

Overall, the session touched on several deep and meaningful themes related to collaboration - including authorship, communication, critique and the joy of mutual discovery. We look forward to further sessions exploring how the work of experimental game designers can be discussed/demonstrated in new ways.