PAX 10 Yes, Slamdance No

By: Derek Yu

On: July 14th, 2008

Showcase

Penny Arcade has announced the 10 games to be showcased at this year’s PAX (August 29th). The games selected (out of 80 total submissions) are: The Amazing Brain Train, Audiosurf, Chronotron, Impulse, The Maw, Polarity, Project Aftermath, Schizoid, Strange Attractors 2, and Sushi Bar Samurai. These games will be showcased at the expo and one of them will walk away with an “Audience Choice Award.” Details and links at the PAX 10 website.

In sadder news, The Slamdance Games Festival has been cancelled “for the foreseeable future.” Slamdance cites a lack of venue as the reason for the cancellation. Things went badly for the festival last year when its organizers decided to remove the controversial Super Columbine Massacre RPG! from competition, prompting many other developers to drop out in protest.

(Source: Jonathan Blow)

  • http://www.seznamzbozi.cz/hodinky-hodiny-c65/ Hodinky

    Im sorry about Slamdance, it would have been probably a lot of fun :S

  • AmnEn

    I guess getting famous is as easy as ever.

    Step 1:
    Start pissing in random directions, pick a topic that is bound to piss off the maximum amount of people.

    Step 2:
    Act all surprised and Drama Queen when folks start pissing back.

    Step 3:
    Babble some random nonsense about games being art and whatever, enough to get the Indie Spirit crying.

    Step 4:
    Lean back.

    Step 5:
    Watch the Indie Spirit going all “REVOLUTIONS; LULZ” over a completely retarded topic like a random person intenionally throwing shit in all directions.

    Step 6:
    Start to grin.

    Step 7:
    Watch the Indie Spirit dismantle the games Festival.

    Step 8:
    Start laughing.

    Step 9:
    Read about the games festival being canned for good. This will piss off even more people, your target audience has just increased.
    Success. You’re Derek Smart now.

  • http://sophiehoulden.com GirlFlash

    regarding SCMRPG, imo its a place games had to go and they have to go further yet, whether you like it or not.

    the intentions of the authour are not relevant in this instance I think, the game made people think, and there are still way too few things that make people do that.

    that said, it sucks there’s no more slamdance, but I’m not going to let it get me down. censorship is something I cant stand and either they had to change or stop, it seems the easiest option was the one they went with.

  • RED

    Indie Developer has reached level 10!
    Indie Developer wants to learn CONTROVERSY. But! Indie Developer already knows four moves!
    Delete a move to make room for CONTROVERSY?

    Forget SENSITIVITY?

    1…2… and POOF!
    Indie Developer forgot SENSITIVITY!
    Indie Developer learned CONTROVERSY!

  • Scott

    It’s only a controversy because dumb people make it one, I personally don’t give a shit at all and even if I was at the shooting I still wouldn’t. I would be more annoyed by everyone else getting pissy about it for me, like I’m supposed to be crying cutting myself in a corner years later. It’s too bad those kids didn’t just start a war, and kill millions instead. It would probably have hundreds of games and movies based off it.

  • Fishy Boy

    Rival COMMERCIAL GAMES would like to battle!

  • OrR

    SCMRPG is an interesting and important game. It has to be defended.

  • mots

    love the commentors who attempt burns using pokeman humor..

    SOOO COOOL!

  • PHeMoX

    Poke-a-man humor? Lol.

  • Nikica

    FINALLY A NEW DWARF FORTRESS VERSION, PLEASE MAKE A POST HERE !!!

  • Gutter

    OrR : Although this has been discussed at length when it happened, I’ll agree that SCMRPG is an important game, but it’s not an interesting one. The spirit behind the game, which wasn’t at all the intended spirit of the author, need to be defended but not the game itself IMHO.

  • Radix

    Fuck censorshi–holy shit it’s so much easier to build walls now. Skyhook fortress here I come.

  • Patrick

    I think SCMRPG! is a classic.

  • Radix

    Dwarves go to sleep and never wake up. They die instead. Hurrah.

  • Jeff Lindsay

    TIGSCON!!!!!!

  • PHeMoX

    “Although this has been discussed at length when it happened, I’ll agree that SCMRPG is an important game, but it’s not an interesting one. The spirit behind the game, which wasn’t at all the intended spirit of the author, need to be defended but not the game itself IMHO.”

    I found it to be interesting actually, but I’m sure that’s very subjective and all.

    More importantly the GAME should be defended here, after all that’s the medium used to express the idea.

    Also, I’m pretty sure that in the various interviews the author has explained his motives, which were pretty clear to me right when I first heard of the game.

    The game may not be excellent or brilliant, but the whole point of the game wasn’t to go for shock value only, it definitely has a real message as well.

    I don’t think anyone genuinely thinks SCMRPG *really* gives you the feeling those kids must have had when they went crazy.

  • Scott

    If nothing else, at least it shows that everyone who played it didn’t go crazy and shoot up their school..