The Experimental Gameplay Workshop, a “concentrated mini-conference” that takes place each year within the Game Developers Conference, has put out this year’s Call for Participation, seeking developers at work on experimental, creative and non-traditional designs and ideas.
Billed as “an annual gathering of innovation-minded game developers,” the Experimental Gameplay Sessions are a series of short, “high-density” presentations, lectures and discussions, featuring shipped products, prototypes and student demos. As well as showcasing non-traditional designs, the initiative seeks to “evangelize the process of gameplay experimentation, galvanize the community of experimental game developers, and advance computer game design as a craft and art form.”
Event organizer Jonathan Blow is the designer of Independent Games Festival 2006 award winner Braid, currently slated for release on the Xbox Live Arcade in early 2008. Speaking at the Montreal Game Summit in November, Blow criticized the current state of game design, calling it “unethical” and claiming designers lack the sense to be ashamed of their actions. He is also known for his strong dislike of “The Escapist” as a name for a game magazine.
Designers at work on innovative, non-traditional efforts can read more about the Experimental Gameplay Sessions and submit their efforts for consideration at the Experimental Gameplay Workshop website.
