Water Cooler Games
Water Cooler Games served as the web's primary forum for "videogames with an agenda" — coverage of the uses of video games in advertising, politics, education, and other everyday activities, outside the sphere of entertainment.

The site was maintained at watercoolergames.org from 2003-2009, where it was edited by myself and Gonzalo Frasca. It is now archived here in full.
Search Water Cooler Games:  
You are reading an archived version of this article. The original URL was (loading...)
DigiPen forces Slamdance Reinstatement
by Ian Bogost January 17, 2007
categories: Political Games

Slamdance finalist Toblo, a capture-the-flag style game in which players use the world as weapons, withdrew their game from the competition in protest of the SCMRPG removal, on Jan 9. The Toblo team let us know today that they have reinstated the game. Apparently they were forced to do so by DigiPen Institute of Technology, the college at which they created the game. From their statement:

On January 16th, the DigiPen Institute of Technology -- the college we attend -- overwrote our decision and readmitted Toblo to the Slamdance Festival. We still have very strong feelings regarding the removal of Super Columbine Massacre RPG! from the competition, and we have not been satisfied with Mr. Baxter's numerous rationales for dropping the game. While Toblo may be on display at Slamdance because of DigiPen's decision, we will not present our game and we will refuse to accept any awards.

Clearly the students accepted the decision under duress. I'm trying to gather more information before jumping to conclusions, but my assumption is that DigiPen sees the festival as a PR and recruiting activity that is more important than their students' opinions. Update: The Toblo team clarifies that DigiPen owns the IP for the game (as it does for all other student games), and thus considers the decision theirs, not the students, to make.

Comments (3)

This whole thing is making a mockery of the "independent" games concept. If Digipen can make these decisions, and claim ownership of Toblo, then I question the game's eligibility for inclusion in the first place.

farce /fɑrs/ åĒĻoun
1. a light, humorous play in which the plot depends upon a skillfully exploited situation rather than upon the development of character.
2. foolish show; mockery; a ridiculous sham.
3. the weeks leading up to the Guerilla Gamemaker Competition at Slamdance 2007.

USC also owns the games (and films, etc) its students make - pretty typical. Of course, they had a different reaction with flOw pulled out...