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.
The finalists for The Big C Bawls Independent Game Competition, the first independent games festival at the 2005 Slamdance Film Festival have been announced, and I'm happy to report that one of my games, Take Back Illinois, is among the 10 finalists! Slamdance runs concurrently with the Sundance Film Festival in the same location, Park City Utah. The games exhibit will run throughout the festival, 21 - 28 January, with an award ceremony on the 24th.
I'm truly surprised and thrilled that our game was selected as a finalist, especially given the competition. Diligent readers will notice that The Behemoth's Alien Hominid is now a Slamdance finalist in addition to an IGF Finalist. While I applaud how The Behemoth brought Alien Hominid to market, I can't help but see visions of last year's IGF Award Controversy. Given that Alien Hominid was just released on GameCube and PS2 (the publishing deal was announced back in July, before either the IGF or Slamdance deadlines), I hope I get a chance to talk to the developers in Park City to find out what makes them an "independent"...
Speculative Realism Notes
Alien Phenomenology
Pretty Girls for Nixon
Atari Hacks and Demakes
If You Follow Me...
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