Post-IndieCade Camping Trip!

Channel Islands

What: Camping trip w/ the Copenhagen Game Collective!
When: October 11-12, right after IndieCade 2010
Where: Channel Islands National Park
Why: Why not?!?!

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Hello fellow indies! Are you going to IndieCade this year? A big crew of us from the Copenhagen Game Collective are flying out all the way to LA to run a workshop and to show our silly party game, B.U.T.T.O.N.

Right after the festival, we’re heading off to go camping on the Channel Islands, one of the country’s most underrated national parks! (Beautiful photos here). Maybe you’d like to join us? We figure we might as well make a big ol’ indie gathering out of it, take a break from all the games and go hiking by the ocean, escape from the mainland, listen to some good music, etc.

We plan to take the boat from Ventura the morning (early!) after IndieCade, October 11. Then, we’ll camp overnight, and take the boat back the afternoon of October 12, getting back to the mainland around 5:30pm. So, only two days in total. You can spare two days, right?

How hardcore is this trip going to be?
Not so hardcore. Santa Cruz Island’s Scorpion Anchorage campsite has running water, and is an easy half-mile walk from the boat drop-off.  From the campsite, there’s a plethora of nice day hikes.

How much would this cost me?
Depends on how many people we go with, but expect about $75 per person, for boat and campsite reservations.

What would I need to bring?
A sleeping bag, a sleeping pad, some camping food, and possibly a tent.

How do I get there?
Drive ~1.5 hours north to the harbor in Ventura. It’s possible we can organize some ride sharing, but you might need to use/rent your own car.

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Interested? Email Doug (doug at cphgc dot org) for more details and logistics.

We promise we won’t make you play any weird sex games.

Hello fellow indies!

Are you going to IndieCade this year? A big crew of us from the Copenhagen Game Collective are flying out all the way to LA to run a workshop and to show our silly party game, B.U.T.T.O.N.

Right after the festival, we’re heading off to go camping on the Channel Islands, one of the country’s most underrated national parks! (Beautiful photos here). Maybe you’d like to join us? We figure we might as well make a big indie party out of it, take a break from all the games and go hiking by the ocean, chill out in nature together, listen to some good music, etc.

We plan to take the boat from Ventura the morning (early!) after IndieCade, October 11. Then, we’ll camp overnight, and take the boat back the afternoon of October 12, getting back to the mainland around 5:30pm. So, only two days in total. You can spare two days, right?

How hardcore is this trip going to be?
Not so hardcore. Santa Cruz Island’s Scorpion Anchorage campsite has running water, and is an easy half-mile walk from the boat drop-off. >From the campsite, there’s a plethora of nice day hikes.

How much would this cost me?
Depends on how many people we go with, but expect about $75 per person, for boat and campsite reservations.

What would I need to bring?
A sleeping bag, a sleeping pad, some camping food, and possibly a tent.

How do I get there?
Drive ~1.5 hours north to the harbor in Ventura. It’s possible we can organize some ride sharing, but you’ll probably need to use/rent your own car.

Interested? Email Doug (doug at cphgc dot org) for more details and logistics.

We promise we won’t make you play any weird sex games.

B.U.T.T.O.N. at IndieCade 2010!

The B.U.T.T.O.N.  team
The B.U.T.T.O.N. team (sans Nifflas, who lives up in Sweden). Yes, Nils’ baby is part of the crew!

Wow! Our silly party game, B.U.T.T.O.N., has been chosen as one of the 32 finalist games at IndieCade 2010.

The finalists include three games from Denmark, which makes our tiny little home country the second most represented nation at the event!

I’d also like to note that another GAMMA IV game, Steph Thirion’s Faraway, is also being featured. Yay GAMMA IV!

Our nomination actually has a lot of history behind it. In 2008, we attended IndieCade (then in Seattle) to show our Dark Room Sex Game. It was there that we met Nils Deneken, a fellow København’er who was there showing his adventure game masterpiece, Rückblende. Since then, Nils has become a close collaborator, and an even closer friend. Two years later, it all comes full circle – Lau and I team up with Nils (and others!) to make a new game, and we get to show it at IndieCade. I mean, shit, I’m smiling just thinking about it.

This is what the indie scene is all about, folks. It is not about computer games in them of themselves, at least not primarily. For me, it’s all about the people playing them and making them. Game development is such a fantastic platform for meeting other people. We stand as living proof.

The team, in Seattle
The Dark Room Sex Game team and Nils, back at IndieCade 2008… and also on a boat?! What’s up with our fascination with boats?

Are you headed to IndieCade too? Send us an email. We’d love to meet up!

Rückblende, back online for download!

rueckblende

Two years ago, our very own Nils Deneken premiered his small adventure game, Rückblende, at IGF and IndieCade.

The download links have been down for a while, but Copenhagen Game Collective is happy to report that we’re now hosting the files!

Rückblende is a must-try for anyone interested in games, or atmospheric interactive environments more generally.

Nils built the entire game environment in the real physical world, as a large diorama. Then he filmed the set and layered the various “memory” sketches on top of that footage. The aesthetic effect is stunning, to say the least. Plus, the game features a very tasteful and poignant use of Billie Holiday’s “Without Your Love,” which of course won me over instantly.

In the interest of full disclosure, Nils is a close friend and a colleague. Still, I fell in love with the game even before I knew him personally. It was my favorite game at IndieCade 2008.

I see Rückblende as a kind of Geogaddi of videogames – very wistful but also very ambiguous (a little disturbing, even), filled with dark little secrets, anchored around themes of memory and childhood, and crafted with great care and attention to detail. It brings to mind some of my most memorable gaming experiences – Myst, Knytt, and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, for example.

Seriously, I can’t recommend the game highly enough. Of all the games that have had a lasting affect on me, Rückblende ranks somewhere near the top, right alongside the best of ‘em.

B.U.T.T.O.N. at E3

B.U.T.T.O.N. @ Gamma IV

Lau is flying out to LA today. He’ll be there for E3, where he’s going to demo our crazy party game, B.U.T.T.O.N., at the IndieCade showcase. Wooo!

Maybe you’ll be at E3 too? Drop us a line, info@cphgc.org

Seattle, Plaid, and CPH Game Collective

Hello from Seattle!

Being here sure is a trip down memory lane! I’ve been busy reminiscin’ all week, and I’m burning to share this Plaid tune:

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Nordic Game Indie Night 2010

Nordic Game Indie Night 2010
Lau and Dajana, killin’ it on the dance floor

Two weeks ago, we curated a showcase of indie games from around the Nordic region, as a part of the Nordic Game Conference 2010. The main event, on the Tuesday night before the conference, consisted of some presentations and short talks, followed by a lively party. It was a great night!

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Simon Nielsen, Best New Nordic Talent!

Simon Nielsen “Tillykke” to our resident artist and animator, Simon, for winning this year’s “Best New Nordic Talent” award! Simon won the award for his excellent work on Monkey Donk, one of coolest prototypes from this year’s Nordic Game Jam.

Very well deserved, Simon!

Simon is also an accomplished VJ, working under the pseudonym Oppe Om Natten along with his partner-in-crime, Anders. The duo performed a wicked set at Nordic Game Indie Night last Tuesday! Stay tuned for photos of the event.