Apparently indie games are
no longer punk rock.
Or perhaps it’s you?
G
iven the success of indie games
in recent years, you might
be forgiven for thinking that
independent game developers
have made their way out of the
shadows and into the spotlight, becoming
more commercial in the process. After all,
isn’t the goal of every indie developer to
make money? I think you’d be surprised,
especially if you met the people who
attended A MAZE. / Johannesburg this
year, most of whom are really just here
to have fun, play games, and share their
insights and experiences with others.
I first met the founder of the A MAZE
festival, Thorsten Wiedermann. online
many years ago just after finishing my MA
degree, and completing a research report on
the crossover between art and videogames.
We shared similar interests and the
connection provided a good opportunity
for us to see what other artists and indie
video game enthusiasts were up to.
Coincidentally we crossed paths
again through my former employer and
communicated via email regarding
A MAZE in Berlin. One thing led to
another, and suddenly in 2012 Thorsten
was making the trip to Johannesburg in
order to bring his indie game festival
A MAZE Interact to South Africa.
September 2013 brought us the 2nd
A MAZE. / Johannesburg festival, this
time expanded through a partnership with
Wits Digital Arts to include media art as
well as games.
feature / LIFESTYLE / a MAZE. / JOHANNESBURG
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