We're thrilled to share that our original VR game, ElemenTerra, won the Environmental Design Award at IndieCade Europe 2019!
“I really think [environments] can bring more than a context, and can be as meaningful as a playable character. So obviously, I am happy to see games where the sceneries are a part of the experience, and even more happy when contributes to a very positive message.”
- Delphine Fourneau, IndieCade Europe Award Ceremony
THE TEAM
Thank you to the full ElemenTerra team for your dedication and craft! This award merits special thanks to 3D Artist Darlene Carrasquillo, Level Designer Chloe Lister, and the sound/music crew.
THE AWARD
The IndieCade Environmental Design Award honors “works which create living, breathing worlds through design of spaces, characters, conflicts, soundscapes and more.”
Each trophy is adorably hand-crafted, slightly bizarre, and representative of the award’s topic in some way.
Ours is a little stuffed fabric builder wearing a toolbelt and wielding a hammer, affixed to a wooden base with the award’s plaque. 💙
THE EVENTS
IndieCade organizes events to showcase and support independent games and their developers. Their two biggest annual events are IndieCade and IndieCade Europe, where 30-40 nominees (along with other developers and organizations) showcase their games to their peers and the public. The nominated games are eligible for a variety of honors, which are given out at each event’s unique Award Ceremony. Check out all the US & Europe 2019 winners here, and the full list of nominated games here.
INDIECADE: SANTA MONICA, CA
IndieCade Santa Monica station
We had the opportunity to showcase ElemenTerra at both the Santa Monica and Paris events this autumn. Each had its own compelling selection of creative games, interesting talks, and hands-on experiences. It was a pleasure to meet and reconnect with the folks that attended!
The Center for Media and Design, a division of Santa Monica College, hosted the US IndieCade this year. The Award Ceremony was an indie take on the classic Hollywood award show, hosted by Sarah Elmaleh and Asher Vollmer near a beautiful fountain on campus. You can check out the full recorded live-stream here.
INDIECADE EUROPE: PARIS, FRANCE
IndieCade Europe was held at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris, a sprawling modern complex with a movie theater, an auditorium, lots of books, a forest with goats (yep), a cute cafe, and plenty of cozy places to work or study throughout.
The IndieCade Europe Award Ceremony, hosted by the Copenhagen Game Collective, was a whimsical mix of big crowd games, playful challenges, impromptu interviews, and good community vibes.
We had no idea we’d be getting an award - it wasn’t until partway through the first audience ‘reveal-the-name’ game that we figured it out! Here’s the official recording of the IndieCade Europe Award Ceremony, where we were given the little builder trophy and went on stage for a brief interview:
The first question (12:00-16:15) for us was about what Environmental Design meant to us; I talked a bit about immersion, purpose, and atmosphere (with what little voice I had left). The second question was simply, “What is the logic?” It took a moment for us to make something of it, but Max managed to find a way to talk about the heart of the game through that unexpected prompt. Although we didn’t get a chance to say our ‘thank yous’ at that moment, teams were given a chance to pop back on stage and do so before the end of the show (1:12:25-1:13:43).
This was a surreal, exciting, and encouraging experience!
Thank you to everyone that has given our little world of magic a chance to blossom!
January 2020 Edit
ElemenTerra has been released!
