Skip to main content

Independent Games Festival names 2014’s Student Showcase winners

independent games festival names 2014s student showcase winners 16th
Image used with permission by copyright holder

We won’t know the winners of the 16th annual Independent Games Festival main showcase until they’re revealed at the 2014 Game Developer’s Conference in March, but we can cheer for the talented Student Showcase winners right now. There are eight winners in all, out of more than 350 entrants; each winning programmer/team receives a $1,000 cash prize and a place to showcase their game on the show floor at GDC 2014. The eight winners are also finalists for the Best Student Game prize of $2,000. That winner will be revealed alongside the other IGF winners at the GDC awards show on March 19.

The eight winners are: 

  • Museum of Simulation Technology (Albert Shih – Carnegie Mellon University, Entertainment Technology Center)
  • Engare (Mahdi Bahrami & Moslem Rasouli – NHTV University of Applied Science)
  • Risk of Rain (Hopoo Games – University of Washington)
  • Symmetrain (Philipp Beau & Daniel Goffin – University of Amsterdam/University Kassel)
  • Westerado (Ostrich Banditos – HKU)
  • Rhythm Doctor (Hafiz Azman & Winston Lee – University of Cambridge)
  • Foiled (Unblanched Peanuts – NYU)
  • Cyber Heist (Hack n’ Hide – University of Utah)

Most of these games are available to play right now in some form or another. Risk of Rain is even on Steam. All eight will also be playable on the GDC show floor, with team members on hand to answer any questions attendees might have. Take a look at the winners and then head to the IGF website to dive deeper down the rabbit hole of indie gaming’s future.

Adam Rosenberg
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…
How to start the Nuka-World DLC in Fallout 4
People standing outside Nuka World.

The first major DLC expansion for Fallout 4 lets players go to the abandoned amusement park called Nuka-World. While there's plenty of fun and excitement to be had here, don't expect it to come from the roller coasters or carnival games since this park is the battleground between rival raider gangs. This new zone adds a ton of new quests and side activities to the base experience, but it isn't as simple to get to as a real theme park. Don't worry if your Pip-Boy isn't helping you get to Nuka-World -- we'll show you how to start this DLC.

Read more
How to start the Automatron DLC in Fallout 4
A man and a robot walking in the wastelands in Fallout 4.

Each piece of Fallout 4 DLC adds something substantial to the base experience. In the case of the Automatron expansion, an entire new questline pitting you against a robot army led by a figure known as the Mechanist. Starting it isn't as difficult as starting other DLCs like the Nuka-World expansion, but it-s still a bit cryptic. Buying the DLC doesn't automatically make it apparent how to actually start this new adventure, but we'll give you specific directions to find it in the wasteland.

Read more
One of 2023’s best indie games is getting a movie starring LaKeith Stanfield
James descends on an elevator in El Paso, Elsewhere.

El Paso, Elsewhere, one of Digital Trends' favorite indie games of 2023, now has a film adaptation in the works.

Variety reports that LaKeith Stanfield -- an actor known for his work in films like Judas and the Black Messiah, Knives Out, and Haunted Mansion, as well as TV shows like Atlanta -- is going to star in and produce the film. The adaptation is in the works at Di Bonaventure Pictures, the production company behind the Transformers, G.I. Joe, and The Meg film franchises. Little else is known about the film at this time, although we'd presume it will be a fairly direct adaptation of this intense story-driven game.

Read more