This is another list for the benefit of Arisia panel attendees. In this case, it’s a list of games we discussed in the “Video Games as Art” panel.
Most of these games were mentioned as examples of games that succeeded in their artistic goals. Some were not. I’m not going to make an effort to separate them here – we discussed a lot of games.
Panelists (from left to right):
Caelyn Sandel (@inurashii) – inurashii.xyz
Israel Peskowitz (moderator)
Bob Chipman (@the_moviebob) – Moviebob
Carolyn VanEseltine (@mossdogmusic) – Sibyl Moon Games
Cited Games
Links provided are for online play sites or Steam when available. When not applicable, the link leads to the developer’s site or Amazon.
Aquaria (Windows, OSX, Linux, iOS, Android)
Asura’s Wrath (PS3, Xbox 360)
The Banner Saga (Windows, OSX, PS4, Android, iOS, PS Vita)
Braid (Windows, OSX, Linux, PS3, Xbox 360)
Broken Folx (free – in-browser play)
Brütal Legend (Windows, OSX, Linux, PS3, Xbox 360)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (Nintendo DS)
Cave Story (Windows, OSX, Linux, Wii, Nintendo DS, 3DS)
Cis Gaze (free – in-browser play)
Choice of Games (varies by title – in-browser play, iOS, Android, Kindle)
Dark Souls (Windows, PS3, Xbox 360)
Dark Souls II (Windows, PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One)
Demon’s Souls (PS3)
Dead State (Windows)
Dys4ia (free – in-browser play)
Elegy for a Dead World (Windows, OSX, Linux)
Everything You Swallow Will One Day Come Up Like A Stone (free – in-browser play)
Hotline: Miami (Windows, OSX, Linux, PS3, PS4, PS Vita)
Ikaruga (Windows, Arcade, Dreamcast, GameCube, XBLA, Android)
Inversion (Windows, PS3, Xbox 360)
Journey (PS3, PS4)
Mass Effect series (Windows, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, iOS, Android, Windows Phone)
Mega Man (NES, PlayStation, Android, PS Portable)
Mega Man 2 (NES/Famicom, PlayStation, iOS)
Ninja Gaiden (too many platforms to list, but Wikipedia shows them all)
Okami (PS2, PS3, Wii)
One Eye Open (free – Windows, OSX, and Mac with download and Glulx interpreter)
Revolution 60 (iOS)
Shadow of the Colossus (PS2, PS3)
Silent Hill series (Windows, PlayStation, PS2, PS3, PS4, Xbox, Xbox 360, Wii, PS Portable, PS Vita)
Spec Ops: The Line (Windows, OSX, PS3, Xbox 360)
Super Mario Brothers 3 (NES/Famicom, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U)
The Walking Dead (Windows, OSX, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Ouya, iOS, Android, PS Vita, Kindle Fire HDX)
Wander (PS4)
This Is A Real Thing That Happened (free – in-browser play)
This War of Mine (Windows, OSX, Linux)
The Wolf Among Us (Windows, OSX, PS3, PS4, Xbox One, iOS, Android)
Wolfenstein: The New Order (Windows, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Other places to find indie games
At the end of the panel, several people asked me where they could go to find indie games. Some starting places:
itch.io – hosts indie games and nothing else
Indies on Steam – a tag search
Steam greenlight – for games that are trying to get fans and get published
Twitter – #indiedev – to join the general conversation
Also, keep an eye out for indie coverage in gaming publications such as Polygon.