Text Quest is a first person text-based adventure for where every object in the world is made of words. Trees are the word “tree,” clouds are the word “cloud,” and giant spiders- well, you get the idea. Travel from dark forests to colossal caves as you solve puzzles and embark on a literal text quest.

Have you ever thought about teaching a game design class? What and how would you want to teach the next generation of game makers? Many of us in the game design industry are self-taught, but what place does game design have in higher education? Join four designers who have taught game design courses at local universities as we discuss some of the unique challenges and joys of teaching game design, and things we’ve learned from the process. If you’ve been considered teaching on the side, this is a great chance to learn more about it.

Moderated by Derek Dadian-Smith (Lindenwood University-Belleville). Panelists: Rob Santos (Webster University), Carol Mertz (Lindenwood University-Belleville), John Coveyou (Webster University).

Do you want to learn a skill that could aid in your game development, become a fun hobby, or result in a new career? Then this is the talk for you! In this session you will learn the many benefits of knowing how to code, and discover several resources that can aid you in your quest to do so. Most importantly, you will realize that ANYONE can learn to code!

Plunge is an isometric Turn Based Prison Plunging Game (TBPPG). The game is set in an infinite medieval Prison, where the only way to escape is down! You play as Billy (the billionth prisoner) who rushes through puzzles, traps, and deadly guards to escape their seemingly inevitable execution!

Intellectual Property (IP) law is one of those things where what you don’t know can hurt you. Like build order in real-time strategy, you can learn by losing (a lot), or you can learn how IO strategy is just like min-maxing based on an understanding of the mechanics of the game. This presentation from Kirk Damman (Lewis Rice) is designed to give you an overview of IP laws that can affect game developers (e.g. Copyright, Trademark, Patent, Publicity, Open Source, and Trade Secret) so that you can be aware of potential traps and pitfalls. Further, this dives into how even a relatively simple understanding of the basics of IP can make a company look more sophisticated to investors, give you some improved peace of mind, and provide you with an ability to better capitalize on your work.

Being a content creator means more than just playing a lot of games. Creating good content requires skill and understanding within entertainment and media production. Hear from several experienced content creators about their experiences, and how you can apply their lessons to your own work.

Christopher Badell designed Sentinels of the Multiverse in 2010 and formed the company Greater Than Games in 2011. He’s here to talk about all parts of the process of making a game into a product, including designing, developing, incorporating, publishing, and even using Kickstarter. And he’s going to cover all of that in just an hour! At least half of the time will be dedicated to Q&A, so if you have questions about any of those elements of the tabletop gaming industry, bring them to this panel!

Stacks On Stacks (On Stacks) is a 3d game of block stacking set in an exuberant and bizarre universe. The game’s objective is to build stable, tall towers without having them topple over. Employing realistic physics with very simple controls, SoSoS captures the joy and wonder of the childhood activity of block stacking — refreshed as a video game for audiences of all ages.

When you’re just starting out with a creative career, it can be easy to fall into a mindset that you’re failing. Join Jillian Stiles, an artist at Graphite Lab as she talks about her own creative methods, familiar feelings artists face and how failure is part of the process.

Details to be announced.

Panelists will discuss the do’s and don’ts of starting an indie game studio based on their own experiences. Topics will include team communication, business practices, and much much more. Audience members may also participate in a Q&A during the session.

A panel of creators take a look at what it takes to make an arduino, raspberry pi, or other electromechanical game, and why these technologies are important.

Using video games to improve health-related matters is a steadily growing endeavor in both academic and commercial research. Whether in creating new video games to solve medical problems or exploring the health benefits of existing games, this emerging need is attracting many scientists and game developers, both new and veteran alike. This talk will provide an overview of the intersection between video games and health-related research with some examples of landmark games and research, as well as provide tips for any game developer who might wish to use their games to improve public health.

This is an experimental game about paranoia, politics, and dreamscape visuals. At most desperate times, the politician will resort to the sharpest tool they have: the image. For imagery in the 21st century will be stronger for a politician than actual discourse will ever be. That is the tale for Marshall’s Theory. As the player in control of America’s Commander-In-Chief, you are led into the titular character’s deepest, darkest nightmares where the lies you’ve fabricated in the real world (powers) are the only line of defense versus those who have been wronged by them (the enemies).

For as long as it has been recorded in history, people have played with music. By considering the different ways in which people play, a designer can create games that scratch many kinds of itches, including musical creativity. In this talk, game developer and virtual instrument designer Tammy Duplantis will speak on the history of musical play, how it relates to modern game design, and the unique design issues that arise when trying to create for both.

All you have to do to make your own video game is to make a universe. Ben Cook of Well Bred Rhino would like to share with you ways to create more dynamic and robust game experiences. This talk will be centered on gameplay-focused world building by highlighting the contradiction of action game controls, the liberation found in metroidvania powers, and the constraints of how we perceive our own world.

As the game industry ages, the stereotype of games as gratuitous diversion and child’s play has begun to wane. We have begun to see more experimentation and maturation of the technology, themes, and social impact of games. This panel will reflect on the ways that experimentation, accessibility, and unique approaches to play are helping games evolve as an expressive commercial medium.

Dev Diary, the Devolver Digital distributed documentary series focusing on telling the stories behind indie game developers, will be screening a feature film festival-exclusive version of its first season, which focused on St. Louis’s own Butterscotch Shenanigans, their title Crashlands, and how it was saving Sam Coster’s life while he battled with stage 4b lymphoma.

A brief Q&A panel will be held after the screening featuring co-creators James Reichmuth and Alessio Summerfield, as well as Sam Coster of Butterscotch Shenanigans.