Registration opens for second annual Whaaat!? festival
The 2019 Whaaat!? festival is almost here, and like last year's inaugural event, it promises something for every game aficionado: weird new games, old dusty games, overlooked gems,games with bizarre controllers, games that live in art museumsand even games that may start arguments over what thegame actually is. The event will also feature the ever-popular, all-you-can-eat cereal bar.
The Oct. 5festival includes the where you can sample all of the above, and a conference for serious game developers.
-goers will learnabout the art form of game design during panel discussions, workshops and from this year's keynote speakers, including well-known game designers Colleen Macklin and Jason Rohrer.
Rohrer's work comprisedthe first full-scale museum show devoted to videogames of a single artist at the Davis Museum at Wellesley College in 2016; his 2007 gamePassageis includedin the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art.Macklin isan associate professor of media design at Parsons The New School for Design and founder and co-director of PETLab, which focuses on games for experimental learning and social engagement. Herwork has been shown with Come Out & Play, Creative Time and the Whitney Museum, and she’s co-authored two books: "Games, Design and Play" and "Iterate: Ten Lessons in Design and Failure."
The arcade,afree event which runs from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.,features specially curated tabletop and digital games to play "until your fingers are numb and your brain is inspired."
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Overall theevent is geared towards games that don't fit in traditional boxes and highlights experiences that make you say "Whaaat!?
That's not "What?,"but "Whaaat!?," defined in urban slang dictionaries as an expression of amazement and disbelief, combined with delight. Conference organizersMatt Bethancourt, director of the program and theATLAS Whaaat!? Lab, which specializes in experimental game development, andDanny Rankin, ATLAS instructor and recent graduate of the institute’sCreative, Technology and Design (CTD) program, created the festival,to leave people “surprised, maybe confusedand hopefully delighted.”
for theWhaaat!? conference is now open; attendance is limited to 175, and the price is$30.
Whaaat!? is sponsored by the ATLAS Institute and Ҵýƽ's Engineering Excellence Fund.
Who:Expert gamers toaspiring developers tothose who know little about games.
What: 2019 Whaaat!? Festival,a one-day festival for games and experimental interactions. Conference trackincludestalks, a curated arcade of experimental games, workshops, panels and more!
When: Oct. 5, 2019, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Where: Roser ATLAS Center, ATLAS Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, 1125 18th St, Boulder, CO
Cost: The $30conference price includes access to panel discussions, workshops and keynote speaker presentations, as well asfull access to the. The arcade track is free, but is required.