GEIDAI GAMES is an exhibition hosted by the Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School of Film and New Media, specifically showcasing projects developed by students in the program. The event highlights various games and interactive media projects created by both graduate and undergraduate students. I attended GEIDAI GAMES 05 today and had the chance to see and try out some amazing experiences. I unfortunately had to work my day job during the majority of the event, but I knew this was a rare opportunity to get massively inspired by the artistic potential of games and to support other artists. I rushed out of work at 5PM and arrived at the event 20 minutes before it closed.  As soon as I entered the exhibition space, I felt immediate joy in my sudden decision to attend.

One of the games I was looking forward to seeing the most was a beautiful horse exploration experience called 'RlungRta -Wind Horse-' by artist Fuma Yamane. The game is described in the program guide as "Galloping across the vast prairie, feeling the wind and inspiring movement in the creatures around you". What made me interested was that I've been prototyping making a horse game with a very similar premise. I wanted to see how other artists approached this. This was a short 10 minute experience that emotionally moved me in its simple yet stunning visual design and music.  The game was showcased in a dark basement where people sat quietly around the large screen in awe. The space felt perfect for the atmosphere the game was trying to express. It felt both meditative and vast.

I was so mesmerized by Fuma Yamne's game that I only realized I had 10 minutes left to play everything else. There were a lot of unique games being showcased in the basement area. Many VR works and alternative controller games. I was able to briefly play a driving game called  'Where are we going? where you explore a city in your car with gps assistance. It quietly explores what we lose by relying on technological navigation tools to explore the world rather than using our own curiosity.  After exploring the basement space I quickly went upstairs to try some more games. 

The upstairs exhibition space housed a lot of different games. I was again drawn towards another work by Fuma Yamane called Whale Fall. This was their 1st-year Master’s project and I later realized that RlungRta was their 2nd-year Master project. Whale Fall felt very much like Abzu, one of my favourite games.  Happy to see more evocative and awe inspiring underwater exploration games and Whale Fall had its own beautiful charm that captivated me. The music builds up with the visuals, starting with quiet emotive swells of small fish in the deep sea all the way up to the triumphant beauty of a massive whale soaring across the water. With only a 5 minutes left I had to snap out of my trance and explore the rest of the games. 

I quickly got to play an alternative controller game by Ryoya Usuha (also see their itch.io page here). I had the chance to play their quirky smartphone touch controller puzzle game Modern Life of Fingers at the last Geidai Games exhibition so it was a fun surprise to see another game using this controller. In their new game Finger-String-Key exhibited today, you had to navigate a hazardous environment using two smartphone touch screens. I played it alone but it would be really fun to try this with another person. 

With a few moments left in the event, I was able to also try a game where you watch various programs on TV which causes you to become overwhelmed and another undergraduate project called Mineralization that visualizes an evocative environment of countless memories from the past. I wish I had the chance to stay for the whole event. I definitely would have been there for hours, fully immersing myself in every experience and providing my detailed thoughts.

The creative work of students is inspiring. University is an environment that encourages creative exploration and experimentation, a place to push new boundaries and not feel constrained by profit-driven production. I believe one of the great benefits of attending university is being in a space where you're constantly exposed to creative events like GEIDAI GAMES. Since I've graduated, I now need to be more intentional about exposing myself to experimental art and finding like-minded communities. I'm glad I can regularly find events like this to keep me inspired. I encourage you to check out all the games on display on the official GEIDAI GAMES website.