Let it be known across the land that this is the year of VR. Everybody at GDC was hawking some kind of VR headset. As soon as I walked on the show floor, it was like, "Want a VR? How about some VR? Hey kid, VR? Do You like VR? Try VR? VR! VVVVRRRR!!!" That may be a slight exaggeration, but it was without a doubt the "big thing" at this year's GDC, much like 3D games were a few years back. Will it take off? Only time will tell, but that's not why I went to GDC. I went for the same reason I always go, to play cool indie games and give them made-up awards. So without further ado, let the "awards ceremony" begin! 

Best Cosplay
Leprechaun Riders

Look at these lazy developers making poor Leprechauns carry them around! I must admit, this cosplay did make me laugh. The day I went to this year's GDC happened to fall on St. Patrick's Day! Which is kind of perfect for GDC considering how few snakes there are in the Moscone Center, where the show takes place. Oh, I guess there is a lot of drinking involved too. Lots of companies throw big parties to try and maximize video game wheeling and dealing. Maybe they could have worked in some kind of "Kiss Me, I'm a Game Developer!" crossover catchphrase. Next year!

Messin' With My Mind Award
Circa Infinity

In this game, you play a woman or a man with long hair. The guy who made the game wouldn't commit to either, which I respect. Your goal is to run along the outside or inside of a circle and jump into a pie-shaped area to get into the next ring. Once you get through enough rings and arrive in the middle, you beat the level. Naturally, there are bad guys trying to stop you! In this case, they were little devils! You must avoid them while running around trying to line up the "pie area" that allows you to jump into the next ring. But! Sometimes the devils are in the ring! And you must jump in exactly when they jump out. The game tricks you by making everything rotate, forcing you to run on opposite sides of the circles and switch which way you're pushing on the D-pad. Sounds simple, but you'll find the wires in your brain getting crossed up fast when things are spinning, you're running around and those devils are coming your way. Very addictive and fun. 

You can have your mind messed with by picking up this game right here. 

Best Dressed Booth
Panoramical

Games can be art. There's no doubt about it. And GDC is the perfect place to see stuff that falls more in the art category than game. Panoramical is most definitely in the art category. I don't even know if it is a game. I couldn't figure it out. But it is beautiful. You fly around a surreal world and uh...I dunno. Lots of colors and trippy graphics and soothing music and stuff. Anyway, the booth looked great! Some of the kids who make games for the Independent Games Festival get into the spirit and dress up their booths. This year, the Panoramical crew did an exquisite job—a very striking booth that not only caught the eye but matched the look of the game it represented as well. Great job! 

To fly around and look at the pretty colors, check out their game right here. 

Saddest Game Ever
That Dragon, Cancer

If games can be art, games can also be sad art. This game is sad art. Like the saddest, artsy game ever made, which is saying something because artsy games have been known to be sad from time to time. That Dragon, Cancer is a surreal trip through the thoughts and experiences of a family dealing with their very young son's cancer. While it's not that much of a game, it is a heart-wrenching interactive experience made even more powerful by the realistic recordings of conversations the family has about their son's condition. It was a very difficult game to play, especially at GDC. I did not want people to see me crying on the show floor. Not again.

You can make yourself cry and reflect on the fragility of life right here. 

Best "Bro-Bot" Experience
Pitfall Planet

I'm a big fan of games you can play with your "bro." Grab a bro, get some Dew and play video games until your eyes fall out—that's my idea of a perfect night. For the record, a "bro" can be a girl—anyone who is a friend and on your level. And I really like cooperative games where you can work together for a common cause. Pitfall Planet is such a game. You get to play two super-cute robots that resemble file cabinets with arms. You and your friend must use your wits to collect all the gold in each level and then move to the next. But you only have one tool at your disposal—your grabber thing. Luckily, your grabber thing can extend so you can grab and throw all types of useful items, including your buddy, to get through each level. Add rising lava, deadly enemies and tricky puzzles, and you've got yourself a good "bro-bot" game.  

You can have fun with "bro-bots" by checking out their site. 

Practically Made For Anime Award
Black Closet

You don't see a lot of Japanese games at GDC, or even Japanese-influenced games. That's why when I saw the stylish character designs of Black Closet, I was intrigued. In this game, you play the student council president at an all-girls school. And it's your job to solve the many mysteries that occur there. To do this, you must assign other girls at your disposal to interrogate suspects. You can ask them nicely, or you can shake them down. But you must assign the right girl for the job. And give her useful tools, like clubs and whatnot. But you must manage your karma, so you can't always take the hard approach to getting info, or the student body will turn against you. And you have to keep up the school's rep by solving cases. It's a balancing act. The whole time I was playing this game I couldn't help but think...this would be a great anime. The slick character designs, the fashion, the mysteries, the numerous female characters...it is perfect. 

You can have girls put the squeeze on other girls by buying this game right here. 

Best "Unfinished" Game
Magic Circle

In the era we live in where shipping unfinished games and patching them later is normal, this game is certainly relevant because it's an "unfinished game." Unfinished on purpose! I know, "Whoa!" right? It's a novel concept, where you play "the hero" of a game that was never completed. And that's because the two game programmers, represented by two floating eyes, can't decide on how to make the game. Thus, it's left in what's known as "development hell." You must traverse this rough and incomplete world using your wits and game-making powers to solve puzzles and figure out what's going on. The game gives you godlike abilities that let you combine items, steal enemy's powers, or make them your pets. It's up to you how you tackle each problem and finish the game! 

You can fix this "broken" game by buying it from this site. 

Most Embarrassing VR Gadget 
Birdly

This was a tough award to decide. There were numerous silly-looking devices all over the floor. One had people walking on multi-directional treadmills that strapped you in, so you wouldn't fall over. Another was like a complicated swing that didn't really move that much but made you feel like you were parachuting. One was a rollercoaster. I would imagine the games were quite fun, but from an outsiders perspective, they looked a little silly. But the silliest-looking one, and the one that bore the closest resemblance to the cyber-thriller Lawnmower Man, was this bird machine where you flap your arms and fly around. Like I said, the game might be a life-changing experience, but I wouldn't take a first date home to your house and play Birdly in front of them. Second date, maybe. 

You can fly! Or learn more about a machine that simulates flying right here! 

I Could Not Stop Laughing Award
Deputy Dangle

What's your angle, Deputy Dangle? Like Octodad, but even more rad! That would be my sales pitch if I were in charge of selling this game. You play as a boneless cop named Deputy Dangle. You have to solve crimes and keep the citizens safe even though you have no bones! Luckily, you have all kinds of flopping-around powers. You can move, but only one limb at a time while the rest of your body flopping around behind you. It's absolutely hilarious. Watching his ragdoll body throwing itself across the ground or swinging from grapple point to grapple point is undeniably funny. Add to that a wacky world full of goofy characters and you have yourself a funny game.

You can flop around trying to stop crime by checking out the game here.

Best Celebrity Encounter
Justin Bieber (cardboard version)

Omigord! I met the Biebs!!! I found him to be a bit two-dimensional, and his outfit was utterly confusing, but overall he seemed nice enough. This was part of a floor display that had a bunch of famous people's cardboard standees. Pretty good way to grab people's eyes, I must say. As a guy who goes to GDC for the indie games, much of it is a mystery to me. There are many booths that simply have a country's name on them. Booths that just say: Korea, Nova Scotia, Norway, Chile and so on. I don't know what they're selling, or even if they're selling, but I suppose someone is making deals there. And I bet this Bieber cutout helped make one of those deals. 

Best End of Day Game
Koi

After a hard day of playing games, walking around and meeting famous celebrities, it was nice to sit down and play something relaxing like Koi. In this game you play a koi (doy!), and your goal is to swim around to very nice music and purify the pond that you're in. Dodge predators, open lotus flowers, collect items and turn the darkness that has taken over the pond into light. If you're looking for something to de-stress you after a hard day, sitting down for a Koi session should do the trick. And it's also unique in that it's the first Chinese-developed game for the PS4.

You can swim with the fishes in a good way by checking out the game's site right here. 

Perfect Outfit For Next Year
GDC Adult Onesie

I usually wrack my brains for weeks trying to figure out what to wear to GDC, but not anymore! Thank you, GDC Store for the outfit that's gonna make me get noticed! Seriously, I'm trying to figure out who would wear this and why. I'm totally stumped. I guess it would be good for sneaking around in the dark with. Maybe someone should make a game about wearing the GDC Onesie and sneaking around dark places at GDC! If you're a game developer reading this...free idea!

Best in Show
Ape Out

This game was practically made for me! I love apes! There's just something compelling about a hair-covered humanoid with incredible strength and intelligence. And when apes go on a rampage, their destructive powers are awesome. That's why when I saw this game on the floor, I went bananas! In Ape Out, you play an ape who wants to escape. Unfortunately, the name Ape Escape has already been taken. So Ape Out is the next logical choice. Anyway, you play as an ape who must traverse a randomly generated maze and get to the exit. But there are a bunch of guys with guns, shotguns, flamethrowers and explosives who are trying to stop you. You can deal with them in three ways. You can bash them into walls and see them splat into hilariously bloody chunks. Or you can grab one and use him as a meat shield to block bullets at the cost of seriously slowing yourself down. Or you can just run away, which is probably what a real ape would do. The game features a top-down perspective, but it's given a cool 3D treatment. The ape and people are silhouettes, the ape is orange and the people white. Ape Out is a perfect mix of a simple concept, great mechanics and cool visuals. Plus the movement and feeling of bashing people into bloody splats never gets old. What a game! 

This game's not out yet, but you can follow the creator's updates on this site. 

And that concludes the 2016 GDC Awards! Hope you enjoyed them, and please go to these people's sites to check out their games! Support indie games!

by Urian Brown