Game Selection
Hand Eye Society Ball
Curatorial Vision: To select a variety of games that either have excellent multiplayer, innovative gameplay, unique aesthetics or a mix of all these considerations. We intend to engage not just the self-identified game enthusiast, but also those who are just game curious. We prefer to have a mix of international and local games.
Process: The curators solicit the Hand Eye Society community at large (board, coordinators, volunteers and newsletter subscribers) to suggest games, and then a series of play sessions are set up to play the games. The games are played in a multi-player setting and discussed by the group (made up mostly of board members, coordinators, and volunteers) and the curators take this into account before making their final decisions. For 2015 the curators were Sagan Yee and Jim Munroe.
Conflict of Interest: The curators withhold any games they’ve created from consideration, even if suggested. Sponsors are not prohibited from their games being selected, but no special consideration is given to them.
WordPlay
Curatorial Vision: To select a variety of digital games that feature innovation and excellence in text-based narrative. We intend for the mix to engage both enthusiasts and everyday patrons of the library. We focus on featuring the best of games from a global perspective, believing that WordPlay is the premier event for text-focused narrative games in the world.
Mainstage Process: Guests, games and topics for the mainstage program are chosen by the WordPlay Committee. Criteria for inclusion in this aspect of the event is predominantly tied to creators who have achieved widespread, international success for their projects in the year of the show, or who represent substantial prestige within the text-based narrative game community.
Showcase Process: The WordPlay Committee posts a call online for submissions to the WordPlay Showcase. Submission is open to all, with no fee for submission, and no provision that feedback will be provided to entrants. The submitted games are reviewed by the WordPlay Committee, with games clearly falling outside of the submission criteria (i.e. not text-focused, rife with errors, or containing illegal material) being immediately removed from consideration. The remaining games are then subjected to examination by a publicly-disclosed jury of qualified individuals — developers, critics, and other experts — from within the text-based narrative game community. A shortlist is created and presented for further discussion and debate within the jury. The final games for inclusion are then chosen, with the selected entrants notified shortly thereafter.
Workshops Process: Instructors for the WordPlay Workshops are chosen by the WordPlay Committee. Instructors are selected based upon qualification and experience with the given narrative game creation tool to be taught.
Conflict of Interest: The Festival Director withholds any games they’ve created from consideration, even if suggested. Sponsors are not prohibited from their games being selected, but no special consideration is given to them. Showcase jurors are asked to declare any and all conflicts of interest with regards to entries they are asked to evaluate, and depending on their connection to the project may either decline to evaluate that work or recuse themselves from the jury entirely.
