WordPlay is our free festival celebrating the most interesting uses of writing and words in contemporary games. Since 2012, Wordplay has been well known for its curated game showcases, talks by creators about the craft, and opportunities for the public and the games community to learn more about making games. Each year there is curated game showcase alongside talks by creators about the craft and ways for the public to learn about making games. We’d like a Word and that word is Play.
Wordplay has been held both in-person at the Toronto Reference Library and online through our FEST platform & Twitch Channel. At the moment, it is currently combined with Super FESTival. You can read about past versions of WordPlay below.
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WordPlay 2021
WordPlay 2021 was our 9th annual Festival and was held online, this time we also expanded the event using our FEST platform. Featuring more games and talks, this was our best WordPlay yet!
Wordplay 2021 FEST Archive
Wordplay 2021 Twitch Talks
Supported by
WordPlay 2020
As a ray of hope at the start of the Pandemic, Wordplay 2020 shifted online to celebrate a curated showcase of games and deliver many insightful talks through our Twitch Platform. This was the Hand Eye Society’s first festival held entirely online, first use of our Twitch Channel for a major event, and the first time WordPlay was held over 2 days instead of one.
Games Showcase 2020
Speakers List 2020
Wordplay 2020 Twitch Talks
Supported by
WordPlay 2019
WordPlay 2019 was our biggest and last in-person festival before the Pandemic. It featured a plethora of games and guests at the Toronto Reference Library.
Games Showcase 2019
Guest List 2019
Supported By
WordPlay 2018
During WordPlay 2018, we had one of our biggest festivals yet! With over 20 games like Hypnospace Outlaw, Boyfriend Dungeon and Doki Doki Literature Club, there were games that covered all corners of the narrative genre!
Not only that, but we had incredible speakers featuring from Laura Michet, Greg Buchanan, Xalavier Nelson Jr., Miriam Verburg, Arthur Protasio and more!
Schedule 2018
Speakers 2018
WordPlay 2017
WordPlay 2017 Info
WordPlay 2016
In 2016, we brought the festival to the UK with WordPlay London. Co-presented by Press Play to Win, it was hosted at the British Library as part of International Games Day @ your Library.
See here for our photo recap, credits, and listing of the showcase games.
We livestreamed all the programming! For a session-by-session breakdown and links please refer here.
WordPlay 2015
WordPlay 2015 featured mainstage presentations and interviews from guests Sam Barlow, Christine Love, Emily Short and the team of Night in the Woods. Also included was our curated, annual showcase of playable writerly games, the Choosatron, and interactive workshops in Twine, Ren’py and Inform 7. See here for our photo recap and listing of the showcase games.
WordPlay 2014
See here for photos and the Wordplay 2014 Showcase. WordPlay 2014 also featured the world première of a Porpentine game played live by our audience. The week prior we also had an exhibit of new writerly games.
Hadean Lands: The Alchemy of iPhones and Social Capital
Interactive fiction legend Andrew Plotkin from Boston, MA discusses Hadean Lands, a text adventure made for iOS which he Kickstarted 4 years ago and released just the week previous. He is introduced by XO podcaster Keith McNally. Download the MP3.
United We Fall: Storytelling Systems in Dungeons of Fayte
Montreal’s Brent Ellison and Tanya X. Short talk about their cult narrative game Dungeons of Fayte, which was a big inspiration to The Yawhg. Yawhg co-creator Damian Sommer and Hand Eye Society co-founder Miguel Sternberg introduce them. Download the MP3.
WordPlay 2013
See here for the Wordplay 2013 Showcase. WordPlay 2013 also featured the world première of the Kentucky Route Zero release “The Entertainment.”
Panel: Where Prose Meets Play
A panel that investigated the intersection between books and games, by people who have one foot in both worlds: webcomic writer Ryan North (To Be or Not to Be, Dinosaur Comics), Hugo-award winner Peter Watts (Crysis 2 novelization), game & comic creator Rachel Kahn (By Crom!), and author/illustrator/game maker Matt Hammill (Sir Reginald’s Logbook, Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime). Moderated by novelist and game maker Jim Munroe. Video | MP3
Discussion: Kentucky Route Zero
Hand Eye Society co-founder Miguel Sternberg (They Bleed Pixels) sat down with the Chicago-based creators of Kentucky Route Zero, a magical realist point-and-click adventure game with Flannery O’Connor influences that’s charmed the festival circuit (Independent Games Festival, Indiecade). Miguel asked Jake and Tamas thoughtful questions posed by the community. Video | MP3
Festival identity: Beehive Design
Founder: Jim Munroe
