Do you know how big is the indie game development scene is in Malaysia and Southeast Asia? Why not discover for yourself at the Indie Jam 2023.
Organised by The Magic Rain, the event is part game jam, part indie game showcase, and part AGC convention. It will be held at Level 4, LaLaport Bukit Bintang City Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from November 18-19, and it’s free to enter.
Indie Jam 2023 Southeast Asian Indie Game Showcase Games
The big draw here is the Southeast Asian Indie Game Showcase, a curated selection of new and upcoming games from the region. So far, this is a list of games confirmed to be part of the showcase:
- Paper Ghost Stories: Third Eye Open (Cellar Vault Games)
- Katana Rama (Ghost Machine)
- Malice: Chiyo (Nimbus Games)
- Kabaret (Persona Theory Games)
- Determinant (Khor Chin Heong)
- One Perfect Day (Spacepup Entertainment)
- Refuge Z – The Ultimate Zombie Survival Management Sim (Roninpunk Studio)
- Nightmare Echoes (UOW Malaysia)
- Ghost Flower (UOW Malaysia)
- Hazepoint (UOW Malaysia)
- DevaData (Kindryd Studios)
- Sushi POP! (Plink)
- SENJAKALA (4Happy Studio)
- Kooeh (Twilight Foundry)
- Weyrdlets (Weyrdworks)
- Velocibox (Weyrdworks)
- Super SteamPuff (Weyrdworks)
- Manual Overload (Weyrdworks)
- Monster Nest (Weyrdworks)
- Stillwater (Studio Clump)
- Midwest 90: Rapid City (Hidden Chest Studios)
- GigaBash (Passion Republic Games)
- I Need Space (Khayalan Arts)
- Samudra (Khayalan Arts)
- UNYIELDER (TrueWorld Studios)
- Shunya (Morleaf Studio)
- Falling Rain (Alkaline Studio)
- Exist.EXE (Sky Feather Games)
- Retro Invasion (Antimeta Studio)
- Phantom Stars (Triple Trio Studio)
That is a long list.
Indie Jam 2023 Panels
Not only that, there will also be Industry Sharing Sessions from game developers and other members of the indie gaming community. The panels require registration to attend, but anyone can join in on any of the panels, for free, which includes speakers from Devolver Digital, Cellar Vault Games and more.
Here are the list of Industry Sharing Session panels available:
- Being A Full Time Content Creator In Malaysia
- Panelists: Darren Barker (Moderator), Tashbunny, Shykuroboo, Lott Caliber
- Time: November 18, 12-1 PM
- Deep Dive into the journey of Paper Ghost Stories
- Panelist: Benny Chan (Cellar Vault Games)
- Time: November 18, 2-2.30 PM
- Growing As An Indie GameDev
- Panelist: William Chong (Twilight Foundry)
- Time: November 18, 2.30-3 PM
- Why Indie Games Matter (Especially In Southeast Asia)
- Panelist: Jon Leo (Kakuchopurei)
- Time: November 18, 3.30-4 PM
- Press Start: Navigating the Path to Indie Game Development
- Panelist: Yiwei Png (Kurechii)
- Time: November 18, 3.30-4 PM
- What A GameDev Looks Like
- Panelists: Priya K (Moderator), Leeying Foo (OutCrowd), Aisyah Ambok (Women In Games Asia Chapter)
- Time: November 19, 11.30-12.30 PM
- Starting An Indie Gaming Studio
- Panelists: Saqina Latif (Persona Theory Games), Shawn Beck (Weyrdworks), Kesh (Hidden Chest Studios)
- Time: November 19, 2-3 PM
- Video Games, It’s a Business – How To Build a Successful Pitch
- Panelist: Richard Cheah (Streamline Studios)
- Time: November 19, 3-3.30 PM
- From accounting, to a cult, to Devolver Digital – my career path in games
- Panelist: Jared J. Tan (Devolver Digital)
- Time: November 19, 3.30-4 PM
- Burnout & Imposters Syndrome in the GameDev Scene
- Panelists: Jonathan Tang & Alex Tan (International Game Developer Association Malaysia Chapter
- Time: November 19, 4-5 PM
And the “Jam” part of the Indie Jam is the Indie Jam Game Jam Showcase. Developers participate in a 48-hour game jam where they create games from scratch and attendees can try out the creations and vote for their favourite game. The votes will contribute to who wins the inaugural Indie Jam Game Jam.
And you can expect the typical Malaysian AGC con experience at Indie Jam 2023 as there is an Artists’ Alley where you can by art and merch, as well as a Night Concert.