A Maze (stylized as A MAZE.) is an international series of events celebrating independent and arthouse games, immersive media and digital culture. Founded in 2008 by artistic director Thorsten Wiedemann, A MAZE hosts the International Games and Playful Media Festival, held annually in Berlin since 2012, which feature annual awards and prizes for games and digital works.
| A MAZE. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Independent games, digital art |
| Location(s) | Berlin, Germany, Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Years active | 12 |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Website | amaze-berlin |
History edit
A MAZE was launched by founder and artistic director Thorsten Wiedemann in Berlin in 2008.[1] Wiedemann stated the event began at a local bar to showcase games and digital art, with the event expanding in 2012 to the first festival, Indie Connect, coinciding with the International Games Week Berlin.[2] The festivals are not primarily commercial and aim to celebrate games and digital culture as "not only a product" but a "medium of expression".[3] In following years, the festival was also co-held in Johannesburg from 2012 to 2017. In 2019, A MAZE experienced financial difficulties following the decision by the German Senate Department of Culture to discontinue funding for the program.[4] Following this decision, the festival organisers launched a successful campaign on Kickstarter to partially fund the event in November 2019.[5] During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the event transitioned to a digital experience titled A MAZE ./ SPACE, hosting an online multiplayer showroom.[6]
Awards edit
A MAZE Festival events feature awards and prizes decided by an independent jury. The festival awards features an open-ended selection criteria beyond traditional video games, with eligibility extended to interactive fiction and digital art.[7] Nominees are judged by a selection committee, with submitted works reviewed and rated on "innovation, potential, interdisciplinarity, social, cultural and political impact, aesthetics and overall awesomeness". A shortlist of games is then reviewed by a final jury of five to select award winners, including the winner of the previous year. Winners of each category receive a €1000 prize, with the main 'Most Amazing Award' prize winner receiving €2000.[8]
| Year | Date | Work | Author | Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023[9] | 10–13 May 2023 | Extreme Evolution: Drive to Divinity | Sam Atlas | Digital Moment Award |
| The MetaMovie Presents: Alien Rescue | The MetaMovie | Human Human Machine Award | ||
| Season: A Letter to the Future | Scavengers Studio | Long Feature Award | ||
| Lost on Mars | Trey Ramm | Explorer Award | ||
| Viewfinder | Sad Owl Studios | Audience Award | ||
| Player Non Player | Jonathan Coryn | Most Amazing Award | ||
| Psychotic Bathtub – The Story of an Escalating Mind. And Ducks. | natsha | Wings Award | ||
| 2022[10] | 13-17 May 2022 | BORE DOME | Goblin Rage | Digital Moment Award |
| Okthryssia and Saturnia's Bureaucratic Adventures | Fantasia Malware | Human Human Machine Award | ||
| NORCO | Raw Fury / Geography of Robots | Long Feature Award | ||
| We Are One | Flat Head Studio | Explorer Award | ||
| Titanic II: Orchestra for Dying at Sea | Flan Falacci | Audience Award | ||
| Tux and Fanny | Albert Birney and Gabriel Koenig | Most Amazing Award | ||
| A Rejection Story! | Faezeh Khomeyrani | Wings Award | ||
| 2021[11] | 21–24 July 2021 | Adventures of Harriharri | Harold Hejazi | Digital Moment Award |
| Map to Utopia | Fringe ensemble / Platform theatre | Human Human Machine Award | ||
| I am dead | Hollow Ponds | Long Feature Award | ||
| Before Your Eyes | Goodbyeworld Games | Explorer Award | ||
| Time Bandit | Joel Jordon | Audience Award | ||
| Stilstand | Ida Hartmann & Niila Games | Most Amazing Award | ||
| Colestia | David Cribb | Humble New Talent Award | ||
| 2020[12] | 21–24 July 2020 | Promesa | Julian Palacios | Digital Moment Award |
| Brave Mouse Cartographer | common opera | Human Human Machine Award | ||
| Knife Sisters | Transcenders Media | Long Feature Award | ||
| Cook your way | Enric Granzotto Llagostera | Explorer Award | ||
| Time Bandit | Joel Jordon | Audience Award | ||
| Nightmare Temptation Academy | Lena NW & Costcodreamgurl | Most Amazing Award | ||
| N/A | Studio Oleomingus | Humble New Talent Award |
References edit
- ^ Chan, Stephanie (17 September 2017). "How the A Maze Festival in Johannesburg showcased Africa's indie game scene". VentureBeat.
- ^ "Thorsten S. Wiedemann: The New Wave. From Indie to Arthouse Games". GamesNow. 23 January 2023.
- ^ Webber, Jordan Erica (21 October 2015). "Sex, art and picnics: the rise of the alternative video game festival". The Guardian.
- ^ Clayton, Natalie (25 November 2019). "A Maze Berlin secures another year of indie games, Thin Lizzie sing-a-longs". Rock Paper Shotgun.
- ^ "A MAZE Festival 2020: Kickstarter-Kampagne erfolgreich (Update)". GamesWirtschaft.de (in German). 27 November 2019.
- ^ Vega, Sin (22 July 2020). "The super-artsy A Maze festival has begun". Rock Paper Shotgun.
- ^ "The 2023 A MAZE. Award nominees are as weird and wonderful as you'd expect". Game Developer. 14 March 2023.
- ^ "Welcome to the A MAZE. Award System". A MAZE. 2022.
- ^ Wagner, Pascal (15 May 2023). "A Maze. Awards 2023 küren Schweizer Entwicklerin". GamesMarkt (in German).
- ^ "A MAZE. / Berlin 2022". A MAZE. 2022.
- ^ "A MAZE. / Berlin 2021". A MAZE. 2021.
- ^ "A MAZE. / Berlin 2020". A MAZE. 2020.
Further reading edit
- Bojaryn, Jan (17 May 2015). "A Maze 2015 in Berlin - Spiele zum Staunen". GameStar.
- Reinhard, Claudia (11 May 2023). "A Maze Festival: Hier muss man hin, auch wenn man mit Spielen nichts am Hut hat". Berliner Zeitung (in German).
- Patsch, Sabrina (6 May 2023). "Arthouse Games: Das A Maze Festival zeigt die Vielfalt der Games-Kultur". Der Tagesspiegel Online (in German).