Tuesday night, the Make It in Brooklyn audience gathered at Hana House to witness five indie game designers showcase their innovative games. The stakes were especially high as the winner would receive not only the $5,000 prize but also in-kind legal services from the Brooklyn Law Incubator and Policy Clinic (BLIP), plus expedited advancement to the final round of interviews for the inaugural NYU Tandon School of Engineering Game Design Future Lab (GDFL). The featured games ranged from horror to STEM-focused titles to therapeutic VR experiences, creating an opportunity for the gaming community to come together and provide constructive feedback on how these developers could build their companies.
The Competitors
The impressive lineup included: Unquiet Games, they create narrative-driven games with darkly cozy vibes that engage with real-world issues. Dusk Sharp, they put a modern spin on classic cult gaming genres, focusing on fun through interaction with an emphasis on co-op and competitive games. Jia Jie Chen builds games that gamify the big data around us. Made in Brooklyn Games focuses on building immersive, socially conscious gaming experiences that empower and educate. FORM360, a game and media studio creating next-generation artful therapeutic experiences centered around women’s health and games for learning.
Expert Judging Panel
Our distinguished panel of judges included Brian Carr: Co-Founder of Game Devs of Color Expo and Staff Interaction Designer at Google. Tracey Mancenido: Interactive Producer at Sawhorse Productions. Yiyi Zhang: Founder of Women in Games NYC; Community + PR Manager at Heart Machine, Inc.; and Vice President of Arcade Commons. Masaya Heywood: Program Director at Science Arts Engagement New York. Alia Jones Harvey: Associate Commissioner of Workforce Development and Educational Initiatives at the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.
(Left to right): Jia Jie Chen, Nat Mesnard, Elana Bell Bogdan, Regina Myer, Hessvacio Hassan, Tracey Mancenido, Chris James, Brian Carr, Masaya Heywood, Yiyi Zhang, Theresa Loong, Alia Jones Harvey
The winning game
After engaging presentations and challenging questions about business growth and product launch strategies, Made in Brooklyn Games emerged victorious. Their latest game, Don’t Look Away-lilin-, is a gripping stealth-horror game that builds on the viral success of the original Don’t Look Away.
This sequel introduces innovative mechanics including a holy candle defense system, environmental puzzles, and story-driven progression to deliver a terrifying VR experience. The judges were particularly impressed by the AWS for DLC integration technology and the fact that the game already had an established prequel. They also noted that its approach as a non-jumpscare horror game would be a welcome addition to the horror game genre.
About Make It in Brooklyn
Make It in Brooklyn is dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship and supporting Brooklyn’s innovation ecosystem through its series of pitch contests, meet-ups, and panels. These initiatives have united hundreds of entrepreneurs and provided over $100K in seed funding, along with invaluable pro-bono professional services.
The competition was made possible by the generous support of sponsor NYU Tandon School of Engineering, as well as the event venue, Hana House.
