The Offworld Guide to the 2009 Independent Games FestivalBraid, World of Goo, Darwinia, Everyday Shooter, Crayon Physics, Audiosurf -- all truly became names of their own following IGF successes. In the spirit of looking forward, then, and because Offworld's initial mention of the 2009 winners amounted to little more than a rote list of names, I've taken the time to sit down with all of this year's finalists and try to contextualize each entry (bar those cases where my hardware unfortunately failed me).
Inside you'll find as many video demos as I could muster, links and mentions to those games currently available to try for yourself, and an independent summary of each of the 22 finalists this year.
Offworld Guide to the Independent Games Festival 2009
More items
What MP3 player should I buy?
I'm in the market for a new MP3 player -- my second-gen iPod Nano is finally dead, and I don't want to buy another iPod, or any other player with DRM built in. I figure that any company that wants to devote its engineers to figuring out how to frustrate my desires doesn't really want my business. W... More.
An Insider's View of the Fort Hood Tragedy
Yesterday, a shooter opened fire on America's largest Army base, killing 13 and injuring many more. As of this morning, 27 people were still in the hospital. The alleged shooter, Maj. Hasan Nidal Malik, was at first reported dead. Since then, it's been confirmed that he survived and is in custody.... More.
Freemasonry, Dan Brown, and the New New Age
Freemasonry and the New Age Guestblogger Arthur Goldwag is the author of "Cults, Conspiracies, and Secret Societies: The Straight Scoop on Freemasons, The Illuminati, Skull and Bones, Black Helicopters, The New World Order, and many, many more" and other books. On September 15, 2009, THE L... More.
Vampire/otherkin/energy worker Meetup in San Francisco
If you're a self-identified vampire, "otherkin" or "energy worker," there's a Meetup for you in the Bay Area. The Vampirism, Energy-work and Otherkin Society (VEOS) is a loosely-organized San Francisco based group. This group is open those identifying as vampire (sang or psy), donor, otherkin, a... More.
DMCA takedown shirt
We'll never know what was originally intended for this Techdirt tee, but we can see the aftermath of the takedown notice it attracted! DMCA Takedown T-shirt (Thanks, Dennis!)... More.

Braid, World of Goo, Darwinia, Everyday Shooter, Crayon Physics, Audiosurf -- all truly became names of their own following IGF successes. In the spirit of looking forward, then, and because Offworld's initial mention of the 2009 winners amounted to little more than a rote list of names, I've taken the time to sit down with all of this year's finalists and try to contextualize each entry (bar those cases where my hardware unfortunately failed me).