By Captain Pyke | October 4, 2010 - 9:15 pm

IndieCade, the only independent gaming event in the US open to the public, opens Friday, October 8th in Culver City, California and runs through Sunday, October 10th. The three-day festival represents the culmination and celebration of its annual competition spotlighting innovation in independent game design. IndieCade 2010 will present 32 independent games selected from nearly four hundred entries, an extensive conference schedule featuring artist's talks, salon discussions and workshops, and the opportunity to play a wide spectrum of games. A gala Red Carpet Awards Ceremony on Friday night will be hosted by artist and storyteller LeVar Burton.

The Awards Ceremony will open the Festival on Friday, October 8th at The Sony Pictures Plaza from 8:00pm until 10:00pm, with a red carpet entrance beginning at 7:15pm. The finalist games represent the best creativity, vision and work of independent game designers from around the world with games encompassing all types of interactive media – from life-sized installations, to console, PC, mobile game, and even board games. In a twist unique to IndieCade, all finalist games in the festival are eligible for all award categories, which include the Vanguard Award, Jury Award and Gameplay Innovation Award. Joining Mr. Burton, award presenters include illustrious gaming aficionados actress and author Amber Benson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), documentary film makers, Seth Gordon and Clay Tweel (The King of Kong) and among others. As a highlight, IndieCade 2010 will be bestowing its first Honorary Trailblazer Award for Lifetime Achievement to Tim Schafer, creator of critically acclaimed games including Psychonauts and Brutal Legend.

The public and festival attendees will have the unique opportunity for hands-on gameplay with the 32 finalists' entries on Saturday, October 9th and Sunday, October 10th with activities from 10:00am to 7:00pm daily at numerous Culver City locations, including The Culver City Fire Station, Gregg Fleishman Gallery and WWA Gallery. Sunday, October 10th is the festival's Family Day, featuring free, playful activities, with kid-friendly games featured at the Culver City Fire Station and the opportunity to vote in the inaugural "Kid's Choice" award category introduced this year.

"Over the past three years, IndieCade has grown in leaps and bounds," stated Stephanie Barish, Founder of IndieCade. "Our 32 finalists represent game design from 11 different countries, selected from nearly 400 amazing entries. This year's program is incredibly robust and offers a peek into the cutting edge of the industry, not only for gaming enthusiasts, but for any fan of innovative entertainment. This festival provides an opportunity to see and interact with creative visions before they become commercial successes, as well as spotlight work that provokes thought and conversation, and pushes the boundaries of interactive entertainment and the future of how we see games."

IndieCade 2010 will begin with conference and industry events on Friday, October 8th and will conclude with the Audience Choice Award party Sunday, October 10th. Each day of the festival features mornings comprised of talks, panels, and salons, with the afternoon centering on gallery visits, indoor and outdoor gameplay, and artist conversations. Evening events include the Night Games (Saturday) and the closing party and announcement of the audience choice award on Sunday, October 10th.

A full conference schedule can be found at www.indiecade.org.

Tickets for the IndieCade 2010 can be purchased in several ranges, from $10.00 for a day of hands-on gameplay to $95.00 for a full festival /conference pass. Part of the festival is also free, including access to the Game Walk, the city-wide arcade; Outdoor Family Day Activities and Big Games (although pre-registration is required). More information about the festival and to purchase tickets, please go towww.indiecade.org.

(news source PRNewsWire.com)