Akron, Ohio-The Akron Art Museum is calling for submissions of video games and table top games from developers, students and game-creators for Open World Arcade, a day-long indie game event held at the museum on Saturday, December 7, 2019.

The arcade will be presented as part of the innovative exhibition Open World: Video Games and Contemporary Art, which explores the powerful influence of video games on contemporary art. Game submissions will be accepted from March 15 through June 15, 2019. Games can be entered for free by going to http://bit.ly/OpenWorldArcade_AAM. Entries will be judged by a panel of museum staff and video game professionals based on novelty, professional polish, aesthetics, quality of game experience and "wow factor."

Akron Art Museum Associate Curator Theresa Bembnister said, "We're excited to host Open World Arcade as a complement to the Open World exhibition. What better way to honor the creative expression that video games have inspired in contemporary artists than to showcase a selection of fantastic, creative indie games?"

Games submitted for entry don't need to present art-related subject matter or adhere to an art theme. Bembnister added, "We mainly want to see amazing games. It's not necessary for creators to come up with something based on art or that addresses art."

Selected independent and student games will be featured in the Open World Arcade, at the Akron Art Museum on Saturday, December 7, 2019 from 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Game designer, creator of multi-award-winning game Walden, a game and Director of the joint University of Southern California Games Program Tracy Fullerton will serve as one of the judges on the selection panel. Joining Fullerton on the selection panel will be J. Collins, computer science teacher at Hathaway Brown School and games policy expert. Additional judges will be announced at a later date.

Open World: Video Games and Contemporary Art is organized by the Akron Art Museum and will open on October 19, 2019, and run through February 2, 2020. The exhibition features paintings, sculptures, animations, video games, video game modifications and artworks in other media by artists who consider the rich opportunities games offer for creative expression.

Open World: Video Games & Contemporary Art is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Ohio Arts Council, The Tom and Marilyn Merryweather Fund, and National Endowment for the Arts. Media Sponsorship is provided by Western Reserve PBS.

Follow the museum at akronartmuseum.org and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with the most recent Open World Arcade updates.

Akron Art Museum photography by Joe Levack/Studio Akron.

Last updated: Sep 25, 2019 at 05:39 pm CDT