North America’s collegiate game design program USC Games, has concluded its sixth annual USC Games Expo with support from long-term partner Jam City. The virtual event included global premieres of over 50 student-made games and featured up-and-coming game designers and developers from USC Games’ program. The multi-hour event was live-streamed on uscgamesexpo.com as well as USC Games’ Twitch and YouTube channels along with parallelly being live-streamed by their official media partner- IGN.
While recognizing the students’ efforts, Chair of the USC School of Cinematic Arts’ (SCA) Interactive Media & Games Division (IMGD) and Director of USC Games Danny Bilson said, “USC Games Expo is a unique opportunity for our students to show their skills in game development, the challenges they’ve faced, and share the results of their hard work with the world. As always we thank our Trojan family and our friends at Jam City who joined us for another showcase featuring the talented game designers and developers of tomorrow.”
Souporno Ghosh, an Indian-origin student of USC who supported the team in organizing the sixth edition of Games Expo, said, “It was an exciting and enriching experience to work with the organizing committee of the Games Expo. Being a games enthusiast, I have always been fascinated to pursue a career in game development, and joining USC has brought me closer to my dream. Getting into a creative stream like gaming requires skills of design, artistry, production, and engineering, and USC and the games program have helped me learn and grow as a game developer. I have also been gearing up to participate in Games Expo 2023 and working closely with the organizing committee has allowed me to observe the efforts by the participants.”
“We’re proud to support the USC Games Program for another round of their Expo. Each year, the students from the program impress us with the incredible experiences they’ve developed, and it brings us delight to see the next generation of talent grow before our eyes. This is always an exciting day for all of us at Jam City,” said Jam City co-founder and CEO Chris DeWolfe.
Matching the standards set by previous editions of Games Expo, this year’s annual event showcased the most inventive and intriguing game projects created by the students of USC’s renowned Games program – Advanced Games Program (AGP). Student-made games highlighted at the Expo included:
- Bounty Heart (Mobile iOS/Android)
Bounty Heart takes you on a journey through a fantasy world full of quirky characters, renegades, and outlaws. Devise the best strategy to match orbs, recruit allies and defeat enemies to obtain the legendary bounty in Bounty Heart.
- Charon (PC)
Charon is a single player action-adventure game where the player traverses the perilous River Styx as the ferryman of the underworld. They must utilize weapons and maneuverability to survive raging rapids, vengeful spirits, and the goddess Demeter’s onslaught of monsters to bring the lost soul Alexis to her lover in the afterlife.
- Impasto (PC)
Impasto is a dark fantasy adventure inside the macabre imagination of the legendary Spanish painter Francisco Goya. Step inside the world of his paintings and unravel the mystery and the tragedy of the man who painted them directly onto the walls of his home.
- Skylost (PC)
On a rescue mission, brave the mysteries of Spire, a series of beautiful, mysteriously floating islands that few have dared travel to and even fewer have ever returned from. Armed only with your wits, limited supplies, and the items you discover during your journey, traverse the exhilarating verticality of this gravity-defying wilderness. Craft, climb and glide your way past the Spire’s hazardous flora and fauna, reach the top, and find your lost missing love, Amelia before she—like so many before her—is lost forever!
- Social Moth (PC)
Social Moth is a game that explores social anxiety. As Moth, you can explore vibrant environments, get to know your neighbors, and attend a party while coping with your desire to avoid social interactions. Developed with input from subject-matter experts, help the Moth manage his anxiety while making friends with the insects in his neighborhood and keep his thoughts under control to avoid the dreaded Anxiety Monster.
- Spookulele (PC)
When a fabled disaster causes ghosts to spill into the human world, an apathetic reaper and a fearless young girl with magical powers must use their musical abilities to fight ghosts and save the world from an endless night. Spookulele is an action-adventure game where you play a pair of reapers and use musical abilities to fight ghosts.
- That’s Not How it Happened (PC)
Disaster! When the Turner family’s inn burns down, they must recall the events that took place leading up to its fiery end, and ultimately explain HOW IT HAPPENED…That’s Not How It Happened is a rashomon-style beat’em up-point-and-click-dating sim that explores different art styles and game mechanics to show each character’s unique perspective. Follow George, Alan, and Zoey Turner as they try to decide who saved(?) the day!
- Turtle Town (PC)
When the whimsical forest of Brightleaf Hollow is threatened by rogue mechanical animals, it’s up to you, to assemble, and protect a town of forest animals finding refuge on the shell of Tortimer Turtle. In this unique base builder on the move, every building you construct changes the way you explore the forest and every encounter in the forest will change the way you build and protect your city.