July 26, 2022
Display 2022 - Let's Take a Look
At the event Display 2022, the students from the Games Master at HAW Hamburg presented the games they have been working on for the past three semesters. We were impressed by the creativity and skill showcased by the teams and want to share a glimpse of these projects with you.
Stepping into the Games Lab at the HAW Hamburg at the day of the Display 2022 was a wonderful experience - lovingly decorated game stations, a room full of excited students and curious members of the Hamburg games industry are a good mix!
The Games Master at HAW Hamburg is one of the 12 universities and educational institutions in Hamburg where new talent for the games industry is being trained. It is one of the few master's degree programs in the field of games offered by public universitites in Germany. Quite a few teams that formed in the Games Master already went on to succesfully found their own studios, develop and release their own games and win noteable awards like the German Developer Award (Deutscher Entwicklerpreis).
But back to the evening of the Display 2022 presentation: After a few welcoming words from Professor Ralf Hebecker, Anke Günther and Eric Janot, the six teams presented their games to the audience at the Games Lab and at home. If you have missed the livestream, you can catch up right here (German only). All games presented this evening and from previous graduating classes are available in a collection on itch.io.
In between the presentations and afterwards, the game stations were open for playing, an opportunity none of the attendees wanted to miss.
Light of Atlantis by Team Drowntown
Light of Atlantis is a beautiful 2D puzzle-plattformer that charmed us with it's hand-drawn style, smooth controls, clever puzzles and strong sounddesign. The little ocot-robot is quite adorable and can dish out comparibly to the Knight in Hollow Knight.
The team is aiming for a release on Steam within the next months, but you can already play this game on itch.io
Ki Nana is wholesome adventure in which you play the guardian of nature. After a long slumber an infestation has barred the land, now you must go and heal the world. A magical experience! We were quite taken with the colorful style and the adorable protagonist.
Take a look for yourself over at itch.io
Forlorn is an atmospheric first-person horror adventure, which deals with the topics from cosmic horror. Journey into a world that seems familiar but doesn't abide the laws known to you. Find out what awaits you in these strange caverns, but watch your back, because you're not the only creature roaming this dimension.
Forlorn gave us quite a fright, but take a look for yourself at itch.io.
You will see more from Team Godcomplex soon, because they are part of the Games Lift Incubator 2022 with their game Stack'em Up!
Das ist kein Spiel mehr by Team Not so Serious
"Das ist kein Spiel mehr" is a serious game project about harassement on the way home. The project consists of two analogue games, one being a board game in which one person takes on the role of the perpetrator, using cards to to harass the second player on their way home on the subway. The other player can defend themselves using support methods and facilities. All actions described on the cards are based on personal experiences from play testers.
The second game is a card game on how to swear at someone without resorting to discrimitory language. The goal of the project is to raise awareness of and give people tools to defend themselves against harassement. The project is still on development, the team wants to cooperate with eduacational facilities.
Xylophongos by Team Mushroomancer
Xylophongos is a mystical and melancholic serious game on the topic of terminal care. As an anthropomorphic fungus the player must guide the guardian tree of the forest into his death. The team states that "Fungi are one of the few organisms that can decompose lignin found in wood so they are essential to the ecosystem. This makes them in a sense terminal caretakers of dead and dying trees also turning them into nutrients for new life to form." The beautiful artstyle, whimsical characterdesign and soundtrack hooked us in.
You can find Xylophongos on itch.io
Metacore by Team Weihnachtsmann
Metacore is a fast-paced co-op shooter for up to four players. Stranded on a strange planet you and your team have to comb through desert ruins to upgrade your gear and find a way home. A variety of gadgets and the ability to transform into a ball so your teammates can position you in unusual places make this game a fun experience.
The game might already look familiar, because the team will also be part of our Games Lift Incubator 2022. Check it out
You can also take a look at this project on itch.io
It's great to see so many new teams and interesting ideas being formed in the Games Master program! We can't wait to see what will become of these projects and what these young indie devs will do next.
Want to know more about the Games Master program at HAW Hamburg University of Applied Sciences? Visit their website with lots of useful information about the program and how to apply.
