■ Burning Beaver, now in its third year, will present a feast of novel and unique indie games for three days from November 29 to December 1.
■ Baek Min-jeong, Center Director: “We will continue to support a healthy indie game ecosystem where creators can positively influence each other and grow.”
Smilegate Future Lab Foundation (Chairman Kwon Hyuk-bin) announced that the indie game culture & festival ‘Burning Beaver 2024’ was successfully held.
Burning Beaver 2024, held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza from November 29 to December 1, was visited by over 10,000 visitors. In 2022, over 8,000 visitors, in 2023, over 10,000 visitors, and so far this year, a total of 28,000 visitors have visited Burning Beaver.
This Burning Beaver is based on the concept of “chefs and cooks,” comparing game creators to chefs and games to cooking, and presents a worldview in which creators present games using their own stories as ingredients. About 10,000 pieces of feedback were collected and delivered to the participating teams in the “Michelin Guide,” which records game ratings and reviews from visitors, similar to restaurant ratings.
Visitors experienced a variety of novel indie games through a total of 83 indie game booths and special exhibitions. Games such as ‘Fakebook’ by ‘Banji Games’, which satirizes social media overflowing with provocative content, and ‘Soundscape’ by ‘Offbeat’, which implements the experience of a blind person as an escape simulation, received great attention as visitors flocked to experience them throughout the three days. In particular, ‘Fakebook’ attracted attention as a game that utilized generative AI technology.
“Animal Jumping!” was selected as the most fun game by visitors for three consecutive days and earned the Michelin Gourmet Badge. The developer of Badarang, Oh Hae-in, said, “It was especially impressive to see parents and children enjoying the game together,” and “I received great passion and energy from the creators, staff, and users I met at Burning Beaver. We will work hard to create better games in the future.”
The diverse events also received favorable reviews from the audience. In addition to the stage event with influencers Goraphadong, Nam Dohyung, and Hwiyong, many visitors flocked to side events such as tarot reading and goods drawing, further heightening the festival atmosphere. Author Song Gilyoung of delivered a special lecture, sending a message of support to young creators who tell their stories as games.
