There are a lot of independent games out there, so the Indiecade East organizers made it easy for newcomers to the indie genre by organizing a whole arcade of what they consider the 25 Most Essential Indie Games.

Truth be told, this was the first place I went to upon entering through the double doors of the Museum of the Moving Image. The games presented are free, open, and indie. The set-up is one of the most indie arcades I have ever seen. Games littered the floor in some of the craziest fashions. There was a table-top game, an arcade game, Minecraft, a game about suicide and poetry, a couple of walking simulators, a game about hugging, and a whole slew of interesting others.

The joy of the exhibit wasn’t just about the games but the way people were interacting with them. Never will you ever see a team of 10 year olds make a team of 30 year olds nervous in a video game. Minecraft broke down that day, but it only made people want to try out the myriad of other experiences on the floor. Kids made up a good 40% of the people running around the floor and dare I say, watching a group of 10 year olds playing Dear Esther is kind of funny.

Having a whole floor space dedicated to the independent game movement invites all sorts of gamers, young and old, experiencing similar ideas and exploring new ones. Watching a guy playing Gone Home, a game I have talked about in the past, and watching him explore new reaches of the Briar household that I never saw felt inspiring. All-in-all, it would be awesome if we could do this sort of thing at NJIT.