From the 16th to the 17th of November 2024, THE MAGIC RAIN’s Indie Jam returned with its signature Southeast Asian independent games showcase and industry conferences. Taking place at Xsolla Curine Academy in KL Eco City Mall, the event aimed to celebrate upcoming indie titles and student demos from across the region.
The theme for Indie Jam 2024 was exemplified by the event’s key illustration, created by artist Nabilah Raihan, which depicted the event’s mascots fighting to preserve the light in a dungeon full of challenges. It reflects not only the turbulent year that many in the global games industry have faced, but also the potential and talent within the Southeast Asian indie gaming scene.
With that in mind, the 2024 edition of Indie Jam placed a greater focus on student developers, allowing visitors and industry professionals alike to connect with the next generation of game developers. Students from UOW Malaysia, Management and Science University, Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation, and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman were on site to showcase their latest projects to the public.
Established studios from Malaysia and Indonesia were also present, inviting the general public to try out over 20 full-fledged game demos as well as early builds of upcoming projects. Visitors to the event could also take part in the Indie Jam Stamp Rally, where they could collect “stamps” for each demo they completed, then exchange them for exclusive gifts, generously donated by the participating indie game studios.
Indie Jam’s signature Student Game Jam also made a comeback, with six teams taking on the challenge to create a simple game demo based on the theme “Light”. They were given a week to plan and execute their ideas, which were then scored via a combination of industry judges’ votes and public votes throughout the weekend. Team Noselight emerged with the grand prize of an RM75,000 scholarship for a year’s worth of game development courses at Xsolla Curine Academy.
In between games, attendees could also check out the Artist Alley, where they could purchase video game fan art and original artwork made by local artists. They could also try out an assortment of student-made board games from Asia Pacific University, offering visitors a different kind of indie gaming experience.
Another standout highlight from the event were the Industry Sharing Sessions, which took place alongside the gaming showcase on both days. Industry professionals and studio owners took to the floor to share tips and advice, with topics ranging from how to approach media outlets as a game developer, to creating appealing character design for games.
In particular, mental health was at the forefront of this year’s Indie Jam. The Sharing Sessions kicked off with a fireside keynote featuring Regine Cheam, a mental health therapist from local therapy collective Cara Cara, who gave advice on how individuals in the games industry could tackle issues such as stress and burnout.
THE MAGIC RAIN was also honoured to welcome Wan Hazmer, the co-founder, CEO, and game director of Metronomik. He was able to share his experience on how he integrated Southeast Asian culture into the games he had previously worked on, including Final Fantasy 15 and Metronomik’s debut title No Straight Roads.
The event also lent the stage to talented upcoming performers in the local community, with guitarists ZY and Ian Fewbeats performing their renditions of popular songs alongside vocalists CTZ and Sarah in a Snowstorm.
Last but certainly not least, it was also revealed that Indie Jam will be returning during Q2 of 2025! Game studios, developers, brands and content creators who are interested in being part of the 2025 event are welcome to pre-register here.
Indie Jam 2024 would not be possible without its gold tier sponsors Yayasan Raja Muda Selangor, Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad, Curine Ventures, Sanggul Emas, and Five Guys; its official venue sponsor Xsolla Curine Academy; official media partners The Cham Drinkers, Kakuchopurei, GamerMatters, 20m Podcast, Nmia Gaming, and Southeast Asia Game Aesthetics; as well as, of course, the many game developers and indie game lovers who made the event a success.
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