Christophe De bont 
07/01/2022Well hello there 2022! We hope you’ve been able to charge your batteries over the holidays for what looks to be another wonderful year filled with Belgian video game goodness. There’s a couple of big releases on the horizon, but before you get hyped for those, you should check out Different Perspectives Art Games Festival.
All you need to know about Different Perspectives
- A brand new art games festival at Het Bos in Antwerp (link in Dutch), encompassing various activities.
- January 20-23 and January 28-30: Relive/Herleef is a free curated showcase of 10 autobiographical video games.
- January 21: Networking Day for (future) art game creators. Sign up here to do a 5 minute speed pitch.
- January 28-30: Create a video game 48 hours during Global Game Jam Antwerp.
- Get your (limited!) tickets for the Networking Day or Global Game Jam. Early bird until January 10!
Each of the activities taking place under the Different Perspectives umbrella plays a unique role in supporting and helping to grow video games as an art form.
The curated selection of autobiographical video games Relive/Herleef offers nothing but deeply personal video game experiences that come straight from the heart of the creators. The titles were carefully selected by curator Pepijn Willekens to give new insights into what games can be, both in terms of content and form. It showcases topics such as mental health issues, war experiences, loss of loved ones, body image and eating disorders. But also positive experiences such as the value of peace, family and LGBTQ+ love are highlighted. Above all, the expo wants to show that video games are a unique art form, that’s open to gamers and non-gamers alike.
At the Networking Day (future) art game creators can meet, exchange experiences and collaborate. There’s talks on a wide variety of subjects and a speed pitch round where you can present your art game project or idea. You get the stage for five minutes and how you want to use those are completely up to you. Make sure to sign up here if you want to share your ideas.
Finally, you can put all that inspiration and everything you’ve learned to the ultimate test. During Global Game Jam Antwerp, you’ll team up with other creatives to create a video game in 48 hours. The theme is unveiled just before the start, so the best way to prepare is to arrive well-rested and with an open mind. A lot of succesful video games, such as last year’s indie hit Inscryption, have their origins in a game jam, so who knows you’ll work on the humble beginnings of the next big thing? And if you don’t, GGJ is still a great experience to make new friends and learn. Even when you’ve never created a video game, you’re more than welcome to join.
