An Award, Three Minigames, and the Chaos of Indie Life
WE WON AN AWARD, SHOWCASES, AND THE GIVEAWAY
Let’s start at the beginning: WE WON OUR FIRST AWARD!
Every year, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, our university, awards the best entrepreneurial project from students or recent graduates, and this year, Dust Games was the winner. How amazing is that?
We’re over the moon, honestly. Not just because it’s our first prize, but because it’s a recognition of the whole team and all the hard work we’ve put into Roombattle and everything else we’ve been doing so far.
Events
We’ve also had 3 events in 2 weeks (phew, what a month).
The first was Saga, the Catalan video game fair. Catalan is the language of our territory, Catalunya, and let’s just say it hasn’t always been given the protection it deserves. So here’s the first announcement: the game will also be available in Catalan!
Then we had two events on the same weekend, and it’s kind of funny because one was called BIG and the other VAG—BIG BAG VAG VIG. The BIG took place in Bilbao and the VAG in a small town in Catalonia called Amposta.
At both Saga and VAG, we showcased our Live Action experience. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s the video game, but with PlayStation 3 controllers and robot battles in an awesome ring. It’s pretty fun. I’ll tell you more about it one day.
THE GIVEAWAY
Now that I’ve got your full attention, it’s time to talk about… three minigames!
You’ll have to wait a little longer for the giveaway, but honestly, what’s coming now is even more exciting than finding out if you’ve got €5 to spend on a CS:GO key (please don’t do that if you win).
Balloon Rain
I’ll be honest, we spent 10 weeks in a row brainstorming every day, only to end up with a balloon rain game where the main mechanic is popping balloons. GENIUS.
Now I have to defend this—let’s see how I do… BUT it’s actually really fun because of the ridiculously absurd balloon physics. Players think they know where the balloon is going to land, but nope, you have to stay sharp. It’s super popular at fairs—probably one of the favorites.
Roomplosion
I’m not going to repeat the joke, but you can imagine how hard we worked to come up with this minigame.
Now that I think about it, I’m not sure if I’m selling the game well, but I promise you they’re all insanely fun, no matter how simple or absurd they may seem.
Okay, so in this one, you have a bomb, and you have to pass it to one of your opponents before it blows up in your face (kind of like hot potato). Simple as that, and just as fun.
We’ve thought about adding more than one bomb at some point, or different types of bombs. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Rumba Battle
You don’t know it yet, but this is the best naming ever because the music playing is RUMBA CATALANA. It’s a traditional music style from the region we live in. Isn’t that amazing?
This is the favorite minigame of our programmers (not). It’s the one that breaks everything. Bugs come out of nowhere. At every fair, it’s like, “Oh, I’m just going to crash the game now.” And in a musical minigame, it’s always fun when the neighbor comes over to say, “You’re being too loud, and it’s 3 a.m.” Well, sorry for enjoying Catalan rumba.
So what’s it about? You’re in a nightclub, and there are spotlights for all the players except on, dance battle basically. If you’re the one left without a spotlight, you’re out.
(I swear this isn’t a reflection of the indie industry and its lack of media focus.)
Roombadvices
To wrap things up, this is where team members will recommend games, series, movies, books, random stuff to sell… I don’t know, whatever they feel like sharing.
Roombauthor of the newsletter:
- I haven’t been playing much, but I’ve gotten slightly addicted to Topsoil: A Garden Puzzle on public transport. It’s a silly game, but with Stardew Valley vibes in the music.
- I’m watching Lost. Yeah, I’m super late, but when it came out, I was 4 years old. I think I know how it ends (probably), but wow, what a wild ride.
I’m also rewatching BoJack Horseman. I used to hate Mr. Peanutbutter, but now I find him endearing. Maybe because I’m older now or because I see myself in him. - I’m still reading The Penske File by Jaime Rubio Hancock—well, I’m still stuck on the same page I was in August. I’ll keep you updated.
Oscar, the 3D Artist:
- In my free time, I paint miniatures. Right now, I’m preparing my Ultramarines army from Warhammer 40k for Kill Team. For the Emperor!
- Lately, I’ve been listening to the podcast Gente Muerta by Maya Pixelskaya, where they talk about historical figures with fun facts. Highly recommended.
- I’ve also been playing Marvel Rivals, which is like Overwatch but with Marvel characters. I’m happy because Spider-Man, my main, is in it.
- By the way, my partner gave me the Lego Spider-Man Advent Calendar. Yesterday, I built a mini fireplace with stockings—adorable.
AND THE GIVEAWAY WINNERS AREN’T HERE
Okay, I wrote this on the bus on my way back from my other job. Because like good indie developers, we’re all juggling multiple jobs.
But don’t feel sorry for us; we do it out of pure masochism.
So…
The
Winners
Are
jant1000.cat@************
vvsvsvsvsvsvsvsvsvsvsvsvsvsvsvsvsvvsvsv@************
If you’re one of the lucky winners, email us at hello @dustgames.es to claim your prize BEFORE 12/31/2024.
Congratulations, happy holidays, and happy New Year. See you in 2025 with a new and exciting devblog—unless I overdose on granny cannelloni!
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