Here are this year’s winners! Congratulations to the winners chosen by our jury and the audience!
Grand Prize and Audience Choice Award
VR Giants by Risa Interactive
VR Giants is a local coop VR game in which one VR player and one gamepad player work together. The VR player controls a giant and must protect and support the tiny player who is controlled by the screen player. The tiny player can use the body of the giant as an extension of the level.
đ„đ„VR Giants won the SAGA Grand Price and the Audience Choice Award presented by @GameDevGraz at the @button_Festival in Graz last weekend. Thanks to the jury, all organizers and everyone who voted for VR Giants. đ„ł pic.twitter.com/dfdt5XwQVH
— VR Giants – đź on Steam June 14th đčïž (@vrgiants) March 11, 2024
Local Star Award
Sisypush by Centi Games
Sisypush is a 1-bit puzzle game inspired by Sokoban games. Push rocks and other objects to clear the path to the final goal in each level! Play as Sisyphus from Ancient Greek mythology, who got punished to push a rock for eternity in the underworld after having cheated Death twice. While this game does not go on for eternity, you can play over 70 different levels with varying difficulties, each level having the goal of pushing the white rock into the goal tile.
đSISYPUSH WON @GameDevGraz 's SAGA LOCAL STAR AWARD!!!!đ
** Grand Prize ** * Local Star Award * * Audience Choice Award *
The StyriAn Games Awards – SAGA – give local indie game developers the opportunity to present their games and be rewarded. From all submissions, there will be six named finalists selected by a jury, that will be presenting their games at this years button Festival.
Deadlines:
February 18, Submission Deadline March 09, Award Ceremony @ button Festival
Does your innovative business idea have what it takes to convince a top-notch jury and win a share of a total prize of 12,000 âŹ? đ Be part of the Start-up Idea Competition đ powered by Science Park Graz! Because your ideas matter!
Local Star Award powered by Fachgruppe UBIT Steiermark
Voted by a jury
Games from Styria
Endowed with 300 âŹ
Audience Choice Award
Voted by the visitors of the button Festival, where the games are exhibited.
Games from Austria
Endowed with 200 âŹ
Rules
The applicants assure that the submitted game has been developed primarily in Austria. GameDevGraz is authorized to conduct a plausibility check for this purpose.
For the Local Star Award, the applicants assure that the submitted game has been developed primarily in Styria. GameDevGraz is authorized to conduct a plausibility check for this purpose.
Games and prototypes can be submitted as long as they are in a playable state.
A game can only be submitted for the SAGA if it has not become a Finalist in previous years.
Submission of a game in multiple categories is allowed.
To be eligible for a prize, it is mandatory to exhibit the game at the button Festival 2024 and participate in the award ceremony there. All applicants, whose games become Finalist will be provided a booth at the button Festival, free of charge.
Only natural and legal persons who have the necessary usage rights for submission are eligible. The submission and the process are conducted in English.
Digital games that have been or will be released after the end of the submission phase of the previous award period and no later than the last day of the year can be submitted. To clarify: The (expected) release date of the game must be between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2024.
We are once again organizing a site in Graz for the Global Game Jam this year. It will be held on January 26-28, hosted at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), at Inffeldgasse 13, HS i8 and i9, 8010, Graz.
A game jam is an event that brings together game developers, designers, artists, and enthusiasts to create games from scratch in a limited time frame (usually 48 hours). Whether you’re a seasoned game developer or just passionate about gaming, a game jam offers an exciting opportunity to unleash your creativity, experiment with new ideas, and connect with like-minded individuals in a fun and inspiring environment. The goal is to create a game together with others, but due to the limited time frame, the goal is not necessarily a finished game, but the journey; to learn something new, to meet people to cooperate further in the future, and so on.
Schedule
Friday, January 26
17:00 Start and Theme Announcement; Team-Finding afterwards
~18:00 – 00:00 | working on the games
Saturday, January 27
09:00 – 00:00 | working on the games
Sunday, January 28
09:00 – 17:00 | working on the games
More detailed schedule coming soon…
FAQ
Can I participate even if I have no prior experience making games? Yes! Absolutely. No worries ff this is your first time making games or joining a game jam. In fact, a game jam like this one is a great opportunity to get into game dev and work together with other people.
Can I come with a pre-made team? Yes! If you and your friends or other folks already come prepared that’s fine with us.
Can I make a game all by myself or do I have to join a team? Both is fine. We’re gonna have a brainstorming and teamfinding phase at the beginning to help people find a team they wanna join, but we’re not gonna force anyone to do so.
Do I have to make a game for the jam or can I also bring my own and keep working on that one? Sure you can! While the jam will be focused on making new game from scratch we’re fine with you coming by and use the opportunity, being surrounded by people and all, to keep working on your own game.
It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we write this letter to pay tribute and express our eternal gratitude to Philipp Gosch, our vice president and founding member of the association Game Development Graz and an integral part of the Austrian and international game development scene. But most importantly, to our dear friend, who was suddenly taken from our midst.
Phil was known for his contagious enthusiasm, multifaceted talents, extraordinarily kind heart, and his always fun attitude. Not only was he a foundational pillar of Game Dev Graz, but also a driving force behind bringing the community together, spreading knowledge, and organizing events like our local game jams and the Game Dev Days.
Phil was a skilled and experienced technical artist as well as a seasoned software developer. He was constantly striving for innovation, and his expertise seemingly had no boundaries, while also being eager and willing to share his knowledge with others.
Even more importantly however, beyond his professional achievements, he was an exceptional individual who enriched the lives of everyone who met him, from all around the world.
Philâs departure leaves a deep void, and we are still in shock and mourning at this surreal loss. He was a core part of our community; ever helpful, diligent, and kind. Always ready to work hard and get things done for our shared vision, while always enjoying the little things along the way. Much laughter, many long project hours and drinks were shared with him over the years, fond memories that weâll forever hold close to our hearts.
We will always remember his legacy, not only through the games and projects he shared with us, but first and foremost by how much he inspired all of us as a person and just being our friend. He touched the lives of so many, and his memory will be a source of inspiration to all of us.
In the end, there is so much more left to say as we are still lost for words.
You were one of us, Phil, and will forever be missed. We are grateful that we could spend time with you, get to know you, and see you accomplish great things. You left us too early, yet you also left us with so much.
We want to express our deepest condolences to the families and all those who have been touched by this loss. We console ourselves with the thought that Phil and Michi have shared the most beautiful time together in their last days as newlyweds, and we know that they will be remembered forever.
** Grand Prize ** * Audience Choice Award * * Local Star Award *
There will be seven named finalists selected by a jury for the Grand Prize (Value: 1.000âŹ; Sponsored by WKO). Finalists will be given free passes to the Button Festival and space at the festival to present their games. The Audience Choice Award (Value: 200âŹ; Sponsored by GameDevGraz) will be voted at the Button Festival by the audience of the festival from the finalists. The Local Star Award (Value: 300âŹ; Sponsored by GameDevGraz) will be awarded to the best game from developers from/living in Styria.
Criteria:
Open to all independent game developers from Austria.
The game must be developed fully or partly in Austria.
The competition is also open for entries in the prototyping stage, and finalists will be mainly judged based on their potential.
Games must be in a playable stage for the Button Festival and must be presented at the festival.
Award-winning games from previous years are not eligible for re-submission.
Deadlines:
February 10, Submission Deadline March 11, Award Ceremony @ Button Festival
Build your deck, choose your fighter and take on ever evolving enemies in this epic roguelike adventure. With over 4,000 combinations, you can battle against the oncoming Noise or take the fight online. Will you have what it takes to beat your enemies and end the cycle?
Features:
Inventive Deckbuilding: Create a unique playstyle with thousands of custom attacks!
Roguelike Adventure Awaits: Vanquish your foes throughout an increasingly challenging world, choose different cards and even different characters as you try to break the Cycle!
More Than Just a Roguelike: Battle it out against waves of enemies to perfect your build, before taking the fun online and testing yourself against other players!
Invent, Innovate and Imagine: Create entirely new maps, characters and builds with the easy-to-use Creative Centre.
Soul Passage is an action-adventure game with RPG elements that follows the journey of Obligor, an honorable warrior who makes a pact with the Soul Keeper to bring his family and village back to life. The Heartless Soul Keeper gives him a long task to complete in order to free his family and people. From that day forward, the nameless warrior is known as Obligor. He is obligated to gather the souls of his enemies and send them through the Soul Passage to complete the Soul Keeper’s task.
As players take on the role of Obligor, they will engage in fast-paced combat and defeat enemies to gather their souls. Along the way, players will encounter puzzles that must be solved in order to progress through the game and unlock new abilities. With RPG elements, players will be able to level up and customize their character’s abilities and equipment, making each playthrough unique. The game is set in a unique fantasy world with a dark aesthetic, where the player will explore different locations and experience a story full of twists and turns.
Soul Passage is developed by a solo developer, who is dedicated to creating an immersive and engaging experience that keeps players on the edge of their seats. With a mix of fast-paced combat, challenging puzzles, and a captivating story, Soul Passage is a true passion project that has been crafted with care and attention to detail. Despite being developed by a single person, Soul Passage offers a big and rich gaming experience that stands out in the crowd. This game is a true testimony of what one person can accomplish when they set their mind to it.
Dig into the mountain, collect resources to build your fortress, grow your population and keep them alive (and happy), learn new deadly skills, gather and refine materials to craft powerful items so you can fend off the many dangerous monsters threatening your colony in turn-based tactical combat.
In A Webbing Journey you play as a little spider and embark on a journey through stunning islands on the quest to collect the most exotic flowers for your spider date. You are accompanied by your friend Buzz, a fly, who will help you solve puzzles, engage in conversations and help you overcome your fears, and your friend Turbo, a turtle, who will help you travel between the different islands.
As itâs typical for a spider, you are able to explore your environment by climbing on all surface, even up-side-down. You can also make webs to build bridges for yourself and others, swing around to traverse the islands faster and use them to solve physic-based puzzles and quests.
The main story and side quest of the game centers around love and friendship. The gameplay will exclude any form of violence and combat but instead will feature a wholesome and relaxing gaming experience which focuses on exploration, quests and puzzles.
Draw Defend Collect Combine is a unique game where you collect different paints and use them to defend your heart from waves of incoming enemies.
Each paint has its own abilities and can be used in different ways. There are frontline paints that work as walls, there are ranged paints that shoot to kill the enemies, there are healers, mages, summoners and many more. Also every paint is a member of a class. If you buy enough paints of a specific class you can activate more powers and buffs to help your team. You have to choose your paints carefully while also managing your gold and combining offense and defense to create the ultimate team.
Then you put your strategy to the test as itâs time to defend your heart. You have to draw using the paints you choose directly in the battlefield, trying to defeat the upcoming enemies.
As you play you will encounter different enemies, with different abilities, that will require to optimize your strategy and your team composition. As the levels will become more difficult, you will also be able to upgrade your shop in order to acquire stronger paints.
The finalists are named by an international jury for the Grand Prize. Finalists will be given a virtual slot/exhibition possibility at the Game Dev Days to present their games.
Itâs 2065, and you are an interrogator-model android tasked with rooting out deviants among your own kind. You must probe for lies, monitor and exploit emotional spikes, earn the trust of your subjects, and make the final call: release, or destroy?
In this tycoon your goal is to squeeze as much money out of gamblers as possible. Making them happy is only a means to an end. Like in real casinos there are way more lucrative ways to drain your guest. Build cameras to find out how they respond to different experiences. As soon as you know what the like, manipulate them by providing them with their favorite games and food, filling them up and playing their favorite music. But foremost try to separate them from guest they donât like. Build a maze of entertainment for each of the 8 different gambler type and make sure they only leave when they have no money left.
Social Anxiety and personal space are topics that are more present than ever. Some aspects of personal space are even government-regulated in current times. The topic of social anxiety is important to me for a long time as I also suffer from said condition. I united with the artists Aleksander Kaplu (art) and Moritz Haberkorn (sound) to create this first part of a planned 3 part installation about our experience with anxiety and take the viewers into the depths of Vienna-based subway U6. The experience lasts 10 minutes and will grant the participants a glimpse of what it could be like for a person with anxiety to ride an overcrowded subway. Emphasized with a visceral soundtrack and minimalist art this virtual reality installation means to raise awareness and give an insight to an omnipresent and hardly discussed topic.
Bungee turtle, a new kind of 2D platformer, is the only mobile game to feature a real life bungee rope. Bungee, jump & run with our heroes Bantu & Banta, two turtles that love to bungee and are always hungry. Grab a bungee rope and move it along rails while avoiding walls and spikes and fighting off enemies. Collect as many veggies and fruits to set new high scores and coins to unlock all skins. But be careful⊠there are monsters everywhere⊠and yes, they also love to bungee. Throw stones to knock them out and if you happen to run out of ammo, then hide in your shell to reduce the damage. Keep your eyes open for treasure chambers full of coins, fruit and veggies. Features:
Monster Hunt Vienna is a digital urban game to discover Vienna using maps, riddles, stories and Google Streetview. In the game, you look for âMonstersâ that are actually curious things that we have collected and written stories for. You can either play remotely using Streetview, or on location in Vienna with GPS. Once you find the monsters and answer the riddle, then the story of the Monster becomes available. Our first games were analog Monster Hunts for Vienna in the form of a pack of cards with a city map. We had sold already more than 6000 packs when COVID-19 hit and disabled people from even going outside. Thatâs when we came up with Streetview concept and made a simple web game for our community. During the lockdown in April 2020, every day we sent them a Monster to find in Vienna, and called it âA Monster A Day.â You can still try it here:Â https://citygames.wien/amad-en Now, we are turning it into a mobile game for people who cannot come to Vienna physically. The game will contain several packs based on different themes, and has a complete new design inspired by Vienna and its stories.
Create and manage your own music festival empire. Book bands, setup stages, organise your line-up, layout tents and toilets, roll out the food trucks and build your festivalâs reputation to appease sponsors and earn big bucks!
Help Yourself is a puzzle shooter where you must work together with yourself â be your own best teammate! Every action you perform in a time loop is precisely replicated by a clone of you in the next loop. You have to cleverly plan ahead and cooperate with your clones across multiple timelines.
Innovative cloning and time loop mechanics that push the boundaries of what is possible in VR!
Unique blend of digital and analogue art styles.
Perfect for VR beginners and experienced users â easy to pick up, but challenging to master.
Comfortable movement.
Game is still in development â new content and level editor coming!
