- Brent Knepper
- Gamers Johann Sebastian Joust-ing
You can hardly throw a game token ten feet without hitting a vintage arcade bar in certain Chicago neighborhoods. The arcade bar boom has been a boon for lovers of old consoles, and it’s also piqued people’s interest in new indie games created by up-and-coming developers (as evidenced by the popularity of the ten-player arcade console Killer Queen at Logan Arcade). On September 6 at Bit Bash, Chicago’s first indie-gaming festival, it’s all cutting edge all the time.
Rob Lach, another organizer, developer, and Indie City member, says the event is meant to showcase the fringes of game design, which are finding a home in Chicago. He pointed to studios such as the Young Horses, which came out of DePaul and released Octodad, or Cardboard Computer, which released the unorthodox narrative Kentucky Route Zero, as examples of great local talent.
Bit Bash runs from 2 PM to midnight on September 6 at Threadless HQ (1260 W. Morgan Madison). At 7 PM new games, live music, and beer from Arcade Brewery will be added to the mix. A $10 donation supports Chicago Loot Drop, which provides games and entertainment for local children’s hospitals.
