LA Game Space was a nonprofit organization focused on experimental

game design Game design is the art of applying design and aesthetics to create a game for entertainment or for educational, exercise, or experimental purposes. Increasingly, elements and principles of game design are also applied to other interactions, in ...

, research and education. The

crowdfunded Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...

project planned to open an exhibition space in Los Angeles, along with a research wing, a space for workshops and support for

artists in residence Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...

. The organization exceeded its crowdfunding target in 2012, but closed down in 2018 having failed to open a physical venue.

History

Founding

The project originated in November 2009, with the founders spending three years planning and organizing collaborators and events.

Kickstarter & experimental games

The venture was funded via a

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

that asked for $250,000 and ultimately received $335,657 of funding. ''

Adventure Time ''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn (Jeremy Shada) and ...

'' creator

Pendleton Ward Ward Taylor Pendleton Johnston (born September 23, 1982), known professionally as Pendleton Ward or simply Pen Ward, is an American animator, screenwriter, producer, director, and voice actor who has worked for Cartoon Network Studios, Freder ...

released a short animation to spread awareness of the project. Backers received access to 23 experimental games published by the organization, including works by '' Canabalt'' creator

Adam Saltsman Adam Saltsman, also known as Adam Atomic, is an American indie video game designer best known for creating the endless runner '' Canabalt''. He is a founder of Semi Secret Software and Finji video game studios. Career Flixel (2008-11) Salt ...

, ''

Katamari is a Japanese video game franchise created by Keita Takahashi and developed and published by Namco (and subsequently Bandai Namco Entertainment). The series puts players in control of a young character called The Prince (also referred to as Dash ...

'' creator

Keita Takahashi is a Japanese game designer and artist, his most notable titles being ''Katamari Damacy'' and its sequel, ''We Love Katamari''. The original ''Katamari'' game was a surprise hit and was praised for its quirkiness, originality, and charm. Takahas ...

and ''

Kentucky Route Zero ''Kentucky Route Zero'' is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Cardboard Computer and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game was first revealed in 2011 via the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter and is separated into five acts tha ...

'' developer Tamas Kemenczy. Most of these were designed for the purpose of promoting the project, a notable exception being ''To My Favourite Sinner'' (2009) from

Molleindustria Paolo Pedercini (born 1981) is an Italian game designer known for making Flash videogames based on provocative left-wing socio-political points of view, on topics such as labour market flexibility and Queer theory, in explicit opposition with ...

. The pack was released on September 7, 2013, with several games being added shortly after the main launch. The collection was the only pack of games ever released by the organization.

Activities

LA Game Space obtained 501(c)(3) status after the conclusion of the Kickstarter campaign. A warehouse was leased and renovated but never opened for the intended purpose, with LA Game Space organizing events at external venues during this time, such as the

Ace Hotel Los Angeles Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, originally built as the California Petroleum Corporation Building and later known as the Texaco Building, is a , 13-story highrise hotel and theater building located at 937 South Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, ...

. The organization ceased operation in 2018, with a former board member blaming financial mismanagement.

Games published

All of these were published as part of ''Experimental Game Pack 01''. The pack was originally released on September 7, 2013, though some games were added to the set shortly after that date. While the pack was advertised as containing 30 games, 23 were ultimately released, 21 of which were available for Windows, 19 for Mac and 14 for Linux. Since 2018 the Windows versions have been freely available via the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

, with the Mac versions joining in 2019. Some of the titles have since seen re-releases. A further 9 games were in development and earmarked for the game pack but not released.

References

{{reflist Non-profit organizations based in Los Angeles Kickstarter projects