Watch Game Developer Arek Suroboyo (GADAS) In Action at SAGE 2013

Last weekend, Surabaya Animation and Game Expo 2013 (SAGE 2013) took place at Surabaya Town Square. The event – part of Surabaya Sunday Market – can happen thanks to the huge support from Surabaya city government. There are so many students participating in SAGE 2013, from middle school kids to high school and vocational school kids. The rule is simple, create a game or animation in a very short period to show them at SAGE 2013 and enter the competition.

The theme for SAGE 2013 is “Lawan Keterbatasan” (Break the Limit). Participants were only given several days to finish their creation before entering the two-day competition at Surabaya Town Square. Other than the competitions, SAGE 2013 also offers a string of activities, such as seminar about game developing by Radik from Elven Games and showcase from Game Developer Arek Suroboyo (GADAS) – a community for game developers at Surabaya and its neighboring cities.

Surabaya Mayor, Tri Rismaharini, playing games with a kid at one of GADAS’ booth[/caption]

This showcase is optimally utilized by Surabaya-based game developers to showcase their game creations. Some of them are: Artlogic Games (Sugar Tales), IPlayAllDay Studio (Kung Fu Quest: Jade Tower Survival), Dolanan Games (Detektif Jamal/D’Jamal), Maulidan Games (Galaxy Evo, HQ Guardian, Momentumz Clouds), Elven games (Chase Burger, Durian Revenge 2, Kamikaze Cat, Lost Bird, Phantom Imperial, Wonderland CosaNostra), Mojiken (Vamp’s Revenge, Heroes of Tiktakavya), and AryadiSubagio (Three Blockie, Cindy’s Candy).

This showcase draws attention both from SAGE 2013 and Sunday Market visitors. Even Surabaya Mayor, Tri Rismaharini, visits the showcase booth too. She expresses her full support and said that this is a very positive event. Other than showcasing games, several developers also sell their game merchandise. One of them is Mojiken Studio that sells plush toys, postcard artprint, totebag and sticker from their soon-to-be-released games, Vamp’s Revenge and Heroes of Tiktakavya.

After going through a tough selection process, the winners are:

Middle School – Category: Animation

• 3^rd Winner           : SMP Negeri 7
• 2^nd Winner          : SMP AlamInsanMulia
• 1^st Winner           : SMP Negeri 3

Middle School –Category: Game

• 3^rd Winner           : SMP Negeri 7
• 2^nd Winner          : SMP Negeri 3
• 1^st Winner           : SMP Al-Hikmah

High School/Vocational School – Category: Animation

• 3^rd Winner           : SMK Negeri 12
• 2^nd Winner          : SMK Negeri 12
• 1^st Winner           : SMK Negeri 12

High School/Vocational School – Category: Game

• 3^rd Winner           : SMK Negeri 4
• 2^nd Winner          : SMA Negeri 18
• 1^st Winner           : SMA Negeri 5

The game showcase from GADAS not only to add more fun to the event, but aimed to be the motivation for the students participating in the competition to make better creations in the future. SAGE is planned to be an annual event with the full support from Surabaya city government.

[Photos Courtesy of Eka Pramudita Muharram]