Sin Sol (No Sun), an art game by UCSC assistant professor of Art & Design: Games and Playable Media micha cárdenas, has won the Impact Award at the 2020 IndieCade International Festival of Independent Games.
The Impact Award honors works that “seek to expand understanding, compassion and insight, with a focus on changing the world we live in through the practice of play.” It recognizes a work which explores social, cultural, and/or political issues in a whole new way.
Now in its second decade, the IndieCade Festival is the premiere international event dedicated to celebrating independent games from around the globe. Each year, IndieCade's annual awards celebrate the best and most innovative in the industry.
The aim of the IndieCade Awards is to honor the people, the games, and the work that move the industry forward. Since 2005, it has shown over 2,000 games and juried thousands more, launched countless projects and collaborations, and celebrated diverse and experimental new work in independent games.
Sin Sol is an augmented reality game that allows players to experience the feelings of a climate change event.
The jury noted that it received the Impact Award for “bringing awareness to how climate change disproportionately effects immigrants, trans people and disabled people while balancing these issues with guidance from a comforting dog and astute AI,” adding that “IndieCade recognizes the immense timeliness of this resonant game that unveils disparities faced amidst a climate crisis.”
Sin Sol is currently featured in After Life (we survive), a new exhibition presented by the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, running from November 9 through January 24, 2021.
