The USC Games Expo has concluded and made more than fifty student-made video games available to download for free! If you're curious about the future of game development, you can get your first taste of these creations from upcoming game developers right now.
Check out this sizzle reel that shows off some of the games in the expo along with the celebrity appearances that popped up throughout the event:
This expo has been going for a few years now. Primarily, it serves as an event to help nurture upcoming game talent, whether it's college-age men and women currently studying game design or middle schoolers who are just getting their start in learning how to make games.
Unfortunately, this expo was one of the many, many events that couldn't take place physically due to the coronavirus pandemic. As a consequence, this year's show was fully virtual — but that didn't stop them from having fun!
What are the USC Games Expo Games?
There are more than 50 games that are being highlighted as a result of this event. Here are a few of our picks, some of which you can download right now!:
Ghosted: Battle Royale
A vicious tabletop card game that mixes battle royale mechanics with the brutal reality of high school politics and dating. Don't let your popularity hit zero or you'll end up getting ghosted!
Grammar Ninja
If writing good is not you're strength, then Grammar Ninja may be the game for you! This mobile game has you throwing shuriken at grammatically-incorrect words, an entertaining task which will help shore up your English language skills!
Parallel
In this solarpunk action platformer, Nohla is an interdimensional vigilante on the run from the Collective. Work your way through 3D agility-based puzzles in an action-packed and emotional journey!
Retronomicon
This colorful puzzle game has two distinct parts: Passive and Active. In the Passive Pase, players set up the board however they'd like to. In the Active Phase, a ball bounces around the level hitting various objects for points. Your goal is to rack up the most points and make it into the goal!
Sunken Island
There's water all around you and Kevin Costner is nowhere to be found. In Sunken City, players must build out a civilization while taking care to make progress while also not overdoing it on the greenhouse gas emissions.
While many games on this download list are available, it should be noted that not everything here will be available to play. As an example, the developer of Parallel pointed out to us that their game wouldn't be available to play at all until Summer 2020.
This is just a selection of some of the cool games that are available to download and play right now — check out the rest at the USC Games Expo website!
Read more about how the COVID-19 novel coronavirus is affecting the gaming world at our Coronavirus Gaming Convention Cancellations and Game Delays Hub.
What do you think of these USC Games Expo games? What's your favorite game that you've seen at a convention? Let us know in the comments below!
