Shawn Pierre is the new IGF Chair, hear his thoughts on the future of indie games

gamedeveloper.com:

IGF 2023 is right on course, and it has a new captain at the helm. Shawn Pierre has joined the Independent Games Festival as our new Chairperson.

Shawn Pierre is an Assistant Arts Professor at the NYU Game Center and an independent game developer. Through his work as a developer, he has explored creating new ways to play—including installations, physical interactions, voice-controlled experiences, interactive podcasts, and more. As a member and project director of Philly Game Mechanics, Shawn also works to build a community where local developers meet new people and share their creative work. He has also served on the Audio jury for the IGF Awards.

Shawn is taking over for Kelly Wallick, who stepped down from the position after IGF 2022. We chatted with him over the phone about his plans for the Independent Games Festival in 2023 and beyond, why he loves Trombone Champ, and the advice he'd give someone thinking of entering the IGF Awards for the first time.

Speaking of the IGF Awards, submissions for IGF 2023 open this Friday, Sept. 30! We'll be posting details on how to submit in the coming days. Be sure to follow our blog and subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates.

Below is an edited, condensed version of the interview with new IGF Chair Shawn Pierre.

Beth Elderkin, GDC: What was your reaction to finding out that you would be the next IGF chair?

Shawn Pierre, IGF Chairperson: I thought it was pretty cool! It's exciting to be able to find additional ways to contribute to the overall independent game community, because there are so many different ways to contribute—whether it's through teaching, whether it's through hosting things locally or on a larger scale, whether it's making games and then sharing that