Play games, win prizes at Spring Indie Games Showcase

The WVU Game Design and Interactive Media program and MonRiverGames will host the fourth annual Spring Indie Games Showcase beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 25, in the Media Innovation Center at Evansdale Crossing.

The event is free and open to the public. Reservations are encouraged but not required and can be made online at go.wvu.edu/springindiesshowcase.

“We’re excited to run this event for a fourth year in a row and to see the new ideas both students and independent developers bring to the showcase,” said Heather Cole, Teaching Associate Professor of Game Design and Interactive Media and Director of MonRiverGames.

“We’re also thankful to be included as part of the WVU College of Creative Arts and Media Curiosity Series this year and that Schell Games is returning as a sponsor. It shows our community is invested in helping game developers grow here,” she continued.

Attendees are invited to playtest both digital and physical games created in the region, win raffle prizes and celebrate local game creators. The event will feature a variety of different independently created video games from professional game studios, indie developers and student developers.

Jorge Rosero is a senior Game Design major from Quito, Ecuador. Since fall 2025, he’s been working alongside programmers Brodey Cook and Meghan “Thee” Bosley and other students in the Game Design program on “Glory for Goblins,” which was accepted into the Spring Indie Games Showcase.

“Glory for Goblins” is a light-hearted real-time strategy game in which gamers play as the Goblin King, leading a horde of goblins and defending the forest from encroaching humans.

Rosero’s team recently released an updated version of “Glory for Goblins.” The game has come a long way, but it’s still a work in progress.

“We’re looking forward to testing the changes we’ve made,” said Rosero. “We still need to add some more elements, like the animations and sounds when the player does an action in the game, to make it feel like a real videogame. But we hope everyone enjoys it and has some feedback for us.”

The West Virginia University School of Art and Design offers both an in-person bachelor’s degree in Game Design and Interactive Media and a fully online master’s degree in Game Design.

“The showcase is a great opportunity for people to try out our games for fun, but it’s also a good way for them to see what Game Design majors are doing,” Rosero said.

MonRiverGames is a nonprofit organization comprised of community members with a passion for game making, as well as students, faculty and alumni from the Game Design and Interactive Media undergraduate program.

This event is sponsored by Schell Games and Epic Games (Unreal Engine).

Learn more about the WVU Game Design and Interactive Media program at artanddesign.wvu.edu and about MonRiverGames at monrivergames.com.