A Festival of Indie Games Brought to Life by Passionate Creators 2024-12-23

On December 1, the indie game and culture festival ‘Burning Beaver 2024’ concluded successfully at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul. Over three days from November 29, more than 10,000 attendees visited the event. Now in its third year, Burning Beaver captivated visitors with 83 indie game exhibition booths, a curated showcase of experimental games, interactive stage programs, and a reward zone. Here’s a glimpse into the vibrant and expressive scene of Burning Beaver 2024.

Sampling the Diverse ‘Flavors’ of Indie Games at Burning Beaver  

Burning Beaver 2024 was held under the theme of ‘Chefs and Cuisine.’ This unique concept likens game creators to chefs and their games to dishes, symbolizing how developers use their own stories as ingredients to craft distinctive indie games. 

To match the event’s theme, the exhibition booths were decorated like trendy restaurants to catch visitors’ attention. Captivating signs reading things like ‘Sweet and Spicy Hamster Flavor,’ ‘A Bittersweet Taste with Warm Undertones,’ and ‘A Flavor that Corrupts Everything in the Game’ drew many curious eyes.

Visitors interacted with creators and enjoyed the games at each booth, leaving star ratings and reviews in the ‘Bea-chelin Guide’ — a Burning Beaver-exclusive web platform where attendees could view event info, complete missions like game reviews, and earn rewards. The more than 10,000 real-time feedback entries left in the guide were shared with the creators and became invaluable material for improving their games.

The Debut Showcase ‘Games Outside the Game’ Was Another Highlight. The special exhibition ‘Games Outside the Game,’ introduced for the first time this year, drew notable attention. Curated in collaboration with ‘Out Of Index,’ which showcases experimental games from around the world, the display featured indie games that conveyed creators’ philosophies and original narratives. Eight experimental games using unconventional input devices — like pedals instead of keyboards or controllers — provided attendees with fresh inspiration. Visitor Jaehee Lim remarked, “It was my first time attending, so I came with high expectations. I really enjoyed experiencing the variety of uniquely styled indie games, especially the special exhibition, which felt unfamiliar yet refreshingly different.”

Day 1 – Audience Enthusiasm Ignites the Festival

Even before the official opening at 10 a.m., the entrance to the venue was packed with long lines of visitors. Among them were many children holding their parents’ hands, waiting to enter with curious expressions on their faces.

On the first day of Burning Beaver 2024, a ‘mini talk show’ on game accessibility was held, along with an indie game battle featuring influencer ‘Gorapadong’ and a variety of audience participation events.

The mini talk show focused on ‘game accessibility for everyone,’ introducing ways to improve accessibility related to vision, hearing, language, cognition, and mobility. Game accessibility refers to innovating the user experience through new technologies so that players with disabilities can enjoy games without barriers—while maintaining their core fun. For example, in ‘Fortnite,’ footsteps and gunfire sounds are visualized on-screen through radar waves, allowing players with hearing impairments to play more easily.

Next, influencer Gorapadong hosted the stage event ‘Game Class Wars.’ He played live matches with the audience using Burning Beaver 2024 titles such as Arcstar Team’s ‘Ellia’ and Badarang Team’s ‘Animal Jumping.’ The audience erupted in cheers as they watched the exciting matchups broadcast on a large screen.

Day 2 – A Special Gaming Experience Shared by Influencers and Creators

The first program on Day 2 was “The Gourmet Voice Live Show” featuring voice actor Nam Dohyung, known for his role in ‘Culinary Class Wars.’ He showcased his voice acting for a character in ‘Flower of Time’ by Team Always, a Burning Beaver 2024 exhibit. Nam expressed, “I’m happy to be participating in Burning Beaver again this year,” and added, “I sincerely hope this festival continues to be a celebration for all indie game lovers.”

Next came game streamer Kim Naseong’s stage event, ‘Game Review with JaemNaseong.’ He played two titles from Burning Beaver 2024—'Thanks, Light’ by Team Lighters and ‘KKCKC’ by Igegegaeime—and introduced their storylines and development intent to the audience. Visitor Kim Taegi commented, “It was my first time at Burning Beaver, and it really felt like a festival. I enjoyed playing such unique indie games, and participating in the influencer stage events was a fun experience.”

That evening, a networking event titled “SGM Homecoming Day” was held to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Smilegate’s representative creative support program, Smilegate Membership (SGM). Since Smilegate’s indie game ecosystem support began with SGM and continued through Burning Beaver, the Homecoming Day event held at the festival carried even greater meaning.

Day 3 – Which Team Took Home the Title of ‘Burning Beaver of the Year’?

 On the final day of the event, the festival concluded with a variety of programs including a keynote lecture and ‘Beaver Pitched,’ where exhibiting teams played each other’s games and voted to choose this year’s Burning Beaver.

Minecraft content creator Hwiyong hosted a stage event titled ‘Indie Game Building Life,’ where he introduced ZombieMate’s casual indie game ‘Cat and the Secret Recipe.’ He shared that he personally selected the game at Burning Beaver 2024 and played it together with the developer, showcasing the game's housing system, which lets players build structures using in-game elements.

Next came a lecture by author Song Gil-young, known for his book ‘Forecast of the Times: Name-calling society.’ A director at Smilegate Future Lab Foundation and a big data expert, Song remarked, “The existence of festivals like Burning Beaver for indie games is extraordinary. Such events were unimaginable in the past. For indie game developers, showcasing a game under their own name holds great meaning. I hope you’ll gain valuable experiences and knowledge at Burning Beaver, and I offer you my full support.”  

Burning Beaver 2024 added more fun to the festival through the Rewards Zone, which featured activities for all ages—including game development experiences, a tarot and retro photo booth, limited-edition goods pop-ups, and prize-draw events. Especially popular was a one-day career experience class where kids and parents could participate together, with children using their imaginations to create their own games.

The grand finale of Burning Beaver 2024 was the ‘Beaver Pitched 2024 Awards.’ Seven teams—including ‘Lizard Smoothie’, ‘Candle’, ‘Surround’, and ‘GeomGyulDan’—were nominated by their fellow exhibitors for the title of “Burning Beaver of the Year.” Special prizes, sponsored by partners such as ‘Stove Indie’ and ‘Naver Webtoon’, were awarded to teams including ‘Reverie’ and ‘ArkStar’.

This year’s Burning Beaver offered a diverse showcase of indie games—from visually unique titles to those with sharp social commentary. Attendees were immersed in a rich spectrum of indie game styles and narratives.

The Future Lab Foundation aims to foster a healthy ecosystem for indie games through Burning Beaver. Paek Min-jung, Executive Director at Smilegate Future Lab Foundation, shared during a media briefing, “Indie games are the seeds of the creative ecosystem. Burning Beaver’s mission is to support and amplify the voices of creators.” She expressed hope that Korea’s gaming industry ecosystem would continue to thrive, empowering more creators to share their stories.