Photos by Lia Bulaong/lia.bulaong.com
Come Out & Play 2014
The Come Out & Play festival celebrated its ninth year of bringing original games to the streets and parks of New York City. This year, we showcased a host of street games centered around Dumbo, with games project inside the Archway, running in the IFP Made in NY Media Center, and
racing through Brooklyn Bridge Park. Pac-Manhattan celebrated in 10th anniversary with 7 hours of games of ghosts chasing Pacman down cobblestone streets in Brooklyn. The following day, Field Day and Family Day returned to Governor’s Island for more than 20 original field games for adults and kids of all ages. In all, thousands of players got to come out and play and experience dozens of new play experiences from across the country.
After Dark – DUMBO, Brooklyn, July 18 from 7 PM to 10:30 PM.
Each year After Dark turns the city streets in a particular neighborhood into an arcade with social party games, large physical video games and wild new street games.
This year After Dark lands in DUMBO where it will light up the Manhattan Bridge Archway Plaza (just across from 155 Water Street).
Field Day – Governors Island, Parade Ground Field, July 19 from 11 AM to 5 PM
Field Day showcases spectacular new field games & sports for adults to play. This year Field Day will return to the Parade Grounds of Governors Island with a slate of awesome new games. To get to Governors Island, you can catch a ferry from Lower Manhattan or Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Getting there: Governors Island ferry schedule & directions
Family Day – Governors Island, July 19 from 11 AM to 4 PM
Family Day is a mini-festival of games for the whole family, organized by ESI Design, one of the world’s foremost experience design firms. All of the games will connect together in a single fun storyline about Time Travel — complete with an official Time Travel Agency, games throughout time, chronological paradoxes, and imminent threats to the space-time continuum! You’ll be able to play just one or two games as you like, or all of them for an epic Time Travel adventure.
Getting there: Governors Island ferry schedule & directions
All games are free.
Games run multiple times throughout each event.
Sign up is on a first come, first served basis at the festival.
Come Out & Play 2014 Award Winners
Each year a different panel of judges with experience in real world games plays all of the games at the festival and selects the best games in the following categories. This year, as usual, the judging round table was difficult and full of passionate arguments made for every one of the games, because every game at the festival rocked in its own way.
These are the games the judges settled on:
Best Family Game
Hoot Pootooter by Wise Guys Events
Hoot Pootooter exemplifies what a family game should be, fun for all ages and able to be played by parents and kids together. A game that a two-year old and a 40-year old can play at the same time and both enjoy is a rare thing.
Best Sport
Stepball by Floor is Lava
Stepball is an interesting take on sports, where speed is eliminated and the game focuses on dexterity and planning during regimented step-throw
turns.
Best Use of Narrative
Under the Hood by Play Well with Others
Under the Hood is a great example of how a strong story and presenter can take a simple game and make it into riveting experience for players and spectators alike.
Best Spectacle
Kill the Kraken by James E. Cox III
Nothing drew people into Come Out & Play more than the sight of a giant DIY puppet made of several huge pool noodles and a laundry basket on a huge stick manning by five players trying to evade volleys of hurled projectiles.
Best Use of Space
Who’s That Loft? by Ex-Site Department
A major part of CO&P is exploring the space the games play in, and no game did that better than Who’s That Loft, which delved deeply into the history of Dumbo and asked questions about the value and necessity of gentrification and urban design.
Best Use of Technology
Hot Mess by Mike Ren
Technology in street games should be approachable, reliable, and simple, and that’s what Hot Mess was. Think of it as an updated collaborative
Twister, where the board itself knows if you’re on the right square.
Honorable Mention
Buzhashi 2.0 by The Institute for Aesthletics
An all-around great athletic game, Buzhashi 2.0 had funny costumes, a crazy theme, interesting strategy, and a wonderful excuse to throw an
inflatable donkey around a giant field.
Best in Fest Grand Prize Winner
Light Fight by Arkadium
Light Fight exemplifies what Come Out & Play looks for in games. It’s a simple game to understand, but it offers unexpected depth and strategic
possibility due to a tight set of rules and well-designed mechanic. And best of all, you can play it at home with a set of boxes and four flashlights. Approachable, deep, beautiful and fun, Light Fight is what we aim for in street play.
The team that makes it all come together
A huge thanks to our team of volunteers that helps make the festival happen each year. You guys rock.
Toni Pizza
Zack
Natasha Lewandrowski
Oliver Kong
Conan Magee
Christian Howard
Dylan
Stephenie Futch
Tahiat Mahboob
Marie Simone
Joanie Kwok
Patrick Jao
Thomas Szlezak
J. Shepard Ramsay
Mary Fe
Sharang Biswas
Lynisha Ramoutar