The third edition of INDIE GAMES TRS was an event that brought together professional and academic activities regarding indie video games, with the goal of fostering dialogue between the industry and the university world, while building links through innovation and knowledge transfer.
The 2025 edition focused on the field of narrative in indie video game development.
The event took place on December 12th, between 9:00 AM and 8:00 PM, and was structured into a series of practical workshops in the morning and theoretical conferences during the afternoon.
Organized by the Center for Image and Multimedia Technology of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, this gathering provided attendees with the opportunity to:
- Discover the potential of the indie video game sector as a generator of employment and self-employment.
- Establish synergies with companies and entities within the sector.
- Gain visibility before investors and other stakeholders.
- Learn from the best experiences in design, creativity, and business from indie video game professionals.
A video summary of the congress is shown below:
Program
The event programme consists of practical workshops and an academic symposium in the morning, and presentations in the afternoon. The presentations are divided into the following thematic blocks:
Morning agenda:
- 09:00–13:45. II Symposium on Research in the Indie Video Game Industry. Presentation of academic papers and projects on independent video games.
- 10:00–12:00: Workshop: ‘How AI can accompany you throughout the narrative’, led by Joan Alegret.
- 10:00–12:00: Workshop: ‘Worldbuilding spaces that generate stories’, led by Inés Alcolea, writer and specialist in video game storytelling.
Afternoon agenda:
- 15:00–16:00. Lecture: ‘Narrative Design Is a Battlefield: Hard-Learned Lessons and Subjective Thoughts’, by Alexandre Boiret, Lead Narrative Designer 11 bit studios.
- 16:00 h – 17:00 h. Lecture: ‘Music as the Invisible Narrator in Video Games’, by Victormame, composer and pianist.
- 17:00–18:00. Lecture: ‘Character Creation for Narrative Games’, by Ava Draw, writer and screenwriter.
- 18:00–19:00: Interview and networking session with various professionals from the independent video game ecosystem.
- 19:00–20:00. Panel discussion: ‘Narrative in Indie Video Game Creation’, with writer Inés Alcolea, Esther Fernández (Lead QA Alkimia Interactive), Felix G. Ríos (Lead Narrative Designer at Epictellers) and Laura Ripoll (Game Developer at Endflame).
- 20:00–21:00. Final networking session of the Congress with all attendees.
Throughout the day, attendees can visit stands featuring demonstrations of video games created by young local studios and take part in a ludonarrative storyline: a live-action role-playing game of missions that will turn the event into an interactive experience and facilitate networking.
In addition, between the various presentations, participants will have the opportunity to hold individual interviews with the speakers and other professionals in the sector, fostering direct contact and the exchange of experiences.
For the academic symposium, you can find more information by clicking here.