#first nations devs

[I.D.: A photoset containing four screenshots from the educational platformer Growing Up Ojibwe: The Game.

Image 1 shows the character Nookomis, greeting the player by saying, “Boozhoo. I have a mission for you. Many people today have forgotten important knowledge. Will you learn from the spirit helpers and knowledge holders and teach others what you have learned?”

Image 2 shows the player character Tommy standing by a tree as he collects sap from it.

Image 3 shows Tommy speaking to someone quizzing him on his historical knowledge. The question being asked reads, “Why did the tribes challenge the state’s ability to enforce state law on off reservation hunting, fishing, and gathering?” The two answer options are “Their existing treaty rights were not being respected” and “they wanted additional rights.”

Image 4 shows the player character Annie in a boat being steered by another person as she tries to spearfish.

end I.D.]

Growing Up Ojibwe: The Game is an educational platformer about learning forgotten knowledge! Play as Tommy or Annie Sky as asemaa is offered to spirit helpers while exploring northern Wisconsin. Learn about Ojibwe treaty rights, collect sugar maple sap, learn the history of spearfishing, harvest wild rice, and experience Ojibwe language components! 

For free on Android and as a browser game.

[ID: A gifset containing four gifs of the anthology collection The Cartomancy Anthology. Several games in different artstyles and formats are featured.

Gif 1 shows two games. One shows two scenes from a colorful, top-down game as a character in yellow clothes walks across paths. There are many plants in the surrounding area and the player interacts with cubes to grow flowers. The second game shows a cooking interface as the player prepares a meal with the final result being a meat dish. 

Gif 2 shows two games. Three scenes from a mixed-media game show a blue player against backgrounds collaged from what appears to be hand-drawn art and photos. The other game shows a dark room with blue lighting traveling through it. On the right is text saying, “there is nothing else / there is only me / and you are alone.”

Gif 3 shows two games. One features a grayescale scene of a white skeletal figure riding a white skeletal horse while holding a flag that flows in the air. The character rides through a raining forest of bare trees and a smoking battlefield. The second game shown is a platformer featuring a scarecrow-like character with a pumpkin for a head. The character skips across a wooden platform past a house as the game’s overlay on the bottom reads. “Parts: 1/4 | Lure: None” and “[E] Talk to Gramms.”

Gif 4 shows a text excerpt from an interactive text game. It reads: “This isn’t exactly my dream job, but I can handle it. It’s not like I haven’t done repair work before. There’s so much to learn though. I didn’t know how complex a clock tower could be, but its guts are a labyrinth of metal and steam. I have trouble following the mechanisms sometimes. They tell me just to focus on the immediate task, that trying to grasp too much at once will just overwhelm me.”

end ID.]

The Cartomancy Anthology is a collection of introspective and compact experiences with each game representing a Major Arcana! Pull cards to explore powerful emotions and life lessons throughout 22 games. Play platformers, visual novels, cooking sims, fishing games and more as you learn about guiding one’s life!

For Windows.

Innchanted is an upcoming fantasy game about running a tavern with friends! In this 1-4 player co-op adventure, reclaim Taram’s family inn from the evil wizard landlord who’s stolen it by brewing potions, serving patrons, cooking, and fighting with magic!

For Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and Windows.

“Full of Birds” is an interactive Indigenous art gallery with works from the hini Northern Chumash artist Sarah Biscarra Dilley! Enjoy a complex engagement of art that offers a perspective of how Indigenous women artists maintain, recreate, bend, and reshape the spaces they inhabit while creating.

For free on Windows and Mac.

Wanisinowin | Lost is a platformer about identity! Play as Wani, a young girl from the spirit world who learns she is actually human. Navigate through a dark world and don’t lose your light as you try to bring Wani to her human Aunt!

For Windows.