IF you're sick of the same old genres of gaming and are looking for something new, then you have to take a look at the Nuovo Award nominees at the 13th Annual Independent Games Festival (IGF). The IGF is part of the Game Developer's Conference. The eight nominees are games that offer a completely new experience. Well, interestingly, that is the point of the Nuovo Award -to reward `abstract, short-form and unconventional game development'.

These nominees are truly unconventional. Check out one of the developer's description of his own game: The Cat and the Coup is a documentary game in which you play the cat of Mohammed Mossadegh, the first democratically elected prime minister of Iran. During the summer of 1953, the CIA engineered a coup to bring about his downfall. As a player, you coax Mossadegh back through significant events of his life by knocking objects off shelves, scattering his papers, jumping on his lap and scratching him. The other nominees worth noting are: Dinner Date: In this game, you play the subconciousness of a man who is waiting for his date to arrive. How interesting can this game get, seriously?

Hazard: The Journey Of Life: Among all the nominees, this entry is probably the closest to anything you've played before, simply because it is in the first-person perspective. However, you don't have any enemies to gun down. The developers describe Hazard as a game that "is about appreciating the simple things in life: experiencing the wonder of discovery, learning through curiosity, and the unexpected nature of a world that we do not fully understand".

Brutally Unfair Tactics Totally OK Now (Button): This is a one-button party game that can be accommodated between two and eight players. This game requires the players to interact (and fight) with each other in the real-world physical realm.

Bohm: This game gives you control over the life of a tree. It is based on slow game play and the act of creation. The game developer says, "Bohm is not about winning, but about letting yourself get carried away in an aesthetic and auditory poetic experience. An interactive homage to the beauty, slowness and peace of nature."

The grand prize winner will be handed a cheque of $5,000 at the festival, which will take place between February 28 and March 2 next year. Previously, the prize money was $2,500 but was increased because of the quality of this year's entries. All these games will be playable at the IGF pavillion at the next Game Developer's Conference.

The Nuovo Award nominations are important because the winners and nominees of this award have a great chance to go on to become mainstream hits. Giving independent game developers a platform to show off their skills is what the IGF aims to do. Some of the hits that have come out of this festival are games such as World of Goo, Braid and Portal.

The writer is a Chennai-based gamer