A Look Back at Waffle Games 2025, NYC's Free Student-Run Gaming Convention

Another year, another unforgettable Waffle Games in the books!

Despite its delay, the EGD Collective’s annual student-led gaming convention went on with a bang earlier this month in New York City and virtually, attracting hundreds of developers, gamers, and artists.

Those who came got to enjoy a vibrant weekend full of panels, community-building, and free gaming (like some good ol’ fashioned Among Us and Gartic Phone)!

Game Design and Indie Showcases with a Side of Chaos

The first day featured a robust lineup of speaker sessions about games industry knowledge and practical tips, as well as general gaming topics with a flair of playful creativity.

In terms of the ladder, a few fun ones stuck out:

One was the League of Legends Tribunal, a chaotic, mock courtroom where participants took their teammates to “trial” over questionable in-game plays and behaviors. A hilarious judge then made legal decisions on who was right, adding to the madness of the experience.

Guilty Gear fans also got a special treat of a lighthearted deep dive into the franchise’s lore by Zahir, one of our Game Studio Program (GSP) students. He provided viewers with a presentation full of meme-worthy images that’ll serve as a legacy for years to come!

The expo hall was especially buzzing with activity.

Artists came with fanart and merch of their favorite franchises, and the indie game showcase spotlighted titles at every stage of development from local devs in the region, including demos and finished releases alike.

Some amazing ones were Erratum, Half & Half Studios’ pixel-art puzzle adventure game in a fantasy setting with challenging, brain-tickling levels, and Scrapeboard, a skateboarding rhythm game filled with stunning visuals.

Finally, on the EGD side, students in EXP and GSP’s Studio Aspen had the chance to showcase the games they worked on this year to the public, such as Project Dreamscape, the ladder’s capstone project, which gave them an incredible opportunity to get their games seen and playtested.

Additionally, EGD alums attended to show off their games, too, like Spiky Spike, a studio recently founded by several alums that displayed their first game currently in development: a fishing roguelike called Tale of Brook.

Games, Games, & More Games!

Of course, this is a gaming event, so we can’t not talk about the gaming that happened!

Participants were able to join both community tournaments and casual party games filled with collaboration, laughter, and plenty of jokes!

Students duked it out on the dance floor during the in-person day’s Dance Central 3 tournament for a chance at fabulous prizes and to see who had the most groove, and the virtual day saw passionate and thrilling games of Smash Karts, Krunker Strike, Jackbox, and Putt Party (you should’ve seen the trolling).

Talks to Level Up Your Game Dev Work and The Industry

As we mentioned before, Waffle Games 2025 continued its tradition of thoughtful speaker programming, and that includes in a virtual format.

Skye Guan, PD Instructor at EGD, hosted a talk on player psychology in game design, examining different playstyles that devs try to have the player focus on. Sophie Azlan introduced OutCrowd Malaysia, an organization for which she serves as a council member, and with which we participated in "Cross Play", an international exchange of student-made games that took place this spring. Their mission to make the games industry more accessible and inclusive is very similar to EGD’s.

Rounding out the speaker sessions was Steve Blumenthal, Audio Director and Composer at Wilder Blue Music, Inc., who spoke on navigating audio design workflows, combining communication, teamwork, and advocacy to support developers making their first games.

The Importance of Creativity and Community at Waffle Games

Overall, Waffle Games is not just a conference. It’s a celebration of our local gaming communities and a way for the EGD Collective to empower the next generation of creators to learn, connect, and grow.

Huge thanks to everyone who came this year; we hope you enjoyed the activities and the waffles! We’ll catch you all again next year for Waffle Games 2026!

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Follow the EGD Collective on social media to get updates on our upcoming events and workshops (Twitter / Instagram / Facebook). We encourage you the community on the EGD Discord server to meet some new friends and gain access to our wide array of services and resources!

Finally, consider joining our membership program! Benefits of registering for our membership tiers include access to student support services, fellowship programs, and more. You can find more information on our website here.