The N.J. Arcade featured more than two dozen new games at Bloomfield College.
BLOOMFIELD -- The next Flappy Bird-style app phenomenon or Monopoly-esque board game may on the horizon.
More than two dozen burgeoning game developers displayed their latest innovations Wednesday at the "N.J. Arcade," a traveling expo that set up at Bloomfield College. Hundreds of local table, board, video, and virtual game enthusiasts passed through the display to check out the latest innovations in the industry, and chat with the games' creators.
"They were all at different stages in their development," Brian Chung, co-director of The Sheep's Meow, which put on the event, said of the games on display.
"But, they are all viable...it's very cool because you see all of these people who are experiencing the games, having fun, and being inspired to create."
Chung and co-founder GJ Lee, both professors in Bloomfield's game design program, said this event was partially designed to give students an opportunity to connect with game creators working in the field. Attendees ranged from N.J. families with kids looking to play new games, to students hoping for pointers on game design, they said.
"There was so much there to play and do and see," Michael Murphy, a senior BC game design student, said in a phone interview about the event.
"It showed us what people in the industry are using, and allowed us to ask (the creators) for tips and tricks."
The games on display were widely varied, Chung and Lee said. They included everything from "The Networks," a board game that asks players to pitch new TV show ideas to their competitors, to "Planet Licker," which has players lick flavored controls to move virtual players around.
Showing a beta version of our licking video game #PlanetLicker at #njarcade tonight! pic.twitter.com/JsijGPULAZ
-- mouth arcade (@moutharcade) September 17, 2015
The event, the creators said, is also a way for East Coast game developers to attract some attention.
"It's a great way to understand what your audience sees (when they play your game), what you are doing well, and what else you need," said Quintin Rodriguez-Harrison, the Lead Game Programmer at Zapling Studios. Rodriguez-Harrison attended to show off his app, "Justice Royale," which he described as a "throwback beat 'em up" game.
Events like this, "really build up the East Coast developer community," he said. "It brings the exposure that we all need."
Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.