The ongoing Tribeca Film Festival comes with some DLC this year, having added its first-ever game awards competition.Tribeca Games, running concurrently with the famous festival itself, features eight nominees that span various genres, styles, and, to be perfectly honest, budgets. But the core principle that brings all of these games together under Tribeca’s banner is the strength of their story.

In a chat withCasey Baltes, the VP of Tribeca Games, we learned whynowis the right time to shine a spotlight on worthwhile games during the famous competition. We also talked about the impressive panel of experts assembled for their advisory board, includingNia DaCosta,Jon Favreau,Bing Gordon,Geoff Keighley,Hideo Kojima, andSam Lake. Time will tell which game walks away from the festival as its first-ever Tribeca Games award-winner, but it’s clear that this is just the beginning for more such recognition of the powerful storytelling medium.

Check out more from the team behind the scenes and a peek at the games in competition, and read on for our interview:

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What makes this the perfect time for Tribeca to extend their recognition to include video games?

Casey Baltes: The popularity of games today is undeniable, but the mainstream cultural acceptance of games is slower to gain speed. We’ve been building on this mission over the course of 10 years since our first inclusion of a games official selection in 2011 with Rockstar Games’sL.A. Noireand we wanted to expand our efforts in support of storytellers in this medium to further embrace games at the forefront of artistic excellence. We want to make games a part of broader dinner table conversations for people to share what they love in all forms of story with equal weight.

What were the behind-the-scenes conversations like in the run-up to launching Tribeca Games? Why do it at all?

Baltes: Mainly the discussions centered around how to do the form justice and how we push the conversation forward on games as an art form. There was never a doubt in our mind as to “the why at all” it was only a matter of how to do it as respectfully to the creators and teams who have spent years creating their games and showcase their work in the best way possible.

You’ve assembled an incredible advisory board, composed of both award-winning filmmakers and video game industry veterans. What can you say about the team and how they came aboard?

Baltes: We embrace not only games at Tribeca as a stand alone but the intersection between the mediums. The advisory board is a group of leaders and visionaries from both fields with unique perspectives that support how these two mediums can interplay. They are advocates of games & film and supporters of Tribeca.

What were you and the advisory board looking for when it came time to whittling down a video game list for recognition?

Baltes: The potential for excellence in storytelling and art is the lens for which we look at selecting games. From action/adventure to interactive thriller to intimate point-and-click narratives, the selections were chosen to provide a range of types of story and gameplay as well as visual style. Ultimately we fell in love with the characters or the worlds that each game presented to us. The festival programmers are responsible for selecting the games while the advisory board, with their incredible experience both in games and film, provides support and advice on ways Tribeca can evolve in the future

Other than the official selections, what’s a standout video game title for you, personally, from the last couple of years?

Baltes: Among the many, two games that live on my standout list areKentucky Route ZeroandHades. I’m on an embarrassingly high number of runs inHadesto complete every story thread (and also to experience all the legendary & duo boons!) It’s a game that marries a solid, engaging story and gameplay experience in one.Kentucky Route Zerostood out as a true mix of art forms melded together. I replay that game every once and awhile like returning to a good book where upon re-reading, there’s still revelations and new references I discover every time.

Tribeca Games is going beyond recognition of worthwhile titles by also featuring some video game-focused events. What can you tease about theRed Dead Redeption 2concert?

Baltes: “The Songs of Red Dead Redemption 2” is such a special event that will take place 10 years after Rockstar Games was selected to be part of Tribeca as the first ever Official Selection. The Festival serves as the apex of NYC PopsUp, and this performance is not only a major moment for the program, but the city at large. The concert marks the first live show in New York City of select tracks from the evocative and emotional soundtrack, and the first time ever that the famed icon of American soul and R&B, D’Angelo will join Lanois and Giddens together to perform these unforgettable songs live.

This is the first-ever Tribeca Games, but what do you hope to see for the future of the event and Tribeca’s inclusion in the game awards space?

Baltes: Tribeca is deeply committed to games, as evidenced by our longevity working with the medium. While our connection to it has evolved over the years, we remain as supportive as ever and 2021 marks a new chapter in the way we approach games at the Festival. With the advent of games as Official Selections this year, we are continuing to elevate talent and voices from the industry and we expect our support of games to grow even further over the coming years.

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