The most recent session of Toronto's Artsy Games Incubator recently wrapped up its fourth round of development. Big-name and indie game-design vets worked alongside first-time creators for weeks on end, meeting under dimly-lit booths in speak-easies to discuss their plans, triumphs, and problems that needed to be "taken care of".

With their work complete, I feel it is my duty to prepare you for what awaits on the other side of this link. You will not find Halo here, nor will you find Wii Sports or even Grim Fandango. These are artsy games in both name and spirit.; they are bizarre experimentations borne of the whims of their creators. In Craig D. Adams' The Alpinist you play a loan explorer braving the howling winter winds on a peak that soars above the clouds. In Daphnée Nostrome's Grantnabbers you run through a maze in search of an art grant.

Clearly, it's not really fair to compare these creations to the full-blown AAA title you recently spent $70 (plus tax) on for your sexbox. These games were created using some of the most basic tools available, on purpose, in order to make sure everyone spent more time working on their ideas rather than their bump-mapped texture work. When the titles borne out of the fourth round of the AGI fall into genres like "co-op cottage defense" "text-adventure crime fiction/breakfast discussion" and "top-down raccoon survival", it's best to leave your preconceptions at the door, toss out your expectation of a bug-free gaming experience (not that you get one of those with the latest AAA title either), and download these free-for-all titles that should run on anything that draws electricity. Think of it like a new level in Psychoauts, where you get to travel through the brain stem of some of Toronto's most creative, err, creators.

Artsy Game Incubator (also, the Montreal chapter)
Nadine Lessio's Raccoon Park dev diary