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Download GIC2025 YearBook

15 FAQs about GIC

①What is GIC?

To design a good game, you should at least have played the existing innovative games in the world and know exactly where their “gameplay innovation” lies. Every year, the founder of 9 Cards Toy Company, Vivitory, initiates an annual selection event involving game developers and influencers. GIC aims to report to developers and players: the Top 5 tabletop game innovations and the Top 5 electronic game innovations of the just-passed year and the corresponding year in history.

②Analogy of GIC?

GIC Game Innovation Conference: “Adopt the sharing format of GDC to create a ranking list like TGA”.

③Mission of GIC?

“Document the limits of game design!”

④Participate in GIC lightly?

Download Yearbook for free: GIC wants to inspire more people – who aspire to create great games. You can download the complete ranking list of game innovations for free (This kind of yearbook).

⑤Participate in GIC moderately?

Subscribe as a player judge: GIC wants to gather more kindness – from players and developers. You can unlock various benefits like nomination by donating to the GIC prize pool.

⑥Participate in GIC intensively?

Apply for an invited judge: GIC wants to document more thoughts – of in-depth game professionals. You can add me as a friend. Developers, please note your representative works. Influencers, please note your channels.

⑦Outcomes of GIC?

Taking GIC 2025 as an example, this yearbook includes the selection results of GIC2025: the innovation points of tabletop games/video games that ranked TOP1, TOP5, as well as those nominated by invited judges but not shortlisted in 2023 and 2024.

⑧Contents of GIC YearBook ?

P2：2023 GICTOP1 Tabletop Game Innovation Point
P6：2024 GICTOP1 Tabletop Game Innovation Point
P10：2023 GICTOP1 Video Game Innovation Point
P14：2023 GICTOP1 Video Game Innovation Point

P18：2023 GICTOP5 Tabletop Game Innovation Points
P30：2024 GICTOP5 Tabletop Game Innovation Points
P42：2023 GICTOP5 Video Game Innovation Points
P56：2023 GICTOP5 Video Game Innovation Points

P66：2023 GIC nominated Tabletop Game Innovation Points
P120：2024 GIC nominated Tabletop Game Innovation Points
P180：2023 GIC nominated Video Game Innovation Points
P204：2023 GIC nominated Video Game Innovation Points

⑨Year of GIC?

Each year, GIC documents innovation from two moments in time: the year that just ended, and one from the recent past. This gives us both a forward and backward-facing lens.

●The 1st GIC (2025) will spotlight innovations from 2023 and 2024, across both tabletop and video games.
●The 2nd GIC (2026) will review 2025 and 2022.
●The 3rd GIC (2027) will feature 2026 and 2021.

…←2021←2022←2023←GIC Starting point→2024→2025→2026→…

In other words, GIC will publish four TOP5 lists every year. That’s 4 × 5 = 20 innovations per year. (Given the situation of a tie for fifth place, there may be more than 20 nominations.)

Starting from the 2023 / 2024, our timeline expands in both directions. This approach ensures we don’t miss out on legendary clashes or hidden gems from the past, while still capturing the freshest breakthroughs being made right now.

⑩Apart from the YearBook, what other kinds of content does GIC produce(1)?

We host the GIC Developer Roundtables for tabletop and video games to conduct an in-depth discussion on the innovative highlights of the nominated games.

The examples are at 29:14 and 1:52:23 in the video:

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1fPHRz9E6t

⑪Apart from the YearBook, what other kinds of content does GIC produce(2)?

We invite the GIC award-winning developer teams to share with us the stories behind their innovations: how they came up with these innovative ideas and what challenges they overcame in the process of turning them into reality.

The example is at 18:24 in the video: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1fPHRz9E6t

⑫Participants of GIC?

You can find the invited judges and supporters of GIC at the bottom of our official website (www.9cards.cn/GIC).

⑬GIC Launch/Report Video?

(1)What is the Annual Game Innovation Points Ranking For and how is it evaluated? (GIC Launch Event)——This is the starting point of everything.

Video Link: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV17Q7rz6EUb

(2)2023 and 2024 Annual Game Innovation Points Ranking & Developer Roundtables (GIC Report Day)——This is my first year trying.

Video Link: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1fPHRz9E6

⑭What does Vivitory do in the gaming industry?

Another thing I am doing:

Lower the threshold for game design!

To design a good game, you need to try out ideas as soon as they come. 9 Cards is a minimalist game design methodology that encourages designers to use just one A4 sheet of paper, cut it into 9 cards, and through some scribbling and drawing, turn it into a game prototype. This allows for a quick verification of “gameplay innovation,” which is the very soul of a game. We published works which including the 「9 Cards Air Tabletop Games」that provides you “complete” gaming experience with just the nine-card accessories, and the 『9 Cards Pro Tabletop Games』 that breaks through the limitations of the nine cards and offers you an “ultimate” gaming experience.