Every winter I attend the Game Developers Conference where I meet as many video game creators as can be fit into a five-day itinerary. GDC isn't like E3, Tokyo Game Show, or other flashy conferences in which billion dollar publishers pulverize attendees with deafening pop remixes. The San Francisco-set conference presents itself as a more humble celebration of indie games and the individual contributions of members of large teams. It's three large halls are a meeting ground for artists who've charted the experimental periphery of the game medium, and want to share with their peers what they found.

On the GDC show floor, the most unusual and, in my opinion, innovative booth is Alt.Ctrl.GDC. A venue within the venue, Alt.Ctrl.GDC resents games that scrap the traditional game controllers that have become over three decades irritatingly complex. Instead for controls these games use everything from a telephone switch board to a pressure-sensitive pillow. My colleague Adi Robertson and I took a closer look at three of our favorite finds.

Once you've watched the video, be sure to check out the official Pillo site, which provides a deeper look at a concept that has, in the days after GDC, grown on me.