I would like to compile a list of the more alternative / experimental games in a single tread. The reason for this is that I like the quirky, strange and experimental, and I have a horrible memory. I am also generally not very good (read to lazy) to search properly.

The aim is collect as many of the games which goes into the category "Alternative", "Experimental", "Art" and "is it really a game" as possible. I am also trying to make a distinction between Experimental games and merely (ahem) Innovative games, and the focus is on PC games only.

Feel free to contribute, I would like as big list as possible.

“Stand alone” games
1916 -Der unbekannte Krieg (???)
Activate the Three Artefacts and then Leave (Navigation)
Akrasia (???)
At a distance (Two player asymmetrical, narrative)
Auditorium (Audio-visual puzzle)
Between (Two player only)
Blindside (Audio game)
The Cat and the Coup (Abstract documentary game)
Chaser (???)
Closure
Crystal Pixels (???)
Dear Esther (Exploration, narrative)
Dinner Date (Narrative)
Dream (Exploration)
(Music, exploration, art) ([url=http://www.taborrobak.com/site/]Author website)
Experiment 112 / Experience 112 (Gameplay based on surveillance, narrative) (on GG)
Façade (Narrative, Interactive story)
Find me a good one (Narrative, abstract)
Girl with a heart of (Narrative)
Love (Art, exploration, MMO, ???)
mightier (print, draw and scan levels)
Mondo Medicals (Subversive, Illogical puzzle)
Noctis (???)
Nous (???)
Octodad (Mechanics)
Passage (Narrative)
Pararail (Mechanics)
The Path (Exploration, narrative)
The Polynomal (Music)
POP (Music, ????)
Proun (Abstract, navigation)
[url= http://quantumminigolf.sourceforge.net/ ]Quantum Minigolf[/url] (sport, physics, ???)
Ruins (Exploration, Narrative)
The Sense of Connectedness (????, puzzle)
Sleep is death (Narrative)
Spectre (Narrative)
The Stanley Parable (Subversive, Narrative)
Symphoney (Music)
Thomas was alone (abstract, narrative)
Trauma (???)
Trip (Exploration, music)
[url=http://www.tension-game.com/ ]The Void[/url] (Puzzle, Narrative, ?)
Waveform (Mechanics)
World of Pong (???)
Yeti Hunter (???)

Online games
A closed world (Narrative, gameplay)
Aether (???)
Airport Security (Satire)
Alter Ego (Narrative)
Antimatiere (Mechanics)
As The Village Turns (Narrative)
Aubergine Sky (Narrative)
Coil (???)
Drop (Music, Puzzle, Physics)
Dys4ia (Narrative)
Every day the same dream (Narrative)
Feign (Gamespace)
GIRP (Mechanics)
Langman (Platformer + hangman)
Leaf: A game about Life (???)
MacVideoGame (Political, Subversive)
Madrid (Political)
One and One story (narrative)
One Chance (Narrative)
Osada (???, music)
[url=http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/598748 ]Personal trip to the moon [/url] (narrative)
pOnd (Subversive)
Seasons (?????)
Silent Conversation (???)
Sissy's Magical Ponycorn Adventure (???)
Small Worlds
The Snowfields (Narrative)
Today I die (Narrative)
QWOP (Mechanics)
The Wish
Windosill (???)
You only live once Subversive

In development
Against the Wall (Puzzle)
Antichamber (Abstract, puzzle)
Bohm (in development, control the growth of a three ???)
The Bridge (In development)
Fader (Gameplay)
FRACT OSC (First Person Puzzle Adventure, Music)
Gorogoa (Puzzle)
Kairo (Exploration, Puzzle)
Mirage (Visual art)
Proteus EP (Exploration, music)
SpyParty (Asymmetrical multiplayer)
Storyteller (in development)
Tengami (Art)
(In development, [url=http://www.cactus-soft.co.nr/]Cactusquid)
Way (mulitplayer puzzle, narrative, communication)

R.I.P.
Endorfun (Puzzle)
Galapagos: Mendel's Escape (Environmental control)
, extinct game about extinction...[url= http://www.pcgamesn.com/indie/glitchhiker-game-died] Article

Other
Cactusquid , experimenting with form and narrative
IndieCade, international festival of Independent Games.
Jonas Kyratzes website , experimenting with both narrative and the medium
Molleindustria "Radical games against the dictatorship of entertainment", Political
Tale of Tales games, several experimental narrative games
Yoshio Ishii website, experimenting with the medium, some very traditional other very experimental.


(Work in progress, hopefully the list will grow as an when I have the time, or it will just disappear in the void of the forum, if nothing else it will be my personal list and I use gog for storage space... )

One Chance (Narrative, Online)
Today I Die (Narrative, Online)
The Graveyard (???) (you probably can add the full list of Tale of Tales' "games" to your compilation)
Gravity Bone (Puzzle, Exploration, First Person Narrative?) (download link, <i>spoilerific</i> analysis)

Edit: Sorry I keep editing this message, but as soon as I click 'post' another one comes to my mind. :-P

I always considered the Graveyard more of a demo then a game, same with the Solome game they had. They are experimental though, the jury is out on them at the moment... # hah -no problem, I am doing the same, One reason of making this tread was to make myself think and remember, it is different when it is public.

Well, to me that seems more the reason to include them in a list of this type, maybe in a special category called 'Artists Killed The Videogame Star'. ;-P But your list, your rules. :-)

Oh, what about Sleep Is Death? More a tool to tell cooperative stories than a game in itself, so maybe it's stretching the definition a bit too much...

After some consideration, I have decided that for now, everything goes. If it gets to large, then categorizations, but lets see

I've thought of another one:

Kairo (Exploration, Puzzle).

It's not been released yet, but since you have Proteus on the list as well I guess you won't mind that.

hm, I did not know about this one. Seems interesting, it goes on the list for now, thanks.

Added to favourite topics.

Anyway, Aubergine Sky : http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/auberginesky/index.html

Silent conversation : http://armorgames.com/play/4287/silent-conversation

Cheers, forgot about Aubergine Sky. never tried Silent Conversation.

Great idea! I'll keep this thread bookmarked for sure.

Also, if you can get it to run: Noctis


Edit:
And while you are there: Crystal Pixels

Thanks, did not now about either of these. Not very good at getting games to run, but will have a go at some point, which is one of the reasons why I started this list. It is working, wheeeee

Ah, I had come to mention Façade, but I see you've already added it. In that case, since you've linked to QWOP, I guess you can add GIRP as well, it's kind of an 'spiritual succesor'.

Added, and I decided to try to have some order, my anal retentiveness shining through...

I suppose it depends on your definition of "alternative" and "experimental", but when Lemmings came out, it was certainly different from anything else ever seen. A few "clones" were made by other people later on, but largely it stood alone, certainly in the broad masses, and when the franchise died, the gameplay died with it.