These days, with GDC comes a portion of the IGF dedicated to student made games. Personally, I’ve always enjoyed student-made games tremendously do to their not having to worry about making a profit or even ensuring their game is accessible to a wide audience. Essentially, they can make whatever they want so long as it’s playable and they get a decent grade on the project.

This year’s GDC was no different and while this year’s Student Showcase winner was a marvelous game called FRACT, I actually came away more impressed with a simplistic 3D title called PaperPlane, from ENJMIN.

PaperPlane pertains to exactly what the title says it is, a game about a paper plane. Essentially, you are the paper plane and you’re goal is to simply explore the world around upon being flung out from a child’s tree house. The more you explore, the more you can see.

Of course, the very act of exploring isn’t an easy proposition. Paper planes don’t fly, after all, the glyde. As such you’ll be required to use a unique control method using the right and left triggers to control your descent to the ground. Pull on the right trigger will move to you right, left trigger will move you left, and pulling on both at the same time will allow you to pull up a tiny bit.

There are also wind streams that will give you additional speed should you require it, the very same which allow you to propel yourself to new areas upon exploring the previous.

Should you land on the ground, or crash into something the game immediately restarts you from the tree house where you can depart once again.

There’s no real goal, objectives, or points to PaperPlane, it’s simply a matter of experiencing life as a tranquil paper plane as it descends to the ground. If you’ve got a few minutes today, I strongly encourage you to experience this game.

PaperPlane is available right now for the low, low price of nothing. Download it via the link below.

[PaperPlane]