A scene from "Silent Star," one of the games that will be on display at the 2015 Game Design Showcase. In this game, you are alone on your small planet, and you must gather space debris to build a bridge to a new homeworld.

Want to be the first person ever to play the next big computer game? You might find it at the Cornell Game Design Initiative Showcase May 15, 4-7 p.m. in the ACCEL Labs in Carpenter Hall. The showcase is open to the public, so everyone can play and experience the games. Visitors should enter Carpenter from the Campus Road entrance; there will be signs giving directions to the various games.

The showcase will feature PC and mobile games created by students in various classes and independent studies in the Game Design Initiative at Cornell (GDIAC) over the past year.

Several games from previous years have gone on to national acclaim. Many exhibited at the Boston Festival of Independent Games. A 2013 award winner, “Gathering Sky” (formerly “Apsis”), which is nearing a commercial release, won several national awards, including “Most Promising Indie” at the 2014 Casual Connect conference of gaming professionals. The 2014 GDIAC Showcase award winner, “Beam,” was released to the Google App Store with acclaim. Another 2014 award winner, “Dash,” is being rewritten for mobile with an eye on commercial release. The new version will be on display at this year's showcase.

Spectators at showcases often include representatives of major companies in the gaming industry, shopping not only for games but also for potential employees.

The showcase is not just an exhibit; it also serves as the final exam for the students. Visitors are encouraged to play the games, and audience reaction is a factor in students’ final grades. The public is welcome to vote for the favorite. The event will conclude with an award ceremony at 6:45 p.m.

Student games often feature whimsical and original ideas. Among this year’s entries:

• “Brutus, Break” – You are a sidekick trying to keep your clumsy hero alive.
• “Zombeats” – You have to be on the beat of the music to sneak past hordes of hungry zombies.
• “Irridescence” – Move lights and lanterns to guide a moth to safety.
• “Ersatz” – You are a thief with the power of time travel trying to pull off the greatest heist of all time.
• “Dispossessed” – An action/shooter game where you can possess the bodies of your enemies.
• “Silent Star” – A planetary adventure with the aesthetics of “The Little Prince.” You are alone on your small planet, and you must gather space debris to build a bridge to a new home world.
• “Arc en Ceil” – You are a character trapped in an artbook. You must paint your way to freedom, but the evil artist will thwart you by erasing all the changes you make.

After the showcase many of the games will be made available for free download in the GDIAC gallery.