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Second Life Game Developer's Competition
Linden Labs, the makers of the virtual world Second Life, is sponsoring a new 2L Game Developer's Competition. The contest invites users to create quests, races, brain teasers, combat games, or anything designed to get Second Life citizens together. First prize is $500 per team member, a year's subscription to 2L, and 8 acres of Second Life land to do with as you please. From the contest page: "Linden Lab will select up to eight teams of 2 to 4 members each to participate in the competition. Each selected team will receive, for a period of up to three months, free temporary accounts for team members, free use of the Second Life development tools, and free use of approximately 3 acres of land in Second Life for the purpose of creating its proposed game and offering it for play by Second Life residents."
So, make a game, you get the copyright and ownership but 2ndL gets the financial benefients
What financial benefits? People create games in Second Life all the time, without prizes. The only difference here is that you are giving up some of your rights over you creation (right which, in any other game, you wouldn't have had to begin with). If you don't like the terms of the contest, don't enter.
(save for the prize money you get.)
The prizes also include a total of 16 acres of land in SL, which is not without value. In fact, enterprising users will probably see this as the greater prize.
There's also this part:
They are basically ensuring that it doesn't cost you anything to create your entry.
[I bet some pissed off employee will enjoy your face decorating their dartboard when you win with an idea they should have implemeted themselves]
This is doubtful.
One of the "features" of SecondLife is that the overwhelming majority of the content is user-created. The developers are more interested in creating an environment for them to do so. This contest is an example -- they would rather have the users create the content.
Don't become a regular here -- you will become retarded.
Yes, there is a Linux client in progress. I've asked the developers and they have replied that they are working on it. However, the company is still small (I think... what do you consider big?) and it's cool enough that they're able to get PC and Mac working.
Tringo You make a game, you get recognition from real life companies. You don't even have to win the contest for this; anybody participating will get seen by other game developers. This is something you can put on your resume and be proud of. I think that's enough of a reason for any prospective game developer to give this a try.
The idea that a $500 prize "is not worth it" for the time and effort put into the creation of a game just made me cackle.
As a Second Life resident since August, I can easily say it's the most fun online experience I've ever had. But, I'm a creative guy. Only creative and imaginative people will really get the most from their Second Life -- others would prefer to let other people create their worlds for them.
The point of this developer competition is to take some of the already talented and creative folk in-game and give them an opportunity to make a career-changing contribution. Second Life is a hobby for folks who love to make their dreams a reality and those folks have gotten pretty darned good at it. It's not "work" it's play. Many people are creating games in SL for fun anyway. Linden Lab contributing a nice fat pot is just a bonus.
Also, some correction to other ill-informed remarks:
Second Life is not a subscription service. Using SL costs just a one time fee of ten bucks for life. If you'd like to own land in the game, you pay a maintenance fee monthly, but it isn't required for maximum enjoyment of the game and not everyone is a landholder.