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GameDev.net Launches Four Elements Game Contest

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the we-who-many-be-about-to-dev-salute-you dept.

Superpig writes "GameDev.net has just launched their annual Four Elements contest. Participants are given just under six months to make a game based around four elements: this year, it's Emotion, Economics, Emblem, and Europe. Any tools or middleware can be used, provided it's all legal. The prize pool looks a bit thin at the moment, but in past years they've had folks like ATI and SoftImage donating mid-contest, so it'll probably pick up as time goes on."

5 of 26 comments (clear)

  1. Is boredom an emotion? by pjt33 · · Score: 2, Funny

    If boredom is an emotion then maybe the French Finance Minister should submit his Balance the Budget game.

  2. Prize Size? by imunfair · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I don't quite understand the prizes - looking at the previous year: http://www.gamedev.net/community/contest/4e4/

    The top winner didn't get much in the way of prizes. Softimage XSI, yeah I know it's expensive - but if the developer is already making games without it, it's questionable whether he needs it or not. The rest of the prizes are fairly small.

    So does winning this contest gain you a considerable amount of notoriety or am I missing something?

    1. Re:Prize Size? by Aladrin · · Score: 3, Informative

      I think maybe you should take some time to read up on Opportunity Cost

      As for the contest and its prizes...

      I'm a coder and I've followed game development (even though I'm not in the industry, even as a hobby) for quite a few years and I've never heard of this contest. It's pretty safe to say that they only thing you get out of this contest other than some questionable prizes is a really nice line on your resume and bragging rights.

      --
      "If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
  3. More accessible competitions by Richard+Jones · · Score: 3, Informative

    Given the length and open scope of this competition it's probably out of reach of most hobbyist game programmers. For more accessible challenges, see or the gamecompo website or pyweek. Disclaimer: I have previously run LD48 challenges and now run pyweek.

  4. Re:Windows only - BOO! by Profound · · Score: 2, Informative

    The entry must be able to run on Microsoft Windows != Windows Only