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IGF 2008 Main Competitors Announced
GameSetWatch points out that the big list of entrants for the 2008 Independent Games Festival is now online. Can't tell the winners without a program, right? GSW points out some of the names to watch in this year's showdown: "Gish 2 - Gish 2 is the long awaited sequel to the IGF 05 grand prize winner Gish. In Gish 2 you take the role of physics based blob whose movement and control are physically modeled around the shape and texture of his body. When his girlfriend Brea is murdered, Gish sets out to the Isle of the Dead to make a deal with Quietus (the god of death) to bring her back to life. Noitu Love 2: Devolution - In Noitu Love 2: Devolution you're thrown into a classic action and beat-em-up scenario but with a twist to the gameplay that creates a new and fluent style of play using the mouse. Pixeljunk Racers - Simple addictive puzzle racing game based loosely on slot-car racing, with 32 types of game and up to 7 players simultaneously."
What is interesting about the IGF competition is that most game developers enter mostly for fame and a lot less for cash prizes.
There's only one interesting money award (Seumas McNally Grand Prize - $20 000), the others ($2 500) don't stand a chance compared to some other competitions awards.
Our game (Penguins Arena - http://frogames.com/penguins_arena/) won the Intel Game Demo Contest this year (http://softwarecommunity.intel.com/articles/eng/1409.htm), the global level of competitors was lower than the level at IGF. We had a lot more chance to win $10 000 than we'll ever have to win any of the IGF prizes.
The real interest come from being selected as one of the IGF finalists, there is a lot of buzz around it.
No need to say that *both* (fame and cash) are really important for indies!
Good luck to all competitors!