A good time for a contest?

[Wordman]

I have an idea for a one-shot game contest I'd like to sponsor (with a prize and everything), but I notice that Game Chef is coming up, so now might not be the best time to run it.

Are there any "dead months" as far as game design contests go?
Are there any times that would be better for a quick one-shot contest than others?
Are there any times that would be worse for a quick one-shot contest than others?
Is there anything like an "ideal" duration for a game design contest?

[Vulpinoid]

Game Chef is being shifted back to later in the year (around September I think)...which will suck because that's when Gencon Oz hits this part of the world.

Little Game Chef will be over in a week or so...

So I guess wait a month and then it's the sooner the better.

If you put off things like this they never really get done.

As for the best duration for such an event...what level of interaction do you want from the participants? How polished do you want their submissions? Will participants be divided up into feedback groups before submission before a final judging committee??

Sorry, I won't give you answers (becasue these vary too much from person to person), I'm just providing a few more things to think about while organising the contest...

V

[Wordman]

As for the best duration for such an event...what level of interaction do you want from the participants?

Do you mean interaction with me or with each other? If the former, I'd prefer to be as "hands-off" as is practical. If the latter, I have no real opinion. It wouldn't have occurred to me to put some kind of restriction on participant interaction.

How polished do you want their submissions?

Doesn't matter. It will likely be closer to a "back of the envelope" sort of deal, where it is the basic idea that matters.

Will participants be divided up into feedback groups before submission before a final judging committee?

That is vastly more formal than I intended. What are the perceived pros and cons of doing this?

[Vulpinoid]

I only ask because I can be a bit of a competition junkie sometimes...

...I haven't won any game design contests, but a few of the contests I entered have helped me to produce some work that I'm happy with, and even some work which has gone on to make some sales.

So I'd consider joining in on the competition no matter what restrictions were placed on it, or if it were really loose and freeform.

By interaction from the participants, I was thinking back to a couple of the contests that have been run on the forge over the years...where a set of ground rules is laid out, then every spends a week or so thinking about their concept, then posts their ideas in a separate thread and the participants in the contest discuss pros and cons for a week before submitting a "finished" work to the judge (or votes are taken from the participants). That's one version.

The other extreme might be to simply announce a contest, give designers a week to come up with something then adjudicate the results.

Game Chef last year ran with a far more formalised system. With stages and specifically designated feedback groups.

One extreme is basically a designer alone against a crowd, the other extreme is like a competitive designer workshop (arguably more productive, and conducive to better/more polished results; but it certainly takes a lot more effort to orchestrate). Neither is more right. It's your contest.

V

[David Artman]

I'd add a couple things, as a participant and an organizer (Icehouse Game Design Competition--going on NOW!)

* Allow enough time to actually produce a game that fits the competition requirements. A small comp (like the Little Game Chef, with most folks taking the two-page max approach) needs very little time to make a working game--I finished mine in about sic hours, and have spent the rest of the week soliciting reviews and making tweaks. But a tougher task--like Game Chef or the IGDC--I'd allow more like a month. (IGDC is "tougher" because of the testing required to really error-trap a board or puzzle game.)

* Do everything in your power as the organizer to encourage feedback and post-completion refinement. In Game Chef, that was formal feedback groups (with mixed success). In the IGDC, we basically just "challenge" judges to justify their scores for individual games. Even a line or two helps. We HOPE to get discussions going on the mailing list about how each game could be refined. After all, the IGDC has, among its goals, helping to promote Treehouse (Icehouse) pyramid sales, by providing more and more (and regular, new) games to play with one's collection of pieces. (We're up to about 250, though about 60 are still in design... some indefinitely.)

* (Personal Opinion) Make presentation an aspect of the judging criteria. Yes, a "good game" can be done with a basic Word template. But a marketable game, I feel, needs at least SOME flavor, some panache. In a contest, artwork is rarely a judging criteria... but if it's needed to clarify game mechanics (common for Icehouse games) then it better be there.

* Overall, make it more cooperative than competitive. Sure, someone will win (big whoop: a notation on the book cover, or whatever). But with one winner out of ten or twenty or (GC) 50 is irrelevant, next to the number of solid, saleable games that could come out, with enough playtest support, refining comments, editorial assistance, etc.

Just my 2¢
David

[Seth M. Drebitko]

Personally I would be interested in trying out another contest. I tried to enter one of the Ronnies but was just much to busy to actually do anything at that time. Any idea on what exactly your concept for the concept will be? Preferably on a time frame I would appreciate anything a bit on the longer side maybe at minimum a week. What ever the case may be I would love to try and join in.
Regards, Seth

[whiteknife]

I'm up for a contest whenever. I always find that the looming-ness of deadlines and thrill of submitting a crappy game that I still hope will win prompt me to actually finish something rather than endlessly tweak ideas that never finish. I think a week is probably good for the deadline- enough time to get stuff done, but not so long that you have some people writing whole huge books- because honestly, do you really want to read through all that when you're judging?

[Seth M. Drebitko]

Any idea on what kinda contest this will be, or when since I am finished with little game chef and riding on creative fumes lol.
Regards, Seth

[Wordman]

The contest will be a 10-day RPG design contest, based on a specific concept for a setting (though not a specific setting). It will begin Real Soon Now, as soon as I can get some stuff set up on my end. Not sure of an exact date, but should start in the first half of April.

[Seth M. Drebitko]

If you would like I will offer one of my t-shirts http://www.cafepress.com/OddsAre.369843878# to the first prize winner! Not much but hey free shirt lol.
Regards, Seth

[Dyson Logos]

Any idea on what kinda contest this will be, or when since I am finished with little game chef and riding on creative fumes lol.
Regards, Seth

Yeah, I just finished reading most of the LGC entries and playing one (and am setting up to play another this weekend), and I want to jump on and see how I can do.

[Wordman]

Arg. Just as I'm nearly ready to go with this contest, I'm getting called out of the country for a couple weeks right in the middle of when I intended to run it. So, probably won't start until early May.

[David Artman]

The contest will be a 10-day RPG design contest, based on a specific concept for a setting (though not a specific setting). It will begin Real Soon Now, as soon as I can get some stuff set up on my end. Not sure of an exact date, but should start in the first half of April.

You could help us (two) judges with this contest at Story Games. It's a "random" cover title, art, and quote (well, three of each from which to choose one) from which a full game should be designed. Quite a few of the judging points hinge on layout and utility (i.e. as a reference), so it's a bit of an artists comp, not just "punk zine games" contest. That said, a game should still be a good game more than half the points are fun factor and replayability).

Not saying you can't do your own thing... just we've got about twenty folks tapped in over here and could use extra reading eyes!