Judging Criteria & Competitor Prep
Thanks for entering the 2013 Game Challenge! Below is some additional information about our judging process, as well as a set of guidelines that our judging committee will adhere to when evaluating submissions and determining the 2013 winners. Please be sure to also read our full rules for entry here.
Competition/Judging Overview:
Participating teams will enter to win in three different levels (high school, college, or indie/professional) and in one of two categories (entertainment game or serious game). Winners will be named in 6 category prize groups, as well as one overall grand prize winner. In each category, judges are also able to nominate “honorable mentions” from the finalist pool.
Winners will receive prize packs of different levels that may include cash, experiential prizes, certificates / trophies, additional post-event mentorship, PR support, and additional sponsorship prizes (see below).
Judging Criteria:
Each judge will rate participating teams/ games on a 1-to-5 scale in the following 4 main buckets.
1. Originality – Does this concept show uniqueness within its genre or does it create a new model/game mechanic? Value will be given to teams who identify their game’s inspiration (other games) and show how they’ve combined those elements into a new and interesting concept.
2. Business Model – Does the team have a good sense of the business model for the title? And, do they understand their core market / audience? Each team should be able to explain the core business model and which elements they expect to monetize, and how they will effectively reach their target market.
3. Art Style – How does the game’s overall art concept fit within the game and is it appealing to the target market? Value will be given to teams who have quality art concepts; however judges will not place weight on the level of completion or complexity of the art. Instead focus will be placed on art as an isolated element relating to the overall project.
4. Technical Overview – Each team should be able to explain the technical aspects of their title and why that will contribute to its success. This includes development environment, server-side components and social elements used. Teams are not expected to have substantial work completed on technical elements, but rather have a clear sense of how they would like to develop the title.
Team Prizes:
1 Team will be awarded our Grand Prize Pack, which includes:
- $2,000!
- 1 Adobe Creative Cloud license (includes all of the Creative Suite Master Collection apps)
- Legal Services Package*
- PR Package*
- Customized Mentorship Package*
- PAX East 2013 Mini-Session at “Made in MA” Booth*
- 5 Blackberry PlayBooks
- Trophy & Certificates
1 Team will be awarded our special Overdriver.com Prize of $1,500 for the “Best Online Game Entry”! A runner-up for “Best Online Game Entry” will also be named and awarded $500.
6 Teams will be awarded Category Prize Packs, each of which includes:
- 1 Adobe Creative Cloud license (includes all of the Creative Suite Master Collection apps)
- $250!
- PR Package*
- Mentorship Package*
- Trophy & Certificates
Runner’s up will also be named in each of our 6 categories with each team receiving a trophy and certificates.
All college-level entries are eligible for MassDiGI Summer Innovation Program consideration, a $20,000 value (more info below).
*Legal services package details to be determined. PR Package to include various promotional opportunities including inclusion on the MassDiGI website / social channels, inclusion in Game Challenge related press releases and ongoing PR support. Mentorship packages to potentially include local studio tours and arranged meetings with industry executives. Grand Prize winners must provide their own PAX East badge to participate in the mini-session at the “Made in MA” booth.
Summer Innovation Program:
The MassDiGI Summer Innovation Program provides teams of students with access to a lab, free room on campus, mentorship and a stipend for 11 weeks during the summer of 2013. College level entrants are eligible for this prize.
Judges will help to determine which projects are invited into the SIP during the competition. Students are expected to bring a project to market and judges will select games for this program based on which concepts can be reasonably completed in an 11-week time period.
What Can Teams Expect & Preparation Tips:
All teams will participate in judging Round 1, which will occur the morning of Saturday, March 2nd. During this first round teams are expected to present a 6-minute maximum pitch to each group of judges. MassDiGI will provide timeslot assignments to each team at registration.
Those teams that are selected as finalists will then participate in Round 2, which will consist of a maximum 8-minute pitch. Unlike the Round 1 pitches, which will take place at individual tables, the Round 2 presentations will be in front of the entire room. You and your team will present to the whole judging committee and attendees! Teams will be expected to provide MassDiGI organizers with a PowerPoint file on Saturday to be loaded onto a master laptop (we will not be stopping to setup individual laptops for elevator pitches, like we did at last year’s event).
Some parting words…
- This is a pitch competition, so PowerPoints are encouraged for Round 1 judging and REQUIRED for Round 2 judging pitches. Creativity is a must, not just with your game, but with your presentation!
- If you have a demo/playable to show, embed a video in your PPT to be safe. Judges may not have time to PLAY through your prototype.
- Use your mentor meetings and what you learned during the Day 1 sessions to fine tune your pitch prior to Saturday!
- Be enthusiastic about your idea, but smart about how you present it.
- Practice your talking points BEFORE the Game Challenge even starts.
- Show art, if you have it.
- Be sure to explain why your game is great and why you think it would be successful in the marketplace.
- Teams are expected to bring their own laptops, demo materials, audio speakers, etc.
Good luck!
