Ten years ago, on April 26, 2011, MassDigi was established and yesterday we celebrated that milestone with a little event at the Barrett Center to commemorate the occasion. They say time flies when you’re having fun and that’s certainly true in our case. For the last ten years we’ve had the great honor and pleasure of working with people of all kinds who all share a common passion – games.
We were very thankful that joining us at the celebration were some of the many folks who have been, and will continue to be, so instrumental to our growth, development and success. Becker College President Nancy Crimmin, Petricore Founder and CEO Ryan Canuel, Western New England University President Robert Johnson, WPI President Laurie Leshin, Congressman Jim McGovern, Lieut. Governor Karyn Polito, Mayor Joe Petty, City Manager Ed Augustus, UMassD Dean Lawrence Jenkens, Clark University President David Fithian, WPI Senior Emma Lowry, The Deep End Games Creative Director and CEO Bill Gardner, Beamable CEO Jon Radoff and Founder, Vivox CEO and Chairman Rob Seaver all took the time to share some kind words with the small audience.
Among all those kind words President Leshin made the first big announcement that MassDigi would be moving to WPI over this upcoming summer – exciting news! After a fantastic run at Becker, we’re thrilled to be joining WPI. We’ve had a great relationship with WPI since MassDigi was established a decade ago – folks from WPI have been with us since day one – and count ourselves lucky to have found our new home just across Highland Street.
Lt. Governor Polito made the second big announcement that our longtime friends at MassTech will be working with us to launch a $100,000 Game Prototype Matching Fund, the first of its kind in the country.
Below are some links to various stories about the move, the matching fund and the celebration.
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Last week we held the tenth, and first virtual, MassDigi Game Challenge, an annual pitch contest that gives developers of all ages, experience levels and backgrounds a chance to make friends, meet game industry professionals, get feedback, gain some confidence and, maybe, take home a prize or two.
Over that decade, the event – which really is a ton of fun – has featured nearly 400 pitches from indies, hobbyists, high school, college and university students for everything from rogue-likes and platformers to match-3s. GigaSword, an super cool action-puzzle metroidvania, and The Camera That Bleeds, a horror mystery game, were this year’s standouts. Other top performers from recent years include games like the much-anticipated Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion, the comedy stylings of The Call of Karen and the pixelated-platformer Feral Frontier.
So, what can we say that we’ve picked up from all this? Not much. Just kidding. We’ve learned a ton and here are some of the top lessons:
- Spending a lot of time thinking about the business model along with platform choice, genre comparisons and price really helps focus a pitch. It provides needed structure to help stay in scope.
- Lore is less important than an interesting mechanic. Ten years ago we would often hear exciting stories about the game world only to discover the core mechanic was either basic, poorly executed or, simply put, not fun.
- From year to year, we we’ve seen returning teams improve as well as relationships between teams grow, creating a positive feedback loop with the community. This has been an effective way for all involved to build up networks, identify new team members and raise expectations.
- Teams that prepare, practice and iterate well in advance of the contest typically stand out from the crowd on the big day in a big way.
No one knows what the future holds but one thing we’re pretty sure of is that we’ll be back next year with another Game Challenge and we hope you’ll pitch in and join us. You’ve got to be in it to win it.
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Originally posted on April 2, 2021 as “The art of the Pitch” on Gamasutra here.
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Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion takes grand prize in ninth annual MassDiGI Game Challenge
Worcester, MA – February 10, 2020 – Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion by Yukon Wainczak of W. Springfield, MA swept through the ninth annual MassDiGI Game Challenge pitch contest on its way to winning the Grand Prize this past weekend.
Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion is an adventure game where you play as an adorable turnip who just so happens to be an absolute menace to society. The game was created by designer/programmer/artist Yukon Wainczak along with designer/artist Jennifer Kindl, marketer Jordan Kegler – all of whom met while students at Becker College – with music from Flowerblvck.
“All our hopes for Turnip Boy were realized when we won the Game Challenge,” said Wainczak. “If you have a passion for making games then this is a required event. You learn so much from all the other competitors and the judges, too.”
The game edged entries from independent game developers as well as other student game development teams representing institutions such as WPI, Lesley University and Northeastern University. Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion will be released later this year.
“The feedback we received at the Game Challenge was amazing,” said Kindl. “We have a much better idea of the direction we need to go to produce the game we want to make and how to make it successful.”
The MassDiGI Game Challenge helps indie and student game developers and entrepreneurs sharpen their business focus and shape their ideas and products for launch. This year 22 teams from across the New England registered to compete in front of a crowded house at the Colleen C. Barrett Center for Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship on the campus of Becker College in Worcester.
Other winners included Mazu which took the top prize in the Indie Category. The game, a hack ‘n slash bullet hell inspired by Asian folklore that lets players explore a fresh and vibrant world and fight mythic monsters, was created by Greater Boston-based Oxhead Studios.
Since the MassDiGI Game Challenge began, over 300 different teams from around northeast and beyond have pitched games and taken home prizes valued at over $100,000. Top past winners include titles such as Feral Frontier, Salad Hunt, PWN, Catlateral Damage, Depression Quest and Starlot Derby.
The annual event is a showcase for the expanding game development community in the area. Over the event’s two days, dozens of game industry veterans served as judges and mentors.
As the Grand Prize, People’s Choice Award and a College & University Group Category winner, the Turnip Boy team won cash and other prizes valued at more than $2,500.
“This year’s contest was as competitive as I’ve seen,” said Monty Sharma, managing director of MassDiGI, “Each and every team was really impressive and the creativity and skills on display improves every year as do the games.”
The other College & University Group Category winners were Shattered Journal Games from Becker with Last Slice, a brawler where there’s one slice of pizza left so you have to fight for it with whatever you can find, but the longer you play, the weirder it gets and Geometrick Games from Becker with Grayland, a stress-free platformer where the player must bring color back into the world.
Runner-up awards went to:
Group – Crullers – College & University Category
-Net King’s Call by Greystone Games – Category Runner-up – Becker College, Baruch College, Berklee College of Music, Nova Southeastern Univ.
-Mailfolk by Jusiv – Category Second Runner-up – WPI
Group – Fritters – College & University Category
-The Call of Karen by Trumbus – Category Runner-up – tie – WPI
-Seahorse Saga by Abysso Games – Category Second Runner-up – Becker College
Group – Bear Claws – College & University Category
-WitchWorks by Sunburst Studio – Category Runner-up – WPI
-Weapons Inc. by Greystone Game – Category Second Runner-up – Nova Southeastern Univ.
Group – Cookies – Indie Category
-Don’t take it personally by DontTakeIt – Category Runner-up
-GigaSword by Hybrid Games – Category Second Runner-up
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Link to Gamasutra story.
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Watch MassDiGI Executive Director Tim Loew discussing the business of video games and esports along with SIP19 Intern Valeria Yang and Becker Studio Intern Justin Duclos on NECN’s CEO Corner. The show aired on June 23, 2019.
Click here to view Part 1 and Part 2.
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Worcester, MA – February 25, 2019 – Sliptime Sleuth by Sunburst Studio won the Grand Prize in the eighth annual MassDiGI Game Challenge pitch contest this weekend.
Sliptime Sleuth, an isometric, neo-noir puzzle game where the player, a time-traveling detective, slides through time in order to uncover clues and solve a crime, was created by Sunburst Studio, a team made up of six Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) students Tyler B Marcus, Mari Endo, Dylan Valev, Jasmine Duerk, Mackenzie Goldschlager and Karen Hou.
“It was like a dream come true for all of us when Sliptime Sleuth won the Game Challenge,” said Marcus. “If you love making games then this is a must-attend event. You learn so much from the judges and all the other competitors, too.”
The game edged entries from top independent game developers as well as other student game developer teams representing other institutions such as Northeastern University, Champlain College and Becker College. Sliptime Sleuth (gameplay video) will be released on PC next year.
“The feedback we received at the event was outstanding,” said Endo. “We have a much clearer sense of the direction we need to go to produce the game we want to make and how to make it successful.”
The MassDiGI Game Challenge, in its eighth year, helps indie and student game developers and entrepreneurs hone their business focus, shape their ideas and products for launch. This year 37 teams from across the New England registered to compete in front of a packed house at the Colleen C. Barrett Center for Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship on the campus of Becker College in Worcester.
Other top winners included Feral Frontier (teaser video) which won the Indie Category and People’s Choice Award. The game was created by Beverly, MA-based Dirty Beast Games, a team made up of three independent game developers Josh Cheney, Felicia Santos and Ken McHugh.
“Earning the Indie and People’s Choice honors for Feral Frontier exceeded our expectations,” said Cheney, “This was our first time at the Game Challenge and the experience was amazing.”
Feral Frontier is a retro side-scrolling platformer game for PC featuring an all animal cast in a world where primal nature meets advanced technology. Vibrant pixel art graphics accompany an eclectic synth soundtrack to create an environment where fast paced action, exploration and adventure await.
Since the MassDiGI Game Challenge began, nearly 300 different teams from around northeast and beyond have pitched games and taken home prizes valued at over $100,000. Top past winners include titles such as Salad Hunt, Intern Astronaut (VR), PWN, Catlateral Damage, Depression Quest, Wobbles and Starlot Derby.
The annual event is a showcase for the expanding game development community in the area. Over the event’s two days, dozens of game industry veterans served as judges and mentors.
As the Grand Prize and a College & University Group winner, the Sunburst Studio team won cash and other prizes valued at about $5,000.
“This year’s contest was as close a competition as I’ve seen,” said Monty Sharma, managing director of MassDiGI, “Every team was really very impressive and the creativity and skills on display improves every year as do the games.”
The other College & University Group winners were Basic Witch from Becker with Project Birchtree, a mobile game about a laid-back, enchanted latte-throwing barista witch trying to save her town from being overrun by demons. FPS from Northeastern with Fruit Postal Service, is a battle racing game for PC where you play as a member of the FPS and try to pick up and drop off the most packages to become the employee of the month. And, Team Disco*Vision from Champlain with Blood to Ink, a narrative-based murder mystery game for tablet.
CrypticCHAD, a team of Nashua (NH) North students, won the High School Category with Soul Mates, a dating simulator mixed with a role-playing game.
Runner-up awards went to:
Indie Category – Runner-up
- Snow Pumpkins with Sole Iron Tail
College & University Groups – Runners-up
- Shatter Journal Games with Floaty Fighters (Becker College)
- Hard Hats Studio with Maximum House/Property Damage (Becker College)
The complete results are posted here.
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About MassDiGI
The Massachusetts Digital Games Institute (MassDiGI) is the statewide center for academic cooperation, entrepreneurship and economic development across the Commonwealth’s games ecosystem. Established in 2011 and based in Worcester at Becker College, MassDiGI has launched several initiatives that support entrepreneurship and strengthen the talent pipeline between higher education and the game industry. Well-known initiatives include the Summer Innovation Program LiveStudio and the Game Challenge – all of which bring students and professionals together to work on real projects. For more information, please visit www.massdigi.org.
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Post also on Gamasutra here.
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This past Saturday MassDiGI hosted our first-ever Pre Game Challenge. The event, held on campus at Becker College’s Colleen C. Barrett Center, featured a full house on hand to listen, learn and pitch.
The crowd, made up primarily of college and university students, including those from institutions such as Becker, WPI and Baruch among others, were in the room to hear from game industry veterans Jeff Goodsill (Dailybreak CP), Rich Gallup (Otherside Entertainment) and Oleg Brodskiy (BostonFIG Fest) about what goes into a great game pitch.
PGC ’18 First Place – Sunburst Studio
After hearing some excellent advice and getting some tips, tricks and insight into the elements of a pitch, a dozen teams signed up to take part in the inaugural PGC Minute To Pitch It Contest. The contest, judged by Jeff, Rich and Oleg, featured a lot of well-constructed pitches from many talented, budding game entrepreneurs and in the end the judges chose Sliptime Sleuths by Sunburst Studio, a team from WPI, as the first place winner. In second place was another team from WPI, Gungus, Wungus & Jimmy with Cryptid College. Third place went a team from Becker with Prototype Arrow. An honorable mentioned was awarded to WPI’s Kobi D. with Bloody Mary’s.
The Pre Game Challenge was designed to give attendees a chance to hear from experts and practice pitching well in advance of our annual late winter/early spring Game Challenge. And, to that extent, the event was a great success – we can’t wait to see what’s next!
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Fur takes grand prize in seventh annual MassDiGI Game Challenge pitch contest
Worcester, MA – March 6, 2018 – Fur by Grind Games won the Grand Prize in the seventh annual MassDiGI Game Challenge pitch contest this weekend.
Fur, a first person puzzler, where players save cute furballs then nurture and use them to explore and solve problems was created by Grind Games, a team made up of three Becker College students, Tung Vu, Matt Venezia and Jared Braun.
The game, which also won the College & University Beta Category, Best Business Model and Best Audio at the contest, edged entries from student teams representing other institutions such as Champlain College, WPI, Quinsigamond Community College, Northeastern University and Harvard University. Fur will be released on PC later this year.
“We are excited Fur won the Game Challenge,” said Vu, a junior in game design. “If you have a passion for making games then you really must attend this event. You learn so much not only from the judges but the other competitors, too.”
The MassDiGI Game Challenge helps indie and student game developers and entrepreneurs shape their ideas and products for launch. This year 31 teams from across the northeast competed in front of a packed house at the new $7.3 million Colleen C. Barrett Center for Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship on the campus of Becker College in Worcester.
“MassDiGI’s focus on fostering new, business-focused talent is what the local game industry needs. They’re an important part of the regional games community,” said contest judge Oleg Brodskiy, a past Game Challenge competitor and COO of the Boston Festival of Indie Games. “Game Challenge alumni have opened their own studios, found jobs at larger studios, or landed in related careers.”
Since the MassDiGI Game Challenge began seven years ago, over 250 different teams from around New England and beyond have pitched games and taken home prizes valued at over $100,000. Top past winners include titles such as Salad Hunt, Intern Astronaut (VR), PWN, Catlateral Damage, Depression Quest, Wobbles and Starlot Derby.
The annual event is a showcase for the expanding game development cluster in the region. Over the event’s two days, dozens of game industry veterans served as mentors and judges.
As the Grand Prize, College & University Beta Category and Best Business Model winners, the Grind Games team won cash and other prizes valued at about $5,000.
“This year’s contest was the tighter than in any previous year,” said Monty Sharma, managing director of MassDiGI, “Every team was impressive in its own right. The creativity and skills on display improves every year as do the games.”
Other top winners include Burlington, VT-based Micropup from Champlain College which won the People’s Choice Award for its game Keeper as well as the Serious Category.
“Winning the Serious Category and the People’s Choice Award exceeded our expectations in a big way,” said Alex Frey, Micropup’s team captain. “This is our first trip to the Game Challenge and the experience was incredible.”
Keeper is a 3D platformer with gardening mechanics and is focused around raising awareness for declining bee populations. Through an engaging narrative complete with wildlife friends, the game communicates actionable, real-world tactics to aid local pollinators.
Psychoactive Entertainment, another team made up of Becker College students, won the College & University Alpha Category with a game codenamed Project Boynton where you play as a punk witch and obliterate monsters, harvest their guts and use those guts to craft potions to obliterate more monsters.
Garden, an augmented reality (AR) gardening app, by Sunshine Committee won the Indie Category.
The Best Art award went to Fire Frame with Atlas Excel (Pratt Institute), Best Technical Dystrophic with Hexile (Harvard).
Runner-up awards went to:
Indie Category – Runner-up
- ML Studios with Mythicast Arcane Academy
Serious Category – Runner-up
- Dystrophic with Hexile (Harvard)
College & University Alpha Category – Runner-up
- Team RGB with Data Strain (QCC)
College & University Beta Category – Runner-up
- Jinboz with The Palace of Monarch (WPI)
Best Art – Runner-up
- Jinboz with The Palace of Monarch (WPI)
Best Business Model – Runner-up
- ML Studios with Mythicast Arcane Academy
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Read the full press release on Gamasutra here.
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On October 26, 2017, the Baker-Polito Administration awarded MassDiGI a $35,000 grant toward the development of our New Ventures Center.
The NVC will serve as an on-campus business assistance center for interactive media, game development, business and technology students from Becker and other higher education institutions across Massachusetts. Through active mentorship with game industry leaders and faculty experts, the NVC will bring students together and provide access to the educational programming, technical assistance, and business development support needed to learn, incubate, and launch products in the global digital marketplace.
The Collaborative Workspace Program awards, a MassDevelopment initiative, seek to strengthen community-based innovation and entrepreneurship in the Commonwealth’s cities and towns, while spurring job creation at the local level. This is the second award MassDiGI has received from the program.
Read more about the award in MassDevelopment’s press release here and in the Worcester Business Journal here, Patch.com here and Worcester Sun here.
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In a world where innovation and disruption reign, MassDIGI is a key player. That was underscored today by the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce when it presented MassDiGI with a Game Changer Award.
“MassDiGI has played a major role in the growth of the digital gaming sector in the region and continues to shape the economic landscape of Worcester and Central Massachusetts in a positive and significant way,” said Tim Murray, Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce president. “The Chamber is pleased to recognize MassDiGI for their game changing contribution to the region.”
The award, presented during the Chamber’s annual Game Changers Business Conference and Expo in Worcester’s Mechanics Hall, recognizes the most innovative companies, colleges and start-ups that are transforming and supporting the region’s economy. This year’s theme was the innovation economy and start-ups.
MassDiGI’s Executive Director Tim Loew and Managing Director Monty Sharma were on hand to receive the award.
“We are really proud of the work we do with the many students that we engage with across institutions in the region, the start-ups that we work with, and the communities”, said Tim Loew, MassDiGI’s executive director. “We feel really lucky to have been able to do this in Worcester, and at Becker.”
Also present at this morning’s event was Becker president and MassDiGI advisory board chair Nancy P. Crimmin, Alan Ritacco, dean of the school Design and Technology, and students from MassDiGI’s Live Studio course.
Tim Mammen of IPG Photonics and Shahbaz Soofi of WooRides also received Game Changer awards.
Read more about the award in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette here.
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May’s Journey takes grand prize in sixth annual MassDiGI Game Challenge pitch contest
Chaima Jemmali, Small Squares with Monty Sharma, MassDiGI
Cambridge, MA – February 27, 2017 – May’s Journey by Small Squares won the grand prize in the sixth annual MassDiGI Game Challenge pitch contest this weekend.
In May’s Journey, an educational game that teaches programming through puzzle solving and storytelling, the hero, a girl named May, finds herself trapped in a broken game world. She wants to escape but in order to do so she must find her friend. There is only one way to get out; coding. May’s Journey aims to interest middle and high school aged old girls in computer science by teaching them the basics of programming through play.
Representing Small Squares at the contest was Chaima Jemmali, the game’s programmer and designer.
The game, which also won the Serious Category at the contest, will be released on PC later this year. Jemmali, a native of Tunisia and former Fulbright scholar, began working on the game in 2015 with her colleague Jonathan Yang as part of their interactive media and game development master’s degree program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Yang currently works in Shanghai, China.
“We are thrilled May’s Journey won the Game Challenge,” said Jemmali, now a Ph.D. student in computer science at Northeastern University. “Everyone with a passion for making games should go. You learn so much from the judges and other competitors.”
The MassDiGI Game Challenge helps indie, startup and student game developers and entrepreneurs shape their ideas and products for launch. This year 33 teams from across the northeast competed in front of a packed room at the Microsoft New England Research & Development Center in Kendall Square.
“MassDiGI’s focus on fostering new, creative, business-savvy talent is exactly what the New England game industry needs. Game Challenge alumni have opened their own studios or found jobs at larger studios,” said contest judge Rick Cody, a past Game Challenge winner. “MassDiGIhas helped my own company, Team Future, better understand the business of game development. They’re a tremendous and evolving asset.”
Since the MassDiGI Game Challenge began six years ago, over 200 different teams from around New England and beyond have pitched games and taken home prizes valued at over $100,000. Top past winners include titles such as Intern Astronaut, PWN, Catlateral Damage, Depression Quest, Wobbles and Starlot Derby.
The annual event is a showcase for the expanding game development cluster in the region. Over the event’s two days, dozens of game industry veterans served as mentors and judges.
As the Grand Prize and Serious Game Category winners, the Small Squares team won cash and other prizes valued at about $5,000.
“This year’s contest was the closer than ever before,” said Monty Sharma, managing director of MassDiGI, “We were very impressed by all the teams. Their creativity and skills improve every year as do their games.”
Other top winners include Lawrence, MA-based BareHand which won the People’s Choice Award for its game Cede as well as the Indie Demo/Alpha Category, Best Technical Plan and Best Business Plan.
“Winning not only our category but the People’s Choice Award is amazing,” said Edwin Jack, BareHand’s founder. “We’ve come to the Game Challenge before and each time we get better and this year we hit it right with Cede.”
Cede is a 3D Action-RPG combining the best experiences of Diablo and Harvest Moon with a unique new mechanic called “combat farming”.
Cede screenshot
Salad Hunt, an arcade-shooter in a casual mobile setting, earned Best Art, Best Audio and was the runner-up in Indie Demo/Alpha Category. In the game, you play as a chef that is surprised to find that the salad ingredients have come alive as cute but mischievous characters that are ruining the kitchen.
The other top Indie winner was Kill the Old Gods by Weeping Witch Studios which won the Beta/Near Release Category.
A team of Becker College and Emerson College students won the College Beta/Near Release Category with OBIO, a game in which you guide your bots through cyberspace, solve puzzles, eliminate viruses and save the internet. OBIO will be released for iOS, Android, PC and Mac in April.
Bounce.wav, an arcade-style mobile game set to synthwave beats made by a team of WPI graduate students, won the College Demo/Alpha Category.
Winning the High School Category was Green Ninja, a team of two students from Millbury (MA) Memorial Jr./Sr. High School.
Other Category Runner-Up honors went to:
- Serious: MadUnd3ad Studios from Northeastern with Monsters and Memories.
- Indie Beta/Near Release: Witching Hour with Connexi.
- College Demo/Alpha: Sound Lemmings Studio from Northeastern and Tufts University with Node and Dog Squad from Smith College and Hampshire College with Pickup Pup.
- College Beta/Near Release: Blue Drop Games from Northeastern with Before Common Era (B.C.E.) and Jaderain Studios from Becker with Don’t Shoot Us.
Sound Lemmings Studio also earned Best Design and Balls, another game by WPI graduate students, earned Best Paper Prototype.
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