| HOW TO ENTER |
Ready for your chance to show the gaming industry what you've got? Here's how to enter the 2010 Indie Game Challenge:
- 1.) Read the Official Contest Rules and register online using the button below.
- 2.) Mail us the following:
- Your Video Game on a Disc (10 copies)
- All game discs must be submitted with an installer. Game discs must also include a document with instructions for installing the game and basic game play instructions. This document must be in PDF, Word, text, or HTML. For a full list of entry requirements and guidelines, please read the Official Contest Rules. iPhone game entries require a special process for submission. For detailed instructions on how to submit an iPhone game, please email indiehelp@smu.edu.
- Your Pitch Video on a Disc (2 copies)
- In 60 seconds or less, tell us about you or your team, your game, and why you think your game should win the Indie Game Challenge. Entrants can take creative liberties to showcase video editing skills and have the option to incorporate themselves and/or footage of their game in order to make pitch. Remember, the public may end up seeing this video, so lets keep it clean! Please read the Official Contest Rules for format requirements for Pitch Video.
- Copy of your registration confirmation page
- Copy of your PayPal confirmation receipt (see step 3)
- Make sure to include your name, and the name of your game in the Body of your Paypal payment.
- Mail to:
- Indie Game Challenge
- 5232 Tennyson Parkway
- Building 2
- Plano, TX 75024
- 3.) Submit your entry fee via PayPal
- You will see a payment link on the confirmation page once you register.
- The entry fee is $100 (or $75 if you are a GameStop Edge Card member). Entry fees are being used to cover administrative costs for The Guildhall at SMU, and the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, both of which are non-profit organizations. Any remaining funds will be used to fund scholarships for video game design/development students.
FAQ
Q. What if I don't know how to program or code a game? Can I simply submit my idea?
A. To enter the Indie Game Challenge, an actual game beta is required, even for the non-professional category.
Q. Has the contest deadline been changed? What date does the contest end?
A. The contest deadline has been extended to October 31, 2009, 11:59pm CST. All submissions must be postmarked by this date to qualify for the 2010 Indie Game Challenge contest.
Q. Can I enter my game if I have previously or currently entered it in another game competition?
A. Yes. The Indie Game Challenge is open to all U.S. independent developed games, including games that were developed for other prestigious contests such as the Independent Game Festival, Epic's Make Something Unreal and Intel's Level Up game contest.
Q. How do I contact a live person for registration help and questions about game submissions?
A. Contact the Indie Game Challenge via the help line email address first: indiehelp@smu.edu. If your problem requires personal assistance, someone will contact you via telephone.
Q. Will we be receiving any information between the registration and game submission deadline?
A. Yes. Every registrant will receive an email informing them that their entry package and games have been received and are being processed.
Q. Can I enter iPhone games in the Indie Game Challenge?
A. Yes, teams and individuals are limited to entering only one iPhone game into the Indie Game Challenge. iPhone game entries require a special process for submission. Entrants submitting iPhone games have the following two options:
Q. Can I enter Xbox/XNA games in the Indie Game Challenge?
A. Yes, teams and individuals are limited to entering only one Xbox/XNA game into the Indie Game Challenge. Xbox/XNA game entries require a special process for submission. Entrants submitting Xbox/XNA games have the following three options:
Q. What if I am chosen as a finalist and can't attend the awards presentation in Las Vegas? Will I still be eligible to win?
A. Yes.
Q.What if I am awarded a scholarship but do not wish to use it? Can I receive monetary compensation instead?
A. No. During the registration process, you will be asked whether or not you wish to be considered for the scholarship. At that time, you must make your decision. If you choose not to be considered, the scholarship will go to another candidate.
Q. Who are some of the publishers that we could possibly meet if chose as a finalist?
A. Capcom, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, NAMCO/Bandai, Nintendo, Sony, THQ, and Ubisoft.
Q. Are there any other ways to pay without using a credit card?
A. Yes. You can add a bank account to your PayPal account and pay via e-check. PayPal is the only accepted way to pay for registration.
Q. Will I be responsible for paying taxes on any awards I receive?
A. Yes. Please refer to the Official Rules for all the information regarding taxation on the winners' prizes.
Q. Is my submitted game going to be distributed for free or for profit once I enter it without my consent?
A. No. We are in no way trying to pull a 'fast one' on anyone who has poured years of their life into creating a game. The entire goal of the Indie Game Challenge is to give developers the opportunity to be discovered, make it big, and advance their careers. The decision to be published, should the opportunity arise, or to have your game distributed either for free or for profit rests solely in your hands, the creator of the game. Your game is in good hands!
The Indie Game Challenge will only use your entered game for judging purposes, and will have the right to use any entered games only for mentioning in advertisements or promotional materials in order to market future Indie Game Challenge contests, not to give away or distribute the game for free or profit. For example, if Game X wins the challenge in 2010, and goes on to become a big success, we would definitely want the ability to call out the fact that "Game X was the winner of the 2010 Indie Game Challenge" in promotional materials for the 2011 contest.
Q. Can I enter my game if I have previously or currently entered it in another game competition?
A. Yes. The Indie Game Challenge is open to all U.S. independent developed games, including games that were developed for other prestigious contests such as the Independent Game Festival, Epic's Make Something Unreal and Intel's Level Up game contest.
A. To enter the Indie Game Challenge, an actual game beta is required, even for the non-professional category.
Q. Has the contest deadline been changed? What date does the contest end?
A. The contest deadline has been extended to October 31, 2009, 11:59pm CST. All submissions must be postmarked by this date to qualify for the 2010 Indie Game Challenge contest.
Q. Can I enter my game if I have previously or currently entered it in another game competition?
A. Yes. The Indie Game Challenge is open to all U.S. independent developed games, including games that were developed for other prestigious contests such as the Independent Game Festival, Epic's Make Something Unreal and Intel's Level Up game contest.
Q. How do I contact a live person for registration help and questions about game submissions?
A. Contact the Indie Game Challenge via the help line email address first: indiehelp@smu.edu. If your problem requires personal assistance, someone will contact you via telephone.
Q. Will we be receiving any information between the registration and game submission deadline?
A. Yes. Every registrant will receive an email informing them that their entry package and games have been received and are being processed.
Q. Can I enter iPhone games in the Indie Game Challenge?
A. Yes, teams and individuals are limited to entering only one iPhone game into the Indie Game Challenge. iPhone game entries require a special process for submission. Entrants submitting iPhone games have the following two options:
- Games currently live in the iPhone Game Store will be purchased by our judging panel. Please let us know the name of your game during the registration process so we can locate it.
- For unreleased games, please submit your entry details through the registration page, submit pitch video, and Paypal payment, but do not mail us your game discs yet. Once the judging process begins, the Indie Game Challenge will contact you with a list of the judge's DeviceIDs. At this point, you can then mail us a binary which is set up for ad-hoc distribution and includes the specific supplied IDs. For detailed instructions on how to submit an iPhone game, please email indiehelp@smu.edu.
Q. Can I enter Xbox/XNA games in the Indie Game Challenge?
A. Yes, teams and individuals are limited to entering only one Xbox/XNA game into the Indie Game Challenge. Xbox/XNA game entries require a special process for submission. Entrants submitting Xbox/XNA games have the following three options:
- Games currently live in the Xbox Marketplace will be acquired by our judging panel. Please let us know the Name and Category (Xbox Live Arcade, Indie, etc) of your game during the registration process so that we can locate it online.
-
For unreleased games, please submit your entry details through the registration page, submit pitch video, and Paypal payment, and mail us 10 copies of your game on disc. Each game disc must have an executable/installer for the game, come with detailed installation instructions, and must include a readme or related documentation including Entrant/Team Representative name and game name for tracking purposes.
- If you are using XNA 3.0, you can submit 10 discs with the .ccgame file and detailed installation instructions. Please make sure to set your Assembly Information so that your Assembly Name is the name of your game, and the Title is your Entrant or Team Representative name.
Q. What if I am chosen as a finalist and can't attend the awards presentation in Las Vegas? Will I still be eligible to win?
A. Yes.
Q.What if I am awarded a scholarship but do not wish to use it? Can I receive monetary compensation instead?
A. No. During the registration process, you will be asked whether or not you wish to be considered for the scholarship. At that time, you must make your decision. If you choose not to be considered, the scholarship will go to another candidate.
Q. Who are some of the publishers that we could possibly meet if chose as a finalist?
A. Capcom, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, NAMCO/Bandai, Nintendo, Sony, THQ, and Ubisoft.
Q. Are there any other ways to pay without using a credit card?
A. Yes. You can add a bank account to your PayPal account and pay via e-check. PayPal is the only accepted way to pay for registration.
Q. Will I be responsible for paying taxes on any awards I receive?
A. Yes. Please refer to the Official Rules for all the information regarding taxation on the winners' prizes.
Q. Is my submitted game going to be distributed for free or for profit once I enter it without my consent?
A. No. We are in no way trying to pull a 'fast one' on anyone who has poured years of their life into creating a game. The entire goal of the Indie Game Challenge is to give developers the opportunity to be discovered, make it big, and advance their careers. The decision to be published, should the opportunity arise, or to have your game distributed either for free or for profit rests solely in your hands, the creator of the game. Your game is in good hands!
The Indie Game Challenge will only use your entered game for judging purposes, and will have the right to use any entered games only for mentioning in advertisements or promotional materials in order to market future Indie Game Challenge contests, not to give away or distribute the game for free or profit. For example, if Game X wins the challenge in 2010, and goes on to become a big success, we would definitely want the ability to call out the fact that "Game X was the winner of the 2010 Indie Game Challenge" in promotional materials for the 2011 contest.
Q. Can I enter my game if I have previously or currently entered it in another game competition?
A. Yes. The Indie Game Challenge is open to all U.S. independent developed games, including games that were developed for other prestigious contests such as the Independent Game Festival, Epic's Make Something Unreal and Intel's Level Up game contest.
