Could a game take you to Russia for Imagine Cup Finals?
The Imagine Cup game category has changed this year and will allow more game developers to participate!
In the past the Imagine Cup game categories required students to design games that fit an Imagine Cup theme of helping others. This resulted in some wonderful games that educated and inspired us. However, the theme sometimes limited the scope of games that could enter the competition.
This year the Imagine Cup Game competition is simple and exciting! Basically, if you build a cool game using Microsoft technology you can enter! I’ve met game developers across Canada building some original and creative games. I really can’t wait for the world to see the depth and breadth of talent we’ve got here in Canada!
Games entered in the Imagine Cup must meet the following criteria (extracted from the rules)
All games must be developed using at least one product in the Visual Studio family and must be built for one or more of the following platforms:
- Windows
- Windows Phone
- Kinect SDK
- Xbox Indie Games
One of the secrets of a successful entry in any competition is to address the judging criteria. The game category is judged based on the following:
| Criteria | Description | Weighting |
| Fun | Is the game exciting? Is the concept clear? Is there good player feedback? Is the game appropriately challenging? Does the player want to keep coming back for more? | 40% |
| Execution | Does it look good for its chosen art style? Are the sound effects and music well done? Does it play smoothly and reliably? Is the in-game UI clear and useful? Are there good usability features such as player help, tutorials, and game pause? | 30% |
| Innovation | Does it notably improve upon an existing genre? Does it create a new genre or deliver a unique play experience? Does it deliver innovation in storytelling, art direction, or other aesthetic areas? | 20% |
| Business Viability | Is there a clear audience for this game? Does the team clearly identify “back of the box” highlights for why someone should buy this game? What does the development and publishing roadmap look like after the competition? | 10% |
You can find all the details about Imagine Cup here.
Last year Canada sent a team to Sydney, Australia for the worldwide finals, this year the worldwide finals will be in St Petersburg Russia. Register today and maybe you’ll be there!