Open Prototype/Health Game Competition
This is a wide open competition where the winning entry will be a game, or game-styled application in demo, prototype, or finished form that demonstrates an original idea for a game for health in playable form. The prototype will be judged on both its originality and the quality of its execution as software. Games may be submitted that run on any computing or mobile platform. Games may be about any healthcare topic, and serve as training, education, messaging, or interface frameworks.
Qualified submissions for this contest must meet the following criteria:
* Games may be new or existing projects but may not be commercially released software by a commercial game publisher or produced by any organization with greater then $10M in revenues.
* Submission forms include a section to declare the goal of the game. This is not the player's goal but instead refers to the outcomes that you claim the game can help achieve for its intended audience. Please clearly state all goals in order of importance including intended audience. The core judging criteria rests upon our judges impression about the executable itself and how much confidence they have that it can achieve the goals of the submission based on its evaluatable design.
* Submission must be easily executable for judging. We will make our best attempt to judge projects that are for platforms not commonly available. If you are worried about our ability to judge your project because it is not easily executable for judging (e.g. it uses specialized hardware such as an exercise cycle) then please contact us to arrange a means to properly judge it using alternative strategies. We reserve the right to reject submissions that can not be fairly evaluated due to system requirements.
* Mods of commercial games are valid entries so long as it was produced without violating any end-user license agreements of the modified software. Entries that require third-party games to be installed must provide five legal copies of the underlying game software fully packaged. Please email competition@gamesforhealth.org for details on shipping third-party software to us. These games will not be returned upon completion of the contest.
* Submission must be accessible electronically. Please do NOT send CD/DVDs unless requested. Instead please post your project for download via private FTP or Web download.
* Submission must have clear instructions for installation and initial gameplay. Submissions which lack a clear means of working at these most basic levels may be outright rejected because we're unable to properly evaluate them. While email support contacts will be required for each submission we will not vouch for their willingness to do so -- you can not rely on your customers as easily either so clear documentation and an easy install process is important.
* Projects will be evaluated for technical merit, gameplay & design, and liklihood of achieving the outcome goals stated in the submission. If a project has ANY supporting evidence that it is achieving goals it intended to or otherwise upon design please submit links to this research as it will be considered during judging. Otherwise our judges will use their best opinion as to whether the game/prototype has the potential to work.
* Submissions need not be fully finished projects. All submissions will be evaluated only on their ability as executables to clearly demonstrate all critical facets of gameplay and based on that provide a suitable evaluation as to the potential of a final version to achieve the goals the submission states for the executable. While this may still provide an advantage to finished projects it should allow well defined demos and prototypes to strongly compete.
* Submissions may be updated once finalists are announced. Finalists will be given a small 48 hour period to submit new versions of their software for the final round of judging. No other updates other then to fix errors, bugs, or install needs will be accepted once a project is initially submitted.