Rules and Guidelines
Complete competition rules and guidelines can be downloaded here. See below for details on deadlines, eligibility, eligible concepts and business plans, judges, and the CGEC Advising Committee.
Deadlines:
Sept. 16, '08: |
Orientation Session at 5:00 PM in ATEC 1.606. Come to find a team and hear the previous winners speak about their experience in last years' competition and give advice to new teams. |
Oct. 3: |
Registration Session at 5:30 PM in ATEC 1.606. All teams must be present to register and fill out paperwork at this meeting. There is no online registration and no registration fee. |
Nov. 14: |
First benchmark deadline. Teams present their game concept in pre-production to a panel of experts in game design, art, programming, and management, and receive feedback and guidance. |
Jan. 30, '09 : |
Second benchmark deadline. Teams receive feedback and guidance on their prototype (Alpha-stage) concepts. |
Mar. 27 : |
Third benchmark deadline. Teams receive final feedback and guidance on their Beta-stage game concepts. |
| Apr. 3 : |
Final submissions due by 12:00 noon in ATEC 1.908. |
| Apr. 24 : |
Awards ceremony, reception and project showcase. First, second, and third prizes and the Hughes Ventures Award presented. |
Summer 2009 |
Continuation of winning game design under the guidance of UTD faculty and industry experts. |
Who is eligible?
Teams must be composed of UT Dallas students currently registered in Fall 08. Students from all UT Dallas schools and all levels of study, graduate or undergraduate, are eligible. Students that graduate during the competition may continue to compete. Team members may be currently employed in the computer game industry. Previous winners of the CGEC may compete, as long as they are eligible under the current competition guidelines.
UTD faculty, instructional staff, and graduate teaching associates are not eligible to compete. Research associates are still eligible.
Teams are limited to three to eight members. Substitutions will be allowed at the discretion of the competition coordinator.
Eligible Game Concepts
Game concepts must be original game ideas. No licensed or copyrighted material may be used in the production of the projects. Game projects may not be previously released or published games.
Game demos may be playable on a variety of currently available hardware: including but not limited to mobile phones, personal computers, online games, traditional gaming consoles or a more radical game hardware/software concept. Examples of radical gaming concepts include but are not limited to AI-driven robotics, immersive VR games, future gaming for trends predictions, serious game concepts, and simulations. Non-traditional, experimental software game concepts are welcome, as are traditional video games.
Maps, mods, and levels for existing games are not eligible. Teams may make use of current gaming engines and development tools to develop total conversion games.
Accompanying Business Plan
Each game concept will be fully explained through a proof-of-concept and a professional business plan. Business plans should be logical, clear, and represent a clear path to market for the proposed software product with a description of risk involved in investing in the project. Business plans and game product submissions will be judged by professional investors and commercial video game developers, using the same judging methods and criteria used for professional business decisions.
CGEC Judges and Advising Committee
Final submissions will be judged by a panel of game development professionals, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, and UTD faculty.
All teams will also present their game concepts in-progress to a panel of experts in game design, art, programming, and management. Teams will receive feedback and comments from these advisers at specific points throughout the competition. Advisers will not meet with teams individually outside of these sessions. No adviser will serve on the competition jury.
All logistical questions and concerns should be directed to the competition coordinator, at mevans@utdallas.edu.
