How can you use game design competitions to showcase your skills and get noticed?

I am extremely skeptical on this topic. Gamejams, hackathons etc are often covert corporate events where 100s or thousands of developers get to experience ridiculous crunch in exchange for free pizza and the lucky few might win a cash prize or some business opportunities. In fact quite often the true beneficiary are the event organizers or sponsors, taking away free ideation , marketing and goodwill without offering adequate payment for the real work that gets done. This is on top of the often shady legal language regarding the rights and property of the created/winning products and ideas. Unless its for fun organized by friendly folks, I would never participate in such a thing, stay away from corporate game competitions!

Game Design competitions would bring in lot of direct & indirect gains: a) Enrich/ Diversify Portfolio (pool of concepts) b) Promote creativity via encouraging participants from various background, regions (if possible) c) Encourages professional networking & collaborations d) Importantly, everyone inhales each others work, learns & shares at a wider forum throughout the process

One of the benefits of doing Game Design competitions is that it's an instant portfolio booster!! Looking to add some more projects to that website of yours? Well, nothing looks better than showcasing all the different game jams you've participated in! Not to mention, LinkedIn is an incredible source for building a network around these competitions. Considering each time you join one, it's also an excuse to share that project with the group of awesome people that lie within our industry. Soon enough, by joining them, you'll also be able to network with other devs who've done them as well, ideally fostering long term connections in the process! ?? Hope this helps! ??

The projects you create in a Game Design competition can lead to several benefits, like meeting new people in the industry, working with different people from diverse levels and cultures, training existing and new skills by working with a short deadline, learning to better plan and scope your projects based on the given time and resources you have, and so on. It's always a new experience, especially when working with a new team. And at the end, you might have a new project to showcase on your portfolio. Or, maybe a good prototype that can become a full game if the team wants to continue with the idea.

Participating in game design competitions is highly beneficial for honing your skills, enriching your portfolio, and expanding your professional network. These contests push you to innovate under pressure, offering a platform to display your creativity and expertise to peers and industry leaders, potentially opening doors to new opportunities and collaborations.

Game Jams are a great way to kick start your learning. If you want to see if you're interested in game design, If there's a Game Engine you've been meaning to learn, if you want to sharpen up your Unity chops, or if you want to try out a new role (music, design, art, programming), short Game Jams are perfect for dipping your toes in the world of game design to see what you love!

Game design competitions come in various formats, such as hackathons, game jams, indie game showcases, student competitions, and industry-sponsored challenges. Each type offers unique opportunities and challenges, catering to different skill levels and interests. My personal experience has involved participating in both local and international competitions, each offering distinct experiences and benefits.

You should participate in at least one short jam, since I think that's when you get the most out of your prioritization skills, which is an essential skill (in addition to other benefits), on the other hand, all other types of jams are very beneficial and you could take advantage of it, because of each one will enhance you in a different way

Consider your schedule and commitments. Game jams are great for spur-of-the-moment creativity but challenges allow more flexibility. Reflect on the type of feedback and exposure you want. Jams emphasize rapid iteration while contests showcase polished work to Industry judges.

Algunas personas ven los Game Jams como concursos pero, más bien, son un ejercicio creativo, un espacio de colaboración y experimentación y, en ese sentido, el resultado puede pasar en ocasiones a segundo término. Por otra parte, en un concurso sí se evalúa directamente el resultado y se le compara con el de los demás participantes. Aunque en ocasiones podemos entregar algo similar, la intención es distinta y debemos asumirlo de esa manera. También es muy importante tener claro ?por qué queremos participar?, ?buscamos el premio monetario, queremos difusión o nos interesa solo la experiencia? y, además,debemos estar consciente de cuanto tiempo vamos a invertir, el equipo humano con el que contamos y las herramientas de las que disponemos.

Local GameJams are good for practice but, if you want to truly improve your skills or get noticed, move to the big cities. This is where the majority of benthic GameJams are located, and this is where the talented people are.

When selecting a game design competition, consider factors such as the theme or focus, judging criteria, eligibility requirements, duration, location (if it's in-person or virtual), and potential prizes or rewards. Additionally, assess how well the competition aligns with your skills, interests, and career goals. My personal experience has involved researching and evaluating various competitions to find the best fit for my objectives.

When selecting a jam, what you should consider is your objective, and based on it, choose one or another jam, since each one will provide you with different abilities, for example a team jam will lead to the enhancement of your abilities. of teamwork and being able to manage work by deriving tasks

-Skill level: Select a competition that matches your current abilities and challenges you to grow, avoiding overly ambitious or beginner-unfriendly entries. -Time commitment: Consider the development period and your available time to complete the project comfortably. -Theme and genre: Choose a competition with a theme or genre that aligns with your interests and strengths, allowing you to create a game you are passionate about. -Prizes and benefits: Evaluate the potential rewards, exposure, and networking opportunities offered by the competition to see if they align with your goals.

Any jam will do, as long as you just apply the rules of some LudumDare to your own experience: do it quickly, but do something new. You can use different player perspectives on your game to try to convey your unique experience. The main thing is not to overthink it, just do it and enjoy every minute of this process.

Preparation is key to success in a game design competition. Start by familiarizing yourself with the competition rules and requirements. Develop a clear concept or idea for your game and create a game design document outlining your vision. Gather necessary tools and resources, such as game development software and assets. Collaborate with teammates if applicable, and allocate time for brainstorming, prototyping, and testing. My personal experience has involved thorough planning and organization to ensure readiness for competition day.

Find the right people to work with and/or be the right person yourself. Some competitions will allow for pre-made teams but others will organize teams at random. Work on your own idea before the competition but don’t bring any with you. You are going to need to have a clear mind to start from 0 with every theme you are offered but need to have practice with structuring a game from 0 to 100%. Do some research on what these competitions require from you or your team. Some events may need you to bring your own materials and tools while others will give you all that you need.

Upon selecting a game design competition, conduct thorough research on its rules, themes, and criteria. Draw inspiration from past entries, then brainstorm and plan your game, focusing on creativity, feasibility, and engagement. Outline your game's core mechanics, narrative, art, and sound. Ensure your tools and workflow are optimized and tested before the competition begins, setting a solid foundation for development.

Before the competition, you or your team should decide on a game engine and tools you are going to use. The time available during most game jams and hackathons is often barely enough to create not much more than a prototype or game slice, so you want to keep time to figure out the game engine to a minimum. A good way to get up to speed with a game engine is to develop a few standard games in it: Tic Tac Toe, Pacman, Tetris, etc. - ideally different types of games including turn-based, real-time, 2D and 3D, grid-based and coordinate-based, keyboard, mouse and gamepad input, sandbox and rule-based, etc. Similarly, import and usage of different assets (2D graphics and 3D models, sounds and music, animations) can be practiced beforehand.

To prep for a game design contest, start by understanding its rules, theme, and past winners for insight. Brainstorm creative, doable ideas fitting the theme. Plan your game's mechanics, story, and design. Ensure your tools—engines, libraries, and assets—are ready and tested. This groundwork sets you up for success.

Ultimately success can mean anything. I often encourage devs to think of just participation as success, because you tried, which is better than 90% of devs. That said, here are a some ways I have found to increase my odds of winning: 1. Define Success: You are more likely to succeed with a specific goal. 2. Read and Re-read the rules: Cater to what the competition wants. 3. Dedicate Polish Time: A crap game can be made exceptional with enough polish. 4. Playtest: Playtesting is truly a game design secret. Dedicate time to testing with people outside the team. 5. Practice, practice, practice: Whether it's a pitch or something similar, your charisma is a huge part of a winning hand. I hope that helps, brave game dev adventurer!

Define success. “I want to win!”: - Explore the theme and don’t deviate too much. - Play on the judge’s feelings (If there is no money involved then people can afford to be emotional). - Have a large team of young people (With dreams that can be broken). What? I’m not evil! This is actually how you win these things. Stop booing me! “I want to get noticed”: - Work towards finding yourself within the teams of industry veterans. - Come up with good ideas but don’t get attached to them. - Work on improving the ideas of others. “I want to improve my skills”: - Task organization. - Task expediency. - Accept failure and the limits of your skills. Victory teaches us nothing but failure has a thousand lessons.

To excel in a game design competition, focus on understanding the competition rules thoroughly, leverage your unique creative strengths, pay attention to detail in your design, and practice time management to ensure you meet deadlines. Additionally, seek feedback from mentors or peers to refine and enhance your work, and showcase effective communication of your ideas in the submission. All the best everyone follow your Game Dev dream and Publish your work constantly.

In addition to focusing on creativity and community engagement, successful participation in game design competitions also involves thorough planning and organization. Prioritize effective time management to ensure that you can fully develop and polish your game within the competition timeline. Additionally, pay attention to the competition's judging criteria and tailor your submission to align with those expectations. Lastly, don't underestimate the power of collaboration; forming teams or seeking mentorship can provide valuable support and expertise to enhance your entry's quality and competitiveness.

In my experence you should focuse on one core idea and make it as strong as possible. If your game is a game with magnets then everything (story, game mechanic, character design) should revolve around attraction, magnetic fields, polar opposites). Game design competitions are short, usually one weekend, so it's important to have a (hopefully unique) creative idea which is at the core of the playing experience.

- Stop waiting - start acting. - Try to be unique - Don't think about if someone else created something similar. - Don't focus on winning, focus on creating and gaining more expertise. You may win the next one. - Don't loose hope if you loose. Learn from it and start over.

- Start practicing right now - Try to interact with as many people in the sector as you can since they will give you very valuable things - Do not focus on a single area, learn from everything, since it is a sector in which you will need to be versatile - Despite the above, enhance the skill that interests you most to be competitive In my personal experience these are some of the most important points.

Don't underestimate the value of networking and building relationships with fellow participants, judges, sponsors, and industry professionals. Even if you don't win, participating in competitions can lead to valuable connections and opportunities. Additionally, continue learning and honing your skills outside of competitions to stay competitive in the ever-evolving field of game design. My personal experience emphasizes the importance of learning from both successes and setbacks, and using competition experiences as stepping stones for personal and professional growth.

Weigh solo vs team events. Both offer growth but collaborate if the crowd pleases more than sole glory. Experiment freely before worrying about results. Learning happens through risk-taking, not perfecting an image.

Apart from client projects Game Jams or Game design competition provides a serious motivation to work and to push your game further. Game designed during the competition often acts as a showcase to pitch your idea to presenter or game producer, there is are gains no losses.