Independent Games Festival 2006San Jose, California, USAMarch 20-24, 2006Deadline: September 6, 2005
The Independent Games Festival (IGF) honors innovation in videogames created by independent game developers and students. This year's festival will feature a $20,000 Grand Prize for the best game, a new modding competition and the student showcase competition. The deadline for the main IGF Competition is Sept. 6, 2005; the modding competition submissions are due Oct. 10, 2005; and student showcase submissions are due Nov. 15, 2005.
The increasing prevalence of videogame modifications has stimulated the introduction of a mod category in this year's competition, and the chosen modifiable games have now been picked with the help of an audience vote. Therefore, mods can now be submitted for Valve's HALF LIFE 2, BioWare's NEVERWINTER NIGHTS, Epic Games' UNREAL TOURNAMENT 2004, and id Software's DOOM 3, with a total of $10,000 in prize money for the best original modifications.
More than $45,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to IGF competition winners this year for innovation in five major areas: Visual Arts, Audio, Game Design, Technical Excellence, and Best Web Browser Game. Main competition finalists will be eligible for the Seumas McNally Grand Prize for Independent Game of the Year and the Audience Award. The IGF will also be selecting 10 games this year for Student Showcase, including a new category for games created using middleware.
The IGF was established in 1998 to encourage innovation in game development and to recognize the best independent game developers, similar to the way that the Sundance Film Festival has benefited independent filmmakers. The IGF has given away hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes and major recognition to innovative, independently created videogames from all over the world, from early pioneering titles such as TREAD MARKS and SHATTERED GALAXY, to recent stand-outs such as OASIS, ALIEN HOMINID and GISH.
The IGF takes place annually during the Game Developers Conference (GDC), scheduled for March 20-24, 2006 in San Jose, California. The GDC is the largest gathering of videogame creators worldwide. Developers interested in submitting a game can visit www.igf.com for official rules, deadlines, and entry forms.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
