Game submissions for the 2015 Serious Games Showcase & Challenge open tomorrow, August 3 through September
20. Finalists will be notified on October 15 and shall be prepared to attend
the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference
(I/ITSEC).
The 2015 I/ITSEC will be held from November 30
through December 3 in Orlando, Florida, at the Orange County Convention
Center.
Finalists will be prominently displayed at the
Serious Games Showcase &Challenge area located in the STEM Pavilion. All finalists will be expected
to attend the conference to showcase their games to the conference attendees. During this time the attendees will also vote on the People’s Choice Award
winner. Winners for all awards will be announced during the award ceremony on
December 3 at 1:00 PM (location TBD.)
Before entering make sure you read
the rules
and understand what categories your game qualifies for. Prepare your paper work, taking
care in all of your answers. Paperwork does play a role in the judging
process. Submit your forms early.
There are 7 awards to be reaped, as you may
find below.
Development Categories
There are three development categories for
entry into the Challenge with Awards given in each category: Students,
Government and Business.
Additional Award Categories
In addition to the Student, Business, and
Government categories, there are four additional categories for which awards
are given. Awards given in these categories are in addition to those given in
the development categories. Qualification for each additional category is dependent
on the game entry. Details of each are described below.
Mobile
In addition to the development category for
which the game was submitted, all mobile games will be eligible for the Mobile
Award. Mobile games will also be evaluated on how well the game objectives
translate to and utilize a mobile or handheld platform.
Special Emphasis
Each year the SGS&C focuses on a special
game design topic for further emphasis. This year’s Special Emphasis focus is: Social
Media Crowdsourcing for Peer Learning. In addition to the development category for
which a game was submitted, games that use social media and/or crowdsourcing as
a multi-player opportunity for peer learning and distributed problem-solving
will be eligible for the Special Emphasis Award.
Games might use social media to create learner
engagement, reflection, and action. The idea is to use social media to scale
gameplay to include large groups of people (possibly even thousands), all
contributing to individual and collective learning experiences. Entrants must
indicate on the Submission form if they would like their game to be evaluated for
this category, and describe how they meet the Special Emphasis criteria.
Students’ Choice
In an effort to expose students to game
development and potential careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, the
SGS&C committee introduced a Students’ Choice category in 2013.
In addition to the development category for
which the game was submitted, some games will be eligible for the Students’
Choice Award. Games that are judged by the SGS&C to be appropriate for
middle/high school will be evaluated by students from select school systems around
the United States using an evaluation rubric similar to the one used by
SGS&C judges. Winners of the Students’ Choice category will be announced
with the other winners during the I/ITSEC event.
People’s Choice Award
In addition to the development category for
which the game was submitted, all games will be eligible for the People’s
Choice Award. Finalist entries are showcased on the I/ITSEC conference exhibit
floor. Games will be evaluated by the I/ITSEC audience to compete for People’s
Choice award.
Key Dates
Game Submission Open: August 3, 2015 –
September 20, 2015
Game Application Form Deadline: September
16, 2015, 1200 EDT
Game Submission Deadline: September 20,
2015, 1200 EDT
Notification of Finalists: October 15, 2015
Booth and Game Setup and Configuration at
OCCC: November 30, 2015
Serious Games Showcase & Challenge at
I/ITSEC: November 30 – December 3, 2015
Challenge Award Ceremony (announcement of
winners): December 3, 2015
About The Challenge
The Serious Games Showcase & Challenge
(SGS&C) was born in 2005 from the desire to stimulate industry creativity
and generate institutional interest towards the use of digital game technology
and approaches for training and education.
A partnership was formed with the organizers
of Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference
(I/ITSEC), the National Training Systems Association (NTSA), and the first
SGS&C was held at I/ITSEC 2006.
SGS&C has been a growing staple of the
I/ITSEC event ever since. You may revisit the history and how the SGS&C
came to be what it is today here