what is

{ GDWC? }

What?

The Game Development World Championship is an annual competition for indie game developers, game development students and anyone interested in game development to join in.

When?

The GDWC has started on the 27th of January 2017. The final day to enter and submit your games is on the 30th of September 2017.

Where?

The event happens online for the most part, with the finalists from the Pro and Hobby track brought to Finland and Sweden to visit the game companies. The trip will be paid for by us. We will also be attending game developer events and visiting industry hubs. Hope to meet you there!

How?

By pressing the “Enroll now” button below or above, you can register for the competition. Any games that have not been released before 2017 can enter into the championship. We expect a few screenshots, a written description, a playable build and a gameplay video of your games to be submitted.

Why?

We believe in new game developers and want to give them the chance to show their games for a large audience.
For game developers, this is an easy opportunity to get extra visibility for yourselves, help to motivate yourselves and most importantly, it doesn't cost a penny.

Enroll now and get a 50% discount off AppGameKit engine. AppGameKit team will also provide additional prizes to the ten best AppGameKit games!

$500 - 1st prize
$200 - 2nd prize
$100 - 3rd prize
$50 - 4-10th places prize winners

From the GDWC 2013: Pro track winner, Like a boss (PC), Team Firehorse, Brazil

From the GDWC 2013: Student track winner, Hopping Penguin (Windows Phone), Immobile games, Finland

Winning game from GDWC 2012: Kindly Ever After (iTunes), Team Ancora, Singapore

GDWC 2013 winner Team Firehorse at RedLynx HQ in Helsinki

GDWC 2012 winner Team Ancora at Rovio HQ in Helsinki

GDWC 2016 finalists celebrating on a Viking Line cruise to Sweden.

championship

{ Categories }

Pro

Professional teams

Prizes for the best three teams:

Trip to Finland + Sweden for a team representative

Visits to top game studios

Trophies and medals

More to be announced...

Hobby

Students, Hobbyists and others

Prizes for the best three teams:

Trip to Finland + Sweden for a team representative

Visits to top game studios

Trophies and medals

More to be announced...

bonus

{ Stages }

In addition to the main categories, you can participate in a bonus stage if your game meets the criteria for it.

Finland

For games promoting Finland as a travel destination

Click for more info

?

Details to be announced

?

Details to be announced

rules and

{ Regulations }

1. Contest

The contest is organized by Future Winners Ltd and is open from 27th of January 2017. Entry submission closes on the 30th of September 2017 11.59pm GMT.

2. Enrollment

1. The championship has two main categories, PRO and HOBBY developers. You can apply for either categories with as many games as you wish.

PRO: The Pro developer category is meant for game developers that are developing commercial games or have a goal of developing them for the sake of profit and running a company.
HOBBY: The Hobby developer category is meant for students, game development hobbyists, solo developers and other such developers.

2. The participant fills up the form provided via the enroll link with genuine information. The participant agrees that information on the enrolment form can be forwarded to partners and judges of the contest.

3. Future Winners Ltd. reserves the right to refuse an application.

4. Each individual or team can compete with any number of games on any platforms, both digital and physical if they wish. The game and the peripherals needed to play must either be portable with reasonable cost or be emulated with a PC or a handheld device such as a tablet.

5. A team member can be replaced during the competition.

6. Any material, assets or work that has been outsourced by the team must be clearly documented and this information sent alongside the application.

3. Game

1. The entries are submitted via the Viope World e-learning platform before the closing date.

2. The game cannot already have been published before the year 2017.

3. When submitting your game, at least the following will be required:

A working build of the game. Alternatively, for games released on platforms such as Steam, 4 keys, codes or coupons can be provided instead
Video showcasing gameplay material of the game
4 Screenshots of the game
A document describing basic information of the game (name, short description, number of players etc.) and how to install and run the game.

4. The team owns full rights to their game. The organizers reserve the right to use images, video and text material from the game and entry submission for the purposes of marketing the competition and the games.

5. The game must be able to run on a Windows, Mac, portable device or internet browser either natively or via emulation. In the case of physical games, A copy must be brought to the jury during the finals.

6. Teams can submit a game using existing technologies such as engines, frameworks and models. Teams must own full right to use those technologies.

7. Teams can submit a game using existing content and materials. Teams must own full rights to use those assets.

8. Teams must ensure that their games do not break the Finnish law.

9. Any breach of rules 3.6 , 3.7 and 3.8 will disqualify the team.

10. The organizers reserve the right to make changes to these rules as necessary.

4. Judgement criteria

The games will be judged based on the following three aspects.

FUN: Is the game fun to play and able to keep a player interested? Are the objectives of the game easy to understand?
FEEL: Is the artstyle of the game consistent with the gameplay? Do the controls for the game feel right? Does the game run welll?
NOVELTY: Is the game an entirely new concept, or does it combine old ideas in new, interesting ways? Does it stand out from other games of it’s genre?

frequently asked

{ Questions }

How can I enroll?

One member of the team needs to enroll and provide the information on the team. After that the team is registered for the contest. This is done by pressing the “enroll button” on the top of this page.

Can my application be refused?

We reserve the right to refuse an application.

Does my game need to be finished?

No, your game can be in any phase of development. The only requirement is that you will need to have a playable build or prototype.

Can my game be physical?

Yes. Physical games such as game consoles and board games are welcome in the GDWC.

Can I participate in the GDWC in multiple teams?

Yes. You just need to ensure your team(s) all include you in them when submitting their games.

HOW CAN I FIND MEMBERS FOR MY TEAM?

There are several communities of game developers on services such as Facebook and Reddit. You may also be able to find a local IGDA chapter or university with game development in it.

CAN WE SUBMIT SEVERAL GAMES?

Yes. You can submit as many games into the contest as you like. To do so, follow the instructions in the entry submission platform after registering.

HOW CAN I CONTACT YOU?

You can get in touch with us directly via email via contact@thegdwc.com or contact us via Twitter or Facebook found at the bottom of this page.

our

{ Partners }

Viope is a global leader in providing eLearning solutions for computer programming and mathematics.
viope.com

The GameDev Days are is an annual conference held for the fourth time in Estonia, organized by Creative Mobile.
gamedev.ee

IGDA Finland promotes the development of careers and professional skills of individual game developers based in Finland, and develops further the international recognition of the Finnish game developer community.
igda.fi

GameDevCompany is building a positive community of learning and sharing for all gaming creatives. We stream art, design and development and interview industry professionals. We also play and analyse your games and give you feedback.
gamedevcompany.com

Full XP is gaming industry service provider, helping gaming studios succeed in competitive F2P mobile market. We provide service packages in QA, localization, legal services, production management, social media, publishing advisory and many more.
fullxp.co

Gamedoora is an exclusive cloud based collaborative platform for game/animation studios and everyone involved in game/animation/film production pipeline.
gamedoora.com

Youngstown Game Developers is a North East Ohio independent game development resourcing group that focuses on helping people become successful game developers in the entertainment technology field.
youngstowngamedevelopers.com

Games Jobs Finland is the first games recruitment service in Finland connecting game companies and candidates looking for game job opportunities.
gamesjobs.fi

Aalto Game Executive is an intensive six-day program of lectures/workshops, company visits and expert talks helping participants to learn about business, leadership, strategy and entrepreneurship in the gaming industry.
aaltoent.fi/en/program/game-executive/

Lenovo is the world largest PC vendor and we understand your passion for the game, because we live it. Legion is a movement with a simple goal: to make gaming better for gamers – for you, for all of us. Together we will build the ultimate gaming experience.
lenovo.com

DevToDev Analytics service has been created with the idea that one platform should contain everything you need to improve web and mobile app performance: increase user retention, engagement and revenue stream. https://www.devtodev.com/

Gamecampcities.co is a 360 Gaming event, Pr and communications agency with a Dynamic community of game developers, pro gamers, gamification and e-sport consultants, digital artists and electronic music lovers living in more than 10 countries in Africa. www.gamecampcities.co/

AppGameKit is a game creation system for mobile cross platform development. Write once, deploy everywhere." https://www.appgamekit.com

Kajaani University of Applied Sciences is a multidisciplinary center of higher education. KAMK has been offering high quality game development studies since 2007. www.kamk.fi

FinPro helps Finnish SMEs go international, encourages foreign direct investment in Finland and promotes travel to Finland with almost 300 professionals working in 36 Trade Centers in 31 countries and 6 offices in Finland. www.finpro.fi

The primary goal of the MDI is to work toward the continued economic growth and competitiveness of the Mediterranean region. www.mditunis.org

Visit Finland actively promotes Finnish tourism in its capacity as a national expert in the sector. www.visitfinland.com

bonus stage

{ Finland }

What are bonus stages?

Bonus stages are additional challenges for game developers, giving them a chance to win prizes that are not part of the two main categories. To have your game qualify for this bonus stage, it needs to display Finland in a positive light. This can mean displaying Finnish culture, Finnish traditions, Finnish nature or travel to Finland.

How do I participate in a bonus stage?

Register for the Game Development World Championship normally. When you are submitting your game, in addition to specifying which category your game(s) are participating in (Hobby or Pro), tell us what bonus stages you want to participate in.

Prizes

One finalist from 3 best teams to the GDWC prize trip to Finland + Sweden.
Chance to pitch your game to official representatives of the Finnish government.
Winning game may be chosen as "The Official game of Finland".
Trophies and medals.
More to come...

Rules

All the rules of the GDWC competition apply. In addition, the following apply for section 4. Judgement criteria:

The sponsoring organization of the category (Visit Finland) has a veto right to choose the finalists of the category.
In addition to searching for Fun, Feel and Novelty, the games are also judged based on the showing and promoting Finland as a travel and tourist destination and on how much value and information it brings to a player planning to visit Finland or during their stay in Finland.