Northern Ontario’s largest game design event, the Northern Game Design Challenge (NGDC), is back for the third year running.
Starting this Friday, the NGDC will see teams of programmers, animators, writers, musicians and visual artists compete to develop the highest quality, most entertaining game possible, in under 48 hours.
Launched in 2015, this is the largest video game design competition in Northern Ontario, with around 25 teams participating this year and more than $5,000 worth of prizes to be won.
Ingenuity is essential as each game must be based on a unique theme that is revealed only moments prior to the opening of the competition. During the event, teams are permitted to use any game development toolset and platform they choose, as long as the end result is a creation of their own design.
Team members manage their work and sleep accordingly to ensure that they hit the Sunday deadline.
Following the close of the competition, a panel of expert judges spends the next month reviewing the final submissions.
This year’s judges include local industry veterans such as Call of Duty developer Jamie Parent, former Unreal Tournament developer Juan “Pancho” Eekels and international experimental game designer Marie Claire Leblanc Flanagan. The winning team will earn a large variety of significant prizes including a trip to Los Angeles California for the E3 expo.
The hosting locations for this year’s event are Dynamic Earth, which welcomes teams from Northeastern Ontario, and the Thunder Bay Public Library, hosting teams from the Northwest.
To keep up with the action or for any other information, please visit the NGDC’s website and Facebook page.
