IGF 2011 Open for Entries, Changes Judging Process

By: Paul Eres

On: June 28th, 2010

The IGF 2011, also known perhaps as the cactus IGF, is now open for entries. Here’s the news post about it by Simon Carless, and here’s a letter from the new IGF chairman Brandon Boyer about the changes.

Instead of rating games with scores in each category, they’re going with juries, debate, and a nominations system, similar to how the Nuovo award finalists were chosen in IGF 2010. It’ll be interesting to see the results of this new process in the form of the finalists and winners chosen by it.

They also are now allowing mobile games into the main competition: previously iPhone games (etc.) were ineligible for the grand prize. And they are increasing the total number of finalists for the Nuovo award from five to eight.

Posted in Community, Competitions, Developers, IGF / GDC

http://shigi.wordpress.com Laura

Thanks for the links :) I think it'll be interesting to see how the new judging process works out.
Dodger

The judging does sound like it'll be a little more diversified and perhaps more fair than in previous IGF's. I find the admittance of mobile games into every category a little weird – though, I do believe games for any and all platforms should permitted for the Nuovo award based on what it represents. Still, overall it seems like a better process all around and a little busier for all the staff involved with the IGF. Positive reform is a good thing though.

Good luck everyone!
rinkuhero

yup — hopefully it'll mean less bias against certain genres (like jrpgs etc.) dragging down the scores for those games :D
Laremere

The changes to the judging process looks very good. I really like the fact that final winners will be chosen through deliberation instead of by points.

Good luck to everyone, I'd love to enter though as of right now it doesn't look like I'll be entering with anything.
jonschubbe

looks like they're still accepting 'unfinished' games. good good
http://www.agj.cl/ agj

Great news. I hope they also revamp the format of their awards show.
Edmund

in a perfect world all judges will come to the consensus that JRPGs are by far the most awesome genre and should be pushed to the top of the IGF finals!
xot

Hey, it's cactus giving his most inspiring acceptance speech ever! I look forward to more like it next year. God bless that manboy.
rinkuhero

barkley: shut up and jam: gaiden should have won the IGF the year it was released
jeb

October 18 instead of November 1?! We've already lost two weeks of development time! =(

=)
rinkuhero

on the plus side that means two more weeks they can spend judging the games — of course a lot of judges reportedly rush through them all on the last day anyway
anthonyflack

All very positive, much-needed changes IMO.
http://twitter.com/Metagolf Michaël Lievens

This year it's without me !
IGF cost too much for only 7 poor judges review…
I was left behind like many others at the very beginning.

I don't understand why they didn't review most of the participant too !?
It's the least they can do no?

Hope this new judges process will change things for new corners.
Sean A

Does anyone know if you can submit the same game to both the Student and Regular sections?
MatthewFBS

Yes, you can.
Sean A

Thanks, I may submit something this year then.
PHeMoX

I doubt this is really going to change anything, except making it even more unclear why a game should deserve a certain prize.

I'd like to see them write an extensive review of each finalist and the summary of the debates that motivated them to vote for a certain game or not vote for a certain game.

It shouldn't further deteriorate into friends voting for friends, however thoughtful that might be. :-) I'm not saying I disagree with áll the games that ever won, but there were a few games that in my opinion just should have won instead. It's not a big deal though, there's always games that deserve more than they get or games that'll get their ('mostly plain financial') reward after the IGF's publicity boost.