playMaker

Author Topic: Idea for a contest.  (Read 2850 times)

Red

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 563
Idea for a contest.
« on: November 25, 2012, 08:25:48 AM »
Yeah, i've talked about this before but i was thinking, since Playmaker is a fairly successful product, maybe offer a contest that if you win the grand prize, you win a pro-license of Unity for either yourself or a friend/family-member/colleague?

i know it'd be a big investment and i know that it'd be unfair to place this kind of burden on Hutong Games but can you imagine the sales that could result from people wishing to enter this contest if they haven't purchased Playmaker already? (not sure but it could even be considered a tax write off but i'd want to have that confirmed by someone knowledgeable in the appropriate tax codes and such.)

so, say you have a contest... a month long project... you create a full game from start to finish (and it has to be a new project, not someone entering a project they've already spent X-months on... just to keep it fair)  but it has to be made with playmaker 100% (or 99% if there are some things that Playmaker just cannot do but i'm not sure what those would be.)

I think it could help drive a sales blitz for those that want to enter and have not yet purchased Playmaker...

what i was thinking...

first prize: a Unity Pro license.
second prize: a $50 certificate for the asset store
runner up: honourable mention.

also, having all the games hosted (or linked to through) the Hutong games website and also promoted all throughout the unity/gamedev web.

criteria would be things like length and depth of game-play... behavior of all appropriate assets... graphics/gui and execution and lastly overall fun-factor.

i know this is a lark of an idea but i've talked about contests and such and the biggest thing that seems to be mentioned is that there is a lack of incentive.

and even better, say you advertise this contest on sites like CGSociety, Eat3D, Polycount... the potential for exposure is insane and the potential for sales is also proportionate.

I know it's just an idea but since PM has been getting a lot of exposure as of late it might be worth considering... and depending on the sites they might be willing to toss something into the prize-pool if they feel it's an adequate endeavour also (i've seen multiple websites/forums chip in prizes for contests which ended up getting really big. things like entire computer systems and full versions of their design package...)

so, What say you, Hutong games?

DISCLAIMER: i do not work for Hutong, this is ONLY an idea and this is NOT an attempt to weasel swag out of Hutong... and it is ONLY an idea. (Mainly because i know my limits and i have enough on my plate as is. :P)
« Last Edit: November 25, 2012, 08:37:20 AM by Red »

Red

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 563
Re: Idea for a contest.
« Reply #1 on: November 25, 2012, 08:36:35 AM »
If this were a real endeavour, however, i think a couple ways to keep it fair is to ensure that people don't just go to the asset store and buy all their stuff... so, WIP Threads would be mandatory showing a progression of the work being done.

like i said, it's just an idea that i think would be neat and it could actually drive sales if done right (proper exposure through as many channels as possible.)

an ancillary benefit of this could be that if people share how they've been wiring up their systems (with screenshots and/or videos) it could also really help those that are struggling and also help those new to Playmaker more avenues to learn.
« Last Edit: November 25, 2012, 08:46:59 AM by Red »

kiriri

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 506
Re: Idea for a contest.
« Reply #2 on: November 25, 2012, 08:46:05 AM »
(I hope I'm allowed to speak here, since I'm not HutongGames :D)
Why not start on a small scale first? Just a small thing between us already-PlayMaker-users, yknow? Price could be something like 3 licenses of PlayMaker (always wanted some more to start a team :D).
From my experience setting up a contest for the first time is confusing and hard. So you could see it as a preliminary, yknow, if it works out fine it bodes well for future endeavours.

Well, that's just my 2 cents :)
Best,
Sven

Red

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 563
Re: Idea for a contest.
« Reply #3 on: November 25, 2012, 08:49:26 AM »
That is a good idea too. reason i thought to go big was that if the prize was big, it'd draw a lot of people into it.

honestly, if i had the money, i'd certainly chip in and get a copy of playmaker for friends (since right now it's listed as being on mega-sale... not sure for how long but if i had an extra $60 kicking around i would definitely be getting a couple copies for friends and family that are also aspiring game-devs.) but the sad thing is, my contract gig was up a couple months ago and i'm in the "scrimp and save" part of the freelance gig world until i can either get my game published or get another contract.

and i'm also not affiliated in any way with Hutong Games... well, unless you could count that i'm a user of Playmaker... but that's about the extent of my connection with Playmaker's parent company. this is just a thread to toss about ideas.
« Last Edit: November 25, 2012, 08:51:18 AM by Red »