Game Rules

General Submission Criteria

To enter the competition, submitted games must meet the following criteria:

  • Have clearly defined, measurable learning objectives.
  • Provide players with a clearly identified challenge/problem.
  • Make use of digital gaming technology.
  • Provide positive/negative feedback towards achievement of learning objectives.
  • Be original games (as opposed to novel uses of existing games).
  • NOT be modifications to existing games.
  • Be intended for an audience of 12 years of age (US 6th grade) or older.

Official Rulebook

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Submission Category Determination

Government & General Audience Awards Qualification

The game submission and awards structure is based upon the target audience for the game, not developer category.

Government symbolic image
Government Audience Game Award

To qualify for the Government Audience Game Award, the Entrant Game should be built specifically for national or local government or defense purposes, including the game learning objectives, themes, story, and overall play. Examples include but are not limited to military tactics, equipment, or procedures, law enforcement, cybersecurity, tactical combat care and triage, veterans’ health and affairs, public works, and space. Funders and developers of the game can be private or government entities.

General Audience Game Award

To qualify for the General Audience Game category, the entrant game should be built for a general audience, including the game learning objectives, themes, story, and overall play. Examples include but are not limited to corporate training, general education, general health/healthcare and wellness, public interest, etc. Funders and developers of the game can be private or government entities.

Learn About the Potential SGS&C Awards Your Game Could Win!

Awards Overview
Technical Rules

Platform & Tech Guidelines

Must run in at least one of the currently supported Windows or Mac operating system versions.

Please note that all finalists will be provided with an HP gaming capable computer to allow conference attendees to play your game in the SGS&C booth at I/ITSEC. 

  • All currently supported Apple iOS versions, all platforms
  • All currently supported Android versions, all platforms
  • Mobile Web (any mobile browser capable of supporting HTML5 and JavaScript)

Other platforms may be accommodated as a special device as outlined in the SGS&C Rules.

Please note that mobile finalists will be responsible for providing all hardware necessary to allow conference attendees to play your game in the SGS&C booth at I/ITSEC. 

Extended Reality (XR) is a term referring to all real and virtual combined environments. It includes forms such as augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and virtual reality (VR).

Virtual Reality (VR) – an artificial environment which is experienced through sensory stimuli (such as sights and sounds) provided by a computer and in which one’s actions partially determine what happens in the environment. It is an artificial environment that is created with software and presented to the user in such a way that the user suspends belief and accepts it as a real environment.

Augmented Reality (AR) – an enhanced version of reality created by the use of technology to overlay digital information on an image of something being viewed through a device (such as a smartphone camera). It is the integration of digital information with the user’s environment in real time. AR takes your view of the real world and adds digital information and/or data on top of it.

Mixed Reality (MR) – the merging of real and virtual worlds to produce new environments and visualizations in which physical and digital objects co-exist and interact in real time. MR lets the user see the real world (like AR) while also seeing believable, virtual objects (like VR). MR then anchors those virtual objects to a point in real space, making it possible to treat them as “real,” at least from the perspective of the person who can see the MR experience.

Acknowledging and encouraging the innovative and novel applications currently utilized in XR development, the SGS&C allows XR submission utilizing any appropriate technologies. Please note that XR finalists will be responsible for providing all hardware necessary to allow conference attendees to play your game in the SGS&C booth at I/ITSEC.

Web-based games should be designed to run on at least one of the common browsers, such as a current supported version of Chrome, Firefox, or Edge.

Please note that all finalists will be provided with an HP gaming capable computer to allow conference attendees to play your game in the SGS&C booth at I/ITSEC. Internet access will not be provided and finalists should plan to provide a local version of your game.

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Rules for Students

Student Entry Guidelines

Students entering the competition should adhere to the following rules:

  • The entered Game must have been primarily designed and developed by individuals or teams who were middle school, high school, college, or trade school student(s) throughout the creation of the game. A game is eligible for student submission even if the developer has left the institution prior to submission and/or showcase of the game, as long as the development occurred while the entrant was a student.
  • The team must not have employed professional developers who are not students. Faculty members can be advisers to student teams, but the bulk of the work must have been done by the students.
  • The student(s) will be asked to provide the name and contact details of a teacher and/or advisor who can attest to the students’ status during game design and development.
  • The game content or audience is unlimited beyond adhering to the general criteria for game submissions.
  • If a game was made by a non-student team, like professional developers or faculty members, at a university (public or private), it can’t be entered into the student category but can be submitted as a Business Entry.